At his words, Zhongli glanced down, then casually hurled the Vortex Vanquisher toward the gentleman.
The latter's eyes narrowed slightly. A swirl of violet pillfire bloomed from nothing.
Within the flames, the Vortex Vanquisher melted down.
No additional materials were needed—the weapon itself was a divine armament, forged to accompany Zhongli through thousands of years of battle.
It had already reached the pinnacle of craftsmanship.
Recasting it now was merely to awaken its spirit and attune it to true essence.
Before long, on the eve of the lightning tribulation, the weapon reformed anew.
The revitalized Vortex Vanquisher emerged from the firelight, circling Jiang Yan with obvious liveliness.
Its fierce, domineering aura spread outward.
Keqing caught sight of her Azure Frost Sword trembling faintly.
"An entry-grade spirit weapon. That will suffice," Jiang Yan said with a faint smile. He gestured toward Zhongli.
The spear shot through space in an instant, arriving at Zhongli's side.
"Take this reborn Vortex Vanquisher as a gift for Morax's first rebirth—an entry-grade spirit weapon is more than enough for you to face the lightning tribulation. We await your good news."
Zhongli's gaze remained calm as he studied the weapon.
The link in their blood, combined with the spear's newfound spirit, gave him the feeling of an old comrade once more at his side.
Moreover, as an entry-grade spirit weapon, its true strength was something even Zhongli himself could not precisely measure.
All he could say was… simply holding it stirred the true essence within his body to a lively boil.
His combat power had soared.
As things stood, so long as the Heavenly Principles did not intervene, he could sweep across all of Teyvat—none could withstand even a single exchange.
With that thought, he looked toward Jiang Yan and the others and said with a faint smile,
"My thanks, Sect Master. Xiao—warm the tea for me. I'll be back shortly."
Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh.
So, Zhongli was going to face the lightning tribulation with tea waiting for him?
The next moment, Zhongli rose to his full height and shot into the sky.
At last, the lightning that had been brewing for so long came crashing down in a roaring wave.
"Break!"
Zhongli gritted his teeth, raising the spear high and driving it into the heart of the thunder.
Only in meeting it head-on did he truly grasp the oppressive might of a lightning tribulation.
Watching Jiang Yan's tribulation had been nothing like this.
It was as if the heavens themselves were venting their wrath.
But Heaven?
Any who set foot on the path of immortality were already those who fought against Heaven for their lives!
The more the sky sought to crush him, the more its fury rose—
—and the more it pleased him.
This only proved that his strength had made the heavens afraid!
The first bolt shattered under his strike, though traces of the lightning still seared his frame.
Recalling Jiang Yan's own tribulation, Zhongli formed his true essence into a bulwark around himself.
Now, he had no other methods.
Jiang Yan could rely on sword-manipulation techniques and thunder-deflecting arts.
But Zhongli had only the martial skill he had honed to its absolute peak.
Elemental power, even the divine authority he once held—these were worthless before Heaven's punishment.
In the face of a cultivator's tribulation, such tricks were mere children's games.
Knowing this, he did not even consider summoning stone pillars.
Instead, after a brief thought, he circulated his true essence in the pattern of his Jade Shield.
A stronger shield formed, platinum light gleaming as if the sky now held two suns.
But no sooner had it formed than the second bolt struck, obliterating his defenses instantly.
Even the aftershocks of the strike were beyond his body's endurance; they sent him crashing to the ground.
"Lord Rex Lapis!"
Xiao shot to his feet in panic, but Jiang Yan raised a hand to hold him still.
"No one can help him. This is Morax's own tribulation."
Xiao clenched his jaw but sat back down.
Watching Zhongli suffer was harder than dying himself.
Jiang Yan silently sighed at Xiao's loyalty—no wonder Zhongli had treated him like a son.
Yet Zhongli's condition was not as dire as it looked.
Lying on the barrier Jiang Yan had set to protect Tongtian Peak, golden blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Looking inward, he was actually pleased—his true essence had been refined by the lightning, rising to the proper strength for the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage.
Now, he only needed to temper the rest of his essence to complete the tribulation.
With that thought, he leapt to his feet once more and summoned the Vortex Vanquisher back to his hand.
The spear looked slightly unstable after the thunder's strike, but this too was an opportunity—if it endured, it might retain a trace of the tribulation's might.
Reforming his shield of essence, Zhongli faced the third bolt head-on.
It fell even swifter and fiercer than before, smashing him down into the barrier again. His divine armor scattered to nothing.
Now, his true form was exposed for all to see.
"That's… Zhongli of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!"
Ningguang's eyes widened.
"Zhongli is actually the Lord Rex Lapis?"
She turned to study the others' faces.
Xiao's expression was complicated—he clearly had known—but Cloud Retainer and the rest were plainly bewildered.
