Chapter 306: Leidian Zhen's True Thoughts

The matter of going to the Abyssal Palace.

Leidian Ying took it all on by herself.

With her abilities, she didn't even need Luo De's help; relying solely on those things beneath the Abyssal Palace wasn't enough to stop her advance.

Five hundred years ago, it wouldn't work.

Five hundred years later, it still wouldn't work.

As for the Doctor among the Fatui,

She didn't even glance at it.

Just as Leidian Zhen said before, a mere Executive—what merit or ability could make Inazuma wary of them?

Even if this Executive held the Second Seat and wielded divine power,

But for Leidian Ying, who had resolved her inner turmoil and reached an agreement with the Raiden Shogun who commanded her own flesh, even if the God of Ice came in person, she would feel no fear.

"Leave it to the Shadow."

"She's done these things before; it's practically second nature for her."

Leidian Zhen was extremely confident in her sister, her words brimming with pride.

Luo De didn't respond to her; instead, he grasped the brand‑new Rock Dragon Crown, his eyes alight with excitement.

Two Evil Eyes.

This truly was an unexpected delight.

Luo De had originally expected Leidian Ying to use the Evil Eye to empower the Rock Dragon Crown, enriching his means.

As it turned out, two Evil Eyes have appeared now.

How could Luo De, who had personally experienced the Evil Eye's effects, not be delighted?

After obtaining the new Rock Dragon Crown,

Luo De's first reaction was to hurry to a quiet place to test its effect.

Of course.

This place must be far from the Sea Guardian Island's camp.

Duotuo lei's fragments are there; if we disturb him, Leidian Ying won't be present, and if that fellow, desperate, brings several Archon‑level fragments, Luo De fears he couldn't defeat him.

So Luo De simply ran straight to the vicinity of Thunder God Island, completely distancing himself from the great whirlpool of Eight Brew Island, and then chose an uninhabited island.

"Actually, you could also ask the Divine Maiden for help."

Leidian Zhen had a minor objection to Luo De's caution: "The Divine Maiden is the strongest chief priestess the Thunder God Grand Shrine has ever had; even if all those fragments gathered, the Doctor wouldn't be her match."

"Huh?"

Luo De asked doubtfully: "Haven't you been asleep in the One‑Heart Pure Land all this time? How do you know so much about outside affairs?"

Luo De had experienced Yae Miko's strength.

That everyday, inconspicuous trash fox is Inazuma's strongest war potential when the Raiden Shogun is inattentive.

This has nothing to do with the Electro Archon's retinue.

It is simply that this lineage of the White Dawn Fox King possesses outstanding demonic talent, with rapid strength growth, easily surpassing the former chief priestess famed as the strongest, the Fox Purification Palace.

But the problem is.

When Yae Miko assumed the role of chief priestess,

she was merely a newly transformed little fox.

And at that time Leidian Zhen was already dead, leaving only a faint remnant of consciousness in the One‑Heart Aspiration, expending the last of her warmth to plant the Divine Cherry Tree seed for Leidian Ying's future.

In theory,

she could hardly have known of Yae Miko's growth.

Because afterward, Yae Miko's journey from a tender successor to the present rain‑summoning chief priestess all took place during the period when Leidian Ying withdrew into the One‑Heart Pure Land.

Luo De found it strange.

This one, who clearly died hundreds of years ago and, like the Great Merciful Tree King, sealed his consciousness in a specific space as a god, how could he know Inazuma's situation so well?

You should know that when the Great Merciful Tree King sealed himself,

he knew nothing of what happened in Sumeru, and simply waited calmly for Nadixa to eliminate her.

Regarding Luo De's question,

Leidian Zhen merely replied in a faint voice: "Isn't it strange? Don't you know what you used to restore my consciousness?"

"?"

"Huasanli?"

Luo De tilted his head: "No, she didn't lose her current memories back then; she recovered the memories left by the Fox Purification Palace five hundred years ago, right?"

Luo De remembered it very clearly.

The restored Huasanli was abnormal, her personality completely different; later, when Leidian Ying rewound time, Luo De saw that her memories were all from the Fox Purification Palace, with no trace of her present memories in her consciousness.

Wait—Luo De's mouth twitched: "Did she split off that part of her memories and give them to you?"

"Congratulations, you guessed right."

