Genshin Impact, all those behind-the-scenes big shots are me

His talent couldn't be more suited to a life of constant diligence, since everything Su Chen does now has to be done in years. The cycle of elemental life makes him have no concept of time at all. Now, year after year feels like month after month when he was a human... no, not even a month.

Fortunately, the elemental deposits in the Light Realm are much greater than those outside, and the elemental power itself is very violent. For ordinary people, even those with the Eye of God, they would be eroded by elemental power here, but it was just right for Su Chen.

He is a lightning element spirit, and can adapt to this environment even without the ability to devour.

However, this period did not last long.

Malice from the outside world swept across the realm of light.

Their enemy is not from the surface, but from the underground—humans.

"Could these be people from Yuanxia Palace?"

Inside and outside a huge underground fissure, a bright light pierced the darkness, causing the light-fearing deep-sea dragon lizards to flee in panic. From the light, a group of armed humans were chasing after the dragon lizards.

As far as Su Chen knew, the only place capable of illuminating the underground was the Abyss Palace, which had been granted wisdom by Istaru.

Originally, the Abyss Palace was also the habitat of deep-sea dragon lizards. It wasn't until the Second Throne descended and a great war broke out that humans fell into the Abyss Palace, thus beginning the battle between the dragon lizards and the humans of the Abyss Palace.

However, humans at that time could not create light and were attacked by dragon lizards, suffering heavy casualties. It was not until Istaru granted them wisdom that Abe no Yoru created the Great Sun Mikoto, which turned the tide.

The existence of light completely confines the survival of the dragon lizard to the realm of light. Although the deep-sea dragon lizard has fought back many times, its fear of light prevents it from entering the territory of the Abyss Palace.

[A battle erupts between the deep-sea dragon lizards and humans. The radiance of the Great Sun's chariot is limited, preventing humans from entering the realm of light. The deep-sea dragon lizards can only lurk in the darkness, waiting for their chance to strike—except for you.]

[You transform back into a lightning elemental spirit, simultaneously creating a clone to conceal yourself, and enter the Abyss Palace, where you discover an ancient human civilization.]

But you soon discover that life here is not like the surface world you are familiar with. Civilization is not prosperous. Humans thrive here, but even with light, they can only develop a limited civilization. Moreover, light gives birth to darkness, and the darkness reflects not the threat of dragons and lizards, but the dark side of humanity. Over the long years, a noble class has emerged here. Under the oppression of noble rule, human life is far from pleasant.

"The dark side of human nature is the same," you know this principle. Whether here or in Mondstadt, the psychological changes brought about by class differences will cause inner desires to swell. However, you have no intention of saving them. For you, playing your role well is the most important thing. You can't save everyone; you are not a savior, even if you were once the Emperor.

Your dark will has been awakened, and your strength has increased.

[You spent a month figuring out the general situation of the Abyss Palace. The Sons of the Sun are the symbol of rule, but they are just children. The real rulers here are the human nobles, who take advantage of the children's ignorance to issue absurd orders. When the Sons of the Sun turn ten, they are sacrificed to the gods, euphemistically called returning to the embrace of the gods, and then the next Son of the Sun is chosen.]

[This corrupt and absurd cyclical system was implemented so naturally. You suddenly think of a character, Ourobas. When he was defeated and fled Liyue, he encountered abandoned humans on his way to the Dark Sea. He should be in Inazuma by now.] (The game seems to mention that Umi-no-Island was created during the Demon God War, but I'm not sure if that's true. I don't quite remember. According to my setting, the game's timeline is 1500 years ago, and they're still underground. Anyway, Orochi was slain after the Demon God War.)

Realizing the demon god might appear at any moment, you frowned, retreated back to the realm of light, and shielded the dragon lizard horde in front of you.

Over the next two years, the battle between the dragon lizards and humans intensified. The nobles of the Abyss Palace, dissatisfied with their current rule, sought to subjugate the dragon lizards and, under divine guidance, become the kings of the underworld.

[You roam the battlefield, roaring and issuing commands, then devouring the dead dragon lizards to evolve. In just two years, you feel you're close to reaching the pinnacle of this evolutionary level.]

"The dragon lizards in the Light Realm provide far more energy than those outside."

Su Chen sighed.

That being said, he had no intention of killing and devouring the living dragon lizard.

He is currently following the evolutionary path of the dragon lizard, and sooner or later he will ascend to the throne of the dragon king, at which time the dragon lizards will also be considered his subjects.

Moreover, the power of faith provided by the dragon lizard clan should not be underestimated. With multiple powers combined, stacking buffs is the key to success.

[You have participated in numerous battles, always returning alive. Your strength and bravery have earned the recognition of the Dragon Lizard Palace Protector, and you have been promoted to Dragon Lizard Captain.]

