I'm in the Teyvat running group

Chapter 501 Fate Transcends, Sage Appears

"If we're talking about getting close, I think it's fine, but to say we've reached the level of the dragon race, there's still quite a gap."

“But I think your current system is far larger than the dragons’ system back then, isn’t it?” Taranis said with a smile, putting his arm around Yunxiu’s shoulder. “Serania also prefers this situation… and it’s much warmer than the dragons’ system back then.”

“If that’s the case, it’s not entirely wrong, but to be honest, I think many things are really unexpected.” Yunxiu stroked her chin and said, “There was a saying that Kanria was attacked because its technology developed too quickly, but from the current perspective, Kanria’s technology is actually very crude, while our technology is obviously much more sophisticated, but it doesn’t seem to have been restricted by that person too much.”

"You mean, does this count as transcending fate, or is it still within the limitations of that being itself, right?"

"Yes... In fact, the transcendence of fate as a whole and that of the individual seem to be different."

"Based on my understanding of everything, I can only guess that you are right, and that the reason that person did not stop it is because they had neither the ability nor the courage."

"Lack of ability...lack of courage?"

“The most powerful aspect of the spell system is actually the elemental barrier. As long as the elemental barrier remains, humanity can recover in a short time.” Taranis said, looking at the huge project in front of him, “Humanity will find a way out. No one can stop it unless the whole world is turned into chaos. But even so, there is a high chance that the elemental barrier will survive.”

"You mean, Fanes has neither the ability to destroy everyone nor the courage to reopen the world?" Yunxiu smiled, conjuring a rune at her fingertips—a simple rune for elemental isolation. "If that's the case, then wouldn't I be able to explore the Temple of Asmodian more freely? After all, if this Ruler of the Sky really betrayed that one, he most likely sided with the Abyss, and the Abyss actually only has two allies..."

"So, that Lady of the Sky, in essence, is gambling on the same thing as us... I think that's why she hasn't really gone all out to kill us."

Taranis nodded; on this point, she shared Yunxiu's opinion.

"If she's gambling too, then who is she siding with? It's unlikely Kong is hiding this from me. If the Nibelungs also have angel-like creations, they certainly don't lack fighting power." Yunxiu murmured to herself, "Unless..."

“Unless the person she’s siding with doesn’t even know they’ve been ‘submitted to,’” Taranis said. “A harmless chase might be protection, doing something strange might be guidance, and a seemingly menacing appearance might pose no threat at all. Every time, she manages to achieve her goal with the utmost difficulty…”

Isn't this the same method Yang Jian used to train Chenxiang in the Legend of the Lotus Lantern...?

Yunxiu thought to herself, "In that case, it's already clear who this Sky Ruler has pledged allegiance to: Sky."

In that case, my previous guess that he had sided with the Nibelungen was wrong, but probably only half wrong. After all, strictly speaking, he did indeed side with the Abyss, just on a different side.

However, this matter cannot be told to or made public to Kong, at least not at this stage. It is not possible. At least we must wait until Kong has completely resolved his position issue before we can seriously bring it up and discuss it. At that time, even if Kong's rule appears or does something, we will have enough ways to deal with it.

Yunxiu and Taranis tacitly agreed to only talk about the Temple of Asmodae and not about Koitar, something the angels had already guessed.

After returning from Weiyuan, Yunxiu didn't share any information with the angels, so everyone actually had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. Some things are like this: the answer is already known the moment the answer isn't spoken. If Koitar wasn't mentioned, everyone could still deceive themselves that the King of Angels might still be alive, hiding somewhere. But once it was out in the open, things were completely different.

After checking the force field rope and confirming that it had been resolved, Yunxiu naturally returned to Wanmin Hall. It was already mid-October, and Liyue held the Moon Festival at this time every year.

The festivals this year are almost over. Yunxiu was too busy to celebrate much, so he could only come back in the evenings to enjoy the mooncakes and pastries at home. As a legendary-level archmage, going home every day is not a problem, but whether he can go home on time is another matter.

