Genshin Impact: Rise of the Desert

As he approached Babel in the river, he smelled a unique fragrance emanating from her.

That smell, like sulfur and decay, is the smell unique to the abyss.

No wonder......

No wonder Babel has been staying indoors lately. Through the messages from the Tanit tribe who have submitted to her, Babel has been sending people to deliver sheep to her tent, but she doesn't come out; only her maids come to collect them.

After a while, the maid would carry out a dried-up sheep carcass.

The sheep's carcass was shriveled beyond recognition; its flesh and blood were completely inedible, all the fluids in its body had vanished, and its bones had become extremely fragile.

That was clearly the work of the Abyss; only the Abyss could inflict such a cruel death upon its creatures.

Recently, Babel's nominal subordinate, but in reality his lover Asarig, has also not been summoned by Babel.

No wonder, they must be afraid of being detected as being from the abyss.

He Zhong became furious, supporting Babel's shoulder with one hand and grabbing her hair with the other.

Babel originally intended to use his arm to tighten his grip on the ribs in the river, using the ribs to compress the internal organs and cause internal injuries.

If it were any other gilded human, they might actually be injured by this move, but the bones in the river are as hard as steel. When Babel exerted his strength, the river was completely unharmed, while Babel felt a sharp pain in his arm.

"Thorn-"

With a sudden burst of strength, the river ripped out a large lock of Babel's hair.

The pain, combined with the immense force of the river, caused Babel to tilt his head back, thus releasing his tension.

Seizing the opportunity, before he could even throw away the hair in his hand, he grabbed Babel's shoulder and slammed his head down.

The river's hard forehead slammed into Babel's nose, and instantly, snot and blood gushed from Babel's nasal cavity. Sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, salty—like a spilled condiment bowl, a myriad of flavors.

Babel also stumbled and fell backward at the same time.

He fell, but not completely. At the crucial moment, Babel braced himself with his hands, spun around, and got up.

Before Babel could get up, the man who had landed in the river regained his balance and charged forward again, raising his right fist to smash it towards Babel's nose.

Although Babel lost her footing, her center of gravity shifted forward after a full rotation, so without hesitation, she rushed forward and caught a punch thrown from the river with her left hand before regaining her balance.

Babel used his left hand to grasp the wrist in the river, catching the impact.

Both sides are in a bit of a predicament now.

Under the immense force, Babel's left hand ached, and his palm even showed signs of a slight fracture. However, he managed to steady himself using the force from the river. Meanwhile, the river, having been struck in the wrist, immediately lost strength in his right hand.

Babel felt the blood gushing from his nose, the smell of rust filling his mouth and nose. Enduring the pain all over his body, he mustered his strength and punched the river in the left chest.

The first punch landed squarely on He Zhong's left chest, taking advantage of his momentary loss of strength. He Zhong reacted quickly, jumping back, but his right wrist was grabbed by Babel. He didn't jump very far before Babel struck him, though it didn't hurt much.

With his second punch, taking advantage of the fact that He Zhong had just landed and was not yet on his feet, Babel grabbed He Zhong's right hand, which was completely powerless, with his left hand, leaned forward, and punched He Zhong hard in the left chest.

The left chest, where most people's heart is located, was struck so hard that it made the heart beat even faster. He felt his blood surging, and a breath of stale air caught in his throat.

With his third punch, taking advantage of the river's surging blood and stiffened body, Babel struck the river in the left chest. Instantly, the river exhaled a breath of turbid air with a cough, and his body was no longer stiff, but the blood rushed straight to his brain.

Just as He Zhong was about to counterattack with Babel's fourth punch, Babel's fourth punch involved pressing his palm firmly against He Zhong's mouth and exerting a sudden force. Streams of pure white life energy were drawn from He Zhong's body and flowed into Babel's hand.

“You…” He Zhong’s eyes widened, and his body went limp.

This kind of magic, which can be used without relying on elemental power, is undoubtedly a magic from outside the world, a magic from the abyss.

