Chapter 356

Na Xian Zhu Na's affair made the atmosphere on the way to Sweet Dew Flower Sea a bit gloomy for everyone.

Except Luo De.

No one had known beforehand that this person, who constantly mouths righteousness and justice and appears to aim at eliminating the Abyss as his life goal, the leader of the fallacious arguments faction, actually intended to harm the flower spirit he collaborated with, thereby releasing an Abyss capable of destroying Sumeru once more.

"War!"

The Great Merciful Tree King let out a heavy sigh.

The theories of the Nagarjuna school have always been extreme.

Otherwise, they would not have been continuously sidelined by the other schools of the Academy since several hundred years ago up to now.

Even so.

Back then, Nagarjuna's attitude toward the Abyss was also one of intense hatred.

He advocated war.

What he advocated was establishing order through war.

Put another way,

That is, it was necessary to let Sumeru possess Teyvat's strongest military force, thereby establishing an order more favorable to himself.

As for the Abyss's ethnic exterminationism,

this is completely contrary to Nagarjuna's ideology.

He firmly refused to accept such radical practices.

Thus, when the black disaster erupted,

After Sumeru received the aid of the White Swan Knight and the Void created by the Great Merciful Tree King could directly oppose the Abyss, Nagarjuna without hesitation chose to go to the Vast Desert Hunting Grounds, fighting his way all the way to Sweet Dew Flower Sea, and before sealing the Abyss, he left behind his legacy and mission.

He was a hero recognized by the Great Merciful Tree King.

But who could have imagined.

Such a hero's descendant would actually become a lackey of the Abyss, even establishing contact with it and becoming a true collaborator.

"Don't be too sad."

"Mm—"

"It's, it's all that bad guy's fault."

Paimon comforted the grieving Great Merciful Tree King all the way, while fiercely kicking the Klinsoer who had returned to human form.

But after kicking,

she immediately flicked her foot in disgust.

Having lost the veil of the Abyss's power,

Klinsoer truly displayed the state of an immortal from Khaenri'ah.

Luo De glanced over, then immediately shook his head, as if his eyes had been polluted, and hurriedly took back his gaze.

It's indeed a bit too harsh on the eyes.

The current Kelin Suoer.

It's nothing but a rotting corpse that can still speak and walk.

This is the undying curse bestowed by the Heavenly Principles.

"Heh—"

"Heheh—"

Facing these looks of disdain, the weak Kelin Suoer cracked open his mouth, using his skinless muscles, and let out a creepy mocking laugh.

The Abyssal Power was stripped away.

He no longer had that former aura of speaking grandly as soon as he appeared, yet he still remained proud and refused to bow his head.

Although he didn't understand how Luo De managed to completely draw out the Abyssal Power from his body.

But Kelin Suoer's attitude toward Luo De remained to hold his head high, unwilling to accept his defeat.

This demeanor would even frighten the usually timid Paimon.

Even the well-traveled Ying felt creeped out, not daring to glance over at all.

"What's going on with this guy?"

"Even like this, how can he still be alive?"

Facing Ying's confusion.

Luo De explained concisely: "The people of Kanrui Ya, pure-blooded, although they won't turn into Hilichurls, the price of immortality is that their flesh will still rot with the passage of time, eventually becoming like this."

"."

"Then"

Ying recalled the few Kanrui Ya people she had seen during her travels.

But they didn't have the kind of bodily decay Luo De described, completely inhuman! Luo De saw her thought, shook his head and said: "I'm not sure about that either; it seems pure-blooded Kanrui Ya people also have different ways of maintaining longevity."

"Oh, I see."

Ying nodded, then asked: "And you, what's your situation? Why is Rosaria...?"

Speaking.

Ying turned her head and glanced at Si Lu Sha, who kept flying around Luo De.

Different from the initial intimacy she had shown toward herself.

After Luo De appeared.

Not only did she strangely call Luo De "mother", she also transferred all her former closeness toward herself onto Luo De.

The Great Merciful Tree King was the same.

Although not as close as with Luo De.

Selesha, when facing her, also showed full friendliness.

