"Why is he coming this way?"
Jiang Yan's brows furrowed deeply.
In his memories, there had never been any record of the Wolf King of the North Wind invading Liyue.
Could it be that his interference had altered the original course of Teyvat's history, causing unexpected events to unfold?
"I'll head over to take a look first—you notify the Lord of Geo."
With that, Jiang Yan strode toward the door.
"Jiang Yan, I was just looking for you—the city construction plan—"
Guizhong spotted him leaving and called out from afar.
But before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Yan tapped the ground lightly with one foot, his figure shooting into the sky like a beam of light, vanishing toward the north.
"Jiang…"
Guizhong's voice faded into the wind, echoing over the construction site.
"Hmph… honestly, what's he in such a rush for?" she muttered helplessly, watching him disappear.
Just then, Ganyu came running out of Jiang Yan's room in a hurry.
"Little Ganyu~ Do you know what Jiang Yan's rushing off for?" Guizhong asked curiously.
"An abnormal reading came from Stone Gate," Ganyu replied quickly. "The Liyue Millelith scouts detected a massive elemental energy signature approaching from the northeast—one that matches a top-tier Archon-class entity. Jiang Yan went ahead to investigate. I still need to report to the Lord of Geo right away."
As Ganyu spoke, Guizhong's relaxed expression hardened into one of grave concern.
A top-tier god approaching the Stone Gate? That was no small matter.
"Then hurry—I'll go with you," Guizhong said, grabbing Ganyu's hand as the two of them set off toward Morax's abode.
Stone Gate
At this moment, the Liyue Millelith stationed there had already received reports from their scouts.
The soldiers quickly assembled, tension written across their faces.
The scouts of the Liyue Millelith were never wrong—whether the information was confirmed or not, any news of a top-tier god approaching demanded full alert.
"Are the Dust Cannons ready?" the Liyue Millelith commander asked.
"All three Dust Cannons stationed at Stone Gate have been fully charged, sir!" a soldier replied crisply.
"Good! Everyone, prepare for combat!"
The commander's voice was steady—but the tremor in his hands betrayed his own fear.
"Sir…" one soldier hesitated, "Can we really stop it? That's… a god…"
"What did you just say?!" the commander barked. "We are soldiers! Defenders of the border! Even if it's a god, if it wants to cross the Stone Gate—then it'll have to do it over our corpses!"
His voice rang with steel.
"And besides—the Lord of Geo and the Adeptus will surely arrive soon after receiving word. We just need to hold out until they come!"
"Don't forget what our founding Adeptus told us when we were established—
The Liyue Millelith of Stone and Rock never retreat!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Liyue Millelith straightened their backs and shouted in unison.
Moments later, a wave of killing intent swept over them from afar.
From the snowy plains northeast of Stone Gate, a massive wolf's silhouette appeared—
a beast so enormous its shadow swallowed the horizon.
(At this time, Mondstadt was still trapped in an age of endless winter.)
As the wolf drew nearer, the Liyue Millelith tightened their grips on their spears, faces pale but resolute.
The commander swallowed hard, then stepped forward, shouting toward the approaching shadow:
"Archon ahead! This territory belongs to the Lord of Geo! You are not permitted to advance any further!"
"This is your final warning—turn back now!"
"..."
A deep, contemptuous voice rumbled through the air.
"Humans… you think yourselves worthy to bar my path?"
The shadow dispersed.
Before the soldiers stood a colossal wolf, its fur a radiant silver-blue—
the Wolf King of the North Wind, Andrius, the apex god of the Mondstadt region!
Behind him, countless wolves gathered, snarling and baring their fangs.
And beyond even them, faint silhouettes of humans could be seen following in the distance.
An overwhelming divine pressure radiated from Andrius' body,
and the Liyue Millelith were instantly crushed to their knees beneath it.
The commander slammed his spear into the ground, forcing himself upright.
As commander of the Liyue Millelith of Stone and Departure, he bowed to no one—
not to kings, not to gods—only to the Lord of Geo and the Adeptus who created them!
"If you wish to enter this land," he declared, voice trembling yet firm,
"you'll have to step over our corpses first! Even if you do—our Lord and the Adeptus will avenge us!"
Even as Andrius' killing aura pressed down upon him like a mountain,
the commander's eyes did not waver in the slightest.
"Heh… amusing little humans."
Andrius sneered, stepping forward—
When suddenly—
"Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands!!"
A clear voice rang out from the heavens.
The earth roared and heaved.
From beneath Stone Gate, a colossal Buddha rose into the sky—nearly a thousand meters tall!
In its countless palms, every Liyue Millelith soldier was safely gathered and shielded.
Atop the statue's head stood Jiang Yan,
his eyes burning with murderous fury.
"You…" he said coldly, staring down at the Wolf King.
"You were just about to harm my men…"
His killing intent exploded.
"What exactly—were you planning to do to them?!"
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