In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

This thing is filled with the power of the abyss. If Cyno were to eat it, even though he also possesses the power of a god, he would be tormented to no end.

As pioneers and trailblazers.

Rhodes did not rest at the supply depot camp for long before setting off again.

This time.

I stopped following him.

The lady had really wanted to come along when D'Artagnan wasn't there.

But after Rhodes moved out the cooperation agreement, she had no choice but to stay.

The Winter Queen's orders were very useful.

No matter how unwilling the woman was, she had to obediently follow the expedition team.

Of course.

The young master, who abandoned his mission without permission, was naturally scolded by her again.

Working with colleagues like that is truly exhausting for her.

if you can.

The woman preferred to act alone rather than work on the same mission as an executive like Datalia, who was highly capable of causing trouble.

But it's a pity.

No if.

Now that he could finally act alone, Rhodes felt much more at ease.

He came to the Abyss of Layered Rocks for the power of the abyss.

Tasks like investigating biology, fossils, and drawing detailed topographic maps are all part of the scientific expedition team; it doesn't matter whether he's there or not.

that's it.

When no one is bothering you.

Rhodes was advancing at an extremely fast speed.

The monsters that roamed the roads also suffered a devastating catastrophe. The lucky ones were left with a corpse, while the unlucky ones were reduced to ashes and became food in Rhodes' pocket.

along the way.

Aside from a brief stop at supply points to replenish his Lumenite crystals, Rhodes tirelessly continued his work of eliminating monsters and absorbing the power of the abyss to strengthen himself.

During this period.

He also tried using Zhongli's Heart of God twice.

Same as before.

It's like a clay ox sinking into the sea; it's completely useless.

"It's still not enough."

Rhodes sighed as he sat down to rest on a rock, toying with the Heart of God in his hand.

The research team had long since been left behind by him.

He was not worried about the safety of those scholars.

With Seno, Tinari, and the lady present, nothing in this rocky abyss poses a threat to the scholars.

The problem we face now.

Even Rhodes himself didn't know how much he still needed to reach the standard the Great Tree King spoke of, the standard that allowed him to forcibly awaken the heart of God.

"Never mind, let's go down and take a look."

Looking down at the oppressive black and red light, Rhodes leaped off the high cliff.

The spot where he's sitting right now.

It is the only way to reach the Cold Sky Nail after passing through the main mining area.

It was also the most polluted area Rod had seen since entering the underground mining area.

The previous places were mostly filled with black mud or a lot of abyssal power dissipating into the air. With the help of Lumenite, those harsh environments could be suppressed; it was just a matter of how much was used.

But the contaminated area blocking Rhodes's way is different.

The abyssal power here is almost solidified.

Unlike the abyssal forces outside, which are simply black and difficult to see without close inspection.

The abyssal power within this contaminated area was emitting an intense purplish-red light, which attracted Rhode as soon as he arrived at the hole on its head.

Just how concentrated is the abyssal power here?

Even someone like Rhodes, who is practically immune to the abyss, could feel a sense of oppression, unease, and restlessness.

This is the same feeling that ordinary people experience when they enter the dead zone.

Rod was no stranger to this place.

After finding a logbook of the Fools, he became even more certain that he had not mistaken the place.

really.

This is the black fog zone that caused the Ninth Company to suffer heavy losses.

"Suck--"

Rhodes took a deep breath, then frowned.

It won't be something that can be done in a short time to completely devour the power of the abyss here.

The abyssal power permeating this black mist area not only drifts everywhere in the form of black mist, but also severely erodes the surrounding rock walls and ground. Just as the ore of the Layered Rock Abyss was transformed into Lumenite under the influence of the power of the Frost Nail, the rocks in the black mist area were also transformed into special minerals full of abyssal power.

According to the contents of the log.

The Ninth Company had previously dispersed this black fog zone once, and the area affected by the black fog last time was much larger than it is now. The black fog that Rhodes is seeing now is just a subsequent emanation from these abyssal ores.

Just as Rhodes was inspecting the area around the black fog.

A fireball radiating intense heat suddenly tore through the black mist, its gaze clearly pointing directly at Rhodes.

"Ok?"

Rhodes reacted quickly, waving his hand to unleash a fire elemental shield that blocked the fireball.

This is not over yet.

After the fireball, ice balls, lightning balls, water balls, and attacks formed from various elemental forces rained down on them.

One fire elemental shield is no longer enough.

Rhodes waved his hand, and the sacred artifact instantly materialized. As he finished chanting the incantation, the power of Hermanubis surged up, instantly pulling Rhodes's body defense to its limit. Then, supported by the powerful elemental force, the artifact transformed into a longsword, and with the force of a lightning bolt, it received all the sudden and fierce attacks from the black mist.

"I can't detect any aura."

As he swung his sword to block the attack, a look of seriousness appeared in Rhodes' eyes.

These attacks clearly originated from abyssal monsters.

But within the range of the black fog.

Rhode couldn't pinpoint the exact location of these monsters and could only passively endure their attacks.

"."

Rhode glanced at the faint purplish-red markings on his wrist, then stomped his foot and charged directly into the black mist.

His time is limited.

The power of the abyss here is too immense. Given Rhode's physical limitations and the intense battle, he can only hold out for a limited time. He must finish this quickly.

"Can't see clearly"

With his vision obstructed by the black mist, Rhode tried his best but still couldn't see his surroundings clearly. He could only rely on his senses, flapping his Snow Owl Wings to accelerate himself, and using the swordsmanship of the Blazing Sun lineage to slay the abyssal monsters hiding in the shadows.

After several consecutive missed attacks.

The first scream finally rang out from the black mist.

Based on the location of the sound, Rhodes adjusted his posture and swung his sword upwards again.

The boiling red blood, like magma, instantly drenched Rhodes' head and face.

Fortunately, Rhodes was a skilled user of fire elemental power and had a high tolerance for high temperatures; otherwise, just being drenched in the blood of these monsters would have been enough to severely injure him.

His companion was killed.

This enraged the demons within the black mist, who launched another fierce attack, accompanied by roars and curses.

This made it easier for Rhodes to pinpoint the exact location of the surrounding monsters.

The Protection of the Blazing Sun is truly a divine art passed down from the Demon God.

Despite enduring the attacks of these abyssal monsters, he transformed his longsword into a bow and fired precise shots continuously at the source of the earlier sound.

Amidst the 'thump thump thump' sounds of flesh making contact.

As Rhodes endured the attacks, he couldn't help but feel his blood surging.

In the end, he still suffered some injuries.

However, compared to Rhode's formidable physique, the effects of this injury were easily recovered with a single breath, far less significant than the cumulative impact of the abyssal power within his body.

In terms of raw strength, the abyssal monster hidden in the black mist was worlds apart from Rhode; only the first few attacks it launched at him could be considered somewhat threatening.

Compared to the attacks of these monsters.

The abyssal power within the black mist is the most troublesome thing for Rhode.

On one hand, he had to consume a huge amount of elemental power, and on the other hand, he had to resist the corrosive effects of excessive abyssal power on his body. This was a considerable test for Rhode.

I glanced at my left hand again.

Before entering, the patterns eroded by the power of the abyss were only near the wrist, but after fighting for less than a minute, they have already spread to the forearm.

At this speed

"I can only hold on for two more minutes at most."