Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Chapter 425 Your Highness

When exactly did this secret realm appear?

He was protecting Liyue, but he was unaware that such a dangerous secret realm had appeared there; it was his dereliction of duty.

"We don't know either. We just came here after accepting a commission to investigate," Paimon explained how they discovered the place.

The entrance to this secret realm is on the surface, but the further you go in, the deeper it goes underground, and it is exceptionally well hidden. If the treasure-hunting group hadn't discovered the anomaly first, they might not have found it at all.

Speaking of the treasure-hunting gang, we have to mention the tomb at Wuwang Slope last time.

That place was also discovered by the treasure-hunting group. All the members of the group who discovered it were turned into corpse puppets, and were beyond dead.

The mortality rate for those who like to run into ruins is quite high. Not only are there monsters and ruin guards in the ruins, but all sorts of strange things can also happen. It's like putting your head on the line.

That's not all; the lion's share is taken by those at the top, leaving those at the bottom with very little benefit.

They can be considered one of the lowest classes of people.

"I wonder if those treasure-hunting members came back to the ruins after we left. If they did, their fate probably wasn't much better than ours when we stole that great treasure from the reversed statue..."

Jiang Bai sighed.

These desperate criminals, driven by greed, would surely return once they discovered the number of monsters had dwindled. However, what they would find was not treasure, but deadly evil creatures.

Just as Jiang Bai had expected, when they returned to the innermost hall, they saw not only the filthy, reversed statue of the god, but also dozens of members of the treasure-hunting gang kneeling on the ground.

They were all kneeling with their heads bowed, and there were no wounds on their bodies, but when Jiang Bai went forward to check, they had already stopped breathing.

“This…” Xiao was stunned by the filthy, reversed statue of the god in front of him.

Even though Jiang Bai and the others had told me about it before and I was mentally prepared, the indescribable horror struck my heart when I actually saw it.

To reverse the position of the idol and corrupt it with the power of the abyss—what an evil and presumptuous act!

“Strange, withered...unpleasant, indeed the power of the abyss…” Dain stared at the reversed image of the god, his expression grave.

Paimon rubbed her goosebumps; even though it was her second time, she still felt very uncomfortable.

Dain looked around and warned, "Be careful, don't be overwhelmed by the power of the [Reversed Idol of Corruption]. I can sense that the Abyss Apostle is here."

"Hehehe, a keen sense of smell..."

The Abyss Apostle, which had fought alongside several others in the Wolf Territory, leaped out.

"Tsk, you still dare to come out? Where are your accomplices? Call them out too!" Jiang Bai gripped Bai Yuan's knife hilt.

“You’re still as annoying as ever, enemy of the Order, Daines Reeb!” An Abyss Apostle appeared behind them.

"The rotten smell on you is so familiar to me..."

"You, like us, are dangerous things..."

"Heh heh heh, we're both homeless, yet you try to stop us."

"Hehehe, those who betray will be punished!"

"Thank you for bringing us what we needed. We will be very grateful to you."

One by one, Abyssal Apostles appeared. These Abyssal Apostles were of different colors, but their voices were surprisingly consistent.

They targeted Dain, their former enemy, and their words were laced with malice.

Day remained unmoved, her facial expression unchanged.

Over the past five hundred years, he has experienced far too much, and the enemy before him is truly nothing.

"Tsk, your tongues should be cut off too."

Upon seeing so many enemies, Paimon vanished in a flash and hid.

Xiao glanced at Dain, showing no intention of talking to these Abyss Apostles. He and Pu Yuan were already thrusting at the nearest Abyss Apostle.

Jiang Bai snapped his fingers, and everyone donned a shield before approaching the first Abyss Apostle to appear.

The abyss apostle's hand had clearly been severed, but it had grown back in a short time, and judging from the situation, its injuries had also healed.

Jiang Bai's sword strikes were wide and sweeping, the blade, formed from the coalescing rock element, was sharp and sturdy, each strike leaving deep marks on the ground. Even the Abyss Apostle, with its invisible shield, could not withstand more than a few strikes.

In between his battle with the Abyss Apostle, Jiang Bai also had time to watch the battles of others.

Xiao's combat prowess is beyond question. As the Great Sage who vanquishes demons, his spear has even slain demon gods. Under the onslaught of his spear, which is as fierce as wind and fire, the three guardians of the ruins in front of him can only retreat one after another, without any chance to counterattack.

This was still with Xiao holding back, without using any magic, relying solely on his skillful spear technique to achieve suppression.

Jiang Bai paid more attention to Dain, who was holding a longsword with fierce sword moves, but the energy attached to the sword did not belong to any kind of elemental force.

His combat prowess was equally formidable. The Abyss Apostles tried to provoke him with words, but were forced to retreat in defeat, their dark purple blood splattering across the ground. Meanwhile, Dain strolled around as if in a leisurely garden, without expending any effort at all.

Kong's combat power is no less impressive, and his rate of improvement is equally bizarre, changing every single day.

Even though there were more than five Abyss Apostles here, they were still defeated one after another in front of the group.

A massive abyssal passage unfolded behind them, and the abyssal apostles, realizing they were outmatched, prepared to retreat.

"Hmph! You think you can leave!"

A deep, dark purple energy, as profound as the starry sky, condensed in Dain's hand, binding all the Abyss Apostles who were about to enter the Abyss Passage.

He said he wouldn't let these apostles of the abyss escape from him, and he wouldn't let them escape from him!