The good news is that his wife and children have gotten used to it, and they're quite happy celebrating Valentine's Day even without their father...

René had already calculated the time for entering the Temple of Asmodé. The latter half of mid-November was a suitable time. Now there was still a month left. After resolving the space elevator issue, it would be a perfect time to relax at home. Apart from needing to think carefully about what to discuss with the prophet after leaving the temple, there was nothing else to do.

Yunxiu actually had a guess about what the prophet's plans were for meeting her this time. First of all, in terms of timing, the meeting in December could almost be said to be the time of the Black Disaster five hundred years ago. Yunxiu and Rene had calculated that although the Black Disaster did not end in one day, it was probably sometime between the end of December and February of the following year.

In the beginning, the Black King used the void to steal the power of the Abyss. Then, the Five Great Sinners began to devour the power and went mad. Next, the Abyss erupted, and a large number of monsters began to invade all parts of Teyvat. Then came the suppression by the gods, the sealing of the breach by Long Yunxiu, and the cleanup efforts of various countries and the five-hundred-year-long war with the Dead Zone.

Of all these events, the prophet was actually the one who suffered the most tragic fate.

Because he was someone who truly saw the future but was unable to stop it, and this event was actually closely related to him. This is the fundamental reason why he calls himself a "sinner." Strictly speaking, he is not a true ambitious person, but being bewitched and influenced by the abyss led him to this point. If he is not mistaken, the prophet probably wants to be freed.

His way of finding release is likely to ask Yunxiu for help, so that he and the sage can escape all of this by perishing together.

Although this is just speculation, Yunxiu believes it is likely true, as there must be a significant conflict between this person and the sage.

As for Kong, with the ley lines of the moon and the status of either the sage or the prophet, it should be enough to restore him to a considerable level. If he could acquire both of them, then a complete recovery, or even a higher level than before, would not be a problem. The only issue might be that Kong and the moon are still bound together, but with two proper moon gods on his side, this is not a major problem.

However, after only three days of rest at home, Yunxiu welcomed a guest brought to her by her disciple—a strangely shaped alien being.

"Master... she's a very strong newcomer in our Surveying Mage school, and also an adventurer." Zhiqiong led a pink-haired girl to the backyard of Wanmin Hall, shaking her master awake from his recliner: "I need your help with something, Master! Can you help her?"

"The Surveying Mage School? Hmm... indeed very strong, already close to legendary. Perhaps she will become the first legendary powerhouse among your Surveying Mages." Although Yunxiu was still a little sleepy, his powerful abilities allowed him to instantly discern the level of this pink-haired, peculiar girl. She was indeed a powerful Surveying Mage who had completed the fifth stage of Ascension to Godhood and possessed five colored Destiny Seats, as well as some Prophecy School skills, though these seemed to originate from her bloodline.

"Right, right, Master, please help her!" Zhiqiong fawned over Yunxiu, bringing her a glass of soda. Her elemental power surged in her hands, and she quickly chilled the soda. She respectfully handed it to Yunxiu: "Isn't Master also someone who can't bear to see people suffer?"

"Okay... what's up?" Yunxiu took a satisfied sip of her iced soda. She had to admit that some of the strange and wonderful surveying spells Zhiqiong had created were even more useful than the ones she had developed herself. For example, this freezing spell, used to freeze water in emergencies, was incredibly efficient at freezing soda...

Zhiqiong turned back and gave the pink-haired girl a gesture of accomplishment before continuing, "This is Lina, our Ninth Department's next seed of Familiar-level powerhouses. Her sister encountered a strange incident..."

"Oh?"

“Their clan possesses the ability to foresee the future… that is, to see through fate, but of course, there is a price to pay.” Zhiqiong looked at Lina’s expression and added somewhat embarrassedly, “I don’t know about the rest… let Lina explain.”

