"What's going on!?" The Geo Emperor's face was filled with shock.
"My guess," Guizhong began, "is that the masked man was the one who revived us. The Archon War is nearly over, and the Guili Plains are still jointly held by the two of us."
"Even if all of Guili Plains were mine, it wouldn't be enough to make me one of the Seven Archons. The region is too small. When the war ends, those who aren't chosen may face judgment from Celestia itself."
"So that man probably wanted to kill Marchosius and me in advance, then resurrect us as mortals. That way, we could survive the coming reckoning."
"As for why it was us…" She looked at him. "Morax, you know who that person is, don't you?"
Hearing Guizhong's reasoning, the Geo Emperor, the Adepti, and the Yaksha all suddenly understood.
They had lived here for so long that they had nearly forgotten the original purpose of the Archon War.
Indeed, as Guizhong said, the Guili Plains were far too small—hardly capable of supporting a seat among the Seven Archons. It was just a settlement, not a nation.
Liyue, on the other hand, with its developed system and vast lands, stood on a completely different level.
Beyond Liyue Harbor, large regions like Cuijue Slope, Jueyun Karst, Lingju Pass, and Tianqiu Valley all belonged to Liyue.
That was the scale a true nation should have.
The Guili Plains weren't so much an independent realm as they were an offshoot of Liyue itself.
Now, by name and by right, Guili Plains were already part of the Geo Emperor's domain.
"His name is Elliot," Morax said quietly. "He is known as the Dark Night Sovereign—Liyue's second god, and my elder brother."
There was no longer any point in hiding the truth. From Guizhong's expression, it was clear she had already guessed as much.
"The Dark Night Sovereign… so he was the one who killed us—and the one who saved us?" Guizhong asked.
"Yes," Morax replied.
"And this was the second time he saved you."
"The second time?" Guizhong blinked in confusion.
Morax turned his head slightly, his gaze falling upon the six great mountains rising around the Guili Plains.
Guizhong's eyes widened in astonishment, her lips parting slightly.
"This… Don't tell me… he did that too?"
Morax nodded. "Back then, I was being held off by three gods and couldn't break free. If he hadn't stepped in to block the floodwaters, Liyue—and the Guili Plains—might have been wiped from existence."
Guizhong was stunned. She had always believed those mountains were the work of Morax himself. Never had she imagined that Liyue had another god—one she had never even seen.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
"He forbade me."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Guizhong stood frozen, unable to speak for a long time.
"So, before I even came to the Guili Plains… there was already a god secretly protecting it?"
"It was him."
Guizhong's eyes widened again. She turned toward Cloud Retainer. "Cloud Retainer, your mechanical arts—"
"He taught me," Cloud Retainer replied calmly.
"I knew it… it really was him."
When Elliot had come to kill her, Guizhong had sensed something familiar in his aura, though she couldn't identify it.
And Cloud Retainer's mechanical arts had always felt strangely similar to her own. That was why the two of them had gotten along so well.
Long before that, Guizhong had discovered her first clue—scraps of parchment scattered across the Guili Plains, covered in intricate diagrams, mechanisms, and assembly methods.
They weren't just one or two pieces—she had found them again and again over time. From there, she began studying the craft herself.
Back then, she had already suspected that those papers were left behind by the mysterious god watching over her from the shadows. But she had never dared to confirm it.
Later, when she met Cloud Retainer and discussed mechanisms with her, Guizhong asked where she had learned her art. Cloud Retainer had said she was self-taught.
That wasn't wrong—Elliot had simply refined and transformed her methods.
"Guizhong, do you remember how you were resurrected?" Morax asked, his tone urgent now. He had to find Elliot.
"When I regained consciousness, I was at Qingce Village. I have no idea how Marchosius and I got there. One moment we were dead, and the next we were there… alive again. It was strange."
"Qingce Village!?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"I have to go there."
Once she confirmed it, Morax wasted no time. He immediately set off for Qingce Village.
But when he arrived, there was nothing unusual at all.
Qingce Village was still the same quiet place it had always been. The sealed dragon remained sealed.
Morax searched every inch of the area—every stone, every shadow—but found nothing.
In the end, he could only return empty-handed.
...