Chapter 126 – Three Thousand Six Hundred Years Ago

The Adepti seated around the table looked at Qiu Bai with some confusion.

“What is the matter, Adeptus Lord?”

Mountain Shaper gazed at Qiu Bai and asked with puzzlement.

“I remember we have only known each other for a few decades.”

“Why do you all show me such respect?”

Qiu Bai looked at the several human-formed Adepti before him and inquired curiously.

“Come to think of it, I am not sure either.”

“I only feel that you are very familiar, as if we have already known each other for thousands of years.”

Mountain Shaper looked at Qiu Bai and explained.

“It is strange to say.”

“I also always feel that you are very familiar.”

“But we never met a thousand years ago.”

Cloud Retainer also furrowed her brows, speaking with some bewilderment. Even she did not know why.

“Never mind you all, even I, who passed away two thousand years ago.”

“Feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity toward the Adeptus Lord.”

Skybracer rested a hand on his chin and murmured with similar confusion.

“Is that true, Cloud Retainer?”

“Think carefully. Have you really never met me before a thousand years ago?”

Listening to the explanations of the Adepti, Qiu Bai turned his head and spoke to Cloud Retainer.

As it happened, Cloud Retainer was sitting right next to Qiu Bai. When he turned, he nearly kissed her.

This made Cloud Retainer blush deeply.

“I truly have never met you.”

“Can you not get so close to this Adeptus!”

Cloud Retainer’s shoulders trembled as she clenched her fists in anger, shouting with embarrassment and fury.

“Hahaha, only Cloud Retainer dares to speak to the Adeptus Lord like this.”

“Their relationship is truly good.”

Ping’er, never one to shy away from stirring up trouble, said cheerfully.

“The Adeptus Lord and Cloud Retainer were like this even a thousand years ago.”

“In mortal terms, it’s called ‘a quarrelsome couple.'”

Moon Carver looked at Cloud Retainer and Qiu Bai and said with a smile.

“Moon Carver, you old fool.”

“If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute!”

Cloud Retainer glared at Moon Carver and said angrily.

“By the way, speaking of something.”

“There is indeed one thing that is quite strange.”

Cloud Retainer suddenly furrowed her brows and spoke softly to Qiu Bai beside her.

A book appeared in Cloud Retainer’s hand, on which was drawn a Tai Chi symbol.

“This ancient book was found by me two hundred years ago.”

“According to its records, this book tells a story from three thousand six hundred years ago.”

As she spoke, Cloud Retainer handed the book to Qiu Bai.

“And the name written here is exactly the same as yours.”

“Perhaps this might be a book fabricated by some mortal.”

Cloud Retainer looked at Qiu Bai and said with a frown.

Even she found it strange. Three thousand six hundred years ago,

Qiu Bai had not yet been born, so how could he know stories from that time?

Perhaps this was indeed a book fabricated by some mortal.

When Qiu Bai took the book, his eyes widened in shock.

“This book is actually composed of the Law of Yin-Yang.”

“And it writes… my name?”

Filled with curiosity, Qiu Bai opened the book.

Five hundred years after the founding of Liyue Harbor.

At that time, the mortal world did not yet have the so-called Seven Nations.

Some humans established their own countries, while others followed Demon Gods.

Demon Gods were born loving humanity. To protect their people, they began expanding their territories.

Liyue Harbor relied on mining ores and trading with other nations for food.

Due to the great war among Demon Gods, the world was plunged into misery and severed ties with other nations.

The people of Liyue at this time were all emaciated, unable to eat their fill.

We, born without the need for food or drink, how could we truly understand the suffering endured by humans?

Morax and I searched together for crops in the mortal realm.

Finally, on a vast land five hundred li to the left of Liyue Harbor, we found several stalks of grain.

But directly ahead of the crops, two colossal beasts were clashing, each as massive as mountains.

The serpent-headed beast spewed flames, turning the entire land into a sea of fire.

The other ape-like beast lifted a mountain-sized crystal of ice and hurled it at the serpentine creature.

The giant ape spoke in human tongue: “God of Serpent Fire, this is my territory.”

With that, it smashed the enormous ice crystal toward the serpent-headed beast.

On the land where the two giants battled, a terrifying sea of fire raged.

And countless ice crystals, ablaze with flames, were scattered across the earth.

The grain was consumed by the great fire, turning to ash that drifted into the sky.

Seeing the crops we had searched for so long reduced to ashes just like that,

Morax gripped his Stone Spears and was about to charge forward.

But I caught his arm with one hand, stopping his impulse.

I shook my head at him and said, “Morax, you know it.”

“It’s nothing but a pointless internal conflict.”

My dissuasion made Morax put away his Stone Spears.

Morax lowered his head, and after a long while, he looked at me.

“For a thousand years, I have heeded your words.”

“I did not expand my territory, only protecting my people.”

Morax gazed at me with confusion.

“A thousand years have caused my people to endure so much suffering.”

“Why must we yield again and again?”

Morax looked at me, questioning me with confusion.

“Morax, I will try to stop all of this.”

“Do you believe in me?”

I did not look at Morax’s face, only at the battlefield ahead.

“Hmm…”

Hearing my words, Morax said no more. He slowly closed his eyes and sighed.

I smiled, then stepped forward slowly, looking at the grain that had been burned to ashes by the fire.

The white light in my hand gathered like a ball of water.

The ashes of the grain converged into the water sphere.

Within the water sphere, the ashes transformed into a tiny sprout.

The glowing white water sphere shielded against the surrounding high temperatures, protecting the grain inside.

“Let’s go.”

I stood in the sea of fire, looking toward Morax.

In the vast sea of fire, due to the fierce winds blowing from both sides,

A massive tornado of fire formed, sweeping over the two of them.

Yet before them, it felt like nothing more than a gentle breeze, and they did not flinch.

Morax seemed not to have heard me, only staring at the ground.

After a long while, he snapped back to reality and looked at me.

“Let’s go…”

Morax sighed and slowly walked toward me.

Thus, we walked across the scorched earth.

Behind us, the earth-shaking crashes from the clashing giants gradually faded as we moved further away.

Morax looked at the grain in my hand, then at the slowly emerging outline of Liyue Harbor ahead.

“Why, with such abilities as yours,”

“could you not revive her?”

Morax gazed at the prototype of Liyue Harbor and spoke slowly.

“Her fall, I am sorry, Morax…”

“Yet similarly, in the distant snow-covered lands, a Demon God has also fallen.”

I looked at Morax with his eyes closed and spoke apologetically.

I turned around, a glowing white water orb floating in one hand, and gazed toward the distant snow-covered territory.

“The fall of two Demon Gods constitutes an equivalent balance.

“Thus, as the Yin-Yang Archon of this world, I must maintain equilibrium.”

I looked toward the distant land and spoke slowly.