"The passage of time, coupled with the dense yin energy inherent to Wuwang Hill and its ley lines, makes anything possible within those tombs. Even I don't fully understand the dangers lurking inside those ancient burial chambers."
Hearing Zhongli say this, Jiang Bai furrowed his brows.
If even Zhongli didn't know precisely what threats lay hidden inside, Jiang Bai couldn't make targeted preparations either.
At least he now had a general idea—the tombs themselves weren't inherently dangerous; rather, the danger stemmed from things inside that had mutated over countless years.
"Shifu, can't you just whoosh teleport into the domain, and then whoosh teleport Director Hu out?"
"I cannot."
"Fine. Looks like it's up to me to rescue the Director."
"With your current strength, there are very few places capable of restraining you," Zhongli stated calmly.
Jiang Bai was genuinely startled to hear Zhongli praise him like that.
Am I really this strong already?
He didn't have a clear grasp of his own strength; all he knew was that he could now defeat Tartaglia. But how strong exactly Tartaglia was, Jiang Bai had no real idea.
"As long as the Abyss and the stars aren't involved, there aren't many places truly dangerous in Teyvat," Zhongli shook his head slightly, not denying Jiang Bai's strength.
Those with a Vision already stood at humanity's peak. And Jiang Bai's Vision wasn't merely elemental manipulation—it allowed direct command over the elements themselves.
He could already disregard most dangers.
"Now that you've said that, I feel confident!"
Having resolved himself, Jiang Bai prepared to return home and get ready for departure. Suddenly remembering something, he quickly turned back and handed Zhongli one hundred million Mora.
"This is a hundred million Mora—paying it off in one go. Director Hu and I won't be around, so please spend sparingly."
Jiang Bai's final sentence was delivered with earnest concern.
Although you were the Geo Archon, you've already retired! If you really want to experience the mortal life of Zhongli, you must use your Mora sparingly.
It'd be absurdly hilarious if Director Hu returned to find your tabs too high and sent you out to work off your debts…
Of course, Jiang Bai kept these thoughts wisely to himself.
Back in his courtyard, Jiang Bai directly pried up the floor tiles in his room, dug a hole beneath, and used Geo energy to form a large stone chest. Keeping only a small amount of Mora on himself, he stuffed the rest into the chest.
The Sanqing Bell had limited space, and who knew how many days he'd be gone this time? Essential supplies took precedence, so these cumbersome Mora had to stay behind.
The stone chest was constructed from Geo element and required constant mental energy to maintain. If someone attempted to open it, Jiang Bai would sense it immediately, effectively serving as an alarm system.
He filled the hole back up, replaced the tiles, and restored the room to its original state.
Clearing out some useless clutter, he slipped into the kitchen, left a note, and gathered enough food and water to last two people half a month.
Feeling it still wasn't secure enough, he even grabbed Gudong, who could generate water. Then, after greeting the attendant on duty, he activated the Sifang Compass and set off in search of Hu Tao.
By now, the night was deep, at its quietest hour.
Yet Jiang Bai, still wide awake and vigorous, teleported to Wuwang Hill using the ley-line waypoint within Liyue Harbor.
Wuwang Hill covered a vast area, bordered by Qingce Village in the northwest, Stone Gate to the east, Dihua Marsh to the south, and extensive ancient ruins to the southwest.
These ruins bore markings identical to those on Dragonspine and Guyun Stone Forest. If this had been Jiang Bai from the past, he'd have immediately assumed all these ruins came from the same civilization.
But whether it was Dragonspine's Vindagnyr or Guyun Stone Forest, their timelines simply didn't align.
Guyun Stone Forest only appeared after Zhongli threw down his stone spears during the Archon War, while Vindagnyr existed long before that war even started. Though the Archon War lasted centuries, the two still belonged to entirely different eras.
Truthfully, if the people of Liyue hadn't insisted that Guyun Stone Forest appeared after Rex Lapis hurled his spear, Jiang Bai could've confidently concluded one thing about these ruins—that they were all relics of civilizations predating the Archon War.
Yet with Guyun Stone Forest in the equation, even this theory became doubtful.
Jiang Bai ignored the expansive ruins bathed in moonlight and followed the Sifang Compass toward Hu Tao's location.
He'd expected the Compass to point towards the strongest source of yin energy, but unexpectedly, it led straight into the ruins before him.
Feeling puzzled, Jiang Bai took out a lumenstone for illumination, hanging it from his waist, and entered the ruins.
Too much time had passed. These ancient structures had long since collapsed, most buried beneath layers of earth. Only massive stone pillars, walls, and arches remained, silently testifying to their former grandeur.
With the lumenstone on him, Jiang Bai was like the moon in the night sky—highly conspicuous. Yet strangely enough, the deeper he ventured, the more it became apparent that no one, not even a monster, had noticed his intrusion.
"Not even a single Treasure Hoarder?" Jiang Bai found this strange.
This wasn't his first time in these ruins. Back when he activated the waypoint out of curiosity, the ruins had been crawling with Treasure Hoarders.
Those Treasure Hoarders loved places like this, always camping out, searching for valuables.
Yet this time, not a single member could be found.
"Did Director Hu scare them all off? Or is everyone already in the tomb?"
There was too little information. Unable to draw conclusions, Jiang Bai continued deeper, guided only by the Sifang Compass.
The further he went, the narrower the passage became. After circumventing a collapsed wall, he discovered a vast underground cavity.
It appeared this subterranean space was formed after the original ruins collapsed, later sealed by dirt until discovered by Treasure Hoarders, who then carved out an entryway.
Peering into the pitch-black void, Jiang Bai threw down a stone. After confirming it wasn't too deep, he leaped straight in.
The space was small, a simple pocket formed by rubble, offering no useful clues like murals or carvings.
Jiang Bai moved on through the crude tunnel created by the Treasure Hoarders. Looking at the narrow path, barely wide enough for a single person, he frowned slightly.
"Are these people treasure hunters or grave robbers? Though I suppose there's hardly a difference…"
Either way, they were after treasure—the only real distinction being grave robbers dug up tombs for loot.
Now it seemed clear that those who'd brought Director Hu here were definitely the grave-robbing type.
The tunnel descended deep, occasionally branching or leading to dead ends. Despite having the Sifang Compass, Jiang Bai inevitably took wrong turns.
As the soil gradually turned from red to yellow, Jiang Bai realized he'd descended to an unknown depth, finally arriving before a wall made of bricks and stone.
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl