The flying Adepti shouted loudly, each using their own methods to rescue those who were falling. Thanks to the efforts of all the Adepti, no one died from the fall.
But this only applied to the people of the Jade Chamber. Due to the sheer number of water meteors plummeting toward Liyue Harbor, even though the Adepti tried their best to stop them, quite a few buildings were still damaged.
Fortunately, the Millelith had begun evacuating the populace before the battle started, so not many people were injured as a result.
Looking at this apocalyptic scene, everyone fell silent. Moon Carver, the Adeptus Who Loves Invention and Eloquent Conversation, said gravely, "The Guizhong Ballista is destroyed. Without its suppression, it will be difficult for us to counterattack."
Ganyu, the half-adeptus beast, frowned, "But the Jade Chamber is the last barrier. No matter what, we cannot retreat another step."
At these words, no one spoke. Everyone present understood this truth, but they simply couldn't win against the enemy. Without the protection of the Geo Archon, they were helpless against the invading God.
Ningguang, who had been silently floating above the Jade Chamber, took a deep breath upon seeing this, as if making a firm decision. She performed a hand seal, and her figure instantly flashed into the midst of the crowd.
"I... have another plan." As she spoke, Ningguang's face was full of resolve, "I intend to abandon the Jade Chamber."
The Jade Chamber, the floating structure beneath their feet, was the private palace of Ningguang, the 'Tianquan' of the Liyue Qixing. It was constructed from large quantities of 'Floating Stone,' a specialty of Liyue.
The greatest characteristic of Floating Stone is its stability. It maintains a stable repulsive and attractive force with the Teyvat continent, preventing easy movement. However, this force can be adjusted by manipulating the internal structure of the Floating Stones using Elemental Power, thereby achieving controlled lifting, lowering, and movement.
By adjusting the structure of the Floating Stones within the Jade Chamber to infinitely increase its gravitational pull towards Teyvat, the kinetic energy of the Jade Chamber's descent could far surpass that of all other objects, maximizing its acceleration due to gravity.
Furthermore, the Jade Chamber is equipped with numerous interconnected formations. Once these formations are destroyed, the resulting power would absolutely be enough to press Osial back down.
Moon Carver, the Adeptus Who Loves Invention, could guess Ningguang's intentions. After she finished explaining, everyone was silent for a few seconds.
Some of those present knew what the Jade Chamber meant to Ningguang, but they would not offer comfort. Any consolation at this moment would be an insult to Ningguang's resolve.
"I understand."
Xiao, the Yaksha, put on his mask, and the remaining Adepti nodded in agreement.
"Traveler, we need your help here." Ningguang then walked over to Aether's side, staring at him seriously, "I hope you can combine the power of several Adepti to detonate the core formation of the Jade Chamber. Among us, only you can withstand the immortal power of the assembled Adepti, so I implore you."
Hearing this, Aether only nodded silently. He knew what the Jade Chamber meant to Ningguang; it could be considered her second life.
He could only hold deep respect for Ningguang's self-sacrifice and resolve to do everything he possibly could.
Seeing that Aether was ready, the bodies of the Adepti suddenly shone with gilded immortal power, and this vast power was completely bestowed upon Aether.
Feeling the immortal power from the assembled Adepti surge within him, Aether gripped the Unforged with both hands, channeling all the strength into the blade, and then—stabbed forward with all his might!
Clang—!
The Unforged, bolstered by numerous streams of immortal power, easily pierced the platform beneath their feet. All the immortal power subsequently flowed into the internal formation of the Jade Chamber. Dazzling light instantly burst from the Jade Chamber, resembling a bright moon hanging high in the heavens.
"Farewell, my old friend. This parting today is so that we might have a chance to reunite in the future."
Ningguang, standing nearby, performed hand seals to adjust the internal structure of the Jade Chamber's Floating Stones. The Jade Chamber began to flicker continuously, as if bidding a final farewell to Ningguang.
The next moment, the Jade Chamber began to descend.
Osial below certainly would not sit idly by, even though it didn't believe that the strange structure above it could inflict much damage.
"Damn you, Morax! I will destroy everything you cherish!"
As it roared toward the sky, every head of Osial began to accumulate energy, aiming it at the descending Jade Chamber. It could sense a familiar aura emanating from above—those so-called Adepti who fought alongside Morax.
