When the divine dragon broke through its cocoon and was reborn,
several powerful beings across the land of Teyvat sensed something in the void.
Mondstadt,
Venti, who had already returned here, was doing his job as a bard, singing on the streets.
His superb musical skills, even without using his divine powers, still attracted many Mondstadt citizens to stop and listen.
The beautiful melody gradually immersed the surrounding Mondstadters in its charm.
At that moment, Venti suddenly played a wrong note, interrupting the audience's trance.
Ignoring the complaints of the listeners, Venti looked up toward the direction of Liyue's Dragonfall.
There, a powerful presence surged.
"Is it the old man?" Venti thought. "No, this presence seems even more awe-inspiring than the old man at his peak."
In Venti's mind, the image of a small divine dragon flashed by.
This aura was almost identical to Lin Yuan's.
However, Lin Yuan's strength wasn't that powerful not long ago. How did he suddenly become so overwhelmingly strong?
Venti was puzzled. The growth of a dragon should take at least several hundred years to reach its peak.
Logically speaking, it shouldn't be possible to grow in power so quickly.
Unless...
Venti suddenly understood, his expression filled with shock as he muttered:
"Did the old man really go this far for Liyue?"
To make a divine dragon grow across time and instantly reach the level of a top-tier Archon...
There is only one power that could achieve this: transferring all divine energy to another.
Realizing this, Venti's expression suddenly turned melancholic.
To protect Liyue, he was willing to give up his divine power. The old man still loves humanity so deeply.
Venti questioned himself. If it were him in Zhongli's place, could he really make such a sacrifice?
After all, giving up divine power meant giving up one's celestial essence.
Even the oldest God of Rock would have to face the consequences of weakened strength.
Venti suddenly lost his enthusiasm. He waved his hand, declining the Mondstadt audience's request for another song, and headed toward the Angel's Share.
Only wine could soothe his sorrow.
In Mondstadt's ruins of the Stormterror's Lair,
Dvalin, perched atop the high tower, also looked in the direction of Liyue at the same moment.
"This aura... has a new god been born in Liyue?"
Dvalin's pupils were filled with shock.
From that aura, Dvalin felt the oppressive force of superior bloodlines.
Even separated by thousands of miles, Dvalin had an urge to bow down and submit to the presence emanating this aura.
"What kind of dragon god is this? It actually makes me want to submit."
Dvalin was utterly shaken by the aura.
Even the Geo Archon Morax didn't possess such overwhelming superiority in bloodline.
The entity that radiated this aura must be a dragon god with an even higher lineage than Morax.
Was there really such a being in Liyue?
Dvalin immediately regarded Liyue as a forbidden place he must not enter lightly.
He had thought that with Morax gone, Liyue would begin to decline…
"I never expected an even more terrifying being to be born."
Liyue's fortune is unbelievably strong.
Meanwhile, in Sumeru City, much closer to Dragonfall,
inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Nahida, the Dendro Archon, was contemplating recent events over some sorrowful wine, still saddened by the tremors in Liyue.
Suddenly, Nahida's large eyes widened as she sensed the sudden surge of an immensely powerful aura coming from Dragonfall.
"What... is that? Why is it so powerful?"
Her eyes filled with shock.
This new aura that had emerged from thin air was far stronger than hers.
Moreover, she sensed an ancient familiarity within this power.
Could it be... Liyue's new Geo Archon?
Nahida was stunned. This newly emerged Geo Archon might already be the strongest of the Seven Archons.
Compared to this presence, Nahida, originally the youngest of the Seven, suddenly felt much less significant.
Placing her finger to her lips, Nahida muttered,
"With such a powerful new god born, Liyue likely won't need to worry anymore."
This new god's aura was far stronger than the demon god who had caused the recent earthquakes, so they could surely handle the disasters plaguing Liyue.
Thinking this, Nahida again felt a sense of her own shortcomings.
With the emergence of Liyue's new god, she was no longer the youngest among the Seven Archons.
It had been 500 years since the first Great Sage discovered her, yet her powers were still not strong enough.
Her gaze became resolute, and she said firmly:
"It seems I must continue working hard to catch up with this friend who's even younger than me."
On the other side of the ocean, in the Tenshukaku of Inazuma City,
the Raiden Shogun sat on her cushion when she suddenly sensed something.
She looked across the distant sky toward the sea.
At the same time, behind her, a rift in space appeared, and a figure identical to her — the Raiden Ei — poked her head out from the Plane of Euthymia, looking across the ocean with astonishment.
"Is that a new god? In the direction of Liyue... could it be that Liyue has already found a new Geo Archon?"
The aura emanating from Lin Yuan had even alerted Raiden Ei from within the Plane of Euthymia.
Without any expression, the Raiden Shogun calmly said:
"I can sense divine power. It is definitely the new Geo Archon."
Raiden Ei took a moment to feel the distant aura carefully and was soon shocked, saying:
"That new Geo Archon is so powerful. Having just become a god, they're already stronger than me."
