I, from the Celestial Empire, have parachuted into Teyvat.

Peeking out of the cave, Goro turned back and said, "You guys wait here for a bit, I'll go out and scout out the surrounding area."

Qi Ji nodded: "Okay, be careful."

"Ah."

With a reply, Goro rolled out of the cave. The power of the Eye of God had enhanced Goro's body, or perhaps his physical attributes as a sub-beastman were simply too high. After leaving the cave, Goro disappeared into the mist with a few quick leaps, while the remaining members of the reconnaissance team remained in the cave to wait for orders.

After waiting quietly for five minutes, a dark shadow flashed at the cave entrance, and Goro, carrying a longbow, reappeared before everyone.

"It's safe around here. We haven't spotted any Thunderbirds. Let's go."

Qi Ji nodded and waved to the group, saying, "Let's go."

The reconnaissance team, consisting of several dozen people, carefully left the cave and headed northeast.

Compared to their previous blind landing on the island, Qi Ji and his team were equipped with much more comprehensive gear this time. To reduce the impact of the fog, each member of the reconnaissance team was equipped with thermal imaging display goggles and fog-penetrating signal lights. The former was to avoid the presence of hostile creatures lurking in their field of vision, while the latter was to facilitate the search for any members who fell behind.

However, even with thermal imaging goggles, they did not see any living creatures emitting heat as they moved forward. The entire island was deathly silent, except for withered plants, a pale fog, and the occasional sharp cry of a thunderbird flying overhead.

The team advanced slowly. Qi Ji, rifle raised and on alert, whispered into the team communicator, "Is there not a single living creature on this entire island? Last time we were here, we at least saw a few crabs on the outer beach..."

"I also feel like something's not right..."

Goro said, "Logically speaking, although Crane Pavilion has been destroyed, so many years have passed and the architectural ruins have been abandoned. It's impossible that there isn't even a single insect on the island."

Just then, a crackling sound suddenly came from above the thick fog, followed by a piercing shriek.

Qi Ji was startled and whispered in the voice channel, "Take cover!"

Everyone immediately lay down on the ground.

The Thunderbird's cry seemed to hover above everyone's heads, sometimes near, sometimes far. To avoid being detected by the Thunderbird, everyone tried to suppress their breathing.

After circling overhead for about half a minute, the Thunderbird's cry faded into the distance.

Qi Ji breathed a sigh of relief and got up from the ground.

Goro said with lingering fear, "That was close..."

Qi Ji nodded: "Yes, it's best if we don't let it find us before we find the spatial teleportation channel. This guy is no pushover."

Qi Ji said, "I went to Qinglai Island to investigate on orders from our headquarters. I found that although there was no one on Qinglai Island, there were also monsters from the Abyss Sea landing there. Qin Island City, Haiqi Island, Qinglai Island, including our underwater Qianhai base, have all been attacked by monsters from the Abyss Sea. Only here in Heguan, we haven't seen a single monster yet."

"Yes, I noticed that before too."

Goro clicked his tongue twice: "It seems that even those demons are afraid of the master of Crane Pavilion."

"Actually, this is also something that I find a bit strange."

Qi Ji continued, "We also saw those monsters that crawled up from the Abyss Sea. They have no reason whatsoever. It seems that attacking anything that moves is their instinct. Do such creatures really have a sense of fear?"

Goro frowned and said, "You mean to say that those monsters are not afraid of the Thunderbirds, but that there is something on Crane View that makes them instinctively resist going to the island?"

Qi Ji shook his head.

"Who knows... but there must be a reason."

The two knew this wasn't the time to discuss these things, so they stopped talking and the group continued on its way.

After walking for twenty minutes and experiencing two more thunderbirds flying overhead, the group finally emerged from the rocky forest and found themselves in the ruins of dilapidated buildings.

Goro said, "This is the northeast bank of Heguan. We didn't enter the ruins in front of us last time."

Having identified their target, the reconnaissance team arrived at the ruins.

This is a temple-like building. The main part of the building has collapsed, but through the dark gaps among the rubble, it can be seen that the temple seems to have a considerable underground space.

Just as Qi Ji and the others were figuring out how to get down, the voice of the team member in charge of perimeter security suddenly came through the team's voice chat.

"Who goes there! Hands up!"

Qi Ji and Wu Lang were taken aback, and immediately ran towards the location where the situation was.

Other team members had already arrived, three or four of them holding weapons and aiming at three figures slowly walking towards them through the fog in the distance.

As the figures drew closer, everyone could clearly see that they were three people dressed in traditional clothing from the old Inazuma era—two men and one woman. The three of them seemed oblivious to the reconnaissance team's presence, continuing to chat and laugh as they walked toward the ruins.

"Stop! Take another step forward and we'll shoot!"

The reconnaissance team shouted again, but the three men coming towards them remained unmoved.

Qi Ji reached out and pressed the muzzle of the team member's gun down.

"No need to aim anymore, they're not real people, they're probably just illusions."

Sure enough, the three of them passed straight through the reconnaissance team members like ghosts, heading towards the temple ruins without any hindrance, and then disappeared into the rubble after passing through the ruins.

Goro said, “These should be the original inhabitants who lived in Heguan back then. Just like the shadows you encountered in the canyon last time, they will reenact themselves when we leave Heguan and return to this island, returning to their original state. Perhaps these are the images of those original inhabitants’ activities in Heguan back then, which have now become memories of Heguan, becoming ghost-like existences.”

Upon hearing Wulang's words, Qi Ji suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"You just mentioned memories..."

Goro asked, "What's wrong?"

Qi Ji stroked his chin and pondered, "When I was in contact with the outside world a while ago, I heard Commander Yi mention that the ley lines can carry images and memories of the past. When the ley lines are unstable, these past memories will return to the human world in the form of what people commonly call spirits, that is, ghosts."

