He changed Tiwat

He paid no attention to D'Artagnan's departure, nor did he bother to find the source of the two attacks. Instead, he simply raised his greatsword to remain on guard.

He knew Ed was not dead.

The petrification impact and the water elemental arrows from before could injure Ed, but they could never kill him.

Just as Gan Yu's arrow at the Jade Pavilion could wound but not kill Oser, physical harm cannot kill a demon god. They are essentially more like "energy bodies," their bodies merely a manifestation of their souls. Zhongli's forging of Mora wasn't a bloody act of ripping off his own flesh; rather, he diverted a portion of his own essential energy into Mora.

Similarly, the energy released after the death of the Salt Demon God Heureia was her true essence. As an energy entity, demons are essentially immortal. Although their physical bodies perish, their souls wear down, and their personalities as specific demon gods are annihilated, their essential energy remains eternal.

Ed is a person from the dark kingdom known as the "Abyss," a "native" transformed by the Abyss, and a "remnant of history" hidden by the laws of nature.

Ed, as a "perfect life form," exists in a form very close to that of an "energy body."

In short, he is a "demon without power".

As long as his soul energy is not exhausted, he is an immortal being.

Based on the form of this "First Apostle," Krodal, the founder of the Abyss Order, created the Ritual for Transforming Apostles. Through this ritual, Abyss Apostles become "Elemental Creatures"—beings possessing both Abyssal and Elemental powers—similar to the Slimes that inhabit Teyvat. Of course, their power far surpasses that of ordinary Elemental Creatures, and they also possess human-like intelligence.

However, the existence of the Abyss Apostles is far from perfect. They still have vulnerabilities that belong to humanity, and as "elemental beings," they will perish when their elemental power or abyssal power is exhausted. This is why the Abyss Apostles die after their shields are broken, because the energy of the shields is the essence of their existence.

Ye Mingxiang still remembers the day his loved one died, when Ed found him.

That day, Ed showed him the essence of his existence and demonstrated the so-called "path to transcendence."

He has indeed come very close to being immortal.

He remembered Ed demonstrating it to him—cutting off a finger right in front of him and then letting him watch it regenerate.

There is no granulation or bone growth process.

Rather than "regeneration," it's more like "reorganization." Ed is simply using his own energy to repair his physical form.

Blood, touch, emotions… these human qualities are merely a consequence of Ed's incomplete "evolution." Ed will one day shed these burdens and become a true transcendent being. He is still a "living being," not yet fully transformed into an "energy being." His physical body is more like a vessel for his soul, a tool he uses to interfere with reality.

Even if Ed were blasted to pieces, it wouldn't matter. As long as his soul survives, his body can be reassembled at any time—it's just that the process will be longer and more painful.

The only thing that could kill him is an attack at the soul level.

This is why Ye Mingxiang used "karmic obstacles".

The curse energy contained within those resentments was nothing short of poison flowing into Ed's blood.

However, even poison requires dosage. His sword strike just now wasn't enough; it wasn't sufficient to kill Ed.

Ed is like someone who has been poisoned; he will feel pain and weakness... but he is not yet dead.

If Ed were to open a portal and escape now, there would be no way for him to kill him.

Fortunately, Ed won't run away. Even though he is weak and in pain now, he definitely won't run away.

It wasn't just because Ed was proud of being a "perfect life form," but also because he carried a mission entrusted to him by the "Abyss Order."

So he's bound to die here.

Ye Mingxiang stared at the smoke and dust in front of her.

The earth is shaking and the mountains are shaking.

He used his sword to support himself on the ground, trying his best to maintain his balance.

Before his eyes, the ground seemed to be churning like a boiling pot of soup, with large swamps of black mud suddenly emerging from the earth, turning the surface into a black mud swamp.

Ye Mingxiang, whose body was already half-bound by "karmic obstacles," was no longer afraid of the black mud's erosion.

At this moment, the black mud swamp suddenly spewed up a tall column of black water like a fountain, the hard rock ground cracked open, and a giant mechanical snake burst out of the ground!

"They've finally arrived... the Seven-Heir Worm," Ye Mingxiang whispered to the giant snake before her.

Except for Han Fulai, who was standing on the "Layered Rock Nail" and was unaffected, everyone else on the ground of the Layered Rock Abyss felt the violent tremor.

Around the rock hall, the relatively fragile rock walls began to crack, with large chunks of rock falling and kicking up plumes of dust.

The moment she felt the earthquake, Ye Lan's body sprang up instantly, avoiding the falling debris.

But she didn't run very far. Even with her skills, she couldn't maintain her balance in the face of nature's power, and she had to lean forward and lie face down on the ground.

Then she felt her body dangling in mid-air.

"Damn it!" Ye Lan cursed under her breath.

The high slope where Yelan was located... collapsed.

In the deep abyss of layered rocks, two young girls are running towards the "fluorescent passage".

One of them is the adventurer Zhiqiong.

In fact, she had already set off from the exploration team's camp in the new mining area a day earlier.

