The moment the Geo Emperor sensed Azhdaha's aura, his heart sank. He immediately raced back toward Liyue at full speed.
"Please… not now. Don't let anything else happen…"
"Faster… I have to go faster…"
The sound of air shattering echoed again and again—the roar of the Geo Emperor tearing through the skies.
Before long, a golden streak of light swept across the heavens above the Guili Plains, heading straight for Tianheng Mountain.
"Geo Emperor! Over here! Here!!!"
Seeing him about to pass by, the Adepti and Yaksha stationed in the Guili Plains waved and shouted frantically.
Morax faintly caught the sound. Flying high above, he turned his head and saw them—faces lit with joy, waving at him with genuine smiles.
As confusion flickered in his mind, his gaze fell upon two all-too-familiar figures standing among them.
His pupils contracted sharply. For a moment, he went completely still.
There, beside the Adepti, stood Guizhong—smiling brightly, waving up at him.
In an instant, the Geo Emperor vanished from the air.
When he reappeared, he was already holding Guizhong tightly in his arms.
He clung to her desperately, as if terrified she might slip away once more.
"There, there. It's alright now. I'm back." Guizhong gently patted his back, her tone soft and comforting.
"Alive… you're alive…" The Geo Emperor's voice trembled as he held her close, the feeling almost unreal.
"Yes, I'm alive. Everything's fine now—it's all over." Guizhong smiled gently, continuing to soothe him.
"I thought… I thought I'd never see you again…"
"Thank the heavens… you're alive… still alive…"
Tears streamed down the Geo Emperor's face. He had never imagined that the Guizhong he thought lost forever would once again stand before him.
Right now, he couldn't think of anything else. He just wanted to hold her—to hold her and never let go.
Seeing the scene before them, the Adepti and Yaksha couldn't help but smile with heartfelt joy.
They, too, hadn't expected Guizhong and Marchosius to return.
Back when the two had appeared, everyone had been stunned, their reactions no less shocked than the Geo Emperor's now.
The two held each other for a long, long time before Morax finally calmed himself. He wiped away his tears, gazing at Guizhong with immense relief—and a deep, genuine happiness.
"Can you tell me what happened?" the Geo Emperor asked at last.
"Marchosius and I were killed by a strange man in a black cloak wearing a smiling mask," Guizhong said softly. "I don't know if he was a god or a human—I couldn't sense any aura from him. But for some reason, he felt strangely familiar."
The Geo Emperor froze, his expression tightening with disbelief.
He had hoped there might be another explanation… but it turned out to be the work of Brother Elliot after all.
Wait—!
A sudden thought struck him. He grabbed Guizhong's arm anxiously. "You said he wore a smiling mask?"
"Yes," Guizhong answered, puzzled by his urgency.
"Are you sure the entire mask was smiling? Was it a full smile—or only half?" he pressed.
"I'm certain—the whole mask was smiling. I remember it clearly," Guizhong replied without hesitation.
At her words, everyone exchanged uneasy looks, their expressions darkening.
They remembered it vividly: when Elliot had left, something about him had changed.
His mask had always been half-smiling and half-crying.
But that day, for the first time, his entire mask had become a smile. It had seemed as if he were enduring unbearable pain—so much that even a high god like Elliot couldn't withstand it.
That was also the day he disappeared. For centuries afterward, none of them ever saw him again.
It was hard not to wonder—had Elliot fallen under the control of something unknown?
Otherwise, how could he have done such a thing?
But then… how was it possible for Guizhong, who had died, to be alive again?
"What's wrong? Do you know that person?" Guizhong asked, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.
The Geo Emperor looked at her confused expression, torn over whether to speak.
But Guizhong, sharp as ever, seemed to have guessed something. She spoke softly, "That man… he must be a good person."
Her words stunned everyone. Their eyes turned toward her in disbelief.
"Why would you say that? He killed you," the Geo Emperor said, confused and unsettled.
After all, Guizhong didn't know Elliot's true identity.
From her perspective, Elliot was simply a mysterious god who had slain them.
Yet now she called him a good person?
"Morax, focus for a moment—what difference do you sense between me and Marchosius?" Guizhong asked quietly.
He blinked, then widened his eyes in sudden realization.
"You can feel it too, can't you?" Guizhong continued gently. "Marchosius and I are no longer gods. We've lost our divine power. We're just ordinary humans now."
Her words sent shockwaves through everyone present. They stood frozen, staring at Guizhong in disbelief.
When they concentrated and sensed the auras of Guizhong and Marchosius, they realized it was true—
There wasn't a trace of divine essence left within them.
...