[At sixty-one, the human war suddenly ceased, leaving the dragon lizards puzzled. The dragon lizard guardian wanted to send someone to investigate, but you volunteered to venture alone into the enemy's heartland. Your courage earned the respect of the guardian and the dragon lizards, and your reputation among them increased.]

You infiltrate the Abyss Palace again and find that most of the human soldiers have retreated; they have been redeployed and returned to the palace beneath the Great Sun Palace.

[You discover that the entire Yuanxia Palace seems to have fallen into chaos. The people here are terrified, shouting the name of the gods. Chaos ensues, followed by war. Humans fight and slaughter each other. It is a rebellion against the oppression of the nobles. Although it caused quite a stir at one point, it was gradually suppressed within a month.]

[As it turns out, overthrowing an already entrenched class system is no easy task. You silently observe all of this, and having grown accustomed to it, you prepare to leave, only to be suddenly stopped by a child.]

The edge area of ​​Yuanxia Palace.

The spirit that Su Chen had transformed into floated in the air, emitting a faint purple glow.

A child, not even ten years old, looks at you with innocent eyes that show no fear.

"Are you a god?" the child asked.

Su Chen thought for a moment and said, "I am an elemental spirit, a natural spirit born from heaven and earth."

"That's God?" The child blinked, somewhat excitedly asking, "God, can you help us?"

"help you with what?"

"Become our god and stop the terrible battle."

The child's innocence touched you deeply, but you knew you were powerless to help him, so you refused. But the child didn't give up; he came here every day to search and wait, day after day.

[You watch him every day, knowing this can't go on. If the dragon lizard appears, he'll be torn to shreds by its claws. This isn't out of pity, but respect for the little remaining human kindness in the underground palace. Unfortunately, you can't grant his request; you can only, as the captain, try your best to order the dragon lizard to stay away.]

[You prepared to return to the Realm of Light to report, but in a place beyond the Three Realms, perhaps due to the intuition of the elemental spirits, you followed the path lined with blooming dragon bone flowers and found a large serpent lying resting in a cave.]

The snake was enormous, with jet-black scales and covered in coral that emitted an eerie glow, making it look extremely strange. However, the snake did not emanate any malice, nor did it attack you upon your arrival.

"Elemental spirits born of heaven and earth, please come here," the great serpent said.

Su Chen asked, "May I ask who you are?"

"I am a serpent god who has blasphemed and sought fame. Though I have hundreds of thousands of followers, none of those I once sheltered are left. Today, I have fallen into this world and met you. It is fate that I will not kill you. Leave this place," the great serpent said.

As expected, it was Orobas, Su Chen knew in his heart.

"Thank you for your mercy, Serpent God. I did not mean to wander into this place and had no ill intentions. It is just fate that brought us here today. I have a word to say to the Serpent God."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"Do not easily interfere in the disputes between the sons of men. Even if they are suffering misfortune, it is due to the evil of human nature. Rushing to interfere will bring you terrible disaster."

The giant snake opened its eyes, its lantern-like eyes staring at Su Chen with suspicion.

"You're just an elemental spirit, how would you know such things?"

"The things of prophecy are governed by the will of Heaven. I was born into nature, so isn't it only natural that I would have some insights?"

"That being said, I would still consider granting refuge to anyone who seeks it."

Su Chen was silent.

Demons and gods are indiscriminate in their distinction between good and evil, and war is nothing more than a game of vying for the positions of the seven gods.

A demon god like Orobas is not weak, but he has little desire to compete for the position of one of the seven gods. All he wants is to live a peaceful life in a corner of the world.

Su Chen couldn't bear to see Orobas suffer the torment of fate. As for the people of Yuanxia Palace, he would have his own way of dealing with them later. To put it bluntly, the internal strife caused by human nature was not enough to destroy them. Unless it was a natural disaster or an irresistible malice, Su Chen did not recommend that the Demon God interfere too much.

This includes the seven gods whose positions have already been established.

Human beings are capable of self-governance; the existence of God is a solid backing, a focal point of faith, not a nanny.

"Thank you for your kindness, unknown elemental spirit. Please tell me your name." The giant serpent extended a friendly gesture to Su Chen.

"My name is... Kado."

[You and the great serpent exchanged names and chatted amiably. Orobas, having wandered here, licks his wounds in the darkness, and has not spoken to anyone for a long time.]

The demon god is extremely knowledgeable and possesses a far greater understanding of power than mortals. You gain a great deal from your discussions with him.

[At their parting, Orobas plucked a piece of coral from his body and bestowed his power upon you. You devoured the coral, thus beginning the next stage of evolution.]

[Your Deep Sea Dragon Lizard evolution path has reached Deep Sea Dragon Lizard: Myriad Cries, and you have mastered the Thunder Secret Technique.]

