Genshin Impact's Sweet and Hard Free People

Originally, it was thought that at this speed, the exploration team could reach the bottom of the main passage within ten minutes, but unexpectedly, something unexpected happened halfway through.

Just as the clusters of firelight illuminated the abyss, a black mass containing evil power rushed towards Keqing and the others from below the abyss.

Because of its divine beast bloodline, Gan Yu was the first to sense its presence.

"It's the aura of an ancient demon god," Gan Yu warned, as her blue hair began to glow faintly, a sign that she was gathering immortal power.

Ke Qing's face also turned solemn. Noticing the black aura, she was startled. She had long heard that although the ancient demon god was dead, his will remained; she hadn't expected it to be true.

As he spoke, the black mist transformed into a serpentine cloud, several feet in size.

It seemed extremely irritable and aggressive, its entire body shrouded in an unfathomable aura, yet even so, its power was not a fraction of what it was at its peak.

"It's the remnant will of the Heavenly Abyss Demon!" Ke Qing couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. She immediately realized what was happening and turned to shout at the Thousand Rock Army soldiers who had come down with her, "Stay here and don't move around!"

As for why Keqing recognized the source of this will, it was because the serpentine cloud that the latter conjured reminded her of a storyteller's narration.

She and Gan Yu exchanged a glance, and the two immediately made a decision.

Gan Yu first took out a longbow. The longbow's overall purple tone was very eye-catching, making it instantly recognizable as an ancient artifact—the Bow of Amos.

As Gan Yu gathered her strength, the Eye of the Ice God at her waist emitted light, and under the combined effect of immortal power and ice elemental power, this special Frost Arrow was formed.

The arrow struck the demonic energy squarely.

The ice-attribute power released after the Frost Arrow struck caused the surrounding temperature to drop by three degrees. The Heavenly Abyss Demon Dragon's will was also affected, and its momentum weakened slightly.

Very effective.

However, the demonic energy became even more violent as a result, locking onto Gan Yu. The serpentine energy ball was pitch black, and it opened its huge mouth as if it wanted to devour Gan Yu.

Since that's the case, Gan Yu decided to engage in a protracted battle with it...

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Appearance of Xinhui

With the aid of immortal power, Gan Yu's slender figure ascended along the main passage. Behind her, the will of the Heavenly Abyss Demon Dragon followed closely. It was Gan Yu's Frost Arrow that had driven it to such relentless pursuit.

Seeing this, Keqing decisively retracted her Wind Wings and clung to the rock wall with her slender hands. The Eye of God on her back began to emit a faint purple light, and lightning elemental power condensed into a lightning wedge in her hand.

After the Thunder Wedge was thrown, Keqing used her connection with it to switch places with it.

She is getting closer to Gan Yu in this way.

As Gan Yu repeatedly unleashed Frost Arrows, the torches she lit were extinguished again due to the ice elemental power she emitted, and the abyss became dark once more.

Until Gan Yu's delicate body burst through the air and arrived at the original cave entrance.

The Thousand Rock Army soldiers who were waiting in place initially thought that Lord Gan Yu had already reached the bottom of the main passage and was preparing to order them to enter as well. However, they then also saw that strange black mist that resembled a large, ordinary snake.

Just then, Keqing leaped out of the cave entrance and ordered the Thousand Rock Army, "Scatter immediately and don't come near here!"

Before the Thousand Rock Army could react, Gan Yu's Frost Arrow pulled them back to reality. Only then did they realize the strangeness of the black cloud and that this battle was beyond their control.

Immediately, some members of the Qianyan Army directed them to disperse and hide in more distant places.

Gan Yu and Ke Qing also decided to fight the will of the Tianyuan Demon Dragon here. If it were allowed to wreak havoc elsewhere, the consequences and impact would be magnified infinitely.

However, what Gan Yu found difficult was that although the Frost Arrows condensed from the Bow of Amos had hit the Demon Dragon's will many times, the latter was less and less affected, as if it was gradually adapting to this power.

