Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

"You really have no shame. With this kind of power, let alone being jealous, I have no interest at all."

Jiang Bai was telling the truth; he really had no interest in the power over salt.

Although he could produce salt without limit, the best Jiang Bai could do was become a salt merchant.

But to open a salt shop, you need to register various permits, rent a storefront, hire staff, entertain customers, and do all sorts of sales work. Once the business is established, if you want to expand the market, you have to engage in commercial warfare with those salt merchants...

He doesn't like doing these things; they're too troublesome. It's better to sell them to Ningguang than keep them in his hands.

At least Ningguang can give him money directly.

Wan Yan tried her best to block out Jiang Bai's various taunts, staring intently at Zhong Li, hoping that he could stop his disciple and say something fair.

She laid bare all the emotions she had suppressed for so many years—the hatred, the loathing, and the humiliation of having to live under the protection of her enemies.

"We...we hate him! But Liyue is Morax's Liyue, and history will be distorted by him!"

History is always written by the victors, and Morax was one of the victors.

He can embellish his own history without restraint, erasing the achievements of the Salt Demon as easily as erasing the life of the Salt Demon.

Her voice was hoarse, “So, I want to prove it! Prove that Morax also had sins! That he had blood on his hands, that he had a cruel and ruthless side!”

Zhongli remained silent.

Wan Yan looked at Zhong Li eagerly, her words unconsciously carrying a pleading tone.

As a follower of the Salt Demon, she grew up listening to her ancestors tell tales of the Salt Demon and hated Morax for countless years.

Finally, she had arrived here. She could finally prove that Morax was also guilty, and she craved a fair judgment!

"Right, Mr. Zhongli! You promised me, we signed a contract! We must face the truth!"

"You mustn't let him influence you! Mr. Zhongli, you must make a fair judgment on this matter!!"

Looking at her like this, Zhongli's gaze held a hint of pity.

"That's natural. Liyue is no longer the Liyue of Morax."

He took the lead and walked forward, saying, "Keep moving forward, all the answers lie ahead."

Jiang Bai rolled her eyes at Wan Yan and followed Zhong Li's footsteps.

He also wanted to know how the Salt Demon had died.

The further you go in, the heavier the oppressive feeling becomes, and a sense of despair and death permeates the air.

This is the lingering resentment of a demon god, which, even after thousands of years, remains solidified and continues to torment people's minds.

"Is this the lingering resentment of the Demon God?" Jiang Bai sensed it and realized that his mood seemed to be affected by this lingering resentment, becoming somewhat desperate and lifeless.

“Yes.” Zhongli nodded.

"The power unleashed when a demon dies is terrifying, even capable of altering the shape and geology of the earth. The more powerful the demon, the greater the impact of its death."

"These resentments and hatreds will not easily disappear; they can attach themselves to objects, people, and even monsters, causing great harm..."

"So, this is what Xiao deals with every day?"

Jiang Bai finally had a clear understanding of what Xiao was fighting against.

I'd known about this thing for a while, but I'd never experienced it and didn't know how powerful it really was.

But looking at it, it's really not easy for Xiao to have survived until now.

"Strange, why can I only feel despair and deathly silence?"

Kong also sensed the lingering resentment of this demon god, but what puzzled him was why there was no hatred in it.

If you were killed, you would definitely hate them, right?

Hatred—hatred for the person or god who killed Him, hatred for the cruel rules of the war between demons and gods, hatred for those who made the rules, hatred for those who started the war...

But what he felt most was a deathly stillness; the sorrow was nothing more than the feeling of a broken heart.

"Naturally, it's because these two emotions were what Heureya felt most deeply before she died."

"What exactly happened to the Salt Demon...?"

Among everyone, Wanyan felt the lingering demonic intent the most deeply. She didn't have the Eye of God and couldn't resist it; her mind was already somewhat affected.

Fortunately, her obsession was strong enough that the impact on her was not too severe, and she was able to maintain her rationality.

Soon, the group spotted two broken sword sections. These sections were heavily salted, but still retained their original shape and stood out prominently on the shelf.

"This is... a sword?" Wanyan's emotions surged instantly.

"The broken sword! This is the evidence! Proving that the Salt Demon once rebelled! But he couldn't withstand Morax's vicious attack!"

Jiang Bai touched the broken sword. Although the salted parts still retained the shape of the sword, salt grains could be rubbed off with a gentle touch.

"Is this really the weapon of the Salt Demon God? It doesn't look like it at all."

If a weapon lacks even the most basic sturdiness, how can you fight with it?

Zhongli was certain of his answer: "This is not His weapon, but the thing that will kill Him."

Jiang Bai realized, and he said, "How can such a sword be used as a weapon?"

"Doesn't that mean the salt on this sword is actually the blood of the Salt Demon? The demon's blood corroded the sword, causing the parts that came into contact with the blood to turn salty..."

"Yes."

After saying all this, Zhongli didn't give Wanyan a chance to speak, but simply said, "Keep going in, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

The further they went, the stronger the demon god's lingering will became. It was unclear whether the broken sword had stimulated Wanyan earlier, but she was clearly affected and became dazed.

"Master, do you have anything that can temporarily shield her from the influence of the demon god's lingering will?" Jiang Bai asked.

Before Zhongli could even speak, Paimon couldn't hold back any longer.

"I didn't expect you to be so kind. You don't like her but you still help her."

Paimon felt like he had a new understanding of Jiang Bai.

Jiang Bai looked at her speechlessly, "Are you kidding me? I'm just afraid she'll collapse before she even hears the truth!"

"Uh... I misjudged you..." Paimon's lips twitched. "You really trust the Rock King, don't you? What if the truth isn't what you think..."

