Without anyone noticing, a figure radiating a bright light, holding a Stone Spear, and wearing a battle robe, stood in the midair above Mt. Tianheng.
Although that figure's face was obscured by a hood, his extraordinary aura still could not be hidden.
When everyone saw that figure, their hearts instantly settled down.
"Rex Lapis, Rex Lapis has taken action!"
"We are saved!"
"Great, Rex Lapis is still alive!"
-
The people of Liyue, who had been watching the battlefield closely, were stunned for a moment before a wave of boundless excitement surged through them.
Although they did not know why the long-deceased Rex Lapis had reappeared before them, it did not stop them from breaking free from their fear.
At this moment, as Chen Feng saw the meteorite blotting out the sun and gradually expanding, a faint smile appeared in his calm eyes, though he quickly concealed it.
"So you finally couldn't hold back and took action."
Feeling the ever-heavier pressure from above, the massive phantom behind Chen Feng gradually solidified before everyone's eyes, and its lifeless eyes suddenly flickered with specks of light.
The phantom slightly bent down, raising its hands in an embracing gesture, and its body expanded two more times before steadily catching the meteorite. The unimaginable impact and force caused the ground to instantly sink several meters.
Although it had grown two more times, the phantom behind Chen Feng was still minuscule compared to the meteorite, yet it withstood the blow!
This scene left everyone present instantly speechless, their eyes widening in shock. Such a massive difference in size created a huge impact in their minds.
Immediately after, a brilliant white light erupted from the phantom's body. In the next second, the massive meteorite vanished into thin air. If not for the deep crater left in the ground, it would be as if it had never existed at all.
Rex Lapis's attack was actually unable to suppress Chen Feng directly!
When everyone realized this, their hearts shook even more violently. Although they had made some guesses before, it was still a bit hard to accept when things actually happened before their eyes.
"Your power should be more than just this, right?"
Chen Feng turned around and looked at Zhongli, who was hidden under his battle robe in the distance.
"It seems that the previous consumption should be considerable."
"That is the trap I carefully set for you, I hope you like it."
After hearing Chen Feng's words, Zhongli did not say much more, and directly brandished the Stone Spear and launched a fierce attack on that huge phantom.
The power of the Ley Lines continuously poured into Zhongli's body. As the God of Rock, he should be the one least affected by the loss of his Gnosis. The power erupting from his body even made the Adepti reminisce about the past days of war.
But Chen Feng had no intention of avoiding his sharp edge at all, and unhurriedly fought with Zhongli. The battle entered a white-hot state from the start.
Countless rock ridges protruded from the ground, constantly blocking Chen Feng's movements. At the same time, Zhongli himself was also moving around in the rock ridges. Every step he took on the rock ridges could make them directly burst, and all the energy poured into Zhongli's body, and his speed surged immediately.
At this moment, the phantom behind Chen Feng shrank by nearly half, but its form became more solid. Meanwhile, a translucent longsword emitting a faint cyan glow condensed in his hand, and his black-and-white eyes fixed on Zhongli's figure, locking onto him completely.
Finally, Chen Feng and Zhongli began to clash at close range. When the translucent longsword in Chen Feng's hand and the Stone Spear in Zhongli's hand collided, they actually produced the sound of metal clashing, and for a moment, the sound of blacksmithing was ceaselessly heard.
The two had already held back enough in their exchange, but after all, both sides were gods in combat power. The aftershocks of the battle still made everyone present unable to resist, and they all began to retreat.
This battle was no longer something they, who did not even have one-tenth of the strength, could participate in.
However, when everyone saw that Chen Feng and Zhongli seemed to be fighting to a draw, they still had a feeling of unreality.
"Chen Feng's strength is actually already enough to rival Rex Lapis!"
Mountain Shaper said somewhat shocked.
"He should still be a bit weak, after all, Rex Lapis lost a lot of power because of the previous trap, and in addition, because of Chen Feng's special nature, all attacks cast on him must at least be weakened by twenty percent in power."
Cloud Retainer shook her head.
Although she said this, being able to fight against the most ancient and revered Rex Lapis today, she believed that after today, the faction behind Chen Feng would be thoroughly taken seriously by all the nations of Teyvat.
Returning to the battlefield, as the rock ridges continuously shattered, countless streams of the Ley Lines' power surged into Zhongli's body. The aura emanating from him had already become increasingly terrifying.
