Zhongli's pupils constricted sharply as he witnessed the carnage.
He had thrown everything into breaking the deadlock, yet he was still a step too late.
He hadn't expected the enemy to hold another trump card. Even the Jade Chamber had been severely damaged. If Keqing hadn't sacrificed herself to restabilize the shield, the casualties the moment the shield broke would have been a terrifying number!
At this thought, Zhongli tightened his grip on the Stone Spear, intense emotions surging in his heart.
Zhongli first raised his hand and launched a golden orb of light toward Keqing to further stabilize her condition, then without hesitation, thrust his spear toward Guizhong.
At this moment, Zhongli himself seemed to transform into a golden dragon in the sky, terrifying Geo Elemental Power erupting from him. Mixed with the fluctuations of divine power and the power of the Ley Lines, his aura became even more formidable.
From the moment he saw Guizhong again earlier, his heart had been torn by conflict. Because of his indecisiveness, one mistake after another had been made. Now, he had to end this error.
As the God of Rock, Zhongli had to once again seal his heart because of the emotions Guizhong had awakened, even going as far as to strike her.
A suffocating sensation surged in Zhongli's heart. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to life and death, to partings and farewells, and nothing had been able to cause such violent turmoil in his heart again. He never expected to feel the same agony he had felt when he watched Guizhong die, and this time, it was even more intense.
Zhongli's fury toward Persephone had reached its absolute limit. It was obvious she had done this on purpose. With so many combatants chosen, Guizhong's group had specifically come to launch a sneak attack here.
For a moment, Zhongli seemed to see that woman, Persephone, sitting on a high throne, looking down upon their struggle and pain from above, taking pleasure in it.
Just as she had said before, they were all nothing more than tools to amuse her!
Zhongli thought of many things, but only a moment had passed. Now, he had already appeared before Guizhong, whose power was waning, and unleashed a terrifying spear thrust.
Countless clouds of dust gathered before Guizhong, attempting to block Zhongli's strike, but they were instantly broken through. Finally, Guizhong threw out several items and detonated them, causing a terrifying explosion of energy within a small space, which slightly slowed Zhongli's offensive. Of course, Guizhong also suffered considerable damage from this terrible impact.
Without time to recover from her injuries, Guizhong was pushed back a short distance, then immediately tore open the space to pull the two of them apart. However, when she stepped out of the spatial portal again, Zhongli had already appeared before her, his long spear thrusting forward once more.
This time Guizhong was completely unable to dodge, and her abdomen was directly pierced, followed by a massive surge of Geo Elemental Power.
Guizhong let out a muffled groan, and then her body exploded into a cloud of dust, obscuring Zhongli's vision and perception. The next second, two dragons formed from dust charged at Zhongli from two different directions.
Zhongli's expression remained unchanged. With a push of his hands, a Jade Shield radiating a heavy aura appeared around his body, blocking all the attacks.
Zhongli then teleported again, crossing a distance of over a thousand meters, and appeared before Guizhong as she re-materialized, sweeping out with his spear.
The Stone Spear struck Guizhong, unleashing an immense force. Guizhong's body was sent hurtling straight toward the ground. Upon impact, the earth let out a deafening roar, the rock layers splitting apart as seawater rushed in.
Finally, under the shocked gazes of everyone, a corner of Ritou was completely severed by this colossal power. It gradually began to tilt and fall into the sea, kicking up an astonishing water curtain before being completely swallowed by the waves, vanishing without a trace.
Seeing that Zhongli had instantly turned the tide of battle completely in their favor, the onlookers erupted into excited cheers, their eyes once again filled with respect and awe.
Because Guizhong had suffered a severe blow, the pressure on Keqing was immediately greatly reduced. She promptly slowed the extraction from the Energy Core, then found a place to gently set it down.
After completing these actions, Keqing slumped weakly to the ground.
Even as she sat there, her body continued to twitch uncontrollably, racked with intense discomfort.
Electro Elemental Power surged through her as she tried to force herself back to her feet, but the moment she mustered a sliver of strength, it drained away completely, leaving her to collapse back onto the ground, gasping for breath.
Finally, Keqing gave up on trying to stand and turned her attention back to the battlefield.
At that moment, the seawater that had been rushing in suddenly paused before rapidly receding.
