He changed Tiwat

Han Fulai waved his right hand down, uttering the cry "The heavens are in turmoil," announcing the fall of the celestial star.

"Cangbi, drive it to forever illuminate the principles of Heaven..." Jiang Xue repeated this sentence in a low voice.

With a deafening roar, the black mist barrier collided violently with the celestial star.

The endless black mist only held off Tianxing for a fleeting moment; the barrier's defensive force field shattered like paper before Tianxing.

Wherever the celestial star goes, everything it touches turns to dust and rocks.

The lake formed from black mud was transformed into a smooth road by the petrification of the celestial stars.

A huge gap appeared in the black mist barrier within a radius of tens of meters.

The surrounding black mist churned and gathered, attempting to repair the gap, but the petrifying power of the star stubbornly blocked them.

“…Senior Jiang Xue.” Han Fulai’s voice was visibly weary.

He is now completely weak, and it is difficult for him to even stand.

Jiang Xue snapped out of her surprise, strode to his side, took the "Luminite" catalyst from his hand, and then hoisted him onto her shoulder.

"hold me."

Although if he had a choice, Han Fulai would prefer Jiang Xue to be a beautiful young girl rather than this unshaven, sweaty middle-aged man, he had no choice at the moment and could only hold Jiang Xue's neck tightly with all his might.

Only now did he realize that Jiang Xue's usual movements were already a result of restraint.

Jiang Xue carried his hundred-pound body as if it were nothing, exerted force with her feet, and leaped several feet away, passing through the hole in the black mist barrier in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Xue knew that time was precious and the opportunity was not to be missed, so she went all out from the start. Han Fulai felt as if he was flying on clouds on her back, and could only marvel at the existence of "lightness skill" in this world.

Behind them, the barrier's self-repair function had already begun to operate at full capacity, and in just a few minutes, the hole would be filled with black mist again.

Before their eyes, where the light from the "lumen" catalyst reached, the outline of the ancient civilization ruins, though not clear, had already emerged—it was a city.

An upside-down city!

About half an hour after Han Fulai and the others entered the barrier, Ye Lan rang the large bell in front of her in the ruins tower in the southeast corner on time.

The bell, cast in bronze, is about the height of a person and is engraved with mottled and obscure strange characters—characters that do not belong to any of the seven kingdoms of Teyvat.

But these words did not stump Ye Lan; she was able to read them.

As a special intelligence officer with "a thousand faces," Ye Lan has been cooperating with Ning Guang for many years. In the eyes of Bai Wen and others, Miss "You Ke" is just one of the many subordinates of Lord Ning Guang of Tianquan, but only Ye Lan herself knows that her relationship with Ning Guang is by no means a simple "superior-subordinate" relationship.

Ye Lan believed from the bottom of her heart that she could not be considered anyone's subordinate. Her cooperation with Ning Guang was more like a transaction than a superior-subordinate relationship, or rather... a contract.

She can obtain all the intelligence fruits borne by the Danger Flower for Ningguang, but the only reward she asks for is the danger and the sense of accomplishment itself.

Every hidden, mysterious cave could become a garden where orchids bloom.

Wherever Tianquan thinks, a recluse will be wandering around.

It's just a matter of each getting what they need.

In her work, Yelan's footprints have long been spread to other countries on the continent of Teyvat, and even to the perilous "Abyss".

This wasn't the first time Yelan had wandered and lingered in the towering abyss; she was already accustomed to gazing into the darkness within.

She comes from an ancient family; her ancestors fought against a great calamity in this place five hundred years ago.

That battle brought tears to the eyes of millions, and even immortals and yakshas perished there. After the fierce battle, few survived. Of the two ancestors, one died and the other survived, but the survivor went mad, casting a shadow over Ye Lan's family. Ye Lan always wanted to know what had happened back then. Although her reason told her she shouldn't go near that place, her body was increasingly drawn to it.

It was as if an inexplicable sense of foreboding lurked within her blood, beckoning her to the abyss.

As the bell tolled, Yelan read aloud the ancient inscription on the bell, a script from the "Abyss": "Mortuos Plango, Vivos voco."

