At the heart of the Guili Plains, Guizhong and the gathered immortals hovered high above the land.
Their faces were tense—none more so than Guizhong's.
As a Demon God herself, she could feel it clearly: within the approaching storm clouds, several overwhelming demonic auras were rapidly closing in.
"Songdust, Cloud Retainer, Ganyu—quickly, go evacuate the people!"
"Menogias and I will hold them off here!"
Guizhong's voice rang with command, and the immortals immediately split off, hurrying to guide the terrified civilians away from the heart of the plains.
"Lady Guizhong, perhaps you should assist with the evacuation as well!"
Menogias spoke gravely.
As the Grand Governor of Guili Plains, Guizhong's safety was paramount—if anything happened to her, it would deal a devastating blow to the morale of the entire territory.
But Guizhong only shook her head.
"Xiao Jiang Yan is still at Cuijue Slope, fighting the Demon Gods of Minlin.
Here in the Guili Plains, I am the only Demon God left."
"I must fight—even if all I can do is delay them for a moment!"
Determination hardened her features as the Chains of Dust materialized in her hand, glimmering with pale light.
"Lady Guizhong, please—don't!"
"If the Immortal Lord senses what's happening here, he'll come at once. We just need to hold the line!"
Guizhong opened her mouth to respond—but then, from below, a commotion broke out.
From every direction, warriors in black-and-gold armor surged forward like a tide.
The Thousand Rock Guili Corps had arrived.
The black tide split into two formations—one assisting the immortals in evacuating the civilians, the other forming a defensive line directly beneath Guizhong and the Guiding Sky True Lord.
"What are you doing?! You should be evacuating too!"
Menogias shouted furiously.
But the commander below bellowed back, voice shaking the skies:
"Greetings, Lady Guizhong! True Lord of the Guiding Sky!"
"We, the Thousand Rock Guili Corps, were born to protect the Guili Plains!"
"This battle—we will fight to the death! Not one step back!"
"You…"
Guizhong's eyes widened, her expression trembling with emotion.
These… these were the people she had sworn to protect.
"Heh-heh-heh! What a touching little scene…"
A sinister laugh rolled down from above as the black clouds churned violently.
A massive serpentine form emerged from within—the Chi Dragon itself.
"Chi!"
"You truly are a curse that refuses to die!"
Guizhong roared, fury surging through her divine aura.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh..."
Chi twisted and coiled through the clouds, its laughter warping into madness.
"Ever since that damned Immortal Lord of yours wounded me so grievously…"
"I have lived every moment in agony, my body wracked by the pain of my lost scale!"
"I have thought of nothing but vengeance!"
Chi's eyes blazed with bloodlust as its aura surged outward like a storm.
"For this revenge, I have given everything!
Osial now holds off Morax, with the elite Demon Gods of Minlin and Lisha assisting him!"
"The rest of their forces are tying down your Stone Dragon and your Wood Spirit Immortal Lord!"
"And that leaves you, Guizhong—the Dust Demon God!"
"With your death, I shall drown this land!
With your fall, the Guili Plains will crumble into ruin!"
"Oh, how I long to see it…"
"The moment when Morax and your precious Immortal Lord return—"
"—only to find the Guili Plains reduced to rubble!"
"Their faces when they see it… ahahaha!"
Chi howled with maniacal laughter, its massive body twisting in ecstasy as though savoring the fantasy of their despair.
"Mad beast!"
Guizhong spat, her eyes blazing. The Chains of Dust rose into the air, rotating slowly as ancient sigils flared around her.
"Activate—Guizhong Ballistae!"
Below, the Thousand Rock Guili Corps roared as one.
Countless Guizhong Ballistae lifted their heads, their cores glowing with elemental light.
Menogias bellowed a battle cry, summoning forth a massive divine stag crowned with radiant antlers.
"A band of mortals and a single spirit-beast—
you think yourselves fit to stand against me?!"
Chi swept its colossal body through the clouds, stirring up waves a thousand meters high.
From the darkness above, ten Water-aligned Demon Gods revealed themselves, unleashing their authority in unison.
A flood vast enough to blot out the sun roared forth from Dihua Marsh, crashing toward the Guili Plains.
"Hold the line!"
"Guizhong Ballistae—fire! Stop that water surge!"
"Thousand Rock soldiers! Gather anything that can block the flood!"
Cloud Retainer arrived on the wind, giving orders with calm precision.
Beside her, Ganyu, Songdust of the Waves, and Indarias had all revealed their true forms, laboring desperately to rescue the last of the trapped civilians.
"Futile!"
"Dust Demon God—accept your destined end!"
The Chi Dragon roared, diving down upon Guizhong with its jaws wide.
"Never!"
Guizhong broke the seals on the Chains of Dust, countless ancient runes spiraling around her in radiant motion.
Menogias leapt skyward, his divine stag charging straight toward the dragon.
"A mere spirit beast dares to challenge a Demon God?!"
The ten Water Demon Gods joined their master's roar, their combined cry shattering the air.
The shockwave froze the stag mid-charge and sent it staggering backward, hooves gouging trenches into the earth.
Laughter—harsh, mocking—filled the Guili Plains.
The eleven Demon Gods laughed in unison, their voices echoing across the land.
Despair spread across the faces of Guizhong and her allies.
The flood rolled over the horizon, swallowing forests and houses alike.
In mere moments, it had reached the outskirts of Guili City—
where countless people still had not escaped.
Hemmed in by eleven Demon Gods, Guizhong and Menogias could only fight desperately,
pushed further and further back beneath the crushing tide.
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