As the darkness receded, the surroundings finally became visible.
A masked figure clad in black robes stood motionless in the distance.
Around him, several Abyss Lectors lay sprawled across the ground, writhing and groaning in pain.
But Jiang Yan's attention wasn't on them.
His gaze locked onto the figure behind the masked man.
Heruvia hung suspended in midair, face pale and lifeless.
Dark violet stone-like growths spread around her body, binding her tightly in place.
"Wood Spirit... Immortal Lord..."
A hoarse voice emerged from beneath the mask, carrying endless hatred.
"So it really is you, Abyss Sovereign."
Jiang Yan looked calmly at the figure before him, whose very presence radiated an aura he found deeply repulsive.
"Heh... I truly didn't expect someone as lofty as you to concern yourself with something like this."
The Abyss Sovereign's voice rasped like grinding metal.
"Lofty?"
Jiang Yan chuckled softly and shook his head.
"I've never considered myself above anyone."
"But you... after five hundred years, you've certainly prepared quite the surprise."
"Hehehe... do you like it?"
The Abyss Sovereign laughed grotesquely.
"I enjoy it very much."
As he spoke, he floated upward, stopping beside Heruvia.
One hand slowly brushed across her cheek.
"The taste of a god is truly exquisite..."
"A little weak, perhaps, but enough to restore me completely."
"Jiang Yan, I really should thank—"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yan vanished.
"Would you mind..."
"Keeping your hands off my subordinate?"
A calm voice sounded beside the Abyss Sovereign's ear.
The next instant—
Brilliant seven-colored light exploded before him.
BOOM!
A violent blast erupted as Jiang Yan obliterated the Abyss Sovereign in a single strike.
"You've been beaten this many times and still haven't learned."
"Wouldn't it be better to keep hiding underground like a rat?"
Jiang Yan brushed his hands together as though wiping away something filthy.
"And now you dare stir trouble in Liyue?"
"Do you really think I'm blind?"
He then placed a hand upon the dark crystalline stone encasing Heruvia.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit activated.
In an instant, the black-purple rock shattered completely.
Freed from her restraints, Heruvia fell from the air.
Jiang Yan caught her gently in his arms.
At the same time, the Horse Talisman lit up within his mind, pale light glowing from his palms as he healed her injuries.
"Tsk tsk... still hurts quite a bit."
Black mist surged.
The Abyss Sovereign reformed once more high above them, staring down coldly.
Again.
Still impossible to kill completely...
Jiang Yan sighed quietly and looked upward.
"This time... were the ores taken by your people?"
"Hm... I vaguely recall something like that."
The Abyss Sovereign pretended to think before letting out another unsettling laugh.
"Five hundred years later, and you're still just as punchable."
Holding Heruvia securely, Jiang Yan vanished once again.
This time, the Abyss Sovereign was prepared.
A thick, viscous black substance spread around him like liquid tar, forming a protective barrier.
Yet before Jiang Yan—
It was as fragile as paper.
One punch.
The Abyss Sovereign's body exploded apart again.
"I'll give you one final chance."
Jiang Yan's tone turned cold.
"My patience is limited."
"HAHAHAHA! Wood Spirit Immortal Lord—"
"You cannot destroy me!"
The Abyss Sovereign laughed madly, voice dripping with arrogance.
"Oh?"
Jiang Yan smiled faintly.
"You're right. I probably can't erase you completely."
"But tell me…"
"Do you think I can destroy all the foundations you've built up—just like I did thousands of years ago?"
The Abyss Sovereign immediately stiffened.
"You dare!"
For the first time, genuine anger entered his voice.
Thousands of years ago, Jiang Yan had destroyed nearly ten thousand years of his accumulated power.
And now he was threatening to do it again.
"You know whether I dare."
Jiang Yan smiled calmly.
"You've only had a few hundred years to recover."
"Do you really think you've surpassed what you had back then?"
Silence.
The Abyss Sovereign said nothing.
Because he knew Jiang Yan was right.
Jiang Yan absolutely could do it.
And worse—
He had no way to stop him.
Though Jiang Yan couldn't fully kill him...
He also couldn't defeat Jiang Yan.
At this moment, Jiang Yan's smile appeared unbearably sharp.
"You... you..."
The Abyss Sovereign trembled with fury.
"Now."
"Tell me your purpose."
Jiang Yan understood one thing clearly.
For five hundred years, the Abyss had never dared infiltrate Liyue.
This sudden action could not simply be about stealing ore.
Either the minerals themselves were needed for something significant...
Or among those shipments was something valuable enough to justify risking exposure.
The Abyss Sovereign fell silent.
Jiang Yan stood quietly, still healing Heruvia.
Finally—
"The one who needed those ores wasn't me."
The Abyss Sovereign spoke at last.
"It was Rhinedottir, wasn't it?"
Jiang Yan barely needed confirmation.
The moment he learned the Abyss had taken the minerals, he had already suspected it.
The true beneficiary was not the Abyss—
But Rhinedottir.
Her importance to the Abyss could not be overstated.
Only someone like her would be worth the risk of entering Liyue's territory.
"Wood Spirit Immortal Lord... your mind remains as sharp as ever."
The Abyss Sovereign's hoarse voice confirmed the guess.
"Listen carefully, Abyss Sovereign."
"Whether it's you, Rhinedottir, or any other member of the Abyss."
Jiang Yan's voice echoed throughout the cavern.
"Do not attempt to provoke Liyue."
"And do not test the limits of my tolerance."
"Otherwise…"
"I would not mind destroying the Abyss once again."
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