Still playing traditional Genshin Impact?

"Now that the contract has been concluded, it's your turn to answer my questions, right? Or do you have other conditions?" Ying asked seriously.

She worked so hard for Xie Yan, not only because of her professionalism, but also because she wanted to show her sincerity to Xie Yan and get clues about the gods.

For her, if she could get the answer in this way, it would be much easier than going to Mond.

Paimon blinked, flew to Ying's shoulder, and waited for Xie Yan's reply together.

"I originally planned to take you back to the embassy so that we could chat while eating, but it seems that you can't wait any longer. In that case, if you have any questions, just ask them here so that you can feel more at ease." While speaking, Xie Yan came to the table and chairs and motioned Ying to sit down as well.

Honestly, it was quite interesting to see Yingmei working so hard for me, and still being wary of me, testing me from time to time. It felt like I had become a key figure in the main storyline.

Sitting opposite him, with only Paimon by her side, Ying actually felt a little nervous.

This was partly due to Xie Yan’s personal scandals, but more importantly, it was because Ying could feel that Xie Yan had some unique power, just like... Wendy.

But he is a follower of Thundergod after all, so it is not surprising that he possesses divinity. It's just that Ying always feels that the other's gaze is extremely deep, and she feels like she is naked in front of him.

Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, Ying took out a missing person notice he had brought from Mond from his arms.

She handed the missing person notice to Xie Yan, pointed at the blond boy in the portrait and asked in a deep voice: "Have you seen him in Inazuma? He is my brother, named Kong."

Xie Yan took a glance at it. This was probably a portrait specially made by Ying, which basically restored Kong's appearance.

"Unfortunately, I have never seen him. Whether it is the ronin samurai or the shogunate army, there is no blond boy named Kong." Xie Yan shook his head slightly.

Although she had been prepared, Ying still felt a little disappointed.

She bit her silver teeth and continued to ask: "So, has General Lei Dian ever met him? Five hundred years ago, did he fight against such an enemy?"

When it comes to gods, this issue is somewhat sensitive. If they are really the enemies of gods, Xie Yan, as a relative, will certainly stand on the side of gods, and the mutually beneficial relationship that both parties have worked so hard to build will collapse in an instant.

But there was no way. Even if he met the Rock Emperor, Ying still planned to ask this question. After all, according to Wendy, the Rock God and the Thunder God were both extremely powerful. At this time, Ying did not have many clues, so naturally he had to regard these two gods as the key suspects.

Xie Yan sensed her determination. He had originally intended to tease her, but now it was not appropriate. He said solemnly, "No, I can even tell you that this matter has nothing to do with General Lei Dian or even Emperor Yan Wang. The seven rulers had more important tasks at the time."

"Task?"

"I can't reveal too much about this, but the Seven Consuls really have nothing to do with your brother's disappearance."

Ying thought of the Battle of Kanria that Wendy mentioned, and had some guesses in her mind.

As for Xie Yan's information, she believed that there was no problem. The two parties signed a contract in Liyue. She felt that Xie Yan's personal life had some problems, but he was definitely not the kind of person who would plot and scheme.

"Okay, then one last question, Xie Yan, which country do you think I can go to look for clues about my brother?"

"Well, among the seven rulers, only Feng and Yan are still the first generation of gods. The other countries have experienced changes in the throne of gods, either openly or secretly. Even the gods may not know much about what happened 500 years ago. For this, we can only say that we should visit each country and try our luck."

After Xie Yan finished speaking, he added: "But after things are over in Liyue, you can go directly to Xumi. I'm going there too, so we can continue our cooperation."

After the Emperor's advice, Xie Yan knew that going to Xumi was not as easy as he had imagined. If the enemy was really who he thought, this trip would also be his journey to sever his fate.

In this case, Yingmei, who can also listen to the call of the World Tree and possesses certain purification abilities, becomes more important.

Ying nodded slightly: "If I go to Xumi, we can indeed continue to cooperate."

It can be seen that she was still somewhat cautious and did not give a positive answer.