"The generation of a spatial teleportation channel causes continuous fluctuations in the surrounding space. As the foundation of spatial technology, the ley lines will naturally reflect these unstable fluctuations. Perhaps this is the reason for the appearance of ghosts. If we follow these ghosts to find their source, can we find the location of the spatial teleportation channel?"

Wulang stared at Qi Ji in disbelief.

Seeing Goro's expression, Qi Ji thought he had said something wrong and asked in confusion, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No......"

As he spoke, Goro patted Qi Ji on the shoulder, then gave him a thumbs-up and exclaimed with delight.

"Brother Qi, you're a genius!"

Chapter 397 The Sacrificial Site

Amidst the thick fog, on a forest path, more than a dozen figures dressed in traditional clothing from the old Inazuma era approached from afar.

They chatted and laughed all the way, as if they were discussing something.

After the group had passed, a member of the reconnaissance team emerged from the roadside bushes.

Watching the group of people disappear into the distance, the reconnaissance team turned on the radio and reported the situation.

"Report: A group of phantoms, at least ten people, has been spotted on the tree-lined path on the east side. They are now heading west."

"receive."

Looking out over the shore of Beihai Lake, Qi Ji hung up the radio and looked at two or three figures walking away in the distance.

Goro, who was standing nearby, asked, "How is it?"

Qi Ji said, "More than ten groups of phantoms have been discovered. Just now, a report came from the east that the largest group of phantoms to date has been discovered, and they are heading west."

Goro stroked his chin and thought for a moment: "The phantoms in front of us are also heading south... It seems that almost all the phantoms are moving towards the center of Tsurukan."

Qi Ji asked, "What is the center of Crane Temple?"

Goro said, “When I led the team to the island before, I passed through the central area of ​​Heguan. It is the highest point in the entire Heguan. There is also a huge mountain in the center. At the foot of the mountain, there is a large altar square, which looks like a place where the indigenous people conduct sacrificial activities. It’s a pity that the last investigation was in a hurry and we did not go deep into the area to investigate.”

"It seems there's a high probability that the spatial passage is located there."

Qi Ji activated the radio for a group call: "All team members, immediately follow Phantom to the altar plaza in the center of Crane View Island."

After hanging up the call, Qi Ji said to Wu Lang, "Let's go too."

Goro nodded, and the two of them quickly ran a few steps to catch up with the phantom ahead, following behind it towards the altar square in the center of Crane View.

Ten minutes later, the entire reconnaissance team had assembled outside the altar plaza, where a large number of phantoms had also gathered.

Looking from afar, the crowds were so large that the square seemed unusually crowded. In the center of the square were two rows of long tables with various offerings on them, and in front of the offerings was a pile of firewood, the purpose of which was unknown.

The reconnaissance team continued to observe everything happening in the square from the cover of a huge rock on the outskirts of the altar plaza.

Looking at the densely packed crowd in the square, Goro exclaimed, "It seems like all the native inhabitants of the entire island have come."

Qi Ji raised an eyebrow: "It seems that on the day the earth veins recorded these memory images, a huge sacrificial ceremony was taking place at He Guan. What were they offering?"

As soon as the words were spoken, a thunderbird's shrill cry suddenly came from above the thick fog.

Qi Ji clicked his tongue and said, "Alright, it seems the answer is obvious."

"hiss......"

Just then, Goro's expression suddenly changed, and he gasped.

Qi Ji followed Wu Lang's gaze with a puzzled look, and then he saw the crowd in the square tying a little boy who looked to be less than ten years old to a pile of firewood. Then, under the boy's terrified gaze, they threw a torch into the firewood, and in an instant, a big fire illuminated the entire altar square.

"They actually...they actually used living people as sacrifices..."

Qi Ji was shocked and instantly had the idea of ​​rushing out to save people, but then his hand holding the gun barrel loosened weakly, because his rational mind knew that these were all illusions, all of He Guan's memories, all of which had already happened.

There's nothing they can do.

The firelight reflected in everyone's pupils as they watched the crowd thronging before the flames, remaining silent for a long time.

Just then, the cry of the thunderbird suddenly began to approach rapidly from high above, and in the blink of an eye it seemed to be right next to their ears.

Goro exclaimed in surprise, "Oh no, has the Thunderbird spotted us?"

The group picked up their weapons, ready to fight.

The thick fog above suddenly began to churn, and a purple light flashed rapidly within it. The next second, a giant raptor, nearly ten meters long and entirely deep purple, pierced through the fog and appeared above the altar plaza.

Thunderbirds have appeared.

Qi Ji's pupils contracted slightly. The Thunderbird looked exactly like the bird statue he had seen when he first arrived on the island.

Its body resembles an eagle, but it is many times stronger than an eagle. With its wingspan of more than ten meters, it tears the lightning elements in the air with a crackling sound, which is the origin of the "crackling" sound every time the Thunderbird appears.

"Is this the Thunderbird...?"

Taking a deep breath, Qi Ji locked the sights on the Thunderbird's body. However, just as everyone was about to fire, the Thunderbird suddenly let out a shriek and unleashed devastating lightning upon the crowd in the square.

In an instant, the vast majority of people in the square were annihilated by the lightning, while the remaining people scattered in terror.

But the Thunderbird clearly had no intention of letting them go. With a flap of its wings, the lightning bolts high above condensed into purple balls of electricity in the air, which then burrowed into the fleeing crowd and began to slaughter them. Any plants touched by the lightning balls burst into flames in an instant, and the people were all turned into charred remains in the blink of an eye.

Outside the square, the reconnaissance team was completely stunned.

It turned out that Thunderbird's target was not them at all, but the crowd of people performing the ritual in the square.