The underground was still as dark as ever, but the Abyss Heralds were used to it. Darkness had accompanied them for too long; they had all adapted.
"How big is that thing, exactly?"
In a massive cavern underground, two figures, one blue and one white, were cautiously exploring forward.
This place, which was once solid rock, now featured a cavern over ten meters high. All of this was caused by the Golden Tree that had attacked The Order not long ago.
If that thing could still be called a tree, that is.
"How big? Isn't that one of our objectives?" Abyss Herald Frostfall surveyed the surroundings and said indifferently.
The terrifying thing had only just left, and they immediately followed the hole it had drilled to investigate. This suicidal method of exploration was probably something only the Abyss Order would attempt.
All members of the Abyss Order feared no death, and at the same time, they possessed the ability to teleport.
While teleportation couldn't instantly boost an Abyss Herald's strength to a terrifying degree, it made them incredibly difficult to deal with.
Killing an Abyss Herald was almost impossible.
This was especially useful for exploration. The reason the Abyss Order held most of Teyvat's secrets was because its Apostles were constantly in dangerous Domains.
If not for this ability to teleport at any time, the members of the Abyss Order would probably have been wiped out long ago during their high-intensity explorations.
"Indeed. I hope we can live to see that thing," Torrent nodded.
Although his words were somewhat self-deprecating, it was the truth. Facing that thing, which was capable of rivaling the Prince, even with their considerable strength as Abyss Heralds, they still saw no hope of victory.
Forget about winning; whether they could even react in time to open an Abyss Passage and escape was unknown.
However, the members of the Abyss Order never cared about their own lives, so even though this journey was extremely dangerous, Frostfall and Torrent showed no signs of hesitation.
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
In the silent, dark cavern, there was only the sound of the Apostles' footsteps and the splashing of water droplets from an unknown source.
The cavern generally sloped upwards. Frostfall and Torrent didn't know how long they had walked, but at a corner, their eyes finally met something other than unchanging darkness.
It was a faint golden glow, softly illuminating the underground cavern and dispelling the darkness.
"Careful! I'll go first!"
Torrent took a deep breath, and then Hydro element power began to gather around his body.
"Bang!" Blue light surged. A faint Hydro elemental shield appeared around Torrent.
In the past, this shield always gave Torrent an endless sense of security. Even during an elemental burst from a Vision wielder, this shield could keep him safe.
But now, Torrent truly had no confidence in blocking a casual strike from that Golden Tree.
"Buzz!"
Frostfall nodded and opened an Abyss Passage at a distance near the golden light. This might reduce unnecessary casualties.
Covered in a faint blue glow, Torrent cautiously stepped into the golden light.
After turning the corner, what greeted Torrent's eyes was an incredibly massive wooden wall. The tree, emanating a faint golden light, blocked the cavern, as if what Torrent saw was only a very small part of the great tree.
The moment he saw the Golden Tree, Torrent's nerves tensed. He crossed his arms, and blades of condensed Hydro element were poised for action.
Silence, deathly silence.
Torrent's reaction was intense, but the Golden Tree's reaction was calm. There were many things underground; why would the Golden Tree bother with so many of them?
Torrent seemed to realize something. He put away his blades and shouted behind him, "Come over, it's nothing."
No sooner had he spoken than a flash of white light, carrying an icy chill, passed by, and Frostfall's figure appeared beside Torrent.
"It seems... it really is a tree."
Torrent looked at the Golden Tree with its clear Texture in front of him, saying with some uncertainty. An Abyss Herald with an elemental shield was practically a giant signal emitter.
Even ordinary people without a Vision could feel the elemental power gathering around an Apostle; there was no reason this giant tree wouldn't feel it.
"Do trees move?"
Frostfall looked sideways at Torrent.
"Yes, Whopperflowers, and Pyro Regisvines and Cryo Regisvines, and the like."
"..."
Frostfall looked at the massive Golden Tree in front of them and actually found some truth in that. Could this be some sort of Mora tree that grew at a major ley line node?
"If it's a tree, then if we don't bother it, it won't bother us, right?"
Frostfall speculated. Whopperflowers and the like were similar. Of course, the prerequisite was not to be fooled by a Whopperflower.
"I don't know, I'll try." Torrent didn't know the Golden Tree's habits, so he decided to try directly.
The two Apostles exchanged glances, and then an Abyss Passage appeared in front of each of them. Frostfall and Torrent had half their bodies inside the Abyss Passage and half outside.
Then, both of them reached out and scratched the Golden Tree's bark.
"Crunch! Crunch!"
The Golden Tree's bark felt no different from an ordinary tree when scratched. It was impossible to imagine that beneath this ordinary touch lay a toughness capable of destroying everything.
"Rumble!"
The cavern began to tremble. Clearly, the two Abyss Heralds' scratching had elicited a reaction from the Golden Tree.
"Quick, go!"
Seeing this, the Abyss Heralds immediately rushed into the Abyss Passage, fearing that if they delayed any longer, they wouldn't be able to leave.
The Golden Tree's underground roots finished turning, and the trembling of the cavern gradually stopped. Everything returned to silence.
"????"
Where were those guys who scratched his itch? How did they disappear just by changing positions?
The Golden Tree fell into deep confusion... "Splash!"
Beside an unknown beach, four figures, one large and three small, stood quietly.
Enjou looked up at the boundless ocean, then raised his hand to look at his black-and-red hands, and kicked a nearby pebble far away.
There was nothing. How was he supposed to cross the sea?
"Hey, Enjou, why are you always so jumpy?" Yuan Xia, the Electro Abyss Mage next to Enjou, was startled.
"I'm thinking about how we're going to cross the sea!" Enjou walked to the water's edge, touched the seawater, and said.
The Order had given them nothing, simply sending them to the beach. And their destination, Inazuma, was on the other side of the sea.
"Should I wrap you all in water bubbles and go underwater?" Ensa, the Hydro Abyss Mage, waved his staff, pondering.
"Forget it, I don't want to drown prematurely." Yuan Xia immediately shook his head. Ensa's water bubbles were solid; being encased in one was no different from drowning.
Then he was smacked on the head by Ensa's staff.
"I've made a lot of progress! At least I can create four hollow water bubbles!" Ensa argued defiantly.
"Alright, alright, you're amazing." Yuan Xia nodded, clutching his head—Ensa was still tapping his head as he spoke.
"Hmm... I think if Enyu opens a shield, and then we push Enyu, can we cross the sea?" Enjou stroked his chin, looking at Enyu, the Cryo Abyss Mage next to him who was lost in thought, and suggested.
Enyu was a Cryo Abyss Mage; as long as he activated his elemental shield, even the scattered elemental power could form a thick layer of ice on the water.
Then they could take turns pushing Enyu across the sea; crossing the ocean would be just around the corner!
"That's a good idea, Enjou, your brain is half as good as mine now!" Yuan Xia exclaimed, nodding.
"Someone who reads books is different," Ensa also agreed.
When would he also read the abyss chapter in Enjou's hand? Maybe he would evolve into an Apostle too?
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Three crisp sounds, and this time, all three, Enjou, Yuan Xia, and Ensa, were smacked on the head by Enyu.
"Is there a possibility, Enjou, that you could open an Abyss Passage?" Enyu looked at his three companions, who were clutching their heads, and said speechlessly.
Without him, could these three guys really survive?
Enyu also fell into deep confusion.
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