He changed Tiwat

Moreover, while Venti and the Traveler were at the Stormterror's Lair rescuing Dvalin, the Order of the Abyss even instigated a large number of Hilichurls to launch a frontal attack on Mondstadt... Fortunately, the Knights of Favonius were prepared and prevented them from succeeding.

This "dragon disaster" and the various trivial matters that followed kept Wendy quite busy and stressed for a while, which was unusual for her.

“In Mondstadt it’s Dvalin, and in Liyue it’s the ‘Magic God of the Vortex,’ Oser. They call this plan ‘The Loom of Fate,’” Zhongli said in a deep voice.

"The fusion of abyssal power and the limbs of a demon god can give birth to a new 'tainted demon god'... just like back then. Their goal..."

Zhongli slowly raised a finger, pointing towards the distant high heavens.

"Hey, then why did you release Osel?" Wendy's face was genuinely shocked this time.

He had heard about the great battle in Liyue. He thought that Zhongli had used the suppressed "Vortex Demon God" to fake his death, and that the "Abyss Order" had just taken advantage of the situation... But he never expected that Zhongli had released Oser after knowing everything!

“That’s why I released Osel,” Zhongli replied in a low voice.

Wendy fell silent; he understood.

“Even in Liyue, I’ve heard about the deeds of that ‘Knight of Honor.’ Do you know the name of the poem that belongs to that Knight of Honor?” Zhongli asked.

"...What's your name?" Wendy asked knowingly.

“‘For a tomorrow without tears,’” Zhongli said.

Wendy scratched his head in frustration. As one of the seven oldest gods, he certainly knew what Zhongli wanted to do, and he could completely understand Zhongli's thoughts... But understanding was one thing, and actually doing it himself was another.

Zhongli looked at Wendy and slowly said, "You probably already know why I'm here."

“I…don’t want to wear the crown anymore,” Wendy said earnestly.

He was telling the truth.

For this gentle deity who avoids "wear and tear" by slumbering, each "crowning" is a severe form of "wear and tear." Two thousand six hundred years ago, Wendy witnessed the death of his friend... and five hundred years ago, he witnessed the departure of another friend. He doesn't want to experience such helplessness again.

“I understand, but… this is something only you can do, and only you have inherited ‘The Thousand Winds of Time’.” Zhongli was equally serious.

In terms of direct combat strength, this ancient wind god may not be particularly powerful, but in terms of authority, few among the seven gods can rival him. Even Zhongli has not been able to glimpse the mysteries of "time".

"The 'Liontooth Knight' we just mentioned, Vanessa, is the one who ascended to the Sky Isle from Mondstadt."

Zhongli stroked the branches of the oak tree.

“‘Everything has a name,’ said the playful spirit, ‘Let me compose a song in your name, and I will repay you with your friendship.’”

—This is an excerpt from the epic poem "The Legend of Vanessa," which is popular in Mondstadt.

Zhongli had an excellent memory; even if he had only heard "Six-Fingered Joseph" sing once in a tavern, he could recite the entire song word for word.

"Legend has it that, at the end of her life, Vanessa came to the Land of the Rising Winds, where she bid farewell to the city she had so devotedly protected, leaving behind a legend and a sapling. This sapling, blessed by a thousand winds and illuminated by countless suns and moons, grew into a towering tree. After leaving Mondstadt, Vanessa ascended to the Sky Isle and became a deity, watching over Mondstadt for the next thousand years."

"—This is how it is recorded in the legend of Vanessa."

Chapter 280 The Secret Pact Against the Sky (Part 2) (Bonus Chapter 17/20)

Wendy remained silent.

After Vanessa passed away that time, he slept for five hundred years until the Calamity of Kanria came.

“I recently met an interesting traveler named Alice…” Zhongli said, looking at Wendy.

Upon hearing this name, Wendy quickly shook his head, "If she causes any explosions in Liyue, it has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

"...Don't worry, I'll accompany her when she travels in Liyue."

