Chapter 178: Eh? Do you still remember?

(He fell asleep while sitting, forgot to update.)

After shaking off the dizziness in his mind,

Luo De and Nadixa saw clearly what lay before them.

A dim, cramped cave.

They did not enter with their physical bodies; rather, their consciousnesses came here.

After regaining consciousness, Luo De moved his limbs a bit.

Good.

Elemental energy is still usable.

It's just that the power of Hermanubis cannot be used; it seems suppressed by this consciousness space.

That's enough.

In the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness space there is no particular crisis; the greatest danger is those entwined forbidden knowledges.

And this danger has no effect whatsoever on Luo De.

Sniff—sniff—

After confirming his condition, Luo De rubbed his nose, and his brows immediately furrowed.

Although this space was entered by their consciousnesses,

But he could still smell that the air here is very foul.

Seeing wispy mist clinging to the rock walls, continuously drifting off the black vines and tree trunks, with some strange flowers emitting a deep blue light upon them; however, these flowers had none of the fragrance flowers should have, instead emitting an even more unpleasant odor.

This is the taste of forbidden knowledge.

Luo De, who has entered the Dead Zone countless times, feels nothing special about these foul vapors; relatively speaking, Nadixa's reaction is not as comfortable.

After all, the essence of forbidden knowledge is the power of the Abyss.

For the natives of Teyvat, this power is no different from the most terrifying poison in the world.

Even if they are gods.

They also struggle to resist the erosion of these Abyssal vapors.

Fortunately.

These Abyssal vapors lingering in the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness are not especially violent; they merely emit an uncomfortable odor, not yet unbearable.

Seeing Nadixa with her brows tightly furrowed, Luo De pondered a moment, then without further ado lifted her and had her sit on his shoulder.

Hey—

What are you doing!

The unprepared Nadixa exclaimed, kicked her legs twice, trying to break free from Luo De's grasp.

Don't move around.

These things here have no effect on me; let them all come at me, you can stay here and be a bit more comfortable.

Luo De gave a light reprimand.

Hearing that,

Nadixa's body stiffened, and she stopped struggling.

Luo De was right.

Sitting on his shoulder, the mental pressure was indeed much less than before.

The pollution in the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness space is truly severe; especially the madness, chaos, pain and various negative emotions filling this space can affect even a god's mind, forcing Nadixa to focus her mental strength to oppose it.

This is not a good phenomenon.

At least it shows that the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness is currently very dangerous, and whether it remains lucid is a question.

Carrying such worry.

Nadixa pressed her lips together, made no sound the whole way, and together with Luo De passed through this dark, narrow cave.

After exiting.

What met their eyes was a sky shrouded in blood mist; but looking closely, the blood hue in the mist comes from the blood-red sun above, beneath which lies a somber, gloomy atmosphere that inevitably stirs the mind, and the previously not-too-violent negative emotions and Abyssal vapors in the cave now seem to have found an outlet, surging toward Luo De and Nadixa like a tide.

The vast majority of the Abyssal vapors were directly blocked by Luo De.

The remaining stray wisps of Abyssal vapor that leaked out were much easier for Nadixa to handle.

To the Consciousness Vessel.

Nadixa pointed out a path for Luo De.

That is a giant ship floating in the sky beneath the blood-red sun, also symbolizing rationality as the Consciousness Vessel; its course is the direction Luo De and Nadixa's consciousnesses are heading.

Not going toward the Consciousness Vessel, the journey would not be as peaceful as before.

Along the way, monsters continually sprang up, blocking the two's advance.

There were Hilichurls, slimes, and also the pitch-black monsters that ravaged the Abyss five hundred years ago.

Without exception.

These monsters were all entwined with loathsome Abyssal vapors.

Nadixa did not act.

Luo De also did not act; he merely lifted his foot and lightly stepped, and a mighty Ice Elemental Power surged in all directions, turning these monsters entirely into ice sculptures, which shattered into scattered ice shards as the two walked past.

These monsters are not strong.

It's just that their vapors are nauseating.

Luo De didn't need to expend much effort, easily pushing forward all the way to before the Consciousness Vessel.

There were also many monsters on the ship.

Moreover, compared to the monsters below, those on the ship are considerably stronger, and carry a richer Abyssal vapor.

Looking at the monsters Luo De was clearing, Nadixa's face once again showed a hint of worry.

The appearance of these monsters.

This is the manifestation of the pollution contaminating the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness, and this pollution made of forbidden knowledge is desperately trying to stop Luo De and Nadixa from reaching the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness, also indicating that the Great Merciful Tree King's condition is not optimistic at this time.

After Luo De finished clearing the monsters, Nadixa immediately jumped down and found the helm on the deck of the Consciousness Vessel.

