The Wind and Sand Demon God swept away from Liyue in a raging storm of sand.
After he departed, the swirling sand naturally settled back to the ground, and all the vegetation around Liyue was instantly coated in a layer of gray dust.
But it wasn't a big problem. Once some snow or rain fell in the coming days, that gloomy layer would naturally be washed away.
Aether withdrew the barrier.
Morax also came to Aether's side.
Aether looked at Morax and said, "Why did you let the Wind and Sand Demon God escape? If you really wanted to chase him, it wouldn't have been impossible for you to catch up, right?"
"Why must one always drive things to the point of killing, when this was but a minor matter?" Morax replied.
Aether shook his head.
The current Morax was, in the end, still too young.
Well… then again, it made sense.
The one who would one day say, 'I have no desire to contend for dominion, yet I know the suffering of the people,' had in truth been constantly pushed forward by other demon gods during the Demon God War.
Caught within the Demon God War, he had no choice.
Yet he could not bear to watch those before him simply fade away, so he had thrown himself fully into battle and ultimately emerged victorious.
Aether said helplessly, "After what happened today, you've already formed a grudge with the Wind and Sand Demon God."
"A spear in plain sight is easy to block, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. If he keeps coming back to cause trouble in the future, what then?"
"I am not one of extreme benevolence. I have already given him one chance. If there is a second, it will simply be his path to death," Morax said calmly.
His meaning was clear.
He had already given the Wind and Sand Demon God one chance.
If the Wind and Sand Demon God returned and still failed to reflect, continued to blame the refugees, and sought revenge against him—
then Morax would have no choice but to send him on his final journey.
Hearing this, Aether finally felt at ease.
Although the present Morax had not yet reached the ruthless decisiveness he would display during the Demon God War, this was good enough for now.
Whether human or demon god, all grow with time.
And growth often comes not by choice, but by being forced forward by one's environment.
The Demon God War was precisely such a brutal environment.
In such harsh conditions, if one could not be decisive, one might easily be stabbed in the back by other demon gods and end up with nothing but death and annihilation.
"Alright, but I still think that once you've made an enemy, it's better to cut the weeds by the root, so trouble doesn't grow later," Aether muttered.
Morax paused.
Aether looked like such a pure, youthful demon god—yet he was capable of such decisive ruthlessness.
It seemed that in this regard, Morax truly wasn't as resolute as Zennos.
Only a few days passed after the incident with the Wind and Sand Demon God.
Aether was planning to open up a patch of land behind the residence and plant some roses and tulips.
As for why he didn't teach the people to grow wheat or rice—
that was because Aether knew that Morax's territory, in its early days, would soon enter the era of Guili Plains.
If it developed too prosperously now, what if Morax grew reluctant to leave later?
Just as Aether finished scattering the manifested seeds into the soil, the sky suddenly dimmed again.
In the distance, sandstorms began sweeping toward Liyue.
Aether released his divine sense, but did not detect any other demon gods around Liyue.
Normally, if the Wind and Sand Demon God were stirring up such massive storms and making such a disturbance, Aether's divine sense would definitely pick it up.
But it didn't.
That left only one possibility—
this wave of sand was being carried over from afar, like a natural disaster.
Clearly, Liyue's region did not naturally possess sandstorms as part of its climate.
Aether was still observing the scene when he saw a streak of golden light shoot out from the residence behind him and soar into the sky.
No need to guess who that was.
Aether shook his head and chose to activate the barrier.
At the very least, this would prevent the sand from blowing into Liyue and covering the entire territory in grit.
Aether wasn't hungry right now—he didn't need the Wind and Sand Demon God treating him to a mouthful of sand.
Meanwhile, Morax followed the direction from which the sandstorm originated and pursued it straight toward the Wind and Sand Demon God's territory.
Upon arriving above that land, Morax wasted no words.
He condensed a massive stone spear and hurled it directly toward the palace where the Wind and Sand Demon God's aura was concentrated.
By the time the Wind and Sand Demon God sensed the danger, it was already too late.
The gigantic, razor-sharp stone spear pierced straight through his body.
"No!!!"
The Wind and Sand Demon God let out one final, unwilling roar.
In the next instant, his form detonated. Vast quantities of sand transformed into sharp spikes, blasting outward in all directions from the center of his body.
When a demon god dies, all of the remaining power within them erupts at once, leaving behind an indelible residual will—
much like nuclear radiation, continuously influencing the surrounding land.
With the Wind and Sand Demon God's death, the resulting explosion ravaged his entire territory.
Fortunately, the people had not been gathered near his palace.
Most of them only ended up with a mouthful of sand.
Such a massive disturbance could not go unnoticed by the humans living in the Wind and Sand Demon God's domain.
Some of the braver ones even went to inspect the palace and found that it had been completely pierced through by a gigantic stone spear, collapsing into ruins.
From a distance, it looked like a small mound—like a grave with a stone spear planted upright in it.
The Wind and Sand Demon God… was truly dead.
Some people rejoiced at their liberation.
But more felt lost and uncertain about the future.
Without the protection of the Wind and Sand Demon God, how were such weak humans supposed to survive in this dangerous world?
Morax hovered in the sky above the former territory of the Wind and Sand Demon God.
With the sandstorms gone, the remaining humans could clearly see this radiant demon god glowing with golden light.
"My name is Morax, the God of Geo. You may follow me to my territory henceforth."
"If you do not wish to go, I will not force you."
As Morax's words rang out, all the humans below immediately knelt toward him.
They had never held much affection for the Wind and Sand Demon God to begin with.
Those who were truly loyal to him had almost all been inside the palace—and had perished together with him under that single stone spear.
Now that the Wind and Sand Demon God was dead, gaining the protection of another demon god was undoubtedly a blessing.
After all, many demon gods did not accept outsiders at all.
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