Zhong Li recalled the time he spent with Alice. Although he knew Alice was not a terrorist, there were always inexplicable explosions around her. For example, when they were traveling in Yaoguang Beach, Alice saw the conch houses there and became very interested in trying to modify them into conch boats. For some reason, all the conch she modified would explode.

“I traveled with her and we had a very pleasant conversation. She also mentioned the Wind Rises to me, saying that the wind there wasn’t strong enough to blow people to Sky Island.”

Zhongli smiled as he said this.

The long-lived witch with elven ears once vividly described to Zhongli her "research" in the Land of Wind's Origin.

"It's said that's where Vanessa ascended to heaven. I searched around the big tree for a long time but didn't find any remnants of the launch facility. I captured a few Hilichurls from the surrounding area to try and guess, but the furthest they flew was only to the hunter's hut near Springvale. Disappointing."

Zhongli smiled and said, "'The gate to Sky Island' is now in your possession."

When Vanessa ascended to Sky Island, the oak tree was just a sapling, and of course, it couldn't possibly possess the power to lift people into the sky. Vanessa certainly didn't ascend using any "launching device."

Those who have ever set foot on Sky Island have always been gods.

That is a place only gods are qualified to set foot in.

Only those who attain godhood while still human can break through the void and ascend to Sky Island.

—Just like Gu Hua many, many years ago.

“You know, I am known as the ‘Ancestor of All Immortals’. I can teach the Liyue Immortals to use ‘human power’, so that even those who are not human can transform into humans and then seek the ‘Heavenly Way’. However, to this day, there is not a single Immortal who has truly been able to seek the ‘Heavenly Way’.”

Zhongli sighed softly.

“I can only create immortals… Immortals are both immortals and humans. But you can create gods.”

In the historical records of Teyvat, the only Genshin Impact who is explicitly recorded as having ascended to the Sky Isle and become a deity is Vanessa, the "Lion Fang Knight." The reason why those who possess the Vision are revered as Genshin Impacts is also because of Vanessa.

But the original seven gods knew that things were not like that.

Barbatos' power is the key to Vanessa's ascension to Sky Island, and where Barbatos is is the gateway to Sky Island.

Wendy seemed to see that red-haired, brown-eyed girl again.

He seemed to hear the girl proclaiming her dream to him in that clear voice again—

"The tribal elders told me that if you pray to the gods, they will look upon you. Heroes from around the world will be chosen to go to the Sky Island, become gods, and take on the responsibility of protecting the world. Can you really become a god by going to the Sky Island?"

Vanessa is a member of the Munata tribe, who live in the volcanic region of the western continent. Born with fiery red hair and a strong physique, she is a natural warrior. As children of the god of war, the Munata people swear an oath to the god before their martial arts ceremony, dedicating their victory to the god, and to that—in Wendy's words—capricious old aunt.

Generally speaking, the people of Nata rarely travel to other countries. While the six nations of Teyvat trade with each other, the people of Nata are almost never seen in other countries.

Vanessa's tribe, however, was an exception. She and her people had been wandering the plains, eventually ending up in Mondstadt after an attack by the dragon Usa, where they became slaves. Vanessa, as a gladiator for House Lawrence, fought alongside other gladiators in the arena. The Lawrence family made a deal with Vanessa: if she won twelve matches, her people would be granted freedom. Thus, Vanessa fought tirelessly to achieve this goal.

Wendy meets Vanessa at the "Badminton Festival," where Vanessa shelters Wendy from being chased by the Lawrence family for stealing a shuttlecock. That night, Vanessa is retaliated against and imprisoned. Soon after, Wendy comes to her rescue, and the two become friends after exchanging pleasantries.

Wendy urged Vanessa to escape with her people and not to trust the nobles' agreement. But Vanessa believed that freedom must be fought for, earned, and experienced by them; otherwise, they would only be shackled by another force. She refused Wendy's help, and Wendy respected her will.

As promised, the Lawrence family broke their agreement, and the twelfth duel was between Vanessa and her clan against the dragon Usa. The Lawrence family even joked that if Vanessa defeated Usa, she would become the lord of Mondstadt.

