Soon after the four dead Guardian Yakshas emerged, it was the Liyue Qixing's turn to lose their composure.
Several familiar figures stepped out of the black vortex. These were the previous Liyue Qixing, and their appearances were exactly the same as their final images from memory.
Next, another figure stepped out.
"Lord Skybracer!"
"To think even you..."
As the final figure stepped out of the black vortex, the Adepti were shocked once again.
At this moment, Cloud Retainer gazed expectantly at the black vortexes. However, to her disappointment, the vortexes gradually shrank under her watch until they vanished completely.
"Sigh, to think I spent my life protecting Liyue in life, only to be used as a tool to disrupt Liyue's peace in death.
Lord Skybracer sighed softly. If he could, he would not wish to stand against Liyue, but the power that had brought him over was completely irresistible.
Not only that, but after appearing here, he felt that as long as Chen Feng had a single thought, his soul would no longer be under his own control.
"Is Rex Lapis not in Liyue right now?"
What made Skybracer's heart even heavier was that he could not sense Zhongli's aura.
"Rex Lapis is still in Liyue, it's just that we don't know his considerations."
Hearing this answer, Skybracer felt a bit more relieved. These Adepti who had followed Zhongli for a long time had seen him at his most powerful, so they had a blind confidence in him.
If Zhongli didn't know about the situation here, they might still be a bit panicked, but now that they knew Zhongli was backing them up, their hearts had already calmed down a lot.
"Alright, the time for chatting is over."
As Chen Feng spoke faintly, a gloomy and uncertain light instantly spread out from his body. When it shone on the dead souls pulled back from the world of death, they immediately froze in place as if their consciousness had been stripped away, and their expressions became dull.
"Chen... Chen Feng, what exactly do you want to do?!"
Seeing Skybracer's current state, Cloud Retainer could no longer restrain her fury.
"Causing casualties, controlling the dead... Is this your true purpose?"
Moon Carver pondered for a moment before regaining his composure and stating his deduction.
"So, your actual target this time is all of us?!"
Hearing these words, Chen Feng shook his head.
"Doing so would go against my plan."
"As survivors of the Archon War, you are the elite among all living beings in Teyvat. You can bring greater value while alive."
"Controlling the souls of the dead is not my wish, it is merely the price they must pay for accepting my gift."
"Of course, sometimes this can also bring me convenience, like right now."
Chen Feng slightly raised his hand, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone.
"I said before that I would select suitable opponents for you. Now that the opponents have been gathered, the new battle should begin."
Hearing Chen Feng's words, the hearts of everyone present and the Adepti trembled. Looking at the familiar figures before them, they felt the same sensation as the Millelith had back then.
Of course, the difference was that everyone here had a far firmer resolve than the Millelith.
So, to shake their convictions, Chen Feng spoke again to add a clarification.
"By the way, before the battle begins, there is one point I need to explain in advance."
"Under the influence of my power, their current state can no longer be viewed as mere souls. I have named their current state 'Heroic Spirits'."
"After transforming into Heroic Spirits, their remaining in this world will not cause any impact on it."
"When you achieve victory in battle, I will cease my control over them. After that, whether they stay or leave will depend on you."
Hearing Chen Feng's explanation, everyone's hearts shook once more. Didn't this mean their friends or seniors truly had a chance to be resurrected?
But after the initial joy, everyone soon wondered how Chen Feng could be so kind.
"What is the price?"
Ningguang gazed directly into Chen Feng's eerie black and white eyes and asked slowly.
"The price is that you must win the battle. Other than that, there are no other conditions."
Hearing Chen Feng's words, Mountain Shaper could not help but speak up.
"Would you really be so kind?!"
Hearing this question, Chen Feng shook his head and then spoke.
"Of course, if you voluntarily send them back to the world of the dead, I will reduce the number of selected sacrifices."
So this was Chen Feng's true goal!
Hearing these words, everyone finally understood Chen Feng's intention.
"Chen Feng, you... are you trying to play this game again..."
