Outside Aru Village, the yellow sand had not yet settled, the sky hung low, and the wind still carried the lingering chill of desolation.

Candice stood firmly on the edge of the cliff, her spear pointing diagonally at the ground, its tip still shimmering with a faint blue light.

The ferocious monster from before has silently disintegrated into a wisp of surging abyssal energy, dissipating in the night wind as if it had never existed.

Just then, the wooden gate at the village entrance opened slightly, and a group of people slowly walked out. Even Elhesen and Seno, who had been silent, chose to step out from under the eaves.

It wasn't due to the war, but rather because the house had suddenly become empty—

The other four left to go to the aid, leaving only two sitting quietly in the flickering candlelight. Their silence was almost tangible, making the air feel heavy... Rather than stay put, they decided to go to the front lines together.

The moment I looked up, I was confronted with this shocking scene:

Moonlight shone on Candice's shoulder armor, reflecting a cool yet warm luster; her breathing was steady, her robes fluttered slightly, and she showed no signs of fatigue, only an unquenchable fighting spirit.

Paimon floated in mid-air, his eyes wide open:

"Whoa—Candice is still hitting? You haven't stopped since you left, have you?"

Candice chuckled upon hearing this, and with a flick of her wrist, the spear returned to its sheath, and the arm shield quietly retracted, her movements as swift as the wind sweeping across a sand dune.

She turned her head to the side, her brows relaxed, her smile clear and confident: "Yes... one group after another, I've lost count of how many there are."

"Before we knew it, even the sandstorm had stopped."

Ying gazed at her profile, outlined by the moonlight, and murmured in admiration, "Not only is her combat strength astonishing... but her stamina is also incredible..."

【"Enduring Power"】

Whoever marries Candice is in for a treat!

[Thank you for your well wishes. I'm currently experiencing phantom kidney pain.]

[A weak woman with both strength and speed (A), and also an A in stamina.]

Just as everyone was marveling at Candice's breathtaking fighting prowess and near-inhuman stamina, the deep rift suddenly tore open—

One after another, hounds of the Netherworld burst forth from the phantom, their scarlet pupils surging like molten lava, their sharp claws shattering the air and emitting piercing screechs, instantly enveloping the entire wasteland in a chilling, fishy wind.

"Huh? It's really happening again!" Paimon jumped up in surprise, covering his mouth with his little hand and staring wide-eyed.

Desia's eyes sharpened, her boots slammed heavily on the ground, and she shot forward like a burst of flame, her crimson cloak billowing wildly.

"This time—leave it to us! We've been holding back because we haven't had a good fight yet, so now..." She lightly stroked the blade of the Reed Beacon, a burning smile playing on her lips, "It'll be perfect to vent our anger on these Abyss lackeys!"

Candice chuckled softly, her blue hair fluttering slightly in the wind, a long-lost anticipation flickering in her eyes: "Heh... Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've witnessed the true martial prowess of the 'Blazing Mane Lion' firsthand. Well then—I'll leave it to you all."

Before she finished speaking, the Reed Beacon landed steadily in Dixia's hand, its bronze patterns gleaming with a dazzling light. She turned to look at Ying, her voice clear and firm: "Watch closely, Ying—let's go!"

With a flick of her wrist, Yingchixiao was unsheathed with a clang, its cold light gleaming like the moon falling into the Milky Way.

Her eyes were piercing as she gave a low shout: "Iya, go!"

"Hmm." Iya responded in a deep voice, and with a stomp of his foot, a crimson longsword instantly materialized in his hand—

The sword was wreathed in fiery patterns, and the air distorted and steamed wherever its blade pointed. The spirit beast Crimson Kite descended from the void, its feathers ablaze with fire, its cry splitting the clouds.

At the same time, crimson flames surged behind her, and a pair of magnificent fiery wings suddenly unfolded, their blazing light illuminating half the sky!

Since the minions of the abyss have come in person, there's no need to hold back or engage in any maneuvering—

With the force of thunder, the darkness will be burned away!

Upon seeing this scene, El-Heisenberg and Seno—

Two highly skilled scholars and a high-ranking official, each wary of the other and their words carrying a sharp edge of distance—

Almost simultaneously, they drew their respective divine weapons: the Leaf-Cutting Light shimmered with a flowing, verdant halo of grass patterns under the sunlight, while the Crimson Sand Staff burst forth with deep, intense embers of lightning.

Without uttering a word, the two leaped out side by side, like two sharp blades tearing through the dim yellow sand, piercing straight into the heart of the abyss demon array.

Silence is not indifference, but rational prudence; distrust is not hostility, but instinctive vigilance honed by years of political maneuvering.

But when the shadow of the abyss surged again and disaster loomed, they chose to answer with action—

With swords as our oath and thunder as our command, with the wisdom of scholars and the courage of high-ranking officials, we will jointly protect this land that is both steeped in wind and sand and in faith.

In an instant, the battlefield transformed into a raging torrent of elemental symphony:

Elhesen swung his sword, causing the Thousand Leaves to whirl and dance, and the emerald light curtain exploded like a mirror, bombarding the horde of monsters in layers.

As Seno strode forward, the Crimson Sand Staff struck with a swift, swift motion, leaving behind trails of purple lightning like dragons and scorch marks like cracks in the earth.

Ying Teng unleashed a fierce azure hurricane, the wind blades howling and stirring up a sky full of quicksand and afterimages of severed limbs;

Desia slammed her fist into the ground, and crimson flames rose up like surging lava.

The breath of vegetation, the rage of thunder, the blaze of fire, the fierceness of wind, and the resilience of rock—five primal forces exploded on the abyssal monster, the roar echoing through the desert, the light and flames engulfing its howl.

