Faced with such strange and terrifying weather, the people of Liyue Harbor were naturally no fools. Something had to be behind this abnormal phenomenon. They hurriedly packed up and went home, burning incense to beg Rex Lapis for protection and ask him to appear and vanquish the evil beings. Halfway through their prayers, however, they remembered that Rex Lapis had already passed away, so they turned to praying to the adepti and the Liyue Qixing instead.
While everyone else moved away from the sea, the Millelith of Liyue Harbor stood fully prepared and advanced toward Guyun Stone Forest.
Meanwhile, the enormous shadow of the Jade Chamber also moved slowly toward Guyun Stone Forest. The most luxurious floating palace in Liyue Harbor had now become a flying fortress, serving as Liyue Harbor's first and most important line of defense.
When Yucheng, Lumine, and Paimon boarded the Jade Chamber, they found it already crowded with people. Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, and Keqing, the Yuheng, were there, along with the adepti: the Conqueror of Demons, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Streetward Rambler, and the half-adeptus beast Ganyu. All were already in position.
"Huh? It's the adepti! What are you doing up here on the Jade Chamber? We heard you were arguing with the Qixing earlier. Have you finished arguing?"
The adepti looked somewhat disdainful, but did not care to explain much. Ningguang answered instead, "The adepti believe that, in this time of crisis, they and the Qixing should temporarily set aside their differences and face the enemy together.
"Oh? Yucheng, even you came? I thought you would avoid the danger ahead of time and steer clear of this disaster as early as possible."
Cloud Retainer asked, "What do you mean?"
"Yucheng told me several days ago that the Fatui might make a move against the god beneath Guyun Stone Forest. It is thanks to his warning that Liyue is now so well prepared."
"Don't misunderstand. I'm only here to witness a great event in Liyue, and I believe you can overcome this crisis.
"Powerful as this god may be, he was suppressed by Rex Lapis for thousands of years, after all. If he had chosen to flee the moment he broke free, recuperate, and wait until he was back at full strength before taking revenge, I would certainly have run without looking back. But I never expected his hatred for Rex Lapis to run so deep that he would choose to take revenge immediately with less than a tenth of his strength remaining. That means we still have a chance of winning."
Cloud Retainer said, "Correct. The earlier incident involving the Guizhong Ballista prompted the Qixing to investigate it. And now, I, its creator, happen to be here. What could you mortals discover by studying adeptal mechanisms? But with just a few improvements from me, this old ballista will undergo an evolution beyond your imagination."
Ningguang said, "Hehe, perhaps this, too, is a kind of affinity with the adepti. In that case, we can face the enemy with the new Guizhong Ballistae. All the adepti present can infuse them with adeptal energy. There is no time to lose. The decisive battle is now-activate!"
The moment Ningguang finished speaking, her Vision blazed with light. Working in conjunction with the Jade Chamber she had built, she instantly activated a great protective formation. At its central focal point stood three of the latest Guizhong Ballistae.
Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, and Mountain Shaper each landed on a Guizhong Ballista. As they infused them with adeptal energy, the ballistae fired powerful adeptal energy shells toward the Vortex Vanquisher like machine guns, immediately driving the god back again and again.
Everyone could not help feeling delighted at the sight, but their smiles did not last long. Several portals suddenly appeared above the Jade Chamber. Fatui soldiers slowly emerged from them, then headed straight for the Guizhong Ballistae.
Looking at the distant portals, Yucheng could not help marveling. Snezhnaya truly deserved its reputation as the strongest of the Seven Nations overall. Apart from an economy slightly inferior to Liyue's, its technology, medicine, and military were all a full tier above those of the other six nations.
Every Fatui soldier had their own elemental armor and weapons, as well as a Delusion capable of wielding elemental power. Although the cost was rather steep, Delusions were still extremely popular in Snezhnaya and regarded as medals of honor.
Even ordinary soldiers were equipped like this, let alone the eleven Harbingers who led Snezhnaya. It was said that each of the top three Harbingers possessed strength comparable to a god's. Although the gods they matched were certainly not deities like Morax, that at least demonstrated how powerful they were.
It was precisely because they had such a powerful nation behind them that Snezhnayan diplomats and Harbingers stationed abroad were all so arrogant and swaggered around as if they owned the place. Yet the other nations simply did not dare truly fall out with them. That was the confidence a powerful nation provided.
However, the Fatui had truly gone too far this time. If Liyue managed to overcome this crisis, the Fatui there would probably find themselves struggling at every turn. If things became more serious, diplomatic relations might even be severed outright.
Lumine and Keqing had already led the Millelith to protect the Guizhong Ballistae. They had to stop the Fatui soldiers from damaging them while also guarding against the splash of energy Osial spat out.
Just as everyone was about to be overwhelmed, Madame Ping's adeptal energy granted them [Madame Ping Shockwave], the adeptal energy in Ganyu's blood restored their health and healed their wounds, and the Conqueror of Demons' adeptal energy granted them fleet-footed agility.
With the adeptal energy buffs of the three adepti, everyone finally managed to repel the Fatui. With their interference gone, all six adepti poured their adeptal energy into the Guizhong Ballistae together, greatly increasing their power. A single enhanced shell struck Osial directly in the head, knocking his enormous body into the sea.
Just as everyone thought victory was assured and was about to pop the champagne at halftime, the frenzied Osial reared his serpentine body up again. His three serpent heads opened their gaping maws, and terrifying elemental energy gathered between them. Like a Tailed Beast Bomb, it instantly pierced the formation Ningguang had deployed and destroyed all three Guizhong Ballistae at its center.
Everyone retreated to the Jade Chamber, their faces filled with worry. "The Guizhong Ballistae have been destroyed. Without their suppressing fire, it will be difficult for us to counterattack."
"But the Jade Chamber is our last barrier. We cannot retreat, no matter what."
Ningguang looked back at the Jade Chamber she had personally expanded bit by bit, countless thoughts running through her mind. Then she glanced at Liyue Harbor below it, gritted her teeth, and finally made up her mind. Returning to the others, she said, "Everyone, I... have another plan. I intend to... abandon the Jade Chamber!"
At Ningguang's words, some were puzzled, some indifferent, and some admiring. Yet none reacted like Yucheng. Having contributed nothing throughout this entire battle, he actually revealed a faint smile that said everything was going according to plan.
"Lady Ningguang, do you still remember the terms I proposed before? The current circumstances are quite suitable. Would you consider it?"
Ningguang frowned, suddenly recalling the outrageous claim he had made outside his home: he wanted to exchange his leverage over Yelan for her Jade Chamber. But there had been another phrase afterward that had rather puzzled her at the time: any condition would do.
Could it be... that this Jade Chamber I'm about to abandon is what he wanted? Had he already foreseen that I would make this choice? How is that possible?
But she had no time to think any further. Under everyone's puzzled gazes, she said, "All right! I agree! This Jade Chamber is yours!"
[Ding! Congratulations on successfully acquiring an independent property within Liyue. Property name: Jade Chamber! Value: immeasurable! Quest reward: one pair of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!]
Claim it!!! Hurry up and fucking claim it!!! Otherwise, the system is definitely going to regret this next.
Before you continue