He sighed, running a hand through his silver hair.
"Whatever. I'm not a Demon God anyway."
"I'll open my chests, and they can fight their wars."
After comforting himself with a few words, Jiang Yan resumed his journey.
The map he knew from the game was the result of the Seven Archons' terraforming and refinement like how that drunkard Venti had shaved down mountains and blown away the snow in Mondstadt. Consequently, the terrain was different now, and he had no idea where the chests were located.
He could only take it one step at a time.
Another full day and night passed. After opening four or five Common Chests and Exquisite Chests, and even one Precious Chest, Jiang Yan finally figured out the drop patterns.
Common Chests only enhanced his physical constitution and Elemental Power; they didn't give anything else.
Exquisite Chests provided miscellaneous items and common skills from across the myriad worlds, like cooking or tea arts.
Precious Chests could yield rarer items.
Luxurious Chests, as expected, provided top-tier abilities his Wood Release had come from one of those.
The Precious Chest Jiang Yan had just opened granted him Observation Haki from the world of One Piece!
"I'm still too weak..."
Jiang Yan sighed. Although he had a top-tier ability like Wood Release, his Elemental Power reserves were too small. Forget the wooden Buddha; he couldn't even summon the Wood Release: Wood Human Technique yet.
Observation Haki was great, but if he really was in the Archon War era, even the ability to see the future wouldn't help if he lacked the strength to act on it.
"If only a chest would drop something like Tailed Beast Chakra," Jiang Yan fantasized with a silly grin.
After crossing another mountain, Jiang Yan spotted an Exquisite Chest sitting quietly in the middle of a cliffside.
Oho! Another one!
Jiang Yan clapped his hands together, and two vines erupted from the ground at his feet. They wrapped around his waist and hoisted him into the air.
Carefully manipulating the vines, he slowly moved toward the chest's location.
After his repeated experiences with chest hunting, his proficiency with Wood Release had reached a new level.
Just as his hand was about to close around the chest, a violent tremor shook the entire mountain.
This is bad!
Jiang Yan grabbed the vines tightly to steady himself.
Immediately after, two massive figures streaked across the sky above his head. They roared and tore at each other, their bellows echoing through the heavens and shattering the mountain peaks.
"I'm screwed, I'm screwed, I'm screwed!"
It really was the Archon War!
Cold sweat poured down Jiang Yan's face. At this point, he would be an idiot not to realize those two were Demon Gods!
If those two had tried this during the era of the Seven, the Geo Archon would have pinned them into the earth with two Stone Spears ages ago.
Rip!
Watching the two Demon Gods tear into each other, Jiang Yan quickly controlled the vines to descend.
He could lose his head, and he could shed his blood! But he could not leave a chest behind! This was the noble tradition of a Traveler!
[Congratulations, Host, for opening an Exquisite Chest! You have obtained from the Naruto World: Elite Jonin-level Chakra!]
[Converting Chakra into Elemental Power...]
"Yes!"
Jiang Yan listened to the system's notification in delight. Feeling the surge of Elemental Power within him, he clenched his fist.
His current Elemental Power capacity was finally enough to use the Wood Dragon Technique in battle!
He felt like he could actually trade blows with those two Demon Gods fighting nearby.
If he saved up a bit more and could use the Wood Human Technique, he would be able to walk horizontally through the Archon War!
On the other side, the two Demon Gods were locked in a heated battle, leveling mountains as they fought.
Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a massive Stone Spear fell from the heavens, slamming into both of them.
"Roar! Morax! You intend to interfere as well?!"
One of the Demon Gods roared, its eyes fixed on the young man standing nearby with his arms crossed.
"This is my territory. I suggest you leave," Morax said individually, his expression cold.
"Then die!"
The two Demon Gods were already seeing red; they turned and lunged at Morax without a second thought.
From the slope, Jiang Yan watched the three-way battle from the top of the cliff, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Morax.
The old man, the Geo Archon! The most reliable man in the world of Genshin Impact! I finally met you!!
However, Jiang Yan didn't plan to join the fight. He just wanted to find chests in peace. Of course, finding chests under the protection of the Geo Archon would be even better.
Even though he now had the strength to protect himself in this war.
Around the three Demon Gods, their respective followers were also clashing with the Adepti who were contracted to Morax.
Jiang Yan watched for a while, found it a bit boring, and prepared to leave.
Just then, his Observation Haki screamed a warning. Jiang Yan's face hardened, and he slammed his hands together.
"Wood Substitution!"
BOOM!!!
A massive cloud of dust billowed out as the mountain peak Jiang Yan had been standing on was shattered by the shockwave of the Demon Gods' battle.
Using Wood Substitution, Jiang Yan teleported high into the sky. The three Demon Gods naturally noticed the sudden appearance of the little boy.
Not that anyone cared.
In the air, Jiang Yan pressed his palms together, his Elemental Power surging at full capacity.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Crack, crack!
A roar echoed across the battlefield, followed by a massive thundering sound. One of the Demon Gods fighting Morax was suddenly slapped aside by the powerful tail of a giant dragon.
In an instant, the battle between the three Demon Gods and their followers ground to a halt.
Everyone fell into a transition of eerie silence, staring in shock at the dragon that had suddenly appeared.
Jiang Yan sat atop the Wood Dragon's head, hands pressed together, gasping for breath.
Dammit... if I hadn't reacted quickly and used the Wood Dragon Technique, I would have been severely injured or dead! Seriously... I was just a bystander...
Morax looked at the Wood Dragon, his brow furrowing. It didn't match any Demon God in his memory.
"Motherfucker! I was minding my own business getting a chest! Why did you have to provoke me?!"
Jiang Yan roared in anger. The panic he'd felt a moment ago between life and death had turned into pure rage, surging through him!
The Wood Dragon twisted and roared, lunging at one of the Demon Gods with its jaws wide.
That Demon God roared back and tried to resist, but Jiang Yan's Wood Dragon could absorb the opponent's Elemental Power to replenish its own. As the fight wore on, the Demon God grew weaker while the dragon stayed strong. Eventually, the Demon God was reduced to a punching bag.
Morax, meanwhile, was beating the other Demon God senseless.
He didn't know if this sudden Wood Dragon was friend or foe, but since his own interests hadn't been harmed, he chose to eliminate the hostile Demon God first.
The Adepti under his command also launched a fierce offensive. With Jiang Yan's involvement, the battle became much easier.
As he fought, Morax kept an eye on the silver-haired boy on the Wood Dragon's head. When he noticed Jiang Yan's ears, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Not a Demon God... but of the elf race...?"
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