First, This Is Azhdaha / Anyway, Celestia Is Unreliable

"I am Morax, and my current avatar is also known as Zhongli. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Zhongli ignored the Salt King and the defeated (physical) fairy bird on the scene and went directly to the Descendant Anqi.

The small pebble in his arms was trembling violently.

As the Geo Archon, Morax possesses a keen sensitivity to the memories and emotions of rocks, which is why he was able to find Azhdaha and bring him to the surface. At this moment, he sensed strong emotions from the stone in which Azhdaha resided, including lingering fear, anxiety, and warning.

With Morax's experience and wisdom, he immediately guessed that the person who left that terrifying sword strike in the sealed space was probably the "Descendant" before him.

But he showed nothing, only speaking in a calm and humble tone:

"Our guests have come from afar, and I have been quite negligent in my hospitality. Would you mind finding us a place to sit down so I can show you some hospitality?"

"Morax the Geo Archon, Maria the Salt King?"

"It is we who are waiting."

"I'm not interested in you. I just happened to be stopping by."

The descendant spoke in a cold tone, her voice carrying the crisp, youthful innocence of a young girl, seemingly representing her teenage years?

Her gaze lingered on Zhongli's chest for a moment before she turned and left. Her petite figure, holding a small parasol, quickly disappeared into the mist that resembled the thin fog of an ordinary mountain forest, vanishing without a trace.

"..."

For the first time in his life, Morax felt ignored. He wasn't angry, just a little curious.

Both the Xueyue Zhuyang Zhenjun and the Lishui Dieshan Zhenjun were somewhat indignant, but they could also see that the current situation was serious, so they remained silent and just looked at Morax, waiting for the Emperor to speak.

At this moment, Maria also sheathed her blood sword and walked up to Morax.

Can you see her face clearly?

"It's impossible to see clearly. This is no ordinary method; it's mysterious and unpredictable. What's in that fog?"

"A formidable maze, even Cloud Retainer couldn't break it. I didn't use my full strength, so I don't know if I could break it, but it's still quite impressive. What's that vibrating in your arms? I saw her glance at it before she left."

"We'll talk about that later. Now, let's go to Hulao Mountain."

Morax was still the head of Liyue, so when he said so, Maria naturally nodded in agreement. With the two bigwigs making their decision, the rest of the people naturally followed suit.

Morax also informed the Gechen Langshi Zhenjun, as well as Guizhong and Heulia, who were flying towards Mount Aozang.

In an instant, lights of various colors streaked across the sky and converged on Hulao Mountain.

Occasionally, passersby in the mountains would catch a glimpse of it and immediately shout that it was a divine encounter, and each would offer their prayers and wishes.

Hulao Mountain, Fulong Tree, within the sealed space.

Zhongli made everyone clearly feel the lingering power of the Great Void Sword God. The newcomers were naturally terrified, and Heulia immediately collapsed into Maria's arms. Even those who had already witnessed the Xueyue Zhuyang and Water-Taming Mountain-Piling could not hide their unease.

Zhongli himself set up the strongest restriction he could quickly establish within his Abode. Seeing this, Maria casually placed a blood-red dome as well. Then Guizhong and the immortals followed suit, casting various spells to isolate themselves from the outside world.

"Phew~~"

Zhongli a slight sigh of relief.

Although it's unknown whether such a barrier will be effective against the "descending one," it's better to do something than nothing, at least it provides some psychological comfort.

He then casually used rocks to build a large round table for discussions and gestured for everyone to take their seats.

"The three Yaksha Faction are still exploring the Chongyan Giant Abyss. It's not just about the Fushé and the heroic spirits of that time, but also about the lingering demonic threat we haven't been able to confirm. It's a serious matter, so I didn't call them. Apart from them, all the gods and immortals of Liyue have already gathered."

Zhongli looked around at the familiar faces, which made him smile slightly.

It felt like stepping back into the war-torn era of three thousand years ago, when everyone frequently gathered to discuss matters of conquest and national defense.

