Genshin Impact's Sweet and Hard Free People

When the workers tried to touch it, the ore suddenly flashed with light, causing them all to lose consciousness. When the miners awoke, the mysterious ore had vanished.

The unconscious workers were not seriously injured, and some were even fascinated by its mysterious color. Later, the miners named it "rock core glass" and believed that it was related to the legendary "jade".

When news of the Rock Core Glass reached the ears of the Seven Stars, Tianquan Ningguang immediately declared that the Rock Core Glass Glass must be thoroughly investigated, otherwise the safety of the workers operating in the Rock Abyss could not be guaranteed.

Thus, Ke Qing, the star of Yuheng, was ordered to search for the traces of Yanxin Liuli. However, when she arrived at the depths of the mine, she discovered the dense and terrifying elemental power contained within.

Although she sensed something, she had gone too deep and had arrived at an undeveloped mine tunnel. For her own safety, she had to temporarily withdraw from the investigation.

Unable to find the core crystal, Qixing had no choice but to reopen the mine. As the workers returned to their posts, engaging in mine tunnel development and ore extraction, the abyss trembled, and the mine shaft collapsed.

This accident buried a large number of miners under the rubble, and their fate remains unknown.

"How many workers have gone missing in total?" Ke Qing asked Gan Yu behind her.

"Two hundred and thirty-seven miners were buried, eighty-three of whom were in the under-development No. 56 mine tunnel, while the others were distributed in No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 mine tunnels." This was the situation that Gan Yu had just tallied, and it can only be used as a reference.

Ke Qing was deeply worried after hearing this.

Mine tunnel No. 56 was the same mine tunnel where she had failed to investigate the core glass last time. How could an ordinary person resist the dense elemental energy there?

Thinking of this, she could only quicken her pace, trying to lead the Thousand Rock Army into the Layered Rock Abyss as soon as possible...

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Three-Eyed, Five-Manifested Immortal

In the mist, Xin Hui's golden eyes became even more striking. He moved through the jungle like a phantom.

Along the way, he had already killed many Rock Shield Hilichurls, and now he was quite adept at dealing with monsters.

However, the Rock Shield Hilichurls are indeed difficult to deal with. They will raise their shields to defend against your attacks, and if your weapon hits their rock shield at this time, they will attack you with their stone clubs.

Fortunately, Xin Hui already knew to circle around behind them and use ice elemental power to stiffen their bodies, then deliver a fatal blow at that moment, which would have a miraculous effect.

Just as Xinhui was about to open the map in his hand, a sound suddenly came from behind him.

That was the sound of the massive Rock Shield Hilichurl thug charging forward, its earthen-yellow shield adorned with amber-like crystals that appeared incredibly hard.

Seeing that the Hilichurl thug was coming towards him, Xinhui jumped to the side to dodge his attack.

After the Hilichurl mob's charge ended, it raised its rock shield and swung it fiercely with considerable force. This was also its attack method, only it missed Xin Hui.

When Xin Hui's sword, imbued with ice elemental power, slashed at it, it adopted the same defensive stance as a Rock Shield Hilichurl, standing with its knees slightly bent, its red eyes beneath the mask filled with hatred.

Xin Hui was jolted by the recoil from the sword. He was surprised; the Rock Shield Hilichurl Thug's shield was much harder. At this rate, it would take a lot of effort to break it with brute force.

Moreover, trying to get around to its side was impossible. The Rock Shield Hilichurl thug's eyes were fixed on Xin Hui. Wherever Xin Hui moved, it raised its shield accordingly, not wanting to give Xin Hui any chance to take advantage.

Seeing this, Xin Hui simply rushed forward. The latter thought that Xin Hui was about to attack again, so he quickly raised his rock shield to defend himself.

But that was just a feint. That was exactly the effect Xin Hui wanted. Before the Rock Shield Hilichurl thug could react, he grabbed the huge Rock Shield with his right hand, pushed hard, and his whole body was lifted into the air.

Xin Hui stepped on the dazed head of the Rock Shield Hilichurl Thug and nimbly flipped behind him. Immediately afterward, the cold light of his longsword arrived, and black and red monster blood gushed out.

Xin Hui's longsword pierced its internal organs from behind, followed by the Hilichurl thug's painful howl.

Awooo~ Awooo~

After struggling for a while, its huge and robust body collapsed in pain and resentment.

