Chapter 280: A Battle About to Ignite

The journey to Inazuma went very smoothly.

Apart from Luo De spacing out for a while when facing the heaven‑covering thunderstorm, there was nothing else noteworthy.

This was Luo De's first time witnessing the true power of a god.

Or rather.

It was the divine power that truly displayed god's might.

The gods Luo De had known before.

Whether it was Nadixa, Venti, or Zhongli.

They all tried as much as possible not to hurt Luo De when displaying their divine power.

The only one who had ever gone all out was Nadixa, but her divine power was relatively weak, and besides, it wasn't meant for combat.

So it never left Luo De with any particularly deep impression.

Until now.

Only now did Luo De finally realize how powerful a god who always stays at peak strength and is renowned for martial prowess truly is.

Not mentioning all the flashy stuff.

Just being able to create a thunderstorm that seals off all of Inazuma is already a power beyond human imagination.

Before coming here.

Luo De still thought that with two artifacts, plus the Rock Dragon Crown and Geo Authority, he could somehow escape from the Electro Archon.

But after personally witnessing the heaven‑covering thunderstorm,

Luo De then realized how absurd that idea was.

A god who survived battles among the gods and constantly guarded against the top gods of the Abyssal Sea is truly terrifying.

However, as long as he doesn't clash with the Electro Archon,

For example, helping the Foolish People stir up trouble, or aiding Watatsumi Island's rebellion.

Then he won't come into direct conflict with the Electro Archon.

"Hey."

"I don't know where you are."

"Have you started anti‑Electro Archon special training?"

Gazing at the calm sea after the storm, Luo De leaned on the railing, smiling contentedly as he admired the scenery unique to Inazuma.

Unlike the continental nations of Sumeru, Mondstadt, and Liyue,

Inazuma is an island nation made up of many archipelagos.

Its main body consists of six large islands.

Among them, Narukami Island is Inazuma's cultural and political center, where the Electro Archon resides in the keep and the Narukami Grand Shrine, the center of faith, stands.

The Kamisato Clan, which once tried to win over Luo De, and the other two major magistrate families are also there.

And Luo De's destination on this trip

is Hachiyou Island, one of Inazuma's six main islands.

The remains of the Great Serpent Orobas that Luo De had previously discussed with Nadixa lie on that island.

Sanbing and Ying's whereabouts are still unknown.

According to the timing,

Sanbing should have begun cooperating with Watatsumi Island, using their people to test a new mass‑produced type of Evil Eye.

"Luoshalin probably isn't here, is she?"

Luo De stroked his chin and pondered.

After passing through the heaven‑covering thunderstorm, the island that appeared before his eyes looked, from the outside, like Watatsumi Island, which had already raised the banner of rebellion against the Electro Archon.

In Luo De's memory,

Watatsumi Island's rebellion could not have happened without the behind‑the‑scenes maneuvering of Luoshalin and Sanbing.

I don't know whether, after parting from Liyue, Luoshalin followed her original fate to Inazuma and ultimately died under the blade of the Electro Archon.

Just as Luo De was thinking,

A shout suddenly drifted from afar.

"Hey! That boat over there!!!"

"Don't move anymore!! Stop the boat!! Accept inspection!!!!"

The voice came from an armed warship.

Luo De looked up.

That was a warship more than ten times larger than the speedboat Luo De was riding, equipped with cannons and heavy crossbows, its soldiers all fully armed, and the one hailing Luo De was a helmeted official whose rank was immediately apparent as a shogunate officer.

While shouting,

that warship also kept closing in on Luo De's boat, and before long they were right in front of it.

As soon as they drew near,

the warship's weapons all aimed at Luo De's small boat, and the leading officer bellowed loudly.

"Everyone on board come out, disarm, and submit to inspection."

Too close to the battle zone?

Luo De didn't move, merely muttering to himself.

On Luo De's boat there were also Sumeru's official personnel, all of whom were trusted confidants trained personally by Nadixa.

They were also sent as diplomatic envoys under Nadixa's orders to protect Luo De.

They stepped forward to negotiate.

Luo De didn't need to speak himself; he just needed to watch them there arguing about something unknown.

Just like that.

After a good while of fussing.

Luo De's ship was finally allowed to proceed, but also received a warning: without permission, they must not arbitrarily approach the combat zone.

"How much money was given?"

