Just as Cloud Retainer was about to continue blaming Mountain Shaper, Zhongli stopped her:"Cloud Retainer, this isn't Mountain Shaper's fault. I just investigated, and the stone pillar I used to suppress Azhdaha has not been damaged, and Mountain Shaper's sealing barrier is still active. However, Azhdaha, who was inside the barrier, is now gone."
"What?!" Everyone was shocked. This unbelievable phenomenon was even more terrifying than Azhdaha directly breaking out of the seal.
"With Azhdaha's massive body, how could he escape without damaging the seal? This defies all logic."
"Azhdaha possesses the power to communicate with the Ley Lines. Could he have been teleported away through the power of the Ley Lines?"
"Impossible! If he could escape like that, Azhdaha wouldn't have been sealed for a thousand years."
"But how do we explain the current situation? Moon Carver, you are skilled in divination. Can you determine Azhdaha's current location?"
"It's impossible. Azhdaha is a naturally born spiritual being, and a favored child blessed by the earth. Furthermore, his strength far surpasses mine, so any divination results I obtain would be inaccurate."
"Quiet! Mountain Shaper, first explain what you know, in detail, without omitting any specifics."
Mountain Shaper meticulously recounted the events that had transpired. There had indeed been a period of earthquakes at Nantianmen, which should have been Azhdaha impacting the sealing barrier. However, such occurrences had happened countless times over the millennia, so Mountain Shaper naturally didn't pay much attention to them.
He dealt with it as he always did, reinforcing the seal immediately. However, this time Azhdaha's impact on the seal lasted unusually long, even making Mountain Shaper himself wonder what had provoked him.
Subsequently, Azhdaha's movements quieted down for a while. Not long after, he suddenly realized that Azhdaha in the seal had vanished, as if he had disappeared into thin air, catching him completely off guard. This left Mountain Shaper utterly perplexed, and he even wondered if his sealing technique had failed.
When he rushed down the mountain to check the situation, he found that not only was the Dragon-Suppressing Stone Pillar intact, but his seal was also still functioning. This made him even more puzzled: there was no problem, so how did such a massive dragon escape?
Immediately after, Zhongli, who was listening to stories and tasting tea in Liyue Harbor, sensed the situation and put down his teacup to rush over, not even having time to write the bill.
Damn it, he had already retired, so why were there so many troublesome things happening? The crucial point was that these were things the Liyue Qixing couldn't handle, so he had to do it himself.
The arriving Zhongli also checked the seal immediately, then looked at Mountain Shaper with a puzzled expression. They stood in silence, but Mountain Shaper understood from Zhongli's eyes that he was asking: What's going on? Where did my big dragon go?
There was no other way. Since Azhdaha had escaped the seal through unknown means, they could only find his whereabouts as quickly as possible. Such a massive body should be very noticeable, so finding him wouldn't be too difficult. The challenge was how to put him back, and prevent him from causing trouble in Liyue Harbor.
Zhongli, who was very clear about Azhdaha's combat power, knew that the Liyue Qixing's combat power was insufficient for such a matter. He could only summon all his old subordinates one by one.
"Alright, stop arguing. Since things have come to this, passing the buck is useless. The key now is to find Azhdaha. Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, and Xiao, you all should quickly scout and search the entire Liyue. If you find Azhdaha, notify me immediately."
"Understood."
"Madam Ping, Ganyu, you two go to Liyue Harbor to search. If you discover Azhdaha's tracks, tell him that I will be waiting for him at Mt. Aocang. The battlefield must not be in Liyue Harbor. Additionally, Ganyu, immediately notify the Qixing to organize the evacuation of all residents in Mt. Aocang and the vicinity of The Chasm."
"Yes, Zhongli!"
The Adepti immediately dispersed, vanishing from their original spots, leaving only Zhongli, who fell into thought as he gazed at the now empty base of the Dragon-Queller Tree.
As a God who had existed for over six thousand years, Zhongli naturally knew more than the Adepti. He keenly detected traces of spatial fluctuations here. As the oldest employee of Celestia, he, of course, knew that among the Sustainers of Heavenly Principles, there was a God who specialized in mastering spatial power.
Only by using the power of space could Azhdaha have been rescued without damaging the Dragon-Suppressing Stone Pillar and the sealing barrier. But why would she do such a thing?
Could it be that his act of relinquishing the God of Geo position had angered that one on Celestia? Zhongli's expression became extremely serious, then he relaxed, thinking, "When soldiers come, use generals to block them; when water comes, use earth to cover it." Azhdaha, since I could suppress you once, I can suppress you a second time.
With that thought, Zhongli rushed non-stop to Mt. Aocang. At the highest peak of Mt. Aocang, he sat and waited for Azhdaha's arrival. In his plan, if Azhdaha did not appear after all residents had evacuated, he would fully release his aura, making his presence known to attract Azhdaha.
When Ganyu informed the Liyue Qixing of this news, Tianquan Ningguang's first reaction was also shock. She realized that the reason for the Adepti's disappearance for a thousand years was this, and immediately understood the gravity of the situation, issuing an order directly.
"Due to a suspected plague outbreak near The Chasm and Mt. Aocang, to ensure the safety of the local populace, residents in these areas are to evacuate immediately. Outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering."
This order was issued very suddenly, and a team of Millelith in the city immediately set out. The orders they received were very firm: not a single resident was allowed to remain in these two areas. After all residents had evacuated, multiple observation posts were to be set up on the main routes in and out, allowing only exit, not entry.
Such a strong order, coupled with the mention of a plague, made many residents and miners, though unwilling, cooperate very well and leave the area for the sake of their lives.
However, due to the special geographical location of The Chasm, being both Liyue's most important mineral resource production area and having a precedent from five hundred years ago, some uninformed citizens believed that the cause of this plague was a continuation of the black calamity from five hundred years ago.
This rumor, with its seemingly logical basis, quickly spread throughout Liyue Harbor, even causing some panic among residents. Although the Qixing immediately issued a refutation notice to suppress the spread of the rumor, there were still some people with ulterior motives who planned to use this incident to gain some profit.
Meanwhile, the perpetrator of all this was currently sitting at his home, looking at the creature in front of him, which, though shrunk by hundreds of times, was still a size larger than him, his face filled with worry. Did he really have to raise such a massive, fat Azhdaha?
Should he go ask old man Zhongli for a copy of "Azhdaha Rearing Guide"?
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