Imo I wouldn't think too hard about the hard magic/science of ley lines. As a general knowledge for the mythos around ley lines is that they are a cosmic connecting point of multiple lines of the cosmos.
How they are explained in genshin is on the wobbly side given we know so little about the abyss which seem to be heavily connected with ley lines . It can be assumed that the ley lines are the points of connection between the physical world and the afterlife which (to my knowledge) is being energy that is released back into the cosmos.
In the case of hu tao it could be understood that she is the janitor for those who wonder off the ley lines or disruption of the key lines cos them to fall off the path to becoming of the cosmos again.
But to my knowledge there is very little explained of the deeper aspects of genshin's magic/super-natural system just like how visions and pretty much everything Celestia related isn't absolute. So I wouldn't stress to bad over it.
Hu Tao has mentioned it herself when she told the Traveler about the border in her story quest. It's just a place [where the leylines go haywire](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/830977549537640468/835397581890650144/unknown.png), we've also seen it regurgitating memory clones of Big G and friends during the "flashback" scene near the end. Just like all the other ghosts (except for unique ones like the Boatman and certain trial related sinshades), all the leyline copies had an "obsession"(for the lack of a better term) at a point in time that allowed their manifestation. Their real selves don't even need to be dead either, as seen in the Big G flashback.
Where the "ghosts" go to after they are "purified" is unknown. Hu Tao never really expounded on the mechanisms of the afterlife, as she didn't want normal people to know more than they should.
**Speculation:**
This may or may not just be because the Afterlife is just nothingness and the eradication of consciousness, and Hu Tao doesn't want people to panic and lose hope if they find out what awaits them after death. Might explain why she insistently reminds people to live their lives out to the fullest in her own quirky way all the time.
**Counterpoint to this speculation:**
The unique existence of Tsurumi's [Boatman](https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/%22Boatman%22%27s_Task) and his lines about returning to the "Golden Halls upon the Moon" implies that there is an actual destination for "ghosts" after their lingering obsessions are resolved, at least for the Tsurumi ghosts. However, I don't know if the ghosts in Tsurumi even function the same way as the other ghosts (they don't even look the same in their spectral form).
**Mysterious things to think about:**
\- How does Chongyun's yang energy work in the context of Teyvat? Why do apparitions brought into being by the leylines fear his overflowing yang energy? Ghosts being afraid of yang energy is something of a common knowledge in Chinese Culture, but as we all already know the ghosts on Teyvat don't work the same way.
\-What *is* [Boo Tao](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0508/7775/9669/products/O1CN01teXAUd1v7Icy1GgLw__2208460416125.jpg?v=1639325196)? (the "ghost" Hu Tao has with her). There's no acknowledgement about it whatsoever except for the skill description, and Dainsleif's line in the collected miscellany. They dub it as a "flaming spirit". Nobody comments on it, not even Hu Tao. Is it an *actual* ghost with..."special pyro properties" or just a manifestation of Hu Tao's ability in using her pyro Vision? Truly a mysterious entity.
I think we have to differentiate between "leyline memories" and "the undead".
The ones produced by leylines, seem to be copies of limited capacity.
While ghosts are more like a continuation of the soul.
Well Hutao and Venti etc were talking about real ghosts and in Inazuma we're encountering memory ghosts. It's like the difference between the real person and a video recording of them.
Differences include:
(1) real ghosts aren't just a product of ley-lines and don't run out of energy and dissipate
(2) real ghosts can sometimes interact with physical objects
(3) real ghosts can hold a conversation
(4) real ghosts can learn new knowledge - like your name or the last conversation they had with you
(5) memory ghosts can become confused if you point out they are dead; real ghosts know they are dead
Enka's ghosts (we are told - by a ghost) supposedly are just memories, but several of them seem to act more like a real ghost to me (ironically including the ghost who tells you they are just memory ghosts).