At that moment, Ying and Yiya frowned almost simultaneously—their brows twitched slightly, and their fingertips felt cool, as if invisible threads were quietly stirring the ancient vigilance deep within their souls against the "abyss."

The tip of the glowing sword dipped slightly, and his voice, though clear, was heavy: "Be careful! These demons... their power is rising!"

Iya shook his head, his gaze as sharp as a hawk piercing through the smoke: "No—they are not getting stronger, but 'resurrecting'."

Her Adam's apple bobbed slightly, her voice low but unable to conceal a hint of disbelief and tremor: "Something extremely ancient, extremely pure..."

"We had suppressed them completely. So in the first battle, they couldn't even unleash 30% of their strength."

"The oppressive force is now dissipating... like the tide receding to reveal the previously dormant reefs—we mistakenly thought the waves were higher."

Dixia plunged her greatsword into the scorching sand, flames surging from her palm to her fist. She unleashed a powerful, devastating punch, sending several demons flying with the shockwave: "Suppression? Revival? To me, it's just a matter of slashing a few more times."

Elhesen spun lightly, his blade tracing a cold, azure arc in the air. Before the light even fell, his words arrived: "If it's to become stronger, then we need to reassess the threat threshold and adjust our tactical rhythm, which will take longer; if it's merely for recovery..."

He pointed his sword diagonally at the scattered demon horde, "Then it's just a return to square one—we already had victory in our grasp."

Seno transformed into a streak of silver-white lightning that tore through the sky, crisscrossing the demon array, his lightning arcs exploding like a rain of stars: "Interesting. Just what kind of being is this, capable of making the Abyss kneel with mere aura?"

He spoke very quickly, but every word was like a nail striking the ground: "But right now—cleaning up the battlefield is the only unshakable 'truth'."

With a light touch of her toes, her robes billowed like outstretched cloud wings. She raised her longsword high, and a cyan hurricane roared from its tip, sweeping across the heavens and earth: "—Go with the wind!"

The hurricane howled, like an ancient giant wielding a scythe of the sky. Wherever it passed, the demons were reduced to dust before they could even utter a wail, scattered by the wind without leaving a trace.

With flawless teamwork and all-out battle, the last abyss monster collapsed amidst the roar of lightning and grassy breath, the black mist dissipated, and there was no more echo.

The group stopped their stance, slightly out of breath, but their eyes still swept across the surroundings like blades—until they were sure there was no more movement among the undulating sand dunes and no more whispers of evil spirits in the wind, before slowly withdrawing their elemental radiance and sheathing their swords.

Paimon hovered in mid-air, her small hand supporting her chin, her voice tinged with unusual hesitation: "Are all the monsters... really gone? Was that the last group?"

Candice wiped the sweat from her brow, gazing at the gradually clearing sky in the distance, her tone resolute: "That was just a wave of dust stirred up by the lingering effects of the sandstorm. The real storm has already subsided."

Before the words were finished, an elderly man wearing a faded indigo robe, with slightly trembling steps but a straight back, slowly walked over.

He clasped his hands together in front of his chest and bowed deeply. His voice was hoarse but warm: "Thank you, fellow travelers... I am Uncle Anpu, the village chief of Aru Village. The villagers, young and old, still need care. I apologize for not being able to welcome you in time."

Just as everyone was exchanging pleasantries with Uncle Ampu, Iya quietly retreated to the shade of the sand dune. A faint light flashed at his fingertips, and a hidden grass elemental beacon appeared. He began to communicate with Nasita.

"Sister, can you feel it?" she asked in a low voice, her gaze sharp as a torch, piercing through the clouds.

On the other end of the communication, Nasita's voice came slowly, like morning dew dripping into a still lake, calm yet containing indescribable ripples: "Hmm... that 'silence' deep in the sandstorm, and the aura that suppressed the demon just now... we sensed it in unison."

Iya's breath hitched slightly, and a bright glint flashed in the depths of his pupils: "With just a wisp of aura, you can make the Abyss tremble... As far as I know, only my brother can do this in Teyvat."

But he is not here now.

Nasita continued softly, her voice like the wind brushing over the new buds of the World Tree, gentle yet heavy: "So there is only one answer—in the heart of the Sumeru Desert, a nature god, undisturbed by the primordial fragments, is quietly lurking."

Nature's Demon God—the ancient will that spontaneously arose from the very origin of the world of Teyvat, uncatalyzed by the primordial fragments descended by [Phanes], unburdened by the shackles of divine authority, and unbound by the laws of the Sky Isles.

They are the breath of the mountains and rivers, the pulse of the monsoon, the measure of life and death; they are the most primal and magnificent life poem of Teyvat.

Phimex, who governs the "cycle of life," is named after the eternal rhythm of spring and autumn.

Roycodim, ruler of "the end of death," whose breath brings utter silence to all things, like stars falling into the deep sky;

Nijikajachi is in charge of the "climate cycle," and with a single thought, frost and snow will change, and droughts and floods will follow in sequence...

Each one is a concrete manifestation of the laws of heaven and earth, possessing vast and immeasurable power.

However, after the War of Burial Fire, the primordial fragments poured down like a torrential rain. The vast majority of the natural gods, before they had even opened their eyes, were forcibly "enlightened" and reduced to false god embryos with incomplete powers and chaotic wills.

Even the previous Grass God, the Great Compassionate Tree King—the most devout guardian of the World Tree—ultimately failed to reach the perfect state of "pure natural demon god" because he carried too many imprints of heavenly principles.

Who could have imagined that beneath the boundless yellow sands of this land, which the world considers a wasteland and a forgotten place, lies a truly complete, untainted, ancient god belonging to the very essence of Teyvat?

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