Upon hearing the news, the adepti immediately broke into animated discussions. Having witnessed the torment erosion had inflicted upon the Dragon King Azhdaha, they harbored nothing but deep resentment for the same affliction corroding their own beings.
Yet, helpless against it, they had no choice but to endure. Now, the Geo Archon had presented them with an artifact capable of curing erosion—how could they not be elated?
Before long, the dark mist shrouding Xiao had completely dissipated. In a flash of white light, his figure reappeared before the assembled adepti.
"My lord, this is...?"
Xiao felt an unprecedented lightness, as though a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his shoulders, a weight he had carried for countless years finally cast away.
Moreover, every injury on his body—hidden wounds, internal damage, old ailments—had been completely healed. The incessant whispers of corruption that once plagued his mind had vanished, leaving him with a tranquility he had not known in ages.
It was as if... his karmic debt had been purified?
Perplexed by this phenomenon, Xiao's cool voice broke the silence as he addressed Zhongli.
"Xiao, your karmic debt has been completely erased. You need no longer fear its torment," Zhongli explained, his voice tinged with emotion as he sensed the pure, untainted aura emanating from the yaksha.
Taking the Horse Talisman from Xiao's hand, Zhongli proceeded to cleanse the erosion afflicting the other adepti one by one. Meanwhile, Xiao was pulled aside by Cloud Retainer, who began offering him a more detailed explanation.
Soon, every adeptus had been cured, their disciples' old wounds likewise healed by Zhongli's hand.
"Marchosius, welcome back," Zhongli said warmly, his voice thick with nostalgia as he addressed the last to be healed—Marchosius.
"Yes, I have returned. But from now on, just call me Guoba. Marchosius belongs to the past," replied the now human-sized Guoba, his voice hoarse yet cheerful as he reveled in the restoration of his power and authority.
"Very well, old friend," Zhongli nodded, saying no more as his gaze drifted into the distance—toward the direction of the Dragon-Quelling Tree.
"My lord, do you intend to seek out the Dragon King Azhdaha?" Cloud Retainer asked, following his line of sight.
"Indeed. In the past, sealing Azhdaha was a necessity. But now, with the Horse Talisman capable of curing erosion, it is only right that I go to him and restore his memories," Zhongli replied, his tone steady yet unmistakably laced with longing and anticipation.
The adepti unanimously voiced their agreement.
And so, the assembly of adepti and two sovereign deities set forth in a grand procession toward the Dragon-Quelling Tree.
Mt. Hulao, Beyond the South Heavenly Gate
Beneath the Dragon-Quelling Tree
Before long, the group arrived.
Zhongli's eyes darkened with complexity as he gazed upon the towering tree—a mix of sorrow and nostalgia swirling within him. The other adepti studied the tree with equally solemn expressions.
"Granny Ping, is this where the Dragon King Azhdaha was sealed?" Yanfei asked, awestruck by the majestic sight before her.
"Yes. This is where our lord sealed Azhdaha all those years ago. That very tree is the dragon's tail," Granny Ping answered, her voice heavy with the weight of memory.
"What?!" The younger generation gasped in unison.
If the tail alone had transformed into such a colossal tree, how immense must Azhdaha's true form be?
No wonder he had been the Geo Archon's closest friend and comrade-in-arms.
"Azhdaha... I am here to help you," Zhongli murmured after a moment of reflection.
With those words, he began unraveling the seal.
Golden divine energy surged from his body, intertwining with the ancient enchantments beneath the tree. The once-impervious seal, though weathered by time, remained formidable—even its creator could not dismantle it with ease.
After what felt like an eternity, a sharp crack echoed through the air. Zhongli exhaled in relief, withdrawing his power.
The earth trembled violently, fissures spiderwebbing outward from the tree's roots as though the very land were recoiling.
Then, a roar—filled with centuries of rage and hatred—erupted from the depths.
"Morax! A thousand years of wrath cannot be quelled so easily!"
"At last, I am free! The time for reckoning has come!!"
A colossal figure burst forth from the earth—a mountainous, brown-scaled draconic beast with four powerful limbs, its roar shaking the heavens as it reveled in its newfound freedom.
"Morax!!"
"To think you would deliver yourself to me! How convenient... Now, I shall repay you for my imprisonment!"
The moment Azhdaha's eyes locked onto Zhongli, his voice thundered with murderous intent.
"Azhdaha... Has erosion truly twisted him so? To despise the Geo Archon so fiercely—they were once dearest friends..." Yanfei's father murmured, aghast. Having spent much of his time abroad, he had been unaware of the dragon's deterioration.
"Silence! I am Azhdaha, the Dragon King! Born of elemental crystallization, bearer of the earth's might and memory, as eternal as the mountains and seas! I am no ally of insects!"
Azhdaha's roar silenced all dissent. His gaze then swept over the adepti behind Zhongli, and he scoffed.
"Morax, are these the weaklings you've brought to face me? How far you've fallen—reduced to consorting with ants in your dotage."
"No matter. This only hastens our final reckoning!"
With a deafening roar, Azhdaha struck without warning.
His massive claw slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave of Geo energy hurtling toward Zhongli and the adepti.
"...Sigh."
Zhongli exhaled, realizing that only after subduing Azhdaha could any meaningful dialogue occur.
Without hesitation, he unleashed the boundless Geo energy within him—a golden tide that painted the sky and pressed upon the world with the weight of mountains.
...
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(End of Chapter)