Among the Seven Archons, Ei was one of the strongest in combat. For the new Geo Archon to already surpass her meant that this god might become one of the strongest among the Seven.
"Could there really be someone who stands at the pinnacle of all the gods?"
For someone who had just ascended to godhood to already possess such supreme power among the Seven, the potential of this new Geo Archon was terrifying.
"I never expected that with Morax gone, an even stronger new Geo Archon would take his place."
After her initial surprise, Ei returned to the Plane of Euthymia to resume her meditation.
The overwhelming power of Liyue's new god gave her a sense of urgency to strengthen her own abilities.
As Ei sensed Lin Yuan's presence, over at the Grand Narukami Shrine,
Yae Miko, with her fox ears twitching, narrowed her eyes and swiftly appeared beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree, gazing toward Liyue.
She had clearly felt the emergence of an incredibly powerful aura in that direction.
Yae Miko's fox ears stood up in surprise as she covered her mouth with one hand and said:
"Has a new force, even mightier than the heavens, appeared on Liyue's land? What a surprise."
Even from across the ocean, Yae Miko could feel a trace of pressure from the immense aura.
"This aura is stronger than Ei's... what terrifying talent."
Feeling the strength of this new god, Yae Miko's interest was piqued, and she mused with curiosity,
"If I ever get the chance, I would love to see what this new god looks like."
At the same moment, in the cold and snowy Snezhnaya,
the Fatui Harbingers were gathered in their usual meeting.
Suddenly, a voice as cold as ice echoed through the hall:
"Liyue's new god has emerged."
The Harbingers were immediately filled with shock.
Pierro, the Jester, stood up right away and spoke gravely,
"Your Majesty, are you referring to that young dragon as Liyue's new god?"
The Harbingers did not dare question the Tsaritsa, but they were clearly puzzled.
That young dragon shouldn't yet possess the strength to become a god.
From the shadows, the Tsaritsa's voice responded,
"Morax must have used his divine power to accelerate its growth. Now that young dragon has surpassed even Morax in strength."
Mentioning this, the Tsaritsa's voice grew slightly unsettled.
The Harbingers exchanged shocked glances.
Stronger than the Geo Archon Morax?
"Does this mean the young dragon already possesses the strength of a top-tier being?"
Thinking back to their recent discussions about whether or not to capture that young dragon, the situation now felt somewhat unreal.
And to think, Morax had used his own divine power to accelerate the dragon's growth—such a huge sacrifice.
For a moment, the Harbingers couldn't help but feel awe toward Morax's spirit.
Recalling past events, Pierro said,
"Your Majesty, we had already sent Tartaglia to capture the young dragon. Should we recall him now?"
However, the Tsaritsa remained silent once more.
After mentioning that Zhongli had transferred all his divine power to Lin Yuan, it seemed her focus was no longer on the matter at hand.
Pierro waited a moment, and after confirming the Tsaritsa's attention had shifted, he returned to his seat and spoke seriously:
"Since Liyue now has a new god more powerful than Morax, our people stationed there must act with even greater caution."
The Harbinger known as Sandoné, the Puppet, remarked:
"Fortunately, we've already obtained the Geo Archon's Gnosis. Otherwise, this could've been very troublesome."
The Regrator squinted and smiled mischievously,
"Tartaglia should have already arrived in Liyue by now, ready to carry out the plan to capture the young dragon. Should we stop him?"
The thought that Tartaglia's target was now one of the Seven Archons brought a twisted amusement to Regrator's smile.
Pierro placed both hands on the round table and said,
"Send a message to Tartaglia immediately to halt the operation. Let's hope we can reach him in time."
After all, Snezhnaya and Liyue were still far apart. Even though the Fatui's intelligence network spanned the continent, it would still take some time to get the message to Tartaglia.
Pierro thought to himself that even if the message was delayed, Tartaglia would probably figure out soon enough that he was dealing with one of the Seven Archons.
The Regrator, the Doctor, and the other Harbingers all wore amused smiles,
as if they found Tartaglia's current situation—facing this new, much stronger opponent—quite entertaining.
The Doctor (Dottore) seemed somewhat regretful,
"If only we could have taken a few of Lin Yuan's scales or something from his body before he ascended. I could have studied the material of one of the Seven."
Arlecchino (the Servant) coldly remarked,
"Since we already have the Geo Archon's Gnosis, as long as this new god doesn't interfere with our future plans, it doesn't matter."
The Harbingers then shifted their discussion to matters concerning Inazuma.
Any plans they had for Lin Yuan were now abandoned after his ascension to godhood.
Not only the Fatui but also the other nations of Teyvat had sensed the birth of Liyue's new god.
They all realized that the newly ascended Lin Yuan was incredibly powerful, and many of the continent's most formidable beings quickly added Liyue back onto their list of places not to be trifled with.
Meanwhile, Ch'i, the dragon sealed beneath Qingce Village, also felt Lin Yuan's aura.
Its once wildly thrashing body suddenly froze, its eyes filled with dread.
"A new god in Liyue?!"
Had its chance to escape from the seal passed just like that?
