The Submission of the Adepti and the Reaction of the Seven Gods!

The torrents summoned by Beisht were powerful enough to cut through steel, while the icy mist from Lin Yuan was more focused on widespread freezing, not as durable. Beisht's water streams sliced through several gaps in the ice. However, that did not stop the ice from spreading beneath the water.

Sensing that the seawater below was also starting to freeze, Beisht knew she had to escape, or she'd be frozen solid. She manipulated the torrent, slicing through the ice and emerging her head above the surface.

But at that moment, what greeted her was a massive fireball, blazing like a miniature sun.

Even before the fireball touched down, the surrounding ice quickly melted, and Beisht's body began evaporating under its intense heat. The terrifying fireball instinctively made Beisht want to dive back into the sea.

However, Lin Yuan's draconic aura descended upon her, pinning Beisht in place. All she could do was watch helplessly as the miniature sun fell towards her.

As the fireball crashed into the sea, a vast amount of steam instantly erupted, and the surrounding water turned crimson. Beisht let out a sorrowful cry, but before she could finish, all her heads had been vaporized by the fireball.

Then, her body below the surface rapidly evaporated. As the last remnants of her form dissipated, Beisht's once formidable presence was completely gone.

Lin Yuan snorted a small plume of flame from his dragon's mouth. "Beisht was far too weak," he said, dismissively. "Just a casual flame breath, and she's done."

Although Lin Yuan found the battle lackluster, even somewhat boring, the onlookers were deeply shaken.

The Adeptus, unable to calm their racing thoughts, spoke in disbelief:

"Beisht was destroyed just like that?"

"So strong! During the battle, he used the power of seven elements, and each one was immensely powerful."

"Even I have to admit, his strength surpasses the Rex Lapis in his prime."

"Even so, I, for one, will never acknowledge him. Our Geo Archon, Morax, is the true lord of the Adepti." Several Adepti, though amazed by Lin Yuan's overwhelming power, still refused to recognize him as the new Dragon Emperor. After all, the one they had sworn allegiance to, the Geo Archon, was still alive.

On the back of one of the Adepti, Ningguang couldn't help but marvel at Lin Yuan's strength. Hearing the Adepti's comments, she appeared deep in thought. Others, however, were completely immersed in Lin Yuan's sheer might.

Onboard the Crux ship, Beidou exclaimed in awe, "This Dragon Emperor is unbelievably strong. Destroying a demon god is as simple as crushing an ant."

Shenhe, with a hint of surprise in her eyes, said calmly, "The Dragon Emperor is the strongest being I've ever encountered."

She recalled the past when Lin Yuan had merely shown a hint of potential. Now, his display of strength had far surpassed the realm of the Adepti, making him more than deserving of the title Dragon Emperor.

On a small island, Ganyu was visibly moved, feeling a deep sense of pride in Lin Yuan's crushing defeat of Baizhe. After all, this was the same little dragon she had once cradled and fed with her own hands. How quickly he had grown into something so formidable.

Within Liyue Harbor, the people erupted into cheers:

"The great demon has been vanquished by the Dragon Emperor!"

"When the Dragon Emperor promised to sweep away the evils, he meant it!"

"This calamity is finally over, and Liyue has a new Archon," a voice among the crowd proclaimed. Hearing the cheers from the citizens, Lin Yuan released another wave of his Dragon Aura, sweeping over the people. As it passed through, all the injuries that had been inflicted during the catastrophe were miraculously healed.

Outside the city, Keqing and her group, who had been fighting fiercely against the monsters, felt the exhaustion from battle wash away in an instant.

On the sea, the Millelith soldiers led by Ganyu, their wounds from the sea beasts' attacks began to heal swiftly. Even the Adepti in the skies felt a slight recovery of their strength due to the Dragon Aura.

On the Crux ship, the sailors who had been lying in pools of their own blood suddenly began to stir. One of them moved his fingers before slowly getting up. The surrounding crew erupted with joy, shouting:

"Boss, A'Long is alright!"

A'Long, who had been gravely injured and unconscious from the sea beast's attack, touched his wound in disbelief and muttered, "Wasn't I dead?"

After healing everyone with his Dragon Aura, Lin Yuan released a divine golden light from his body, which shone upon the dark mist that still lingered over Liyue Harbor. Under the glow of the golden light, the dense black fog evaporated instantly, and the remaining mist, sensing the power, quickly retreated.

