The azure ocean, having submerged the sleeping Azhdaha, surged towards the barren land.
The vast expanse of water, once capable of obscuring the Sky, gradually thinned over time, eventually transforming into a sprawling tidal flat covering the entire land.
Under the sunlight, these streams of souls reflected a blue-green light.
Mist rose, and the barren land became vibrant with life.
However, unfortunately, while they possessed vitality, they lacked "weight." This was both because they had no bodies and because they were not complete lives.
Soul and body, for life, neither can be absent.
"So many…" Brother Yu Jin looked out, now standing amidst a dense jungle.
Countless creatures ran past him, then passed directly through his body.
"Phew… next time I need to be a little more careful." Brother Yu Jin took a deep breath. The propagation of life requires time. And just now, he seemed to have overexerted himself.
"Sizzle——"
The sound of rolling flames echoed within Brother Yu Jin's body. His entire body exuded immense light and heat.
"Whoosh!"
Brother Yu Jin instantly flew into the Sky. He looked down at the thriving land below, taking a deep breath.
"You big dummy, give it some power!!!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Surging flames reverberated within Brother Yu Jin's body, crashing against his breastplate like repeated dull hammer blows.
Tongues of fire coiled out from Brother Yu Jin's body, quickly enveloping his entire being. At this moment, Brother Yu Jin looked as if he were clad in flowing lava.
"Bigger!"
Brother Yu Jin roared, and both the lava on his body and the flames coiling around him immediately burned even more fiercely!
The figure floating in the Sky seemed to vanish, leaving only a Burning flame.
The flame's light was soft, emitting a series of lazy crackling sounds.
Then the flame's light began to expand, a soft orange-red glow slowly spreading like a curtain descending from the Sky.
As the light swept over, the monotonous, transparent spirits beneath the earth acquired their own colors and their own bodies.
The cries of all living things suddenly erupted, and that vitality, which had only existed in everyone's eyes but was incredibly ethereal, finally truly descended into the present world.
The source of all light and heat, differentiating all things, was the First Flame.
"Creation and destruction… equally adept." Zhongli saw the scene of all things reviving before him and subtly looked towards the Sky.
"Flowing Water Sword Technique…" Childe looked downwards, his mind repeatedly replaying the sword technique that transformed water droplets into a vast ocean, and the overwhelming sensation of "flow" and "viscosity."
Azhdaha's attacks never truly charged towards Brother Yu Jin, because the moment the first ripple struck, Azhdaha was destined to be tightly entangled by the water flow.
The impact from the soul continuously hindered Azhdaha's movements, making him utterly unable to attack.
Even if Azhdaha had truly launched an attack, Childe felt it would have been useless. Under that "flow," Childe believed any attack would be dodged.
"Flowing Water Sword Technique… Foul Legacy Transformation…" Childe looked at his own palm. He had always been proud of his skill named "Foul Legacy Transformation."
But now, could Foul Legacy Transformation defeat that endlessly renewing, ever-strengthening sword technique?
The answer was no. Childe took a deep breath, "He is a God… what am I comparing myself to him for?"
"Yes, what am I comparing myself to him for…"
Childe was completely unaware that an emotion called "evasion" had appeared in his heart for the first time.
"How is this guy so fierce?" Osial saw the leaping beasts not far in front of him, and despite the obstruction of the jade shield, he still recoiled.
Who knew if these animals would turn into a wall of flesh and "reshape" him again?
"If he wasn't fierce, how would he dare call himself a senior?"
The Burning flames in the Sky emitted Brother Yu Jin's voice. Then the firelight receded, and the ball of flame directly burned through Zhongli's jade shield. It seemed it intended to fly straight to the Jade Chamber.
However, Brother Yu Jin still had his wits about him. Just as he was about to land on the Jade Chamber, the flames dissipated, and Brother Yu Jin then "smashed" directly onto the floor.
"Don't talk to me, I'm resting for a bit."