"No! I cannot miss this opportunity!"
The red glow in Ch'i's eyes flared up again, its mind racing with anxiety.
With the Geo Archon's fall, it had believed this was its perfect moment to break free from the seal.
No one expected Liyue to give birth to a new god so quickly.
And not just any god, but one with an incredibly powerful aura, strong enough to momentarily calm even the crazed Ch'i.
However, Ch'i could no longer bear staying trapped in this space.
Even if it had to go against this newly ascended, immensely powerful god, it was determined to escape its sealed prison.
With that thought, a thick black fog once again formed around Ch'i, spreading outwards.
The dense fog began drifting toward Guyun Stone Forest, where other sealed allies were located.
Just as the black mist started to permeate the area around Guyun,
in Liyue, the combined efforts of the Qianyan Army soldiers and other forces had finally managed to stabilize the situation.
The people of Liyue had all been evacuated to safe locations.
Most importantly, the tremors that had been constantly shaking the land had finally stopped, allowing the citizens to relax, if only slightly.
Out at sea, the adepti stood on the horizon, suddenly sensing the immense aura radiating from Lin Yuan.
All eyes turned toward Fulong Valley.
"What kind of being is that? It feels similar to the Lord of Geo, yet stronger than he ever was."
"It's the aura of the young dragon sage! How did it grow so powerful?"
"How is this possible? The dragons of the divine lineage are supposed to take hundreds, if not thousands of years, to mature."
The adepti were filled with shock and disbelief.Cloud Retainer and the other adepti were even more shocked after sensing Lin Yuan's divine power.
On the other side, Ganyu also felt the powerful aura and said in amazement,
"Is that the young dragon sage? Or perhaps... the slumbering dragon has awoken?"
Although Ganyu had always believed in Lin Yuan's potential,
it had only been a few days, and yet he had suddenly unleashed such immense power.
While she was astonished, Ganyu was also confused.
Moreover, it seemed that Lin Yuan was still in Fulong Valley,
the same place where Azhdaha resided.
Ganyu couldn't help but feel concerned, wondering if something had happened between Lin Yuan and the ancient dragon.
However, the battle against Beisht was the most important issue at hand.
The adepti pushed aside their shock for the time being and continued fighting against Beisht.
All kinds of powerful Adeptustechniques were hurled at Beisht, and though the sea serpent had the advantage of being in the ocean, it was struggling to fend off the adepti's fierce attacks.
In response, Beisht stirred up more storms, attempting to redirect attention by attacking Liyue and its people.
However, the adepti had already contained the aftermath of the battle far away from Liyue.
The wind and waves Beisht conjured only crashed against the powerful barrier the adepti had set up, unable to harm the people of Liyue.
The battle between Beisht and the adepti grew more intense, but the adepti maintained the upper hand.
On the Jade Chamber, Ningguang watched the adepti suppressing Beisht and let out a sigh of relief.
If the adepti hadn't arrived in time, she wouldn't have known what to do.
After all, the Jade Chamber was currently sheltering many of Liyue's refugees, and she couldn't use it as a self-destructing weapon as she had done in the past.
As Ningguang relaxed, she also sensed the familiar aura coming from Fulong Valley.
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as she said,
"Is the young dragon sage going to become the second Geo Archon so soon?"
Given all the calamities that had befallen Liyue,
it would be a good thing if Lin Yuan could ascend to the role of Archon sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, outside Liyue, Xiao, who was clearing away the monsters, couldn't help but look up,
sensing the immense power Lin Yuan had suddenly gained over in Fulong Valley.
"What on earth happened to the Emperor? Why has that little guy become so strong so quickly?"
Despite his concerns about the situation in Fulong Valley,
Xiao remained vigilant at the entrance of Liyue to prevent the monstrous creatures enveloped in black mist from entering the city.
Originally, Keqing and the others were engaged in battle with the monsters, but they were now tackling the creatures in small groups.
Just then, a voice resounded,
"Eat well, drink well, and have a good journey!"
A white specter swept through, instantly reducing one of the monsters Keqing and the others were attacking to ashes.
It was Hu Tao, wielding her Homa Staff, who came charging in from another direction with a relaxed expression.
"It seems I'm not too late after all."
"Hu Tao!"
Keqing exclaimed joyfully.
Hu Tao joined the group, fighting alongside them against the monsters.
However, despite the additions of Xiao and Hu Tao, the number of monsters in the area showed no signs of decreasing.
Because an endless stream of monsters continued to surge forth.
After the group eliminated a batch of monsters,
a sudden wave of black mist enveloped them, clinging to all the monsters, causing their momentum to surge and grow stronger once again.
Hu Tao couldn't help but curse,
"This is just never-ending!"
The others wore solemn expressions; even with the presence of the adeptus Xiao, it seemed they were still unable to handle the relentless onslaught of the monsters.
At the same time, a massive amount of black mist surged across the surface of the sea, heading towards the direction of the sealed Osial.
-----------------
T/N:
Get 20 advanced chapters at p@treon.com/Ashborn69. Your support helps me so much Thank you!