The battle on Ritou had already entered a white-hot stage, and the battlefield was currently divided into three parts.
The first battlefield was the engagement between Xiao and several Guardian Yakshas, with support from the Fontaine Expeditionary Force, resulting in the two sides being basically evenly matched in combat power.
The second battlefield was the battle between Artoria, Ganyu, and Skybracer. Artoria and Ganyu only managed to suppress Skybracer with the help of the Marks' power, but as time passed, the situation would only gradually worsen.
The third battlefield was the fight between everyone else and the God of Dust, Guizhong. After activating her Mark, Guizhong had forcibly pulled Zhongli into another dimension. To keep him trapped, she had to expend a vast amount of mental energy, forcing her to avoid a direct confrontation and hide herself within the billowing dust under the others' siege.
Keqing thought for a moment and realized that the key to ending this battle lay with Zhongli.
Once Zhongli successfully broke free, the battle would be all but over.
Even after activating her Mark, Guizhong's strength was clearly far inferior to Zhongli's. Her defeat was only a matter of time, so Keqing turned her attention to the second battlefield.
By now, the power Artoria and Ganyu had gained from activating their Marks had diminished significantly, and they were gradually becoming overwhelmed.
To prevent any accidents from happening to the two of them, Keqing decided to dispatch a portion of the Guizhong Ballista to help relieve some of their pressure.
Before doing so, Keqing inquired about the remaining energy of the Jade Chamber, but there was no response.
Keqing frowned. The energy core area of the Jade Chamber was of utmost importance. Besides the essential staff, a Millelith squad was always on standby there to handle various matters.
The response time for the Energy Core was thirty seconds, but nearly two minutes had already passed without any word, and even the messenger was nowhere to be seen. At that moment, a bad premonition surged in Keqing's heart.
Keqing hurriedly ordered everyone to check the situation at the Jade Chamber's Energy Core, but before the order could be fully carried out, the Jade Chamber suddenly shook violently, accompanied by a piercing roar.
The Millelith squad that had already reached the area outside the core saw several soldiers in front of them thrown directly out of the Jade Chamber by a powerful shockwave. They screamed in terror as they plummeted toward the ground.
However, before their screams could last long, their bodies were crushed into bloody pulp by the surrounding dust and debris, and the screams stopped abruptly.
Because of this wave of tragedy, the Millelith behind them frantically scrambled to avoid the path. Soon after, orange-red tongues of fire spewed from the corridor leading to the Energy Core area, and the surrounding temperature rose sharply, scorching the ground until it was scorching hot.
Then another violent tremor struck, and the right side of the Jade Chamber seemed to suddenly lose power, tilting downward by more than a dozen degrees.
Many people were completely caught off guard. Their bodies first collapsed to the ground, then rolled all the way out of the Jade Chamber amidst horrific screams, and finally, like meteors, streaked through the air in short crimson trails before vanishing.
Seeing this, Keqing, however slow-witted she might be, knew that something had gone wrong at the Jade Chamber's Energy Core. She could no longer afford to reinforce the other battlefronts. Tearing herself free from the center of the formation, her body transformed into a streak of purple light as she sped toward the Energy Core area.
At this point, the damage to the Jade Chamber was not too severe. If repairs were made in time, there was still a chance to salvage it.
However, the situation was not as optimistic as Keqing had imagined. With an explosion far louder than before, a third chain reaction occurred in the Energy Chamber's Energy Core area. This time, the scale of the blast was terrifying. A full fifth of the Jade Chamber was blown apart, and countless pieces of rubble and stone rained down upon the ground. For a moment, all sorts of sounds mingled together, painting an apocalyptic scene.
After witnessing this scene, Keqing's eyes couldn't help but twitch, and a wave of intense grief and self-reproach surged through her heart.
To let the enemy sneak onto the Jade Chamber and even allow them to cause such a severe disaster and casualties, this was undoubtedly her failure!
Under the impact of her intense emotions, the Vision on Keqing's body emitted a blinding purple light. In her left hand, a ferocious and ominous Demon Sword gradually materialized, and for a moment, the aura around Keqing became evil and violent.
"Ha... ha... ha... ha!"
"Yes, that's right, they all died because of your weakness!"
