Logically speaking, he had already found this place, and the Vishaps were indeed nurturing Azhdaha here.
So why had the mission not been completed?
If it was not Azhdaha, then who?
The first group that came to Junze's mind was the Fatui, who had been stirring up trouble all over Liyue.
But if the Fatui knew they were being suspected, they would definitely cry injustice.
[Main Quest Triggered: Sever the Remnants of the God]
Description: Cut off the remnants of the god that are nourishing Azhdaha
Reward: 300 Primogems
"Another mission, huh."
Junze looked at the underground tunnels where the remnants of a fallen god were continuously flowing toward Azhdaha.
Without hesitation, he spread his inky black aura over them.
There was no reason Azhdaha could consume this but he could not.
Shenhe, standing nearby, noticed this and frowned slightly.
But in the end, she said nothing.
She understood. This was the nature of a Taotie.
Just like her own instincts.
The moment the black aura touched the remnants, they immediately intertwined.
Sensing they were being devoured, the remnants of the god erupted in fury and fought back.
"AAAAAA!"
Their shrill cries filled the air.
But for the black aura, which was born to devour all things, this resistance meant nothing.
If it were the god itself, it might have retreated.
But mere remnants were not worth noticing.
A low roar echoed faintly from within the black mist.
"ROAR!"
The aura churned violently and grew more ferocious.
Meanwhile, the remnants gradually weakened.
"AHHH!"
"STOP! STOP!"
"BASTARD! I CURSE YOU!"
Malice surged wildly and poured out in waves.
Yet instead of harming Junze, it stimulated his Gluttony.
Even that mental malice was devoured.
Everything was food.
Junze frowned in disgust and muttered,
"The taste of god remnants is awful."
The power was immense, but the sensation and taste made him uncomfortable.
Compared to this, Vishap meat was practically a delicacy.
Still, energy was energy.
He did not waste it.
The remnants beneath the ground were rapidly disappearing.
Shenhe watched silently as Junze devoured everything.
A thought surfaced in her mind.
The killing intent and baleful aura within her. Could he also deal with it?
Before the thought could continue, she shook her head and dismissed it.
Relying on such a method went against the path of cultivation.
Even if she bore a cursed fate, it was her own trial.
She would not involve others.
Closing her eyes, Shenhe calmed her mind.
At the same time, changes began to occur within Junze.
His black aura grew more violent.
Its size and density increased rapidly.
The refined, Adeptus-like presence he once had was being suppressed.
In its place, the terrifying aura of a devouring beast began to emerge.
After all, the source of the black aura, Devour, had no defined limit.
Adeptus Bearing was only a four-star trait.
Once Devour became active, it completely overwhelmed everything else.
Junze's pupils contracted.
His golden eyes began shifting toward something more beast-like.
His body flickered between growing and shrinking.
He clutched his chest tightly.
A trace of the god remnants' malice leaked from him.
Shenhe opened her eyes, her expression turning serious.
"He is being affected by the remnants."
She raised her spear behind her with one hand.
With the other, icy energy gathered at her fingertips as she prepared a talisman.
Junze spoke with a strained expression,
"Cough… cough…Shenhe , are you planning to attack me?"
He admitted he had been careless.
With Devour and Gluttony, he could consume both physical and spiritual matter.
Even god remnants were no exception.
But the accumulated malice within them still affected him.
His thoughts spiraled.
Eat.
Eat.
Eat.
That was all that remained in his mind.
Even Shenhe now looked like food to him.
The dense killing intent and baleful aura around her were even more tempting than the remnants.
Perhaps this was why the ancient Taotie were called calamities.
They devoured too much corruption and became corrupted themselves.
"I am just helping you regain clarity."
Shenhe spoke calmly.
Her fingers moved swiftly as a talisman formed in midair.
Without hesitation, she pressed it onto Junze's forehead.
A soft hum spread through his body.
The talisman expanded instantly, covering him completely.
Junze felt his mind clear.
Seizing the opportunity, he forced the rampaging black aura back under control.
Then, almost instinctively, he took out a bottle of coconut milk from the Crimson Gold Jade.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp."
The smooth liquid flowed down his throat.
Gradually, the Adeptus-like aura returned to him.
So Ganyu's anxious thoughts were actually true.
Shenhe looked at the coconut milk with some surprise.
"It can have this kind of effect?"
Now fully recovered, Junze licked the milk from his lips and let out a sigh of relief. He patted his small belly, feeling slightly full.
Why did he think of drinking coconut milk to cleanse himself?
Naturally, it was because of the god remains.
Those things could affect his mind, so it made no sense that his master's thousand-year qilin essence would not have any effect.
Facts proved that Ganyu's essence was even more effective.
Ganyu-brand coconut milk truly was unbeatable.
"Shishu, thank you just now," Junze said to Shenhe.
"If it weren't for you, I might have lost control."
"I'm sorry for thinking you were going to attack me earlier."
Shenhe shook her head, unconcerned.
"Your master entrusted you to me. I will naturally do my duty."
"And that bottle of coconut milk was clearly more effective than my talisman."
Her tone remained as calm as ever.
"Besides, there is no need to apologize. If you truly became beyond saving, I would act."
Junze smiled.
"If it really comes to that, please don't hold back."
"Hm?"
Shenhe looked puzzled.
Junze grinned brightly.
"Because if I turn into something like that, Master would definitely be heartbroken and blame herself."
"With her personality, she might even do something she would regret for the rest of her life."
"In that case, it would be better if you killed me directly."
His words stirred ripples in Shenhe's heart.
"You are not afraid of death?"
Junze stretched his body.
"Of course I am."
"When the time really comes, I might even fight you just to survive."
"I'm only saying this because I'm still in control right now."
He laughed casually.
Shenhe was silent.
"But if that happens, that probably won't really be me anymore."
"So you don't need to hesitate. Just act."
Junze smiled brightly.
"Can you do that, Shishu?"
Shenhe looked at the boy before her.
He is also afraid of losing control.
Shenhe was born with a fate of solitary calamity. As she grew older, the killing intent and baleful aura within her only intensified.
The Adepti used red cords to bind her fate and prevent accidents, but that only treated the symptoms, not the root.
She also feared the day she might lose control.
"I can agree."
Shenhe spoke calmly.
"But you must agree to one condition as well."
"Hm?"
Junze looked at her in surprise.
"If one day I fall completely into that solitary calamity, you must kill me on the spot."
Shenhe looked directly into his eyes.
Junze seemed to see a trace of helplessness and loneliness within them.
He smiled gently and extended his hand.
"Alright, Shishu."
"Then let's make a contract here."
"If one day either of us falls into darkness, the other will do everything in their power to eliminate them."
Shenhe took his hand.
"Mm."
On this day, beneath Nantianmen, before the Dragon-Queller Tree, the girl burdened by solitary calamity and the devouring beast made a mutual pact of death.
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