It means "to mourn the dead and to pray for the living."

Chapter 191 The Upside-Down City

The sound of bells echoed through the ruins, and Ye Lan listened intently.

With her training, she could clearly distinguish different timbres, which sounds came from the bell itself and which were echoes from the rock wall. Ye Lan knew it all perfectly well.

She was waiting for the bells to ring from the ruins in the northwest corner.

But she didn't wait.

Ye Lan's eyes suddenly turned cold, and she used the "Hidden Form and Concealed Radiance" technique again. Her figure immediately became transparent in the air, and then she began to run away at full speed.

For her, uneven roads, jagged rock pillars, and even the rock walls on both sides of tunnels could all become her footholds. After using a secret technique to make her form ethereal, Ye Lan could ignore obstacles to a certain extent and maintain her running speed at its limit.

The rugged road, several kilometers long, took Ye Lan only half an hour to traverse—but she was still slow.

What she saw before her was the intact black mist barrier.

She was certain that Han Fulai and Jiang Xue had forcibly broken through the barrier and entered while she was rushing to ring the bell. Large areas of petrified remains on the ground outside the black mist barrier instantly made Ye Lan understand what had happened. She had clearly been deceived by Han Fulai again.

But Ye Lan doesn't feel humiliated or angry after being deceived. Once you're at the gambling table, you have to be prepared to accept the consequences of your bets—although she never admits defeat.

Compared to the unpleasantness of being deceived, Ye Lan's current feelings are actually quite conflicted.

Anxiety and relief, two incompatible emotions, coexisted in her heart at the same time.

The anxiety stemmed from the emergence of the "Abyss Order" and the anomalies in the Layered Rock Abyss. As someone who had once ventured deep into the "Abyss," Ye Lan knew all too well how terrifying this crisis was. Although, judging from the current state of the Layered Rock Abyss, this crisis was still in its "budding" stage, at least in her view, it was something that could be resolved independently—but if this crisis were to develop further, it might be no less devastating than the great calamity of five hundred years ago.

The reason why Yelan abandoned the principle of acting in secret, did not hesitate to expose his whereabouts to Han Fulai and even seek cooperation, was because the priority of this crisis had been higher than that of the Fools soldiers lurking in the Layered Rock Abyss.

Earlier today, based on clues obtained from the treasure-hunting group, she located the Fools' camp, which had been set up in some hidden ruins.

Judging from the few makeshift stretchers and traces of items that once existed in the camp, it was a "medical camp" set up by the Fools, a place where they treated the wounded. But when she found the camp, there were no living people or supplies left, only a newly dug grave and a backpack placed in front of it.

The backpack contained only two items, both belongings of the foolish soldier lying in the grave.

One of the documents was a "tactical manual" left by the tomb's occupant, a soldier of the Fools named Romansky, who was likely a corporal in charge of medical logistics. It was this Corporal Romansky who was responsible for negotiating the sale of supplies with the treasure-hunting group.

In reality, the "big business" the thieves talked about was simply transporting food and medicine to the hidden Fools.

Of course, given the current tense relationship between Winter and Liyue, the Fatui should have already been completely expelled from the Lapis Lazuli, so this transaction is considered "treason" and is entirely illegal. The treasure-hunting group therefore set a very high price—but the Fatui were willing to pay any price; Corporal Romansky had already paid a large deposit to the group several days ago.

Another relic was a simple marching map. This map did not belong to Corporal Romansky, but to his superior, known as "Captain," who had used it during his lifetime. Corporal Romansky kept his superior's belongings, upholding his duty until the very last moment of his life.

Romansky's colleagues took away the rest of the camp and moved their base. Nightlan tried searching the vicinity but found nothing.

The information Romansky recorded in his logbook forced Yelan to take the threat of the "Abyss" seriously.

Han Fulai's discovery that the backpack contained only a logbook and a map was not due to Ye Lan's carelessness, but rather because the Fools had indeed left only these two items. Ye Lan couldn't put anything else in, otherwise the flaws would only become more obvious.

Although Han Fulai had tricked her, the fact that he and Jiang Xue demonstrated the ability to break through the black mist barrier made Ye Lan feel much more at ease.