At this moment, Zhiqiong was holding a pen in one hand, estimating the distance of the road, while in her other hand she was holding a simple military map.

—That was a map left behind by the Ninth Company of the Fools. Han Fulai had given it to Zhiqiong as a reference for drawing.

The mapping mission at the bottom of the Layered Rock Abyss was originally scheduled to begin after Han Fulai and his team had explored the route and ensured safety. Logically, Zhiqiong shouldn't have been here, but she came anyway. This time, it wasn't because of her willfulness or impulsiveness, but because she had received a mission assignment.

The task is to guide the purple-haired twin-tailed girl next to her.

This is a guide mission personally entrusted to me by the Seven Stars of Liyue!

Han Fulai and the others who knew the location of the "Gate of the Rock Hall" were no longer in the camp. The only person in the entire Layered Rock Abyss who could identify directions in the complex and unknown terrain with just a simple map drawn by the Fools' soldiers was Zhiqiong.

When the earthquake struck, Zhiqiong, who was on her way, skillfully covered her head with her hat and crouched down to protect herself.

"Watch out, it's the 'bump's breath'!"

Unaware of what was going on, Keqing could only follow Zhiqiong's example and crouch down with her head in her hands for defense. Since she didn't have a hat, she could only cover her cat ears with her hands.

Zhiqiong kindly comforted Keqing, "Don't be afraid, it will only last for ten seconds at most."

Although Keqing is one of the Liyue Seven Stars, status and rank don't matter underground; safety is the top priority. As a senior member of the underground community, Zhiqiong is currently the more senior member.

"No... I wasn't afraid at all..." Ke Qing retorted softly.

More than fear, she felt worry.

Chapter 283 The Legacy of the Yang Bridle [4k]

The mechanical serpent, which had been lurking underground for hundreds of years, has finally revealed its form to humanity once again.

This is a colossal creature that is over 100 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide.

The giant serpent in the ruins has a single horn on its head, its body is covered with sharp spikes, its spine is connected by a gear transmission structure, and its tail has a thick spiral drill, reminiscent of a spiral drilling machine on a construction site.

What is most unique is its head. The head of the giant serpent is composed of huge disc-shaped gears, and the protruding teeth of the gears are the sharp teeth that this giant serpent uses to carve rocks. On its teeth are engraved obscure and ancient runes, which are now shining with a golden light—the same golden light that the Abyss Apostles use when performing the "purification ritual" with the "inverted pool".

This is the "rune incantation" of Kanria, and one of the greatest masterpieces of Kanria's mechanical creations.

The reason why the "Dark Calamity" could erupt simultaneously throughout Teyvat five hundred years ago was largely due to this ancient serpent.

It is a machine used by the underground kingdom of Kanria to dig tunnels. It has built underground tunnels connecting the seven kingdoms of Teyvat for Kanria, and has also opened a path to the known world for the unknown ominous signs deep underground.

It is powerful, tireless, and never stops.

Even after five hundred years, the resurrected giant serpent remains exactly the same as it was five hundred years ago, showing no signs of aging or decay. As long as the ley lines still exist, the giant serpent, capable of drawing abyssal energy from them, can be considered a "perpetual motion machine."

The mechanical serpent was emanating an ominous aura, an aura from the abyss.

The abyssal black mud it brought out was like magma erupting from underground, spreading everywhere as if it were endless.

The moment the giant serpent of the ruins appeared, everyone present understood what had carved out this rock hall and what had dug out the winding, twisting "fluorescent passage."

The earthquake that just happened, and the so-called "breathing of the fleshy lump," were nothing more than the noise caused by this guy moving underground.

The "dark calamity" that suddenly emerged from the giant rock abyss five hundred years ago was probably also brought about by this giant serpent of the ruins.

The giant serpent of the ruins suddenly raised its head and stared straight above it.

Despite not having any organ that could be called an eye, Han Fulai, standing on the "Layered Rock Nail," still felt two malevolent gazes.

Then Han Fulai heard it speak—even though it didn't have anything that could be called a throat.

It said, "You will all die."

That was Ed's voice.

Han Fulai's lips twitched slightly, but he did not reply.

He muttered to himself, "My dear 'Wishing Stone,' you'd better get better soon, I'm counting on you..."

Behind him, the "Pursina Light Nail" was continuously helping the "Layer Rock Nail" absorb the abyssal power within its body—but this "healing process" might still take quite some time.

After Ye Mingxiang injected "karma" into Ed's body with her sword, Ed was already considering giving up his current physical body.

The curses of the Kanriar remnants were like a slow poison to him, eroding not only his body but also his soul. If he refused to relinquish his current physical form, he would ultimately perish under the curse.

As a "perfect life form," he is capable of reshaping his physical body. Giving up his physical body is not a difficult option for him; it's like a lizard shedding its tail to survive, a kind of "scraping the bone to remove poison" procedure.

Han Fulai's "Heavenly Manifestations" and Ye Lan's "Solving Arrow" undoubtedly gave him a significant push, forcing him to make a decision more quickly.

Therefore, when Yelan's arrow arrived, Ed had already awakened the giant serpent of the ruins buried deep beneath the layered rock abyss.