Guizhong emerged from the shattered rock, thrusting her hands forward. Countless plumes of dust formed a sandstorm capable of shredding everything in its path, hurtling toward Zhongli.
Seeing this, Zhongli slowly crossed his arms over his chest and spoke calmly.
"This is the Heavenly Order."
The sky was torn open, and a colossal meteorite descended from above with unstoppable momentum.
The meteorite collided with the incoming sandstorm, pausing for only a fleeting moment before crushing it completely. The sandstorm let out a sound like a bursting bubble, "pop," before the meteorite continued its descent toward Guizhong's position without losing any momentum.
Finally, when the meteorite struck the ground, the earth began to shake violently, and a terrifying shockwave erupted in all directions, sending a wall of air surging hundreds of meters into the sky!
Yet, just as everyone thought it was over, Guizhong tore through space and reappeared before their eyes.
A closer look would reveal that the spot Zhongli had chosen was over a hundred meters away from Guizhong's actual position. Guizhong had only been affected by the aftershocks, and since she was the God of Dust, her resistance to the Geo Element was high enough that she even managed to break free from the Sealing Power brought by the meteorite.
Zhongli's figure flashed again, appearing before Guizhong the next second. Without a word, he thrust his spear, but the final attack only grazed Guizhong's waist. Then, Zhongli shifted from a thrust to a sweep, sending Guizhong flying backward once more.
Guizhong's body had not been flying for long before Zhongli's figure appeared above her again, then he swung his Stone Spear and struck her down hard, smashing her back to the ground. The ground instantly formed a human-shaped outline, and a vast number of cracks spread out.
With a few muffled thuds, several rock spires rose from the ground around Guizhong, and then, one by one, profound runes and formations connected the rock spires.
The moment the formation was completed, Guizhong felt a powerful Sealing Power suppress her, making it very difficult for her to continue to use the power within her body.
Guizhong stood up and tried a few more times, but in the end, she still failed to break free.
Afterwards, Guizhong took a few steps forward, approaching the formation formed by the rock spires, facing Zhongli across the golden-yellow curtain of light.
"As expected, I'm still no match for you."
"Rex Lapis, you are as graceful as ever, just like in the past."
"But you are not as cold as you used to be."
Because her energy had been drained too much, Guizhong's face was somewhat pale at this time, but her gaze as she looked at Zhongli was very gentle, and then she slowly spoke again.
"Rex Lapis, I have never blamed you."
"We did our best to avoid fighting, but in that war, we had no choice."
"And you have also shown me the flourishing future of the people of Liyue."
"So, you are right."
"Now please continue doing what you think is right, and don't hold back against me anymore."
"Though I am the God of Dust, I am not the Guizhong in your memories."
"Don't forget, I am just a trivial stumbling block on your path to facing your true enemy. You cannot stop here because of me."
"Facing Persephone, even the slightest oversight will lead to your complete defeat."
"So, strike. I do not wish to become your obstacle."
After Guizhong finished speaking, Zhongli's body suddenly jolted. A wave of immense sorrow surged through his heart, causing a sharp pang of pain, but in the end, he forcibly suppressed it, not even allowing his expression to change in the slightest.
"Very well."
Zhongli spoke slowly. When he finished saying this, the bitterness in his mouth nearly drove him mad, making him want to vent his inner emotions completely. He even felt as if his body no longer belonged to him, but was being controlled by another consciousness.
Zhongli watched himself from a third-person perspective. He tightened his grip on the Stone Spear once more, and a brilliant, blinding golden light gradually emanated from it. An aura like a volcano about to erupt spread from Zhongli's body.
Just as Zhongli was about to unleash his full power and bring this all to an end, a Spirit Butterfly suddenly appeared not far from him.
"Please wait, Rex Lapis!"
The flames on the Spirit Butterfly gradually subsided, and Hu Tao's figure appeared in Zhongli's field of vision.
"Let me do this."
"The God of Dust is now in a Heroic Spirit State. If she dies like this, it means even her will will completely dissipate, which is a complete death."
"But I can send her back to the World of Souls. This way, although the chances are slim, there is still hope."
After hearing Hu Tao's words, Zhongli fell silent for a long moment, then slowly nodded.
"Director Hu, I will trouble you."
Upon hearing this, Hu Tao's body suddenly jolted.
