In the video, atop Yujing Terrace.
The lifeless body that plummeted down before the eyes of the masses was none other than Rex Lapis!
With Ningguang's decisive order, the scene erupted in chaos.
Rex Lapis had been assassinated during the Rite of Descension?!
Millelith troops flooded in, and the attending civilians were all subjected to questioning.
Meanwhile, in the Extraordinary Group Chat, Rahu Dragon King and Osel were practically ecstatic.
[Rahu Dragon King]: Die well! So satisfying! That scheming Morax deserved to die long ago. When exactly is this Rite of Descension?! Once Morax is dead, I shall break free and seize control of Liyue! (Rahu Dragon King · Roaring)
[Osel]: Hahaha, Morax, you've finally kicked the bucket. Though I didn't get to avenge myself personally, this is still gratifying. Gratitude to the mastermind behind it! (Hu Tao · Mischievous Grin)
[Zhongli]: ...
Is it possible that he's actually not dead?
Osel, you really want to thank me?
Zhongli's lips twitched, his emotions a tangled mess.
[Ningguang]: How could this happen?!
[Keqing]: The Rite of Descension is just around the corner. Is the Lord truly in the group?! We must watch the video! (Anxious)
[Cloud Retainer]: Hmph, who could harm the Lord? What a joke!
[Mountain Shaper]: To think the Lord would face such calamity. But the Rite is still some time away—we have enough preparation. @[Cloud Retainer]@[Mountain Shaper]@[Demon Conqueror Great Sage] Besides locating the Lord, we must suppress Rahu Dragon King to prevent him from breaking free and endangering Liyue!
[Demon Conqueror Great Sage]: Understood!
[Mountain Shaper]: At such a critical juncture, why can't we reach the Lord?! Could it be... that he's already met with misfortune?!
[Cloud Retainer]: Nonsense! This One refuses to believe any petty villain could threaten the Lord!
Morax, the Geo Archon, possessed strength at the pinnacle of the Teyvat Continent.
Who could sneak up on him without a sound?!
What a joke!
Cloud Retainer refused to buy it, not for a second.
[Raiden Ei]: Hard to believe. This news is truly shocking.
[Yae Miko]: Indeed, even the world's most ancient god has fallen. But there are many suspicions. Why perish specifically during the Rite of Descension? That could be explained as a deliberate choice by some schemer. But how to explain the Geo Archon falling without a peep?
[Yae Miko]: After all, as one of the most ancient gods, even if ambushed, shouldn't there have been some commotion?
[Heizou]: I've got an idea! (Xingqiu · Eureka)
Zhongli's expression flickered wildly.
There were plenty of sharp minds in the world, especially in this Extraordinary Group Chat.
Even ignoring the lurkers, familiar faces like Heizou—the detective whose deductions even Zhongli found convincing—were enough.
And now the kid had piped up!
"He couldn't have figured it out, could he?"
Zhongli's hand trembled slightly around his teacup, an inexplicable toothache brewing.
[Hu Tao]: The Lord has passed on? Can Wangsheng Funeral Parlor take that commission? (Klee · Pretty Please)
[Kaeya]: Miss Hu Tao, that comment makes it hard not to suspect Wangsheng Funeral Parlor of the assassination. (Hilarious)
[Hu Tao]: ???
[Zhongli]: Though the Hall Master craves clients, she would never commit such treason. Rest assured, everyone. (Zhongli · Sipping Tea)
[Hu Tao]: I just want to do business, not dig my own grave! (Hu Tao · Spooked)
[Ningguang]: The priority is contacting the Lord. I've privately messaged the Qixing, but none can reach him. I can only ask the adepti!
[Demon Conqueror Great Sage]: No response from me either.
[Cloud Retainer]: Alas, the same here.
[Heizou]: Judging by the Liyue adepti, no one can reach him. So the theory that the Geo Archon has met with misfortune holds. But I've reviewed recent events: aside from the Stormterror incident in Mondstadt, the other Six Nations have been relatively peaceful. Even minor events wouldn't link to the Geo Archon's fall.
[Heizou]: @[Tartaglia], as a martial artist, what kind of person could ambush you and kill you without resistance? And without making too much noise—to slay you silently!
[Tartaglia]: Plenty could kill me, but swapping in Morax... Everyone knows his power, as one of the most ancient gods. If I were Morax, the ones who could kill me without a sound? Probably fewer than the fingers on one hand!
[Rahu Dragon King]: Hmph, I could do it. Killing Morax is nothing—perhaps I broke free before the Rite and slew him? (Rahu Dragon King · Roaring)
[Ganyu]: Senior Rahu, please don't boast. You're powerful, a match for the Lord, but you couldn't kill him silently unless he didn't resist! (Ganyu · Don't Touch)
[Rahu Dragon King]: You doubt my strength?
[Furina]: This is getting mysterious—and all the more exciting! (Yun Jin · Anticipation)
[Ningguang]: So, any theories?
[Neuvillette]: No leads.
[Kaeya]: Haven't reached that level, hard to imagine such heights.
[Venti]: Say, isn't it possible Morax isn't actually dead? (Hilarious)
[Ningguang]: Why say that, Mr. Venti?
Everyone knew Barbatos and Morax were old friends.
Was Venti hinting at something now?
In Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli stared at the light screen before him.
He could only hope Venti would act like a person.
[Venti]: Who doesn't know Morax's strength? Who could ambush him? So it must be suicide—or faked death! (Sangonomiya Kokomi · Pondering)
[Venti]: Everyone knows how embarrassingly I handed over my Gnosis, but god relations are complicated. Maybe Morax has a deal with the Tsaritsa, handing over his Gnosis this way? (Hilarious)
[Keqing]: Unlikely! Why would the Lord give up his Gnosis? And even if so, why fall during the Rite? Why fake it so sloppily?
[Keqing]: If per Mr. Venti, it's faked death, it's far too abrupt. Even illness needs precursors—or being slain by a freed Osel would work! Would the ever-strategic Lord die so unexpectedly? I don't buy it!
[Zhongli]: ...
What's this? My death not satisfactory enough?
"Have Osel break free and kill me... feasible?"
Zhongli pondered, then dismissed it as absurd.
He who'd once speared Osel down—now slain by the freed beast?
Maybe fall ill first, weaken, then get done in by Osel?
That'd seem more logical.
But glancing at the video, Zhongli felt it unnecessary.
Every shade of bitter tease seed was about to be exposed anyway—what was the point?!