Glancing at the crowd that had gathered, Brother Yu Jin's single sentence made them swallow their words.
After speaking, Brother Yu Jin became lifeless, as if he had died.
A speechless silence lasted for a long time. Brother Yu Jin didn't speak, and neither did the others.
After all, no matter how one thought about it, performing such a miracle would consume a huge amount of energy, and it was only right for Brother Yu Jin to get some good rest.
Just as everyone was thinking this, they suddenly saw Brother Yu Jin's body stir. Then he "whooshed" to his feet.
"All better?" Osial asked incredulously, seeing Brother Yu Jin spring up from the floor like a carp.
How long had it been? An hour? And he was already up? Osial had even been thinking that if worst came to worst, he would go to the sea to catch some seafood for Brother Yu Jin to recuperate.
"All better." Brother Yu Jin patted his chest, acting as if nothing had happened. Well, actually, there were still some effects; for example, Brother Yu Jin was now aching all over.
It felt similar to how an ordinary person feels after strenuous exercise.
"Alright, you're amazing." Osial said no more, and began drawing circles with his tail.
Why was the difference between humans and snakes so vast?
"Brother Yu Jin's health is good, which is great, but what about Azhdaha below…"
Before Zhongli could finish his sentence, Brother Yu Jin threw his Vortex Vanquisher back to him, waving his hand and saying, "It's nothing, he just fell asleep."
Looking at the evenly breathing Azhdaha, Brother Yu Jin nodded. He hadn't expected Azhdaha to be so quiet when sleeping. If he snored at that size, probably all of Liyue wouldn't be able to sleep.
"When he wakes up, everything should be over. Of course, the premise is that your relationship with him is good enough."
"If it's like Osial's, we might have to fight again. We'll see then!"
Brother Yu Jin suddenly felt a bit troubled. What if Azhdaha still harbored malice towards Liyue after waking up?
"Don't worry about that. Morax and that fat dragon are thick as thieves." Osial said with some disdain, looking at the sleeping Azhdaha below.
Morax was already formidable, and with Azhdaha, who was thick as thieves with him, the Archon War of Liyue was truly heartbreaking to hear about and tear-inducing to witness.
So strong and still needing a hired hand, Osial wished he could flip a middle finger to express his contempt for Morax's actions.
"Good relationship? Then why was he sealed?" Brother Yu Jin scratched his head. Azhdaha's way of emerging was somewhat similar to Osial's in a way.
However, without his help, Osial would probably only be able to release his projection through the crack in the seal, and then opportunistically shatter the seal from the outside.
As for Azhdaha… Brother Yu Jin recalled the chaotic Geo element power in the world when they first met. He guessed Azhdaha discovered a flaw in the seal and directly tore it apart with full force.
"Because of erode." Zhongli reverted to his appearance in a long gown, and the Vortex Vanquisher in his hand was gone.
"erode, it drives people mad. Former friends can turn into enemies under the influence of erode." He shook his head, looking at the crowd behind him.
"So, Rex Lapis…" Ningguang and Zhongli exchanged glances. She saw deep fatigue in Zhongli's eyes.
"Indeed, erode has already affected my consciousness. If I don't 'retire,' I fear I too will become like Azhdaha, forgetting… or even resenting Liyue."
Zhongli sighed. Wasn't faking his death also a form of self-preservation?
"Stand still, stand still! A few hits from me will do it." Brother Yu Jin once again drew his Flowing Water scimitar, eager to try it on Zhongli.
His gaze occasionally flickered towards Childe and Balladeer at the side. Brother Yu Jin's Flowing Water Sword Technique, though it grew stronger with use, required initial souls as its source of power.
And conveniently, there were two right here.
Although both of them were male, and logically unable to propagate more life, the gender boundary, to Brother Yu Jin, was as good as non-existent.
So… seeing Brother Yu Jin sharpening his blade, both Childe and Balladeer felt a deep sense of malice.
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