Under the twilight sky, the setting sun cast a golden hue over the leaves of the trees.
Erging from the woods, one could see the clear surface of a large lake ahead, encompassing not only the Wangshu Inn but also the entirety of Dihua Marsh.
In Liyue, this region was known as Bishui Plain—a na evoking the vast expanse of crystal-clear waters that once graced the area.
But now, as dusk fell, even the bluest waters were bathed in a golden glow.
"The shadow wasn't in this forest. Could it have moved toward Mingyun Village?"
Mona's hat shielded part of her face from the sunlight, casting a shadow over her fair features as she sighed, frustration evident in her expression.
"Possibly. Let's go check it out," Nolan replied, lacking any particular way to track the shadow. He just hoped that the figure—likely Xiao—had flown in a straight line without changing direction.
And with that, they both opened their Wind Gliders, soaring toward the distant, barely visible shore with the aid of Anemo.
The breeze rippled across the water's surface, where schools of fish darted below, so alone, others in tightly packed clusters. No doubt, if little Klee were here, she'd be delighted at the sight.
After so ti, they landed on the opposite shore, leaving shallow imprints in the sand.
"Doesn't seem like anything's out of place here," Nolan observed, glancing around. The area was peaceful, without any trace of the shadow they were tracking.
To the right was Mingyun Village; to the left lay an area known as the Salt of the Earth(Sal Terrae).
No matter which direction they chose, there was only a fifty-fifty chance they'd be right—or wrong.
"Let's head up that mountain. We might spot sothing unusual from a higher vantage point," Nolan suggested after a mont of thought.
"Our quarry is fast. It's probably long gone by now. How about we just forget it? I'll just head back and consult the old lady on using my scrying tools instead," Mona said, feeling the task was getting tedious and slightly unnerved by the shadow's aura.
An astrologer's intuition is rarely wrong.
"We've co this far; we can't just give up now. Let's go—it's not that far," Nolan insisted, surprised at how quickly Mona wanted to abandon the search. Besides, if she left, how was he supposed to gain her affection?
Using both emotional appeal and logic, he managed to convince her.
After all, she hadn't yet achieved her goal of retrieving her master's box, and going back empty-handed would be humiliating.
But Mona knew that an astrologer's intuition is never without reason. The shadow likely carried an elent of danger.
She suggested they take so protective asures as they continued—or be ready to retreat at any mont.
Trusting her instincts, Nolan activated Concealnt Form, creating an invisibility field around them before moving on.
However, with their invisibility active, they couldn't use elental abilities, forcing them to climb the slope manually.
Thankfully, both of them were in good shape and didn't find the climb tiring.
On the hillside, with a clearer view and without the interference of trees, they heard faint sounds coming from the Salt of the Earth's direction.
"Could it be a fight?" Mona questioned, looking toward the source of the noise.
Nolan also looked in that direction and could indeed see figures engaged in combat.
But it was too far away to make out the details.
"Let's get closer. We shouldn't be spotted within my invisibility field," Nolan said, nodding.
The two made their way down the slope toward the Salt of the Earth area, moving faster now than they had coming up. Even so, they still had so distance to cover to reach the battleground.
By the ti they arrived, the sky had darkened, edging into nightfall.
Finally, they could make out the scene on the battlefield.
The sand-covered ground, corroded by tides, was littered with hilichurl bodies, both regular and larger ones. There were even several Abyss Mages scattered among them.
All lay lifeless, their bodies pierced by a long spear.
Standing alone on the battlefield were only two figures. One was a person wearing a demonic mask, face obscured, surrounded by violent and intense Anemo energy so dense it was turning black.
There was no mistaking him—this was the Yaksha, Xiao.
The dark figure they'd seen flying from Wangshu Inn was indeed him.
Though he spent his days at Wangshu Inn, few ever caught a glimpse of him. It seed that only demon-slaying would draw him out.
Xiao must have sensed the appearance of these monsters here and co to clear them out.
The other figure, however, surprised Nolan. It was tall with a strange appearance and wore an outfit of an unusual style, exuding a deep, terrifying aura.
But this figure was also familiar—Nolan had seen it many tis in the ga.
—An Abyss Herald: Wicked Torrents!
In all his ti on Teyvat, this was the first ti he had seen one of these elusive beings in the flesh, although that was likely because he hadn't gone looking for them.