At this moment, some faint words reached everyone's ears.
Everyone turned their heads and saw Hu Tao standing and leaning on the Staff of Homa. However, to their grief, Hu Tao's eyes had lost their lively glow, as if her heart had completely died.
"Are you trying to deceive everyone again?"
"Director Hu Tao, this time is different."
After seeing Hu Tao's current state, Chen Feng fell silent for a moment before explaining.
"This time, one for one. It is very fair."
"The number of sacrifices I have chosen is in the tens of thousands. I will not play tricks on such a small number."
One for one.
Ganyu repeated Chen Feng's words with some difficulty. These seemingly fair words concealed a massive trap. One person for another, was that truly fair?
If it were the former Liyue Qixing, each of them had stood at the pinnacle of power, each using their talent to bring fortune to thousands upon thousands of people. In contrast, the other person would very likely be an ordinary citizen.
If it were an Adeptus and a mortal, were these two different forms of life truly equal in value?
If it were before, they would all have considered this equal, that everyone's life was the same and could not be measured by value.
But now, when the two were truly placed on a scale for comparison, they hesitated.
"Give it some good thought. Although the sacrifices I have chosen are no great villains, they are the scum of society. Perhaps their crimes do not deserve death, but without them, Liyue would only become a better place."
"And in contrast, these are your friends, family, and seniors. They have sacrificed too much for Liyue and have saved countless people. If they were granted another chance at life, even more people would be able to receive their salvation."
"Even if you send them back to the world of the dead, so what? Reducing a few sacrifices will have no impact at all on my next plan, but you all will lose them again..."
Chen Feng's words at this moment remained incredibly calm, yet they made everyone present feel as if they were hearing the whispers of a demon.
Only at this moment did they truly realize Chen Feng's terror. He wanted to utterly destroy them!
Indeed, no matter what they said, the vast majority would feel that it was not worth it to let the lives of the people before them be exchanged for the lives of those guilty of crimes.
But if they truly made this choice, their inner convictions and beliefs would collapse in an instant.
"Chen Feng, so this was your purpose all along."
Ningguang looked at Chen Feng with a grave expression before speaking.
"You want to pull us down to the same situation as you, to let us experience the same pain as you."
After hearing Ningguang's words, Chen Feng neither admitted nor denied them. He just quietly gazed at everyone.
Under his indifferent gaze, except for Hu Tao, whose heart had already died, every other person's face showed an expression of conflict and anguish.
Everyone knew what they should do, but they completely couldn't bring themselves to say that decision out loud.
Xiao lowered his head, his originally trembling hand once again gripping the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear in his palm, then his other hand slowly raised to don the oni mask formed from evil power.
"Conqueror of Demons?!"
The Adepti noticed the change in Xiao and hurriedly looked over.
Mountain Shaper even spoke with a face full of hesitation.
"Wait a moment, Conqueror of Demons. How about we consider this together again?!"
"As long as we defeat him, we can stop all of this."
Hearing Xiao's calm words, everyone suddenly realized. Indeed, if that were the case, they would no longer need to continue agonize over the choice.
But how difficult was it to defeat Chen Feng? Never mind that their current strength was less than one-tenth of its original power; even at their prime, they would probably not be Chen Feng's match. If Zhongli did not make a move, this path was almost a dead end.
Of course, Xiao also understood this, so he decided to fight desperately.
At this moment, a thick, viscous evil aura erupted from Xiao's body, and his body immediately began to shake violently, as if enduring immense pain.
The black aura dripped onto the ground, and in an instant, a large patch of grass beneath his feet withered.
Xiao raised his head and let out a pained roar. Almost the instant he released this power, he was on the verge of completely succumbing to madness and losing his reason, yet he still refused to suppress it.
In this moment, Xiao's mind flashed with every shared memory with his brothers and sisters, and the figure of Skybracer, who had entrusted him with his severed horn when the great mountain collapsed.
He had endured too many partings and did not want to experience such unforgettable agony again. Yet, he also could not betray his own heart and choose to let them stay.
