Reconciliation

Varus just went down; if he were just checking the situation, there wouldn't be such a commotion. So there's only one possibility: he and Xerath got into a fight!

Azir and his companions were very worried, but none of them were good at flying and couldn't fight at full strength, so they could only worry helplessly. Finally Renekton couldn't hold back any longer:

"Your Majesty, I'll go down and take a look. Xerath is too powerful; I'm afraid Lord Varus is no match for him!"

"The situation is still uncertain. If you proceed rashly, you'll likely fail. Let me go; I can manipulate the sand, which will be easier for me than for you."

"If you have to do everything yourself, what's the point of having us?" Oken couldn't help but chime in.

"Stop arguing, leave it to me. We've fought side by side many times already, don't worry!"

I could see that everyone was getting impatient, so I decided to go down and take a look. In this situation, the Wind Riding Technique would be more convenient.

I jumped into the sandfall and slowly descended. It was pitch black below, and I didn't know how deep it was, but as the energy fluctuations grew stronger, I knew I was very close to them.

Soon I noticed a flash of light, undoubtedly from Varus and Xerath during their battle. I accelerated my descent and quickly encountered them!

Just like when they last met, Xerath was still a spirit, and the magic he released was extremely powerful.

Varus excels at fighting in open terrain, but he is unable to utilize his abilities in this environment and is now being completely suppressed, unable to retaliate.

My arrival allowed him to recover and finally draw his War Bow to fire, though he seemed to lack strength, perhaps due to his recent injury.

Xerath is a veritable turret, able to unleash a continuous barrage of powerful attacks while remaining stationary; the pale blue energy orbs are even more powerful than my Wind Spear!

Actually, I'm not very good at fighting in such dark and cramped places, especially since I have to use Wind Riding Technique to support my flight. So I decided to retreat first. If Xerath chases after me, that would be great. If not, I'll have to think of another way.

In fact, he wasn't stupid. He knew there were several Ascended waiting for him up there, and if he returned to the ground, he would undoubtedly be defeated!

I used the gale to cover Varus's retreat from the sandfall. Azir was relieved to see that we were safe and sound, but he also noticed the wound on Varus's chest.

The fact that Xerath could severely injure Ascended Body with magic shows that his magical skill has reached a terrifying level!

At that moment, his voice came from below. "Azir, don't waste your energy. I haven't regained my original strength yet. When I return to my peak, it will be your end! It will be the end of Shurima!"

"Why does it have to be all fighting and killing? I don't mean anything by it, I just want to know why you betrayed me back then."

Why? Because you are light, and I am darkness, that's all!

"Don't you really want to talk to me? Our feud isn't actually that deep; in fact, I think we were both used."

It's unclear whether Azir was trying to lure Xerath out or genuinely wanted to talk to him; in any case, it sounds like there's more to the story.

After listening, Xerath remained silent for a moment, then said, "If you want to talk, then come down in person. Bringing so many people doesn't show any sincerity."

"Alright! I brought men with me in case you lost your temper, but now it seems there's nothing to worry about!"

After Azir finished speaking, he was about to leave, but Varus and the others naturally tried to stop him, having just witnessed Xerath's terrifying power.

Azir wasn't worried. He believed that as long as he explained what happened back then, Xerath wouldn't hurt him, and they might even become friends, just like before.

I actually knew a little about the feud between the two, but only about their past and not about anyone stirring things up behind the scenes. Based on my current experience, it's very likely that Evelynn was behind it all.

The few of us waited upstairs, but after a long time, the two still hadn't come up. This worried the Ascended, who had already lost an emperor once and didn't want to repeat the same mistake, especially with the same person.

Just as people were getting increasingly anxious, Azir returned with a smile on his face, and it seemed that everything was going well.

"Your Majesty, how is it?" Nasus was the calmest of the group.

"The misunderstanding has been cleared up, but Xerath needs to recover his strength here. He can come to Sun City to find us later."

Can we trust him?

"Of course you can, I'm back safe and sound, aren't I?"

Renekton disagreed. "We can't trust His Your Majesty! I was trapped with him in the tomb for a thousand years, and I know his resentment well! This is just an excuse; once he regains his strength, he will surely seek revenge!"

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Even if he seeks revenge on us, are you afraid?"

"Of course I'm not afraid!" Oken patted his chest.

"Then there's nothing more to say. We can't defeat him here; we can only wait for him to come up. Instead of doubting whether what he says is true or false, we should focus on improving our strength and waiting for his arrival!"

Azir makes a lot of sense. Whether Xerath is telling the truth or not is irrelevant; there's nothing that can be done about him now, and he has no reason to hate Azir so much, since it was Xerath who chose to betray him in the first place.

I'm so glad we don't have to fight a major war. Otherwise, being so close to Garden City, that beautiful place might have been destroyed.

And so, after a brief encounter, we left together. Azir and the others returned to Sun City, while Varus, after consulting with him, continued on to Ionia with me.

However, before going to Ionia, I need to go to Naremajet, because there's a little Rock Sparrow waiting for me there.

The caravans from Tazan are very famous. After we arrived in Naremajet, we quickly found Taliyah. The little one was very happy to see me back.

"You're back Yasuo! Oh no, shouldn't I call you Master now?"

"Do as you please. I'm more worried about you not being Naremajet!"

"I didn't travel with the caravan this time because I was afraid you might suddenly come back and not be able to find me, hehe."

"Let's go, let's go to Ionia together!"

"OK!"

There's a portal in the northern suburbs of Naremajet. The Noxus mage stationed there is quite familiar with me, and when he heard I wanted to return to Ionia, he immediately opened the portal.

After a dizzying experience, we returned to Prexian. I didn't go to Northspring, but went straight to the Dragon Hall to find Udyr and Lee Sin, intending to find out the current situation first.

Tie Hong told me that the two of them weren't here. Lee Sin had built a new temple near the Kinkou Order as the new site for the Shu Ji Sect, and was rebuilding the sect!

They acted quite quickly; less than a month after I left, the temple was already built. I wonder how well he's mastered the dragon spirit.