"I am Morcius. Morax, I shall make my move." Qiu Bai expression shifted slightly as he cupped his hands in greeting.
With that, the Taiji diagram at his waist radiated light, and a sword materialized in his grip.
A terrifying slash of black-and-white sword energy cleaved toward Morax. A deafening explosion echoed across the heavens, scattering the clouds above, while the trees below bent under the force of the shockwave.
Morax spread his arms wide.
"Steadfast as a boulder."
As the dust settled, Morax remained floating in the sky, completely unharmed.
"This must be the 'smoke but no damage' law… so strong," Qiu Bai muttered, gripping his sword tightly while watching Morax with a frown.
"This friend's strength is quite formidable," Morax said calmly. "Much greater than most of the gods I have encountered."
Cracks, however, had already formed in the rock shield surrounding him.
"Friend, now it is my turn to attack."
With those words, a spear of stone materialized in Morax's hand, and he casually hurled it at Qiu Bai. Though it appeared to be a simple throw, the spear shot toward him at an incredible speed.
"Damn, hand-crafted Vortex Vanquisher!"
Qiu Bai swiftly unleashed his Yin-Yang energy, sending a swirling mass of black and white energy forward to intercept the spear. However, the spear pierced straight through the energy vortex, shattering it instantly!
Qiu Bai pupils contracted sharply.
"Too strong… As expected of the strongest among the Seven Archons, the most ancient god."
Seeing the spear about to strike him, Qiu Bai gritted his teeth and raised his hands, channeling both Yin and Yang energies in an attempt to block it.
Boom!
The impact sent him crashing through two mountains, his feet digging deep into the ground as he struggled to stop the spear's momentum.
"What kind of absurd power is this?!" he growled. "Break for me!"
With sheer force, Qiu Bai shattered the spear.
In an instant, he teleported behind Morax and threw a punch.
Morax had no time to raise his shield and instead blocked with his bare hands.
Boom!!!
A thunderous shockwave rang out—
But Morax did not budge. His expression remained as steady as ever, as if he hadn't been struck at all.
By now, the Adepti of Guili Assembly had arrived.
The civilians on Ganyu back murmured among themselves as they gazed up at the sky.
"Who is that person fighting the Lord of Geo?"
"His Majesty Morax seems to be battling a god. We must assist him!"
Cloud Retainer wore a stern expression as she prepared to take flight.
"Wait! Lord Morax does not seem to be fighting seriously, It looks more like a sparring match?"
Ganyu voice rang out, stopping Cloud Retainer mid-air, nearly causing her to fall.
"If Lord Morax is doing this, he must have his reasons," Xiao remarked from his spot beneath a tree, never taking his eyes off the battle in the sky.
At this time, Xiao was still pure and untainted, unlike in later years when he would be polluted by the remnants of fallen gods, accumulating immense karmic burden. The Yaksha clan still thrived.
"Even if we go, we likely won't be of much help."
Moon Carver spoke rationally.
"Do you not trust the strength of the Lord of Geo?"
Mountain Shaper glanced at the other Adepti, reminding them of Morax might.
Marchosius, ever simple and honest, gazed up at the sky. "Let's just watch."
In this era, there were many Adepti in Liyue, all following the Lord of Geo.
At this moment, Qiu Bai had no time to pay attention to the ground. He furrowed his brows as he observed Morax.
Gritting his teeth, he split two incarnations from his body—one of Yin and one of Yang. These incarnations attacked Morax from both sides with Yin-Yang energy.
"At this range, even Morax shouldn't be able to block this."
Not daring to be careless, Qiu Bai hastily commanded his incarnations to press the attack.
"Friend, your incarnations are quite interesting."
"What?!"
Before Qiu Bai could react, Morax had already appeared behind him. Qiu Bai quickly turned, his Yin-Yang energy forming a sword, slashing at Morax.