For the Abyss Order, the existence of the giant serpent was not a secret; the order's higher-ups all knew of the mechanical serpent known as the "Seven Heirs."

The reason it has not been awakened for hundreds of years is twofold: firstly, it is a secret weapon that can be used as a weapon of war; secondly, it has actually lost control—the only thing that could control it in the past was the "Word of Power" technique passed down in the royal family of Kanria.

In the absence of a controller, letting it hibernate underground is the best option.

Ed had followed the clues left by Krodal to find Ye Mingxiang because he valued the royal lineage of the Kanria royal family that Ye Mingxiang possessed. Unfortunately, Ye Mingxiang was only a half-baked one; he had not obtained much of the royal family's inheritance, and at least he did not know how to control the giant serpent of the ruins.

But Ed also has his own way of controlling the giant serpent of the ruins, and that way is "possession".

His soul is now possessing the control center of the giant serpent, which is now equivalent to his physical body—even more powerful than his original body.

Furthermore, with the apostles and mages of the "Abyss Order" largely wiped out, Ed needs the aid of a large amount of abyssal energy to complete his task of corrupting the "Layered Rock Nail." The Giant Relic Serpent possesses almost inexhaustible abyssal energy, making it the perfect tool for corrupting the "Layered Rock Nail."

Even a completely corrupted "Layered Rock Nail" can become a weapon for the "Abyss Order".

People often think that the power of the sky and the power of the abyss are like black and white, light and shadow, forces that cannot coexist—but in reality, their powers can coexist, and even combine to form a new force.

Ed himself is the best example.

The Stratified Abyss is another example.

It can not only escape the pollution of "karma", but also eliminate the enemy in front of you, and complete the task of polluting the "Layer Rock Nail" - it can be said that awakening the giant serpent of the ruins and controlling it is a choice that kills three birds with one stone.

This is also Ed's best option right now.

—It was the choice Ye Mingxiang wanted him to make.

He chose to use the power of "karma" against Ed in order to force Ed to abandon his physical body and summon the giant serpent of the ruins.

Although Ed in his "Apostle of Fate" state was not a truly "perfect life form," he was not far off; at least Ye Mingxiang could not find a way to truly kill him.

However, Ye Mingxiang has a way to destroy the giant serpent of the ruins.

He also carried a small device, the core of a mechanical device made of a strange crystal, which looked very similar to a "Lumenite" catalyst.

It is called the "Mokosh Device," a special device created by the second seat of the Fools' Executive, "The Doctor," and is an instrument used by the Fools' Ninth Company to solve the anomaly in the Layered Rock Abyss.

But that's just a superficial explanation.

The Doctor certainly wasn't so kind as to use his invention, the Mokosh Device, to help Liyue fight the Black Disaster, and the Rooster was also a politician who wouldn't act without self-interest, much less sacrifice his soldiers for no reason.

As Sergeant Anton said, "In order to assist in more meaningful adventures, 'Rooster' will naturally abandon relatively low-value assets, which is his rationality."

A year ago, the most meaningful "adventure" for "Rooster" was assisting "Doctor" in completing the experiment on the "Mokosh Device" at the bottom of the Layered Rock Abyss, an experiment to explore the application of "High Heaven Power".

The captain in charge of the Ninth Company actually had a secret mission—to collect raw "Lumenite" ore, test the effectiveness of the "Mokosh Device," and regularly send people back to Winter to report on the progress of the experiment.

To this end, the Ninth Company even equipped itself with an entire experimental squad to advance this mission, whereas ordinary combat units would never have an experimental squad. Technical sergeants are also valuable talents in winter and cannot be wasted on mere "disaster relief".

When the Ninth Company arrived at this rock hall, the technical sergeant in the experimental squad collected a large amount of Lumenite ore to maintain the Mokosh device.

Yes, the core of the "Mokosh Device" is a fragment taken from another "Frost Nail".

It also possesses the "power of the heavens" from Sky Island, as well as light energy capable of resisting the power of the abyss.

Just as the Lumenite catalyst can activate "Pure Light Bloom" to remove black mud, the light energy of the "Mokosh Device" possesses similar power. Its effect is even more powerful than that of a miniaturized Lumenite catalyst, but of course, it requires more light energy.

However, compared to the "Luminous Stone" catalyst held by Han Fulai, it has a new function, the same function as the "Frosty Nail"—severing the earth's veins.

However, the captain's experiment undoubtedly failed. The effectiveness of the "Mokosh Device" was simply insufficient to sever the earth's veins, nor could it stop the mutation of the Abyss of Layered Rocks.

—The above is the information Ye Mingxiang obtained from the captain's soul.

However, if it's just a matter of disrupting the flow of the ley lines for a short period, the core of the "Mokosh Device" in his possession is more than enough. Moreover, if one isn't worried about damaging it, it's also possible to shut down the ley lines in a region for a short time, preventing the black mud from gushing out due to ley line anomalies.

Ye Mingxiang obviously had no reason to feel sorry for the fools' equipment.