He changed Tiwat

Near the "Layered Rock Nail," there are five strange red stone platforms, arranged in a pentagram configuration.

If Han Fulai and Jiang Xue saw it, they would recognize it at a glance as the very thing the Abyss Cult used to corrupt the Wishing Stone.

Beside each of the five stone platforms, a group of three Abyss mages hovered in mid-air, continuously channeling energy into the platforms. Three Abyss Apostles acted as overseers, patrolling back and forth from time to time.

At the outermost edge of this rock hall, several "Dark Shells" formed teams of three, guarding every path leading to the "Layered Rock Nails".

It was called a road, but it wasn't a path for ordinary people; it was more like a cliff with a slightly gentler slope. But the "dark shells," having received their guard orders, remained meticulously vigilant of their surroundings—they knew no fatigue.

A "Black Serpent Knight" clad in full black armor led several "Dark Shells" on patrol along the roads. The only sound in the area was the clatter of his knight's boots against the hard ground.

After a round of inspections, the "Black Serpent Knight" and his men headed to the lounge.

The Abyss Order carved out several stone chambers into the spiraling cliffs for the apostles to rest in. Although the apostles had gained the power of the abyss, they were still flesh and blood, and flesh and blood would tire and need rest.

And this "Black Serpent Knight" is clearly no less powerful than the Abyss Apostle—in fact, he is the only one who can command these "dark shells".

Inside the stone chamber, Ye Mingxiang took off her helmet and casually tossed it aside.

In just a few days, his hair had turned gray, and one of his eyes had lost its light, finally giving him the appearance of a middle-aged man in the early stages of aging. In stark contrast to this aged appearance was the eerie red light that flickered in his right eye.

He made a gesture, and the "dark shells" that followed him dispersed, standing quietly by the wall, their movements as synchronized as machines, their silence as solid as rocks.

Only one guard knight with a bow was an exception. No, he did not obey Ye Mingxiang's orders.

Upon closer inspection, one will also notice that the longbow held by this guard knight is different from the ordinary "dark shell".

Although both longbows are predominantly silver-white, the longbow in the hand of this guard knight has sharp barbs, and a small polar star is inlaid at the apex of the bow's arc.

In the Land of Winter, this longbow has a well-known name—"Winter Pole White Star".

The owner of the longbow also took off his helmet, revealing a head of messy orange hair.

"Phew. I can finally breathe. I really hate wearing this armor."

The eleventh seat of the Fools' Executive, "Prince" D'Artagnan, was filled with displeasure.

Compared to lurking and disguising himself, he found combat much more enjoyable.

"How much longer do I have to live like this?" he asked Ye Mingxiang.

“One day,” Ye Mingxiang gave him a precise answer.

"How did you know?" Dadalia asked curiously.

“The project to contaminate the ‘Punishment Nail’ will be completed in one day, and our plan will be launched at that time.” Ye Mingxiang said calmly. To him, these were just parts of the plan, proceeding step by step, nothing more.

A look of anticipation shone in D'Artagnan's eyes.

"Oh, that's great. I've been holding back for almost three days, and I can finally stretch my muscles."

He arrived at the Layered Rock Abyss through a portal two days ago, and waiting for him in front of the portal was Ye Mingxiang, the leader of the "Black Serpent Knights".

To be honest, he didn't want to come to a godforsaken place like the Laminar Fissure. If he could lead this operation, he would wreak havoc on Qingxu Pool with the "Little Treasures" hiding in the "toy factory" on the outskirts of Liyue.

In the eyes of his younger siblings, Tartaglia is a "supervisor of toy sales in Liyue from the Kingdom of Winter"—from this perspective, leading the "toys" on a "Toy Story" is more in line with his wishes.

The operation at Qingxupu is likely to be a tough battle, and we might even run into that "friend from the underworld".

This made him feel excited.

That's why he agreed to Pantalone's request and came to Liyue again.

He didn't actually have much of a relationship with "Rich Man" Pantarone, or rather, he didn't have much of a relationship with any of the Executives except for "Rooster," so there was no reason for him to help Pantarone. But Pantarone assured him that he would at least be able to spar with the Liyue Sages in the battle at Qingxu Pool—this banker knew how to please people.

But before he departed, Piero the Clown, the chief commander and CEO of the Fools, gave him an order, instructing him to go to the bottom of the Abyss of the Rocks to assist one of their allies in completing a mission.

Piero was a native of Canria and once served as the court mage of Canria. Because his talent could not compare with that of the "wise man" Rhinedoth, he failed to gain the favor of the king he once served, nor could he stop his compatriots from tearing away the veil of deep sin—thus Canria was subjected to a raging tide of divine wrath, destruction, and folly.

After the destruction of Canria by the Seven Gods, Piero swore allegiance to the Ice Queen of Winter's Kingdom, donned the mask of mockery, and fought to rewrite the laws of nature. Half of the Fools' Enforcers were recruited by this "First Fool" from across the world to serve the Queen.

