While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

At the time, he just found it amusing, but now, looking back, there was something inexplicable about that human.

He took out a test tube containing a few drops of dark red blood.

Those were the bloodstains left in the snow when Bingpianhua attacked Xu Chuan that day.

He later sent people to collect them, which was originally just a casual act, but it yielded an unexpectedly huge harvest.

The blood in this test tube contains astonishing power.

When the fake Abedo added this blood to the alchemical potion, he discovered that the mimicry process, which originally required a long cultivation period, was greatly shortened.

The puppets that the treasure-hunting group transformed into originally took a long time to take shape, but now they only take a few days.

Even more astonishingly, this blood can be used as a medium to maximize the fusion of the power of the venomous blood of the demonic dragon Durin.

That's the power of the abyss!

Even a powerful entity like the Golden Rhinedoth would need to use extremely rare alchemical materials to accomplish this.

And here I am, in this snow-capped mountain.

With such crude materials, such amazing results were achieved.

The fake Abedo stared greedily at the test tube.

If only we had captured that human back then.

If more blood could be extracted, the possibility of creating life through alchemy in the future would be greatly increased.

Unfortunately, it failed.

Not only did they fail, but they also caught Aberdo's attention.

but it does not matter.

He looked at the perfect double in front of him, then at the puppets with scarlet eyes, at himself and them.

Suddenly, a puppet stepped forward and whispered a few words in his ear.

The fake Abedo's eyes lit up immediately.

We found traces of that guy at the foot of the mountain?

And Aberdo came too?

The fake Aberdo sneered, spreading his arms as if embracing his bright future.

"Abedo, have you finally lost your temper and decided to attack your 'brother'?"

"What a coincidence, me too."

Chapter Twenty-Two: The First Battle

"Ah!"

Xu Chuan couldn't help but sneeze.

Yura glanced at him. "Did you catch a cold?"

"No." Xu Chuan rubbed his nose. "I just feel like someone is talking about me."

He was certain that it was absolutely malicious, the kind of thing that didn't want him to be happy.

Could it be that Wendy is talking about me?

I am eyeing the Heart of God in his possession, but given that guy's personality, I doubt he'll care.

It couldn't possibly be a woman.

Thinking this, Xu Chuan couldn't help but smile.

That lady isn't a doctor; she has no interest in visitors from other worlds. Why would she be thinking about me?

After all, the heart of God is not in one's own hands.

Feel the power of Diona's Eye of God.

Xu Chuan couldn't help but reminisce about the Heart of the Wind God that night.

In just a short moment, the power and authority contained within left a lasting impression on Xu Chuan.

At that moment, Xu Chuan almost couldn't help but speak up.

It doesn't matter who gets the Heart of the Wind God, so give it to me!

He desperately needs it.

Xu Chuan thought to himself.

A bard, who was enjoying the wine offered by the angels, also sneezed.

"Strange, isn't this the Cat Tail Tavern?"

……

“Maybe it’s that fake one thinking about you,” Abedo analyzed seriously.

Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head.

She was just a visitor from another world who had only recently arrived in Mondstadt, and not some Teyvat succubus.

Why are so many people concerned about him?

"Let's go, it's about time."

The four packed up their gear, left the camp, and headed towards the Starry Cave.

Along the way, Abedo gave a brief introduction to the terrain of the Starry Cave.

That is the most complex area of ​​the Longji Snow Mountain, with countless natural caves crisscrossing the landscape. Some are large enough to accommodate hundreds of people, while others are so small that one can barely crawl through them.

If you are not familiar with the terrain, it is easy to get lost inside.

“I lost track of him twice,” Abedo said. “Both times he escaped using those complicated passageways.”

“This time it won’t happen.” Yura gripped the pine tree tightly as the music started playing. “With four of them together, he can’t escape.”

Xu Chuan didn't speak, but touched the silver sword at his waist and the Eye of the Ice God in his arms.

The knight's greatest source of confidence was his ability to survive unarmed combat.

The entrance to the Starry Cave is hidden at the end of a frozen canyon.

Stepping inside, a biting chill hits you. The surrounding rock walls are covered with thick layers of ice, reflecting the firelight in their hands and refracting an eerie glow.

