Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

"No, you only went out for a short while, and Xuan Yue has become like this!" Gui Zhong was practically going crazy when he saw Morax helping Xuan Yue back.

"What on earth happened! Did a demon god launch a sneak attack?!" Liu Yun was also in a fighting stance: "I'll go find Xiao Yue and the others right away!"

"No..." Before Xuan Yue could stop him, Liu Yun immediately transformed back into his original form and flew away.

"Don't worry about Xuan Yue, we'll handle it. Gan Yu is in the cave, let the Emperor take you to her to heal your wounds. I'll go inform Mark Hughes and the others." Gui Zhong finished speaking and immediately flew down the mountain.

"Wait!" Xuan Yue still didn't block her way down the mountain.

"Morax! Why didn't you stop him!" Xuan Yue roared at the Rock Demon God, whose face was calm but whose eyes held a smile.

"In a general sense, it just so happens that we need to discuss the boundary between life and death. They have inadvertently accomplished this task, so why not?"

"Ugh! Never mind, I'm going back to my cave." Xuan Yue said, trying to pull her arm away from Morax, but... she couldn't.

“Gan Yu is here, let her take a look at you. We still have matters to discuss later, and she can also heal your injuries while she’s at it, so you don’t need to go back.” Morax smiled slightly, his grip firm, half-dragging, half-pulling Xuan Yue into Liu Yun’s cave.

"Eh, Your Majesty!" A cute little girl with two horns on her head and long, azure hair said respectfully to Morax, "And this is..."

“My dearest friend, Mingye Tianjun Ruoyavis, this is Gan Yu, who has half the blood of a Qilin. Have her check if there are any other hidden injuries on her body.”

"Never mind that, I'll be fine after a rest. Thank you, Little Gan Yu... Hey!" Xuan Yue was about to slip away when Morax used rocks to pin his feet down, rendering him immobile. He glared at Morax, who was already sitting down and drinking tea, but the latter was simply drinking his tea.

"You win, I'm not leaving." Xuan Yue knew he was extremely weak; if it weren't for Morax, he might not even be able to return to Mount Aozang in his right mind.

"Hmm." Morax waved his hand, and the rocks beneath Xuan Yue's feet turned into fluorescent light, as if they had never existed.

"Gan Yu, go and take a look."

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Gan Yu led Ruoyavis to a spacious white jade bed. “Your Majesty, please lie down here first. I will go and get the necessary tools. If you are tired, you can take a nap.”

"Yes, thank you, Gan Yu." Xuan Yue lay down on the white jade stone and closed his eyes. Seeing this, Gan Yu lit an incense stick. The fragrance filled the air, and Xuan Yue felt his consciousness growing increasingly blurred until he finally sank into darkness…

—Consciousness Space—

"are you awake?"

A clear, cold voice rang out, and Xuan Yue immediately opened his eyes, meeting a pair of purple eyes that were exactly the same as his, yet calm and serene.

"Xuan Qing!"

"Hmm, it seems your consciousness has recovered quite well."

"How are you?" Xuan Yue asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, I won't disappear for now. It's just a secret realm, it didn't damage my source or consume much of my energy."

"That's good." Xuan Yue sighed, but the weight in his heart remained. That secret realm was a product of the temporary fusion of his and Xuan Qing's consciousnesses. Because they were two independent consciousnesses, even though they were the same person, they were still somewhat different. He had almost fainted from the excruciating pain. He didn't believe that Xuan Qing, who bore seventy percent of the burden, would be as relaxed as he appeared.

"The matter is resolved, it's good to get some rest, I'll go back to sleep."

"You really are..." Xuan Qing was speechless.

Xuan Yue pulled Xuan Qing into her arms and lay down together. "Sleep with me, brother~"

“…Mmm.” Xuan Qing responded softly, saying nothing more, and closed her eyes. Seeing Xuan Qing asleep, Xuan Yue also closed her eyes; she was truly exhausted…

--Reality--

"So, the Emperor and the Heavenly Lord went to mend the boundary between life and death." All the immortals gathered in Liu Yun's cave, and Morax explained the situation, finally easing their tense atmosphere.