There's something strange! Ying stared at Luo De without blinking, waiting for his answer.

Tsk.

Feeling uncomfortable under the gaze, Luo De frankly admitted: "I have now taken the position of the Flower God of Sumeru. For a flower spirit like Selesha, aside from appearance and the Flower God herself, in essence I am basically no different from their mother, the Flower God."

Bullshit—!

As soon as Luo De's words fell, the long-silent Klinsoer directly cursed: "The gods of Sumeru have long been dead. Those shameless gods who dared invade my country, slaughter innocent Khaenri'ah citizens, have already died beneath the King's radiance!"

Inherit!

Inherit, do you understand?

Luo De didn't mind Klinsoer's wretchedness, and kicked him hard, sending him rolling several times on the ground before he stopped.

He still felt unsatisfied, so he brought up another matter: "Haidula having a descendant like you truly means even the restless souls cannot find peace!"

This name was found by the Great Merciful Tree King through a void search.

When the Black Disaster broke out, he was one of the Khaenri'ah White Swan Knights who came to Sumeru to support alongside those remnant giants.

However, this person was not a good one either.

According to the remaining text on the discovered remnant giants, when the war reached its most critical point, Haidula, who held the title of Golden Hall Knight, deliberately damaged the flagship of the Khaenri'ah Marshal Anftas, causing him to lose his left eye and completely wreck a remnant giant crucial to the war, to the point it was beyond repair.

Although it is unclear what purpose Duhaidula had in committing this betrayal against a companion.

But Anftas ultimately decided to publicly execute Duhaidula, the Golden Hall Knight, as a traitor.

After that.

The White Swan Knight, having lost all remnant giants, chose to join Sumeru's ground resistance forces, together with the Academy and Lannaro, continuing to resist the Black Disaster until they all perished.

From this historical perspective.

Klinsoer's blood indeed carries the traitor's line, and he is indeed prone to Abyss temptation, ultimately embracing the Abyss and falling as an Abyss Apostle.

However, when Luo De mentioned Haidula's name.

While Ying and the others were still puzzled, Klinsoer, with vines coiling around him, snapped first: "Do not mention my ancestor's name; it is because of you shameless Sumeru people's betrayal and deceit that the Marshal would not have been deceived by you, dragging us White Swan Knights into injustice!"

"Betrayal? Deceit?" Luo De walked up to Klinsoer, squatted before him, and with a smiling gaze said each word: "The first traitor was not your ancestor betraying Anftas."

"The ancestor was to bring truth to this false world, so that the Marshal could realize his mistake and join the true righteous cause."

Klinsoer roared, firmly believing that Haidula's actions back then were not wrong.

Speaking of this.

Luo De became interested.

Haidula's sudden betrayal back then has always been an unsolved mystery.

The Academy's archaeological team has been wandering among the remnants left by Khaenri'ah people these years, trying to find that truth.

But this matter is as if Marshal Anftas had issued a gag order.

Among all the retrievable remnant documents, there is not a single record related to this matter.

Thus this matter has also become an unsolved mystery in Sumeru's history.

Needless to say.

In terms of academic work.

The Academy is still very serious.

Even though much of Sumeru's history is not friendly to their reputation, they have still preserved all of it intact and undamaged.

Therefore, regarding Haidula's betrayal.

It is very likely that this Klinsoer before us is the person who knows the most about it.

However, when the Great Merciful Tree King heard this, his expression changed.

He moved involuntarily, wanting to step forward and stop Luo De from asking further.

But she was still a step slow.

Seeing Luo De point his hand at the Burning Truth Celestial Phenomenon in the sky, with an expression full of interest, he said: "You say the truth is that?"

The already hopeless Klinsoer, fearless, gave a strange laugh: "How? Will the Flower God of Sumeru also be afraid?"

"Afraid?"

Luo De shrugged: "You mean I, someone who comes from truth, would be afraid of this?"

"You come from that truth?"

Klinsoer dazed for a moment, muttering indistinctly, then after a while incredulously tilted his head: "You come from that truth?"

"Not just me, she is too."

Luo De smiled at Ying: "Since you are a member of the Abyss Cult, haven't you heard of the Descenders?"

