Chapter 37: Chapter 37
The sudden voice drew the attention of all the non-human beings in the underground palace.
"A human? And… a cloud that's gained sentience?"
Osial's head rose, its cold gaze fixed on Li Pan and Landorus as they walked in.
In its long existence, Osial had never encountered a creature as strange as Landorus.
Even the adepti of Liyue had cultivated their forms from immortal beasts, but something like Landorus was unheard of.
The Chi ignored Li Pan, focusing all its energy on resisting Osial.
This was a matter of life and death. If Osial took control of its body, it would truly be over.
Osial, however, sneered at the Chi beneath it. After all, it was a God. Even with just an eye and one hand suppressing the Chi, it was still invincible in this world!
"But… you must be from Liyue, right?"
Without waiting for Li Pan's response, Osial continued, "Judging by your appearance, you must be. Perfect. As the first person from Liyue I've encountered since my revival, I'll take you to Yujing Terrace and kill you in front of Morax. Rejoice! Before your death, you'll get to see the god you worship. The merciful Osial will kill you the moment you see Morax, preserving that awe and surprise intact."
It seemed that the centuries of sealing had severely eroded Osial's sanity. Li Pan hadn't said a word, yet Osial was already rambling.
"Who understands what you're saying? Landorus, go help it calm down."
Li Pan was speechless.
He didn't even believe in Morax. Besides, what had this guy been through? It didn't even have a complete body yet, and it was already fantasizing about defeating Morax and Azhdaha?
Landorus, following orders, cracked its knuckles, its usually kind face now filled with a fierce smile.
Ever since arriving in Qingce Village, it had been holding back its anger toward the one responsible for all this.
That anger had been building up, and now, with Li Pan's command, it finally erupted.
"Finally, I get to fight."
Landorus flexed its arms, its eyes gleaming with ferocity.
"Fight me? Human, it seems you don't know who I am. Remember this, my name is Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex, an ancient god who once vied for supremacy with Morax!"
Osial was amused by Li Pan's words, its long neck writhing wildly as if it might die from laughing too hard.
In the next moment, Osial's laughter stopped abruptly. Its head lowered to face Landorus, its single eye glaring intently.
"Fight me? You must be out of your…"
Before it could finish, Landorus swung its arm and delivered a powerful punch to Osial's head.
Hammer Arm!
The explosive force concentrated into a single point, smashing into Osial's head.
The air itself twisted under the force of the punch, and Osial's head was distorted by the impact, its single eye nearly popping out.
The Chi's body was also sent flying, shattering the seal left by Morax and crashing into the mountain wall, raising a cloud of dust.
"What the hell is that thing?"
The Abyss Mage, who had been watching from the sidelines, was stunned. Landorus's appearance had completely disrupted their plans.
Most importantly, what the hell was this thing?
It had no adeptal energy, no Archon power, and no Abyssal aura. Yet, with nothing, how was it so strong?
The Abyss Mage would never guess that someone was cheating.
At this point, the Abyss Mage no longer wanted to be involved in this mess. Its body, shielded by an elemental barrier, began to rapidly fade and shrink.
Time to run!
"Landorus, use Rock Tomb to seal this place!"
Li Pan, standing outside the battlefield, wasn't about to let the mastermind escape.
Hearing this, Landorus also noticed the Abyss Mage's intentions. It sneered and pointed a finger at the cave ceiling.
In the next moment, several massive rocks fell from above, crashing into the underground palace and sealing it off.
These enormous rocks seemed to follow some mysterious pattern. The Abyss Mage, now trapped within the rocks, stopped fading and looked around in confusion.
"Now, no one's leaving. Either you kill me, or I kill you."
Landorus floated in the air, arms crossed, sneering at the Abyss Mage and the Chi in the dust.
The God of Field was no benevolent being. The land wasn't plowed with farming tools, it was seized with iron and blood.
"Cough, cough. It seems I underestimated you."
A deep cough came from the dust, followed by the sound of wind as a massive tail tore through the haze.
Now, the Chi's body was fully restored. Tough skin and scales covered every inch of its form, and its withered body had swelled like a balloon.
A dragon's head without horns, a belly as large as a sack.
At this moment, the evil beast that had once ravaged Qingce Village had broken free from the dust of history.
But this time, a massive single-eyed serpent's head grew from its back.
This was the body of an ancient creature.
Now, the ancient god's single eye gleamed with malice, mirroring the Chi's own eyes below.
"Heh, I should thank you. If you hadn't shattered its consciousness earlier, I wouldn't have been able to take over this body so easily. To repay you, I'll let you witness the power of a actual god!"
The ancient god raised its proud head high. Stirring the tides had become its instinct, even in a waterless mountain.
Outside the mountain, even Li Pan, an ordinary human, could hear the sound of waves crashing against the rocks.
Qingce Village was inland in Liyue. He had never imagined hearing such a sound here.
The wild waves battered the mountain, trying to destroy the prison that had sealed their master.
"Hah, the power of a god? I'm so scared."
Landorus pursed its lips, mimicking Osial's tone with sarcasm. Seeing Osial's increasingly icy gaze, it chuckled and waved its hand forcefully.
Instantly, the surrounding rock walls parted like the Red Sea, shifting and reinforcing themselves according to Landorus's will.
Earth Power!
This seemingly ordinary Ground-type move, in Landorus's hands, displayed the power to turn decay into wonder.
Seeing this, Osial's single eye contracted in disbelief.
"The authority to control the earth?! How is this possible?!"
A slightly shrill cry escaped Osial's mouth.
Each God's authority was unique, one authority per God. If an authority was claimed by a God, there would never be a second. Like its tides, or Morax's contracts.
And it had heard of the authority over the earth.
That authority should have belonged to the ancient dragon who predated even Morax!
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