"I, I... Even so, I won't accept it... The deception... the false history, everything, you... you can't shake my faith..."
At this moment, Wanyan's long-held firm belief completely collapsed. She cried out and ran out of the secret chamber.
"This is the price she has to pay, but... it's not necessarily a bad thing. Looking at her, she might be shaken for a while longer... However, even if she can't be freed immediately, just facing reality is not bad."
Zhongli watched Wanyan's disappearing back, his tone sounding like a release. A long, long time ago, the story of Guili was a warning to him. Believing in a god who had passed away was truly of no benefit... It was the same for faith in Guili as it was for faith in Morax.
"What an interesting archaeological trip. I've collected so much little-known material, enough to complete my graduation thesis. Well then, everyone, farewell."
While Zhongli was telling stories, Yuanshang had already found what he wanted in the secret chamber. He quickly slipped away before Zhongli could settle accounts with him.
After leaving the ruins, he immediately teleported to the border of Liyue and breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, Clement, who had already left, was waiting with his men.
"Friend, hand over the item. On behalf of your prince, I'll spare your life..."
A man wearing an eyepatch beside Clement chuckled, not taking Yuanshang's strength seriously.
"Coincidentally, this is exactly what the prince wants. Do you really want to be an enemy of the Abyss?"
Yuanshang seemed to detect a dangerous aura from the other party, his entire body tensed. He confronted them to stall for time, while secretly preparing an Abyss portal.
"You? Hmph, you can't represent that prince, let alone the Abyss. Don't think about escaping; you won't escape!"
The eyepatch man noticed Yuanshang's subtle movements but didn't take them to heart, completely confident in his own strength.
"Then you can try..."
As he spoke, a starry vortex suddenly tore open in the sky behind Yuanshang, and he vanished into it.
The eyepatch man let out a sneer and, before the starry vortex closed, also flashed into it.
..........
Meanwhile, Zhongli took Lumine to Guyun Stone Forest to commemorate an old friend, while Fengyi returned to Liyue by himself.
As he walked, he noticed the wings of flying birds suddenly freeze in mid-air, and the air itself solidified.
Looking up, the sky began to crack and shatter like blocks. A white-haired woman stepped out of the darkness, treading on the air.
"Outsider, your journey ends here."
Her orange-gold eyes were filled with majesty, cold and emotionless, pronouncing Fengyi's execution.
"Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles?!"
Sumeru's heart skipped a beat. He had always acted in secret, rarely even using his Hydro Nation power, yet he had still been detected by the Heavenly Principles?
The appearance of the Heavenly Principles mid-journey completely disrupted his plans. Fengyi knew his limitations; with his current strength, he was no match for this Sovereign of the Heavenly Principles.
He was unwilling. If only he had two more years, he was confident he could unite the Abyss and the Seven Nations' forces for self-preservation.
"You really know something, but... it's precisely because you know too much!"
The Heavenly Principles looked at Fengyi coldly. With a slight movement of her finger, a block of black energy suddenly appeared beneath his feet.
"Hydro Nation Domain—Activate!"
Fengyi no longer held back. As he unleashed his Hydro Nation Domain, he activated his invincibility golden body, rendering him immune to the Heavenly Principles' solidification attack.
However, the block of black energy had sealed off this space. Even though he was temporarily unharmed thanks to his invincibility golden body, defeat was only a matter of time.
Suddenly, a golden stream of light flew from a distance, breaking through the space sealed by the golden energy block and sweeping away Fengyi, who was in his golden state.
Fengyi's body was violently pulled, as if it were being torn apart. His consciousness blurred. Before he lost consciousness, he vaguely saw a hem of clothing fluttering in the wind, embroidered with rock patterns.
After an unknown amount of time, Fengyi woke up again and found himself back in that familiar small room.
Beside his pillow, his illuminated mobile phone still had his Genshin Impact account logged in.
On the phone, Zhongli was facing away from him, encased in a golden shield, exuding a sense of security.
"Ow... Was that all just a dream?"
Fengyi rubbed his throbbing head. If it truly was a dream, it was far too realistic.
He tried to summon his Hydro Nation Domain, but there was no response.
Fengyi gave a wry smile and had to accept the fact that it was a dream, regretting that the dream ended too quickly.
The next moment, as Fengyi prepared to get out of bed, he seemed to sense something. He lifted the covers and saw a shimmering Geo Vision lying quietly there.
What he didn't notice was that Zhongli, encased in a golden shield on the phone, was being gradually eroded by the black energy block and was slowly fading away...
(Finale! Congratulations!)