Chapter 1187: Weng Faluos 3.2 (233)

Suddenly, a whimpering sound echoed in the air.

The sound came from no definite direction, but seeped in from all sides like mist, as if wind passed through a cracked flute hole; for a moment it was impossible to tell whether a maiden was weeping or the dragon head within the shell was shedding tears.

Enormous wings slowly folded, wrapping the twisted dragon body inch by inch like a massive cocoon. Yet it clearly throbbed, like a crouching child hugging its head, crying incessantly.

"I understand, you're uneasy… don't be afraid…"

"No need to wail any longer, I will… bring you peace."

Xing constantly used the floating structures to dart and dodge, seeking gaps to strike the dead dragon. Yet the massive tentacles kept rolling within the Nether River, easily summoning huge waves toward her, leaving her exhausted in defense.

"Sister… sister…"

An ethereal voice rang out in the air.

"Hmm… I'm back."

Xia Die tried to soothe Bo Lu Qia Ya, but the dead dragon's instinct still dominated its consciousness, highly aggressive. Watching it constantly enclose itself with its wings, a trace of unease rose in Xia Die's heart:

"Be careful, even if it's just instinct, it's building up great fury—"

——

Genshin Impact.

"Huh, you scared me half to death; I thought this little girl, summoned by alchemical secret arts, would be a big fellow like A Pei Pu," Yao Zhi Wang Tu Te let out a long sigh.

"A Pei Pu? That brutal, ferocious A Pei Pu, who lacks any virtue beyond instinct, hugging itself with its wings while sobbing? My god, just imagining that scene makes me feel like I'm going to die," E Zhi Wang Suobeke held his head.

"We can't say that, Old Croc, after all the three of us have just been released; we have a long road ahead," Yang Zhi Wang He Li Sha Fu said, carefully watching the dragon that enveloped itself in the sky. As an alchemical creation, it seemed quite weak, "... Is it planning to just endure Xia Die's and Xing's attacks forever? Not resist at all?"

"Isn't not resisting a good thing?" Tu Te spread his hands, "If you ask me, just surrender obediently to Xia Die… hmm? Wait, why do its wings seem to be opening?"

The massive dragon spread its wings, and the scorching desert sky was swallowed by a huge shadow, darkening instantly. Just as everyone stared curiously at the sky—

"Roar—!!"

A sudden, piercing scream swept across the desert in an instant; the roar Yao Zhi Wang expected, akin to A Pei Pu's thunderous low growl, never came. Instead came an ultra‑sharp sound, like a red‑hot iron needle stabbing deep into the ear canal.

Tu Te didn't even have time to raise his hand before the dead dragon's roar seized all his perception, like two pieces of rusted iron grinding madly, shaking the golden sand on the dome of the Silent Hall to fall in sheets; when the roar ended, the sand almost buried half his head.

"Sss… Old Croc, Old Sheep, are you alright?"

Tu Te clumsily brushed the sand off himself, seeing He Li Sha Fu and Suobeke wobbling from the roar, only managing to recover after a while.

"This dragon has such a huge voice…" Suobeke looked up with lingering fear, "Did it just revive? This roar makes me think I'm about to meet the God King… wait, what are those?"

Suobeke raised his hand and pointed into the distance.

"... what thing?"

Human silhouettes.

Dense clusters of human silhouettes, as if sprouting from the sand; the closer they got to the Crimson King Mausoleum, the more numerous they became.

"What… what on earth is happening…?"

……

Natlan, Holy Flame Arena.

"Honestly, I'm not quite sure what actually happened."

Xi Balak looked around; the arena was now filled with translucent spirits like him, humans and dragons mingling, the living and the dead interwoven without barrier, making the scene especially lively.

He instinctively reached to grasp the wine cup before him, but his hand passed straight through it.

"Lord Xi Balak, did you also hear that dragon roar in the Night God Nation?" Marvika's gaze darkened, realizing the matter wasn't that simple.

"Yes, not just me; every soul that returned to the Night God Nation heard it," Xi Balak smiled, "…Marvika, since we last partied, I thought I'd never see Natlan's lands again, but not long after, I returned in this form."

"No, calling it 'return' isn't accurate; I can still feel 'I' remain within the Night God Nation," Xi Balak lowered his hands, "…this feeling is very strange."

"Marvika, could it be the Night God Nation…" an unsettling thought slowly surfaced in Citelali's mind.

Since that Fool's Guild executor merged with the Night God, the rules of Natlan's ley lines have changed; could the dead dragon have damaged Natlan's ley lines to some extent?

"No, the Night God Nation remains intact," Xi Balak seemed to read Citelali's thoughts, shook his head, and offered his palm to the crowd, "By the way, do you know what flows through my body?"

The others gathered as they heard, discovering that the material constituting Xi Balak's 'soul' was a kind of glyph they couldn't comprehend, constantly performing some calculation… Xi Nuo Ning thought it resembled some of Fontaine's mechanism formulas, but far more complex.

"These glyphs… related to Weng Faluos?"

Xi Nuo Ning wasn't sure either; the only certainty was that these glyphs were definitely not products of Teyvat's civilization.

"Alright, seems no one knows," Xi Balak withdrew his hand, "You may not realize that the moment that oddly shaped dragon let out a sharp scream, Weng Faluos seemed to have some power injected into Natlan; that power continuously affects the Night God Nation, projecting our souls onto Natlan's land in the form of mysterious glyphs."

Marani lowered her head regretfully, "So, Lord Xi Balak hasn't truly returned his soul…"

"Hmm, if I must put it, it's like a soul's… reflection? Anyway, I'm already satisfied to be back in Natlan for a while," Xi Balak waved casually, "By the way, is Ao Qi Kan still around? If it's him, he'd know the dragon race's technology and power better, right?"

——

"In an instant, that sharp scream burst from the shell—"

"Xing only felt a throbbing pain in his eardrum; the world's sounds vanished in that instant, leaving only a ringing that echoed in his mind."