"Woah~ This tree is so big, even bigger than the one at Windrise."
The Azhdaha Tree in front of them seemed much larger than the tree at Windrise. Besides the normal branches, it also contained something else.
Klee curiously circled the tree, while Qiqi, pulled along by Klee, strolled around the tree. Durandal, meanwhile, was discussing God aura with Shenhe.
"This is where the God aura is strongest. If I'm not mistaken, a certain God should be sealed beneath this tree."
"Mmm, the demonic aura is indeed very strong. But... what do we do next?"
The God was definitely sealed under this tree. Did they have to dig a passage down?
Should they go back to Liyue Harbor and report the situation to the Millelith? If they told them that an ancient God was breaking free from its seal and would soon reawaken, they would probably come to help as quickly as possible.
It hadn't been long since Osial's incident, and the horror of ancient Gods was still deeply imprinted in their hearts. Although this place was a long distance from Liyue Harbor, it was within Liyue's borders. Since a God was discovered here, the Millelith guarding Liyue should come and deal with it.
"There should be a passage that leads to the seal's location. We should be able to find it by walking around here. But... besides the God's aura, I also sense another familiar aura."
As she spoke of this aura, Durandal's expression turned grim.
Why? This must be the stench from the Abyss, and it was very strong and fresh. Those guys were currently active nearby.
Perhaps they were at the God's seal, preparing to break it and plunge Liyue Harbor into the threat of a God once more.
During this time, her attention had been drawn by the Fatui, and she had forgotten about the Abyss, another existence that she found equally repulsive.
"Are you alright? Your face looks a bit grim. Did something come to mind?"
Shenhe reached out and touched Durandal's forehead, looking at her with some concern.
"I'm fine, it's just that this situation might not be as simple as just a God. I also sensed the aura of the Abyss within the God's aura. Do you know about the Abyss?"
"???"
Shenhe looked at Durandal in confusion. It seemed that what the adepti had taught her did not include anything about the Abyss.
Or perhaps, in the eyes of those from exorcist families like Shenhe, the Abyss was simply what they called demonic evil. The power of the Abyss certainly fit that description.
"Let's meet up with Klee and the others first. Next... we might have to face both a God and people from the Abyss simultaneously."
Durandal looked beneath the Azhdaha Tree. If nothing unexpected happened, they would soon enter the space below. Besides the sealed God they were looking for, there were also Apostles of the Abyss there.
——————
Beneath the Azhdaha Tree, there was a particularly large space. In the center of this space stood several rock pillars, encircling and firmly trapping a massive creature in the middle.
He was Azhdaha, the King of Geovishaps. He was sealed here by the Geo Archon, and recently the seal had loosened, and he was looking for an opportunity to break free.
He didn't expect that before his plan to break the seal had even begun, the Abyss Mages would find him and try to cooperate with him.
Although he hated Morax, who had sealed him, and wanted to destroy Liyue, he disdained cooperating with these guys.
The Abyss had long anticipated Azhdaha's answer. They were not in a hurry. Azhdaha was currently sealed and unable to act, which was a good opportunity for them to secretly manipulate things.
Just as they had corrupted Dvalin in the past, the Abyss was preparing to use the same trick on Azhdaha.
But Azhdaha was, after all, an existence who had fought alongside the Geo Archon. How could he be so easily swayed by the Abyss? However, if this continued, even he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
"Indeed... I knew why there was a stench from the Abyss here. You really are up to something."
Just as the Abyss Mages were using their abilities near Azhdaha's seal to corrupt his mind, the appearance of an unfamiliar voice alerted the Abyss Mages.
Some Abyss Mages who hadn't heard this voice before wondered which ignorant human dared to speak so arrogantly. The expression of one of the more senior Abyss Mages changed... it was unclear how his face, hidden by a mask, changed, but the Abyss Mage didn't care about that.
He "whooshed" to look in the direction of the voice and saw a small girl holding a great scythe emerge from the shadows, looking at them expressionlessly.
"It's been a while since I last saw you. Since you couldn't corrupt Dvalin in Mondstadt, you set your sights on Liyue's Gods? Your ambitions are quite grand, even targeting Gods."
"[black plague] Durandal... I didn't expect you to come to this place."
When Durandal fought Osial, the Abyss Order was watching nearby. When they saw Durandal's Main Body, their apprehension towards Durandal deepened.