Since Morax was absent, it would destroy everything he held dear. Just as Osial was about to unleash a torrent of energy, a sudden voice echoed inside its head.
"Yo yo yo, isn't this Osial? So weak after a few thousand years!"
"?"
The sudden voice caused Osial's energy accumulation to halt. Then, another surge of abyssal power struck, directly detonating the compressed energy in its mouth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Successive explosions erupted within each of Osial's heads. After the blasts subsided, all its heads drooped listlessly, their previous swagger completely gone.
But soon, one of Osial's heads lifted, looking toward a tiny figure standing before it.
"This aura... It's you, Samikina!!
"I didn't expect you to still remember me, Cloud-Retainer Octopus." Xia Yu floated in front of Osial, hands crossed over his chest in provocation, "Tsk tsk, how pathetic, so incredibly pathetic, I can barely watch."
"You're actually not dead? Damn it, why aren't you dead, and why weren't you sealed!" Looking at the small figure before it, Osial roared in fury.
"No, no, no..." Xia Yu shook his finger at the envious Osial, "I was sealed by Morax too, but I broke the seal using my own strength, so I am free—truly free, not the kind of temporary freedom you have."
"How about that? Aren't you angry? Aren't you furious? Hehehe... The angrier you get, the happier I become. Who told you to offend me three thousand years ago? Now you're getting your just deserts."
"I have one word for you: Serves you right!"
Being mocked like this stirred up Osial's desire to destroy everything, but the next moment, its tone suddenly changed: "Samikina, since Morax sealed you too, release me. I can form an alliance with you to deal with Morax."
"If the two of us join forces, even Morax won't be an issue. Come and break my seal; we now share a common enemy. Past grievances can be set aside!"
"Hmm... Your proposal is quite good." Xia Yu nodded, "I've also been looking forward to punching Morax in the face for a long time."
"Then you..."
"But you need to survive this 'Big Ivan' first. Once you get past that, we can discuss other things."
Xia Yu pointed at the Jade Chamber, which was now extremely close, then turned around and tore open a portal, vanishing from the scene.
"Big Ivan?"
Osial looked up blankly at the Jade Chamber about to smash down upon it. So this structure was called Big Ivan? What a strange name.
The next second, the fully energized Jade Chamber and the still-unaware Osial collided violently.
And then—
BOOM————!!!
The heavens and earth lost their color; the Jade Chamber, having unleashed its full energy, exploded violently. The mushroom cloud rising from where the sea met the sky almost obscured the entire ocean.
The massive energy released spread out in a circle, and kilometer-high waves surged outwards in all directions.
In the center of the explosion, the resulting gale swept away the inky black clouds, dispersing the seemingly endless storm. Following this, a ray of gold pierced through the clouds, bringing the first ray of post-battle sunlight to the darkened Liyue.
When the Jade Chamber fell, the Adepti had already used their divine abilities to safely bring everyone remaining on the structure back to Liyue Harbor.
Fortunately, as the Jade Chamber fell, Osial's head suddenly self-destructed for some unknown reason. This prevented the Adepti from being obstructed by Osial, allowing them to safely rescue everyone.
Upon returning to the harbor, the Adepti looked doubtfully at the sea where the explosion had occurred. They had clearly seen the kilometer-high tidal waves generated by the blast.
The Adepti were originally preparing to use their divine powers to resolve the aftermath of the explosion, but for some reason, those sea waves unexpectedly subsided, and the rising water levels quietly receded.
It was unclear whether this was a natural phenomenon resulting from Osial's defeat or if someone had secretly intervened to quell the aftermath of the battle.
Regardless, the battle was over. Osial had been repelled, and they... had successfully driven back the ancient Demon God!
This was the first time they had repelled a threat relying on Liyue's own strength, without depending on the Geo Archon's power. Thinking of this, those who had landed in Liyue Harbor couldn't help but smile.
"Is this... finally over?" Paimon, floating near Aether, asked with some worry.
"That extremely malevolent and ominous aura has indeed faded," the Moon Carver in his deer form gazed at the sea and said gravely, "The power of the Rite of Exsence was never meant to be permanent, and now that it has been suppressed beneath Guyun Stone Forest by the Jade Chamber again, even the Vortex Archon likely cannot stir up trouble anymore."
"Thank you all, Adepti, for your great assistance. If you had not happened to be here, the future of Liyue Harbor would have been truly unpredictable..."