At long last, the crisis that had nearly brought Liyue to the brink of destruction was completely resolved. Citizens immediately rushed out from their shelters and began celebrating in the streets:

"The Dragon Emperor is among us, thank you for saving Liyue!"

"With the Dragon Emperor's arrival, the demons have been vanquished, and Liyue is at peace once again!"

"I pledge to honor your name, mighty Archon."

As Lin Yuan basked in the people's praise, high above in the clouds, Zhongli observed silently and nodded approvingly.

"Then, let it be so. The new Liyue shall be built by its people," Zhongli murmured to himself, watching from above.

On the ground, Keqing listened to the citizens cheering for the Dragon Emperor. Suddenly, she spoke up, "I'm going to check on Liyue Harbor." Without waiting, she started running toward the port, her mind preoccupied not just with the state of the harbor but also with Lin Yuan. She wanted to get a closer look at the dragon she once knew.

Seeing Keqing leave, Yunjin chimed in, "We should also return to Liyue and see if the people need any help." The others, like Chongyun and Xingqiu, nodded in agreement.

Although Liyue had escaped the brink of destruction, many areas still had collapsed buildings, and the aftermath would require rebuilding efforts.

Hu Tao, suddenly smacking her forehead, exclaimed, "Oh no, I need to check on the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! Please don't let it be in ruins!" With that, she dashed off at full speed. After all, the funeral parlor, passed down for generations, couldn't fall apart while it was under her care.

Qiqi, looking a bit dazed, glanced at Xiao with a strange sense of familiarity and asked in her usual dreamy tone, "Xiao, are you coming with us?"

Xiao, with his usual aloofness, simply replied, "I have my own plans." In a flash of green light, he disappeared from sight.

At the same time, the Adepti, hovering above, gently descended towards the harbor, setting down Ningguang and the Three Knowing Sages. The other Qixing members were already waiting there. As Keqing arrived in a hurry, Ningguang, just stepping off Cloud Retainer, gave her a knowing glance.

Keqing vaguely understood something and quietly stepped to the side. Ningguang glanced at her fellow Qixing, received a confirming nod, and then led them in addressing Lin Yuan above:

"Dragon Emperor, as per our previous agreement, we of the Qixing will fully support you and follow your guidance from now on." Lin Yuan's voice resounded from the sky:

"Liyue's affairs will continue to be managed by the Qixing. There is no need for any changes."

Ningguang, smiling, then turned to the Adepti and said, "Esteemed Adepti, the new Emperor has saved Liyue. Why not put aside any past differences and join in protecting it together?"

The Adepti hesitated, recognizing Lin Yuan's immense power. However, with Rex Lapis (Zhongli) still in the world, they were reluctant to fully submit to Lin Yuan.

Just as they wavered, Zhongli's voice unexpectedly echoed in their minds:

"There is no need to concern yourselves with me. I have already passed on all of my divine power..." Zhongli briefly recounted the events at Fuao Vale and expressed his endorsement of Lin Yuan as the new Geo Archon, having willingly transferred his power to him.

Hearing Zhongli's words, the Adepti no longer hesitated and respectfully bowed:

"This Adeptus recognizes the Dragon Emperor as Liyue's Geo Archon."

"I, too, am willing to acknowledge the Dragon Emperor as the new Geo Archon."

One by one, the Adepti accepted Lin Yuan's role as the new ruler of Liyue. Though they had initially hoped he would remain a guardian Adeptus, Zhongli's message allowed them to set aside their previous reservations. Without question, Lin Yuan was the most fitting choice for the mantle of Geo Archon.

With the Adepti's acknowledgment, Lin Yuan concealed his towering dragon form within the clouds, shrinking down rapidly.

Finally, Lin Yuan transformed into a dragon about two meters in size, his appearance remaining the same, as he gently descended from the sky with Lotia by his side.

"Emperor, thank you for protecting Liyue," Ningguang said as soon as Lin Yuan landed. Her words were sincere—after all, before Lin Yuan appeared, she had sacrificed the Jade Chamber, and even then, they couldn't defeat Bacchus. In that moment, Ningguang had felt despair.

Lin Yuan nodded and replied, "Ningguang, you sacrificed the Jade Chamber for Liyue. That's something worthy of admiration." Thinking about the destruction of yet another Jade Chamber, Lin Yuan felt a twinge of heartache. Building such a structure required rare and precious materials, not to mention the ancient artifacts and calligraphy that Ningguang had carefully collected. Having had to destroy two in such a short time, only someone as wealthy as Ningguang could afford such losses.

