"Barbatos, where the hell are you!"
Jiang Xiaofeng's furious voice rang across the sky!
Suddenly, a white silhouette flashed beside Jiang Xiaofeng. Lumine spread her Wind Glider and came to his side, hovering steadily in the air.
Jiang Xiaofeng glanced at Lumine. If she could fly in midair, Venti was undoubtedly spying on them.
But he didn't want to play anymore.
He didn't want to keep playing along with these childish schemes.
Who could have imagined that the Abyss Mage he'd killed earlier would launch a suicide attack and curse him?
And Venti, slack off all you want, but at least go find Stormterror and give him his freedom!
The poisonous blood was already gone. Following the process, all that remained was for you to grant Stormterror new power and turn him back into Dvalin, and everyone would be happy. What exactly were you waiting for?
Did you absolutely have to give Lumine a legitimate title as a model worker?
Jiang Xiaofeng flew above Stormterror's head and equipped the Hayabusa Gauntlets on both hands.
Then he plunged down so abruptly that even Lumine beside him failed to react!
Stormterror had only just regained his senses when Jiang Xiaofeng, furious for no apparent reason, hammered him with both fists until he could barely keep flying. Immediately displeased, he turned his head and lunged to bite him.
Only after turning did he realize it was Jiang Xiaofeng, who had helped him twice in a row...
Stormterror held his mouth wide open, unable to either bite down or pull back.
Stormterror's inaction didn't mean Jiang Xiaofeng would stop.
Jiang Xiaofeng raised his fist again and smashed it viciously into Stormterror's head!
"Muda!"
Then Jiang Xiaofeng raised both fists and took a deep breath-
"Muda muda muda muda-"
Jiang Xiaofeng pounded Stormterror's head furiously. Almost knocked unconscious, Stormterror finally opened his jaws wide and bit at him.
Suddenly, a burst of green light erupted, pushing Jiang Xiaofeng and Stormterror's gaping jaws apart.
Venti, still dressed as a bard, appeared between Jiang Xiaofeng and Stormterror.
"Barbatos!"
Stormterror was just about to fly into a rage when the green, troublesome Anemo energy Venti released soothed him, making him narrow his eyes in comfort.
Jiang Xiaofeng: "..."
Did he really have that little backbone?
Lumine, whom Venti had been carrying downward all along and who had watched the fight for quite some time: "..."
Venti looked at Jiang Xiaofeng.
"Sorry, outlander. I owe you another favor..."
Jiang Xiaofeng waved a hand.
"Whatever. I don't want to know about your plans, but I don't want to play your hero-versus-dragon game anymore, either."
With that, Jiang Xiaofeng raised his hand.
"As the Anemo Archon, you should have a map of Mondstadt, right?"
"Give me one."
Venti sighed helplessly, pulled a scroll from inside his clothes, and tossed it to Jiang Xiaofeng.
Jiang Xiaofeng opened the map, gave it a cursory glance, and closed his eyes.
In his mind, the terrain of all Mondstadt was rapidly scanned and turned into a "sand table" resembling a 3D projection.
The Explorer's Rune's ability had received an epic buff.
Jiang Xiaofeng opened his eyes and returned the map to Venti.
Venti looked somewhat puzzled. "You don't want it?"
Jiang Xiaofeng said, "I've memorized it."
Venti: "..."
Jiang Xiaofeng looked at Lumine, who had remained in her Teriderp state, and adopted a rare gentle tone. "Be good and follow Venti back to the ground. I'm going to have a heart-to-heart with your brother."
With that, Jiang Xiaofeng immediately changed direction and charged toward Stormterror's Lair.
Lumine and Venti watched Jiang Xiaofeng leave...
After a long while, Lumine spoke.
"You're the Anemo Archon?"
Venti smiled helplessly.
"We've met before..."
Ignoring the wind barrier blocking his path, Jiang Xiaofeng combined the Wings of the Crow with Tornadic Aura and charged straight through!
Jiang Xiaofeng flew into the sky and looked at the three light-guiding platforms, the seal on the wind barrier at the center of Stormterror's Lair.
An emerald glow rose from Jiang Xiaofeng's left hand, while fierce arcs of electricity crackled in his right!
