"Roar!" ×2
Two roars belonging to different divine beings resounded beneath the Dragon-Queller Tree.
The sound shook the heavens and the earth.
All of Nantianmen was affected.
Anyone passing through the area immediately dropped to the ground and covered their heads, thinking some terrifying monster had emerged.
Both sides attempted to overwhelm the other with sheer presence.
But they quickly realized neither could succeed.
Azhdaha was still sealed. It had no way to mobilize real power.
As for Junze?
Though he appeared fierce and imposing, he was bluffing as well.
After all, he had only grown recently. The main reason he could confront Azhdaha was simple.
He was hungry.
There was no helping it.
That was the nature of Taotie. Once hungry, nothing else really mattered.
The two remained locked in confrontation for quite some time.
In the end, the small girl seemed to compromise first.
Looking warily at the black aura surrounding Junze, she said,
"The missing miners have nothing to do with the Dragon King."
Junze immediately asked,
"Oh? Then who are they related to?"
The girl fell silent for a moment, narrowing her eyes at Junze as if weighing something.
Finally, she answered,
"They are connected to the Geovishaps."
Hearing Azhdaha's words, Junze recalled the missions that had appeared today.
The five Geovishap subjugation quests continuously refreshed through Tian Shu.
Even today's daily commission had been Geovishap subjugation.
All Geovishaps.
Perhaps the miners' disappearance truly was related to them.
However, Junze did not believe for a second that Azhdaha had nothing to do with it.
As a being born of elemental crystallization, Azhdaha and the Geovishaps were, in a sense, ruler and subjects.
Why had the Geovishaps gone berserk?
Why had they taken the missing miners?
How would they even know to do that?
…
There had to be countless threads connecting this to Azhdaha.
The clearest proof was that when this topic was raised, Junze distinctly sensed Azhdaha's malice intensify.
Junze was also curious why Azhdaha had revealed this information at all.
After answering, the incarnation gradually faded from sight.
But Junze knew she remained here. She simply did not wish to continue speaking.
"Presumptuous wretch. You already know what you wished to know."
"Now… leave this place!"
A heavy voice suppressing anger echoed around the Dragon-Queller Tree.
"Alright, alright. You answered my question. I won't disturb your sleep."
Having obtained his answer, Junze waved and walked toward the outskirts of Nantianmen.
Although he truly wanted to devour this ancient Dragon King right now, his strength was clearly insufficient.
Moreover, Azhdaha's body, or rather its malice-incarnation, was far beyond what Ganyu's cocogoat milk could compare to.
If he took a bite now, he might explode on the spot.
Therefore, Junze needed to grow stronger before he could swallow this feast.
Before leaving, Junze took another deep breath of the dense malice surrounding the Dragon-Queller Tree. He felt refreshed and invigorated.
"Being here is truly comfortable."
The sensation of being bathed in resentment accumulated over thousands of years left him almost intoxicated.
Junze glanced back at the Dragon-Queller Tree and said quietly,
"I will return, Azhdaha."
After speaking, he left Nantianmen and used the teleportation mechanism to return to Wangyue Pavilion.
After all, he had been outside for quite some time today.
To avoid arousing Ganyu's suspicion, he needed to hurry back.
After Junze departed, the small girl, Azhdaha's incarnation, appeared once more beneath the Dragon-Queller Tree.
"Taotie…"
Her brows were tightly furrowed.
Even after countless years of distortion and lost memories, Azhdaha still retained a deep impression of Taotie.
During the Archon War, it had nearly been devoured.
Now that Taotie had appeared again, would it…
"I hope the Geovishaps can…"
A trace of worry appeared in her eyes.
It was unclear whether she worried for herself, for Liyue, or for her former comrade Morax.
But that worry passed in an instant.
The next second, her eyes glowed red once more, and in a weathered voice filled with fury, she roared,
"Morax!!!"
The ground trembled violently.
As she growled, something beneath the earth seemed to shift and roll, as though carving open unseen paths.
Wangyue Pavilion
Junze appeared in the courtyard, poked his small head around, and saw Ganyu still working.
He secretly let out a breath of relief.
"Good, good, good. Master didn't notice."
He had indeed been gone quite a while today.
Fortunately, Ganyu still had not detected anything unusual.
"Still, Master really is diligent."
Junze pouted slightly.
"Her own disciple has been gone for so long, and she didn't even notice."
Whenever he approached Ganyu, his current body seemed to influence him.
His temperament became slightly childlike. He would act cute, act spoiled.
And he would also feel unhappy if his master did not pay attention to him.
Yet when he was outside completing missions, this did not happen.
Perhaps that was simply Ganyu's charm.
As if sensing something, Ganyu suddenly raised her head and looked toward Junze.
Junze immediately grinned and waved at her.
"Hmm?"
Ganyu's face showed clear surprise.
She set down her brush and walked over.
"Master? What's wrong?" Junze asked.
Ganyu came before him, looking left and right, her delicate face full of confusion.
"Ze… why do you feel somewhat…?"
Ganyu was genuinely puzzled.
She did not understand how, during merely a period of work, Junze had changed again.
Although compared to last night's growth in body size, this change was relatively small.
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