Lin Yide stood suspended in the air, his black sword held high.
Around him, the four elements—cryo, electro, hydro, and pyro—gathered at a frenzied, visible pace. Like meteors drawn by a mysterious force, they vied to surge into the edge of the black sword. As the elements continuously converged, the sword began to flash with a multicolored brilliance. These lights gradually merged, rapidly condensing into a colossal, towering sword of pure elemental light.
The body of this light sword was wreathed in the power of the four elements, resembling a holy sword of judgment from myth and legend. It unleashed a heart-palpitating pressure that made even the void tremble.
In the distance, Osial also sensed this unprecedented threat. Like a cornered beast, it began to vent beams of black energy even more frantically, attempting to block this devastating attack. However, in the face of Lin Yide's Sword of Absolute Severance, Osial's struggles were destined to be futile. The light sword, infused with the power of the four elements, had already condensed a might sufficient to destroy everything.
Lin Yide gripped the hilt tightly and swung down towards Osial's massive body.
The beams of black energy released by Osial appeared fragile before Lin Yide's Sword of Absolute Severance; they were utterly annihilated upon contact. The light sword, like a holy blade of judgment, continued its unstoppable descent towards Osial.
"BOOM!"
A deafening roar, as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth was splitting asunder, shook the entire world. The shockwave of the explosion surged like a wild tide, mercilessly tearing apart the surrounding silence. For a moment, the only thing left in the world was this soul-shaking boom.
At the same time, a blinding flash from the explosion cut through the darkness. The light was so intense that it illuminated the entire world as if it were broad daylight, and everything was engulfed by its dazzling brilliance. The aftershocks of the explosion raged across the sea's surface like savage beasts. They whipped up colossal waves dozens of meters high, which stood like mountain ranges before crashing down violently.
As the explosion subsided, Osial's tattered body collapsed limply into the sea, like a crumbling mountain peak. The seawater was dyed a dark black—the blood of Osial, which spread slowly through the water like a magnificent, tragic scroll painting.
The Overlord of the Vortex, Osial, had fallen!
The people on the Jade Chamber could no longer find words to describe their feelings. Just moments ago, they had witnessed with their own eyes a human, in a mortal body, accomplish the heaven-defying feat of slaying an ancient god.
At this moment, Ningguang no longer dwelled on her own failure; she even felt that losing to Lin Yide was a matter of course.
"This guy is terrifying to this extent!" The Traveler (Aether) couldn't help but let out an exclamation similar to Paimon's. "Is he really a mortal?"
Ningguang sighed softly. "Although I don't want to admit it, he is indeed a human, and even a little younger than me..."
Hearing this, the adepti present all fell silent. They felt as if their past several thousand years of life had been lived in vain.
Just as everyone was still immersed in their shock, a tall and straight figure appeared quietly, immediately attracting everyone's attention. He wore a pure white robe and stood with his back to the crowd, appearing mysterious and solemn.
"Lord!" Keqing's voice was filled with unconcealable, pleasant surprise.
Ningguang, however, had long understood the general course of events, so she was not surprised by Zhongli's appearance.
At this moment, Zhongli gazed at the sea stained black by Osial's blood, a look of frustration on his face. He turned his head and said to Lin Yide beside him with annoyance, "Back then, I shouldn't have asked you for such a large commission. Now look, I have to go through the trouble of sealing and purifying Osial's corpse."
Lin Yide couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. "You were the one who actively requested it. It's too late for regrets now."
Morax, as the God of Contracts, had always been known for the fairness of the contracts he made. However, demanding a ninety-percent cut of the official merchandise from Lin Yide had clearly violated this principle. Therefore, hidden behind that contract was an invisible trade-off—his personal favor.
And now was the time for him to repay that favor.
He stood against the wind, his hands forming ritualistic gestures, his movements fluid and full of power. As he moved, a massive and mysterious array slowly materialized on the surface of the sea. The array glowed with a holy light, enveloping Osial and the seawater contaminated by its demonic blood.
Immediately after, the seawater within the array began to churn and boil violently, like water brought to a rolling boil. During this process, wisps of light smoke rose from the sea's surface, swirling and circling in the air before finally dissipating into nothingness.
Lin Yide quietly watched this spectacular scene, unable to suppress the thought in his heart that with this move alone, the power Morax displayed had already far surpassed that of Raiden Ei, another one of the Seven. He couldn't help but feel a sliver of relief that he hadn't chosen the option to suppress Morax at the beginning of his transmigration.
Just then, the system's long-unheard voice sounded in his mind. "Congratulations, Host, for completing the trial event—Slaying the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial. You have obtained 50,000 trial points."
A wave of satisfaction washed over Lin Yide. He now had a total of 80,000 trial points. If he added the points from reforming Liyue and snatching the completion of the Traveler's side quests, he should be able to farm up to 100,000 trial points. That would leave him just 140,000 trial points short of unlocking his full constellation demon god form. And he already had a preliminary idea of how to farm that many points in Sumeru.
...
Dealing with the lingering resentment left behind after a god's death was an extremely mentally taxing task. Even for a being as powerful as Morax, it took a full half-month to completely finish the work of purifying the seawater contaminated by Osial's demonic blood. As for Osial's shattered corpse, Morax chose to seal it away directly.
When the sealing and purification work was finally over, the dark clouds that had enveloped Liyue gradually dispersed, and the world returned to its former peace and tranquility.
Zhongli ascended into the sky above the Jade Chamber. He used his divine power to obscure his face, making it impossible for people to see his true appearance. He announced in a loud voice, "Liyue will usher in an era of reform. It will be managed jointly by humans and adepti. I hope you will all cooperate sincerely to protect Liyue together."
"As you command!" the mortals and adepti below responded in unison.
Zhongli nodded. Then, his figure vanished into the horizon.