Xin Hui walked over and picked up the longsword, his expression indifferent. Although the demon's blood made him feel a little disgusted, he suppressed the nausea and took out a stone that emitted a faint light from his pocket.

That's a night-blooming jasmine, which still emits a faint blue light in the night, making it appear ethereal and magical.

Relying solely on the faint blue light, Xinhui stared intently at the already unclear map, making some marks to try and figure out if he had taken the wrong path.

They encountered quite a few monsters along the way, and even killed more than a dozen Rock Shield Hilichurls, but still did not see the shadow of the Rock Abyss.

With the map spread out in his hand, Xin Hui was not even sure of his own location; he was almost lost in the fog.

Seeing no hope of finding a way to check the map, Xin Hui shook his head and simply put it away. Then he closed his eyes, placed his right hand on his heart, and looked extremely absorbed, as if he were sensing something.

Suddenly, he turned around sharply, looking at the distant mist, his golden eyes shining brightly as if trying to see through what it concealed.

Xin Hui sensed that power, so after wiping the blood off his sword, he resolutely walked toward that place.

Soon, they arrived at a dark green thicket of thorns. Looking at the intertwined thorns growing in all directions, Xin Hui was somewhat wary of their sharp thorns, so he cautiously reached out with his hand.

The moment I touched the long, whitish thorns, a particularly intense stinging sensation shot through my fingers.

Extremely sharp!

Xin Hui then realized that the thorns on the thorns were as sharp and hard as ordinary steel needles. Moreover, they also contained a slight toxicity. The stinging sensation in Xin Hui's hand didn't last long before he felt a numbness in his left hand.

Although faint, it could not be ignored, because Xin Hui also saw a wild boar not far away, entangled and bound by thorns, its eyes empty and lifeless. This made him realize that if he was not careful, he might end up like it.

However, Xin Hui didn't have time to search for a way out, so he immediately decided to use his longsword to cut through the thorny vines and carve out a path!

Xin Hui's longsword, named "Divine Radiance," is a magical weapon he obtained by chance during his travels. In its prime, it possessed the power to slay demons and gods, but it lost its divine power and its former glory in a battle with Tian Li.

It's a waste to use it now to clear away "weeds".

Just as he broke through the thorns and finally felt free, a voice suddenly came from ahead that struck his very soul.

"Who are you, and why have you appeared in this desolate wilderness?"

The sudden sound startled Xin Hui. He couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound and saw the imposing young man standing on the rock in front of him.

The boy had dark green hair, bright golden eyes, a vermilion mark between his eyebrows, a strange demon-shaped mask in his right hand, light blue arm markings, a white shirt, and blue trousers. The Wind Attribute Divine Eye was on the wrist guard on his left arm.

At the same time, he held a long spear in his left hand—He Puyuan.

Although he was rather short, Xin Hui didn't dare underestimate him. Anyone who had met him could tell he was a ruthless character. Dangerous, taciturn, with eyes as sharp as knives.

When Xin Hui saw the boy's face clearly, he was somewhat surprised.

That's Xiao, who calls himself the Three-Eyed Five-Manifestation Immortal, and has been protecting Liyue for thousands of years.

"It's you?" Before Xin Hui could speak, Xiao had already thrust his spear at him again. The gemstone inlaid on the emerald green spear tip gleamed with a peculiar, eerie light in the dim light.

Xiao seemed to narrow his eyes, then greeted him: "I never expected that you would appear on this land a thousand years later."

Xin Hui nodded in affirmation. He understood that Xiao had recognized him and was also curious as to why he was here.

What exactly is Xiao fighting? To reveal the truth more subtly, one could say it's resentment from the past, unfulfilled ambitions, and the lament of a defeated being. The more direct answer is: the remnants of demons who suffered a crushing defeat in the "Demon War" before the establishment of the Seven Gods system. They were defeated by Morax and suppressed beneath solid rocks. But demons are immortal; though their consciousness dissipates, their power and resentment remain, transforming into accumulated filth that repeatedly plagues all living beings.

After Xiao finished explaining his origins, Xin Hui was amazed.

"So, you sensed the tremors occurring in the Abyss of Layered Rocks and believed it was caused by the remnants of a demon god, which is why you came here?"

Chapter Twenty-Six: Battle Against the Heavenly Abyss Demon Chi

"So what about you? Why are you here?" Xiao looked at him calmly.

Xinhui hesitated for a moment, but still told her about what had happened to her.