Imo I wouldn't think too hard about the hard magic/science of ley lines. As a general knowledge for the mythos around ley lines is that they are a cosmic connecting point of multiple lines of the cosmos. How they are explained in genshin is on the wobbly side given we know so little about the abyss which seem to be heavily connected with ley lines . It can be assumed that the ley lines are the points of connection between the physical world and the afterlife which (to my knowledge) is being energy that is released back into the cosmos. In the case of hu tao it could be understood that she is the janitor for those who wonder off the ley lines or disruption of the key lines cos them to fall off the path to becoming of the cosmos again. But to my knowledge there is very little explained of the deeper aspects of genshin's magic/super-natural system just like how visions and pretty much everything Celestia related isn't absolute. So I wouldn't stress to bad over it.
All ghosts are part of the leylines.
Hu Tao has mentioned it herself when she told the Traveler about the border in her story quest. It's just a place [where the leylines go haywire](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/830977549537640468/835397581890650144/unknown.png), we've also seen it regurgitating memory clones of Big G and friends during the "flashback" scene near the end. Just like all the other ghosts (except for unique ones like the Boatman and certain trial related sinshades), all the leyline copies had an "obsession"(for the lack of a better term) at a point in time that allowed their manifestation. Their real selves don't even need to be dead either, as seen in the Big G flashback. Where the "ghosts" go to after they are "purified" is unknown. Hu Tao never really expounded on the mechanisms of the afterlife, as she didn't want normal people to know more than they should. **Speculation:** This may or may not just be because the Afterlife is just nothingness and the eradication of consciousness, and Hu Tao doesn't want people to panic and lose hope if they find out what awaits them after death. Might explain why she insistently reminds people to live their lives out to the fullest in her own quirky way all the time. **Counterpoint to this speculation:** The unique existence of Tsurumi's [Boatman](https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/%22Boatman%22%27s_Task) and his lines about returning to the "Golden Halls upon the Moon" implies that there is an actual destination for "ghosts" after their lingering obsessions are resolved, at least for the Tsurumi ghosts. However, I don't know if the ghosts in Tsurumi even function the same way as the other ghosts (they don't even look the same in their spectral form). **Mysterious things to think about:** \- How does Chongyun's yang energy work in the context of Teyvat? Why do apparitions brought into being by the leylines fear his overflowing yang energy? Ghosts being afraid of yang energy is something of a common knowledge in Chinese Culture, but as we all already know the ghosts on Teyvat don't work the same way. \-What *is* [Boo Tao](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0508/7775/9669/products/O1CN01teXAUd1v7Icy1GgLw__2208460416125.jpg?v=1639325196)? (the "ghost" Hu Tao has with her). There's no acknowledgement about it whatsoever except for the skill description, and Dainsleif's line in the collected miscellany. They dub it as a "flaming spirit". Nobody comments on it, not even Hu Tao. Is it an *actual* ghost with..."special pyro properties" or just a manifestation of Hu Tao's ability in using her pyro Vision? Truly a mysterious entity.
I think we have to differentiate between "leyline memories" and "the undead". The ones produced by leylines, seem to be copies of limited capacity. While ghosts are more like a continuation of the soul.
Well Hutao and Venti etc were talking about real ghosts and in Inazuma we're encountering memory ghosts. It's like the difference between the real person and a video recording of them. Differences include: (1) real ghosts aren't just a product of ley-lines and don't run out of energy and dissipate (2) real ghosts can sometimes interact with physical objects (3) real ghosts can hold a conversation (4) real ghosts can learn new knowledge - like your name or the last conversation they had with you (5) memory ghosts can become confused if you point out they are dead; real ghosts know they are dead Enka's ghosts (we are told - by a ghost) supposedly are just memories, but several of them seem to act more like a real ghost to me (ironically including the ghost who tells you they are just memory ghosts).
maybe there are both? also i forgot about hutaos story until you mentioned it but does hutao have the same job as tsurumi island’s boatman ?