"I was really scared to death!" Ping'er patted his chest, still shaken. In his eyes, whether it was Xuan Yue or Xuan Qing, they were all family.

The other immortals, including Morax, thought so too, so when they heard that Joavis was injured, they rushed over immediately.

"Gan Yu, how is the Heavenly Lord?" Liu Yun asked Gan Yu, who was standing beside him, with a frown.

"Master, Your Majesty, I cannot cure the Heavenly Lord's condition." Gan Yu said with her head hanging low, blaming herself, "The Heavenly Lord's injury is etched into his soul and spirit. I am sorry that I am powerless."

"Soul and spirit..." Morax murmured, looking at the unconscious Joavis on the white jade stone.

"Hey, Narumi, do you have any herbs like this?" Ruoda asked Narumi, who was standing nearby.

"Hmm... I'll look for it when I get back. Hey Liuyun, don't you have a lot of mechanisms? Do you have any magical artifacts of this kind?"

"No, Gui Zhong and I both researched based on inspiration. Mechanisms are mechanisms, and magical artifacts are magical artifacts. The two cannot be confused."

"It feels like I can't help at all..." Gui Zhong's expression also turned sorrowful.

"Regarding mental well-being, it seems that calming the mind can have a refreshing effect."

"Xiaoyue (削月) refreshes the mind and clears the head, but it has no effect on mental injuries," Lishui corrected the misconception about Xiaoyue.

"What are your thoughts, Your Majesty?" Mark Hughes asked Morax, who had remained silent for a long time.

"I've heard that the Great Tree King on the border of Liyue possesses the authority of wisdom; perhaps we can find some solutions from her," Morax pondered. "Ganyu, when will Ruyavis wake up?"

“Well… because there wasn’t much Concentration Incense left, it burned out a long time ago. Anyone who isn’t in a deep sleep should wake up soon, but Lord Heavenly Lord…” Gan Yu scratched his head, unsure how to answer.

The immortals looked at Joavis, who was still fast asleep and unconscious on the white jade stone, and felt even more worried.

"There's no need for that." A clear, cold voice rang out. Xuan Qing regained control of his body, shook his still somewhat groggy head, and sat up from the white jade stone.

"So it's the Mind-Calming Incense. Thank you very much." Xuan Qing nodded slightly to Gan Yu.

"You've been awake the whole time?" Xiaoyue asked.

“No, I only heard that you were looking for the Great Compassion Tree King.” Xuan Qing said truthfully, “I am not Xuan Yue, and he does not actually have a very clear understanding of his own essence.”

"So, you're actually fully aware of your situation, yet you've allowed it to continue like this." Morax stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“If it were you, Morax, you would quickly figure out why, but you can’t say.” A hint of a smile appeared in Xuan Qing’s eyes.

"So, it's King Ruo Tuo who wishes to spar with me?" Xuan Qing met Ruo Tuo's gaze.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

“If Iavis has signed the contract, it means he can fight you right now,” Morax explained.

"I won't take advantage of someone in distress. Let's do it another day," Ruoduo said, waving his hand.

"You're scared, aren't you?" Xuan Qing's lips curled into a slight, sarcastic smile.

"I'm scared! I, the mighty Dragon King Ruoduo, have fought alongside Morax in the north and south, how could this be! Let's go!" Ruoduo angrily grabbed Xuanqing and flew directly with him to an open space not far away.

"Your Majesty, this..." Liu Yun was somewhat worried.

"Your Majesty, the Heavenly Lord's current condition is probably..." Minghai said worriedly.

“We need to understand that this is Xuanqing, not Xuanyue.” Morax looked towards the direction where the sun was gradually setting. “Aren’t we going to go take a look?”

The immortals were completely baffled, but soon came Rota's scream: "Ah! Royavis! You cheated! Ah!!!"

"Ahem, I think what the Emperor said makes sense." Minghai's eyes gleamed, but he was still mindful of saving face.

The other immortals, their curiosity piqued, immediately flew towards the battleground. There they saw Ruo Tuo, in human form, covered in wounds, while Xuan Qing leisurely floated in the air, arms crossed, watching Ruo Tuo below.