He was the original executor of the Fools and is the leader of the executors today. He usually only appears on grand occasions—and correspondingly, the tasks he issues are far more important than requests from "rich people."

Moreover, this court mage thoughtfully created a portal, preventing D'Artagnan from getting lost on her journey to Qingxupu...

So Dadalia was forced to become a "dark shell" and Ye Mingxiang's "bodyguard".

Ye Mingxiang glanced at Dadalia. "I suggest you put on your helmet, because the Abyss Apostles could come in at any time. Their trust in me is just as weak as your trust in me."

"Huh? So you could tell." D'Artagnan scratched his head in annoyance. "I'm getting more and more annoyed with you."

"Why?" Ye Mingxiang's tone remained completely unchanged.

D'Artagnan tapped his chest; the soft creaking of his breastplate only fueled his irritation.

“I think that a ‘partner’ relationship should involve open communication, but I don’t see any willingness from you to communicate with me. In three days, the total number of sentences we’ve exchanged is less than twenty.”

"I have no need to become your 'partner'," Ye Mingxiang frowned.

"What a pity. I can see that you're the kind of person who stirs up trouble, and being with you should mean plenty of opportunities for conflict. That's what I'm most dissatisfied with..."

D'Artagnan waved his hand forcefully, and the spikes on the Winter Star sliced ​​through the air with a soft whistle, venting his pent-up anger.

"And I can see that you possess great power—yet you remain here so pathetically, used as a gatekeeper by the 'Abyss Order' guys every day, and I'm even forced to wear this bulky tortoise shell and be driven around like a servant by them... Ha, now we've exchanged more than twenty sentences."

"Just wait one more day, and I will give you the battle you desire," Ye Mingxiang said.

"Because I've been holding it in for too long, can I have some 'add-ons'? Do you know what 'add-ons' means? I have a friend in the underworld in Liyue who told me..."

"What do you want?" Ye Mingxiang interrupted Dadalia's incessant chatter.

"I want to fight you!" D'Artagnan's voice was full of eagerness. "I think fighting you would be much more enjoyable than fighting those bastards from the 'Abyss Order'!"

"Okay, as long as you can help me complete the plan."

Ye Mingxiang's voice remained completely calm, as if she had only agreed to a trivial matter.

"Although the aura of the 'Evil Eye' is similar to the power of the abyss, it is still different. Moreover, a normal 'Black Serpent Knight' neither speaks nor shows its face. So now, put on the helmet. I don't want any mistakes to happen before the plan is completed."

D'Artagnan paused for a moment, then reluctantly put the full-face helmet back on his head.

A moment later, a muffled sound came from inside the helmet.

"Since we're 'allies,' you should at least let me know your plans, right? Although I'm used to the chaos of battle and good at adapting to changing circumstances, I don't like being kept in the dark."

Ye Mingxiang now regrets asking Piero to borrow manpower. Although Piero once said that Tadalia was the best warrior and had lived in the Abyss, so he was very comfortable with the disguise of being covered by the power of the Abyss... he just talked too much.

After a moment of silence, Ye Mingxiang decided to satisfy Daddariya's curiosity a little, because he didn't want Daddariya to become a variable in the plan.

“Once the ‘Punishment Nail’ is corrupted, we will take action against the ‘Abyss Order’, forcing them to summon the ‘Seven Heirs’, and then seize control of the ‘Seven Heirs’.”

"That's all?" D'Artagnan was clearly disappointed.

"The process of obtaining the 'Seven Heirs Worm' requires fighting it. Whether you believe it or not, its power is no less than that of a demon god."

“Very good!” D'Artagnan was finally satisfied, because this opponent sounded quite formidable and challenging.

Of course, he was never afraid of challenges—whether his opponent was a god or a monster from the abyss, as long as it had form, there was a possibility of victory.

But he was only satisfied for five minutes.

He started to get bored.

"If I just stood there like this in the snowy plains of my hometown, I'd be frozen solid by now. Hahaha... Um, how about we talk about something? Travel experiences? Combat exploits?"

Ye Mingxiang regretted it even more, regretting that he shouldn't have talked so much to D'Artagnan. He found that D'Artagnan was a very demanding person. When you ignored him, he would restrain himself and prioritize the mission... but once you gave him a little leeway, he would take advantage of you.

What's even more frustrating is that now is not the time to turn against D'Artagnan.

Suppressing the "Seven Heirs" requires him to continuously use the "Mokosh Device," while D'Artagnan's responsibility is to hold off other enemies during that time—the "Abyss Order," Jiang Xue and Han Fulai, as well as other possible variables.

Even with the help of the "Dark Shell," Tartaglia's military strength remains important, at least until his usefulness is exhausted.

"...Ah, why don't you tell me why you allied with us?" Dadalia threw out another question.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Ye Mingxiang replied simply.