Seeing this, Keqing drew the Dragon's Roar sword from her sheath; the mica decoration made its red sandalwood hilt stand out brilliantly. Keqing concentrated her lightning elemental power into the sword and launched an attack towards the Demon Dragon's will.

My sword light shines like mine, cutting through all chaos!

The power of lightning began to erupt, and Keqing unleashed countless sword shadows in an instant. Then, Keqing's body disappeared into the sword shadows, and she rushed towards the Demon Dragon's will with lightning speed.

The lightning elemental strike, combined with the ice elemental force attached to the Demon Dragon's will by Gan Yu's Frost Arrow, caused a superconducting reaction.

This move seemed to have worked, as the serpentine demonic energy let out a painful howl for the first time.

However, it was ultimately just a demonic will, without a physical form. The divine power carried by this demonic will, when unleashed, was an extremely terrifying force of destruction!

"Ke Qing!" Gan Yu cried out, for she could no longer suppress the Demon Dragon's will.

It wasn't that she was no match for him; with the power of an immortal, how could she possibly be no match for "the remnants of a demon god"?

However, Gan Yu had no experience dealing with the remnants of a demon god. Although he had fought against real demon gods, those battles were at least not as bizarre as this cloud of black mist.

Any attack that hits it is only a fleeting moment. Although you can feel its power weakening, it seems to realize that it is about to dissipate, and it looks as if it is going to fight to the death.

This... a surging black cloud of gas.

The demonic dragon's will began to surge towards Keqing, and those wisps of black mist were about to surround and devour her.

Ke Qing reacted just as quickly, her condensed lightning wedge already several feet away, about to change position.

But then she realized that she had lost the connection with the lightning element between herself and the lightning wedge. When she turned around suddenly, she saw a pair of dark red eyes staring intently at her from the ball of energy condensed by the demonic dragon's will.

It was the Demon Dragon's will that severed its connection with the Thunder Wedge!

Ke Qing couldn't help but panic. Then, the demonic dragon pounced on her like a ghost.

Ke Qing also sensed the surge of its divine power. She knew that if she were to be influenced by the Demon Dragon's will, she would no longer be herself.

I finally found a place where I can stay, why should they take it away like this!

Perhaps due to her strong will, or perhaps due to Keqing's own power, the Thunder Wedge Mark, whose connection had been severed by the Demon Dragon's will using divine power, once again emitted a purple light.

Seizing that moment, she connected with the hidden thread between herself and Lei Xie.

She succeeded, escaping death at the last moment using the Thunder Wedge.

However, before the surprise on her pretty face could unfold, she had to become serious again.

The demonic dragon's will has not dissipated, which means that its threat has not disappeared.

How to do?

Ke Qing asked herself, she and Gan Yu couldn't do anything to it, and it couldn't do anything to the two of them either. However, if it suddenly went berserk and attacked the Thousand Rock Army who didn't have the Eye of God, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Without the Eye of God, they are just ordinary people.

Just as she was feeling troubled, a voice that she recognized very well came from behind her.

"Keqing!"

That cry was filled with the worry and concern of the person being called upon.

It wasn't Gan Yu calling out, but the voice of someone she desperately wanted to see.

Ke Qing subconsciously looked back, and when she saw Xin Hui, dressed in light blue clothes, truly standing in front of her, Ke Qing almost ran towards him without thinking.

When Xin Hui saw that Ke Qing was alright, he finally felt relieved.

Even now, recalling the scene where Keqing was almost devoured by the demonic dragon's will, he still feels a lingering fear.

Afterwards, Gan Yu and Ke Qing came to Xin Hui's side to discuss how to deal with the situation.

The Demonic Will is Liyue's greatest enemy, and we must not allow it to wreak havoc under any circumstances.

“We have very little experience dealing with the remnants of the demon god, and ordinary methods seem ineffective against it.” Gan Yu looked at Xin Hui, a hint of worry appearing on her face.

