"Brother Yun Fan, are you still here?" Griseo softly asked the air beside her, wanting to confirm Yun Fan's presence.
"I'm always here, Griseo," Yun Fan's voice echoed in Griseo's mind. She nodded slightly and continued to look ahead.
"Everyone, we're about to enter the Guyun Stone Forest area," Ningguang announced as the Jade Chamber continued forward. The outline of Guyun Stone Forest was now clearly visible.
Ningguang stared at the dark aura swirling above the stone forest and the rolling thunder in the clouds, her brow furrowed. Although she might be the weakest in terms of combat among the group, her innate perception was sharp. She could clearly feel the terrifying pressure emanating from the distance.
"This... there are two auras. There's not just one ancient god awakening!" Mountain Shaper muttered in disbelief, his expression grave. If it were just one newly awakened god, they might have a chance to seal it again while it was still weak. But two...
"Sigh! We can only hope for the Divine Sovereign now," Moon Carver sighed. Currently, only the Divine Sovereign could handle these ancient gods. But where are you, Divine Sovereign?
Whoosh—
A sharp sound cut through the air as Xiao, the Vigilant Yaksha, landed steadily on the Jade Chamber's deck. Accompanying him was Ganyu, who had served as the Qixing's secretary for thousands of years.
"Vigilant Yaksha, and Ganyu. With this, all the adepti are nearly assembled," Mountain Shaper nodded. The last time all the adepti had gathered was centuries ago. Thinking back, it was quite nostalgic.
"Hahaha, Cloud Retainer, did you forget about this old lady?" Suddenly, a kind, elderly voice came from behind. Lumine turned to see a familiar face and smiled in surprise.
"It's Madame Ping!"
During the preparations for the Rite of Parting, Lumine had met this unassuming adeptus. Her mastery of spatial manipulation had left a deep impression.
"Haha, this old lady came uninvited. I hope you don't mind," Madame Ping said with a chuckle.
"Madame Ping, you're too kind. On behalf of the people of Liyue Harbor, I thank all the adepti. How could I possibly mind?" Ningguang bowed respectfully to Madame Ping, her smile warm. She held great respect for this kind old woman who often set up a stall near Yujing Terrace.
Back when Ningguang was still a struggling wanderer on the streets of Liyue, she had received help from this kind old lady. She never expected her to be an adeptus.
"It's you, Ningguang. It's been a long time. You've grown so much," Madame Ping also recognized Ningguang. She gently patted Ningguang's silver hair, causing the usually composed Tianquan to blush like a child, much to Keqing's astonishment.
As everyone caught up, Xiao, who had been meditating beside Ganyu, opened his eyes. His light green eyes were filled with caution. "Everyone, let's save the reminiscing for later. The ancient god has awakened."
Hearing this, Lumine quickly turned to look toward Guyun Stone Forest.
The sky above Guyun Stone Forest was filled with thunder, bolts of lightning striking the sea. Suddenly, two massive whirlpools rose from the depths, churning millions of tons of seawater and sending waves crashing against the shore.
"Roar!!"
"Growl!!"
The roars shook the heavens as two enormous figures emerged from the whirlpools. Their claws were menacing, their scales thick, and the oppressive aura of ancient gods enveloped Guyun Stone Forest, causing all nearby creatures to prostrate in fear.
'Two ancient gods? The multi-headed sea serpent is Osial. But who's the other one, clearly stronger than him?' Yun Fan watched the two sea monsters with interest. He wasn't worried at all. No matter how strong these ancient gods were, they were still just failures who had lost to Morax.
Even if he didn't intervene, Griseo's "Knight" could easily handle them no, scrub them clean in the sea.
"The Vortex God, and the other is... the Sea God? How? Wasn't he destroyed by the Geo Archon long ago?"
"Sigh~, these old bones of ours might not make it through this," Moon Carver sighed bitterly. He hadn't expected such formidable enemies to awaken.
"Enough with the pessimism. Let's prepare for battle. I'll lead the way," Xiao, who rarely spoke much, summoned his Primordial Jade Winged-Spear and leaped into the air, a streak of green light.
"Wait, Vigilant Yaksha!"
Moon Carver tried to stop him, but the Yaksha were known for their speed. In an instant, Xiao had already flown hundreds of meters away.
"At this point, we have no choice but to fight. Adepti, please lend us your strength!"
Ningguang made her request, her Geo Vision glowing. In the next moment, she soared into the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ningguang's hands moved swiftly, forming seals. A beam of Geo energy shot from her fingertips into the core embedded in the Jade Chamber's walls.
Click, click, click...
Gears turned as the core amplified the elemental energy, creating a massive blue platform centered around the Jade Chamber, large enough to accommodate a thousand people.
At the forefront of the platform, besides the three Guizhong Ballistas from the original story, there were also massive cannons and other strange devices never seen before.
"Wow, Cloud Retainer really went all out this time. She must have emptied her entire arsenal," Yun Fan muttered to himself, impressed by the array of weapons. With this setup, they might actually be able to "convince" Osial to return to his seal.
As for the Sea God, Yun Fan planned to handle him personally.
"Let's go."
Cloud Retainer transformed into her crane form and flew to the central Guizhong Ballista. Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper followed, each taking control of a ballista.
Seeing the adepti ready, Keqing unsheathed her Lion's Roar with a resonant hum.
"Millelith soldiers, load the cannons!"