Leidian Zhen's voice turned indescribably sorrowful: "She split all of Inazuma's memories from the past nearly five hundred years, arranging them in chronological order, shattered and laid out, then, without affecting you, placed them in your consciousness so that when you restore my consciousness, I can quickly survey Inazuma's changes over those five hundred years."

"."

"Could she possibly want you to retake the throne?"

Frankly, even now, having witnessed all the contingency plans Huasanli left for Leidian Zhen, Luo De still cannot help but feel astonished upon learning of yet another of her backup measures.

He didn't know why.

He always felt that Huasanli truly wanted Leidian Zhen to retake the Electro Archon's throne, and have Leidian Ying return to the role of a shadow warrior who can immerse herself in martial arts and eternal will.

And Leidian Zheng's silence.

This also seems to confirm that.

Ah—

Ying, she is too tired.

Lei Dian Zhen finished saying this.

Luo De's head suddenly sprouted a big question mark, and even the action of activating the Rock Dragon Crown came to a halt.

Where is she tired?

Luo De didn't quite understand Lei Dian Zhen's words, and at the same time he bluntly retorted to Lei Dian Zhen: "You mean she has neglected affairs for these five hundred years, watching the Three Commissions throw Inazuma into chaos, and even tacitly allowing the Fatui to meddle in Inazuma's internal affairs, resulting in incessant warfare in the east and the people in the west unable to make a living? Clearly there is a god in position, yet it's as if the god is absent, just like in Sumeru."

Lei Dian Zhen fell silent.

Every word of Luo De's rebuttal is true.

No matter how unwilling the Electro Archon is to admit it.

This is the fact.

Due to Lei Dian Ying's inaction, or rather indulgence.

Inazuma's current situation is far more chaotic than it was when she held office five hundred years ago.

Especially the interference of foreign powers in internal affairs.

When she was still around, who would dare do that? Lei Dian Zhen is indeed a gentle deity to people, but when facing those who try to meddle in Inazuma, she is the most superb and terrifying thunder incarnation in this world.

"Ah—" After a long while, the silent Lei Dian Zhen admitted: "Actually, I think Ying is not suited for this position. Initially I suddenly entrusted Inazuma to her; she surely wasn't prepared enough, and she is also stubborn—once she settles on a principle, she never turns back, not even exploring the eternity in her heart, which took her a full five hundred years to comprehend. These principles should have been gradually taught by me, so she would no longer cling to nothingness and truly bear the responsibility of the Electro Archon."

But hasn't she now awakened to the true eternity?

If it were the previous extremely obstinate Lei Dian Ying, Luo De might still think Lei Dian Zhen makes sense.

But after battling the Raiden Shogun, Lei Dian Ying has now fully grasped the people's wishes; there should be no reason to let her return to the position of shadow warrior, right?

Indeed.

Luo De knows this in his heart.

If Lei Dian Zhen says they need to return to their original positions, with her guiding Inazuma's future again, then Lei Dian Ying will surely agree, without uttering a word of nonsense.

But Luo De always felt this was somewhat suspicious.

You can understand this as my compensation for Ying.

Lei Dian Zhen finally spoke the truth: "The position of the Electro Archon is not a position that would make Ying happy; rather, it would make her lose her desire for freedom. Moreover, Ying truly is not suited to be the Electro Archon—she is too pure. In the past, she would listen to nothing anyone said; now she accepts whatever anyone says. You should understand better than I that such a personality is truly unsuited for this position."

Tsk.

Indeed, it's because of this.

Lei Dian Zhen's words aren't complicated; Luo De naturally can understand them.

Moreover, he agrees.

The previous Lei Dian Ying was obstinate, overly confident; she managed to have a god in position, yet made the people of Inazuma resent her as a deity to such an extent.

Even when handling the Three Commissions, she displayed a very calm overall perspective.

But her actual governing ability is just that—still not as good as simply letting things be, like Venti.

At the same time.

Luo De also understood another matter.

That is why Lei Dian Zhen proposed to entrust the single-minded dream to himself.

It is because Lei Dian Zhen wants to compensate Lei Dian Ying, wanting her to truly let go of her obsession, that he proposed such a reason that seems extremely absurd to Luo De.

So you actually planned this all along, Yae Miko also knows about this?

Having realized Lei Dian Zhen's intention, Luo De thought for a while and then posed another question he wanted to know.