Xie Yan was not surprised. If it were him, he would not be able to trust a stranger just by hearing a few words. Trust can only be established through getting along with others.

so--

"I see that the traveler has just arrived in Liyue and probably has no place to stay. Why don't you come back to the embassy with me? I have a lot of empty rooms. You can take care of the food and accommodation for the staff."

There was nothing wrong with the statement. Paimeng flew to Xie Yan after hearing that food and lodging were provided, but Ying was very hesitant.

The treatment at the embassy is definitely better than renting a hotel, but Xie Yan just hinted that he wants to support me...

"Forget it. The embassy also has Inazuma's diplomatic mission, so it shouldn't be a problem for me to move in." Ying thought.

As long as she doesn't lie down, Xie Yan can't do anything to her.

As for the next country after Liyue, she has actually decided that it will be Xumi. After all, if she doesn't go to Inazuma, Xumi is the best route.

.......

Although the location of the weapon store has been determined, if you want to officially open for business, you still have to go to the Eight Gates to apply for a business license. However, the staff have already gone off work at this time, so Xie Yan can only do it tomorrow.

Of course, with his current status, he can get this kind of small document on the spot, which is not a big problem. And he doesn't have to worry about this month's turnover. With the rich woman Aqing around, one sword is not enough, he can just sell a few more...a few more.

Civilize you and me!

It was indeed as Ying thought. Using projected weapons to open a weapon store was simply robbing money. But in a sense, this was actually a way of making money deliberately opened up to him by the system, which was considered to take care of the experience of zero-氪 players.

Amid the admiring looks of the Inazuma people who said, "Lord Bugyo has found another beautiful girl," Xie Yan brought Yingmei and Paimon back to the embassy.

But unlike what Ying thought, Xie Yan didn't have any plans for her and left in a hurry after dinner.

because--

"Now that we are almost done, let's do a little experiment."

Looking up at the sky, the bright moon is hanging high in the sky, dotted with stars. The scenery on Mount Tianheng seems even more beautiful.

Xie Yan sat cross-legged by the pond. He quickly calmed down in this leisurely environment and heard the faint call again.

"The root of the problem actually lies in the World Tree itself. As the Emperor said, the Xie family, like the Grass God, has the mission of protecting the World Tree. But they have fallen into the vicious cycle they are in now. Something must have gone wrong... Logically, the Xie family should have a way to eliminate pollution like the Great Compassion Tree King. Otherwise, wouldn't it be adding to the chaos in vain?"

"That is to say, there is something wrong with the method passed down by the family stele, which led to their failure... In this case, let's change our thinking. I will not touch the knowledge of the power of the demon god. I just need to use this connection to find the Great Compassion Tree King."

The mission "Power of All Things" also clearly hints that both the Great Kindness Tree King and the Small Auspicious Grass King have the ability to enable him to achieve the Samsara Eye.

Well, I just don’t know if this method is the so-called “unity of yin and yang”.

If it was the Great Compassionate Tree King, Xie Yan would be more happy.

18 The Great Kind Tree King?

It’s not that Nashida is not capable, on the contrary, it’s because she is too cruel.

If possible, Xie Yan still wanted to find a solution from the Great Compassion Tree King. If she wanted to use the "Old Tree with Twisted Roots", Xie Yan would definitely accept it with pleasure.

However, he also knew that if the situation of the World Tree was really that bad, the state of the Great Compassion Tree King must be very bad. He was very satisfied to be able to say a few words to him. He just hoped that the other party could be more helpful and tell him how to break the deadlock and open the Samsara Eye. One-way communication like now would not work.

According to Xie Yan's understanding, the Rinnegan is the authority to control the World Tree. After all, the World Tree = the God Tree. The Xie family is obviously the "World Tree Security Guards", and they are the type that stays where the tower is. They are not required to kill in the laning phase, but at least they should be able to be the God of War under the tower, right?

The method on the family stele should have been obtained by the ancestor of the Xie family when he achieved the body of a demon god in Xumi. Judging from the timeline at that time, it might have been given by the Great Compassion Tree King, but the content was modified quietly.

