The scene suddenly became awkward, and the Adepti looked at Cloud Retainer with heads full of question marks.
Meanwhile, Cloud Retainer wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into, and asked Qi Shu in a rather exasperated tone.
"Don't you claim to be the new god of Liyue? What kind of god are you if you don't even dare respond when called?!"
"Heh, I'm not stupid."
Qi Shu looked at Cloud Retainer with contempt and continued.
"That thing is obviously targeting the soul. Although I have no fear of it, walking into your trap like that would make me look very foolish."
"Cloud Retainer, what are you doing?"
Moon Carver, who was watching from a distance, couldn't hold back any longer and asked.
"Why would you set such a harsh activation condition?!"
Cloud Retainer felt a bit wronged and helpless.
"You can't blame me for this. This thing was originally prepared for that kid Chen Feng!"
"Based on my last investigation, that kid Chen Feng's soul is clearly comparable to a god. It would be very dangerous if I didn't make any preparations."
"But with my strength, it is very difficult to create a mechanism that can target that level, so I could only add restrictions. The power of a direct activation will be greatly reduced."
"That kid Chen Feng is honest. If I call his name, he will definitely answer!"
"So you're bullying an honest man now, huh?"
At this, the other Adepti all turned to look at Cloud Retainer with strange expressions.
Seeing this, Cloud Retainer immediately changed the subject.
"At this stage, our only choice is to jointly activate the array disk and try to capture that cunning brat."
After speaking, Cloud Retainer made several hand seals in succession before the black array disk, and countless Adeptal Energy surged into it, causing the black array disk to instantly grow another size larger.
"Fellow Adepti, assist me!"
Hearing Cloud Retainer's words, the other Adepti didn't dare to neglect the call. They immediately gathered around her and continuously funneled their Adeptal Energy into the black array disk.
Qi Shu could have easily stopped them, but he didn't consider this a threat, so he didn't act. He was even somewhat curious to see what the Adepti could achieve.
The black array disk grew larger once again, and black streaks of light crisscrossed across it like electrical currents, as it continuously radiated a terrifying power.
Seeing that the array disk was nearly fully charged, Cloud Retainer breathed a slight sigh of relief. She then turned to Qi Shu and spoke again.
"Brat, if this Adeptus calls your name now, do you dare to answer?!"
"Boring. This again?"
Qi Shu waved his hand.
"I said it, I'm not falling for such an obvious trap."
However, just as Qi Shu finished saying this, Cloud Retainer chuckled.
"My apologies, we weren't forcefully activating the array disk's power, but injecting a large amount of Adeptal Energy to remove some of its restrictions."
"You've fallen into this Adeptus's trap after all!"
After speaking, Cloud Retainer controlled the array disk to shoot a black beam of light at Qi Shu, completely enveloping his area. Qi Shu then felt a powerful gravitational pull, which even distorted his spiritual body.
"This is a bit interesting, but it's still not quite enough."
Qi Shu calmly commented, his tone showing no panic whatsoever.
Qi Shu merely raised a hand wrapped in a black notebook, carelessly gesturing to the sky with his index and middle fingers.
Then, with a flash, Qi Shu's figure immediately appeared more than a hundred meters away from his original position.
"Adeptus, that's all you've got?"
Qi Shu was just about to laugh wildly, then admire the Adepti's ugly expressions, but at that moment, a green spear containing dense Adeptal Energy stabbed at him from behind.
"I told you that even if I stood still, you couldn't hurt me in the slightest. Why don't you understand?"
This attack's timing was perfect, making it difficult for Qi Shu to either block or evade, but for him, there was no need to do so.
Then Qi Shu paid the price for his arrogance. The Primordial Jade Winged-Spear stabbed him three times. This time, Qi Shu felt an intense sense of crisis. He tried his hardest to evade at the last moment but was still pierced clean through.
"Ah!"
Qi Shu let out a miserable cry. A massive amount of Adeptal Energy surged into his body, causing it to melt away along with his soul.
Besides that, an ominous power continuously eroded Qi Shu's spiritual body, bringing him excruciating pain.
The next second, Qi Shu's figure disappeared again and then reappeared dozens of meters away.
However, the moment he appeared, Xiao closed in on him again with the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, his body radiating a sharp murderous intent.
Xiao unleashed several more spear thrusts, and this time Qi Shu didn't dare to block at all. His figure flashed again, narrowly dodging Xiao's attacks.
After this scene repeated several times, Qi Shu finally stopped, and he once again ignored Xiao's attacks.
"You actually found my location!"
Qi Shu's eyes were bloodshot, and he glared with hatred at Xiao, who had dealt a severe blow to his soul.
That's right. In fact, his figure on Yujing Terrace was merely a projection of him from another spatial dimension. This was why the previous attacks, which were close to or even reached Archon-level, had no effect on him.