With monsters threatening from the front and soldiers chasing from the rear, Vanessa faced a desperate battle.

At this moment, the wind god Barbatos descended from the heavens.

"Vanessa, may I add your name to the poem?"

"...I'd be happy to be your supporting character, Wendy."

"No, this is your story. You fought for the freedom of your people, so please accept my fight for your freedom... After all, we're friends."

—Thus spoke the wind god Barbatos on that day.

—On that day, Barbatos donned his crown.

All spirits of the wilderness are guided by the wind. The crowned god commands all things.

The dragon Usa fled in disarray, while the nobles of the Lawrence family trembled with fear. The Wind God declared that the nobles must fulfill their promise and make this slave girl the new lord of Mondstadt.

"...You left Liyue to come find me because you've already chosen someone?"

"Yes and no." Zhong Li used the phrase that civil servants like best.

There were several candidates, but more than one. However, if Zhongli were to be honest, he would lean more towards the young man who liked to recite poetry.

—Who told him to see the "power of words" in Han Fulai?

The Lava Abyss is the most unique place in Liyue, a different dimension where three special powers exist.

—It is also the most suitable place for "creating gods".

"Everything has a name, and if it has a name, it can be called upon; if it can be called upon, it can be sung by me."

Wendy once again grasped the xylophone "Felin," his fingers tracing the strings as he played the poem he had once sung to his friends.

His voice was ethereal and distant, as if it came from the heavens above—

The wind carries the seeds of stories, and time allows them to sprout.

The wind brought new stories, and time turned them into myths.

Many years later, a bard named Vendi wrote about this meeting of the two gods in a song, which became popular in Mondstadt. Although Vendi insisted that the story was fabricated by him, some historians have included it in academic works and called it "The Secret Pact Against the Gods".

Chapter 281 The Cold Curse That Invades the World [4k]

Running away won't solve the problem; the Fire Apostle was ultimately slain by Jiang Xue's sword.

Meanwhile, the melee in the rock hall also came to an end.

Abyss mages are, after all, "mages," and close combat is not their forte. Moreover, the "Dark Shell's" attacks are imbued with the power to erode elemental shields. Furthermore, the "Dark Shell" was originally a soldier of Kanria; even though its sanity is gone, the memories of its military service are etched deep within its soul. By employing coordinated battle formations to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, the disorganized Abyss mages are no match for it.

In the center of the Rock Hall, the battle between "Apostle of Fate" Ed, Ye Mingxiang, and Dadalia was raging.

After issuing the "prophecy" that the two would freeze to death in the snowstorm, Ed's "Demon King Armor" underwent a new change—before it was just ice armor and weapons, but now, his entire body was covered with a layer of black flames.

Black fire and white ice, like darkness and light, yin and yang, two forces that should never coexist, yet they seem to be naturally and harmoniously intertwined within the same person.

"Freeze all worlds!"

As Ed spoke, a biting wind swept through the center of the rock hall, centered on his body. The moisture in the air, upon encountering the howling wind, condensed into tiny ice crystals. In an instant, snow began to fall in the center of the rock hall.

A cold wind swept through, and snowflakes began to fall, covering an increasingly wider area. A thin layer of snowflakes had already begun to accumulate on the ground of the central square.

In this realm of wind and snow, all life will eventually turn into ice sculptures.

But this was merely the prelude to the move Ed was about to unleash.

His lips moved as he muttered ancient incantations.

The blizzard that could freeze those two rebels to death was far more severe than this.

As a Winterborn, Tartaglia knew this very well. These snowflakes certainly wouldn't freeze anyone to death, but if this was merely a harbinger of an attack—a Winterborn who didn't know to quickly take cover when seeing the dark clouds filling the sky before a blizzard wouldn't be alive now.

D'Artagnan hadn't put himself in the position of "challenger" for a long time. He was even willing to set all sorts of unfavorable conditions for himself to hone his skills, even if it put him in danger... After all, what he wanted to challenge was the gods.