No wonder so many of the Xie family’s ancestors were deceived. Even the Emperor realized something was wrong only later.

"Before leaving, the Emperor told me to think and observe more... So, let's use this experiment to verify my idea. It would be even better if we could find out what content was changed on the stone tablet."

The Emperor's hint was very clear. Just do whatever you want tonight and he will take care of any problems. Xie Yan already has Avalon in his hands, so there is no need to be timid. He came to Tianheng Mountain because he was worried that the pollution would spread to the room and affect other people like last time.

Xie Yan opened his mind again, and his consciousness spread out again along the invisible connection.

It was as if a sense of tearing through time and space came over him, but Xie Yan had already adapted to it. He could even roughly sense that this was actually his consciousness following the earth veins towards the World Tree.

It seemed like a second had passed, and it also seemed like an hour had passed, before Xie Yan heard the same voice again.

"Release...absorb...everything..."

Compared to last time, the sound seemed to become clearer, but everything in front of me was still dark, as if I was in a void space with no concept of direction.

An aura similar to the resentment of a demon was faintly spreading. After sensing Xie Yan's presence, these evil forces seemed to have received some instructions and turned into dark mist and madly surrounded Xie Yan.

Xie Yan ignored it. This time he felt that his consciousness could continue to spread deeper. This was something that could only be achieved with the unique ability of blood and the soul essence of the demon god. It was equivalent to an enhanced version of administrator privileges.

My consciousness spread deeper into the mind again, and the gentle and ethereal female voice in my ears became clearer and clearer, as if it was already very close.

finally--

Click.

It seemed as if the barrier of space had been broken through and the darkness in front of my eyes was no longer there.

Looking around, this is an empty underground cave with an unfathomable cliff at feet. Although there are flowers, plants and trees around, they are immediately eclipsed by the towering tree rising from the abyss in the center of the space.

"This is... the World Tree?"

It is difficult to describe in words the shock that the World Tree brings. The pink and golden giant tree seems to stand tall and straight, and its thick roots are intertwined on the winding rocks, as if connected to the underground cave. Every leaf exudes a vast and great sacred power, as if it contains the laws of the realm of gods.

This was not Xie Yan's delusion. He had experienced the power of God before, and at this moment he felt the divinity as vast as the ocean. If he could probe his consciousness into it and resonate with it, perhaps he could really gain the knowledge of God.

But Xie Yan knew that the outcome would most likely be that he would explode, and he didn’t have much time left.

This space was extremely strange. Xie Yan had only partially descended with consciousness, but he had condensed a body that was no different from the real thing. However, perhaps because he was too far away from Mount Sumeru, Xie Yan could feel that the strength of his body was rapidly dissipating.

This is normal. Those scholars in Xumi have gone through so much trouble and used all kinds of props but may not be able to connect to the World Tree. However, Xie Yan logged in in Liyue, so it is not that easy even with administrator privileges.

Without hesitation, Xie Yan just glanced at the World Tree and then retracted his gaze, running quickly towards the direction of the World Tree. He could already vaguely feel a resonance coming from his soul.

Is the Great Compassionate Tree King right there?

Even though we have never met, the throbbing in my blood is unmistakable.

However--

The negative energy was consistent with the time when he traveled through space just now, and even several times more concentrated, and suddenly gushed out from under the World Tree like a fountain. Xie Yan noticed that a large number of black spots had appeared at the roots of the World Tree.

A dark beam of resentment shot straight into the sky, and ominous black clouds shrouded the top of the space.

The next second, the black mist quickly condensed into a ferocious giant beast in the shape of a unicorn above the crown of the World Tree, and countless black flames were lingering on its body that covered the sky and the sun.

Although it is called a Qilin, it is only similar in appearance. Its interior has been completely filled with pollution and evil, turning it from a auspicious beast into an evil beast. Just by looking into its huge pupils that glow with black and red light, Xie Yan can feel that the pollution level is rising sharply without even looking at the system panel.