"What a joke! I'm just a foolish lackey of the Rock King Emperor." Jiang Bai proudly puffed out his chest in front of Zhong Li.

Paimon was speechless. "Those were clearly insults, how come you're acting all high and mighty..."

"This is praise! It indirectly expresses my respect for the Rock King Emperor! Although I could not witness the Emperor's heroic figure during the Demon God War, just hearing a few words from him has filled me with endless respect and longing for him."

Chapter 408 Curse, Curse Hard!

"If I lived during the War of Demons and Gods, I would definitely be expanding the territory for the Emperor! At that time, what would be the Golden Roc General? I would be the Emperor's most beloved general!"

Listening to Jiang Bai's praise of the Emperor and himself, Kong and Paimon's eyes both turned into dead fish eyes.

Sora really wanted to call Xiao over and have him repeat those words in front of Xiao.

Jiang Bai didn't care about their feelings and continued:

"Besides, in a world where the victors rule and the losers are condemned, who cares about good and evil when it comes to the struggle for great achievements? Those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles. It's foolish to judge a person, or even a god, based solely on good or evil..."

“Little Bai…” Zhong Li reached out and patted Jiang Bai’s head, a faint smile on his face.

"Hmm?" As Zhongli patted his head, Jiang Bai's ahoge (cowlick) softened, and the tips of his ears turned a faint red.

"You remind me of what you said to me during the time the Emperor was assassinated. Back then, you were still torn between being Morax's lackey or the Second Geo God's lackey..."

Zhongli deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the word "lackey," making Jiang Bai immediately want to dig a hole and bury himself.

"Master!!"

His face turned bright red, as if he had been stepped on, and he instantly raised his voice.

"Those things are in the past, don't mention them again!!!"

Zhongli patted his head with a smile and said affectionately, "Okay, okay, let's not talk about it."

Even my own child has weaknesses.

However, as you get older, hearing praise from your children at home can be quite a unique experience.

Zhongli casually drew a talisman and stuck it on Wanyan's body, which immediately made her more awake.

"Why are there so many statues?!"

As soon as she regained consciousness, she saw the salt sculptures around her, all of which were in the posture of fleeing.

Although the expressions on the statues are no longer visible, their movements reveal that they are desperately trying to escape.

"These are all people affected by the burst of divine power when the Salt Demon died."

"What's ahead?" Kong frowned.

"It's salt, and it's betrayal."

Wan Yan took two steps back, her mind reeling.

"No way... How could that be... I don't believe it, you must be talking nonsense..."

She stumbled into the innermost hall, and when she saw the scene before her, she stood frozen in place, as if petrified.

Before her lay vast expanses of salt, which left marks of varying depths on the ground like exploding balloons.

At the very center of the explosion was a pool of pure white salt, piled up into a small hill, like the last ashes left behind after the fall of a demon god.

Behind this pile of salt is a human-shaped statue, frozen in the last moment of its life, in the pose of thrusting a sword forward.

This was exactly what Zhongli had described—betrayal.

"How...how could this be..." Wan Yan knelt down on the spot, her mind reeling.

Even if she didn't want to believe it, the facts were already laid out before her.

That short sword was indeed the weapon that killed the Salt Demon, and the one who killed the Salt Demon was the statue in front of her.

"This is the scene. Herria's body disintegrated, leaving only traces of salt. Her final moments are frozen here."

Zhongli calmly recounted Heureia's story:

"The Salt Demon God Heureia is not a powerful demon god. On the contrary, she is too accommodating and too weak, and is absolutely no chance of ascending to the position of one of the Seven Gods... a loser."

"During the War of the Demon Gods, the demon gods of the mortal world used all their strength and wisdom to fight for the continent of Teyvat. But Heureia chose to flee."

"He believed that as long as one gave up before the fighting even began, the war would never affect him or his people. However, in the long years of war, there is no end to yielding."

"In its endless concessions, Heureia lost all its land, leaving it with only its last refuge."

"His people finally realized that this benevolent but weak demon god could not protect anyone in the war."

"The war between demons is very cruel. Rather than letting Him suffer the torment of defeat, it is better to grant Him a relatively easy release."

"Tsk, the truth is even more outrageous than I imagined! I thought He was killed by other demon gods, but it turns out He was killed by His own people, who then claimed to have granted Him a relatively easy release. What a ridiculous joke!"

Jiang Bai had so much to complain about, so he took out his camera and started snapping away.

Wan Yan's ability to develop such faith in the Salt Demon God must have been cultivated from a young age through exposure to such influences.

There must be more than one person like her.

These people are truly shameless. Their ancestors killed the god who protected them, turned to serve other gods and demons, and now, after enjoying a peaceful life, they yearn for the old god who once cared for them so much and hate the Rock King Emperor who has protected them until now.

Jiang Bai had no sympathy for this kind of person; their broken beliefs were something they deserved!

He also wanted to kick them while they were down, and to publish the news so that all of Teyvat would know what their ancestors had done!

Ginhara-do, right? The one in charge of salt, right?

Forget about being an official. From now on, whenever you see salt, kowtow three times to beg for forgiveness!

I offer three sticks of incense and repent before the statue of the Emperor every day!

“And what about these statues?” Paimon asked.

"No matter how weak a demon god is, the power lost upon death is beyond what a mortal body can withstand. Those who couldn't escape all ended up like this."

"The people of the Salt God, who had not experienced this calamity, left His territory and went to Liyue to seek the protection of the Geo Archon."

"Their descendants feared the remnants of the demonic god Heuria left behind, and the eternal curse He had placed upon them. So they risked returning here, breaking the sword and offering it as a sacrifice, hoping to appease the wrath He left behind."

"Actually, they went to unnecessary lengths. How could this demon god, who never resisted until the very end, harbor resentment towards his own people?"