Chapter 066: Shocking

Vorthis watched as the God of Plague left, and soon, the figure of the God of Plague was no longer visible.

"Heh, that god sure runs fast."

Then Vorthis turned around and looked toward Qingxu's direction.

"Qingxu, what exactly is going on with the God of Plague? Why did it attack you? Are you alright?"

Vorthis asked with concern.

Qingxu sighed helplessly.

As they both flew toward the Cloud Pavilion, Qingxu spoke to Vorthis.

"It's still because of those words from the one in the sky. I have no connection with the God of Plague, nor have I ever wronged it."

"But since then, all wars between gods in this world can be ignited by such things, no other reason needed."

Qingxu said to Vorthis.

Vorthis nodded.

"Yes, since the moment the Archon War began, all order and agreements have lost their original purpose."

"Archon War? Is that your term for this stage? Quite fitting."

"Almost all gods are fighting for that spot. A war called the Archon War happens constantly."

Qingxu said.

This was the first time Vorthis had heard the term "Archon War."

But it made sense since the term "Archon War" originated from later historical records of this phase.

It was like how the Han dynasty emperors wouldn't call the present time the late Eastern Han era.

The distinction between the Eastern and Western Han dynasties was simply historical.

"Yes, the wars between gods never stop. As long as a god is in this Teyvat continent, the war will always come knocking."

"Qingxu, do you have any plans for such a future?"

Unknowingly, the two had already arrived at Cloud Pavilion. Inside, Vorthis asked Qingxu about his future plans.

As for future plans?

Qingxu gazed into the barren landscape ahead, sinking into deep thought.

He had always lived a carefree life, with no real plans for the future.

Drinking wine, practicing his sword, occasionally helping his people—this was his life.

Qingxu shook his head.

"Ah, you know me. I'm carefree and never pursue anything beyond what I enjoy."

"On ordinary days, it's just drinking and practicing the sword."

"I thought this peaceful life would continue forever, but I never expected the Archon War to come and disrupt everything."

"All gods are living in fear, cutting off ties with each other, then gradually beginning to fight amongst themselves, no regard for life or death."

"Just like today, if you hadn't arrived in time, the God of Plague, Kart, might not have been able to kill me, but it could have entangled me for decades."

Qingxu sighed and then looked at Vorthis.

Upon hearing Qingxu mention the God of Plague again, Vorthis's murderous intent toward it grew even stronger.

This time, with my presence, the God of Plague's plans were completely disrupted.

What if it returns after I leave? It could even seek help from others.

Wouldn't that put Qingxu at risk?

"Well, for now, with me here, the God of Plague retreated because it knew it was no match for me. But what if I leave, and it returns?"

"As the saying goes, it's easy to block a sword but hard to defend against a hidden arrow."

"The feeling of being targeted by someone is really unpleasant."

Vorthis said to Qingxu.

As the old saying goes, "It's not the thief stealing that's scary, but the thief always thinking about it."

"It's fine. With the strength of the God of Plague, it can't do anything to me for now."

"Want to kill me? It'll have to ask my sword if it's still sharp enough."

A flash of sword intent passed through Qingxu's eyes.

Vorthis asked, "But what if the God of Plague teams up with other gods?"

"Though the trust between gods has collapsed and everyone is living in fear in this Archon War."

"As long as they share the same interest, even old enemies can put aside grudges and cooperate."

Qingxu paused.

Vorthis's words made a lot of sense.

For a moment, Qingxu didn't know how to respond.

He could only sigh deeply.

"Ah, that's true."

"But this is my territory. I can't just abandon my people and run away alone. That's absolutely impossible!"

Qingxu said.

To Qingxu, these people were also precious to him.

If he left, and the God of Plague came back and discovered he was gone, wouldn't it kill them out of spite?

Moreover, retreating without occupying was not Qingxu's style.

At this moment, Vorthis had a suggestion.

"I actually have a win-win solution," Vorthis said.

"A win-win solution? What's that?" Qingxu asked, puzzled.

"Why not bring your people with you and join me in joining Guizoli?" Vorthis suggested.

He was referring to this method.

Join Guizoli?

The name of Guizoli was quite famous, and all the gods in this area had certainly heard of it.

After all, it was a miracle that four gods coexisted in the same territory.

Furthermore, the anticipated scene of gods killing each other after the war didn't occur.

The currency named Mora was also in circulation in their territory.

However, as gods, they didn't really care about these small Mora coins.

But after the Archon War began, the trust between gods collapsed. He hadn't joined Guizoli from the start.

Now, joining them after the war had started...

He had only met one of the other three gods, Morax, a few times, while the other two he hadn't even met once.

Being an outsider, how could he possibly integrate into their group?

Qingxu looked at Vorthis's eager gaze and felt reluctant to refuse.

But if Vorthis forced him, as an outsider, to join Guizoli, it might raise suspicions from the other gods.

It could even involve Vorthis, making the other gods wary of both him and Vorthis.

In the end, this could create gaps in the entire Guizoli, which could deepen over time and eventually cause it to fall apart.

After considering everything, Qingxu decided he couldn't join Guizoli.

He had come to see Vorthis as his brother, and betraying a brother was something Qingxu could never do.

Though the Archon War had nearly destroyed the trust between gods, what did that have to do with Qingxu, the God of Sword?