Maintaining his posture of leaning on the railing, Luo De smiled and asked the ill‑favored diplomat.

"One hundred thousand."

The diplomat spat in anger, his expression displeased: "Even though you clearly know I'm a Sumeru diplomat, you still want to extort our money—this is utter crap; these guys should be sent to the desert to feed the Holy Remains Beasts."

"Hehe."

"Don't take it too seriously."

Luo De smiled, straightened up, and moved his shoulders a bit: "You go ahead, I'll go stretch a little."

Having said that.

In the diplomat's astonished gaze, Luo De stepped on the railing, leapt into the sea, and in the blink of an eye disappeared before everyone's eyes.

"This

This series of actions left the several officials in charge of this diplomacy dumbfounded.

And just when they hadn't yet come to their senses about what to do.

Luo De's figure reappeared before them in a flash of lightning.

"Whoosh—"

"I've gotten the money back for you."

"They're still quite reasonable."

"Next time you encounter such people, just lay out the facts and reason; let this show them we're not easy to bully."

Casually throwing out a bag of Mora, Luo De waved his fist and said: "When you're out and about, don't be timid; behind you stands the Dendro Archon, who will uphold justice for you."

Seeing those diplomats still a bit dazed, he raised his voice again: "You remember, right?"

"Remember, remembered!"

Those diplomats, accustomed to weakness, all nodded stammeringly.

Before, without a god, they were always weak in diplomacy.

This was the first time someone told them diplomacy could also be done with fists.

"Hehe."

"Don't forget what I said."

"When you face those Inazuma people, stay spirited; don't embarrass Sumeru."

Luo De made a move to leave again.

Before departing.

He again patted his own face, gesturing: "Remember, when you're out and about, you are Sumeru's face; be firm when you need to be, don't let others bully you without daring to speak up."

Having said all that.

Luo De said, "I have to go attend to my affairs; let's part here," and then he leapt into the sea again, heading straight for Eight Barrels Island.

Now Inazuma is in civil war. The fighting between the people of Sea Guardian Island and the shogunate army is in full swing.

The Eight Barrels Island that Luo De intends to go to is one of the battlefields.

Most of the manpower and material resources invested by both sides are concentrated at Renowned Beam Beach between Eight Barrels Island and Godless Tomb.

But the side that still holds the initiative is the shogunate army.

No matter how you say it.

Sea Guardian Island is ultimately just an isolated island.

It is still an island poor in produce and barren in resources.

Whether in manpower or resources, it cannot be compared to the shogunate army that controls the Five Islands.

Yet Sea Guardian Island has managed to hold out until now.

One aspect is that the banner of resistance to the Vision Hunt Decree has indeed attracted many Vision bearers; the other is that the evil eye provided by Scaramouche representing Snezhnaya can help Sea Guardian Island quickly mass‑produce high‑end combat power comparable to Vision bearers.

Furthermore, the Inazuma Treasury Bureau, in order to seize more clan benefits, does not hesitate to provide supplies to both Inazuma and Snezhnaya, so as to prolong the war.

Moreover, the Tenryou Commission also knows about this.

Both sides tacitly chose to acquiesce to each other's actions.

They made a huge war fortune with the blood of frontline soldiers.

The practice of blatantly demanding bribes just now is one of their ways to make a fortune.

On the way to Eight Barrels Island.

Luo De saw at least one patrol boat just like that.

Without exception.

Those people, under the pretense of patrol and surveillance, either expel passing merchants, or simply drive people away, and even worse, some directly pose as pirates to rob.

"Tsk, military discipline is corrupt."

This is Luo De's evaluation of the shogunate army.

It is comparable to the Sumeru Thirty‑Person Squad before its reformation.

So Luo De, taking the opportunity, snatched a wave from those shogunate troops trying to rob him, just as he had done when retrieving the 100,000 Mora extorted earlier; he directly dismantled the shogunate warship disguised as pirates, then 'kindly' threw each shogunate soldier a plank of wood before leisurely striding away on the waves.

And after finally arriving at Eight Barrels Island.

Facing the sky‑filled rainstorm, sensing the oppressive, breath‑less aura of the Ayato people on the island, Luo De's relaxed expression finally vanished.

On this island.

There were hardly any living people left. "What a sin!"

Luo De's mood suddenly worsened.

Although he already knew before coming that the seal laid down by the Electro Archon must have been undone.