Lina stood somewhat awkwardly before Yunxiu: "Master Yunxiu, I am the vice president of the Surveyors' Association... and I also do some work in the Ninth Department of the Mage Association. What happened to my sister is very strange. In her premonition, she saw a strange person who could control her behavior and thoughts, but our clan has some methods..."

"So..." she began hesitantly, "So my sister forcibly sealed herself away and fell into a deep sleep. Now I've come to ask you to help me figure out what's going on..."

"Oh?" Yunxiu seemed somewhat interested. It was truly rare to see a character that could be controlled through memories. He smiled and asked, "So, did your sister leave any information behind? Did that strange person have a name?"

“My sister couldn’t explain it clearly…” Lina pondered for a while before suddenly remembering something and saying, “My sister told me that that strange person had a peculiar weapon, something like… something like…”

She spoke somewhat uncertainly, "That strange person seemed to call that weapon 'Sodagus,' which is a really strange name. I've searched through many ancient books but haven't found any record of it..."

Sodagus! That's the weapon of the sage Helotati!

Yunxiu immediately stood up from the recliner.

Chapter 502 Spiritual Breath Conceals Its Form, Making It Difficult to Track Down

Seeing Yunxiu's eyes widen instantly and sit up from her groggy state, Zhiqiong immediately sensed something was wrong: "Master, do you know this person?"

"Don't rush... Sit down first." Yunxiu quickly sat down again, then called into the room, "Linghua! Linghua! Get some snacks and tea. Zhiqiong and this... Linaia, right? Sit down first."

Ayaka Kamisato responded and quickly brought over two plates of snacks and tea. Yunxiu gestured for the two to sit down first, then took out her spiritual terminal, sent out a few messages, and then sat down and said, "Linaya... you should be considered Zhiqiong's apprentice, right? Then you're my grand-apprentice. Since we're on the same side, I won't hide anything from you. This matter is very important, so please tell me as much information as you know right now."

Lina sat down on the stool next to her with some surprise and disbelief. She hadn't expected that this matter would be so important to this great figure of Teyvat, the legendary Dao Ancestor.

As she explained and recounted the story, Yunxiu roughly figured out what was going on. Linaia's older sister, Kleino, was a prophetic bird among the fairies of winter, just like her. There are six major categories of fairies, but also many subcategories, and the prophetic bird is a fairy with the talent to foresee the future.

Three years ago, her sister and she had a friendly competition. However, her sister did not join the Surveyors' Guild. Instead, she joined the Winterhold Special Forces in Winterhold to handle some work for the High Consul Scarlett. Her position was not particularly high; she was just a minor supervisor in a department because of her special talent.

Recently, while her sister was on a mission, she accidentally discovered some information about the Black Catastrophe Night five hundred years ago. After the investigation, the image of this person appeared in her mind. He would always try to lure her to some strange places to search for things. It was only after Kreno sensed something was wrong that she forcibly sealed herself away using the secret magic of fairies.

After learning about this situation, Lina searched through various books but could not find out what her sister's words meant. So she could only turn to her master, Zhiqiong, who was also the president of the Surveyors Association.

Even Zhiqiong, who had traveled all over Teyvat and was very knowledgeable, didn't know what it was, so she could only keep calling for help, all the way to Yunxiu...

“I see… I think this matter is not so simple, but your sister should not be in too much danger.” After listening, Yunxiu said thoughtfully, “If I am not mistaken, he should at least not dare to reveal his location and identity, at least not now.”

"Afraid to expose themselves...?"

"Of course he wouldn't dare to expose himself. I organized a group to kill him six years ago, but I never expected that he was hiding in my memories."

Yunxiu shook his head. Six years ago, after he killed the Sage, he discovered that the Sage was not dead. However, what he did not expect at the time was that the Sage was hiding in the information of the "Night of Black Disaster," which is the shared memory of everyone. This can be considered a very powerful life-saving ability. As long as someone can remember this information and his story, then theoretically he can exist.

Of course, he cannot interfere with the memories of the Descendants and the Transcendent.

