"Wow! What happened? Was that an earthquake?" Xiangling poked her head out from beside the Wanmin Restaurant sign, holding a spatula.
She looked around, and the entire ground had begun to shake. The streets were filled with panicked crowds.
Some looked around in uncertainty at the houses where tiles were falling, while others worriedly gazed at the Vortex God rising from the distant sea.
The past period of time was destined to be unforgettable for the people of Liyue.
First, the calm Sea of Clouds suddenly stirred up a storm, and then the legendary dormant Vortex God revived.
Although the terrifying storm eventually subsided, the people of Liyue had not yet had time to rejoice when an unprecedented earthquake struck the city.
This back-and-forth left people with nothing but panic. What kind of change had the long-prosperous Liyue encountered today?
"Quick, quick, quick! Alchemists, take your positions at the nodes, guide the Geo element power of the Ley Lines, and stabilize the earth's crust!"
"Activate the Guizhong Ballista's safety, archers to your positions! Even if it's a God, let it see our might!"
"Are the Exorcists all here? Keep your eyes peeled! Don't let evil spirits enter the city!"
...Urgent and orderly commands were issued one after another. The Millelith, alchemists, and Exorcists in various attire quickly found their respective positions.
The Millelith patrolled the city streets, maintaining order amidst the crisis.
It was only when the true crisis arrived that the people of Liyue discovered that the inconspicuous wooden blocks usually found on street pavilions were, in fact, transformed Guizhong Ballistas.
Dense Guizhong Ballistas were spread throughout every corner of Liyue Harbor, forming interwoven webs of firepower, both visible and hidden. It was hard to imagine what the scene would be like when these massive ballistas unleashed their full firepower.
Besides the uniformly armored Millelith soldiers, alchemists in long robes and spectacles also moved through the streets of Liyue.
The alchemy tables, normally used to facilitate the Crafting of materials for the people, now served as nodes for the Ley Lines beneath the Liyue urban area.
As a faint yellow ripple swept across the ground, the Geo element power surging from the Ley Lines also permeated the surface of Liyue.
Liyue Harbor was still shaking, but this time, even the broken tiles on the rooftops could not be shaken down.
As for the most agile and swift in action, they were the Exorcists of Liyue Harbor. They moved through and around Liyue, observing the movements of monsters and evil spirits in the surrounding areas of Liyue.
They not only had to dispel evil spirits but also report any potential changes around Liyue back into the city.
After a brief period of panic, Liyue Harbor stabilized once again.
However, the God on the sea, and the earth-shattering roar from further away, still lingered in everyone's hearts.
They were like a giant stone, pressing down on people, making it hard to breathe.
"Wait! The God by the sea moved!"
"So fast... so big!"
"What are you staring for? Shoot at him!"
Beside a Guizhong Ballista, a seasoned veteran saw Osial's gradually Sky-obscuring figure and immediately patted the dazed archer behind him, saying.
"Oh... understood!" The archer snapped back to attention and immediately picked up a bright noctilucous jade from a nearby storage box, inserting it into the Guizhong Ballista.
noctilucous jade, a specialty of Liyue, is formed by the condensation of extremely pure Geo element and is often found alongside other minerals.
Generally speaking, as a Geo element condensate, it is beautiful and stable, a rare gem.
But within the Guizhong Ballista, its embedded element power can be fully unleashed, condensing into element arrows that pierce through everything.
"Boom!"
A streak of light appeared in the Sky. This streak of light was like a signal; after it, countless more streaks of light poured out, rushing towards Osial, who was hurtling towards Liyue from afar.
"Oh-ho-ho!"
Osial suddenly felt waves of stinging pain all over his body, like countless small needles pricking him continuously.
"Damn it! You learn from whom you follow. Following Morax, no wonder you're all so belligerent! I wish you all the same fate as Morax, to live and die alone!"