"It has grown to this point..."

Xie Yan's steps suddenly stopped, and he looked up in disbelief at the evil Qilin hovering above the entire cave.

A crackling sound of burning was heard, and the branches and leaves of the world tree that Xie Yan had previously regarded as containing divine power were actually ignited by the black flames.

Although the burning speed is slow, it means that the black flame has also stepped into the realm of God.

The essence of the black flame is not simple pollution, nor is it like the Amaterasu in Xie Yan's impression, but a powerful power that is not inferior to the "Horizon". It is the end of the sky and the sea, and a furnace that melts everything.

But no matter what, this was no longer an enemy he could defeat with his own strength.

Three hundred meters? Four hundred meters? Or even higher?

Facing the Qilin Demon God that was hovering in the sky and seemed to be able to burn everything, Xie Yan had no idea where to start.

That’s right, at this time Xie Yan also understood that the other party was the ancestor Xie Yan mentioned by the Emperor, and at this time, the power of taboo allowed him to complete the last demon soul.

The worst result still happened. No wonder the situation of the World Tree has deteriorated to this extent.

"But... he should have foreseen this situation in advance. Why did he delay from the first pollution a thousand years ago to the Battle of Kanreya without asking the Great Compassion Tree King for help?"

"No, I understand. At that time, the Great Tree King had turned into a child because of the Red King's incident. He should have been waiting for the other party to recover, but he didn't expect that something would happen in Kanriya."

But as I said, it is useless to dwell on how things happened. As people in the present, the most important thing is to solve the problem.

In just less than a second, Xie Yan withdrew his gaze and continued running towards the World Tree.

Want him to give up? Impossible!

Xie Yan is not a person who likes to risk his life, but he will never be afraid when it is necessary to fight to the death. He never lacks the courage to draw his sword against the strong.

As he got closer, the Qilin in the air also cast its gaze downwards.

But when the Qilin stretched out its giant claws downwards, the World Tree suddenly rustled, and a sacred and vast force surged in the entire underground space. The huge body of the evil Qilin was no match for this force, and it was shattered in an instant, turning into pitch-black mist, most of which shrank back into the roots of the World Tree.

Before Xie Yan could breathe a sigh of relief, the remaining black mist tried to condense into shape again, but was quickly defeated by the light of the World Tree, and finally turned into countless raindrops that poured down.

The raindrops fell to the ground at an extremely fast speed, making a hissing sound like corrosion.

"The blazing sky covers seven rings!"

Five overlapping petal shields were raised high to block the black raindrops. This time, the petal shields did not show any signs of breaking.

Xie Yan continued to move quickly forward. He was already very close to the World Tree. However, the number of black raindrops was too many. He glanced at his hand inadvertently and found that the petal shield that was originally full of brilliant light had been corroded into black at some point. The polluted power spread along the shield towards his arm.

Not only that, the raindrops that fell in other places quickly condensed on the ground, continuously generating beast hounds.

The golden pupils instantly locked onto Xie Yan's position, a space wormhole flashed by, and the next second it arrived beside him.

"I am the bone of my sword."

Recite the spell silently in your mind, and a six-petal shield will appear in your left hand.

The shield collided with countless dark and ferocious claws. Although the sound of breaking continued to be heard, it temporarily blocked the enemies in front.

Behind him, there was also a beast hound with its giant claws extended out, but Xie Yan's right hand had already appeared waves of white meridians, and purple lightning instantly covered the sword.

"Chidori Blade. Tengu Sho!"

There was a flash of thunder, and the movements of several beast hounds behind him suddenly stopped. A sword mark slowly emerged, and its huge body was suddenly split in two from the middle. The cut was as smooth as a mirror, and the next second countless thunders exploded, and the violent energy completely destroyed it.

Not caring about the next wave of Beast Realm Hounds swarming over, nor having time to check his own condition, Xie Yan held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. Although he was still hit by the Beast Realm Hounds in the middle, he still managed to break through the encirclement.