[Your strength has greatly increased. Upon seeing this, Orobas was even more astonished, calling you the most wondrous elemental spirit he had ever seen.]

After evolving, you thanked Orobas, then left the cave and returned to the Light Realm, where you told the Dragon Lizard Guardian what you had discovered.

"Humans are insatiable, and they will eventually be destroyed by their own desires," said the Dragon Lizard Guardian.

For the next six months, the Light Realm and the Abyss Palace lived in peace.

[Due to your increased strength and outstanding contributions, you have been promoted to Enforcer. Enforcers are a high-ranking position within the Dragon Lizard clan, with a total of twenty-four officers responsible for governing all the Dragon Lizards in the Light Realm, and they only obey the Guardians.]

Using your authority as a law enforcement officer, you secretly brought in the dragon lizards that had been roaming outside, allocating them a territory to breed and thrive. The dragon lizards, grateful for your protection, experienced an increase in their faith.

"My current strength is about the same as that of an ordinary giant beast. If I were to advance another level, I would be at the Dharma Protector stage."

Inside a simple palace, Su Chen returned to his residence to rest after finishing his business.

At his level, he had his own house and was served by dragon lizard people.

Simply put, it's not much different from the lives of the higher levels of human society.

The only difference is that the conditions here are indeed a bit rudimentary. The dragon lizards are all rough and unruly, and most of them are unconventional. Some of them jump around in the mud outside, which reminds Su Chen of a character from a cartoon in his previous life.

The strength of the Wanming level is roughly equivalent to that of the evil dragon encountered during the era of the Human Emperor. Moreover, after mastering the Thunder Secret Technique, one can command thousands of thunderbolts to bombard the enemy, which is extremely powerful. Reaching this level means one has the ability to protect oneself.

Moreover, the elemental power in the Light Realm has a natural nourishing effect on elemental spirits like him. Even if he just stays here and does nothing, after a few hundred or a thousand years, he will be able to evolve to the next level.

Well, at the moment, he doesn't really have a good way to advance, because after reaching this level, the effect of devouring the dragon lizard is already negligible.

At the age of sixty-three, the realm of light suddenly stabilized.

At sixty-four, you're slacking off.

At sixty-four, you're still slacking off.

【…】

【…】

[At seventy, your fears have come true. According to your subordinate, the dragon lizard, something has happened in the Abyss Palace. An invisible entity has entered it, leading the oppressed people of the Abyss Palace in war against the corrupt nobles. It broke off coral, which transformed into Coral King Worms. A vast coral army appeared and slaughtered all the soldiers fighting for the nobles.]

The war was almost entirely one-sided; the side protected by the demon god possessed enough power to crush the insignificant humans. The old nobles were quickly judged, their crimes condemned under the might of the Great God of the Mortal World. With the arrival of the new god, the people, led by him, began to rebuild the order of the Abyss Palace, naming his deity 'Orochi-no-Mikoto'.

"Old Bahrain has still gone down this path."

Su Chen shook his head secretly.

This is probably what is meant by the inevitability of history. He often encountered this situation in the previous simulations. He could interfere with reality and influence future development, but this behavior has certain limitations. At least in his current situation, he cannot do it.

Or rather, the elemental spirit template foreshadowed this development from the start. After all, if it were a template like the Human Emperor, he would already be ruling the Abyss Palace.

Seventy years old, the seventy-year-old emperor, who dares to claim invincibility before him?

The rise of Orobas's rule brought immense panic to the dragon lizards of the Light Realm. The demon god was an inviolable being, yet the dragon lizards also felt anger—a cry from the souls of their ancient ancestors, an anger passed down to this day, deeply etched into the souls of the deep-sea dragon lizards.

[The enraged dragon lizards, under the command of the guardians, launched an attack on the Abyss Palace, reigniting the great battle. However, this time the dragon lizards faced not only humans but also a coral army under the command of the Serpent God. After six months of fighting, the dragon lizards suffered heavy losses and retreated to the Light Realm.]

The power of Orobas filled the dragon lizards with fear and unease, and the seven guardians fell silent. They began searching for an ancient prophecy: on the day the Dragon King was born, the dragon lizard race would usher in a new era of light.

[Therefore, the dragon lizard horde began selecting someone to inherit the Dragon King's throne. However, even among the seven guardians, none could gain the approval of the Elemental Heart. Guardians inherently embody the duty of protection, so they were destined to be unable to usurp the divine position.]

[You ascend the steps, stand before all the dragon lizards, and declare that you will become the Dragon King. The dragon lizards are astonished by your confidence. The seven guardians discuss the matter and decide to give this 'juvenile' dragon lizard a chance.]

"Kado, create a miracle for the Dragon Lizard race!"

As you ascend the steps leading to the Heart of the Elements, under the watchful eyes of all the dragon lizards, you touch the orb of light that symbolizes divine royal power.