As Lin Yuan descended, Keqing had been staring at him, and she finally blurted out, "Are you really the same Little Divine Dragon True Monarch from before? How did you grow from a small dragon into this?"

Lin Yuan smiled mysteriously and said, "That's a secret—best not to delve too deeply."

The Adepti, of course, understood that Lin Yuan's transformation was the result of Zhongli passing all his divine power to him. But such knowledge was only necessary for those in the celestial ranks, and there was no need for others to be aware of it.

Ningguang, suddenly intrigued, turned her gaze toward Lotia beside Lin Yuan and asked with a smile, "Isn't this the Oceanid? Why is the Emperor traveling with it?"

Everyone's gaze shifted toward Lotia. From the start, they had already noticed her presence. The Oceanid, originally a servant of the Water God, had long since become a free entity. A combination of a Dragon Emperor and an Oceanid was indeed a curious sight.

Lin Yuan spoke, "Lotia, the Oceanid, will be one of my retainers from now on, and together we will continue to protect Liyue." Upon hearing that this was the Emperor's retainer, the Liyue Qixing quickly offered polite greetings.

Lotia responded with a soft, ethereal voice, "There's no need for formalities. I will follow the Emperor always."

The Adepti were also intrigued. They hadn't expected that the newly appointed Geo Dragon Emperor would already have the Oceanid as one of his followers. Although the combat strength of the Oceanid wasn't particularly powerful, she was unparalleled when it came to intelligence gathering and other specialized abilities.

Cloud Retainer then said, "Since the Emperor has already dealt with the Dragon King of Ruotuo, perhaps you can restore him as one of your retainers too." They had learned from Zhongli about how Lin Yuan had reverted the Dragon King of Ruotuo to his original form.

Hearing this news had deeply shocked the Adepti. After all, back when the Dragon King of Ruotuo served under Zhongli, he had been a mighty force. Many Adepti and even the Yakshas had not been able to match his strength. Even Zhongli himself had only been slightly stronger than the Dragon King.

The fact that Lin Yuan had subdued and reverted the Dragon King validated the Adepti's previous estimation—that Lin Yuan's strength had surpassed even that of Zhongli.

Hearing Liuyun's words, Lin Yuan responded, "There is no rush. In time, I will give Azhdaha a new beginning." The Adepti all nodded, their approval of this new Emperor growing stronger.

Just as Lin Yuan was resolving the crisis in Liyue, over in Mondstadt, Venti, who had been drinking heavily at the Angel's Share tavern, suddenly cleared his gaze and looked in the direction of Liyue. "To think they actually managed to protect Liyue. It seems my friend has done far better than I expected."

Recalling that the new Geo Archon still owed him a bottle of fine wine, Venti couldn't help but show a troubled expression. "Now that my friend has become the new Geo Archon, if I go ask him for that bottle of wine, he shouldn't go back on his word, right?" Only a wine-loving bard like Venti would worry about a newly ascended god reneging on such a trivial matter.

However, Venti soon found himself worrying about something else. "Now that the old man is truly retired, what if he comes to Mondstadt one day to freeload food and drink from me?" Although Zhongli was no longer one of the Seven, Venti still couldn't shake the memories of the times he'd been scolded by him, leaving him feeling a bit uneasy.

The more Venti thought about it, the more troubles he seemed to uncover. Grabbing his hair in frustration, he muttered, "Retirement sounds wonderful. If only someone would take over being the Anemo Archon for me, so I could enjoy a peaceful retirement too." Despite his youthful appearance, Venti was actually the oldest of the Seven Archons, aside from Zhongli.

Seeing how Zhongli was now living a carefree life, sipping goji berry and red date tea, Venti couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

While Venti was lost in his random thoughts, in Inazuma, within the Plane of Euthymia, Yae Miko was having a serious conversation with Raiden Shogun.

"Ei, the new Geo Archon has already appeared. The eternity you seek was never achieved, not even by the oldest of the gods," Yae Miko said with her usual playful smirk.

Ei, eyes closed in meditation, responded calmly, "Miko, you've been coming here more often lately. You cannot possibly understand eternity."

Yae Miko was about to say something more, but suddenly noticed the space before her shattering into fragments. When it reformed, she found herself standing within the Tenshukaku, and she narrowed her eyes slightly.

-----------------

T/N:

Get 20 advanced chapters at p@treon.com/Ashborn69. Your support helps me so much Thank you!