In the end, Morax let out a sigh.
Don't get angry. Don't get angry.
"Having a bite of vanilla ice cream in winter really is nice," Aether said contentedly.
Relying on all the Earth memories and imagination stored in his mind, Aether was sitting in the pavilion with a huge tub of vanilla ice cream placed in front of him, scooping big mouthfuls into his mouth with a spoon.
Back in the past, with his old body and stomach, he would never have dared to eat this much ice cream in winter.
But now, things were different.
With such a powerful body, wasn't it meant to enjoy even more delicious food?
Heh~!
Just as Aether was eating happily, the bright white sky suddenly dimmed, turning gray and murky.
A gust of wind swept through, followed by sand rising into the air.
A sandstorm began to roll across the land of Liyue.
Sand… sand got into my vanilla ice cream!
"Morax!!!!"
Aether shouted loudly in Morax's direction.
Hearing the anger in Aether's voice, Morax immediately flashed over.
"What is it?" Morax asked.
Aether pointed at the raging sandstorm.
"Look at that! Doesn't this look exactly like the Wind and Sand Demon God's doing?!"
"He ruined my perfectly good bucket of vanilla ice cream with sand! How am I supposed to eat this now?"
"Since the Wind and Sand Demon God has already come knocking, shouldn't you hurry up and go beat him up?"
"Better yet, beat him up for my share too!"
…Morax fell into thought after hearing Aether's words.
Did he really look like the kind of person who started fighting at the slightest disagreement?
However, the entire territory of Liyue was now engulfed in a raging sandstorm.
This land had been personally chosen by Morax—he knew very well that sandstorms did not naturally occur here.
Very well. Since the Wind and Sand Demon God had come, he would properly "talk things out" with him.
"Rock Demon God! Morax!"
"Come out!!"
The Wind and Sand Demon God's voice boomed across the skies above Liyue.
The sandstorm blanketing the area grew even more violent.
Under such fierce winds and sand, the thatched houses built by the people began to sway dangerously, as if they might collapse at any moment.
Hearing the Wind and Sand Demon God's voice, Morax immediately locked onto its position and flashed over.
Seeing this, Aether waved his hand and directly covered the entire Liyue village with a barrier.
At once, the raging wind and sand were blocked outside, and calm returned beneath the shield.
Aether manifested himself another tub of ice cream and settled into full spectator mode.
"Wind and Sand Demon God, you arrive uninvited and make such provocative moves—what exactly is your purpose?" Morax asked coldly.
The other party had already bullied his way right up to his doorstep.
Even though Morax was gentle by nature, he was certainly not someone others could knead like a soft persimmon.
The Wind and Sand Demon God revealed his form.
It was a monstrous shape composed entirely of wind and sand—that was the Wind and Sand Demon God's true body.
Demon gods came in all kinds of strange forms. Not every demon god liked to transform into a human body; more often than not, they retained their original shapes.
"Morax! Hand over all those mortals who betrayed me!"
The Wind and Sand Demon God felt utterly betrayed.
He had deliberately sheltered those weak and fragile mortals, yet they had dared to betray him!
He had given them a "safe home," and still they were not satisfied, actually attempting to flee his rule.
To the Wind and Sand Demon God, this was nothing less than betrayal!
Now, he intended to personally wipe out those shameless traitors!
Morax replied calmly, "They are now my people, and what they did cannot be considered betrayal."
They were simply forced into desperation, left with no way to survive.
But the Wind and Sand Demon God would never believe he was at fault.
"Morax! If you refuse today, then we fight!" the Wind and Sand Demon God roared furiously.
Without giving Morax any further chance to speak, he launched his attack.
The raging sands condensed into massive sand dragons, whipping and coiling as they charged toward Morax!
Morax immediately dodged the incoming assault.
Under the Wind and Sand Demon God's control, the sand moved like countless razor-sharp blades—capable of eroding even solid rock.
"Hmph. Wind and Sand Demon God, I have no desire to be your enemy."
"Those mortals are not your possessions. They have the right to choose."
Morax spoke evenly as he maneuvered through the attacks.
But the Wind and Sand Demon God could no longer hear him.
His mind had already been consumed by the flames of rage and betrayal.
"Hand over the traitors!"
With a furious howl, he controlled several more sand dragons, attacking Morax from all directions at once.
Morax's figure flashed. Geo energy condensed in his hand, forming a Vortex Vanquisher.
He surged forward, launching a counterattack!
Morax easily shook off the pursuing sand dragons, using his evasive movements to steadily close in on the Wind and Sand Demon God's core.
"You won't stop me!" the Wind and Sand Demon God roared!
His massive form suddenly expanded, engulfing Morax entirely within his body.
From Aether's spectator perspective, all he could say was that this Wind and Sand Demon God was… admirably brave.
Once Morax was swallowed inside, the interior of the Wind and Sand Demon God instantly turned into a merciless killing machine.
Countless razor-sharp currents of sand spun violently, shredding anything trapped within.
Boom!
A burst of golden light erupted from inside the Wind and Sand Demon God's body.
In the next instant, the enormous sandy form exploded apart.
Massive amounts of sand scattered and crashed down onto the ground.
The Wind and Sand Demon God hastily reassembled his form, unwilling to give up, and continued attacking Morax.
But after that brief exchange, Morax had already identified his opponent's weakness.
He pressed forward relentlessly, targeting that weakness again and again.
The Wind and Sand Demon God gradually found himself unable to keep up.
"Morax, just you wait! I will make you—and the mortals you protect—pay the price!"
After leaving behind this threat, the Wind and Sand Demon God fled at top speed in his sandstorm form.
Morax did not pursue.
However—
If they were to become enemies again next time, he would strike to kill.
He had already given the Wind and Sand Demon God one chance.
There would be no second.
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