Chapter 440

"Thank goodness, thank goodness, I'm not the last one to arrive."

Zhongli set down his teacup and looked at Lumine with some helplessness.

"No, you are the last one."

Lumine was stunned for a moment, re-checked the number of people, and grumbled:

"Aren't Xiao and Ganyu still missing?"

"Xiao and Ganyu are on the verge of breaking through to the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage; their tribulation transcendence is of the utmost importance. This is just a meeting; there is no need for them to leave Shushan."

Hearing Zhongli's explanation, Lumine touched her cheek in embarrassment.

"Well… I ran into some things on the way, my apologies."

"It is of no consequence."

Zhongli withdrew his gaze and swept his eyes across everyone present.

The most powerful figures in all of Liyue were all here.

He felt a sense of melancholy in his heart, but also a sense of relief.

After a pause, Zhongli said softly:

"Since everyone is here, let us begin the meeting. There is only one topic for today."

"Regarding the Rite of Descension three days from now, I will officially step down from my position as the Geo Archon and return Liyue to its people."

261. Zhongli's Yearned-for Retirement: Becoming an Official Shushan Peak Master

"Making this decision was not a momentary impulse, nor does it have anything to do with the topic the Yuheng Star asked me about at the Rite of Descension last year."

"As for the matter of abdication, I have actually had this thought for a very long time."

With the very first sentence, Zhongli set the tone.

He also distanced Keqing from this matter, otherwise, there was no telling what unpleasant things the people of Liyue might say.

Of course, Keqing probably wouldn't care anyway.

Everyone remained silent, watching Zhongli quietly.

Today's meeting was merely a notification; Zhongli had already made up his mind to abdicate, and not even eight horses could pull him back.

Moreover, as had been discussed before, this was just a formal confirmation, followed by an announcement, and then considering the hosting of the Rite of Descension and the pacification of subsequent impacts.

Zhongli's gaze was distant, and he said with some emotion:

"I am the Archon who has walked through the longest stretch of time. Over six thousand years have passed; even rock will be weathered by the wind, let alone the me of the past."

"Years ago, the erosion of Azhdaha's mind created a massive disaster."

"Although that disaster ended under the suppression of myself and many other immortals, and Azhdaha was sealed, the casualties caused were indisputable."

"Erosion, in the eyes of you who have already embarked on the path of immortality, might seem trivial. Immortal cultivators have incredibly long lifespans; even now, the lifespan of everyone present is at least several hundred years."

"But before the path of immortality, erosion was the most terrifying tribulation that plagued all long-lived species in Teyvat."

"Once eroded, one loses their mind and will commit many terrifying acts."

"Just like Azhdaha back then; once upon a time, he was also a hero of Liyue, and Azhdaha poured unparalleled heart and blood into the establishment of Liyue."

"But later, he still raised his butcher's knife against the people of Liyue under the influence of erosion."

"And I am no exception."

This was the first time Zhongli had opened his heart to everyone about his original thoughts.

This feeling of not needing to hide anything and speaking one's mind was truly wonderful for him.

It could be considered a form of liberation.

In his heart, as long as today passed and the Rite of Descension concluded,

the identity of Morax would die in the history of the past.

From today on, there would only be Zhongli, the Peak Master of Shushan's Dragon Head Peak.

This was for the best.

"Six thousand years have passed, and my erosion has become extremely severe. Gradually, I have begun to forget many things."

"Those stories I once thought I would remember for a lifetime have all blurred in my memory."

"This is only the beginning. Later on, I will forget more and more things, forget why I exist, forget why I established Liyue."

"Even forget my original intention and become a madman who only knows how to kill."

"This is an irreversible future."

Zhongli shook his head and took a sip of tea. He spoke of these things frankly now, as if he were telling a story unrelated to himself.

But Cloud Retainer and the others felt a sourness in their hearts upon hearing this.

Zhongli had already endured too much pain, yet they had never considered this matter.

They had stubbornly believed that only a Liyue with Zhongli was the true Liyue.

Both the people of Liyue and they themselves had been too selfish.

"It can be said that Azhdaha's future is my future, perhaps even more terrifying, because I could suppress Azhdaha, but no one can suppress me."

As he spoke, the aura on Zhongli's body suddenly became somewhat confident and exuberant.

"I am the God of Martial Arts, I am the Geo Archon, I am the longest-living Archon."

"Therefore, once something happens to me, the entire Liyue will be defenseless, and the Liyue I built with my own hands will be destroyed by my own hands."

"I do not wish to see such a future."

"Moreover…"

As he spoke, Zhongli suddenly sighed.

"I am truly a bit tired."

This sentence made everyone's hearts tremble, and they lowered their heads one after another.

Keqing suddenly felt that her plea a few days ago for Zhongli to delay his abdication because of Shushan's immortal cultivation was selfish.

Thinking about it now, she had been far too selfish.

"Originally, I planned to feign death at the Rite of Descension, shed my dharma body, and hand over the Gnosis to the Tsaritsa to help her complete her great cause."

"In this way, my strength would decrease somewhat, and the speed of erosion would also be reduced significantly."

"Finally…"

Zhongli shifted his gaze to Lumine and said softly:

"When the moment comes, when my erosion cannot be reversed, at the final moment of my madness, the Traveler, following the fated cycle, she who has walked across Teyvat…"

"will possess the power to kill me."

"And I, too, will die by her hand, completing the final link of the cycle. This is my plan, and the only solution to ensure Liyue has no further worries."

"Once, I was the guardian deity of Liyue, but under the influence of erosion, I might become the most dangerous disaster for Liyue."

Ningguang looked at Zhongli with complex emotions, her tone becoming involuntarily gentle.

"So, Archon, your original plan was to feign death at the Rite of Descension, shed your dharma body, which could not only weaken your own combat power but also…"

"let your dharma body become the final national treasure of Liyue?"

Zhongli did not deny it.

He had many dharma bodies, but undoubtedly, the dragon form was his strongest.

Shedding the dragon form, although he would still be very strong, he would not be too invincible.

It wasn't that Zhongli was bragging, but was his title as the God of Martial Arts really just for show?

Back then, he had single-handedly fought and defeated the combined forces of four top-tier gods.

During the Khaenri'ah war, the casualties were so heavy, and even the Heavenly Principles were severely wounded and fell into a slumber, yet Zhongli only suffered injuries that were neither light nor heavy, and had long since recovered.

He even continued the Rite of Descension the following year.

This guy's strength was completely off the charts.

If he really went mad from erosion under such circumstances, the entire Liyue would be finished.

In Zhongli's heart, discarding the dragon body, stripping away the most powerful part of his strength, and the Gnosis—that thing didn't matter; it would be part of Lumine's fated cycle later.

Once his erosion became unbearable, at the final moment of his madness, Lumine should have gained the power to kill him.

He could barely control himself and calmly face death.

This was the final thing he would do for Liyue.

Even if things didn't go as planned, his dragon remains could protect a portion of Liyue's people.

But that was a development Zhongli did not desire.

It could be said that for the sake of Liyue, Zhongli had even calculated his own death.