Chapter 25: The Gathering Storm

The news of the alliance between the two Archons, Morax and Guizhong, spread throughout the land.

The people of Liyue also took root and sprouted on the Guili Plains.

In the Sea of Clouds, within an underwater palace.

"An Archon alliance? And right next to the Sea of Clouds?! They truly don't take me seriously!"

Osial furiously smashed the antique teacup in his hand, roaring in rage.

"Calm yourself, husband. It's merely two weaklings huddling together for warmth."

Baizhe's tone was considerably calmer by comparison.

"The God of Dust was never powerful to begin with, and although the God of Geo has been gaining fame these past few days, he's nothing more than a rising newcomer."

"And there's no need to worry — the Guili Plains region has always been the very thing that fellow Chi has been eyeing."

"With Morax and Guizhong allied to govern the Guili Plains, Chi, whose territory borders theirs, will certainly not let this go quietly."

Listening to Baizhe's analysis, Osial gradually calmed his fury.

"Hmph!"

Osial snorted coldly and said no more.

Dunyu Ridge.

A seductive woman reclined lazily upon Wang Zuo, dreamlike radiance flowing ceaselessly through her hand, her alluring crimson lips curving into a slight smile.

"Morax, Guizhong... an Archon alliance?"

"How interesting — new opponents have appeared."

The woman's voice was languid, while below her, over a dozen humanoid creatures wearing fearsome demon masks knelt in a dazed stupor.

If one were to lift their masks, one would see the numb expressions on their faces and the hollow look in their eyes.

Like walking corpses.

Qingce Village.

The Qingce Village of this time was nothing like the retirement haven it would become thousands of years later — the present-day Qingce Village had the stench of blood permeating its air every moment.

"Morax... Morax!!!"

Chi writhed his dragon body continuously, his tone brimming with fury.

Clearly, the sudden alliance between Guizhong and Morax had disrupted his plans.

"Lord Chi, then what should we do..."

Behind him, his followers knelt trembling on the ground, waiting for Chi to finish venting his rage.

"Hoo... hoo..."

A cold, sinister gleam surfaced in Chi's eyes as he instructed the followers behind him:

"All of you, withdraw. That thing — it must be sped up."

"The plan moves forward!"

"Yes!"

The followers exchanged glances with one another and each gave a nod.

Regarding the alliance of Morax and Guizhong, the various Archons of the surrounding regions appeared to make no move, but each was secretly preparing.

And so, the various forces spent over twenty years seemingly without any movement.

During those twenty years, the power of the Guili Plains grew ever greater.

Many humans, upon learning that this place was jointly protected by two Archons, hurried here one after another seeking shelter.

This kept Lady Guizhong, as well as Cloud Retainer and others, terribly busy.

That's right — ever since Morax allied with Guizhong, he had immediately become a hands-off boss, handing over the management of the territory to Little Ganyu, Cloud Retainer, Lady Guizhong, Jiang Yan, and a few others.

Regarding this, Jiang Yan expressed strong condemnation! He furiously rebuked him for employing child labor.

But Morax ignored Jiang Yan's condemnation, spending his days sparring with Azhdaha and the others for pleasure.

With the population of the Guili Plains growing ever larger, the various adepti also found themselves increasingly unable to cope with the people's safety management and civil dispute resolution.

Each adeptus had their own cultivation to attend to, and the overwhelming number of miscellaneous affairs left them somewhat vexed.

Thus, five years ago, Jiang Yan proposed to Morax the idea of organizing a human army.

Morax expressed his agreement and handed the matter over to Jiang Yan with full authority, saying he could come to him for any needs.

Jiang Yan organized two armies: the Millelith and the Millelith Guard.

The two armies differed by only a single character.

The Millelith was responsible for following Morax on campaigns across the land, while the Millelith Guard was responsible for the safety of the city's common folk and the handling of civil disputes.

One could say the Millelith was a true army, whereas the Millelith Guard was akin to a police station.

Both played indispensable roles for the Guili Plains.

"Hey, hey, hey! Morax!"

It was unclear how many times it had been now — Lady Guizhong barged into Morax's room.

"Tell me what you've bought again! These expenses are way too outrageous!"

Lady Guizhong, frustrated that he was failing to live up to expectations, stretched out her slender finger and poked Morax on the forehead.

"Mm... generally speaking, this bag of flower seeds is worth that price."

Morax took a sip of strong tea and said calmly.