Bonus Chapter!
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"Brother Zhongli, when you say that the creatures and spirit beasts will be drawn here... you're not just talking about Geovishaps, right?""Indeed. But it might not stop there. Guarding this place will be your responsibility."
Zhongli sat cross-legged atop the Dragonfall Tree. "I need to make some adjustments using the secret technique passed down by the Lord of Geo. I will let you know before I begin."
"Understood. A little preparation before the battle, right?"
Gu Sanqiu rolled his shoulders. "One more thing—when you use the secret technique, will loud noises distract you?"
"No, as long as no creature directly interferes with me or the essence in front of me, the ritual will proceed uninterrupted."
"Direct interference, huh? So, if someone were to blow on this blue light... what would happen?"
Gu Sanqiu's curiosity was genuine. Causing a tangible disruption to a mass of mist seemed deceptively easy.
"This essence holds the power of a Flood Dragon, imbued with purity and purpose. It possesses a 'weight' unlike any other gas. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to budge it."
Hearing this, Gu Sanqiu relaxed.
In other words, for the next stretch of time, all he had to do was treat Zhongli's request like a hardcore tower defense game—where any breach meant an immediate loss.
"Then I better set up some defenses."
With a leap from the treetop, Gu Sanqiu launched a punch towards a nearby Cryo Slime.
Bang!
The sensation was like hitting a gelatinous wall. The shield of the large Cryo Slime shattered, and Gu Sanqiu landed with a flex of his bulging arms, hoisting the hefty creature off the ground.
(σ｀д′)σ
"Alright, cough up your condensed fluid, or I'll have to extract it myself."
Golden light flared, covering him in a protective barrier. Nearby slimes attempted to attack with "Jelly Impact" and "Slime Spit," only to be repelled by the barrier's reflective force.
Intimidated by his brutal demand, the large Cryo Slime quivered before spitting out a ball of frosty essence.
Gu Sanqiu set the slime down, patting its round, trembling body with a genial smile before reforming its protective shield—though the color was now slightly different.
"Good. You and your friends stay put here, or I'll turn you all into dessert toppings."
Rising walls of stone encircled the family of Cryo Slimes, trapping them within.
"Perfect."
Dusting off his hands, Gu Sanqiu pocketed the raw, shivering liquid from the trembling large slime.
"Just a few more to go."
The next morning, Zhongli opened his eyes. "Brother Gu, I've finished... hmm?"
His gaze fell on the scene below—a series of towering stone walls, each enclosing what appeared to be luxury suites for slimes. Inside, various slimes hopped about, producing a colorful array of crystals.
And amidst the stone partitions, Gu Sanqiu flitted around, basket in hand, cheerfully tossing evenly-measured pills to the bouncing creatures while humming a little tune.
Is this... animal husbandry?
Even the Lord of Geo looked puzzled.
"Oh, Brother Zhongli! Finished your preliminary adjustments?" Gu Sanqiu called, leaping to the treetop. "There's still some time before you activate the secret technique, so I'm setting up some defensive preparations."
"What exactly are you doing, Brother Gu?"
"Everyone knows that when you extract condensed fluid directly from a slime, it's full of raw elemental power and requires purification before it's usable. I've always wanted to try this, but doing it back in Liyue Harbor seemed pointless... and too much of a hassle."
Rubbing his hands together, Gu Sanqiu lined up a variety of colorful slime condensates along the trunk of the tree. With a swift motion of Geo power, a series of crystals, each a different hue, materialized before them.
"Judging by the quality of this slime fluid, this is the strongest shield I can muster."
With a flick of his wrist, a gust of wind scattered the crystals over Zhongli, shattering them upon impact. What was once a scene of elegance now carried an odd disco-like shimmer.
"Also, this."
A thick, dull yellow barrier enveloped Zhongli, wrapping him in an armor-like shell of solid Geo power.
"What... are you doing?"
"Multiple layers of shielding—now I can rest easy while you perform the ritual. Leave the rest to me," Gu Sanqiu said, patting Zhongli's shoulder—or attempting to, until realizing he couldn't even get close.
"My thanks, Brother Gu."
At noon, a blazing beam of sunlight struck the Dragonfall essence, bathing it in a dazzling golden light.
A deep, ethereal dragon's roar echoed as streams of gold, green, and blue energy began to flow into the Dragonfall Tree.
The tree quivered, a single leaf landing softly atop Zhongli's head, carrying the unique energy of the land.
From the distance, a cacophony of growls and screeches reached Gu Sanqiu's ears—wild boars, treasure weasels, Geovishaps, and even bands of Hilichurls charged towards him, drawn by an irresistible force.
Gu Sanqiu smirked wickedly, snapping his fingers.
Below, the luxurious stone suites shattered, revealing a colorful lineup of oversized slimes—stout and formidable, they stood like solid, bulbous sentinels ready to face the encroaching horde.
After nearly a day of feeding and training, many of the slimes were on the verge of evolving into large slimes, while their companions had stored up plenty of energy.
And thanks to Gu Sanqiu's blend of carrot-and-stick management, these slimes would follow his every command.
Granted, their intelligence was rudimentary, so any complex instructions were out of the question.
But as a living defensive line? They were more than sufficient.
"Pyro Slime Squad, fire!"
"Cryo Slime Squad, engage!"
With a stately spear in hand, Gu Sanqiu commanded the lines of slimes.
After gorging on a hefty supply of elemental pills, the slimes had harnessed the energy within without bursting apart.
For the time being, they were endless artillery units!
Thunderous flames triggered Overload reactions, charged waters unleashed Electro-Charge, freezing ice and gentle rain formed Frozen barriers, and howling storms sparked Superconduct reactions.
A relentless barrage of elemental chaos crashed against the advancing enemy, while a few frightened treasure weasels woke up from their trance, dropping Mora as they bolted.
As of now, the Hilichurl Berserkers and the armored Geovishaps were the only ones managing to withstand the bombardment.
But as the bombardment continued, the shield of the first Hilichurl Berserker cracked, and the thick armor and elemental barriers of the Geovishaps began to splinter!
BOOM!
The sniper rifle roared, a shot tearing through a Geovishap's shield and burying itself into its skull!
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Bonus chapters will be posted on Saturday!