“But why did you become an enemy of the ‘Abyss Order’? I heard Piero say that you clearly have the qualifications to become a ‘prince’,” D'Artagnan continued to press.

"I only have half of the 'royal blood' in my body," Ye Mingxiang replied briefly.

"Power struggles... How boring." Under his helmet, D'Artagnan curled his lip. He had long been fed up with the other executives' inexplicable "grand plans," schemes, and backstabbing.

Ye Mingxiang shook her head. "I never said that the 'Abyss Order' was an enemy. They were just stumbling blocks on my path. But I can tell you that I want to take this opportunity to settle some personal scores with some of them."

D'Artagnan became interested. "And who is the enemy?"

Ye Mingxiang raised her hand and drew a large circle.

"world."

D'Artagnan paused, then spoke again, the arrogance in his voice completely gone: "You are also... someone who 'is at odds with the world'?"

"You don't believe me?" Ye Mingxiang asked back.

"If it's for revenge for the destruction of Kanria, aren't the goals of the 'Abyss Order' and yours the same?" Dadalia replied with a question.

“They are no good.” Ye Mingxiang’s voice became low. “They are not even capable of destroying this old world, let alone bringing a new one.”

"What...do you want to do?" Datalia's voice became serious.

“I have dreams that cannot be accepted, and wounds that cannot be healed. I believe that the destruction of everything will be the beginning of a new order, and I want to usher in a pure dawn at the end of destruction. I… want justice to exist in this world.” Ye Mingxiang answered with words that every member of the Fools was familiar with.

After a moment of silence, D'Artagnan still asked the question—

"Then why don't you join us? Didn't Piero try to recruit you too?"

Ye Mingxiang's lips curled up.

"I'm sorry, but there are some justices I want to seek myself. Your empress... is too slow; I can't wait."

Chapter 264 Casually Capturing Some Unrestrained Sword Qi Sweeps Away Sorrow and Wounds [4k]

“Ilmin…”

Han Fulai never expected to hear that name again from Jiang Xue.

He also remembered that when Dainesreb gave him the engraving at the ancient ruins, he told him about its origin—

"Legend has it that a wise man once sacrificed one of his eyes to a giant tree, hanging upside down on it for nine days, gaining the ability to write runes and wield 'word power'. He then established his kingdom along the tree's roots. However, his kingdom was destroyed because 'greed' allowed him to glimpse the secrets of the gods. This wise man was known as 'Ilmin the One-Eyed'."

"Ilmin the One-Eyed," King of Canria.

If we combine this with the information that the "True Technique" is a secret technique passed down in the Kanria royal family, Ye Mingxiang's identity becomes quite clear.

His ability to command the "Black Serpent Knights," who had once served as the guards of the Kanria court, was also due to his special status.

Thinking about it this way, even Ye Mingxiang's previous actions become understandable.

Jiang Xue's story has come to an end.

"My senior brother told me that the 'True Art' is not just a sword fighting technique, but also a power that can help us touch the truth as human beings. All kinds of martial arts in the world cannot escape the word 'reason'. Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks and forks are all included in the myriad of tricks and variations. The wonder of their application lies in one's mind."

As Jiang Xue spoke, she patted the blunt sword at her waist.

"...Even if I only have a fishing rod, I can still wield the 'Sword of Wind Slash'."

"Also..." Jiang Xue paused, then added, "Do you still remember Dain's blue flames?"

Han Fulai nodded.

"That is the power of burning life through the 'True Art'. My senior brother told me that even without the Eye of God... humans can possess power comparable to that of gods."

"I see..." Han Fulai simply nodded slightly.

Ye Mingxiang might be an opponent with demon-god level power—but this was not unexpected for Han Fulai.

Besides, it's not like he hasn't fought against demon-level opponents before.

"After that, my senior brother asked me if I was willing to stay in the sect and accompany him in pursuing 'justice' in this world?"

I...did not reply.

"My senior brother told me that whenever I made up my mind, I should go back to the sect to find him. He would always be waiting for me in the sect."

"He also said... he wouldn't mind if I brought gods and immortals to seek revenge on him."

"After that, I left the Abyss of Layered Rocks. And my subsequent choices... you know."

Han Fulai simply nodded without saying a word.

Jiang Xue said that she "betrayed Liyue because of personal feelings," which is basically what she was talking about.

A senior brother from Kanria, the one who created the "Dark Calamity," a senior brother with a private army, a senior brother whose stance was completely different from his own, and who was now even acting in concert with the "Abyss Order," was thus hidden in the Abyss of the Rocky Abyss.

As the heir of the Star Clan, dedicated to eliminating demons and upholding justice, the Star of Liyue Yaoguang under the Seven Rulers of the Mortal World, the possessor of the Eye of God, and Jiang Shaoyuan's superior and friend... Regardless of her identity, Jiang Xue and Ye Mingxiang were destined to end up facing each other with swords drawn.

But Ye Mingxiang's words made Jiang Xue waver.