"Don't worry, I brought a friend with me. He'll definitely have a way to deal with the remnants of the demon god." Xin Hui reassured her.

Then, Xinhui looked up at the dim sky and shouted, "Xiao!"

Then, a dark green aura surged from behind him, rapidly forming around them. When the aura dissipated, what remained was a young man with flowing hair.

"The Three-Eyed, Five-Manifestation Immortal—Xiao, heed my call and come to protect."

It seemed that it was because of Xin Hui's shout that the boy was able to appear.

Because of the special mask he was holding in his right hand and the very conspicuous gun-like weapon in his left hand, Keqing and Ganyu recognized at a glance that this boy was also a guardian deity of Liyue!

Xiao glanced indifferently at the black cloud of energy that was eyeing them menacingly not far away, and said something softly as he looked at its current dejected state, like a lost ghost.

"Demon remnant, do you now possess even a trace of the divine might of the Demon God of yesteryear?"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Collapsed Mine Tunnel

The demonic dragon's will seemed to be enraged by Xiao's words, roaring and exhausting its meager divine power.

This ancient, lingering demonic will has been reduced to the simplest form of thought, to the point that some of its "remnants" have become extremely simplistic, perhaps only knowing who the enemy is.

"Back then, you were just a lowly Yaksha, but now you've become a favorite of Lord Yan. Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed?" The Demonic Dragon's will seemed to sense the power within Xiao, and its form became even more concrete.

Its will seemed to be filled with anger, but this anger was suppressed. The voice coming from the demonic dragon's will was somewhat indistinct, but it still used words to retaliate against the demon itself.

"You were once just as ugly as me, weren't you?!"

The demon's voice, carrying a powerful and resonant quality, deeply penetrated everyone's ears.

Xinhui actually knew.

"Xiao" is not this Yaksha's real name, but a pseudonym given to him by someone for safety reasons. In his youth, Xiao was ignorant and his weakness was exploited by a demon god, who made him a powerful demon under his command, and he was forced to commit numerous cruel and bloody acts.

He committed countless acts of killing, shattered numerous ideals, and was even forced to swallow the dreams of the defeated, suffering immense torment yet powerless to change his fate. Finally, on the battlefield of demons, the Rock God Morax met the master of Yaksha. Later history revealed the answer to this victory. The "Rock King" freed Yaksha and bestowed upon him the name "Xiao".

"In the legends of foreign lands, the word 'Xiao' represents suffering and a monster that has been tempered and refined. You have also experienced much; from now on, use this name."

To repay the Geo Archon, Xiao accepted the arduous task of protecting Liyue for a thousand years. However... his past service to the Demon God had washed away his gentleness and innocence. All that remained were his killing skills and the karmic burdens accumulated over countless lifetimes.

The original master of Xiao was none other than the Tianyuan Demon Dragon before them.

Although it possessed only a faint will, Xin Hui was still afraid that its words would provoke Xiao. In particular, its words carried a seductive power.

Xin Hui looked at Xiao's face and found him as calm as ever, his golden eyes shining brightly, seemingly sparkling with evidence of new life.

Only then did he feel relieved. Because Xinhui had personally witnessed Xiao's loss of control.

Unable to find redemption and still suffering from the calamities he had caused, he temporarily lost his way.

“Yes, I was once just as ugly as you.” Xiao’s voice rang out at this moment. He stepped forward, his eyes sharp as knives.

He seemed unafraid of the demon god who had once enslaved him. Regardless of whether this was its true form, Xin Hui believed that even if the Heavenly Abyss Demon Dragon itself were here, Xiao would not show the slightest fear.

“But I have not been alone for thousands of years, while you can only utter seductive cries now. I know your weaknesses clearly. If you dissipate on your own, perhaps this wisp of will can cause you less pain.”

Xiao spoke coldly, as the air currents in front of him stirred, lifting two strands of long hair that hung down at his temples.

At this moment, he stands between heaven and earth, facing his greatest nightmare.