"Lord Ba Qiu, please calm your anger! We will definitely make up for the sacrifices next time and double the offerings. Please spare us this time!"
Seeing Lord Ba Qiu's fury, the man in black quickly explained.
Ba Qiu: I'm exposed, and whether I can last until next time is still a question. You're still stalling for time, asking me to wait for next time!
Speak! Are you a spy lurking here?!
This place can't be stayed in anymore, I need to find another spot!
Since the other party had already transmitted his information, it was only a matter of time before Morax came looking for him.
He had to transfer as soon as possible!
However, it wouldn't be bad to rake in one last fortune before leaving!
"My devout followers, the responsibility for this incident does not lie with you. I am pleased that you have confessed to me. This is worthy of praise. Relax your minds and welcome the power I bestow upon you!"
Ba Qiu's voice, laced with a captivating magic, guided these followers towards the altar.
In the past, it was always small matters, and the offerings collected were stray cats, dogs, or wild beasts. The disappearance of a few wouldn't be easily noticed.
But sacrificing humans could easily expose his whereabouts. Since he was already exposed, he might as well go big!
Consuming this batch of followers as sacrifices would be enough to make up for several previous occasions!
Just as Ba Qiu was controlling the followers to walk towards the altar, he suddenly noticed that one person was a beat slower than the rest.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered that this person did not possess the power he had bestowed.
Therefore, this person's identity was self-evident.
"It seems the friend who stole the offerings also wishes to obtain the power of this deity?"
Ba Qiu excitedly flicked his forked tongue, his eyes glowing red as he stared intently at Feng Yi's figure.
Ba Qiu knew that Feng Yi still had the stolen offerings. If he could get them back, it would be quite a gain.
Swish...
All the followers' heads instantly turned backward, their necks emitting creaking sounds as if they couldn't bear the strain, yet these followers seemed to feel no pain.
Everyone's eyes, hollow and vacant, stared at him. The silent and terrifying atmosphere startled Feng Yi.
"Heretics must all die!"
The followers let out a strange laugh, their mouths suddenly splitting open from ear to ear, their teeth long and jagged, like demons from hell.
"As expected, you're an evil god! Why didn't Zhongli just finish you off back then?!"
Feng Yi spat, and as he did, black smoke erupted from all the followers, their auras rapidly increasing.
'Evil spirits?'
Feng Yi suddenly thought of this word.
Feng Yi had once asked Xiao what he was fighting.
Xiao's answer was: "The lingering resentment from the past, unfulfilled grand wishes, and the sighs of the defeated."
In layman's terms: the remnants of fallen gods from the Archon War before the establishment of the Seven Archons' system.
They were defeated by Morax and suppressed beneath the steadfast rocks.
However, Archons were immortal. Although their consciousness would dissipate, their power and resentment would linger, transforming into stagnant filth that repeatedly plagued all living beings.
The humans infected by Ba Qiu's power in front of him were strikingly similar to the 'evil spirits' Xiao spoke of.
"My friend, hand over the stolen offerings, and I'll grant you a quick death! Otherwise, being devoured alive by my beloved followers will be far more agonizing than death!"
Ba Qiu sneered, everything was under his control. On his turf, even Morax (crossed out)... even the Adepti from Liyue would have to think twice!
"Alas~ I originally planned to interact with you as an ordinary person, but in return, I received indifference. Fine! I'm not pretending anymore, I'm revealing myself! I am Morax Rex!"
Feng Yi spread his hands in helplessness. He didn't truly take the remnant of Ba Qiu before him seriously. The other party relied on that fragile altar to maintain its form. If he destroyed the altar, wouldn't it be over?
...
Meanwhile, Morax - Zhongli, was enjoying tea somewhere.
He suddenly sensed someone impersonating him and, after a brief calculation, understood the whole story.
Zhongli lit a fire to boil a pot of clear tea, then rose and teleported to the surface of the sea.
Deep within the trench beneath Zhongli's feet lay the Ba Qiu Archon, whom he had impaled with a spear thousands of years ago.
"Only a few thousand years of not fighting, and you're getting restless again?!"
The other party dared to cause trouble right under his nose, confusing the people of Liyue. It was as if they didn't take him seriously at all.
Zhongli was going to have a "warm tea and beat Ba Qiu" session today!
Zhongli's Geo shield lit up, and he transformed into a beam of light, plunging straight into the seabed.
The seawater seemed to be pushed aside by an invisible force, creating a ten-meter vacuum around Zhongli.
...
Returning to the cave, Ba Qiu heard Feng Yi claim to be Morax and burst into laughter, as if hearing the greatest joke in the world.
"You... Morax? Don't joke. There are no signs of 'erosion' on you! If you want to scare me this way, I'm sorry, I can take on ten of you!"
The idle chat was over. Ba Qiu couldn't wait to capture Feng Yi and tear him apart.
"Ba Qiu, so many years have passed. Do you still remember that move, 'Comet Discharge' from the heavens?"
Feng Yi mimicked Zhongli's grand gestures, extending his hand.
"Vortex Vanquisher!"
As he waved his hand, he activated the Celestial Star Talisman that Zhongli had given him.
The dim cave was suddenly filled with a blinding light. A meteorite, a Celestial Star, condensed above the altar, suppressing the evil spirit with unparalleled might.
Limited by the insufficient space within the cave, the Celestial Star could not unleash the full impact of gravitational acceleration from falling.
But every cloud has a silver lining!
The most abundant energy in the cave was Geo. The Celestial Star summoned by the talisman was much larger than Feng Yi had anticipated, almost filling the entire cave.
"How is this possible?! This detestable power!"
Ba Qiu stared blankly at the descending Celestial Star, his heart filled with immense surprise.
Ba Qiu had been pinned in the sea trench by Vortex Vanquisher for thousands of years. He was too familiar with this power; he could never forget it. It was indeed the power of that fellow Morax!
But how did this person before him possess Morax's power?
Clearly, in his eyes, there were no signs of "erosion" on him.
"Morax, you will eventually wear down and vanish. When that day comes, the glory of the Archons will finally return to the mortal realm!"
As the altar was destroyed by the Celestial Star, Ba Qiu, filled with resentment and confusion, let out a roar of unwillingness.
Feng Yi shook his head. He was too familiar with this line.
It was a common villainous trope.
The one he remembered most vividly was from an animated show in his previous life: "I will definitely return!"
Never mind, he'd leave this matter for Zhongli to worry about. Feng Yi still had to busy himself finding an exit!
His infiltration plan had been exposed by Ba Qiu, and it had ultimately led back to the starting point. To leave this place, he needed to find that small teleportation array.