Those enemies who fought against "Young Master" and survived were usually most impressed by his arrogance in looking down on his opponents during battle.

In general, Dadalia treats his opponents as "sparring partners" to improve his skills.

During battles, Tartaglia's enemies often hear him make seemingly sarcastic comments, such as "That move wasn't bad," "Not bad, not bad, you do have some skills," or "Your strength is commendable, so don't let me down." However, those who have witnessed Tartaglia's all-out "Demon King Armed" form will understand that Tartaglia's apparent composure is perfectly understandable.

But right now, Dadalia is an absolute "challenger," and doesn't even have the slightest right to show any leeway.

To be able to create such a vast snowfield at the bottom of this cloudless and windless abyss of layered rocks, and even to create "weather" here... just like the storm summoned when Oser appeared, this has always been a privilege possessed only by demon god-level power.

The "Apostle of Fate" on the other side must be a demon god-level opponent.

He remembered that two days ago, Ye Mingxiang had told him to put as much pressure on the Abyss Apostle as possible in the battle, forcing the opponent to summon the trump card called "Seven Heirs Worm", and told him that the "Seven Heirs Worm" was comparable to a demon god... To be honest, he had been looking forward to this for a long time.

However, this "Apostle of the Abyss" before him seemed ridiculously strong. Forget forcing him to reveal his trump cards; he had to use them all right now—otherwise, he would surely not survive.

D'Artagnan had to unleash his full potential to stop Ed before he could unleash his ultimate move.

He is burning his own life!

At his waist, the blue Eye of God and the purple Eye of Evil suddenly shone brightly.

The weapons in his hands changed: one was deep blue, a water-based spear; the other was deep purple, a lightning-based lance.

He was actually preparing to use the elemental powers of two different attributes, the Eye of God and the Evil Eye, at the same time!

Generally speaking, the holder of the God's Eye can only possess one elemental power. Even when using the power of the Evil Eye, the elemental attribute is replaced with the one possessed by the Evil Eye. Tartaglia's all-out effort during the mission is the same as his current "Kamen Rider" form, which unleashes the "Demon King Armament" with the Evil Eye.

Simply using this form of "Demon King Armament" is already a severe burden on D'Artagnan's body. Under normal circumstances, he can't use "Demon King Armament" for more than a minute with his Evil Eye fully activated. Moreover, battles that require him to use his Evil Eye fully activated usually don't last more than a minute.

Normally, Tartaglia would unleash the Evil Eye in just a few seconds—for example, he would unleash the Evil Eye at the very last moment of his fight with Yelan, breaking through Yelan's magic circle, and then immediately flee after Yelan disappeared, all in order to find a safe place to disarm the Evil Eye's "Demon King Armor" and suppress the backlash.

Unlike the mass-produced items distributed to the Fools' soldiers, the evil eye given to the Executor contained "authority" bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress.

Their Evil Eyes are not merely substitutes for the Eyes of God, but rather a supreme gift that allows humans to approach the divine. This enables the Executors to wield divine power for a short period.

Human beings, with their frail bodies, are naturally unable to withstand the power of the gods.

Aside from the top few Executors who are practically demonic beings, all other Executors who use the Evil Eye's power beyond the time limit will suffer severe backlash. Tartaglia is no exception. If he exceeds the time limit, he will at least fall seriously ill afterward.

This time, when facing Ed, D'Artagnan unleashed the Evil Eye with all her might right away, and now the time limit has been exceeded—but her opponent has not even shown any signs of fatigue.

Therefore, Tartaglia had no choice but to resort to the last resort of burning his life.

The Evil Eye of the Fatui is often misunderstood as a symbol of evil. People generally believe that the Evil Eye harms its holder because it contains corrupting power from the Abyss. More knowledgeable individuals can even discern a power from beyond the world—a power very similar to the energy of the Abyss—from the energy fluctuations emanating from the Evil Eye.

but it is not the truth.

Few people know that the chief executive, Piero, was once the court mage of Canria, and even fewer know that this court mage was also proficient in the "Art of Truth".