Morax hands transformed into a rock spear to block the strike. Another deafening explosion rang out as their energies collided in the sky, sending ripples across the heavens.
"This is bad! Such overwhelming power!"
Qiu Bai heart sank. It was already too late—he braced himself, expecting to be sent crashing into the mountains again.
But Morax withdrew his attack.
"Friend, let's end this here. You should now have a clear grasp of your own strength."
Morax voice was steady as he regarded Qiu Bai.
Qiu Bai thought to himself, "I almost got sent flying into the mountains again, and you're asking me if I understand my strength now?"
Though he had such thoughts, he still had to show gratitude.
Qiu Bai softened his expression and cupped his hands in respect. "I understand better now. Thank you, friend. If not for you, I wouldn't have truly realized my own strength."
Morax chuckled. "You speak too highly of me. Even without my help, you would have eventually adapted to your own power."
Qiu Bai turned toward Guili Assembly. Their homes were destroyed, their lands flooded, and the farmlands had been washed away. Although the journey to Liyue Harbor was not far, the violent storms and relentless winds made travel nearly impossible. Without the protection of Adepti, the consequences would be dire.
"Friend, may I use my two incarnations to aid the people of Guili Assembly?"
Qiu Bai gaze softened with compassion as he looked in their direction.
"Of course. If you are willing to help, that would be for the best."
"Once this matter is settled, let us meet at Jueyun Karst."
Morax looked at Qiu Bai seriously.
"Your invitation is too kind, I shall not break my word."
Qiu Bai cupped his hands again in acknowledgment.
"Very well."
With that, Morax figure vanished.
Qiu Bai did not hesitate. His two incarnations flew toward Guili Assembly.
Just as Cloud Retainer was about to stop them, a large hand like a puppet's gently pressed down in front of her.
"Cloud Retainer, no need to stop them. I heard what he and Morax said. He is a good person."
Marchosius, ever honest and simple, persuaded Cloud Retainer.
The white-clothed Qiu Bai arrived at Guili Assembly first. A bright light radiated from his palm, and those who were exhausted, sick, or unconscious quickly regained their strength.
Meanwhile, the black-clothed Qiubai raised his hand and unleashed Yin energy into the sky. The storm clouds dispersed, the violent winds and rain ceased, and sunlight broke through, casting a warm glow on everyone's faces.
"An Adepti! An Adepti has saved us!"
The people rejoiced, immediately kneeling in gratitude toward Qiu Bai.
A woman, holding her now-healed child, choked up. "Thank you, Adepti! Thank you!"
"Mother, I feel so warm..."
"Silly child, the Adepti saved you."
Qiu Bai withdrew his two incarnations and flew toward Guili Assembly.
Ganyu, now in her human form, looked overjoyed. "This is wonderful! Thank you so much!"
"No need to be so formal. It was just a small effort."
Qiu Bai smiled politely at Ganyu.
"So this is Ganyu… I've never seen her up close before. She's really beautiful!"
At that moment, Ganyu finally got a clear look at Qiu Bai face. Her cheeks flushed red as she stared at him in a daze.
Qiu Bai noticed her strange expression. "What's wrong? You're not running a fever, are you? Wait… do Adepti even get fevers?"
He reached out, placing a hand on Ganyu forehead.
"Ah! Sir, p-please don't touch my head!"
Ganyu face turned completely red as she stumbled backward, bumping into a tree.
Qiu Bai blinked in surprise. "How adorable."
"Hmph! Such improper behavior!"
Cloud Retainer, watching from the side, scoffed in disapproval.
Meanwhile, the people of Guili Assembly were still watching Qiu Bai, their savior.
"A new Adepti! And one who can even fight the Lord of Geo, he must be incredibly powerful!"
"Look at his waist! That doesn't seem to be a Vision, but something related to Yin-Yang."
A storyteller among the crowd observed Qiu Bai carefully before declaring:
"Let us call this Adepti, the Yin-Yang Immortal!"