The screen in front of Xuehua suddenly went dark, and a new PV began to play.
In the video, Tian Tiezui snapped open his folding fan and began his storytelling, accompanied by a grand and stirring soundtrack.
"Last time, we spoke of the Geo Lord wandering alone among the mountains."
"In a deep fissure within the earth…"
"He heard a distant, unheard-of voice…"
As the storyteller's voice faded, the scene unfolded.
Morax, clad in divine attire, stood atop a mountain peak, gazing into the distant ranges.
"Most ancient Geo elemental beings that dwell beneath Liyue are blind…"
"They have not seen the light of day for countless years."
Zhongli's voice followed.
"Whoa—this outfit is way too cool!"
Xuehua stared at the screen, completely smitten.
[miHoYo, please release this Archon outfit! (crying)]
[This feels so epic]
[Zhongli looks insanely cool]
"That voice was at times sorrowful like a song, at times terrifying like thunder."
"The Geo Lord searched tirelessly…"
"And in the end, discovered a strange and peculiar stone within the rock layers."
As the narration ended, Morax raised his hands.
Between them floated that very stone.
"Azhdaha came to be in this way."
"I granted his wish and brought him to the surface."
"Wait—Azhdaha was carved by the Geo Archon?!"
Xuehua's eyes widened in disbelief.
[How do you even carve something like that?! (facepalm)]
[So he carved him into a big chonky dragon?]
Moved by the stone's spirit, the Geo Lord personally sculpted it—
Into a magnificent dragon, lifelike beyond compare.
Morax raised his hand and gently brushed over the dragon's eyes.
Azhdaha's pupils gradually lit up.
"I granted him the eyes to see the world clearly."
"And made three agreements with him."
Using his finger as a brush, he finished the final stroke upon the dragon's eyes.
In that instant—
Thunder roared and lightning flashed across the heavens.
A true dragon was born!
The rocky shell on Azhdaha's body shattered apart.
He raised his massive head and roared into the sky.
"I permitted him to coexist with the people of the surface."
"But should he one day disrupt order…"
"He would be sealed back into darkness."
Morax and Azhdaha stood side by side, gazing toward the distant mountains.
From then on, the dragon accompanied the Geo Lord, fighting alongside him across the land.
The storyteller concluded with a verse:
"Shattered stone and dust swept the skies,
Mountains split and rivers carved their way.
With a stroke, the dragon gained its sight,
And clouds gathered, bringing rain to stay."
Xuehua clapped enthusiastically.
"This story, the visuals—this is insane!"
[The writing, the music, the art—everything is top-tier!]
The PV ended.
The screen darkened again, and several lines of text appeared:
"Viewed as history, truth and falsehood blur—warmth and cruelty known only to oneself;
Viewed as mountains, heaven and earth endure—yet fleeting blooms still fade;
Viewed as friends, bonds flash like lightning—yet a thousand years pass like a single day."
"This tale of the dragon's creation speaks of ruler and subject, of old friends—
A fleeting light, radiant as the blazing sun.
With such immortal bones, the mortal world may yet be walked."
—From the apocryphal tale "New Chronicles of Liyue: The Dragon's Awakening"
The ancient tree stood like a dragon bursting through stone, its roots gripping jagged cliffs.
Nearly every passerby in Liyue would recall the famous story told at Third-Round Knockout: "Bringing the Dragon to Life."
Whether the tale was true or not—
The Dragon-Queller Tree stood here.
And that alone was enough.
Looking up at the towering tree, its leaves—colored like Geo—filtered sunlight into scattered golden patches across the ground, like shattered gilded paint.
Soon after, Lao Dai volunteered to escort his recovered companions back to Liyue Harbor, taking the unconscious Kun Jun with him.
As for those who remained—
There were still things left unsaid.
Meanwhile, Xuehua's livestream chat was flooded with praise.
"What does this mean?"
"So the storyteller's version just now… was a folk tale?"
She frowned in confusion at the text.
[Based on the wording… yeah, probably (facepalm)]
[Azhdaha's power is on par with Zhongli—no way he was 'created' like that]
[So the story isn't necessarily true?]
[The storyteller may be unreliable, but Zhongli's words should be accurate]
[Azhdaha said himself he was born blind—so he wasn't created by Zhongli]
[Zhongli mentioned underground Geo lifeforms—that means Azhdaha already existed]
[Dual perspective storytelling—Tian Tiezui vs Zhongli]
[Conclusion: Zhongli didn't create Azhdaha, but he did give him sight]
Another piece of music began to play—
A variation of Qingyun Peak's theme, now carried by the sound of an erhu.
[Triple BGM combo kill]
Zhongli and Qiu Nian stood before a stone tablet.
Lumine and Paimon approached from behind.
"A thousand years ago, when Azhdaha attacked the Chasm…"
"I personally intervened."
"We battled from the depths of the Chasm all the way here."
"In the end, I struck him down and sealed him underground."
Zhongli said, gazing at the stone tablet.
"The Dragon-Quelling Stones were formed from that very battle."
"Azhdaha has an instinctive connection to them."
"He sought them out, hoping to find me."
Zhongli turned toward Lumine and Paimon.
"In that final battle, though I prevailed…"
"It was not because he was weaker than I."
"In his heart…"
"He still held affection—for me, for Liyue, and for all life upon the surface."
"He chose to be sealed."
"Regrettably… erosion caused him to forget."
"The erosion imposed by the Heavenly Principles is terrifying…"
"Have you… also been affected by it?"
Lumine asked softly.
"I cannot escape my own erosion."
"However, I understand one thing better than most."
"When it is time to leave… one must leave."
"The greater the power…"
"The greater the danger once erosion takes hold."
"After thousands of years…"
"Even stone… grows weary."
Zhongli lowered his hands and spoke calmly.
[Lumine asked about Heavenly Principles erosion, but Zhongli answered about personal erosion? (facepalm)]
[Maybe Heavenly erosion can be resisted, but self-erosion can't]
[Just like what Qiu Nian said—unless you have no memory or emotion]
[But didn't he say Heavenly erosion can't be resisted either?]
[Is Venti sleeping all the time his way of resisting erosion?]
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