Although the voice of the Rex Lapis before her was not similar to that of Zhongli, the Consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, after spending so much time together, Hu Tao had become familiar with Zhongli's tone and mannerisms. At this moment, the figure hidden beneath the cloak gave Hu Tao a strong sense of familiarity.
At this moment, Hu Tao wanted to uncover the veil in front of Zhongli and see his appearance clearly, but after hesitating for a moment, she gave up on this plan.
Everyone has their own secrets, and it is very rude to pry into others' secrets.
If Zhongli truly was Rex Lapis, then he must have had his own profound reasons for hiding his identity and working at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Under Hu Tao's gaze, Zhongli gradually contracted the range of his seal on Guizhong, finally shrinking it to a radius of only three meters, then turned his gaze to Hu Tao.
Hu Tao took a deep breath. Although she had already guided over ten thousand souls to the afterlife, this was still the first time she was guiding a god, and her heart was both a little excited and a little worried.
But there was no more time for her to hesitate. Hu Tao took another deep breath, then without hesitation activated the Mark on her hand, and her strength instantly soared.
Originally, Hu Tao's strength, after several upgrades, was already beyond the reach of ordinary people. Now, after being further strengthened by the Mark, Hu Tao's strength had already infinitely approached that of a god!
As such, Hu Tao could now be considered to have barely acquired the capital to guide a god to the afterlife.
At this moment, a large amount of orange-red flames suddenly erupted from Hu Tao's body, then Hu Tao cleared her throat, and a melodious eulogy came out of her mouth.
At the same time, Hu Tao waved the Staff of Homa in her hand, and powerful Pyro Elemental Power erupted from her body.
The next second, Hu Tao raised her staff and pointed it at Guizhong, a massive amount of Pyro Elemental Power erupting forth, gradually melting Guizhong's body.
Sensing that she was about to leave this world, Guizhong took one last deep look at Zhongli, her eyes filled with intense reluctance.
Finally, Guizhong's body was engulfed by the flames, dissolving into Spirit Butterflies that fluttered toward Hu Tao, pausing for a moment on her fingers and shoulders before completely transforming into the purest Pyro Elemental Power and utterly dissipating into the air.
After all this was done, Zhongli remained standing still for a long time, his aura rising and falling, symbolizing his extremely turbulent heart.
Hu Tao glanced at Zhongli at this moment, scratching her head, unsure if she should offer him some words of comfort.
But while Hu Tao was still hesitating, Zhongli's aura stabilized once again, becoming even deeper and more awe-inspiring.
Hu Tao, who was familiar with Zhongli, felt a jolt in her heart, sensing that he seemed to have made an extremely important decision. At this moment, she actually felt a strange chill and indifference emanating from him.
Zhongli's figure suddenly flashed, appearing before Skybracer in an instant, then he raised his hand and pressed it toward his forehead.
Before Zhongli's palm could even touch Skybracer, a terrifying pressure immediately crushed him, followed by layers of seals being placed upon his body.
Seeing this, Hu Tao hurriedly ran over, preparing to send Skybracer back to the World of Souls as well.
Before Hu Tao could finish, Zhongli's figure flashed again, this time appearing beside the Guardian Yakshas.
Although the Guardian Yakshas had already noticed the anomaly on the other side and were prepared, in the face of an absolute difference in strength, any struggle they made was merely in vain.
After Hu Tao sent Skybracer away, she hurriedly rushed over to send the Guardian Yakshas away one by one.
After all this was done, this sudden attack finally came to an end, and many people sat down on the ground exhausted, their faces showing smiles of having survived a disaster.
However, two people did not smile, and those were Zhongli and Xiao.
Not only that, everyone could feel the cold and fierce aura emanating from the two of them from a great distance.
At this moment, both Zhongli and Xiao were suppressing a surge of anger in their hearts, and this monstrous rage could only be calmed down after Persephone paid the deserved price.
Zhongli looked up toward Tenshukaku, as if he could cross countless distances and directly meet those deep purple eyes.
At this moment, Raiden Ei, who had returned to Tenshukaku, indeed opened her eyes, her gaze carrying a bone-chilling coldness as she looked at the uninvited guest who had appeared before her.
The opponent shared a similar appearance and a similar aura to hers, and was even crowned with the same name of Raiden.