He, the God of Sword, would never betray his principles!

"Join Guizoli?"

"After careful thought, I think it's better not to." Qingxu made up his mind after a long pause.

"Ah?" Vorthis was stunned. He had thought Qingxu would agree.

He never expected Qingxu to reject the idea.

"Why not? Is there another reason?" Vorthis asked quickly.

Qingxu smiled and said, "Haha, I am carefree by nature and cannot endure constraints. Qingxu Pool is excellent, and besides, I cannot abandon my territory."

Vorthis recalled some earlier words from Morax.

Some gods placed great importance on their territories, possessing a strong sense of territoriality.

But Qingxu didn't seem to fit that mold at all.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? Guizoli, Guizhong, and Hu An—they're all wonderful!"

Vorthis tried to persuade him further.

"My mind is made up; there's no need to say more."

"Vorthis, my friend, it's been a while. Why don't we share a drink today?"

Qingxu interrupted the conversation, suggesting a drink instead.

Sighing, Vorthis knew Qingxu had made up his mind.

"Very well, I won't press further."

"Let us, as brothers, drink and revel, without stopping until we're drunk!"

With a wave of his hand, Vorthis summoned an array of drinks onto the table. A white light flashed, and various beverages appeared, neatly arranged. From fruit wine to red wine, beer, and baijiu, even peach blossom wine—it was all there.

"Haha, excellent!"

"Drink till we drop!"

Qingxu's eyes lit up as he gazed at the assortment of drinks, many of which he had never seen before. His earlier displeasure vanished instantly, replaced with sheer excitement.

At that moment, his world was filled with nothing but the allure of fine alcohol.

"Cheers!"

Under the bright moonlight, in Cloud Pavilion, Vorthis and Qingxu raised their glasses and drank together.

"Toasting to the moon! And our shadows make a merry trio!"

At first, Vorthis drank with elegance, gently swirling a wine glass like a refined gentleman in a movie, sipping slowly.

However, Qingxu's free-spirited demeanor soon rubbed off on him.

With a decisive snap, Vorthis tossed the stemmed glass off the mountain and began chugging straight from the bottle.

Qingxu clapped and laughed in delight at the sight.

Happy times always fly by. Soon, it was time to part ways.

Before leaving, Vorthis made one last attempt to persuade Qingxu, but his answer remained firm, unchanged.

Left with no choice, Vorthis sighed deeply, handed Qingxu several long-distance communication talismans, explained their use, and transformed into a streak of white light, vanishing in another direction.

Vorthis didn't head toward Guizoli.

Since Qingxu was unwilling to follow him to Guizoli, Vorthis decided to ensure his friend's safety in another way.

The potential dangers and unknown threats… Vorthis couldn't predict them, as he wasn't a seer. Besides, Qingxu's name wasn't recorded in Liyue's history.

However, there was one clear danger he could address: the god of plague, Kart, who had fled earlier.

As Kart departed, Vorthis had memorized the direction he flew.

Now, Vorthis flew in that direction.

But simply flying wasn't ideal. After all, Kart didn't seem foolish and might have taken a roundabout route home.

On the ground, Vorthis encountered a powerful demon beast.

Without giving it a chance to speak, Vorthis struck it with a flurry of sword slashes, leaving it no choice but to surrender.

"Tell me, where is the god of plague's domain?"

Vorthis pointed his sword at the beast, asking coldly.

Realizing Vorthis was just seeking directions, the demon felt bitter.

Why didn't you just say so? I would've told you! Was there really a need to beat me up first?

"It's… it's in that direction," the demon stammered, pointing a trembling claw.

It was the same direction Kart had fled earlier.

Still, Vorthis wanted confirmation.

"Are you sure? You're not lying to me, are you?"

His gaze carried a hint of killing intent, making the demon shiver.

"Y-yes, absolutely! It's that way!"

After further interrogation, Vorthis confirmed the demon wasn't lying.

He sheathed his sword and disappeared in a flash of white light, leaving the battered demon standing there, dazed.

Flying for a while, Vorthis activated an invisibility field before entering Kart's domain, concealing his presence and aura.

The invisibility field adjusted its strength based on enemy detection, using manifested power to ensure undetectability. Even if Vorthis stood right before Kart and slapped him, the god of plague wouldn't notice.

Though effective, this technique consumed a large amount of manifested power.

Once inside Kart's territory, Vorthis observed its inhabitants.

All of them bore spots on their bodies, likely a result of Kart's influence. Strangely, none seemed to suffer; instead, they appeared blissfully happy.

"Praise be to the great Kart!"

Inside a stone hut, Vorthis saw a man covered in spots holding a stone bowl filled with an unidentifiable black substance.

The man loudly praised Kart, then drank the liquid in one gulp.

Smacking his lips in satisfaction, he wore an ecstatic expression, as if he had ascended to immortality.

This bizarre scene reminded Vorthis of drug addicts in movies from his previous life.

What's going on in this domain?

Is everyone here high?!

Vorthis observed more residents and found they all behaved the same way.

They needed no food or other necessities, living off a single bowl of the "divine elixir" daily, which left them euphoric.

Feeling as though he had entered a den of addiction, Vorthis was appalled.

How could such a domain exist in this world?

A million years wouldn't erase his shock.