Therefore, Xiao was left with only one option: to defeat Chen Feng.
For this, he needed power, a power strong enough to destroy everything.
Either Chen Feng would be destroyed, or he himself would be annihilated!
"Conqueror of Demons!"
Sensing the unimaginable evil aura that suddenly erupted from Xiao, everyone immediately understood his intention.
However, by the time they tried to stop him, it was already too late. Xiao, clinging to the last shred of his sanity, launched a frenzied assault on Chen Feng.
"You've chosen the wrong opponent."
Chen Feng looked at the now-mad Xiao and spoke calmly.
"Conqueror of Demons, your enemies are them."
With that, four Guardian Yakshas appeared around Xiao, surrounding him, and then attacked him together with a fierce assault.
"Quick, go help!"
The Adepti immediately rushed forward at the sight, but they were stopped by the previous Liyue Qixing and Skybracer.
The great battle was about to erupt. The first to be taken out of the fight were the previous Liyue Qixing. Their strength might be exceptional among ordinary people, but before the others here, it was still far too lacking.
But defeating them did not mean the end. The next choice would be the most difficult problem.
Moreover, they now had no energy to even make a choice, because Skybracer's strength was enough to suppress them all.
Xiao's situation was also not optimistic. The nearly maddened Xiao was indeed much stronger, but still unable to hold his own against four Guardian Yakshas at once, and was completely suppressed the entire time.
At first, Xiao still tried to find an opportunity to attack Chen Feng, but later, as his reason gradually vanished, only battle remained in Xiao's mind.
At this moment, Cloud Retainer's eyes were red. Originally, they had hesitated on how to make a choice, but now they could hardly even win this battle. In other words, they did not even have the chance to make a choice.
Why isn't Rex Lapis acting yet? Does he really have to wait until we are all wiped out before he steps in?!
Cloud Retainer could not understand why Zhongli still refused to intervene, even when the situation had become so critical.
Could it be that Zhongli had struck another deal with Chen Feng, just like he did with the Fatui last time? But this time, the situation was far worse than before!
Until Xiao was completely subdued at the end, Zhongli still had not made a move.
Although Xiao had been captured, he remained extremely restless. Even with a weapon held to his neck, he continued to struggle violently, acting like a beast that knew only battle.
The sight cast a heavy gloom over the onlookers. The Adepti who shared deep bonds with Xiao were overwhelmed with profound sorrow.
No matter how they looked at it, Xiao had now completely lost himself, just like the other Guardian Yakshas had done before him. They had lost another companion.
Just then, Chen Feng ordered the other Guardian Yakshas to bring Xiao before him. He then controlled the phantom figure behind him to extend a transparent arm, which plunged deeply into Xiao's body.
"Conqueror of Demons!"
The crowd gasped in unison, then glared furiously at Chen Feng, struggling with all their might to rush forward and rescue Xiao. But they were already no match for Skybracer alone. Now that Bosacius and Menogias had also joined the fray, their situation grew even more perilous. All they could do was shout from afar, "Stop! Release the Conqueror of Demons!"
Chen Feng paid them no heed. Then, something that shocked everyone occurred. Without anyone knowing what he had done, the evil aura on Xiao's body was rapidly weakening, finally returning to normal.
"What? How is this possible?!"
Seeing Chen Feng effortlessly pull Xiao back from the brink of losing control, the Adepti were completely bewildered.
After all, the evil power that had plagued Xiao for over a thousand years was, in essence, the remnants of a fallen god, a curse placed upon this world after its death.
Even Zhongli lacked a complete remedy for this curse. Otherwise, the Guardian Yakshas wouldn't have suffered one after another, leaving only Xiao in the end.
Yet Chen Feng had succeeded, and with such ease.
Clearly, no one believed Chen Feng's raw strength had already surpassed Zhongli's. He must have accomplished this using his own unique ability.
Therefore, what was Chen Feng's ability, after all?
A wave of intense curiosity once again surged through the minds of the onlookers.