Unable to control his body, Osial could only face the rain of light and pass directly through Liyue Harbor, which was somewhat small for his body.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to curse the people of Liyue and incidentally delivered a critical hit to Zhongli, who had no wife.
Osial's voice was very loud, so loud that all of Liyue could hear him.
Watching Osial gradually move away, the archer turned the Guizhong Ballista around and asked a nearby soldier, "Captain, should we still shoot?"
"Shoot my ass!" The soldier tapped the archer's head and took a few deep breaths.
The God's body was as big as a mountain, and that was an understatement. The moment Osial landed, he almost suffocated.
The Guizhong Ballista was large, and the element crossbow bolts it fired were as long as two adults. But compared to the God's body, they were no different from toothpicks.
"Phew––" The soldier let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the God's target was not Liyue Harbor.
Relaxing, his eyes caught a glimpse of the empty storage box.
"Where's the noctilucous jade?" The soldier tapped the archer's head again.
"Didn't you say to shoot freely, Captain? It's all used up," the archer said innocently, covering his head.
"Half a year's supply for the squad, and you used it all up so quickly, kid?!"
"Captain, I'm the Millelith's fastest shooter!" The archer proudly flexed his muscles, smiling as he spoke.
"What's the use of being fast? You also need to last! Go run ten more laps for me when we get back!" The soldier patted the archer's head. This was his teaching as a veteran.
It definitely wasn't a small resentment after the ammunition was depleted from wanting to test fire the Guizhong Ballista... Beyond Mt. Tianheng was a low-lying area. Once, there was a magnificent city here, but with time, it had all turned into ruins.
"Gurgle!" Osial's massive body writhed like a snake, carving a wide and deep riverbed into the ground.
Given time, if there was abundant rainfall, a new great river would definitely appear here.
He raised his head straight up and looked into the distance. This was the first time Osial had seen a Geo forest made of peaks, which made him feel a bit curious.
During the Archon War, his battlefield was only by the coast; he had never ventured deep into the inland, so he had naturally never seen such a peculiar landscape.
This lessened the gloom in Osial's heart, but soon, he couldn't smile anymore.
Amidst the white mist in the mountains, besides the towering peaks, Osial also saw a familiar figure.
A colossal, muscular figure ran wildly through the Geo forest. With every swing of his limbs, the heavens and earth trembled a few times.
As for the mountains blocking the figure's path, they couldn't hinder him in the slightest. If no one stopped him, it probably wouldn't be long before Liyue's horizon would shrink considerably.
"Fat Dragon?" Osial felt that the agitated figure in the distance was very familiar. The dragon horns on his head, his body with an excessive body fat percentage, and his even louder voice than his own—wasn't this Morax's good friend, the big fat dragon Azhdaha?
"Hmph—" Azhdaha seemed to have heard Osial's muttering and turned his head to look in Osial's direction.
An undisguised killing intent enveloped Osial from a thousand miles away. Through countless mountains and mist, Osial saw Azhdaha's chaotic, crimson eyes.
"erode... Azhdaha has gone mad?"
Osial swallowed hard. His body involuntarily retreated a few steps, flattening some of the nearby mountains.
Then, a familiar sensation coursed through Osial's entire body. Osial sadly realized that he couldn't control his body again.
"Holy crap... stop, stop, stop, stop..." Osial quickly rushed towards the enraged Azhdaha, moving faster than he had ever fled in his life.
Seeing this, Azhdaha no longer vented his frustration on the nearby mountains but directly confronted the massive figure before him, which was not much different in size.
"Brother Dragon..., hello." The snake and the dragon finally stopped dozens of miles apart. Osial looked at Azhdaha, who was exhaling hot air, and greeted him politely.
"Die!" Azhdaha roared, and the surging air current lifted the ground. Then, with the trembling of heaven and earth, Azhdaha charged towards Osial.
"Croak! Don't come any closer!"
"Help! There's a dragon killing people!"
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