Seeing the gazes of the two adepti gather on her, Columbina explained, "My singing voice can convey power. I don't need to get close to her to purify those black mists."
Fujin eagerly grasped this sliver of hope. "You... are you willing to help us again? I will repay you well!"
Columbina, however, simply shook her head slightly. "I am doing this to repay you."
Hearing this, Fujin's eyes grew warm, and she bowed deeply. "Then... I entrust this to you."
Changsheng looked at Columbina's still pale complexion and admonished, "Do not overexert yourself."
Coppelia stepped forward, standing by Columbina's side. "Let me stay with you."
Columbina nodded and took Coppelia's hand. The two slowly floated up.
She seemed to adjust her breathing slightly, steadying her state.
They flew forward together, stopping at a distance that ensured the song's effectiveness while remaining relatively safe.
Then, Columbina tilted her head slightly and began to croon softly. A melodious melody flowed forth, spreading towards the mad Archon. Carrying moonlight, it attempted to cleanse the contaminated madness.
Wherever the song reached, the restless black mist surrounding the Archon began to dissolve, wisp by wisp. Her motion of constantly swinging the sword paused, and a trace of blankness seemed to flash through her eyes.
However, this glimmer of clarity was fleeting!
The Archon jerked her head violently, as if trying to dispel the "noise" in her mind that caused her discomfort.
Immediately after, more intense pain and irritability swept through her, and her limb movements became frantic once again!
"Wu—!" She let out an inhuman roar, seeming to perceive the purification power of the song as a new attack.
The severe pain and impatience caused her to completely lose the last shred of her reason. She abruptly raised the gem longsword in her hand and locked onto the source of the song!
The longsword, carrying abundant divine power, slashed straight towards them!
Coppelia reacted extremely quickly. Anemo elemental energy surged instantly, pushing the two of them into a sharp dodge to the side, narrowly avoiding this fatal slash!
At the same time, Changsheng and Fujin immediately utilized adeptal arts—either creating illusions or raising water curtains—to interfere with the Archon's line of sight, covering Coppelia and Columbina's rapid retreat to a safer distance further away.
The four regrouped, fear lingering in their hearts.
Meanwhile, after missing her strike, the Archon returned to her original spot. She continued to use her scarred arms to stubbornly hack at the mountain body.
Rock debris flew everywhere, the cliff face was already covered in deep gouges, and the entire mountain saddle trembled slightly.
Changsheng gazed at this nearly desperate scene and took a deep breath, turning to Coppelia and Columbina. "Two guests, you have done your utmost and helped us immensely."
She raised her hand to point north. "That is your next destination, right? Please leave now, while there is still time. You have no need to be dragged into this destined tragic finale."
Columbina opened her mouth. "I..." She stopped, hesitating, and subconsciously looked at Coppelia, seeking her opinion.
Coppelia met her gaze. "I leave the choice to you. You are the protagonist of this journey."
Fujin also held her breath, looking at Columbina with a final glimmer of expectation.
After a moment of silence, Columbina raised her head. "I want to continue helping."
Changsheng looked at her deeply. A complex light flashed in her eyes—gratitude, worry—before finally turning into resolve. "Fine, since that is the case... I do indeed have one more presumptuous request to ask of you two."
She paused, analyzing the more terrible consequences. "In my view, unleashing a flood to submerge the fertile Guili Assembly and shake the foundation of Rex Lapis's rule is the true objective of the Master driven by madness. And after the flood, the Master, completely out of control, will inevitably commit even more destructive acts... We must stop her; we must completely 'end' her. I believe that if the Master's will were clear, she would also want us to do this, to avoid causing more senseless sacrifices."
Hearing the word "end," Fujin's body trembled, and the light in her eyes instantly dimmed. However, she bit her lip tightly and said nothing.
Changsheng continued, "The flying techniques of you two are far faster than ours. I want to ask you to rush to Liyue immediately. Inform Rex Lapis, or the adepti and Yakshas under his command, of the situation here. Ask them to crusade against the out-of-control Master, and warn them that the flood is coming, so they must make preparations in advance."
After speaking, Changsheng cast her gaze toward Fujin.
Fujin nodded with difficulty, her voice somewhat hoarse. "Things having reached this point... this is the only way. It can solve the problem without putting the two guests in danger again..."
Coppelia heard this and nodded decisively. "Alright, we will set off immediately."
Columbina also looked at the two adepti and admonished, "You two must be careful as well!"
Without further words, Columbina took Coppelia's hand again, and the two transformed into a streak of flowing light, flying into mid-air. With Coppelia guiding the direction from memory, they sped all the way toward the Guili Plains.
Fujin waved vigorously in the direction they left to say goodbye. Changsheng silently watched that figure disappear into the horizon, emotions surging within her golden vertical pupils.
Once the figures of the two guests had completely vanished, Fujin's shoulders, which she had been holding up with great effort, slumped slightly. "Suddenly... I feel so defeated. I have cultivated for so many years, yet at the critical moment, it seems as if I cultivated for nothing. I can change nothing."
Changsheng gently patted her shoulder. "Am I not the same? I have exhausted all medical principles, yet I am helpless against the Master's 'illness'..."
She changed the subject, pointing to reality. "Now is not the time to lose heart. Fujin, go and prepare to perform the 'Jade Casting' ritual."
Fujin was startled and shook her head. "The 'Jade Casting' ritual... cannot stop a flood of this scale."
"I know," Changsheng's tone was unusually calm. "The flood can no longer be stopped. What we can do now is to minimize its harm as much as possible."
She pointed south. "Look. The channel of the Bishui River south of Mount Linghao is too narrow. Once the flood comes, it will inevitably be washed away. Once the mountain rocks collapse and block the river channel, the flood will be forced to change course and surge into the valley on the north side of Mount Linghao..."
Fujin instantly understood her meaning and cried out, "In that case, all the tea fields... will be submerged! But, if the flood waters all discharge towards the south side, your medicine garden... and your cave abode..."
Changsheng interrupted her. "If the medicinal herbs are gone, they can be replanted. My medical books and prescriptions have also been properly sealed; the rainbow butterflies I left behind will guide destined descendants to find them. But the land around the tea fields is the foundation for the valley people's survival for generations. Once it is completely destroyed, it will be difficult for people to live here again, and Chenyu Vale will truly be finished."
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