Just then, Ningguang walked over with a smile and expressed her gratitude to the assembled Adepti.
However, some of the Adepti were not receptive to Ningguang's thanks and continued to clash with her. In the end, it took Granny Ping stepping in to smooth things over with many kind words before the Adepti let go of their grievances.
Seeing that the Adepti and Ningguang's group seemed to have put aside their conflict, Aether, acting as the mediator, finally breathed a sigh of relief before turning his gaze to the now-calm sea.
For some reason, he always felt that a familiar person had been present on the battlefield just now, but that feeling vanished in an instant. Because of the battle, he had initially dismissed it as a mere illusion.
But now that things had calmed down, thinking carefully, he found it a bit strange. Osial's sudden head explosion and the calming of the waves were both odd.
But since it was only his feeling and no one else shared this doubt, Aether gave up after thinking about it for a while.
Meanwhile, deep in the sea.
Osial, having endured 'Art is Explosion,' was now being pulled down to the seabed by sealing divine power once more.
Although the self-destruction of the Jade Chamber wouldn't cause it much damage, it hadn't completely broken free from the seal; it had only managed to temporarily break the seal by relying on the Rite of Exsence.
After being suppressed by the Guizhong Ballista and enduring the Jade Chamber's self-destruction, it was now unable to resist the sealing force of the Geo Spears.
"Damn Morax, I will return!"
Osial, gradually sinking into the seal, let out furious roars in the sea. These roars stirred up whirlpools, frightening sea beasts away from the area.
Some weaker sea creatures were even scared to death on the spot and sank to the bottom of the sea along with the whirlpools.
"Yo, Brother Cloud Retainer Octopus, why are you so angry?"
In front of Osial, Xia Yu suddenly appeared by tearing open a portal and transmitted his voice into Osial's mind with a cheerful tone.
"Samikina!" Osial started, quickly saying, "I survived! Quick, help me break the seal! Damn Morax, I will destroy everything he cherishes!"
"Brother Octopus, I have a piece of advice for you," Xia Yu's tone suddenly became strange. "It's better to stop thinking about taking revenge on Morax. Whether it was the past you, the current you, or the future you, you cannot defeat him."
"Samikina, what do you mean by that!!" Osial's voice carried anger. "Are you looking down on me?"
"Yes, I am looking down on you. So what? Should I give you an award?" Xia Yu spread his hands and mocked.
"Argh, you deserve to die too! Both you and Morax deserve to die!" Osial roared madly in the sea, then struggled violently. But its struggles only caused the seal to tighten further.
Seeing this, Xia Yu wasted no more time. If Osial were completely sealed away, his trip would be a loss.
"Alright, alright, Osial, I shouldn't have mocked you," Xia Yu suddenly said softly while approaching Osial. "I just wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with you; don't be angry."
"Heart-to-heart talk?"
Osial paused, wondering what a 'heart-to-heart talk' was. But seeing Xia Yu approach, it didn't stop him—though it couldn't stop him anyway, as the Geo Spear seal prevented it from using its own power.
"Ahem, a heart-to-heart talk means whispering," Xia Yu approached one of Osial's heads and whispered, "I actually..."
"Have been craving your soul for a long time!!!
With a loud shout, one of Xia Yu's hands suddenly transformed into his true Demon God form. A massive Demon God Claw stabbed into Osial's body, tearing out a portion of Osial's soul!
"Samikina!!!"
The pain of the soul caused Osial to riot crazily, even temporarily suppressing the pull of the seal. A massive whirlpool suddenly appeared beneath Xia Yu, violently dragging at his figure.
"Bye-bye now!"
Xia Yu condensed a Soul Blade with his other hand, hacking off a portion of Osial's soul, then used the blade in reverse to sever several of Osial's heads.
In the next instant, both the soul fragments and the severed heads vanished into the sea. Xia Yu, without any lingering attachment, opened a portal while simultaneously obstructing Osial's counterattack.
After Xia Yu disappeared, the Geo Spear seal seemed to be stimulated, and the pulling force suddenly intensified. Osial, having lost parts of its head and soul, could no longer resist and was completely sucked into the seal in the blink of an eye.
"Samikina, Morax, you both deserve to die!"
Osial's final roar echoed in the seawater until, several seconds later, the sea area fell into silence.