Some tasks don't necessarily require her to do them personally. Although she and Han Fulai are at odds, and even considered enemies to some extent, Ningguang had mentioned Han Fulai's stance to her. Since Han Fulai has made a pact to protect Liyue, she shares his position on the issue of the "Abyss."

For her, a beast drawn into the darkness by the instinct of danger, merit and recognition were never matters. If Han Fulai and Jiang Xue could resolve this crisis, she wouldn't mind sitting back and watching.

The only worry is that troublesome woman—

“Ningguang, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, it’s his own choice.”

Ye Lan murmured to herself, her figure disappearing once again into the darkness of the layered rocks.

Even with Jiang Xue's abilities, carrying a grown man at that speed couldn't last long. After about ten minutes, Jiang Xue's pace gradually slowed down. Han Fulai, on his back, finally had a chance to carefully observe the surrounding environment.

As Han Fulai had predicted, the area within the black mist barrier was a typical underground landscape of a giant rock abyss. Although black mud could be seen growing everywhere, the black mist that formed the barrier did not exist inside the barrier. At least the two of them could breathe as usual.

The tower ruins that Han Fulai glimpsed when he jumped down from above were the tallest building in the city—this tower, too, was upside down.

Han Fulai had never heard of an "upside-down city" before. Teyvat is a continent with gravity; as long as one lives on this continent, whether above or below ground, one always follows basic physical laws. Even if you build a house upside down on the ceiling, you can't live upside down, can you?

He couldn't see the point of building a city like this. Perhaps it was for some religious reason? Or perhaps the ancient civilization living underground possessed the ability to live against gravity?

Han Fulai asked Jiang Xue, but the answer he received was vague: "This ruin has existed for many, many years, and those people did indeed live inside back then."

Furthermore, they made another discovery—Hicrull footprints. Those footprints also led to the upside-down city.

Many questions might be answered by entering that upside-down city. The two encountered no obstacles along the way and soon arrived at the upside-down city.

However, unsurprisingly, entering the city was not so simple. The closer one got to the upside-down city, the stronger the aura of black mud became—the upside-down city was also enveloped by a layer of black mist.

Although it appears somewhat thinner compared to the external black mist barrier, it is unlikely to be easily entered.

Unfortunately, Han Fulai doesn't have the ability to unleash "Heavenly Movement" repeatedly, so he can only rely on Jiang Xue to break through this black mist barrier.

Just as Jiang Xue put Han Fulai down and was about to break through the small black mist barrier, the spatial rift reappeared in front of them.

Two figures, one in red and one in purple, descended from the spatial rift.

At the same time, a loud voice rang out—"Feel the grace!"

Chapter 192 For Whom the Bell Tolls

The moment the figures in red and purple robes appeared, they launched an attack, with purple lightning descending from the sky, striking Jiang Xue and Han Fulai directly.

Jiang Xue reacted swiftly, pushing Han Fulai aside and using the force to fly backward. The moment their figures separated, lightning struck, leaving charred marks on the spot where they had landed.

Jiang Xue then drew his bladeless sword, slashed backhand, and with a flash of sword light, two sword energies retaliated against the two abyss invaders.

Seeing Jiang Xue swing her sword through the air, the man in red immediately flew forward and stood in front of the man in purple.

He stretched out his hands and shouted, "Wang Lie's universe!" A wall of fire suddenly appeared with the red-robed man's body as the center, blocking Jiang Xue's sword energy.

While Jiang Xue confronted the enemy, Han Fulai seized the opportunity to distance himself from the battle, determined not to let his near-incapacitated state become a burden to Jiang Xue. Although he still possessed the power of the Salt God, it could only allow him to create a shield to protect him from the aftershocks of the battle. His weakened state had not yet recovered, and getting involved in the fight would be unwise.

These two strange figures who emerged from the spatial rift were dressed the same as the "Abyssal Apostles" he had seen before, their bodies shrouded in robes, their heads and faces completely covered by full-face helmets, making their features invisible.

