What baffled him the most was that after the yellow-haired youth had dismembered his own body, he had his subordinate collect it, claiming it was for a purpose. Why go through such trouble when he could have simply refused to return the body from the start?
This suggested that the yellow-haired youth initially intended to cooperate with Gu Chi, but later had a change of heart, likely having found a more useful method.
The exact reason remained unknown. After understanding the cause and effect, Lu Ze severed all the chains on the dragon head. He then looked at the massive dragon head before him and, taking out a brocade pouch, directly collected it.
His system space couldn't hold living beings, but this pouch could. He could only make the dragon head endure the confinement for now.
With everything settled, Lu Ze quickly swam upwards, breaking the surface in less than half a minute and emerging onto land.
"I almost suffocated down there. The pond is fine now. I'll tell you about the situation below."
He briefly explained the matter of the dragon head at the bottom of the water, including the sequence of events and the reasons behind it. Ning Guang frowned as she looked at Lu Ze. If what he said was true,
then what exactly was the yellow-haired youth trying to achieve?
"Let's go in and take a look. I can sense residual energy inside, likely from the person who caused the disturbance yesterday."
Xi'er pointed to the area behind the waterfall. The group exchanged glances and, circling around the waterfall, found themselves behind it, facing a massive cave. It was an unexpected discovery, a hidden world behind the cascading water.
"According to Chi's description, this should be where he was sealed. But why is there such a huge pit here? The soil looks like it appeared very recently. Who could have caused this?"
Keqing looked at the immense pit, finding it hard to fathom who could have possessed such power. If they wished to threaten Liyue, it would be effortlessly achievable.
"Let's go. There's nothing much to see. I know who caused it. It seems the so-called yellow-haired youth returned yesterday and was intercepted by someone."
This statement immediately piqued Keqing's interest. Just as she was about to press for details, a soldier burst in, knelt before the two ladies, and reported in haste,
"Ning Guang, Your Excellency, dire news! There's a god! A message has come from Liyue stating that a colossal god has appeared on the sea not far from here! By the time this message reached us, half a day had already passed..."
Due to the vastness of the region, a message from the south to the north would be extremely urgent, yet it still required time. That time was half a day.
This meant the incident had been unfolding for half a day, and Liyue might already be...
The thought sent Ning Guang into a panic. At their current pace, by the time they returned, perhaps... it would be too late.
Two days would be enough for this god to destroy two nations.
"What do we do? What do we do? Lu Ze, do you have any ideas?"
Keqing placed her last hope on him. Although he could return in a minute, it was likely that Liyue had already fallen.
"Wait, don't panic. Have faith in my employees; they are all powerful Valkyries. With them there, nothing major can go wrong."
As if to prove his words, a shadow suddenly fell upon them, and a colossal dragon descended from the sky. Bella's figure appeared outside the waterfall.
"Lu Ze! If you don't come back quickly, we won't hold on! Hurry up and come out with me!"
Bella's voice echoed through the clouds. Lu Ze walked out with a smile, realizing that things were not as dire as he had imagined and that the situation could still be salvaged.
"Understood, understood. Ning Guang, please instruct the soldiers to return the way they came. We need to go back quickly, as time is of the essence."
Ning Guang, understanding the urgency, promptly issued orders with great efficiency. She then looked at the back of the giant dragon, unsure of what to do.
"This is not the time for personal matters. The situation is critical. Bella... please don't make things difficult for her."
With Lu Ze's words, Bella rolled her eyes and slightly lowered her height, allowing the "odious woman" to board.
"Everyone hold on tight, I'm accelerating!"
Instantly, the surrounding temperature plummeted. Giant wings unfurled in the air. Although they had seen it before, the soldiers below were still astounded.
With a flap of its wings, the dragon shot into the sky. At this speed, they could reach Liyue in a matter of minutes.
"Bella, while we're on our way, tell us what happened."
Despite her slight displeasure, Bella began to explain. The situation was quite straightforward: half a day prior, a giant ugly creature had suddenly appeared on the sea, its appearance being exceptionally peculiar.
It possessed immense power, truly a disgusting monster.
Upon seeing the colossal beast, Zhongli of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor became enraged for unknown reasons. Massive rock spears then appeared in the sky, as if the Geo Archon himself had manifested. Yet, the monstrously ugly creature managed to withstand them, even deflecting the rock spears, which plunged heavily into the sea as if they had inflicted no damage.
However, countless more spears followed, as if to judge the ugly creature, but to no avail. Then, black lasers flooded the sky, and the rock spears vanished.
With no other recourse, Bella joined the resistance with the others. Relying on their combined strength, they managed to hold on for half a day. However, the ugly creature seemed to grow fiercer with each passing moment, even learning tactics and employing various strange skills, leading to their bitter defeat.
Thus, Sirin dispatched Bella to find Lu Ze and bring him back to take charge.
Hearing the full account, Lu Ze could already imagine it. It was likely the yellow-haired youth. And that yellow-haired youth was probably... the traveler, Aether, from 500 years ago.
Although he didn't know why Aether had become so deranged, the situation had spiraled out of control. Such a person... was best dealt with permanently.
The group soon returned to Liyue. The colossal dragon landed directly in the street, but it did not cause panic among the citizens, as there wasn't a single person in sight.
From the moment they arrived, Lu Ze had been observing the ongoing battle on the sea. Various skills erupted in the air, but they seemed to strike the ugly creature as if it were a cushion.