But when he truly faced this groundless tragedy caused by the outbreak of the Archon's remnants.

Luo De was inexplicably.

He felt even more disgust toward the Sea God Army, which claimed to act in the name of justice but committed vile deeds.

Although he originally had no good impression of the people of Sea God Island.

But now.

He became increasingly annoyed.

"Truly a bunch of damned things."

Luo De frowned the whole way, from the Sea God Island garrison's Rattan Helmet Fort, passing through the Suspension Cliff No-Thought Blade Gorge cleaved by a single strike of the Electro Archon, and then to Scarlet Field Village, which ought to be densely populated.

Finally he arrived at the exposed bones of Orobas lying on the ground.

"San Bing hasn't come yet."

As the main part of the Archon's remnants, the concentration of the Archon's resentment at the snake head of Orobas had already reached an astonishing level.

Here.

Even with Luo De's willpower, he could faintly hear the enticing voice.

【Followers of Baal, kill them all! Kill them all! Kill them all!】

【My people of Orobas, offer me the flesh and blood of the Sounding God's followers, and I will grant you the power of the Sea God's Great Divine God, so that you shall be invincible and unstoppable.】

【Blood! Flesh! Blood! Flesh! The flesh and blood of the Sounding God's followers!!!】

【Kill! Kill! Kill them all! Leave no follower of the Sounding God! Seize all the land of the Sounding God!!!】

"Inhale—"

The voice in his mind made it somewhat hard to concentrate; standing on Orobas' massive skeleton, Luo De took a deep breath and then exhaled heavily.

Accompanied by a long exhalation of white mist.

Luo De's mind regained clarity, no longer affected by the Archon's resentment.

"Indeed, it's the resentment left by an Archon."

"Even I could be hard-controlled for so long."

San Bing hadn't arrived yet, and Luo De didn't plan to go elsewhere, so he simply rested at the shrine beside this snake skeleton that enshrines the divine seat of the Great Divine Palace of the Constructed Sounding God Chief.

He prepared to wait here for San Bing's arrival.

Let Ying worry about other matters.

Anyway, no matter how the plot develops, she will not be slain by the Electro Archon; instead, she can even let the Electro Archon resolve his inner knot and stop obsessing over that eternal static bull's horn.

"Annoying."

"Will this rain never stop? Even lighting a fire is a hassle."

Luo De complained, increased the temperature of the flame in his hand, and after a lot of effort finally managed to start a campfire.

Due to the influence of the Archon's resentment.

The rainstorms and thunderstorms on Eight Brews Island will not cease.

So without this fire, everywhere would be damp and the physical sensation would be very uncomfortable.

After drying the soaked clothes with fire elemental energy.

Luo De took out the prepared food, eating while monitoring the movements around the serpent god's head.

The backpack holding the food was bought from that merchant Duo Li.

It's a bit pricey.

But it is indeed very useful.

"Next time I'll ask Zhongli for a little cave heaven, so when I go out I'll have another place to stay, saving me from having to endure wind and rain."

Saying this, Luo De looked up at the leaking ceiling.

I don't know how long the Electro Archon's seal on Eight Brews Island has been broken.

In short.

From the fact that there is no human presence on the island and the shrine continually leaks rain due to lack of repair, the seal here must have been broken for some time.

Therefore.

The Archon's resentment continuing on Eight Brews Island has already reached an extremely terrifying level.

Not to mention ordinary people.

Even Luo De, who had fused with World Tree leaves and possessed the will of the Descender, would unintentionally fall into a daze.

But this is an environment that ordinary people, even top-tier immortals, would find hard to endure for long.

For Luo De.

All are perfect battlegrounds.

Luo De, with World Tree leaves as his trump card, after getting past the initial daze, had fully adapted to this environment rich in the Archon's resentment.

If fighting here.

His advantage over San Bing would become even more overwhelming.

And after waiting three days.

Luo De, bored to the point of playing five-in-a-row with himself, finally awaited someone's arrival.

Just.

Arrived here.

Not only San Bing, but there is also a very familiar fiery figure.

「Huh。」

「What is she doing joining the fun? 」

Luo De, who had finally waited for the target to appear, clenched his fists, and fixed his gaze on the two people who had come as the Head of the Snake God.

San Bing and Luo Shalin.

Again, this bunch of mutual-scheming rivals.

(End of chapter)