To prevent others from discovering this, Qi Shu had even condensed enough power to block some of the attacks.
He never expected to be found out in the end, and he himself had suffered a severe blow.
"Hahaha, arrogant brat, you're still too green to fight against us Adepti!"
At this moment, Cloud Retainer laughed heartily, her earlier frustration completely swept away.
Although she had failed, Xiao had succeeded!
She was an Adeptus, and Xiao was also an Adeptus, so Xiao's success was practically equivalent to her own success. No problem with that logic!
Although she didn't know how Xiao had managed to injure Qi Shu, it was satisfying, so satisfying!
Seeing his attack miss, Xiao knew that Qi Shu had already readjusted his coordinates. He was in no hurry to continue attacking, but instead looked at him coldly and said slowly.
"Your strength is much weaker than I imagined."
"You have yet to fully master this power. To think that strength of this level could be compared to Rex Lapis is truly laughable."
"In the end, you are nothing more than a clown playing to the crowd."
Xiao had long been dissatisfied with Qi Shu's offensive behavior. What kind of trash dared to compare himself to Rex Lapis? This time, he finally found the opportunity to mock him severely.
"What did you say?! You dare to look down on me?!"
Hearing Xiao's mockery, Qi Shu's face turned completely red with fury.
"I am the new god of Liyue, yet you, a mere Adeptus, dare to look down on me?!"
"I will kill you!"
Qi Shu roared in rage, then wildly raised his hand and clawed toward Xiao. Instantly, countless black spears appeared around Xiao and shot toward him.
"Conqueror of Demons!"
The Adepti cried out in worry from afar, but Xiao calmly dodged Qi Shu's attacks one by one.
Although these black spears seemed numerous, their power was much weaker than before. This meant that Qi Shu's strength had been greatly diminished due to his injuries.
Qi Shu, of course, realized this as well.
"Power, I need more power!"
Suddenly, Qi Shu looked up toward the Liyue Qixing in the distance. Instantly, the people there felt a chill run down their spines, as if they were being stared down by the God of Death.
The next moment, Qi Shu reached out and plunged his hand into his own chest. He quickly pulled out a black notebook that exuded an ominous aura.
"Hahaha, just you wait. Soon, I will make you all die!"
"Everyone who defies me deserves to die!"
"I am the God of the new era!"
Qi Shu laughed wildly as he used his hand as a pen to quickly write name after name in the Black Notebook.
Upon seeing this, the Adepti's expressions changed drastically. Although they didn't know what Qi Shu held in his hand, they were certain it was no good.
"Stop him quickly!"
After Cloud Retainer shouted this, she immediately forced her Black Array Disk to activate, even if it meant damaging the disk, to do her utmost to prevent Qi Shu's actions.
The other Adepti also unleashed their own signature techniques. Five-colored clouds completely covered the area where Qi Shu stood.
However, even though the Adepti were trying their absolute hardest, the effect was still very limited. Having learned his lesson the first time, Qi Shu's location was now constantly changing, refusing to give the Adepti another chance to find him.
At first, everyone didn't know what Qi Shu was doing, but soon, as they saw the people beside them collapse one after another, they finally understood.
This was the way Qi Shu activated his ability, and it was so simple it inspired terror!
Seeing this, Yelan finally understood how Qi Shu had caused the deaths of several Task Force members before.
The person who carried out this task was likely the Task Force member Chen Feng and Hu Tao had seen, but he was merely under the control of Qi Shu's ability.
If anyone could activate the notebook's power by writing a name in it, then Qi Shu must have handed it to that Task Force member, had him write the names of his teammates, and then retrieved the Black Notebook at the end.
Yelan had no time to think further before a wave of agonized wails erupted around her.
The first to die horribly were the next generation's Qixing candidates. One by one, their faces contorted in pain as they clutched their chests and collapsed to the ground, instantly lifeless.
The Liyue Qixing's eyes turned crimson at the sight. They cradled the bodies of the fallen candidates, their hearts filled with unbearable grief.
At this moment, they were consumed by regret. Why hadn't they been firmer in their stance? They should never have allowed these candidates to risk coming here!
These candidates were so exceptional, yet now they were all gone!
Why weren't they the ones who died? They were already old, while those lying on the ground were the future of Liyue!
At the same time, the Millelith soldiers also died one by one, and there were even Vision wielders among them. This completely overturned the previous deduction that the opponent's ability could not affect Vision wielders.
Perhaps Qi Shu truly lacked the ability to affect the fates of Vision wielders before, but now he possessed such power.
After seeing this scene, Ningguang's eyes turned cold. Her remaining sanity allowed her to control the Jade Chamber to project a light barrier over everyone, blocking Qi Shu's line of sight.