Attacked by the laws of other worlds, he fled to the continent of Teyvat with his diminished power...

"I see... Hmm... No wonder your power has become weak. Is it because your power has dissipated?" Xiao stroked his chin, sensing the elemental power within Xin Hui's body, seemingly a little regretful.

"I originally thought that the turmoil around the Layered Rock Abyss was caused by the will of the ancient demon god 'Tianyuan Demon Dragon', but I didn't expect it was caused by your power."

"Very well, since you're here, I'll escort you to the Abyss." Xiao paused Xin Hui's words, seemingly relieved.

After Xiao put on the demon mask on his right hand, his entire figure disappeared and vanished.

He then demonstrated the sense of security and mystery that came with being an immortal.

I will protect you from the side.

If you encounter difficulties such as being lost in the wilderness, being robbed on the road, being attacked by water, fire, or weapons, being harmed by ghosts, gods, medicine, or poison, being attacked by ferocious beasts or poisonous insects, or being attacked by enemies or wicked people, then call upon my name.

He truly is a trustworthy immortal.

Lian Xinhui sincerely lamented that there used to be five "demon-slaying immortals" like Xiao, but now he heard that there is only one "demon-slaying saint" left.

After Xiao concealed himself, Xin Hui suddenly realized that all the injuries he had sustained while passing through the thorn bushes had healed, and the numbness had disappeared.

Although he had just used his sword to cut the thorny vines, he was still scratched by some of the sharp thorns that were not clearly visible, especially on his right forearm, where he was pricked several times in close contact with the thorny vines.

Xin Hui knew that Xiao had used his magical power to heal his injuries. With Xiao's protection and guidance, Xin Hui had even less to fear now.

……

At the entrance of the giant abyss of layered rocks.

Keqing and the Thousand Rock Army have already arrived here.

They all stared blankly at the abyss that seemed to stretch straight to the bottom of the earth.

The Abyss of Layered Rocks is a cave entrance located at a high elevation, with a diameter of several hundred meters. The surrounding area is covered with dark red rocks, imbued with fire and rock elemental power, giving one a slightly oppressive feeling of heat just standing there.

The sky remained dark, and in this dim light, anyone who saw the abyss-like opening would be awestruck.

You probably wouldn't even hear a sound if you threw a stone in!

The Abyss of Layered Rocks has a main passage over 400 meters deep, followed by a maze of interconnected mine tunnels. No one knows what lies below, and no one dares to venture out lightly.

"Lord Yuheng, the main passage is not currently experiencing any problems. However, the collapses in the mine tunnels are extremely severe, and the miners who were working in tunnels 1, 2, 5, and 56 today have all perished."

"There will definitely be casualties. I urge Lord Yuheng to hurry up and do everything possible to save the workers!" The person in charge of Yanyuan Mine pleaded with Keqing with his fists clasped. He was only able to avoid kneeling down to beg with the help of others.

"Lady Yuheng has her own decisions. Bring me the mine tunnel map first," the leader of the Qianyan Army reprimanded the mine manager.

It was obvious that the mine manager, a slightly overweight middle-aged man, did not want to, and could not, bear this responsibility.

Everyone was equally aware that time was of the essence. Every second they lingered here increased the danger to the miners trapped inside the mine tunnels.

After discussing it, the group decided to form an exploration team to enter the abyss first.

This approach is undoubtedly safer, preventing the Thousand Rock Army soldiers who recklessly enter the mine from suffering unnecessary losses. Only by ensuring the safety of the Thousand Rock Army soldiers can there be a way to rescue the workers inside the abyss.

Soon, the fifteen-person exploration team, led by Ke Qing and Gan Yu, assembled. The others were responsible for being ready to enter the Abyss at any time.

Apart from Keqing and the other two, the others were all highly trained elites in the Thousand Rock Army. If they went down together, it would be much easier to move around.

To reach the bottom of the main passage of the Laminar Abyss, one must descend using specially reinforced ropes, a process that typically takes more than ten minutes. However, because Keqing possesses the Wings of Wind and Ganyu has the power of a Sage, their movements are faster than the others.

The two will light the torches that were originally placed on the rock wall and extinguished, illuminating the surrounding area.

In fact, because the main passage of the Abyss was too wide, there were many torches at the same height, and many of them went out. Therefore, Keqing and Ganyu had to keep circling and flying, which took a lot of effort.