If the Abyss wanted to bring Stormterror into its ranks, it couldn't let him return to roost in the space beneath Stormterror's Lair. It had to keep him within the ruins!
That was why the Abyss Order had damaged all three light-guiding mechanisms.
But the extent of their damage clearly wasn't very impressive...
Jiang Xiaofeng narrowed his eyes, looking at these three things whose heavy puzzle-solving style felt like an insult to his intelligence, and took a deep breath.
Then he unleashed both hands at once!
Magic Missiles and Lightning Bolt!
Jiang Xiaofeng didn't use the elemental powers from the Cryo Hypostasis and Geo Hypostasis.
If these non-native elemental powers could destroy it, what was the point of this seal existing?
Jiang Xiaofeng attacked the nearest light-guiding platform!
A white "membrane" suddenly emerged over the light-guiding platform, firmly blocking Jiang Xiaofeng's attacks.
Jiang Xiaofeng snorted coldly and plummeted straight toward the light-guiding platform!
Ground Shatter!
With a single stomp, Jiang Xiaofeng collapsed the platform beneath the light-guiding mechanism, and the entire mechanism began shaking continuously.
Seeing that the protective membrane still firmly shielded the light-guiding platform, Jiang Xiaofeng paused his attacks, then-
Clang-
Jiang Xiaofeng drew the Cursed Sword!
Ever since the Cursed Blade had come into Jiang Xiaofeng's possession, it had never had an opportunity to taste battle.
After all, Jiang Xiaofeng didn't think he could clear the world of Teyvat on a single life.
But right now, he didn't need to worry about those things for the time being!
The Cursed Sword trembled slightly in Jiang Xiaofeng's hand, as though it had come alive.
Jiang Xiaofeng swung it down at the light-guiding platform!
Boom-
The light-guiding platform's protective layer ultimately couldn't withstand the special power from another world and collapsed completely.
Jiang Xiaofeng flung Magic Missiles from his left hand.
They blasted the now-unprotected light-guiding platform to pieces.
Then Jiang Xiaofeng flew up and hurled Magic Missiles at the three light-guiding components.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three reports rang out, and one light-guiding platform was completely destroyed.
Jiang Xiaofeng twisted his neck, shot into the sky, and headed toward the other two light-guiding platforms.
Then, repeating the same trick, he dismantled another light-guiding platform.
Just as Jiang Xiaofeng broke through the last light-guiding platform's protective layer with the Cursed Sword and prepared to shatter this final thing, an icicle flew toward him!
Without even raising his head, Jiang Xiaofeng dismissed the Cursed Sword and instantly equipped the Thunder Shield on his left hand, blocking it.
Then terrifying blue electricity erupted from his right hand, blasting the light-guiding platform to pieces.
"Stop!"
Jiang Xiaofeng raised his head.
"Are you an idiot? You're so slow to shout."
Jiang Xiaofeng straightened up and looked at the newcomers.
Two Cryo Abyss Mages, two Pyro Abyss Mages, and one... Abyss Hydro Herald.
Jiang Xiaofeng looked at them impassively.
"Outlander, you have done something unforgivable!"
Jiang Xiaofeng said, "So what?"
After thinking it over, he felt that the most profitable thing he could currently do was collect cells and see what rewards the system would offer afterward.
And where should he look for monsters?
Without much thought, Jiang Xiaofeng set his sights on the Abyss Order.
Of course, drawing out the Abyss Order wasn't why he'd destroyed the three light-guiding platforms.
His real goal was to draw out Venti and see what he would do.
If Venti wanted to use his power to break through this wind barrier or restore these three light-guiding platforms, he would have to use the power of a god.
Besides, with what Jiang Xiaofeng had done in Mondstadt, Stormterror had most likely turned back into Dvalin.
The Lady would no longer have an opportunity to find Barbatos's true form in Mondstadt and extract his Gnosis, either.
The entire purpose behind Jiang Xiaofeng's actions was to draw all the factions that had appeared in Mondstadt's world quests in the game to Stormterror's Lair...
The more hostile people showed up here, the more cells Jiang Xiaofeng could obtain by killing them...