The most surprising was Jiang Yan, who seemed utterly unmoved.
But then, given his strength, it was understandable—he must have known all along.
Zhongli gritted his teeth. Dragon horns sprouted from his brow, and his pupils turned fully into golden dragon eyes.
Scaled patterns ran thick across his arms. He had unleashed his peak form.
But there was only time to form another shield before the fourth bolt struck.
The next few strikes were each more dangerous than the last.
He could barely rise each time before being driven back down again.
At last, he endured the eighth bolt—only the ninth remained, the strongest of all, the one most likely to end him.
By now, he was a sight of ruin: much of his body charred and numb, one horn broken, his skin split and seeping golden blood.
Yet his eyes shone with fierce exhilaration.
His true essence… was fully refined!
One more bolt, and he would claim all the power of a Spirit Transformation cultivator.
Of course, he could wait—give himself time to learn more immortal arts, make the tribulation easy.
But here and now, he had nothing save a single entry-grade spirit weapon and his honed martial skill.
This was tribulation in the truest, barest form.
Suddenly, Jiang Yan's voice rang out:
"The earth gains peace through the One;
The spirit gains clarity through the One;
The valley gains fullness through the One;
All things gain life through the One.
My heart is clear as a polished mirror,
My will vast as the boundless sky.
With my own creation, I join with the great Dao of Heaven and Earth—
This is the Mount Shu Sword-Manipulation Art."
The others looked bewildered.
Keqing and the rest recognized the name, but these few phrases alone gave them no grasp of the technique.
But Jiang Yan's true audience was Zhongli.
Life and death held the greatest opportunities.
With heavenly spiritual roots, Jiang Yan believed Zhongli could understand.
And indeed, a spark lit in Zhongli's golden eyes.
He had grasped the method—only the entry stage, but even so, the Mount Shu Sword-Manipulation Art could shatter a mere Spirit Transformation tribulation.
He laughed aloud, shaping his fingers into a sword-seal.
"All things under Heaven can serve as a sword!"
In an instant, the Vortex Vanquisher flared with golden light.
It flew upward under his control, straight toward the Ninth Heaven.
The final bolt came crashing down.
In Zhongli's heart was a clarity unlike any before.
All he saw was that single stroke of lightning.
The spear, bearing the might of Heaven and Earth, tore the tribulation apart.
The boundless thunderclouds above were shattered with it—
Had that strike landed on the earth, half of Liyue might have been gone in an instant.
The clouds dispersed. The rain ceased.
Zhongli stood tall in the Ninth Heaven, the Vortex Vanquisher hovering at his side.
Bathed in the noonday sun, he felt the chains that had bound him snap away.
Teyvat's constraints could no longer touch him.
From this moment, he walked the path of cultivation in true freedom.
A golden pillar of light fell from some unknown place, enveloping him completely.
His body, torn by the tribulation's backlash, was remade—stronger than before.
In his soul, a steadfast, eternal radiance took root.
It was as if the very possibility of erosion had been erased.
So this was the feeling his old friend had sought so stubbornly—freedom was indeed a wondrous thing.
He glanced down and realized his disguise was utterly ruined.
Well, so much for keeping a low profile…
Still, what did it matter? With the immortal path now open to him, Liyue was safe.
Abdication could be handled with a word.
With that, his heart grew light.
The Vortex Vanquisher drifted to his feet and bore him back to the great hall.
He landed with easy grace, the sudden pressure of his new realm pressing on every heart present—such was the power of one who had yet to learn to conceal his aura.
Jiang Yan tapped the table lightly, and Zhongli's aura stilled.
"Congratulations."
Xiao's eyes shone with joy as he stepped forward, offering tea.
"Lord Rex Lapis, the tea is still warm."
Zhongli drank it in one go, smiling.
"It was worth remembering for a lifetime. It has been far too long since I've fought a battle so thrilling."
"And how does it feel, to wrest life from Heaven?" Jiang Yan asked with a smile.
"Excellent," Zhongli said with a hearty laugh, returning to his seat.
Xiao looked him over, relieved to find not a single wound remaining.
"Congratulations, Lord Rex Lapis, on reaching Spirit Transformation—your path to immortality takes another great step forward!"
Zhongli waved a hand dismissively.
"It is only Spirit Transformation. There is still a long road ahead."
Ningguang and the others fell silent.
Was this… humblebragging?
"This tribulation was dangerous, yes, but only because you lacked many immortal techniques," Jiang Yan remarked with a smile. "In time, it will be much easier. Spend more time in the Scripture Pavilion."
"Of course," Zhongli said without hesitation.
Then he turned to Ningguang and the rest, whose gazes were complicated, and sighed.
"Since you've already found out, whatever you wish to ask—ask it."
Ningguang pursed her lips, then said softly,
"Should we call you Lord Rex Lapis… or Mister Zhongli?"
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