"But Miss Azhda has been helping us, guiding us to solve the Black Mist invasion of Enkanomiya, that's undeniable, right?"
"She was just using you to get revenge on me. After all, I also betrayed them. I had formed an alliance with the Bathyssal Vishaps before, and I could have used the Black Mist to shroud all of Enkanomiya, making it convenient for their elites to sneak into the Sangonomiya Shrine and rescue their imprisoned kin. In return for their assistance, they allowed the Fatui to travel freely in their territory and to contribute manpower and effort to help me remodel the three towers. However, they didn't anticipate... that the Black Mist of the Abyss would be an even more terrifying poison to elemental beings!"
"Enjou snorted coldly. Such actions were considered betrayal by the Bathyssal Vishaps."
"However, Enjou didn't dwell on it. If the Bathyssal Vishaps could still be so active under the power of the Abyss, wouldn't that be a great loss of face for the Fatui?"
"So, the current situation is that the woman used you all up and then, in turn, used the power of the Sangonomiya Shrine to suppress the coral, creating darkness to cover for the Bathyssal Vishaps. They are probably sneaking into the Abyss now, preparing to rescue their imprisoned companions, right? However, this would cut off the source of the Blood Branch Coral..."
"Enjou laid out the situation, leaving it to the group to decide."
"Boss Fengyi, what do we do next?"
"Arataki Itto completely abandoned his thoughts and decided to follow Boss Fengyi's lead."
"Although those Bathyssal Vishaps are indeed pitiful, but..."
"Fengyi's intention was clear; he wouldn't help outsiders over Watatsumi Island."
"If you still intend to protect Watatsumi Island's future, you need to hurry. Use the mechanism I left you earlier to guide the light to dispel the darkness of the Sangonomiya Shrine. Anyway, I gained nothing this time either, but it doesn't matter. I'm just a marginal figure in the Fatui, unlike those who constantly circle around His Highness. I always obsess over trivial matters."
"Ah, it's about time. I'll be heading off now. We probably won't meet again. Consider this as a farewell gift. I obtained this from the Sangonomiya Shrine earlier..."
As he spoke, Enjou tossed out a stone shard shaped like a magatama, which Fengyi caught.
Immediately after, a teleportation portal opened behind Enjou, and he leaped in, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Boss Fengyi, this isn't..."
After Enjou left, Arataki Itto came closer and, seeing the stone shard in Boss Fengyi's hand, exclaimed in surprise.
Wasn't this the accessory that Boss Fengyi had shown them before? It seemed Miss Azhda had one just like it.
And judging by their appearance, these shards were part of a set.
"It's exactly as you guessed, but now is not the time to discuss this. Let's go back and check the situation at the Sangonomiya Shrine first."
Fengyi put away the stone shard and then turned, leading the two of them back.
When they returned to the Sangonomiya Shrine, they found that Miss Azhda, who had been standing beneath the lantern statue, was indeed gone.
This scene seemed to corroborate Enjou's explanation.
However, thinking optimistically, most of Watatsumi Island's soldiers had already withdrawn. If any Bathyssal Vishaps had come here just now, at least no one would have been injured.
Following Enjou's instructions, the three of them stepped onto the floating stones and, using the power of the 'Sacred Seal of the Mooring', successfully guided three dazzling golden beams that converged at the summit of the Sangonomiya Shrine.
With a boom, the golden light struck vertically from above onto the paving stones of the Sangonomiya Shrine.
This time, Enjou hadn't lied; the darkness that permeated the Sangonomiya Shrine was indeed purified.
Following the same procedure as last time, Fengyi and the other two took the elevator and ascended to the circular platform where they had previously fought the Bathyssal Vishaps.
Roar!
Roar!
Two robust Bathyssal Vishaps leaped from the surrounding sea, attacking Fengyi and the other two from both sides.
One of these Bathyssal Vishaps was deep blue, emanating a primal and wild Cryo aura, while the other was deep purple, imbued with a terrifying Electro aura.
They were likely the elite special operations team within the Bathyssal Vishap clan, responsible for combat evolution. They were far more ferocious than the two Vishaps Fengyi and Arataki Itto encountered while collecting Blood Branch Coral last time.
"Boss Fengyi, is it one each, just like last time?"
Arataki Itto had already quietly taken out his Great Goshujin, ready to fight.
"That's precisely what I intended."
Fengyi also drew his spear, preparing to end the battle quickly.
Kuki Shinobu wasn't skilled in combat; it was better to leave such matters to them.
Fengyi and Arataki Itto exchanged a look and tacitly divided their responsibilities, each heading towards their assigned Bathyssal Vishap.
Suddenly, the two Bathyssal Vishaps leaped high, jumping onto a stone wall simultaneously. Their tails touched, and the distinct elemental powers of Ice and Electro fused together, forming a deep purple energy sphere on the verge of explosion.
Elemental Fusion Technique?
Fengyi's heart leaped in surprise. He hadn't expected the Bathyssal Vishaps to have developed such combat coordination.
However, he was only slightly surprised. What kind of scene hadn't he witnessed? It was still too early to scare him away.
Fengyi took out a Celestial Stone Talisman given by Zhongli and activated it with his mana.
In the next moment, the golden light of the talisman dissipated, and simultaneously, a colossal meteorite appeared from the cave ceiling.
The moment the Celestial Stone appeared, all eyes were drawn to it, including the two Bathyssal Vishaps who were in the process of fusing their elemental energy, as the meteorite's trajectory was aimed directly at them.
Rumble—
The Celestial Stone descended into the cave, its friction with the air creating a piercing roar. It carried an imposing might, like Mount Tai pressing down, leaving one utterly powerless to resist.
In the eyes of the Bathyssal Vishaps, this Celestial Stone was infinitely magnifying. Fear gripped their hearts, and they knew they couldn't withstand it head-on, or they would be crushed into pulp.
Forced to abort their elemental fusion, they pulled their tails away, preparing to flee in all directions, but it was too late. The powerful air pressure from the falling Celestial Stone firmly restrained them in place.
Even before the Celestial Stone had landed, the air pressure generated by its descent alone was causing their bones to creak.
Boom—
The Celestial Stone struck the ground, its terrifying impact kicking up a dust storm.
As the dust settled, Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu discovered that Fengyi's move had directly obliterated nearly half of the platform's area.
Terrifying!
As for the two Bathyssal Vishaps, they were nowhere to be seen, likely having sunk into the sea along with the shattered platform.
"Sorry, sorry. It's been a while since I used it, so I misjudged the force..."
Fengyi scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly.
He hadn't expected that after being unused for so long, Zhongli's Celestial Stone Talisman's energy would have lost none of its potency.
Arataki Itto stood there in a daze. He hadn't even started fighting, and the battle was already over?