Lei Dian Zhen replied with an answer that did not affect him.

The Divine Maiden is the mastermind!

These things were all planned by her alone, from letting you retain your consciousness in Hanamizaka, giving her the possibility of resurrection, to the process possibly having some surprises, but each step's result exceeded expectations, and her plan kept changing step by step until now.

Yae Miko again?

Luo De, having been schemed against too many times, is very sensitive to that name.

It also revived the feeling of displeasure he had previously suppressed.

The lightning lingering in Luo De's consciousness space naturally sensed Luo De's current mood, and timely spoke: "The Divine Son has already given you compensation; please accomplish these things—she has indeed provided sufficient compensation."

Hmph—

Please?

When did she ever ask me?

Luo De let out a cold snort, his displeasure plainly showing on his face: "Forget it, I won't say more—the more I say, the angrier I get."

The inwardly furious Luo De fell silent and activated the new Rock Dragon Crown.

Suddenly.

As the Evil Sun Eye's light blazed forth.

Luo De's vision instantly expanded severalfold; not only what lay ahead, but also what was behind him became crystal clear, truly achieving a god-level blind-spot-free field of view.

Not only that.

Under the effect of the Rock Dragon Crown, vast elemental energy surged frenetically from the earth's veins into Luo De's body, then poured into the Evil Sun Eye; in the blink of an eye, he achieved the elemental energy balance he had previously envisioned, completing that self-balancing of elemental energy, allowing uninterrupted use of the Evil Sun Eye's function.

This change swept away Luo De's earlier irritable gloom, and he began to explore the new functions of the Rock Dragon Crown.

Huh?

This matter?

As Luo De habitually drew in the four elemental energies of water, fire, ice, and lightning, he suddenly realized that these four elemental energies were no longer circulating within his body to become various techniques or weapons as before; instead, they left his body, arranged around him with the Rock Dragon Crown as the core, where the water elemental energy gathered at his limbs, the fire elemental energy gathered at his front and back, the ice elemental energy activated the pair of wings he had obtained in the holy rite, and the lightning elemental energy condensed into a fully enclosed helmet. Though these four elemental energies obviously would violently react with each other, they now coexisted peacefully, together forging for Luo De a peculiarly ferocious-looking elemental armor.

"This is the armor of the Ruotuo Dragon King."

Looks like Ying helped you finish this as well, in passing.

He knew his words just now had angered Luo De's Lei Dian Zhen, so he spoke a bit more carefully than before.

Ruotu Dragon King's armor?

Luo De had never seen any records about this.

Even in Liyue, at Zhongli's place, he also had never heard that the Ruotu Dragon King also had armor.

No.

He had never heard that the Ruotu Dragon King also had a humanoid form; all he knew was that this Dragon King was a colossal giant dragon whose stature surpassed mountains, and even turning in his sleep would shake the earth and move mountains—far stronger than Durin and Tvellin by who knows how many times.

As long as it's a dragon king, it can appear in human form.

It's just that most dragon kings don't like to turn into humans.

Lei Dian Zhen was still explaining on the side.

Luo De actually knew this as well.

After all, he knew Apepu; that guy often manifested in human form during his time in Sumeru, and indeed, as Lei Dian Zhen said, if it weren't inconvenient for his dragon body, Apepu really wouldn't like turning into a human.

Is this the armor worn by the Ruotu Dragon King when he takes human form?

Luo De waved his hand thoughtfully.

With just that light wave, the water elemental energy gathered in his hand instantly turned into a blade shape, then into a crescent, and slashed toward the distant forest.

Just this one strike.

The trees covering half the island were all cut open.

This power!

The island Luo De was on wasn't big, roughly the size of an outlying island of Crying God Island.

This blade's range of effect doesn't look very large.

But you should know that Luo De didn't exert any force at all with this strike; he merely casually mobilized some elemental energy.

Elemental energy boost!

Such a terrifying effect made Luo De's eyes light up.

Although only the four elemental energies receive this boost—wind, rock, and grass elemental energies do not—this is enough for Luo De.

The water, fire, thunder, and ice elemental energies themselves are the types that react most intensely with each other; their enhancement and smoothness equal an increase in combat lethality.

Plus the boost in vision and reaction speed from the Evil Eye.

Luo De suddenly felt like wanting to take that doctor from Eight Brew Island and practice slicing on him.

(End of Chapter)