Cross through Teyvat, and you'll become stronger by taking the hits!

"The Talisman of No Taboos..."

The seal... remains firmly in place...

"But if you need it... I can... burn my powers... temporarily..."

Just as Lu Li recovered, Ausel's voice rang out again.

Doing this would do it no good at all for the sealed creature. It had already tried it when it was first sealed, and it posed no threat to the seal except to create waves on the sea.

But now, thousands of years have passed, and there is finally a glimmer of hope to escape this predicament. Although it doesn't know whether Lu Li's words are true or false, it is willing to give it a try.

"Excellent! However, great vortex god, Morax rarely shows himself now, but too much movement may still alarm him, so please be sure to control the scope of the impact and only draw the attention of those Morax followers."

Lu Li's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Doing this would definitely cause some damage to Oser, which could be considered a way to weaken its combat power in advance. However, in order to avoid causing too much harm, Lu Li gave another reminder.

It's important to know that if it weren't for the presence of the Geo Archon, Ocel would have been one of the most powerful demons in Liyue back then, which is why the immortals were helpless against it after its emergence.

After all, given the unstable combat power of the Demon God, ranging from the Emperor to the Mushroom God, the immortals had personally defeated the Demon God before, but they were no match for Oser.

"I understand..."

"The noise you wanted... I'll give it to you...!"

Oser responded again, this time with an even louder voice, as if a colossal beast was roaring before him.

The next moment, Lu Li immediately felt the Lonely Cloud Pavilion beneath his feet begin to tremble violently.

Immediately afterwards, a terrifying pressure seeped through the thick rock layers and surged onto the sea surface.

Under the watchful eyes of Lu Li and Columbia, the surrounding sea was affected by the power of the whirlpool, and the current began to accelerate, gradually becoming turbulent.

The sea, which was once calm enough to see the moon's reflection, is now just a rushing torrent, and the reflection is no longer clear.

"Holy crap... that's incredible?"

As the once calm sea turned into waves, Lu Li subconsciously wanted to exclaim, but after being "looked at" by Columbia, he quickly changed his mind and exclaimed.

"Is that enough... my believer..."

"This is... my limit..."

Oser's voice sounded weak again, clearly indicating that doing so had caused it great harm, and it probably wouldn't be able to do it again for hundreds or thousands of years.

Even after leaving the seal, it's unknown how long it will take to fully recover.

"Enough, enough! That's enough! As expected of the great God of Whirlpools, your divine power is simply unparalleled!"

"You should rest and conserve your strength. We'll go prepare for the ritual to break the seal!"

After saying that, Lu Li hurriedly withdrew his hand from Columbia's, severing his connection with Osel and ceasing to use Columbia's power, just as if he had hung up a scam call.

"Little Pigeon, let's run! Someone will probably come to Lonely Cloud Pavilion to investigate soon."

Then Lu Li grabbed Columbia's wrist and tried to leave Guyun Pavilion with her.

Since it's inconvenient to return to Liyue Harbor directly via the same route, Lu Li can only focus on Yaoguang Beach and circle back to Liyue Harbor from there, thus avoiding those who went to the port to check the situation.

As for the turbulent sea, it posed no threat to Lu Li and Columbia.

"That demon god seems to be waiting for your reply."

Columbia, who was being pulled away by Lu Li, did not resist, but she did offer a reminder.

"Ahem, the only one who can release it now is Ajax. It'll just have to wait a few more days. At least I didn't completely lie to it."

Lu Li offered an awkward explanation.

Meanwhile, at the Liyue Harbor docks.

The scattered lights suddenly became denser, and the faint sound of alarm bells could be heard.

Although all the ships had returned to port, the surging waves and the swirling eddies still posed a great danger, and a group of sailors hurriedly reinforced the ships on the dock that were being rocked by the waves.

The sudden commotion on the sea surface naturally caught the attention of the Liyue Sept.

Beneath the Lonely Cloud Pavilion, in the dark space suppressed by the Rock Spear.

Osel raised all his head and stared longingly upwards.

"believer?"

Where are they?

"From inside the vortex?"

Why... is there no sound?

"Aren't we... going to... do it right away?"

"Feed? Can you hear me...?"

"Morax...could this also be...your conspiracy?!"

The roar of anger and resentment echoed within the seal, but sadly, no one answered it.

……

Lu Li was unaware that the Rock King had taken the blame for him. After disembarking from Yaoguang Beach, Lu Li was taking a walk with Columbia under the moonlight on their way back to Liyue Harbor.

"Phew, just as the legends say, being sealed for too long will lower your intelligence. I didn't expect it to go so smoothly..."

Seeing the commotion on the sea gradually subside in the distance, Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Although it looks dangerous, it won't cause much damage to Liyue Harbor. At most, the ship might break something when it rocks.

A port that has existed for thousands of years can certainly handle waves that are still within the normal range.

"Not necessarily. After all, it has been sealed for thousands of years. Your promise is its last lifeline, and anyone would grasp at it."

Columbia gently shook her head and shared her opinion.

"Is that so? It sounds like I'm some kind of bad guy, but at least I didn't lie about being released. It's just that we can only wait for Ajax to make their move."

Upon hearing this, Lu Li scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

The commotion that Osser caused made Lu Li's original plan go incredibly smoothly.

Even if entering the Evil Eye state and using the Weakness Retreat could create waves, it would never be as big as the commotion in Oser.

Moreover, it was definitely Osel who did it; there's no need to try to shift the blame onto him.

All that's needed is to convince people that there is danger at sea and to temporarily halt all sea voyages until Oser is released by Datalia.

"Does Lu Li really like his hometown?"

Columbia walked beside Lu Li with her hands behind her back, then suddenly turned her head and asked a question.

"Of course I like it. Although I haven't lived here as long as I have in Zhidong, it is still the place where I was born."

Lu Li nodded affirmatively.

Of course, there's also the element of time travel involved, since Liyue is based on the country he lived in before his time travel.

"Is that so...?"

"After I go back this time, shouldn't I also go back to visit the Children of Frostmoon?"

Columbia muttered something to herself and hesitated in her heart.

Although I have some unpleasant memories of that place, it is, after all, the place where I was born.

If one day I were to escape the Fools like Lu Li, I imagine that if I had nowhere else to go, that would be my first choice.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention that earlier."

"Little Pigeon, you look great in this outfit. I have good taste."

Just then, Lu Li remembered that he hadn't yet praised Columbia's new clothes, so he immediately looked at her carefully and added to the compliment.

"Really? I'm so happy! I'm glad you like it."

Upon hearing Lu Li's praise, Columbia did not blush like an ordinary girl, but instead smiled and nodded at him.

"Hehehe..."

Seeing her smile, Lu Li grinned foolishly again.

The two strolled under the moonlight and returned to Liyue through the main gate.

Because of the situation at the port, the Thousand Rock Army on night patrol also rushed to help, so Lu Li and Columbia didn't need to hide and walked back to the Hall of Rebirth openly.

Even if we bump into Chiiwa Jun, it won't matter, since it's not unusual for young couples to go out and come home late.

……