The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

The sudden appearance of the shadow forced Lei Shitu to dodge to the side in a sorry state, barely managing to avoid a fatal blow.

However, even though he managed to dodge, he could not avoid being injured by the lightning elemental attack attached to the blade.

After indirectly taking the hit, the apostle immediately opened the scriptures of the abyss.

"A holy favor of universal love!"

With a flash of lightning, Shadow was struck squarely by the Lightning Apostle's attack.

However...

Despite the overwhelming thunderous attack from the Thunder Apostle, Shadow remained completely unmoved, suffering no harm whatsoever.

"You think this little bit of damage can hurt me?"

The figure, sword in hand, slowly approached, his steps slow but his aura imposing.

And that sword, passed down from its ancestors, radiates a chilling gleam.

Under such pressure, the Thunder Apostle floated backward in frustration.

"You...you're despicable!"

He slowly stretched out his hand and pointed into the distance. A star portal identical to the one used by the Water Apostle appeared, and the apostle then made a move to escape this world.

This leads to safety.

Unfortunately, faced with the unstoppable advance of the Shadow, his actions had no real significance.

"Humph!"

Upon seeing the enemy attempt to escape, the battle-hardened Shadow instantly realized that these monsters from the abyss could not be let go.

Without the slightest hesitation, she swung her sword and slashed out.

Amidst the flashes of lightning, the evildoers who attempted to escape the world, along with the abyssal scriptures they revered, were struck down in the divine thunder of punishment.

Vanished quietly...

"what!!!"

The apostle's cry became the catalyst to break the long, dark night.

As his body turned to ashes, the screams faded into the long night.

Upon seeing this, the beast-like hounds scattered and fled, many jumping directly into the vortex-like passage of the abyss, escaping this world.

With the enemy's retreat, the crisis surrounding the Divine Cherry Tree can be said to have been perfectly resolved.

"call."

Kiana sheathed the Flame King Sword and looked at the messy scene with considerable satisfaction.

If it weren't for the footprints left by the beast hounds all over the ground, she would have thought that the battle just now was just a dream.

"Surely they'll shut up for a while now?"

As the words fell, the system's task reward notification sounded quietly.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the optional side quest: The Revenge of the Gods.]

[Mission Completion Introduction: During your vacation in this world, you encountered the Abyss Cult and learned of impending danger. The Abyss symbolizes the negation of this world, a harbinger of chaos and destruction. You need to retaliate as soon as possible, or something terrible will happen when disaster strikes.]

[Mission Completion Method: Crush the Abyss Cult's conspiracy.]

[Maximum reward for completing the mission: 8000 Herrscher Points.]

[Friendly Reminder: With the loss of two members, the Abyss Order's ambitions to seize this world have been curbed. They may now be considering following that 'Prince' to achieve the future they desire. Given the host's excellent performance in completing the mission, the allocated stay days will not be revoked.]

The rewards from the Herrscher Points don't really matter, especially after completing so many missions.

Kiana's rewards have reached over 20,000 points.

Aside from exchanging for food or purchasing scarce resources, these rewards seem to have no other use.

Oh... and there's also the ability to unlock gems.

However, it's not necessary to use it for the time being unless there's a high-intensity battle.

"Your Highness, Ying's brother. When the appointed time comes, Ying... what will become of you?"

"Kiana? Kiana? Kiana!" Shadow's call interrupted her thoughts.

Looking in the direction from which the sound came, Kiana found that the other person had already stood steadily in front of her.

"Did those hunting dogs hurt you?"

"Hmm? No." Kiana patted the bloodstains off her combat suit, her tone perfectly calm. "They are fierce, but not that difficult to deal with. They're nowhere near as strong as Honkai Beasts, and they're not even close to being compared to suicide soldiers—!"

"Huh? What are Honkai Beasts and Suicide Squads?"

Shadow stared at Kiana with some confusion, seemingly completely unaware of the meaning of these two terms.

Upon seeing this, Kiana, realizing she had let something slip again, waved her hands repeatedly and then said:

"Honkai Beasts and Zombies are two of the more common creatures in my hometown, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ying's doubts only deepened.