If he wasn't mistaken, the sage probably didn't expect that his relationship with Kreno could reach this point so quickly.

Normally, that's not wrong. Even if the sage knew she had a younger sister, and the vice president of the Surveyors' Association wasn't a big shot, the sage probably didn't expect the president of the Surveyors' Association to be Yunxiu's apprentice...

After all, few normal people would pay special attention to this news. Kreno is not a surveying mage; she is closer to a prophecy mage, but she also relies on her bloodline abilities. Strictly speaking, she is a variant of a warlock, a star-pulse warlock. Her skill level is not bad, but she has lived for over a hundred years to reach this level, and her talent is not high. She can only be described as having a sufficient level.

Of course, the final self-lockdown reaction was correct, and very accurate.

"Is something important?" A spatial portal opened beside Yunxiu, and Xiaoyue stepped out with Lao Ma: "I saw that you sent out a very important and urgent message."

"Let's get started. Wait for the others. Pour your own tea." Yunxiu nodded with a smile, then smiled at Linaia and said, "Zhiqiong should know them, but this is probably the first time you've met them. These are True Lord Xiaoyue Zhuyang and True Lord Yixiao Daotian."

Lina bowed carefully a few times before whispering to Zhiqiong, "These important figures all have a very good relationship with your master."

“No rush… there should still be plenty left.” Zhiqiong patted Linaia’s back with a smile: “Besides, my master is also a big shot. Of course, you can also call him Grandmaster. He has a very good temper.”

"Sigh... well, I can't believe it." Linaia and Zhiqiong quietly stayed in the corner, watching one important person after another make their entrance in all sorts of bizarre ways.

Ying was the easiest to arrive. She hadn't taken any risks recently and had been helping Xiangling at Wanmin Hall these past few days, so she arrived quickly. Xitella and Yueji arrived in the backyard as streaks of light. However, since these were all on their side, it was much easier for them than for the other demigods.

Li Qinglian walked directly over. Jiejianzhai is not far from Wanmintang, only about a ten-minute walk away.

Serene brought her son with her; the two of them had come all the way from the merchant guild.

However, soon, all the demigods near Liyue gathered there. Although the courtyard was large, and even with seven or eight demigods sitting there, it was still not crowded. But it did leave Lina speechless. Each of them was a big shot she had only ever seen in various news reports. She had only seen Xiaoyue a few times at the Mage Association, and even then, she had only seen them from afar.

As Nasita and Funina gently stepped through the gate, Yunxiu finally saw everyone he had gathered.

"Alright, everyone's here... It should be just a few of us around Liyue Harbor for the time being." Yunxiu put away her recliner and sat down at the table in the middle of the courtyard, looking at Linaya and saying, "This is my grand-disciple, Linaya, the vice president of the Surveyors' Association. She just brought some very important information, related to that 'Sage,' the one we didn't kill six years ago..."

"Hellotadi? Where is he hiding?" The first to react was Serene. He had known the Sage for a while, though not very well, but he was definitely the one here who knew the Sage best: "None of us have found the Sage's location, so how did she find the information?"

“That’s where it’s interesting. The sage isn’t hiding where we can easily see him, but in an unexpected place.” Yunxiu glanced at everyone and said, “He’s hiding within the concept of ‘memory,’ and he can corrupt the powerful and command their actions through information and memories…”

“My grand-disciple’s sister, Cereno, was parasitized in his memories, but the fairy sealed herself away with a secret technique at the last minute. Her sister came to me… but I am not a master of soul studies.”

Everyone turned their attention to Sitrali and Narcida. In terms of soul studies, these two were the only true masters; the others were, strictly speaking, far inferior.

“First, we need to determine whether he’s hidden in ‘memory’ or ‘information.’” Nasita waved her hand, and a peculiar information network appeared before her. This was a branch of the World Tree, capable of easily retrieving most relevant information. After examining it carefully for a while, she said, “If I’m not mistaken, it should be both. The World Tree still can’t retrieve enough information, but it can find some fragmentary descriptions of him.”