When she rampaged through the Abyss back then, she hadn't taken on this form. If she had displayed her full power in that form, what would the Abyss have ultimately become?
Especially after seeing Durandal kill Osial and absorb all the negative effects Osial had caused, the Abyss Order decided to steer clear of her.
As a result, they didn't expect that just a few days later, shortly after their plan to corrupt Azhdaha had begun, Durandal would appear before them.
Grand ambitions? Hmph, their original target wasn't Azhdaha, but the weakened Osial after he was sealed.
But Osial had already been dealt with by her. They had no choice but to target Azhdaha, who was also sealed and unable to move.
Yet, before their plan had even begun, she came knocking. How did she notice them so quickly? The Abyss Order hadn't provoked her recently, had they?
"Hey, boss. What's wrong? Why do you seem so nervous? Is this human very powerful?"
A junior Abyss Mage, seeing his captain's appearance, couldn't help but lean over and ask.
"Yeah, boss. This human just looks exaggerated, it's not like we haven't seen people like this before. I estimate her Vision is Geo-aligned, otherwise, where would she get the strength to lift such a large scythe? A Geo Vision, such a person can't even break our elemental shields, what's there to worry about? Don't be afraid, I can take care of her."
The one who said this was a Hydro Abyss Mage. When he saw Durandal could so easily lift the great scythe, he suspected Durandal's Vision element was Geo.
After all, only a Geo Vision could allow a petite human like Durandal to wield a weapon larger than her own body. Creatures with this element were their favorite to deal with, as it was difficult for Geo to break their shields.
Often, by the time the opponent attempted to destroy their elemental shield, they could already incapacitate them.
Hearing her subordinate speak so boastfully, the Abyss Mage, as the captain, raised the branch in her hand and struck the other party's head hard.
"You can deal with her? Are you kidding me? She's someone even the 'Prince' can't contend with. It's even possible that the Abyss's strongest combatants are no match for her. You can deal with her? Fine, go on then. If you can handle her, the 'Prince' will surely look at you in a new light."
"Ah? Even our strongest combatants aren't a match? Captain, are you joking?"
"Do you think I would joke about something like this?"
Sensing the seriousness in her captain's tone, this squad member finally realized the gravity of the situation. Not just her, but the other Abyss Mages present also understood Durandal's terrifying power.
How could they possibly contend with such an opponent? But how to escape was also a problem.
The opponent clearly wasn't going to let them go. Durandal would resolve every Abyss Mage she encountered. She wouldn't show them mercy just because Lumine's brother was the 'Prince' of the Abyss Order.
At this moment, Azhdaha, who was sealed in the middle by Stone Pillars, suddenly moved. His massive ankle stomped heavily on the ground, shattering the Stone Pillars that sealed him. The other Stone Pillars successively lost their sealing effect.
Azhdaha, gradually breaking free from the seal, let out a deafening roar. Durandal could feel the surrounding elemental power becoming restless with Azhdaha's roar.
"What an opportunity!"
Seeing Durandal's attention drawn to Azhdaha, the Abyss Mages present seized the opportunity, preparing to flee.
"Cryo Infusion"
Suddenly, a massive Cryo Element power erupted, stopping the Abyss Mages who had activated their elemental shields and were preparing to escape.
However, they had more than that to face. Besides the Cryo Element, they also had another element to contend with.
"Jumpy Dumpty Bomb"
"Talisman Spirit: Evoke Amulet!"
Shenhe, Klee, and Qiqi, who had been waiting in the shadows, attacked simultaneously, trapping all the Abyss Mages there.
Their task was to deal with these Abyss Mages. With their combat power, handling these Abyss Mages shouldn't be a problem.
As for Durandal, she had to face this colossal creature that had broken free from its seal. To be honest, he was quite massive, as tall as a mountain, perhaps? She wondered how he moved when he was on the ground. Every step would probably cause an earthquake.
"I am Azhdaha! Creator of Elemental Crystals! Mortal, do not overstep!"
"Mortal... well, a nice address. Since you are an elemental creature, you must be immortal, right? Which means, no matter how hard I try, it won't matter, right?"
Wielding the great scythe in her hand, Durandal looked at the massive Azhdaha and revealed a faint smile.
"Let me see just how strong you are."
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