The red-robed figure has a golden sun-shaped ornament floating behind him, while the purple-robed figure has a silver ornament floating behind him. When they activate elemental power, the ornaments behind them will shine with the corresponding elemental radiance.

In fact, just by hearing their moves and lines, Han Fulai already understood the identities of these two people—"Abyss Singers".

These two are not on the same level as ordinary monsters; if they were in a game, they would be at least at the level of the final boss of the eleventh floor of the Abyss.

The red-robed one wields the fires of the abyss, seeking the meaning of the canon.

He is the scholar and reader of the deep. He brings burning rebuke to the unwise with fervent truth, and by reciting the chapters of grace, one can possess great power.

The man in purple robes commanded thunder and lightning, chanting loudly in the pitch-black abyss.

He is the preacher and scholar of the abyss. With thunderous roars, he infuses the dark wisdom distorted by the long, dark night into the hearts of the unbelievers; the boundless purple lightning proclaims the existence of the great power that erodes human intellect.

Both of them are high-ranking members of the "Abyss Order," apostles representing the will of the Abyss.

As for why they are called "Abyss Singers" instead of "Abyss Apostles"—it's because they talk a lot, and when they fight, it's like reciting a menu, and their voices are particularly mesmerizing, as if they're singing arias on stage...

After exchanging blows with Jiang Xue, the two "Abyss Singers" surprisingly did not continue their pursuit, but instead remained standing in place, floating in mid-air.

“It’s the ‘True Art’…” The man in red robes looked at Jiang Xue and lowered his hands.

The man in purple robes then asked loudly, "For whom does the bell toll?"

The voice was melodious and varied, almost like singing opera.

Jiang Xue was taken aback by his words, completely bewildered. Han Fulai, standing some distance away, however, reflexively added—

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee!"

This is a well-known poem by the English poet John Donne, a line so overused by literary youths that Han Fulai immediately responded with the second line after hearing the first. He regretted it slightly afterward, as it was tantamount to provocation in this context. However, since neither of them knew what the other was asking, any answer would be the same.

However, the purple-robed "Abyss Singer" seemed to have received a signal from him, and actually nodded slightly. Although Han Fulai couldn't see the expression under his helmet, the purple-robed Singer's expression was indeed pleasant.

"Why do you toll the death knell?" the red-robed chanter followed up with a question. His voice was deeper than that of the purple-robed chanter, but his tone was also the same kind of lamentation, affected and theatrical.

Having asked this question, Jiang Xue understood why these two Abyss Singers had suddenly appeared here.

Although they couldn't hear the sounds outside due to the barrier of the black mist, Yelan must have rung the great bell of the ruins as planned, and the sound of the bell summoned the two of them.

Unfortunately, Ye Lan rang the bell just before they were about to enter the ancient ruins. If it had been any later, they might have been able to sneak into the ruins without these guys noticing.

Of course, no one can really be blamed for this. Neither Han Fulai nor Ye Lan knew that ringing the bell would attract the Abyss Singer. It can only be considered a kind of destiny.

“...To pay homage to the holy site,” Jiang Xue replied.

As far as he knew, this upside-down city was indeed a "sacred place".

The red-robed chanter turned around and glanced at the purple-robed chanter, as if they had reached some kind of tacit understanding. Then, the two chanters simultaneously raised their hands to the sky.

“My name is Onnar, a devout believer, a mourner of the dead,” the purple-robed chanter announced.

“My name is Egil, commander of the legion, the one who calls the living,” the red-robed chanter also introduced himself.

Is this... "Password correct," and they're ready to welcome us in? Han Fulai thought to himself, wondering if he should also come up with a name in the style of "Abyss Cult" to fool them.

But the next moment, he realized he was wrong, because a ball of lightning rose in Onnar's hand, shrouded in an ominous blackness; while a blazing flame rose from Aegir's palm, the flame also being pitch black.

“This is a forbidden area. Sinners must not trespass. To enter, one must first cleanse oneself of sin,” Egil said.

"Embrace the divine favor." Onnar's voice, as devout as his name, was.

These two don't seem like they're about to launch a fatal attack; they're more like a priest in a church performing a "baptism" on believers.