Beneath the Fulong Tree, inside the sealed gate.
"So you're saying that the fully sealed Azhdaha,"
"Once you dissipate, will become a beast completely worn down by erosion, like a walking corpse?"
Qiu Bai turned his head, frowning as he looked at Kun Jun asking in surprise.
"I've long since lost my original form."
"Perhaps... this is what is ordained by the Heavenly Principles."
Kun Jun sighed and didn't deny Qiu Bai words, speaking calmly.
"Heh, the reason we came to find you this time..."
"Isn't just to stop the corrupted Azhdaha."
Qiu Bai smiled and waved his hand as he spoke to Kun Jun.
The final will of Azhdaha true form had split into two forces.
One became the dragon king on the verge of total erosion.
The other became Kun Jun—who retained the last intact memories.
"Azhdaha, we've come to repair the damage of your erosion."
Zhongli slowly opened his eyes and looked at Kun Jun with a warm smile.
"Repair... erosion?"
"Morax, how could there be such a power in this world that could restore something eroded by the Heavenly Principles?"
Kun Jun looked at Zhongli in confusion, almost thinking he'd misheard.
"Hehe."
"Well, for that, you'll have to ask this old friend of mine."
Zhongli crossed his arms and smiled as he looked toward Qiu Bai.
"Morcius... You can actually repair erosion?"
"But how? How do you repair it?"
Kun Jun stroked his chin, puzzled.
"Small problem. But first, we need to stabilize your will."
"Don't let your last memories fade away."
Qiu Bai frowned as he spoke to Kun Jun.
Then, white divine power surged in his hand and flowed into Kun Jun body.
"This is..."
"I can feel it... My strength is gradually recovering."
Kun Jun looked at his hands in astonishment.
Before him stood Zhongli and Qiu Bai—
One had once gifted him eyes, and the other had once sacrificed himself to save him.
He really didn't know what Azhdaha was supposed to do anymore.
"Azhdaha, we'll need to release your true form soon."
"Your main body is already just an eroded husk, a walking corpse."
Qiu Bai furrowed his brows as he spoke to Kun Jun.
"Soon, Morax and I will join forces to exhaust your true form completely."
"Then I'll use my divine authority as the God of Yin and Yang to purify Azhdaha for a brief moment."
Qiu Bai stood with his arms crossed, looking at "Kun Jun" as he slowly spoke.
"I will amplify your benevolent will—greater than the force of your erosion."
"So when you return, you won't be extinguished. Then, I'll use divine power to repair the erosion."
Qiu Bai looked at Azhdaha final memory fragment Kun Jun and spoke gently.
"But… if the main body is released,"
"What will happen to the people of Liyue in the surrounding area?"
Kun Jun frowned slightly as he looked at Qiubai and asked.
"We'll lure Azhdaha into the skies."
"I'll cast a barrier to isolate the space. The battle will take place there."
Qiu Bai explained to the somewhat puzzled Kun Jun.
Even if Azhdaha body could infinitely draw from the earth's leyline energy, leading him into the high skies should solve that issue.
"W-Wait, what are you guys planning?"
"This… doesn't sound like a good thing at all."
Paimon having roughly caught the gist of it, quickly flew over and asked nervously.
"Don't worry, little Paimon."
"Just stay far away when the time comes."
Qiu Bai patted Paimon head with a smile.
"But my main body…"
"Can the two of you really handle it?"
Kun Jun crossed his arms and looked at Qiu Bai and Zhongli with concern.
After all, his main body had willingly been sealed three hundred years ago.
Back then, he and peak-form Morax were pretty evenly matched about fifty-fifty.
And from what he'd heard a thousand years ago, Morcius (Qiu Bai) wasn't particularly powerful.
It wasn't that he looked down on Qiu Bai.
He was just genuinely worried that something might happen to him.
"Heh, don't worry, Azhdaha."
"I've never done anything I wasn't confident in."
Qiu Bai eyes flashed with fighting spirit as he spoke to Kun Jun.
"Then let's head out first."
"We'll get the miners to safety, then release Azhdaha."
Zhongli, arms folded spoke calmly to Qiu Bai and Kun Jun.
"Traveler, please be sure to keep your distance later."
"If you're too close, I fear you might get caught in the crossfire."
Zhongli looked at Lumine and gave her a quiet reminder.
The group headed for the exit. Upon touching the gate, they were instantly teleported.
"Huh? Why did it teleport us here?"
"We'd better hurry back and check on the miners."
Paimon rubbed her head, confused by the surroundings.
She didn't understand why they'd been sent to the area in front of the Fulong Tree.
Returning to the tunnel the miners had dug, they saw Old Dai standing at the entrance, waving at them.
"So this is where you all are!"
"My brothers and I saw the clues you left and followed them all the way here."
Old Dai looked at the group before him with gratitude. He had already sent the other workers back.
Once he heard it was merely due to exhaustion, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Huh? Little Kun, what's going on with you…?"
Old Dai looked at Kun Jun, who was radiating a white aura and asked with confusion.
"It's nothing serious, no need to worry."
"As long as the miners are safe, that's all that matters."
Kun Jun nodded with a smile at Old Dai.
Old Dai thanked everyone once more, then quickly turned to leave to check on his brothers.
"Wait, Old Dai."
"Walking like that is too slow—let me take you."
Qiu Bai looked at Old Dai walking off and said with a smile.
"Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Qiu Bai."
"The destination is Liyue Harbor."
Old Dai responded with a smile of his own.
Qiu Bai nodded. In the blink of an eye, he vanished with Old Dai.In another blink, he reappeared before Zhongli and the others.
"I've scouted the area—there's no one nearby."
"Morax, you can begin undoing the seal."
Qiu Bai frowned slightly and addressed Zhongli.
"I'll take Lumine and Paimon somewhere safe."
"Wait for me to return."
After speaking, Qiu Bai smiled at Lumine and Paimon then vanished with them.
"Qiu Bai, why did you bring us here?"
Standing on a mountain peak, Lumine looked at the trees below, which now seemed like tiny dots and asked curiously.
"Lumine, we're about to release Azhdaha true body."
"Azhdaha is far stronger than Osial, the one I destroyed before."
Qiu Bai clasped his hands behind his back, facing away from Lumine and Paimon as he admired the distant scenery.
"And he's lost his memory…"
"He's now become an aggressive, mindless beast."
Qiu Bai turned his head slightly and explained to Lumine and Paimon behind him.
"S-So he's that powerful, and on top of that, he's gone mad…"
"Qiu Bai, are you and Zhongli really going to be okay?"
Paimon asked worriedly.
After all, the oppressive force Osial gave off was already overwhelming.
Azhdaha was said to be even stronger by far—other than Qiu Bai, she had never seen such power.
At that moment, the earth began to tremble.
Standing atop the mountain, the group could clearly feel the quaking.
Qiu Bai frowned, then cast divine power on Lumine and Paimon—Granting them flight and shrouding them in ink-white shields.
"Remember, don't go near the battlefield no matter what."
He said as he turned back then vanished from the spot.
Lumine hadn't even had time to respond before Qiu Bai disappeared right before her eyes.
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist? Read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [p@treon.com/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)