Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [332] [40 PS]

To escape Venti's ominous attempt to "jinx" him, Gu Sanqiu swiftly flew toward Stormterror's Lair. Left behind, Venti let out a long sigh of relief as he watched Gu Sanqiu vanish into the distance.

"Phew, talking to that kid is exhausting. I almost spilled more secrets than I should've—Morax would've given me an earful for sure."

Glancing down at the neatly arranged rows of fine wine nearby, Venti's expression brightened.

"Heh, now that someone's helping me out, I can treat myself to a good drink and take a nice, long break!"

---

Meanwhile, high above the skies near Stormterror's Lair, Gu Sanqiu frowned as he felt the intensifying presence of Anemo energy.

"Tch, the wind elements are getting denser," he muttered. The closer he got to the ruins, the stronger the elemental concentration became, with the wind itself turning wild and erratic.

For an ordinary soldier without a Vision, just resisting the gales here would be exhausting, let alone maintaining peak combat performance.

"Any creatures living comfortably in this environment must be a cut above their counterparts elsewhere," Gu Sanqiu speculated.

It was a principle that held true in other harsh regions, such as Guyun Stone Forest or the lush Nurseries in secret domains. The abundant elemental energy and relentless natural challenges in such places inevitably honed the strength of their inhabitants.

"Then again, this level of chaos makes sense. Blondie isn't here yet. If the area around Stormterror's Lair were calm and peaceful, that would be strange."

If the lair had turned into some serene nature preserve, Gu Sanqiu would've turned around and left immediately.

"Still, there are way too many guards patrolling the perimeter."

Gu Sanqiu concealed his elemental fluctuations, channeling elemental energy into his eyes for enhanced perception. Peering down, he observed the scene below.

"Hilichurl Shamans, Mitachurls, and ordinary Hilichurls everywhere. No wonder Venti suspects someone's plotting against Dvalin."

Such a heavy presence of monsters could mean only one thing—the Abyss Order's operation was likely reaching a critical phase, which explained the deployment of so many forces.

In other words, they were no longer hiding their intentions.

"Alright, let's stir things up a bit," Gu Sanqiu said with a grin.

He activated his shield, combining wind and fire elements to compress their energy into a radiant, three-colored sphere. Without hesitation, he hurled it toward the monster horde below.

Boom!

The luminous orb descended rapidly, drawing the attention of the monsters below. They scrambled to the edges of the blast zone in panic.

If this had been a natural disaster, the Shamans and Mitachurls might have been able to hold their ground. But the overwhelming malice emanating from the orb left no doubt—this was a deliberate attack.

"Don't run! You won't escape!"

Gu Sanqiu's laughter rang out as the orb crashed into the ground. Geo energy erupted first, spreading across the land and destabilizing the terrain with frequent tremors that knocked the monsters off their feet.

"Bone-chilling flames and a coffin of wind."

Spreading his arms, Gu Sanqiu unleashed a surge of wind and fire elements that enveloped the fallen monsters in thick, swirling barriers. The faint tendrils of fire seeping into their bodies paralyzed their movements.

"Stay put for a while. If your will is strong enough, maybe you can even take a nap."

Without pausing, Gu Sanqiu advanced toward the heart of the lair.

If the Abyss Order hadn't yet made any drastic moves against Dvalin, Gu Sanqiu figured he could use minimal force to disrupt their plans. In that case, subtlety wasn't necessary.

But if their operation had already reached its final stages, sneaking around would only waste time and increase the risk. Better to act decisively and minimize complications.

"Out of my way!"

A group of Mitachurls, bolstered by the Shamans' elemental strength-enhancing spells, tried to block his path. Gu Sanqiu shattered their shields and axes with brute force before sending them flying with a single punch.

His physical strength was leagues beyond what it once was, especially with the additional protection of his Geo shield. Charging headlong through his enemies caused him no harm.

"Huh, suddenly I get why Albedo shoved my head into a mountain that one time," Gu Sanqiu mused, recalling the alchemist's earlier lessons.

There was something undeniably satisfying about overwhelming foes with sheer power—a sensation that could easily lead to recklessness.

"When will I have shields as strong as my old man's?"

If his shield could match Morax's Jade Shield, Gu Sanqiu wouldn't hesitate to tackle a cluster of mountains head-on without batting an eye.

Currently, his shields, derived from the knowledge inscribed within the Geo Spire, were already stronger than typical Crystallization shields. But they couldn't yet compare to the pinnacle-level Jade Shield.

In essence, his "Geo Spire Shield" was a prototype, while Morax's was the gold standard.

Other people's grandpas remain invincible Archons. Mine's busy with tea and audiobooks.

"Ka-ka-ku!"

Whoosh!

Missiles streaked toward him, but Gu Sanqiu intercepted them with a slash of his right hand, sending a beam of concentrated Geo energy straight into the missiles and beyond, striking the Ruin Guard's core.

"The art of extreme elemental compression," Gu Sanqiu muttered. "I may not have multiple energy beams like Raiden Shogun, but I can still conjure a decent flying rock."

He glanced at the now-disabled Ruin Guard, its core short-circuited, and felt a twinge of unease.

He'd faced Ruin Guards and Ruin Hunters before—breaking their mechanical heads while shielded was practically routine. Their long-range missiles were particularly infamous, fired with unrelenting zeal at anything that moved.

Logically, these machines were relics of a bygone nation, products of advanced engineering with minimal connection to elemental energy. Most were half-ruined, yet still operational—a testament to Khaenri'ah's technological prowess.

But that raised a question: how did these machines replenish their seemingly endless supply of missiles?

Was the Abyss Order maintaining and restocking these Ruin Guards as part of their "evil expansion plans"?

That seems unlikely, Gu Sanqiu thought.

Yet no matter how diligently adventurers and official task forces dismantled Ruin Guards, their numbers never seemed to dwindle.

If adventurers could disassemble one and haul its parts away, why wasn't there a noticeable decline in their appearances?

"Could the Abyss Order be manufacturing these things and deploying them regularly?"

It was a plausible explanation. But why?

If their goal was to ascend and challenge the heavens, creating these mechanical soldiers seemed counterintuitive—a strategy that would only strengthen their enemies.

"Ruin Guards... They can't just be about missiles and spinning attacks. What if their true purpose lies elsewhere?"

Gu Sanqiu's brow furrowed.

"For instance—could they be collecting and analyzing environmental data? Transmitting it back to the Abyss?"