Suddenly, Kong's pupils contracted as he sensed that all-too-familiar aura.

boom--

The sudden attack exploded on Dain, shattering the shield Jiang Bai had placed on him. He staggered a few steps and looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared.

"fluorescent......"

Kong murmured to himself.

He had considered many places and ways to meet his sister, but he never imagined that their reunion would be in this way.

The Abyss Apostles, who had been bound by Dain, broke free and bowed to Ying.

"Your Highness."

"Brother." Ying, holding a long sword, stood in front of the Abyss Apostles, protecting them behind her, and looked at Kong.

Xiao wanted to make a move and kill the person controlling the Abyss Apostle on the spot, but Jiang Bai, who was quick-witted and agile, held him down.

Although we don't know what happened, if Xiao attacks Sora's sister, Sora will probably be the first to turn against her.

Xiao glanced at the dazed Kong, snorted, and put away He Puyuan.

This battle is unwinnable.

I should have known better than to hold back and killed all these Abyss Apostles in one fell swoop!

Chapter 426 See You at the End of the Journey

"Brother, why are you with Dain?"

"...What?" Kong was somewhat stunned by his sister's questioning words.

After being separated for so long, they finally reunited, so why were they talking about... trivial things?

He didn't speak, but his somewhat sad eyes undoubtedly conveyed what he wanted to say.

Jiang Bai looked at Kong, then at Ying. As expected of twins, these two siblings looked quite alike.

But this Ying, why does it seem like I've seen her somewhere before?

Paimon suddenly appeared, floating in the air, his wrinkled little face asking, "Your sister... knows Dain?"

"Ying, we meet again." Daiyin said, looking at Ying.

His eyes were filled with complex emotions, so many of which combined to make him appear somewhat indifferent.

"What on earth is going on?" Paimon was completely bewildered by this turn of events.

Jiang Bai was also a bit confused, so he nudged Xiao, who was also an outsider, and asked, "Xiao, have you ever seen this Ying before?"

"I've met you."

"Never seen him before... huh?" Jiang Bai turned around to look at him as soon as he realized what Xiao had said.

"You actually saw it before! When did that happen?"

"A long time ago."

Immortals have excellent memories. Although they didn't remember it when they first met, they found the corresponding memory by searching through their memories.

"Do you know her?"

Xiao shook his head. "I've only seen him before."

Five hundred years ago, Liyue was also plagued by the Dark Calamity. Every day, he cleaned up those dark monsters in places far from people. He saw this girl a few times in the border area with Sumeru, but they did not have any interaction.

"I see..." Jiang Bai suddenly realized.

Xiao has lived for so long, so it's not surprising that he has seen this girl back then, if she went out like Sora.

None of the people present paid attention to Jiang Bai and Xiao; all their eyes were on the main characters.

Whether it's the reunion of long-separated siblings or former partners turning into enemies, these are all events worthy of close attention.

“Brother, you shouldn’t be traveling with this man. This man is my enemy.” Ying clearly loathed Dain, so much so that she didn’t want to mention his name.

"Luminous..." Dain called out softly, but his attitude towards Luminous was completely different.

This left Jiang Bai, who was watching from the sidelines, with a lot of questions on his mind.

Why does this seem so complicated?

"Stop saying things I don't understand, Ying!"

I feel like my mind is a mess.

During their first meeting, he answered three questions from Dain, who then said, "You really do look like her." At that moment, he guessed that Dain might know Ying.

Later, Dain mentioned that he had traveled with someone, but he never said who that person was.

It's likely that Dain's relationship with Ying back then was similar to his relationship with Paimon now.

But...why? Why have we become enemies?

The younger sister became a princess of the Abyss Order, while Dain embarked on the path of fighting against the Abyss.

What exactly did they encounter, and what happened?

Looking into Kong's eyes, Ying remained silent for a while.

"This is something I must tell you. Brother, don't come with Dain to stop me, don't stop [The Abyss]."

"That man, Dainesreb, was the 'Sword of the End' of the last royal guard of Kanria. Five hundred years ago, he failed to prevent the destruction of Kanria. At that time, he was cursed with immortality and wandered the wilderness... He could only watch as the people he wanted to protect turned into monsters of the abyss."

Hearing this, Jiang Bai couldn't help but interject.

"Isn't it wishful thinking to expect a mere palace guard to stop the destruction of Kanria?"

Where there is a court, there is a king. It's a bit too much of a moral obligation to blame a member of the palace guard for not preventing the destruction of the kingdom, rather than expecting the king to stop it.

Ying glanced at him, but said nothing and offered no explanation.

Kong looked at Ying with a hint of sadness: "Come with me first, let's go home!"

Why did they not exchange a single greeting after not seeing each other for so long, instead escalating to the point where they had to resort to weapons?

He didn't really care about Kanria or the Abyss Order; what he cared about most was his sister!

"Home......"

Ying murmured the word, which sounded a bit too distant, looked at Kong, and gave a faint smile.

"Yes, of course. Home is where my brother is, but I can't go with you to the next world to find a new home... at least not now."

"Before the abyss submerges the throne, I have an unfinished war with [Heavenly Principles]."

"The principles of heaven?"

Ying looked into the sky, while the Abyss Apostles behind her remained silent, without any reaction.

“Listen to me, brother. I have already taken a journey, so you must also reach the end like me, so that you can leave behind the essence of this world in your own eyes.”

A star-studded abyss opened behind her. She stood before it and looked back. "We will meet again eventually, but there's no rush. Brother, I have plenty of time to wait for you."