"I, I am not a member of the Abyss Cult."

After Luo De finished asking, Klinsoer lowered his head and said softly:

"Eh?"

Then Luo De was instead confused, scratching his head: "You haven't joined the Abyss Cult? Then why are you working so hard?"

"Because I am just!"

On Klinsoer's faceless face, full of pride and arrogance.

It can be seen.

He truly believes that his and his ancestor's rebellion is carrying out a righteous cause.

Luo De twitched the corner of his mouth, slapped him, and said: "Your personal sense of justice? Do you know who came here to seal the Black Abyss back then?"

To be honest.

Luo De was getting a bit flustered.

He had actually thought that this Kelin Suoer could say something useful.

After all that, it's simply just a madman.

Just like his ancestor, they're both madmen!

The False Heaven seals off the outside world's reality; before the pitch-black disaster, the high officials of Kanriya and the gods of Teyvat already knew.

It is also precisely because their notions of how to oppose this reality differ.

Only then did the White Swan Knights and the Abyss Order, two groups heading to opposite extremes, appear.

And on the other side, the somewhat dazed Kelin Suoer instinctively asked, 'Who?'

"Sword of Dusk Light, Dainsleif."

Luo De spoke a name that made Kelin Suoer's heart shudder.

He still stubbornly stuck out his neck and shouted, 'Sword of Dusk Light, you mean that traitor?'

"You big-headed traitor!"

Luo De dealt another slap.

This time he used a bit more force, making Kelin Suoer's neck feel even more dizzy.

Then.

Then Luo De said again: 'For your so-called justice, you shout righteously on the surface, but in reality you stab your comrades, kill innocent people, and even side with the true reality that wants to destroy the world. Who is your true enemy—is it that true reality, or the heavenly principle that destroyed Kanriya? Can you tell the difference? You just keep shouting justice, justice!'

Luo De's words left no room for mercy.

In fact, he had wanted to say these things for a long time.

However, ever since he met Kong once under the Chasm, the Abyss Order's people have been avoiding him like the plague—not to mention the crazed Abyss Heralds, he hasn't even run into a single Abyss Mage, the most basic unit of the Abyss Order.

Although Luo De knows the Abyss Order has always claimed to be the savior.

But he just wants to scold them.

Because the Abyss Order's guiding principle is that for the sake of its goal, any means are permissible.

For example, back when they manipulated Dvalin in Mondstadt, trying to control the North Wind Wolf King.

Especially the matter of manipulating and brainwashing Dvalin.

That was a disaster that swept across all of Mondstadt.

Not only did it cause Dvalin to lose the title of the Four Winds Protector in the faith of Mondstadt's people, but it also inflicted enormous losses on Mondstadt.

Such a modus operandi.

Luo De couldn't stand it.

Your carrying out justice is your own business, but why drag innocents into it? And just as Luo De scorned the Abyss Order, Kelin Suoer couldn't sit still again and roared: 'A bunch of puppets whose fate is manipulated by others—how can they be mentioned in the same breath as our great undertaking!!!'

"Puppets?"

"Their fate manipulated?"

Luo De's eyes lit up.

Finally he managed to ask something useful.

The Great Merciful Tree King beside him wanted to speak but held back, finally retracting his hand and not stopping Kelin Suoer's next words.

"Hmph—"

Kelin Suoer dropped the act, raised his head, looked around, and bared his teeth: 'This world is all fake; only the darkness outside is real.'

"Fake?"

"Is the darkness outside the real thing?"

Luo De stroked his chin.

He indeed knows that the fates of Teyvat's people are fixed, and even just by observing the stars one can discern a person's past and future, which is indeed strange.

The darkness beyond the False Heaven is the true world, and he knows that too.

However, he has always thought that Teyvat is a world forcibly isolated inside the False Heaven by the heavenly principle using the world's rules and power.

And now, hearing Kelin Suoer's meaning.

Is the world of Teyvat actually false?

What the Abyss Order wants to do is to break through this layer of falsehood and resist with their own strength, or simply, like them, merge with the darkness? (Chapter ends)