As the peaks shattered, a massive avalanche of boulders tumbled down. Ruo-Ruo watched the falling debris with a cold glint in her eyes. Activating her frost powers, she coated the rocks in a layer of rime before shattering them with a follow-up of lightning.
The stones were reduced to fine gravel, burying the nearby mountain forests. Su Han had mentioned transforming this place into a city, so massive boulders were impractical. Fine gravel, she decided, made for a better foundation.
It took fifteen minutes of intense focus to process a single mountain perfectly. Su Han immediately handed her an ice-cold cola, smiling. "Hard work, Ruo-Ruo."
POOF.
A cloud of white smoke erupted. The intellectual "Big Sister" vanished, replaced once more by the petite, pouting girl.
"I need to rest. Siphoning power while my true body is sealed is exhausting..."
"I'll take over the clearing for a bit."
After handing her the drink, Su Han stepped forward to level the terrain. Though Ruo-Ruo had done the heavy lifting, the ground was still uneven. Su Han drew his blade—the gravity-shifting Tessaiga.
With a light swing, a terrifying purple light flared. The immense gravitational pressure forced the loose rubble deep into the crevices of the earth, packing it tight. In an instant, a massive, level foundation was laid.
Once Ruo-Ruo recovered, Su Han and Keqing took her toward the summit of Qingyun Peak. Looking at the towering height, a look of nostalgia crossed Ruo-Ruo's face. Centuries ago, she used to come here to catch the breeze, eating snacks brought by that "chubby fellow" (Morax). Those were her most peaceful days.
"Thinking about the past?" Su Han asked softly.
"A little. But back then, the food wasn't as good as it is now. It was all fighting, all the time. It got boring eventually... Do you want me to level this one too?"
"Yes."
"Then watch me!"
[The Power of the Dragon King]
Ruo-Ruo transformed back into her adult form. The past was the past; the present was what mattered. If that man (Morax) resented her, there were others now who cherished her.
"Shatter!"
Her pale fists began to sprout faint, crystalline scales—a sign that she was drawing physical essence directly from her sealed true body.
ROAR—!
The peak was engulfed in four-colored elemental energy. Her power was primal—wild, unrefined, and purely destructive. Water coiled, fire burst, lightning crackled, and ice froze. This single punch condensed her entire understanding of the elements.
BOOM!
The collision of ice and thunder, water and fire, caused a chain reaction more violent than any standard elemental reaction. Qingyun Peak began to disintegrate, collapsing into the valley below.
Keqing watched, mesmerized. "Is that... true elemental mastery?"
It wasn't just about triggering a reaction; it was about the raw, savage application of power. Keqing felt a spark of enlightenment regarding her own abilities. Witnessing a being like the Dragon King perform "work" was like watching a god paint a landscape with a sledgehammer.
Watching the dust settle, Keqing whispered to Su Han, "Why don't you try to undo another layer of her seal? Your strength has grown significantly since you got your new weapon."
Su Han blinked, hitting his palm with his fist. "Right! I almost forgot."
[The First Fracture]
Su Han flew down into Dragon-Queller, the cavern where the massive dragon lay dormant. One of the sealing pillars was already covered in spiderweb cracks from his previous attempt.
He summoned the Riyue Sword. As he poured his solar divinity into the celestial blade, it erupted with a light that turned the dark cavern into day.
CLANG!
The solar strike slammed into the weakened pillar. The stone disintegrated into a million shards.
However, Su Han frowned. He noticed that the seal's resistance didn't just break; it felt as though the tension had been deliberately lowered. It was as if Zhongli had eased the grip on the seal just enough for this to happen. When he tried to strike the second pillar, it remained as immovable as a mountain.
He's letting her out in stages, Su Han realized. Zhongli wasn't ready to set the full Dragon King loose just yet.
Outside, Ruo-Ruo—who was busy eating a popsicle—suddenly perked up. She felt a surge of strength. The suppression had eased significantly. She could now maintain her adult form much longer, or use her child form with far greater efficiency.
[Ganyu's Secret]
As Su Han flew back, he found Keqing and Ruo-Ruo chatting.
"...Oh, you mean Ganyu?" Ruo-Ruo was saying. "I remember her. She used to be so round and fat back in the day. There was this one monster that tried to eat her, but she was so plump she actually choked the poor thing to death..."
Keqing froze, her eyes wide. "..."
So that's why Ganyu is so obsessed with her diet, Keqing realized. The image of the elegant, hardworking secretary once being a literal "ball of fluff" that accidentally killed a monster with her girth was a mental image Keqing couldn't unsee.
"Big Brother, you're back!" Ruo-Ruo chirped as Su Han landed. "Let's go blow up more mountains! I want to finish early so we can go get fried chicken!"
[The Birth of a Sanctuary]
The explosions continued throughout the afternoon. With one pillar shattered, Ruo-Ruo was a blur of destruction. Su Han followed behind, using gravity to pack the earth and his dragon-infused blade to carve the cliffs.
Keqing acted as the surveyor, measuring the terrain and sending the coordinates to Ganyu. By dusk, the jagged peaks had been replaced by a series of massive, tiered plateaus.
Su Han then took out the Small Spirit Vein. As he activated it, a blue, ghostly light pulsed from beneath the earth, weaving through the foundations of the future city.
"The air... it feels like the Jade Chamber now," Ruo-Ruo noted, breathing in the revitalized atmosphere.
Finally, Su Han scattered the seeds of the Azure Phoenix Maples.
"Rain, come!"
He summoned a localized storm. Under the irrigation and the high-density spiritual energy from the new vein, the seeds sprouted at an impossible speed. Within an hour, two-meter-tall saplings had turned the barren, gray rocky plateaus into a lush, emerald-green paradise.
The "Sect City" of Jueyun Karst was no longer a dream—it was a living, breathing reality.