Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from within the smoke, blowing it away in an instant!
Zhongli shield remained completely intact. Holding the Vortex Vanquisher in one hand, he calmly stared down at Azhdaha before him.
"Morax, I'll help you."
From afar, Qiu bai raised his hand and in a flash the Chaos Sword appeared. He instantly appeared beside Zhongli.
"Two gods?"
"You think that's enough to make me afraid?!"
Azhdaha bellowed furiously toward them!
Then he raised his massive claw and brought it crashing down toward Zhongli and Qiu bai.
Qiu Bai swiftly dodged backward and Zhongli frowning slightly also retreated a few steps.
BOOM!
With an earth-shaking crash, Qiubai raised his Chaos Sword and slashed it toward Azhdaha!
A terrifying ink-white sword aura surged forward and struck Azhdaha directly!
"AAARGH!!"
Azhdaha cried out in pain.
Immediately he summoned a massive amount of Geo energy, causing huge boulders to rain from the sky condensed from pure elemental rock!
Zhongli dodged the falling stones while gripping his Vortex Vanquisher, charging straight toward Azhdaha.
With astonishing speed, he thrust the spear at Azhdaha!
CLANG!
A crisp sound rang out.
Zhongli attack struck something as hard as indestructible bedrock.
"Lift."
Just as he uttered the word, the shaft of the Vortex Vanquisher bent slightly.
Then with a burst of force, he lifted Azhdaha high into the air!
"Guh...!"
"You betrayed me once and now you intend to betray me again?!"
Azhdaha roared with fury as his massive body slammed into the ground, glaring at Zhongli with burning rage.
"If that's how you choose to see it... then so be it."
"One who bears memory is destined to carry the burden of truth. That is how it must be."
Zhongli spoke softly, gazing at the giant beast before him.
"Morax, that's not the real Azhdaha."
"It's only a fragment of power leaking from the loosened seal."
Qiu Bai blinked next to Zhongli, speaking calmly as he looked at the towering form.
"So we need to finish this quickly."
"Then release the true Azhdaha."
Qiu Bai narrowed his eyes and raised the Chaos Sword with a slight flick of force, a devastating ink-white sword aura countless times stronger than before surged forward and slashed toward Azhdaha!
The entire subspace was illuminated by the terrifying sword aura!
The sheer energy was so overwhelming that even nearby, Lumine and Paimon felt like they couldn't breathe.
"Morax!"
"Do you truly mean to destroy me?!"
Azhdaha stared at the oncoming sword energy, disbelief filling his eyes.
"Sigh..."
Zhongli crossed his arms and let out a soft sigh.
He slowly closed his eyes, not even looking in Azhdaha direction.
"Aaaargh...!"
With a scream of agony, the sword aura cleaved Azhdaha apart, shattering his massive body into rock-like fragments.
These fragments glowed and dissolved into pure energy.
That energy then surged toward the center of the space.
Sensing this, Zhongli gently opened his eyes.
He raised his hand, and the sealed stone pillars around them began to rise once more.
Golden barrier seals reactivated and stood tall once again, trapping the surging energy within.
The trapped energy gradually took shape transforming into the form of a young girl, radiating a dark aura.
Lumine and Paimon saw this and walked over.
"Hehehehe... Morax!"
"You were the one who sealed me beneath the earth and now, after three hundred years, it's you again...!"
The girl lowered her head and spoke in a voice far too deep and furious for a child. Her words dripped with rage.
"Call it fate, Azhdaha."
Zhongli stood composed, arms crossed as he spoke solemnly.
"Fate? Hahaha... fate...!"
"Fate! Hahahaha!"
Azhdaha laughed like a madman, as if Zhongli had said the funniest thing in the world.
"This is a god's judgment?!"
"Destroying what you no longer need, marching with butchers to trample the wilderness!"
Azhdaha stood within the seal, glaring at Zhongli in anger.
Then he turned to Qiu Bai.
"And you—I know you!"
"You're the Archon who once purified me!"
His gaze pierced toward Qiu Bai.
"No, it wasn't you I purified."
"It was..."
Qiu Bai turned his head slightly, his eyes glancing behind him.
"No—it's you who forgot!"
A familiar figure slowly walked forward from behind, his body radiating a soft white aura.
"That voice...?"
"Eh? Kun Jun?!"
Paimon turned in surprise, staring at the man approaching.
"Azhdaha..."
Zhongli didn't turn around. Arms crossed over his chest, he softly murmured with eyes half closed.
"It's been a long time, Morax."
"And you as well… Morcius."
Kun Jun stepped forward, walking between Qiu Bai and Zhongli, and slowly addressed the two of them.
"You know me?"
Qiu Bai frowned slightly upon hearing this, asking with some confusion.
"Hehe, Morax has told me plenty about you."
"The debt of purifying me from corruption with your own life… How could I ever forget it?"
Kun Jun nodded and smiled warmly at Qiu Bai.
"Just… who are you really?"
The little girl looked at Kun Jun, her voice filled with disbelief.
"As you see, Azhdaha."
Kun Jun crossed his arms, looking at the girl sealed within the barrier as he spoke calmly.
"In that battle just now…"
"You used all your strength against us."
Zhongli turned to face Kun Jun and spoke slowly.
"Heh, I had no other choice."
"This is all the power I have left."
Kun Jun chuckled helplessly.
That one blow he used earlier to block the girl dark aura before entering this space had already drained him completely.
"Aren't you Kun Jun?"
"Then… who exactly is the real Azhdaha?"
Lumine stared wide-eyed at Kun Jun, asking in confusion.
If this Kun Jun was Azhdaha too… then who was the one inside the seal?
"Forgive me for not explaining earlier, Traveler."
"There were things even I didn't understand until I stood under this tree."
Kun Jun looked at Lumine apologetically.
"To be precise, I'm not the complete Azhdaha..."
"I am merely a small fragment."
Kun Jun explained as he gazed at her.
"Heaven and earth, yin and yang, two manifestations—you may see me and the Dragon King over there as such."
"We are both fragments of Azhdaha will."
Kun Jun slowly explained to the confused Lumine.
"There are two Azhdahas?!"
Paimon looked back and forth between the little girl and Kun Jun in shock.
"Speaking of yin and yang that reminds me of Qiu Bai."
"Isn't he also called the Yin-Yang Immortal Lord?"
Lumine looked at Qiu Bai with curiosity.
"Haha, when it comes to the understanding of yin and yang, I naturally fall short compared to him."
"I only used it as a metaphor."
Kun Jun touched his chest and smiled gently as he explained to Lumine.
Qiu Bai looked at Kun Jun and then at the girl inside the barrier, rubbing his chin.
Logically speaking, neither of these two could be considered the true body of Azhdaha.
If he wanted to truly repair the erosion, they would have to release the real one...
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist? Read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [[email protected]/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)