Chapter 23: The departed returns! The God of Dust, Guizhong! The unlocked Dust Lock!

That woman who prided herself on being wise didn't realize at all that the divine throne had no attraction to Luo Li whatsoever.

As his thoughts drifted, the words he suddenly spoke carried a trace of sadness.

"It was hard to come back, so I plan to go see her next. Do you want to go together?"

Morax understood who the "her" in his mouth was and shook his head gently.

"I won't disturb you two."

"Yesterday the host and guests were happy, and I feel a bit tired. Let's wait a few days."

This was just an excuse; Morax wanted to leave the space for him and Guizhong.

Gently patting Luo Li on the shoulder, the Geo Archon turned and headed toward Yujing Terrace.

After the indulgence, many affairs in Liyue still required his decision; he couldn't waste time on sentimentality.

Any powerhouse who had survived the ancient slaughter would not be dominated by emotions, at most occasionally reminiscing about the past.

Morax was very rational and kept public and private matters very clear.

Standing alone on the high platform for a long time, Luo Li examined this brand-new Liyue; it was ultimately not the way he remembered it.

However, this was also quite good.

Guili Plains!

The boundless plains were fertile for thousands of miles, and the drifting reeds and lush grass swayed with the wind.

Puddles could be seen everywhere, providing a place for passing birds and cranes to rest, and noisy frog croaks sounded from time to time.

And in this wilderness that should have been quiet, an elegant figure was approaching from afar.

Although there were not many monsters living on the land of Liyue, occasionally there were Hilichurls blocking the way, and even merchant caravans would bypass this place.

Over time, the land that should have been fertile had been abandoned for thousands of years.

When he stepped on the familiar place again, silhouettes of the past appeared in Luo Li's mind.

Broken walls and ruins could be seen everywhere; the damaged Guili Assembly had long since turned into ruins, with most of it buried in the lake.

The reason for this was that the God of the Sea had once invaded this area, was bumped into by Morax near Qingce Village, and fled in a panic, leaving behind the corpse of his subordinate, the Chi beast.

Luo Li guessed that the God of the Sea who was driven away by Morax should be the Watatsumi Omikami, Orobashi, who was later killed by Raiden Ei's blade.

Of course, it could also be another sea god.

According to the records of the "Records of Jueyun: Sea God Palace," every Chi beast under his command was as large as Mount Tianheng.

Walking along the edge of the Guili Assembly ruins, Luo Li was unhurried, heading toward a certain location with a clear purpose.

It took a full hour before he completely passed through the damaged Guili Assembly and arrived at a secret place at the bottom of the cliff.

Along the way, the deep grass and trees grew taller and taller until he reached the end of his journey.

That was a secret realm guarded by many barriers and techniques.

There were many footprints around; in such a remote place, those who could come and go were mostly treasure hoarders or adventurers looking for treasure.

The portal to the secret realm was somewhat old, having experienced wind and sun, and much of the surface of the mottled stone walls had peeled off.

Standing outside the portal of the secret realm, Luo Li first checked it and found that many of the outer runes had dimmed and worn away.

However, new seals had been inscribed recently, which looked like Morax's handiwork.

It was probably to prevent outsiders from breaking in.

Luo Li didn't stay too long and stepped into the secret realm.

The runes on the wall glowed, and the techniques and barriers scanned his body; seemingly detecting his identity, they soon returned to calm. ===== CHAPTER 40 =====

Subsequently, only a breeze blew past, and his figure had already disappeared.

Inside the secret realm!

Although it was a secret realm placed in a cliff, the interior was exceptionally vast.

Floating islands drifted in the sky, and churning clouds replaced the land, connecting into complex paths.

Glancing at the familiar Serenitea Pot world, Luo Li knew that no one had broken into it for thousands of years.

Every flower and every blade of grass was exactly the same as it was in the beginning.

In addition to the barriers and techniques that acted as obstacles from the outside, the secret realm also contained a large number of mechanisms and elemental guards made of adepti arts.

Reaching out, Luo Li stepped onto a floating stone that drifted over and flew toward the floating island at the very top of the realm.

Only when he stepped onto the ground of the floating island did the entire landscape of the island come into view.

Unlike most people's impression, a secret realm with such tight defenses should generally guard heavy treasures.

But what appeared before Luo Li's eyes was only a simple wooden courtyard, no more than ten zhang in length and width, surrounded by clusters of flowers, and the ancient trees growing around the courtyard had just sprouted new buds.

"In such a simple place lies the most honorable person in the world."

Luo Li whispered, walking past the ground full of mechanisms, without causing any changes during the process.

When he stepped into the courtyard, a transparent crystal coffin emitting white light appeared in his field of vision, and inside lay a beautiful and elegant woman.

The God of Dust, Guizhong.

"Long time no see."

Placing the wild Glaze Lilies he had picked along the way on top of the coffin, and gazing at the god-girl inside who had not changed at all, Luo Li greeted her as if greeting an old friend.

Guizhong, with her eyes closed, was like a sleeping beauty, her hands tucked into her wide sleeves resting on her lower abdomen, her complexion as rosy as ever, not at all like a dead person who had lost her vital signs.

Beside her was also a complex and cumbersome stone lock, but that lock had long since been unlocked.

The Dust Lock, which was said to contain all the wisdom of the God of Dust, was opened by Luo Li one day, and inside were only the words the girl had recorded, hiding all her feelings.

Unfortunately, in the end, she never spoke those words herself.

Watching the girl who was now only a shell, Luo Li did not feel sad.

"It's a pity that the Tenseiga is useless on you."

When he once drew the "Tenseiga," he had tried to resurrect Guizhong.

Regrettably, he didn't know if it was because of her divine status or other problems.

Even holding the Tenseiga, he couldn't see the messengers of the underworld beside Guizhong.

But as long as he kept signing in, Luo Li would always be able to find a way to resurrect Guizhong.

At worst, if he became powerful enough, he could go directly to the Imaginary Tree and enter the Sea of Quanta; he would eventually get his wish.

Since the seed could sprout five hundred years ago, the withered ancient tree could also be rejuvenated a thousand years later.

By then, he would slowly tell her the stories of these thousands of years.

But by then, the usually noisy Guizhong would probably be so overjoyed that she wouldn't let him speak.

"Before that, to avoid forgetting the experiences of these days, I'd better tell you once first."

A small breeze carried away his words, and Luo Li sat down by the tree root nearby and began to narrate slowly.

The corners of the lying girl's mouth turned up slightly, as if she were happy for his arrival.

PS: Seeking flowers! Seeking evaluation tickets!

Because I'm still writing about five hundred years ago, many side stories and backgrounds are only mentioned a little bit in the game. I've searched for a lot of information and tried my best to perfect the plot without leaving any omissions. It's a bit tiring to write, and I hope everyone likes it.

It would be even better if you could vote more! ===== CHAPTER 41 =====