It was still Teyvat.
The Geo Archon, Morax, or rather Zhongli, stood in confrontation with a white-haired girl dressed in pharaoh's attire.
"Give up, Geo Archon of Liyue. You can't even touch me. What's the point besides continuously wasting your power and increasing your erosion?"
Her azure eyes were very calm. Both floated above the sea, but compared to Morax's chaotic state, Beryl was much more at ease.
She was the same as when she arrived, completely unaffected.
As far as the eye could see, the entire sea surface was covered with dense stone spears, forming small landmasses.
"Stone, even after experiencing erosion, is still stone. Perhaps there is no hope, but I will never give up my will," Zhongli stood in the sky, holding a stone spear.
"Will of Stone? That's rather laughable. As the former God of War, you believe not in martial prowess, but in a vague, ethereal will."
"But with such an absolute disparity in strength, how long can your will endure?"
Beryl spread her hands and said, "The Abyss Order's target is Osial. I won't let you disturb them."
Zhongli raised the stone spear in his hand, his voice resolute: "From a universally rational perspective, I might not have even the slightest chance of winning, but... some things must be done."
Geo power condensed in the stone spear, then he threw it fiercely towards Beryl.
The sound of it cutting through the air even caused spatial ripples to distort.
Its speed was so fast that it reached Beryl in the blink of an eye. If it continued like this, it might pierce her with one strike.
"For those so-called Adepti?"
She extended a finger, pressing it against the tip of the stone spear that was about to strike her.
With just a light touch.
The stone spear, which had been cutting through the air, quietly hovered there. Purple Destruction Energy quickly enveloped the entire stone spear.
Almost in the next second.
The stone spear, imbued with immense Geo power, vanished into nothingness.
Beryl felt neither ill will nor good will toward Zhongli; at most, Liyue was somewhat similar to the place she lived before her transmigration.
She couldn't possibly let him pass; it was a matter of her stance.
Of course, Beryl didn't particularly care about killing Zhongli.
Through her battle with him, she was analyzing the elemental power of this world.
So Beryl was not in a hurry.
However, Zhongli on the opposite side did not think so.
Perhaps when he heard those Adepti say they encountered the Golden Wolflord during the previous telepathic communication, it caused him to lose his composure.
He cast a Geo shield on himself.
After condensing a stone spear in his hand, Zhongli charged towards Beryl again.
Thrust, pierce, sweep...
Every move was executed with masterful skill, performed with fierce power.
However, amidst the afterimages of his spear, Beryl still easily dodged.
No matter what Zhongli did, he couldn't even graze her.
Clang!
Suddenly, Zhongli's arm, which held the stone spear's shaft, jolted.
A strong impact traveled up the shaft to his body.
Zhongli, along with his spear, was knocked back a thousand meters away, a slight trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"Too strong."
Zhongli's usual rock-solid composure now showed a hint of wavering.
With just a single finger, a light tap, the recoil transmitted through the spear shaft not only broke his shield but also injured him.
Perhaps, he knew in his heart that there was no possibility of breaking through, but he couldn't do nothing.
Indeed, the opponent could have killed him in an instant.
"This level of strength probably far exceeds the one slumbering on Celestia."
Where did the Abyss Order find such a monster?
No, it should be said, how could such a powerful being possibly look favorably upon the Abyss Order?
"I hope Barbatos is reliable."
Whether as the Geo Archon or the God of War, Zhongli's combat strength among the Seven Archons was top-tier.
But in terms of sensory detection, he was not as good as his unreliable old friend.
Wind represents freedom, and also the perception of Anemo, which can penetrate everywhere.
"What does your Abyss Order want with Osial?"
Zhongli knew it was unlikely he would have a chance to break through, and instead calmed down. While attacking, he subtly inquired, hoping to get some answers.
"The purpose of your previous contract with the Fatui and what the Abyss Order is doing are aligned in their outcome."
"Do you understand what I mean?" Beryl deftly dodged Zhongli's stone spear, then said slowly, "This plan of the Abyss Order requires Osial, so they came uninvited."
"Celestia! Is that your target?"
Zhongli's voice was grave, clearly remembering what the Gnosis he traded with the Fatui Harbinger was used for. Then his tone shifted,
"With your power, do you still need to go through such trouble to deal with Celestia?"
Beryl replied, "I'm not the one dealing with Celestia; I'm just here to help. In other words, my purpose is to hold you back until the Abyss Order's leader captures Osial, so you must stay here."
Upon hearing this, Zhongli fell silent and widened the distance between them.
He prepared to use a technique, calling forth a meteor, to see if he could find a weakness in his opponent.
"It seems the matter is concluded," Beryl suddenly said.
"What?" Zhongli was quite puzzled, stopping his charge-up, and looked at her.
"Nothing much, just that Osial has been captured, and my mission is complete." After saying this, Beryl disappeared from her spot with "whoosh".
"A terrifying individual. Has Osial already been captured?"
Zhongli gazed at the spot where Beryl had stood before disappearing, then suddenly felt a sweet taste in his mouth and violently spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Pfft, cough cough."
"The erosion has worsened..."
...
Beryl first used Instant Transmission to go to Liyue, picked up a group of Abyss Order members, and then used Instant Transmission again to arrive at the area where she had previously created a barrier.
Guyun Stone Forest.
At this moment, Lumine was already standing in a clear area of Guyun Stone Forest, protected by the barrier, waiting for Beryl to return.
Upon seeing Beryl, Lumine quickly stepped forward, placing her hands in front of her and expressing her gratitude:
"Thank you, Group Leader."
When Lumine arrived at Guyun Stone Forest, she heard from her subordinates that many Abyss Order members had been killed by Liyue's Adepti.
If the Group Leader hadn't used some special power to revive everyone, probably few of those present would be alive and well.
At this moment, all the Abyss Order members in Guyun Stone Forest were present, just as they were when they arrived.
Why could the Abyss Order members killed by Liyue's Adepti be alive?
In fact, this was an experiment by Beryl.
It was to simulate Izanagi using laws.
The Abyss black mist that she had previously injected into the Abyss Order members had this effect.
If they were killed today, the law would activate.
It would transform all unfavorable factors, including death, into an illusion.
The deceased members of the order would also return to Guyun Stone Forest and be revived at this real-time teleportation point that Beryl had specially constructed using ley lines.
Beryl's experiment was successful. As long as one's strength had not reached the law level, Izanagi, similar to Uchiha Madara's Sharingan, would be effective. But once one's own level reached the law level, Izanagi would no longer work.
"No need to thank me. It's normal for the Group Leader to occasionally help group members. Just remember to give me the items for the trade," Beryl gladly accepted Lumine's thanks.
"Vision?"
An Abyss Mage approached Lumine and handed her two Visions.
"Is it okay if they can't be activated?" Lumine asked, with some concern in her voice.
"That's fine. Whether the laws within are activated or not is completely irrelevant to me; I just need to verify them."
Beryl took the Visions from Lumine's hand.
However, the moment she touched the Visions, the two dim Visions suddenly emitted light.
Looking at the patterns that emerged, they were Dendro and Electro elements.
"To lock the upper limit through the power of wishes, what a clumsy method."
A faint purple Destruction Energy rose from Beryl.
Almost the next second after the two Visions lit up, the Visions became dim again.
"Group Leader..." Lumine looked at the Group Leader, asking with some worry in her heart.
"Nothing, the gift is excellent, I'm very happy." Beryl snapped her fingers, and her body turned into specks of light that drifted away with the wind, "Then, see you next time, Lumine!"