There had been speculation before that Qi Shu might have the ability to see others' names.
Sure enough, after the light barrier descended, the death toll stopped increasing. This speculation was confirmed!
The light barrier descended by the Jade Chamber prevented Qi Shu from continuing his actions. He glared resentfully in that direction, before finally turning his gaze to the surrounding Liyue civilians.
He could not accept his own defeat; he needed more power to help him turn the tables in one fell swoop!
But Ningguang had prepared too thoroughly, even anticipating this point. Originally, there were many Millelith soldiers over there who could have provided him with power, but now it seemed he could only consider other options...
-
"Lord Kira... has lost?"
"That was too sudden!"
When the crowd of Liyue civilians saw Xiao dealing a devastating blow to Qi Shu, a wave of commotion swept through the scene.
Qi Shu had previously appeared completely invincible, and everyone thought Liyue was about to get a new god who would be no less than Rex Lapis. But this was it?!
Qi Shu's subsequent incompetent rage was also utterly devoid of the poise expected of a god. Seeing this, countless people's hearts flooded with waves of disappointment.
Of course, there were still those whose faith remained steadfast. They fervently shouted "Lord Kira," convinced that Qi Shu would ultimately secure victory. However, at that very moment, many among them suddenly turned pale, clutched their chests, and collapsed to the ground, breathing their last shortly after.
The surrounding followers of Kira watched the unfolding scene in shock. They couldn't understand why Qi Shu would attack them. Soon, someone snapped out of their stupor and immediately let out a piercing scream.
Of course, the victims weren't just followers of Kira. Other bystanders were also falling one by one.
Not only that, but soon after, figures identical to the fallen people—though slightly transparent—began to crawl up from the corpses. With vacant expressions, they launched attacks on the survivors, plunging the crowd into even greater chaos.
An unimaginable dread spread through the hearts of everyone present. To everyone, it seemed Qi Shu had completely lost his mind.
Of course, the Liyue Qixing and the Adepti witnessed the tragedy unfolding in the crowd. Their hearts swelled with rage, but a powerful sense of crisis also took root within them.
Qi Shu had now completely torn off his hypocritical mask, exposing his true nature as someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. While this would finally awaken the majority of Liyue's people, it also meant that no one was safe.
If Qi Shu were to escape and hide, it wouldn't take long for Liyue to become a kingdom of the undead.
And no one knew what level of power Qi Shu would reach by acquiring strength through such means.
But one thing was certain: they could not let Qi Shu escape!
After Xiao informed the other Adepti of Qi Shu's trick, all the Adepti began to lock onto Qi Shu's location in the other world together. This greatly improved their efficiency, forcing Qi Shu to divert a portion of his mental energy to deal with the trouble caused by the Adepti. Under these circumstances, the speed at which Qi Shu wrote names dropped significantly.
At the same time, Ningguang also began to use all her strength to control the Jade Chamber to descend some light curtains into the crowd to block Qi Shu's line of sight, then immediately sent out the Millelith to protect everyone's safety.
Doing this was simply too mentally taxing. Soon, Ningguang's forehead was covered in sweat, but she still meticulously completed the subsequent operations.
Seeing this scene, Keqing hurriedly came over to share some of the pressure with Ningguang, and only then did Ningguang feel a bit more relaxed.
On the other hand, the Millelith who came to rescue the ordinary citizens had faced the faces of people they were familiar with before, and now they were facing the faces of innocent civilians. Both times brought a huge shock to the Millelith's hearts.
The torment in their hearts made them unable to even hold their weapons steadily in their hands, so they were naturally at a disadvantage from the very beginning.
Just then, countless butterflies made of the Pyro Element appeared in everyone's sight, flitting through the crowd.
When those butterflies approached a soul, they would dive straight onto it. Then, that soul would ignite with orange-red flames and quickly vanish completely within the fire.
Astonishingly, during this process, the expressions on those souls' faces were no longer blank, but became incomparably peaceful.
Though they were clearly enveloped in flames, they seemed to feel no pain at all.
Right then, Hu Tao, her entire body wrapped in flames, darted through the crowd, sending away the souls she encountered one after another.
After being rescued, everyone showed Hu Tao expressions of gratitude. At the same time, thinking back to their previous misunderstandings of her, they felt immensely ashamed.
Their attitude toward Hu Tao during that time could hardly be called good. They never expected Hu Tao to put aside all past grievances to save them.
Director Hu is truly righteous!
At this moment, the expression on Hu Tao's face was no longer relaxed. When she saw Qi Shu stretch his evil clutches toward the innocent people of Liyue, she could no longer suppress the anger in her heart.
If attacking those villains before was punishing evil, and attacking the Millelith was establishing his authority, then what he was doing now to these innocent commoners was nothing short of inhuman slaughter.