She slowly leaned forward, staring into those beautiful, azure eyes.

What kind of creature is it?

"Uh..." Kiana felt a little troubled for some reason under Kage's gaze. "This isn't important, is it?"

"But I want to know you better, and your...hometown."

Seeing that the other party had already put it this way, Kiana smiled helplessly and said:

"Well, if that's what you're asking, Ying, then I'll—!"

"You two are back?"

However, just as she was about to reveal the truth, she was interrupted by a sudden, sweet voice calling out before she could finish speaking.

The Battle Between Flame and Lightning and the Abyss (Genshin Impact): Chapter 42 The Best Way to Subdue the Eightfold Divine Child

Upon hearing that voice, Kiana suddenly pictured a gentle, fox-eared priestess in her mind. When she turned around, she indeed found a fox-eared priestess.

However, the other party was much more cunning than she was in her memory.

"These..."

Yae no Miko strolled over, her gaze sweeping over the scattered corpses on the ground.

Although they are corpses, the remains of these beast-like hounds resemble steel and stone, possessing a strange and eerie quality in addition to their peculiar shapes.

She immediately recognized the magical beast that had recently wreaked havoc in the Shadow Mountain area.

And now, they have all been brought to justice?

Is the person who solved these problems the white-haired girl in front of us?

"Thank you, Kiana."

Realizing that the other party had once again helped Naruto Shrine eliminate a major threat, Yae no Miko immediately expressed her gratitude.

"It's nothing, just a small favor. Besides..."

Kiana smiled at Yae no Miko, then suddenly lunged at Kage, embracing her dear friend who had just achieved great feats in battle.

"Kiana...?"

"This isn't just my achievement, Shadow also contributed." Kiana smiled and affectionately buried her face in Shadow's chest, leaving Yae no Miko looking on in surprise.

Aside from her sister Zhen, who else would be so intimate with a Shadow Warrior?

And judging from their appearance, it seems they're not angry yet?

"Hmm...hehe, is that so? Shadow also deserves some credit."

Yae no Miko smiled meaningfully, then extended her hand to the two of them:

"As a shrine maiden of Naru-sho Shrine, I am very grateful to you. Why don't you come back to the shrine with me for a chat?"

"Visiting a shrine? Do you perhaps have something you wish to discuss with us?"

While enduring Kiana's harassment, Kage calmly watched Yae no Miko.

Knowing her friend well enough, she knew that there was nothing she needed help with.

She wouldn't specifically invite people over.

Even if it's a spur-of-the-moment decision, there's probably some ulterior motive involved, right?

"Ugh, Shadow, you heartless woman! Don't look at me like that~ Okay, okay, don't point the knife at me, you know I can dodge it."

Yae no Miko originally wanted to tease her old friend, who had a rigid personality.

However, the other party's sudden act of brandishing a knife was truly frightening.

Of course, she wasn't frightened by the sword passed down from her ancestors, but rather worried that before the enemy could destroy the roots of the Divine Cherry Tree, her dear friend, who was sometimes a bit muddle-headed in her work, would take matters into her own hands first.

This only indirectly confirms an old saying in Liyue: "You can run away from the monk, but you can't hide from the temple."

"Stop having those restless little thoughts of yours."

With a hint of helplessness, Ying nudged Kiana, and once she had finally gotten the girl out of her embrace, she put away her sword.

He warned, maintaining his usual solemn expression.

Seeing her make such an expression, Yae no Miko had no choice but to slowly bow and acknowledge her request:

"clear."

Then, she slowly extended her hand, as if inviting the two to visit Naruto Shrine.

...

"This is just a small shrine, there's nothing much to offer. This tea was specially purchased from Liyue by the World Merchants Association after the lifting of the isolation order, it's absolutely fresh."

After successfully arriving at Narukami Shrine, Yae no Miko treated the two to tea.

According to her, this tea was sourced from Qingcezhuang through connections by the World Chamber of Commerce. It was a fresh tea with an irresistible aroma that would make you want to drink more.

Ying was initially reluctant to accept her gift, but upon hearing that it tasted so good, she reached out, gripped the teacup, and took a sip.