Aside from Maria and her family of three, who have transcended time due to their slumber, and young Shenhe, the others share similar feelings to varying degrees.

For a moment, looks of nostalgia and emotion appeared on everyone's faces.

Then, Zhongli took the small pebble out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

"There are many things to say. But first, this is about Azhdaha."

"Huh?" × N

A group of people wore expressions of utter astonishment, as if they had seen a ghost.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

However, the stone seemed unusually excited. After trembling for a while, it bounced and hopped towards Guizhong and the others.

"Thump!"

Finally, Maria reached out and caught it, preventing it from falling to the ground.

The stone was still trembling in Maria's palm.

If this is Azhdaha, then everyone can understand his excitement. Over the years, he has felt guilty for not noticing the Demon God crossing his defenses, which indirectly led to the Salt King and his family's slumber. It is only natural that he would be excited to see Maria, Guizhong, and Heulia reappear.

The problem is, how could such a tiny pebble possibly be Azhdaha!?

All eyes turned to Zhongli —even if you are the Vago Rock King, it doesn't mean we have to believe everything you say. This is utterly absurd!

"It really Azhdaha. I even examined the spiritual light within the stone closely; although it has lost its power, it truly is Azhdaha himself."

Zhongli emphasized calmly and confidently.

Maria stared blankly at the pebble in her hand, confused and bewildered. After a moment, she placed the pebble on the table, frowned, and said:

"When I first fought Morax, how many hours did we fight?"

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

The stone kept shaking.

It could mean that it's been going on for a long time, or it could mean that you don't know.

Others aren't Morax; they can't decipher the specific meaning from just the vibrations.

Guizhong stroked his smooth chin, his eyes darting around as he curiously turned to Maria:

"Oh right, when was the first time you two battle maniacs fought? Why did you fight? I have no idea!"

"Because I'm going to marry you. As your older brother, shouldn't Morax test my skills and sincerity?"

"Ugh! Don't say that in front of so many people!"

Guizhong spoke in a sweet, coquettish voice, gently tapping Maria's shoulder, looking every bit the shy, affectionate young girl in the throes of spring.

Just thinking about her identity, age, and devilish nature sent a chill down some people's spines.

Cloud Retainer and Ping'er's expressions were even more interesting. After exchanging a glance, they quickly looked away.

Even the vibrating stones suddenly stopped moving, becoming as still as if dead.

Chapter 178 Anyway, Celestia is unreliable

Guizhong, or at least she didn't show it. As for whether she knew how everyone felt, only she herself probably knew.

After a while, Zhongli asked Shenhe to recount her encounter and interactions with the "Descendants" once again. Everyone listened attentively with serious expressions.

She said she wouldn't hurt anyone unless someone provoked her first. She's not a bad person.

At the end of his narration, Shenhe added this sentence, his expression blank, but his eyes were particularly firm.

Cloud Retainer, smiling, and patted his disciple's head. The others also listened attentively to his words. This was a child personally trained by Cloud Retainer and the immortals; in terms of cultivation alone, apart from the exceptionally gifted Ganyu, she was the best.

It's rare for Shenhe to have such a strong opinion, and they are willing to take it seriously. Besides, so far, apart from Azhdaha, no one else has actually been injured by the "Descendants".

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

"Azhdaha said that the person made a deal: she wanted Azhdaha's dragon body and accumulated wealth, in exchange for restoring Azhdaha's sanity and allowing him to live a second life... Wait, your Erosion was also healed? Are you serious?"

"Buzz!"

"Most of my memories have become clear, and my mind is completely lucid... So the Erosion has indeed been repaired, wow!"

Zhongli gasped.

Both Guizhong and Heuria, being Demon God, had similar reactions.

Erosion is a curse imposed upon all living beings by the laws of Heavenly Principles. No one understands this better than the Demon God. Erosion is inevitable, just as the Heavenly Principles cannot be defied; these are the unchanging truths of Teyvat for millennia.

Now, it seems this truth has been overturned before their very eyes?

"The Descendants... truly the Descendants."