"Morax! He cheated! Who would block an attack and then deflect it?" Jota accused.

"Uh..." The immortals all looked at Morax, thinking to themselves: (Isn't there one right in front of you?)

“This is one of Joavis’s own powers. Since it’s a friendly spar, it doesn’t violate the terms of the contract,” Morax said righteously.

"Then see for yourself!" After Ruo Tuo finished speaking, he launched another attack at Xuan Qing. Xuan Qing still did not move, but the attack was blocked instantly just outside his arm. Then, the next second, the attack seemed to expand several times and reappeared out of thin air, attacking Ruo Tuo. Ruo Tuo dodged immediately, with exceptional skill.

"Look! Isn't this cheating?!" Ruoduo accused.

"..." The immortals fell silent for a moment, after all, none of them had witnessed how Xuan Qing made his move.

"You don't have to hold back," Xuan Qing said coldly, but his mood had clearly improved considerably.

"I can't break through your defense!"

"That's your fault."

"You, you, you!" Jodo angrily pointed at Joavis.

"You can find help, but as long as I land, I'll consider it a loss," Xuan Qing said with a light smile.

Who do you think you are?!

"You," Xuan Qing replied expressionlessly.

"I...you! You're despicable!" Ruoduo roared angrily.

"Uh, I never would have guessed Xuanqing was so cunning," Liu Yun whispered to Gui Zhongping'er.

"Yes, look how angry you've made the Dragon King." Gui Zhong remained smiling.

"Hahaha, when has the Dragon King ever suffered such a loss! Hahaha!" Ping'er couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Not only them, but the other immortals were also suppressing their laughter, and even Morax's lips curled up slightly.

"I, the mighty Dragon King Ruoduo, am a man of my word and take responsibility for my actions. But since you've said that, Morax, come at me!" Ruoduo changed the subject and beckoned Morax to join him.

(Do you have any shame? We asked you to call for help, and you brought the Emperor along. Don't you have any shame if word gets out?) The immortals were speechless.

Xuan Qing had no objection, but looked at Morax with eyes that seemed to say: Are you coming?

"The changes to your contract remain valid as long as both parties agree to them. Do you two have any further clauses to amend?" Morax asked.

"No."

"I agree!"

Neither of them objected. Morax nodded and looked at Xuan Qing: "Let me be clear from the start, you are still injured. If you are only trying to fulfill the contract, you shouldn't push yourself too hard."

"It's nothing. I know my own situation. Thank you for your concern."

“Alright, then the new contract is in effect.” Morax walked to Rota’s side, spear in hand: “Those who break their promises will be punished.”

"Hehe, Xuanqing, be careful!" Ruotuo rushed directly in front of Xuanqing. Xuanqing was expressionless. He flicked his finger, and countless black holes appeared behind him. Then, under everyone's gaze, they disappeared into the black holes. Ruotuo followed him in, but came out from another black hole.

"This! This...this!" Ruoduo was so shocked that he couldn't speak coherently.

Morax's eyes flashed, and he unleashed a Rock Rain attack towards a black hole. Since it was just a friendly spar, the power was not great.

Xuan Qing jumped out of another black hole, his eyes showing some surprise, but not much.

"Finally, I've been waiting for you." This time, Ruo Tuo used rock elemental power to launch a ranged attack on Xuan Qing, but Xuan Qing merely flashed his spiritual eyes, and the attack disappeared as before, then expanded several times to attack Ruo Tuo.

"Absorb all!" Morax immediately activated his shield, enveloping the two of them, while Xuan Qing flipped over in mid-air and hovered there once more.

"This is truly a spectacle." A group of immortals became loyal spectators, watching the battle unfold. Xiaoyue, Lishui, and the others were discussing who would win, while Liuyun and the others were talking about how they would later ridicule Ruotuo.

"Gentlemen... Immortal Lords, what brings you here?" A voice rang out from behind the immortals watching the battle. Gui Zhong and the others turned around and were overjoyed to see who it was.

"Hey, it's you guys! Come quick! You've come at just the right time, the real show is just beginning!"