He drew life energy from the river's center, easing the turmoil in the water, but his body weakened, and he collapsed to his knees. Babel was startled; he had been caught up in the heat of the moment and inadvertently used a forbidden technique to draw life energy from the river.

Originally, Babel resisted this kind of magic. But after using it experimentally twice, Babel discovered that the stronger the life form, the more life energy it contained. After collecting several sheep in Kawan Post Station and absorbing their life energy, Babel found that not only did her physical strength increase, but her skin also became as pink and smooth as a young girl's.

Women love beauty, and so Babel became enamored with this magic, but she never dared to use it in public. The Abyss was the sworn enemy of the desert people; even if Ivan used it, let alone Babel, he would be torn to pieces by the enraged desert dwellers, who would then proclaim to the world that the Khan had been possessed by the Abyss.

Babel immediately released the spell, grabbed the wrist in the river, and sank down with the current, looking up at his surroundings.

Silently feeling the changes in my body, my swollen face slowly recovered, my kneecap, which was slightly fractured from being elbowed in the river, was enveloped in a warm sensation, and my scalp, where hair had been pulled out, felt a little itchy.

Most people believe that the river has injured their heart, and they feel tense, excited, and confused.

The bewildered ones were the guards in the river and their friends.

Nanka Cairang appeared beside Esen at some point, frowning as he asked, "The river shouldn't be like this, should it? Three punches to the heart, though painful, shouldn't be this bad."

Esen and Tinaari did not see it either, but they both frowned deeply.

However, Jade, who was behind Babel, saw a flash of white light in Babel's hand, and her originally cute face twisted into a knot.

Babel crouched down, turned to look at the river, and tried to whisper to it that it was enough.

But Babel, enjoying the pleasure of his healing wounds, forgot about the consequences of using abyssal magic that he had just been contemplating.

As soon as Babel lowered his head, He Zhong suddenly stood up and smacked Babel's nose with his head, instantly sending a sour sensation into Babel's nasal cavity once again.

The two stood up at the same time; He Zhong stood up voluntarily, while Babel stood up to avoid being hit.

Then, the river tilted its head back slightly, then suddenly nodded forward, its forehead hitting Babel's nose on the ground.

Under the immense force, Babel fell directly to the ground. To prevent the river from pressing its advantage, Babel did several somersaults backward.

He was clutching his chest, bent over, and panting in the river.

His heart had already been badly damaged, and under the impact, it desperately produced blood, causing blood and energy to rush to his brain. However, Babel used abyssal magic to manipulate his heart, absorbing his life energy, causing the blood and energy rushing to his brain to suddenly drop.

If it were an ordinary person, such a surge of blood and qi within ten seconds, going up and down, would cause them to die from a brain hemorrhage on the spot!

He Zhong only felt weak and slightly dizzy.

Babel clearly understood this; within ten seconds, his face in the river went from its normal color to bright red, then to deathly pale.

Let alone ordinary people, even most gilded humans would need to rest for a day or two after this.

He Zhong was just panting, as if he would be fine after a while.

This level of resilience is unprecedented in the entire desert of Babel; even the immortal Seno doesn't seem to be as resilient.

Babel was starting to panic and quickly shouted to those around him, "The Khan's life is more important! Let's set off immediately and not waste any more time!"

Immediately, a burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding area.

You were the one who advocated war to save your life, and now you're saying the Great Khan's life can't be delayed. How can you be hypocritical?

Seeing that no one around her was on her side, Babel turned her gaze to Jade.

Jade was highly regarded by Ivan, and the army was a place that revered the strong. Relying on her bravery, Jade also had some prestige among the soldiers.

But Babel's plan to transform Jade's falcon was only half completed; he had not yet converted Jade to the Goddess of Flowers, and Jade still believed in the Red King.

Jade hesitated for less than a second, then threw the battle flag on the ground and waved her hand, saying, "You must respect our tradition! The duel continues! Benben, keep recording!"

The ancient, diamond-shaped machine shaped like an eye on Jade's shoulder gleamed with a blue light.

.........

P.S.: I've been a bit busy with family matters lately, but I'll be able to update more frequently once things settle down in a few days.