At this moment, Aatrox's unrestrained laughter once again echoed in Keqing's mind.
"What a wonderful wail of sorrow!"
"You are completely powerless against what is happening right now!"
"You can only accept me, borrow my power to slaughter, to fight!"
"It doesn't matter who your blade is pointed at, I only crave battle!"
These words made Keqing's heart waver for a moment, but she quickly reaffirmed her resolve.
"Aatrox, I will never accept your power."
"You will only cause pain and hatred to continue endlessly."
"What I must do is completely subdue you!"
Lightning Flash crept over the Demon Sword. The intense stinging pain and discomfort caused Aatrox to unleash another barrage of curses at Keqing, but she turned a deaf ear to them. Holding Lion's Roar and the Demon Sword in her hands, she sliced through the oncoming hot wind with the two blades one after another, then attempted to re-enter the Jade Chamber's Energy Core area.
But just then, over a dozen figures appeared in Keqing's field of vision.
They had jointly deployed a defensive barrier, shielding themselves from the surrounding heat and impact. However, they still looked somewhat disheveled, and their auras were noticeably unstable, clearly indicating they had already expended a great deal of energy.
Keqing was slightly stunned for a moment before immediately recognizing them.
They were the previous Liyue Qixing, who had also been taken away by Persephone earlier. Keqing had originally assumed they wouldn't participate in this battle due to their weaker strength, but she never expected them to have already infiltrated the Liyue Expeditionary Force.
Keqing almost immediately figured out how they had managed to sneak in. She had ordered the Liyue Expeditionary Force to search for Yae Miko and the envoy from Inazuma City, and these people must have disguised themselves as the Millelith who had left their posts to slip through.
With their familiarity with Liyue's internal structures and systems, they could easily deceive the inspectors and then look for an opportunity to sabotage the Jade Chamber's Energy Core.
Keqing gripped her twin swords tightly, her face filled with guilt and anguish.
After today's events, if the people of Liyue learned that this terrible disaster was caused by the previous Liyue Qixing, it would deal a devastating blow to their reputations.
And Keqing believed that they must also be feeling incredibly conflicted and tormented right now. After dedicating their entire lives to serving Liyue, they were forced to destroy all their previous efforts with their own hands because they were under control.
While Keqing was still drowning in her anguish, the Jade Chamber erupted in dazzling sparks once again. This time, another section completely disintegrated, and the Jade Chamber could no longer maintain its own weight, falling straight toward the ground, gaining speed all the while.
"Keqing!"
Seeing the situation atop the Jade Chamber, Artoria was filled with worry, but she was completely unable to break free from her current duties. Fortunately, Clorinde had sent five mechas to reinforce them. These mechas had already reached the bottom of the Jade Chamber, then braced their arms upward as massive jets of fire erupted from their backs.
Under the terrifying thrust of the five mechas, the Jade Chamber's descent began to gradually slow. This caused the soldiers both above and below the Jade Chamber to breathe sighs of relief one after another.
Seeing that the mechas' efforts had already slowed the Jade Chamber's fall to a certain degree, all that was left was to gently lower it to the ground, and this crisis would be resolved.
But when the previous Liyue Qixing saw this situation, they immediately launched a fierce attack on the mechas at the bottom of the Jade Chamber.
Because their movements were restricted, those mechas simply couldn't dodge. They could only deploy a barrier of light in front of them to block all the attacks, and the Jade Chamber's descent speed subsequently increased a bit.
Just as the previous Liyue Qixing were about to attack again, an ear-piercing thunderclap crossed a great distance in an extremely short time and appeared before them.
Keqing pointed the Demon Sword in her hand at her opponents, her face etched with sorrow as she spoke.
"Enough, let this end here."
"My seniors... I, Keqing, the Yuheng of this generation, will stop you from going any further."
Hearing Keqing's words, the previous Liyue Qixing all nodded to her, then without hesitation launched an attack.
Sensing the crisis rushing toward her, Keqing pushed her speed to its absolute limit, her body truly transforming into a Lightning Flash that darted freely, dodging all the attacks. She then directly slashed through the Protective Barrier they had jointly erected and appeared before them.