Hu Tao had already noticed that Qi Shu's power seemed to be drawn from these souls. After suffering a defeat at the hands of an Adeptus, he began to shamelessly increase the number of deceased to bolster his own strength.
Simply destroying these souls would not affect Qi Shu's power, as the power inherent in the souls themselves could still be harnessed by him.
However, what she was doing was sending these souls to the Afterlife. By doing so, Qi Shu's power would be continuously weakened.
Realizing this, a strong sense of conviction and responsibility welled up within Hu Tao. The Pyro Element Vision on her person burst forth with an unprecedented brilliance.
As Hu Tao made her move, Qi Shu naturally noticed the situation here.
When he saw Hu Tao's figure, his face showed a mix of anger and uncertainty.
Hu Tao's abilities posed a tremendous threat to him.
"Director Hu Tao, I originally didn't want to move against you, after all..."
"But since you've chosen to seek your own death, you can't blame me!"
A flash of hesitation crossed Qi Shu's face, but it quickly vanished. He then raised his hand and wrote the name "Hu Tao" in his black notebook.
This time, Qi Shu showed immense difficulty. He struggled with every stroke, and even after writing the name, his aura noticeably weakened. However, to eliminate this threat, he still wrote the name down.
The moment Qi Shu wrote Hu Tao's name, she felt an icy chill course through her body. The dense aura of death nearly suffocated her.
At this moment, Hu Tao could no longer see anything. Her vision was consumed by absolute darkness, and her mind was a chaotic blur.
For some reason, Hu Tao recalled the scene when she first met Chen Feng. Back then, Chen Feng, who had missed several meals, wore a flattering and ingratiating expression on his face for just one hundred Mora.
Now, Chen Feng, having failed to solicit business, walked this way with his head hanging low in disappointment. The moment he saw Hu Tao, his face immediately returned to that same fawning expression. It even gave Hu Tao a sense of how shamelessly annoying he could be, yet she didn't find him repulsive.
"Dear Boss, would you like to have your date of death predicted?"
"I see that we are destined to meet, so I've decided to give you a fifty percent discount. It will only cost you fifty Mora!"
"Go ahead and have it predicted, Boss. Knowing the date of one's own death is quite a wonderful thing!"
Seeing that familiar face, Hu Tao smiled gently and asked.
"Besides this, do you offer any other services?"
"Other services?"
After Hu Tao finished speaking, she saw the confused expression on Chen Feng's face. She shook her head, stepped forward, and suddenly threw her arms around him, burying her head deeply in his chest.
Chen Feng's body stiffened. After a long moment, he stammered.
"Th-this is an extra charge!"
"One thousand Mora."
Hearing Hu Tao's price, the expression on Chen Feng's face changed instantly.
"Boss, does this feel good? Should I go a little lower? It's softer here."
Hu Tao burst out laughing. So this was how Chen Feng appeared in her mind.
"Why are you laughing, Boss?"
"I thought of something happy."
Hu Tao rose and left Chen Feng's embrace, then gazed directly into his eyes.
After meeting Hu Tao's gaze for just a moment, Chen Feng looked away and spoke.
"Boss, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Do you want to continue? I'll charge you half price this time?"
Hearing Chen Feng's words, Hu Tao shook her head and said,
"Fool."
"Boss, even if you give me a thousand Mora, it's still not good to insult people..."
"Three thousand Mora."
"Boss, you're absolutely right to insult me! I am a big fool!"
"Boss, please insult me a few more times! I've contracted a strange illness where I can't survive without being scolded. Just think of it as doing a good deed!"
"No, there's no time."
Hu Tao shook her head. She noticed that the distant street scene had already plunged into endless darkness.
"Predict mine one last time. Predict my date of death."
"Hehehe, a kind-hearted person like you, Boss, can certainly live another hundred years!"
Hearing these words, Hu Tao shook her head.
"No, you've calculated incorrectly."
"I'm not wrong. The dates of death I predict have never been wrong!"
"But this time you really are wrong. I'm about to die."
Hu Tao sighed softly, wondering if she would be able to see her grandfather after she died.
Perhaps she should stay at the threshold of life and death for a while. Chen Feng should come back for her.
"Every ability has its moments of failure."
"But my ability stands at the pinnacle of the world."
Chen Feng placed both hands on Hu Tao's shoulders, gazing at her intensely. A shocking heat radiated from his palms as he spoke slowly.
"You will not die."
Chen Feng articulated each word deliberately.
"Don't die."
The darkness rapidly dissipated, and the blinding light forced Hu Tao to shut her eyes.
When those peach-blossom pupils opened once more, the figure before her overlapped perfectly with the one in her memory.
Chen Feng, his hands still on her shoulders, spoke solemnly again.
"I will not let you die!"