“This is the most difficult situation to deal with.” After listening to Narcida’s explanation, Sitrali continued, “If it’s just information, at least the World Tree’s information erasure can erase a large part of it, and the rest can be captured by some means. At least it shouldn’t be a big problem, since the World Tree has all the information inside Teyvat. But if it’s memories, even the World Tree will have its limitations.”

"And once there's a hidden part, he can be reborn using those memories... Unless we kill everyone who has those memories, but that would still be at least hundreds of thousands of people."

“Although I have only lived for a little over two hundred years, I am certain that the sage must have prepared this spell five hundred years ago. It is a variant of shamanic magic, and he had already begun preparations long before that famous black calamity.” After a moment of contemplation, Sitella said, “This means that some gods’ memories should also be part of it.”

“We should be able to kill a god… and shatter the throne.” After pondering for a moment, Xiaoyue said, “But we can’t do that. Even if the god himself is willing to do it, with the continuous spread of memories, are we supposed to kill all the gods who are not transcendent? Of course not.”

“The Sage probably didn’t expect that Kleinor could communicate directly with me, so even if Kleinor sealed himself off, he should have had about a week’s worth of mental preparation time. From Kleinor to the legend of the Winter Kingdom, and then from the Queen to me, it’s impossible for it to be less than a week. That’s our time difference.” Yunxiu looked at all the demigods seriously.

"Find a suitable way within a week to find and kill the sage, or at the very least, free Cereno from her self-imposed isolation."

"If that's the case, could we give him a reason that 'has no choice' to come out?" Lina asked cautiously, looking at the group of important figures before her.

"There must be a reason why he chose to have my sister do some things, right? We just don't know..."

Chapter 503 The Dilemma of Memory Tracing

"The idea is good, but it's not that simple." Serene was the person here who understood the Sage best, after all, he had actually worked with the Sage before. Although their relationship wasn't good, thankfully he had completely lost his original terrifying appearance and was now a rather handsome middle-aged man.

"That's exactly what we did when we killed the clown, but that was because the clown had a compelling reason to come. After the laws were perfected, we, as beings who are essentially ascending to transcendence, all need the judgment of the world's fundamental principles, which is the power of the three months. The clown definitely couldn't get past that."

"In that situation, the traveler from the abyss was his only chance. If he missed it, he would only die a few months earlier. Given his circumstances at the time, there was nothing he could do."

"Wait a minute, how did you find him six years ago?" Yi Xiaodao asked curiously. "I heard from Lao Lu that you once surrounded and killed him six years ago, and you even succeeded, but you didn't completely kill him."

"Six years ago, that 'prophet' found one of the Sage's 'life boxes,' using it to pinpoint the Sage's location... in Jingfu Port." Li Qinglian recalled, "At that time, Yunxiu urgently summoned us near Mondstadt for an ambush, but unfortunately, because we didn't have a demigod proficient in soul manipulation to seal the soul and ley lines, we couldn't completely eliminate his presence, so his information can still be felt in the world."

"So, even if we find the Life Box this time, we probably won't be able to capture him. Besides, his Life Box might only exist in concept right now." Yi Xiaodaotian suddenly realized, "Can we locate it using divination mages? I remember there are a few immortals in Liyue who practice this kind of magic..."

“I’ve already spoken with Barbiros, and she can’t do it either. If we want to track down this person, the only being in Teyvat with that kind of status is the Ruler of Time. But since she hasn’t shown up yet, it means she won’t get involved.”

Yunxiu shook his head. He wasn't joking; the Time Rulers truly possessed such power. Moreover, with such a group of demigods and transcendents gathered here, the Four Shadows would inevitably pay attention. Since none of them showed up, it meant they didn't intend to intervene. As for Babiros, her rank and strength were at most comparable to a prophet, making it virtually impossible for her to catch the sage in the act. However, she was already the most powerful prophetic mage in Teyvat.