Likewise, it was also wrapped in a visible purple-black aura.

The Consciousness Vessel has also been corrupted.

Nadixa furrowed her brows.

Luo De stepped forward and grabbed the helm; the purple-black abyssal aura instantly surged into his body, but after a moment the helm returned to normal.

You rest a bit; I'll take over steering from now on.

Apparently fearing Luo De wouldn't understand, Nadixa added: 'The voyage of the Consciousness Vessel must remain stable; otherwise, if we deviate from our course, our consciousness will plunge into madness.'

Nadixa's meaning was obvious.

As a deity.

Her mental strength far exceeds Luo De's.

Moreover, she still retains a faint connection with the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness; having her steer allows for a more stable control of the direction.

Luo De said nothing.

Luo De obediently stood behind her as she instructed.

However, seeing that her petite frame needed a boost to operate the Consciousness Vessel, Luo De once again lifted Nadixa onto his shoulders so she could manipulate the helm.

This time.

Nadixa's hand merely paused for a moment, then she resumed controlling the helm.

The voyage went smoothly.

But shortly after setting off, Luo De sensed a slight anomaly.

It wasn't monsters, nor the aura of forbidden knowledge.

Rather, some strange thoughts would unconsciously arise in his mind.

For example, the urge to hug Nadixa and jump off the vessel, or to grab her and knead her tightly.

Fortunately, these strange thoughts only flashed briefly.

Nadixa merely adjusted the course slightly, and they vanished without a trace.

No one knew how long the voyage had lasted.

Luo De felt the surroundings growing ever more monotonous, especially when the consciousness plunged into the sky-filling blood mist, where all he saw were blood-red hues and turbid aura; such a dull, oppressive scene truly made people feel annoyed and uneasy, while Nadixa, tasked with steering, remained mentally tense, never relaxing, her hands firmly gripping the helm as she followed the faint link with the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness onward, fearing that any tremor in her hand from the surroundings would cause a deviation from the course.

Just like that.

They underwent a perilous yet safe voyage.

After the Consciousness Vessel broke through the most dangerous blood mist.

Luo De and Nadixa's view suddenly changed.

A splendid giant tree appeared before them, unlike the external filth; only a gentle aura emanated from the tree. As Luo De and Nadixa stepped onto its trunk, the leaves flashing with five-colored light rustled softly, as if welcoming their arrival.

World Tree.

This is the World Tree of Teyvat.

Although this is merely a virtual illusion within the consciousness space, not the true World Tree.

But for Nadixa.

Coming here felt like returning to her mother's embrace; this warm feeling made her feel both familiar and unfamiliar.

It is clearly the purest branch of the World Tree.

Yet since her birth, Nadixa had never before seen a giant tree identical to her mother.

Soon.

The emotionally complex Nadixa saw on the World Tree a person identical to herself.

Same height, same appearance, same build.

If there is any difference, it is likely that their temperaments are completely opposite.

At a glance.

One can see that the divinity on the Great Merciful Tree King far surpasses that of Nadixa.

You look surprised.

The Great Merciful Tree King smiled slightly and explained: 'This is the space of consciousness; our essences are the same, so naturally we appear identical.'

Essence the same?

Nadixa didn't quite understand.

Because you are me, and I am you.

The Great Merciful Tree King patiently explained the truth to Nadixa, who was encountering it for the first time.

Luo De did not participate.

He simply stood behind Nadixa, waiting for their conversation to end, after which Nadixa would personally erase the Great Merciful Tree King to bring true peace to Sumeru.

What a pity.

Luo De gazed at the calm-faced Great Merciful Tree King.

To be precise.

It should be called the last vestige of the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness.

The true Great Merciful Tree King had long ago voluntarily died in that dark calamity for Sumeru.

This person before us.

This is the last trace left by the Great Merciful Tree King in Teyvat.

"What a pity."

Luo De sighed inwardly.

The death of the Great Merciful Tree King was destined, and Nadixa inheriting the Great Merciful Tree King's past was also destined.

But the death of such a kind and benevolent deity will inevitably leave people feeling somewhat sad.

Actually, Luo De had also wondered whether he could save the Great Merciful Tree King.

After all, his physique is special, possessing the ability to transform and devour forbidden knowledge, so he could try to remove the forbidden knowledge from the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness.

But when he truly saw this consciousness of the Great Merciful Tree King and realized her current state,

he then knew that no method could possibly work.

The Great Merciful Tree King had completely merged with the forbidden knowledge, just like the fungi beasts contaminated by forbidden knowledge, existing in a state of shared life and death.

Even if it were left to Luo De to handle.

Her ending would still be the same as now.

This helpless result made Luo De sigh again involuntarily.