Seeing that the timing was ripe, Zhongli raised his hand and threw out the Stone Spear, his eyes staring at Chen Feng now shining like gold.
After the Stone Spear left his hand, it grew longer in the wind, and in no time it seemed to be a pillar supporting the heavens, suppressing Chen Feng.
Facing this attack, Chen Feng's expression became slightly more serious. He placed his hands in front of his chest and grasped the air. At this moment, everyone felt a chill rise on their bodies, and then a huge black vortex gradually manifested in front of Chen Feng.
At this moment, it seemed as if time had stood still. A hand as white as jade appeared from the black vortex, and its fingertips gently tapped the front of the Stone Spear. Immediately after, that Stone Spear that seemed to pierce heaven and earth vanished into thin air.
The Adepti present were all stunned, not because Zhongli's attack seemed to be easily neutralized, but because they felt a terrifying and familiar aura from that black vortex.
"No way..."
Moon Carver felt his throat grow dry.
"If it is truly that being, Chen Feng's power is simply too heaven-defying to be tolerated by the heavens!"
The other Adepti were also shaken within, but quickly, their hearts filled with infinite anticipation.
At this moment, Zhongli seemed to have been pressed with a pause button. The aura on his body grew stronger and weaker, indicating that his heart was extremely unsettled. His eyes no longer saw anything else, only the gentle hand that had emerged from the void.
Soon, the black vortex expanded several times again. The sky had become covered in dark clouds without anyone knowing when. Terrifying lightning condensed within them, as if to inflict severe punishment upon those who acted against heaven.
Ordinary people did not know what had happened, but the scene before them also made them feel that something major was about to occur. They immediately fell silent and stopped speaking, just silently watching what would happen next.
That hand retracted under everyone's gaze, causing the hearts of the Adepti present to sink. Fortunately, in the next second, that familiar figure appeared before them again.
She was a petite young girl, her gray-green long hair draping softly over her shoulders, tied into a low ponytail with a blue hair bun. She wore a blue and white gauze dress, her feet were bare, and hexagonal anklets were fastened around her ankles.
The God of Dust... Guizhong!
The moment she appeared, Zhongli's body trembled slightly. Even with thousands of years of experience, he still found it difficult to suppress the turmoil in his heart.
Guizhong's departure was the greatest regret of his life. When she died, he felt a pain in his heart as if it were being torn apart. Only then did Zhongli realize that the God of Rock also had a heart, though it was hidden deep within.
He, who had never been interested in the Archon War, had come to hate war so much at that time, hating his own weakness.
In the end, he personally brought the Archon War to an end, but the dead would not return, and the living only died more.
And now, when he saw that familiar figure again, Zhongli's heart completely surged with emotion.
"Rex Lapis!"
Guizhong looked up at the figure standing quietly in the sky. Although there were slight differences from her memory, the aura on him allowed her to recognize him immediately.
"And everyone else..."
Guizhong then lowered her head to look at the familiar Adepti as well as the unfamiliar Liyue Qixing and other ordinary people. Suddenly, a smile that put the heavens and earth to shame spread across her face, and crystal-clear tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.
"It's so good to see everyone again!"
Boom
The long-accumulated lightning finally descended, aimed directly at Guizhong.
Guizhong felt the danger approaching and raised her hand, causing countless clouds of dust to materialize in front of her as a shield. However, Zhongli acted even faster. His figure blurred, and a massive, bright yellow dragon suddenly appeared, coiling between heaven and earth. With a powerful swipe of its tail, it struck the black clouds and shattered them instantly.
After this, Zhongli's form solidified again, and the dragon vanished. The dissipating dark clouds proved that everything just now had not been an illusion.
"Guizhong!"
At this moment, Cloud Retainer could finally contain herself no longer, and she exclaimed the other's name with some emotion.
Aside from Rex Lapis, she was the one who had the best relationship with Guizhong. Although she hadn't thought so before, having always regarded her as her lifelong rival.
Hearing this name, Ningguang was inwardly startled. Although she had already guessed that the young woman's identity was extraordinary, she had never imagined it could be the God of Dust who had been dead for thousands of years.
In fact, the one who originally protected the humans was not Zhongli, but Guizhong.
As the God of Rock, Zhongli treated all things equally and felt no pity for the suffering humans.
However, in order to preserve himself in the Archon War, he accepted Guizhong's invitation to form an alliance. It was only then that humans even entered Zhongli's field of vision.