The Lion's Roar and the Demon Sword respectively unleashed a bright and a dark purple sword light. After the two sword lights crossed forward and struck the opponents, they suddenly erupted, evolving into over a hundred sword lights that instantly tore two of them to shreds. The formation they had maintained was shattered by Keqing, and their strength was drastically weakened.
Keqing did not hesitate and immediately charged forward with her sword.
"Sword drawn, shadow follows!"
The brilliant sword light bloomed. A moment later, as the final figure fell beneath Keqing's blade, the battle here was essentially declared over.
"Well done, Yuheng..."
The last figure let out a long sigh.
Keqing had not completely erased them, but they were unwilling to remain in this world any longer. They used the last shred of their strength to strike at her. Although it achieved little effect, their power was completely exhausted, and their bodies began to gradually dissipate.
Keqing reached out toward the figures, but ultimately withdrew her hand and plunged into the sea of fire without hesitation.
Keqing endured the terrifying heat of several hundred degrees. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she dared not stop for a single moment. The dazzling Lightning Flash darted back and forth through the flames, which then erupted even more fiercely.
Finally, Keqing arrived at the Energy Core of the Jade Chamber. By the time she reached this place, there were no longer any living people around; most had already been buried in this sea of fire.
But Keqing also found what she was looking for. She immediately stepped forward twice, swung her sword to dig out the Energy Core, and finally tore a corner of her clothes to wrap it in as she brought it out of the sea of fire.
When Keqing returned, she gasped for breath while inwardly feeling grateful that she had managed to save it in time. Otherwise, if this largest and most critical Energy Core had exploded, the entire Jade Chamber would have been shattered in an instant.
Of course, even though she had prevented this from happening, the situation did not improve in the slightest. The Protective Barrier originally upheld by the Jade Chamber was now rapidly becoming transparent.
Once the Protective Barrier completely vanished, in the wake of the smoke and dust released by Guizhong, who knew how massive the casualties would be.
To prevent this situation from occurring, the barrier must be re-energized.
Although Keqing held the Energy Core in her arms, it required a certain amount of conversion.
Keqing looked at the Energy Core in her hands, pondered for a moment, and made her decision.
Keqing decided to use herself as a relay station to maintain the power supply for the barrier after converting the energy.
Keqing knew the consequences of her actions. Such a vast and pure energy surging into her body could easily shatter her entire meridian system, and every slight fluctuation of that energy could cost her her life.
But she had no choice.
Keqing unhesitatingly forced her body to absorb the energy from the Energy Core to its fullest extent. The energy, like a vast ocean, flooded her body and brought her immense pain. The flesh and blood along its path could not withstand such a powerful energy surge and began to rupture inch by inch. Before long, crimson blood seeped from Keqing's hands.
"Damn it, you're insane!"
"Stop it, we'll both die if you keep this up!"
"I'd rather die in battle than be stupidly killed by a woman like you. Stop it right now!"
Aatrox had never expected Keqing to take such a reckless step, and his voice betrayed clear panic.
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. It seems you can only silently pray that we survive today, otherwise you'll just be the last one stupidly killed by me!"
Keqing ignored Aatrox's words and continued to absorb that immense energy.
Keep in mind that this was the Energy Core, capable of powering the massive Jade Chamber's battle losses. Keqing's body simply couldn't withstand it, and soon both her arms were stained crimson with blood.
Yet even so, Keqing did not stop. Gritting her teeth, she activated the two Marks on her hands. Pure power instantly surged into her body, beginning a comprehensive repair of her severely damaged form.
Keqing didn't know how Persephone had managed it, but the power obtained from activating the Marks had no side effects at all. It felt as if it had always belonged to her, and she could wield it with absolute proficiency, without the slightest awkwardness.
Her body, which had been on the verge of collapse, stabilized once more. Keqing felt the energy within her nearly bursting out, and she immediately raised her hand to channel it into reinforcing the surrounding Elemental Shield.
Only after seeing the shield stabilize did everyone's hearts finally settle.
It was at this very moment that a massive rift tore open in the sky, and Zhongli stepped out from it. Everyone could faintly see the Small World on the verge of destruction behind him.
The moment Zhongli appeared once more, the tide of battle here finally turned completely.