On the other side.

The conversation between the Great Merciful Tree King and Nadixa continued, from her acknowledgment of Nadixa to the truth of the past darkness disaster, she told Nadixa everything.

Until the end.

She finally spoke those words.

"Boyer, completely erase the contaminated me from the World Tree."

It has come.

In Nadixa's choking sobs, Luo De gently shook his head.

Even though he was extremely reluctant.

This is also the only way to save Sumeru.

If even a trace of the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness remained, the contamination on the World Tree would not be eliminated, and the scale blight and the withering of the World Tree would continue to torment Sumeru.

Luo De did not intervene, still choosing to silently observe as Nadixa, tear-streaked, clung tightly to the Great Merciful Tree King until the latter's body turned into countless green leaves that fluttered across the sky, departing this world in the purest, flawless form.

"Ah——"

In the sigh, Luo De reached out and caught a leaf that fell before him.

What a pity.

Just like the other leaves, this leaf vanished the moment it landed in his hand, as if it had never come to the world of Teyvat.

As Luo De was feeling sentimental,

The consciousness space, suddenly bereft of its subject, could no longer be maintained, instantly turning into fleeting fragments that dissipated together with the green leaves into which the Great Merciful Tree King had transformed.

Luo De's and Nadixa's consciousness also returned to their respective bodies.

Just as they opened their eyes,

Nadixa's eye sockets immediately welled with tears, and no matter what she did, she could not stop the tears from flowing.

Luo De sighed, reached out to pat her head, wanting to comfort Nadixa with a few words, but for a moment he could not think of what to say.

After all, the Great Merciful Tree King was erased.

This meant that everything about her had completely vanished from this world, including people's memories of her.

Nadixa would only remember that she had saved the World Tree, but she would not know exactly how she had done it, what process she had gone through to save the World Tree; now she would cry, solely because of the uncontrollable sorrow in her heart whose source she did not know.

"Uuh——"

Nadixa said nothing, endured for a while, then could no longer hold back, she flung herself into Luo De's arms and cried out loudly: "I, I erased her with my own hands."

"Ah——"

"This is unavoidable."

"If she is not erased, the World Tree will."

Saying this, Luo De suddenly stopped.

Nadixa's words were off!

"Wait."

"Do you still remember what you just did?"

Luo De widened his eyes and asked in astonishment.

"I, I erased the Great Merciful Tree King."

Nadixa seemed not yet to have noticed the problem, still burying her head in Luo De's arms and softly sobbing.

"."

Luo De's eyelid twitched, he pulled Nadixa apart, squatted before her, and confirmed word by word: "Are you sure you still remember that you personally erased the existence of the Great Merciful Tree King?"

"I sure."

The grieving Nadixa had just uttered two characters when she suddenly froze there as well.

Yeah.

She indeed remembered this matter.

But, but this is not right!

This kind of thing should not have happened!

What is the World Tree?

It is the carrier that bears all of Teyvat's memories.

Erasing a person from the World Tree is a genuine erasure; all information about that person will completely vanish from the Teyvat continent, and even history will automatically be corrected into a new record unrelated to that person. Therefore, any being born in Teyvat, even if Nadixa is one of the Seven Archons of the mortal world, the Dendro Archon, could absolutely not remember this!

This, this is impossible.

Could it be, could it be, the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness still remains? I didn't completely erase her?

Nadixa wiped her tears dry and carefully searched her memory.

Then she became even more certain that she had forgotten nothing, and at the same time she was quite sure that she had indeed completely erased that trace of the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness; there could be no residue.

Where did the oversight happen?

Nadixa gazed blankly, muttering to herself.

The Great Merciful Tree King had not completely dissipated; for Nadixa, this could actually be considered a pleasant surprise.

But for Sumeru, for Teyvat,

As long as the Great Merciful Tree King remains, it means the contamination of forbidden knowledge still exists; the magic scale disease and the dead zones will continue to ravage Sumeru, the World Tree will continue to wither, and this disaster that could affect all of Teyvat will remain endless.

Therefore, Nadixa, who now knows the truth, must find out where the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness still lingers, even a trace.

Even if she is unwilling.

For the sake of Sumeru and Teyvat, she also had to prepare herself to endure the pain of erasing the Great Merciful Tree King once again.

Just as she was hard at work thinking about where to find the Great Merciful Tree King's lingering consciousness, Luo De interjected with a strange expression: 'I think I know where the Great Merciful Tree King's consciousness is.'

Where?

Nadixa hurriedly asked.

Here.

Luo De opened his palm, revealing a verdant Vision.

This is his Grass Element Divine Eye.

And he could faintly sense that the lost consciousness of the Great Merciful Tree King was hidden here.

(End of chapter)