Guizhong's lips trembled, his eyes filled with shock and fear of the future, the mischievous glint of his former self gone.

Maria quickly grabbed her two young wives' hands, kneading them to soothe their hearts.

"At least she doesn't seem hostile towards us, so we don't need to worry about anything happening for the time being."

"That's true."

Guizhong the gesture with a relieved smile. She didn't want Maria to worry, and besides, it would just be like it was back then; what was there to be afraid of?

Heulia nodded slightly, feeling much better immediately.

Zhongli calmed himself down and said:

Even if we completely trust Shenhe's judgment, and assume she has no subjective hostility, the one who descends represents Heaven itself...

Zhongli's words came to an abrupt halt, remaining cryptic and unspoken.

Some people understood, and some people didn't.

But Zhongli stopped, and no one pressed him for an answer.

Zhongli continued:

"We can't pretend nothing happened. We can't be sure when things will change, but the only thing we're certain of is that any changes related to the Descendants could lead to the downfall of the entire Teyvat continent. Salt King, is it possible that you...?"

"No matter how much He knows, now that we've run into each other, I think it's necessary to inform Him."

"That makes sense. In any case, this is a major event for Teyvat, and it is our duty to fulfill it."

"Perhaps we could ask His attitude. Maybe He knows more, maybe He already had plans... The ocean is turbulent, the waves are too big, so big that even you and I can hardly ensure the stability of the great ship that is Liyue. Right now, knowing as much as possible is the only effort we can make."

Maria's face was calm, but her tone was filled with emotion.

Zhongli nodded in deep agreement.

They spoke in riddles, but no one dared to ask any questions. Everyone understood that under the skies of Teyvat, some things were better left unsaid not because they couldn't be trusted, but simply because ignorance was bliss.

Do you think we should make a choice as soon as possible?

"I don't know, that's up to you to decide."

"In fact Salt King could have just said it frankly: right now, there's no need for us to be so clear about things between us in Liyue."

"Alright. To be honest, I don't really like it... There's something wrong with them, from the fact that they forced the Demon God to fight to the death while watching all living beings suffer. Perhaps they have their reasons, but on the other hand, they've done me a great favor. What do you think I would choose? Now the situation is even more complicated. Liyue really needs a reliable ally. What do you think, Morax?"

Maria's answer was both reasonable and justifiable.

Zhongli was deep in thought.

In reality, there are only two paths: either wholeheartedly follow Celestia, or simply surrender to the World Tree. There is no benefit to being in the middle. In the end, Liyue is not of much importance to either side and has no right to be sold off. On the contrary, it is easy to become a victim of the confrontation between the two sides.

Originally, he planned to observe and consider things slowly, letting time reveal the pros and cons of both options. He needed to understand the World Tree's ideology and capabilities before deciding whether to follow it. What if the World Tree was only stronger than the Seven Archons but completely unable to withstand the Celestia? Wouldn't that lead Liyue down a dead end?

But now the invaders have appeared.

Based on ancient historical experience, the appearance of the Descendants will inevitably be accompanied by dramatic changes in the world of Teyvat. It could be a devastating war for world sovereignty, or it could be other unimaginable changes. But whatever the case, Liyue can only endure it and has no power to resist it.

This made Zhongli feel a sense of urgency.

As Maria said, the waves are too big, and the Liyue ship needs a strong backing.

Based on Zhongli's limited knowledge of ancient history, it's hard to say whether the World Tree is reliable or not, but Celestia is definitely not very reliable.

"Cloud Retainer, your rollover move just now really opened my eyes. Could you teach me sometime? Maybe I'll need it someday?"

"Don't laugh at me, you old fogies! That's the Salt King's sword; you'd be no different if you came!"

While Zhongli was deep in thought, no one dared to disturb him, so the little animals began to gossip among themselves.

Xianyun pushed up his glasses and glared irritably at the two solemn-looking immortal incarnations.

Guizhong's eyes lit up, and he squeezed through in a flash, still clutching sunflower seeds in his hand.