Deep within the cave, the faint sound of the wind howling could be heard, like something crying.

"Be careful," Abedo whispered. "This is where his territory begins."

The four slowed their pace and cautiously advanced.

After turning a corner, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

A huge cave appeared before them, with countless icicles hanging from its towering dome, shimmering with a ghostly blue light in the firelight.

In the center of the cave is an open area, and the surrounding rock walls are dotted with more than a dozen openings of varying sizes, like gaping mouths.

Without the howling wind and snow from the outside world, the world became quiet.

The four of them put on high alert and, following the plan they had discussed the night before, began searching for the hiding place of the fake Abedo.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

The original four-person search team has now been split into two teams of two, in hopes of increasing the efficiency of the search.

However, after searching all the way, they found nothing except clearing out some monsters that were entrenched there.

Deep inside a cave, Xu Chuan and Youla rested while eating dry rations.

"That guy is really good at hiding. If he's determined to avoid us, we probably won't be able to find him even after half a year."

"That's hard to say."

Xu Chuan believed that the other party would not give up so easily.

He dared to attack even in front of Abelard, Yura, Bennett, Amber, and Luminous.

This profound obsession is evident.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from one of the holes.

A middle-aged man dressed as a member of a treasure-hunting gang.

His face was pale and bloodless, and his trembling steps revealed his weakness at that moment.

"Help! Help...help me!"

The moment they spotted each other, Xu Chuan and Yura immediately went on guard.

Neither of them felt any sympathy; they stared intently at the man who resembled a walking corpse.

"Stop! Don't go any further!"

Yura shouted at them, but the other person seemed not to hear her and continued to walk slowly toward the two of them.

"Help...help...help me..."

The middle-aged man's voice was hoarse. He took a few more unsteady steps forward, and finally stumbled and fell to the ground.

He seemed to be embedded in the snow, motionless.

"It's him?"

After seeing this person, Xu Chuan remembered who it was.

"You know this guy."

While asking questions, Yura remained vigilant, constantly observing the surrounding area for possible hiding places, fearing a sneak attack.

As a guerrilla knight, she had seen this tactic many times in the wild.

Pretending to be an injured traveler, feigning sympathy and trust, and then suddenly attacking when the other party lowers their guard, catching them off guard.

Some of the younger members of the Knights have learned this the hard way.

"Yes, I ran into this guy when I met the fake Abedo."

"Did this guy escape, or...?"

"careful!"

Yura grabbed Xu Chuan and dodged to the side.

The next moment, a huge ice flower burst forth from the snow and appeared where the two had just been standing.

"I was just looking for you, and you've come to my doorstep just in time."

Having said that, as Yura danced and the sound of pine trees filled the air, she began a fierce battle with the mutated ice flower.

This Ice Deception Flower was far larger than the one Xu Chuan had encountered before. Its scarlet eyes were filled with madness, and the ice element on its body was even more violent, carrying a trace of the abyss.

"Ding-dong—"

The broad blade blocked the ice bullets. Yura moved swiftly, and the weight of the pine tree when it rang out did not hinder her movements in the slightest.

Xu Chuan was not to be outdone and launched an attack in coordination with Yura.

The knight does not die unarmed; activate.

The surrounding ice elemental force instantly enveloped Xu Chuan, like a layer of armor, and even the silver sword in his hand was covered with a layer of frost.

Yura drew the fire, allowing Xu Chuan to seize the opportunity to attack.

With a full-force sword strike, Xu Chuan seemed to cleave through even the wind and snow.

Even though the Ice Flower managed to dodge and avoid a fatal blow, this unexpected sword strike still severed several petals from its head.

The icy blue blood, mixed with streaks of crimson, splattered continuously onto the white snow.

The overflowing aura caused the tears of Dvalin in Xu Chuan's arms to tremble slightly, as if they were echoing each other.

However, in the midst of the battle, Xu Chuan had no time to study this sudden change and directly used the knight's invincibility to suppress it with his bare hands.

The ferocious Ice Deception Flower instantly restrained its ferocity and attempted to burrow underground to escape.

Yura and Xu Chuan worked together seamlessly without any pause, effectively locking down its movements.