Later, after Guizhong's death, Zhongli took over this responsibility from her and began protecting humans.
"To think he could even resurrect a god... Chen Feng's power is truly astonishing!"
Keqing, recalling the young woman's identity, couldn't help but speak in disbelief. However, just as she finished, she heard Judgment Ningguang's faint sigh.
"The greater the power, the heavier the price to pay."
Keqing found Ningguang's sigh a bit incomprehensible and looked at her in confusion, but Ningguang merely shook her head without explaining, then turned her gaze to Hu Tao, who was not far away.
Even she understood this truth, so how could the equally brilliant Hu Tao not have realized it?
At this moment, Zhongli's lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he saw Guizhong's expression turn vacant as she slowly backed away.
Then, Chen Feng finally spoke again.
"Rex Lapis, what I said to them was also addressed to you."
"They have already made their choice, and now it is your turn to choose."
"As long as you send her back to the afterlife, everyone will be saved."
Hearing Chen Feng's words, everyone's hearts jolted in shock, followed by a surge of countless angry emotions.
Chen Feng's move was simply a cruel blow to the heart. If Zhongli made the same choice as the Adepti, and this choice became known to all the people of Liyue, he would completely lose the faith of Liyue's people.
But if Zhongli chose the opposite, where would that leave the Adepti who had already made their choice? Moreover, Guizhong was also a friend of the Adepti, so in the end, an irreconcilable conflict would arise between Zhongli and the Adepti.
First, he had driven a wedge between the Adepti and the mortals, and now he would not even spare Rex Lapis. Chen Feng's actions had completely infuriated everyone.
But they could no longer interfere in the battle at hand. If they intervened recklessly, they might hold Zhongli back. In the end, everyone could only look at Zhongli with worry.
They believed that Rex Lapis's heart must be in great torment right now, for completely losing the faith of Liyue's people also meant completely losing his rule over Liyue.
If possible, the Adepti desperately wanted to make the choice in Zhongli's place. They didn't care how much the people of Liyue hated them, for they lived in seclusion, away from the mortal world.
But Zhongli was different. They knew that he was now walking among mortals to cultivate. If he heard the people of Liyue cursing him during this time, how terrible would it feel!
However, the Adepti also knew that Chen Feng would never allow them to make the choice in Zhongli's stead, and in the end, they could only silently watch and wait for the outcome.
At this moment, Zhongli gazed deeply at Chen Feng, then made his choice without the slightest hesitation.
"Why? Why has even Rex Lapis abandoned us?!"
When the people of Liyue Harbor heard Zhongli's choice, they were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.
Those not on the list fared better, but those who were grew utterly resentful.
A small favor may earn gratitude, but a large one brings hatred. A single choice was all it took to turn everything they had done in the past into nothing.
-
"However, I cannot trust you. I need you to sign a contract."
With that, Zhongli threw out a contract radiating golden light.
Chen Feng carefully read the contents of the contract, fell silent for a long while, and finally signed his name.
Finally, the contract returned to Zhongli's hand, and Zhongli nodded slightly at Chen Feng.
"The contract is complete."
This scene felt somewhat strange to the onlookers, but they didn't think too much of it.
The Adepti looked at Chen Feng with faces full of grief and anger. They knew that after Zhongli made this decision, the people of Liyue would completely rupture their ties with him. All this was the dire consequence caused by the other party!
From now on, Zhongli might only be able to move around Liyue while hiding his identity. Perhaps in his despair, he would live a life of idly eating and waiting for death every day!
Chen Feng, you are simply heinous in your crimes!
The Adepti's furious gazes did not affect Chen Feng in the slightest. He simply looked quietly at Zhongli and spoke.
"I never thought Rex Lapis would make the same choice as me. It seems we are the same kind of person."
"Since you have already made your choice, I should now complete what I have left unfinished."
Just after Chen Feng spoke these words, Zhongli took a step forward, and another Stone Spear materialized in his hand.
"It seems Rex Lapis still intends to stop me?"
Seeing this, Chen Feng showed no panic in the slightest.
"The previous battle must have been your full strength. After that, how much power do you have left?"
"You couldn't suppress me before, so how much confidence do you have now?"
After hearing these words, Zhongli looked into Chen Feng's eyes and spoke softly.
"Alone, I have no confidence, but with one more person, my confidence is absolute."
Just as Zhongli's words fell, a gray-white sword light soared into the sky in the distance, aiming straight for Chen Feng.