After all, he hadn't been strong enough before to take them on.
The Abyss Herald: Wicked Torrents was in rough shape, kneeling on one knee and gasping for air, his body covered in spear wounds, with one arm missing entirely.
Perhaps Xiao's fierce winds had torn it to shreds.
Nolan activated his golden Eye of Judgnt to assess the Herald's level, which was indeed at level 90—a high-ranking mber of the Abyss Order.
But what was it doing here, fighting Xiao?
"Sothing's wrong!" Mona suddenly exclaid.
"What's wrong?"
Nolan looked closer at the Abyss Herald. It certainly seed like it was about to lose, but could it still turn the tide sohow?
Wait, shouldn't it be able to retreat through the Abyss teleport network at any ti? Why was it stubbornly fighting Xiao here?
Now that he thought about it, sothing was indeed off.
"It's not the creature that's the problem—it's that masked figure. Sothing's wrong with him!" Mona said, nudging him to look at Xiao instead.
"Oh?"
Nolan turned his gaze back to Xiao and, after studying him carefully, finally noticed the issue.
The Anemo energy radiating from Xiao was far too intense and uncontrollable, as though he was struggling to rein it in.
Moreover, his normally green Anemo energy was nearly black, as if it had fused with sothing else, sothing Nolan was not unfamiliar with.
He'd seen it when the "Lumine's Sword God" had vanquished the Toad Demon.
Without a doubt, it was "karmic debt"!
No wonder the Abyss Herald hadn't fled; he must have realized Xiao's karmic burden was flaring up. Now, this was trouble.
There was no telling if Xiao could hold out.
"Heh, if this Yaksha is choosing to obstruct our Order, then tonight, let rid us of a formidable enemy once and for all!"
The Abyss Herald staggered to its feet, summoning torrents of water around itself as it charged forward, its movents ghostly and swift.
Xiao's karmic burden had indeed surged.
He hadn't expected this day, of all days, for the Abyss creatures to appear and cause trouble.
He had planned to quickly deal with them and leave, but one was proving stronger than expected. Initially, it could barely withstand two of his strikes.
Now, with his karmic debt taking hold, even wielding his spear had beco challenging.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Xiao clashed with the Abyss Herald once more, his dark Anemo energy bursting out of control, sending both of them flying back.
"Nolan, do you know that masked figure? Should we help him?" Mona asked, sensing that the frightening aura she'd felt was coming from Xiao's karmic burden. If they didn't intervene soon, he might turn into sothing even more fearso than the monster before him.
"Of course we should help. Give a mont to prepare," Nolan replied, nodding.
He took out the twenty-three Primogems he had gathered during his adventure in the Cave of Sea Gazer and absorbed them, gaining 69,000 Adventure EXP.
With the remaining Adventure EXP on his character panel, his total jumped above the 100,000 mark:
[Adventure EXP: 128,282]
With no skills to upgrade for the mont, his best option was to level up.
Adventure EXP: -82,000
Lv82 (0/82,000) → Lv83 (0/83,000)
A powerful surge of energy coursed through him, enhancing each of his cells; the increase in strength from each level past 80 was substantial.
He now felt much more confident in facing this challenge.
The enhancent complete, Nolan and Mona still kept a safe distance from the battlefield. Even if they lifted their invisibility now, they wouldn't likely be noticed.
This allowed them to set up an ambush.
Nolan released his invisibility and summoned the tiny, figurine-sized "Lumine's Sword God," positioning her within a dense patch of grass.
Though Mona looked puzzled, she kept silent, knowing that without invisibility, their voices might be overheard, and watched Nolan's preparations quietly.
The "Lumine's Sword God" was prid for action.
This ti, she didn't summon her golden longsword but clenched her fist. As the Abyss Herald and Xiao collided once more, drawing near her position, the very air seed to freeze.
In a flash, the "Lumine's Sword God" teleported to their side, expanding in size, and in their stunned gaze, delivered a punch—straight to Xiao's face!
The Abyss Herald, watching its opponent sent flying, froze in shock.
Mona, who had been following the events intently, suddenly widened her eyes, her lips parting as if to let out a cry of surprise.
But before she could, Nolan, who had anticipated this, covered her mouth.
There hadn't been ti to explain everything earlier; they'd have to sort things out afterward, or risk drawing unwanted attention.
(End of Chapter)
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