Chapter 33

"There is no more time. When they return, pass these messages on to them."

"Now, everyone, please listen to me carefully."

"This is a major meeting that concerns the future of all of Liyue, and even the future of all Teyvat."

"There is only one purpose for this meeting: the Liyue Immortal Cultivation Project!"

25. Ningguang: Out of the blue, you want us to cultivate immortality together?

This name was truly resounding.

Ningguang and the others immediately furrowed their brows, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Cultivating immortality...

The general meaning is to seek the immortals.

But in Liyue, while it is fine for ordinary citizens to seek immortals, the upper echelons of Liyue are absolutely forbidden from doing so.

Anyone who dares to harbor such thoughts will be reprimanded by the adepti.

Yet now, why would Zhongli himself propose cultivating immortality?

Moreover, adepti are born from the heavens and earth; how can they be acquired through later cultivation?

To put it another way, adepti are the kin of gods, and even if Zhongli were willing to catalyze a powerhouse to the level of a god's kin,

it is not something that can be done casually.

"I believe everyone is already aware of the thunderclouds obscuring the sun in Liyue this morning."

Zhongli mentioned it casually.

Ningguang nodded decisively:

"Yes, other nations have used various secret methods to contact the Ministry of Civil Affairs, wanting to know what happened."

"Rex Lapis, the thunder this morning seemed to affect all of Teyvat."

Zhongli nodded slightly; it was not surprising, as Ningguang had already reported this.

"This is exactly what I want to talk about."

"Is there a war occurring? Do you need us to go and suppress it?"

Madame Ping casually threw out a question.

Madame Ping, who appears as an old woman, is actually one of the most battle-hardened adepti in Liyue.

It is just that after Guizhong passed away, Madame Ping's heart died as well.

If she truly needed to fight for Liyue, she could resume her adeptus form at any time.

"War?"

Zhongli shook his head and said softly:

"On the contrary, I have summoned everyone here today not because of bad news, but because of a tremendous opportunity."

"If handled well, Liyue could become a divine kingdom on earth, and having the whole nation become immortals would be easy."

"But if handled poorly, all of Liyue will head toward total destruction; the best outcome would be to remain obscure and fade away in Teyvat."

"This matter is of great importance; I cannot decide based on my own wishes, so everyone must participate in the vote."

These words left everyone feeling even more confused.

However, since it was not bad news or war, they felt much more at ease.

"Cloud Retainer, tell everyone about it."

Zhongli tapped the table, and Cloud Retainer stood up knowingly.

"The matter begins with a visitor from beyond the heavens who descended upon Teyvat a hundred days ago; to be precise, an immortal cultivator..."

Following this, Cloud Retainer spent over an hour explaining Jiang Yan's situation over the past hundred days in simple terms.

She even included what Jiang Yan said today and what Zhongli had discussed with Alice.

When Cloud Retainer sat down, her throat dry, the entire Jade Chamber fell into an unprecedented silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Ningguang rubbed her brow, feeling a headache.

"If everything is true, then this matter is truly a turning point for Liyue—no, for all of Teyvat."

"What do you mean! Are you doubting that this adeptus is lying?"

Cloud Retainer, her voice somewhat hoarse, was immediately displeased and glared at Ningguang.

"Cloud Retainer!"

Zhongli's voice was slightly stern.

"Now is not the time for personal temperament. Furthermore, this matter sounds incredible; when you first heard Jiang Yan describe it, didn't you also find it unbelievable?"

Cloud Retainer huffed, but still gave Zhongli face and sat down.

She herself did not like Ningguang or Keqing, so naturally, she was angry at being questioned.

Ningguang also knew that Cloud Retainer did not like her, so she simply had no intention of bickering with her.

She frowned slightly and said:

"Since Rex Lapis feels the same way, I suppose there shouldn't be a problem, but, cultivating immortality..."

"Regardless of how one cultivates immortality, as Rex Lapis said, that immortal cultivator Jiang Yan..."

Before she could finish, Zhongli raised his hand slightly to interrupt.

"Do not mention his name. In Teyvat, anyone who calls his name will be sensed by him."

"Just now on Mount Tianheng, we already witnessed this once."

"This is a private Liyue meeting; it is not suitable for him to know. Just refer to him as Mr."

Ningguang's heart sank, and she increased her level of caution regarding Jiang Yan's situation by countless times.

As a person in power, the most feared thing is an existence that senses everything the moment it is mentioned.

This would leave her with no secrets at all.

After a moment of silence, Ningguang continued:

"Rex Lapis, I wonder, what are your odds of winning in a fight against that Mr. Jiang?"

This question also made everyone else extremely curious.

But after Zhongli was silent for a long while, he sighed.

"Even if all the gods that have ever existed in Teyvat, all the vision holders, and all the gods' kin were added together, they would not be a match for him in a single exchange. I am the same."

"I suspect that if he wanted to destroy Teyvat, it would only take a single thought."

These words left everyone completely stunned.

"Is what Rex Lapis says true?"

Keqing couldn't help but ask.

Although she didn't like Zhongli constantly managing Liyue, she was incredibly confident in Zhongli's power.

Or rather, everyone was confident in Zhongli.

That is the God of Martial Arts!

An existence that leveled the land of Liyue with his own strength.

"True!"

Zhongli nodded.

"Before, when he wielded ten thousand swords, the faint trace of aura he accidentally leaked gave me the feeling of certain death."

"As he said, I am only at the late stage of Refining Qi into Spirit, while Xiao, who is closest to a god, is only at the peak of Refining Essence into Qi."

"Even those as strong as Ganyu and Shenhe are not yet at the mid-stage of Refining Essence into Qi."

"Based on this, it is true that many vision holders are likely not even at the Refining Essence into Qi stage."

The heaviness in Ningguang's heart made her feel uncomfortable sitting there.

"The first realm, then..."

"The most terrifying thing about immortal cultivators is not their realm or strength, but that they are a group of people seeking longevity."

Zhongli's expression darkened, and he said slowly:

"According to Fellow Daoist Jiang, the longevity sought by immortal cultivators has no fear of erosion; once they pass the heavenly tribulation, they can live long and see for ages."

"Although I did not ask him how long his lifespan is, based on my deduction, I fear it is no less than five thousand years, and more likely already over ten thousand years."

"And he is currently only in his early twenties."

Ningguang's long eyelashes trembled slightly.

"At the very least, a peak-level combatant of several thousand years without erosion?" ===== CHAPTER 34 =====