Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [533]

Dainsleif frowned. "Judging by your expression, it seems like you’ve figured something out. Is it related to them?"

"Yeah… something like that."

Gu Sanqiu’s face darkened. "Back then, some fool showed up in Liyue to deliver something to me—blueprints for the Guizhong Automaton, an ancient Adeptus weapon. I accepted them."

Dainsleif was visibly taken aback. "And you took them without hesitation?"

"Of course I did. That thing could strengthen Liyue’s defenses. How was I supposed to know it would lead to so much trouble later?"

Gu Sanqiu shot Dainsleif a look. "Besides, from what I do know, calamities and upheavals related to your kind tend to pop up out of nowhere. Shouldn’t I be allowed to take some precautions?"

Dainsleif sighed. "I can’t fully understand it… but I can understand part of it."

He shook his head. "I come from a nation without gods. I can’t comprehend the madness of your people—willing to sacrifice everything for the rule of an Archon. But I can understand your will to protect your homeland."

"I know—you’re from Khaenri’ah, the underground nation."

Gu Sanqiu waved dismissively. "Enough talk. Are we fighting or not? Does the Ancient God’s Arena have any penalties for stalling? I came here to keep my win streak going."

"There aren’t any penalties," Dainsleif replied, "but don’t you need more time to recover? You’ve expended quite a bit of energy."

He studied Gu Sanqiu curiously. "You know about Khaenri’ah. Did the Abyss Order tell you?"

"Don’t assume your side is the only one with access to mysterious forces."

Gu Sanqiu scoffed. "I’m on a tight schedule. How about we start now?"

Who knows how time flows inside this so-called Ancient God’s Arena compared to the outside world?

Strictly speaking, he really was in a hurry.

If he returned too late and missed the old man’s retirement, that’d be a damn shame.

The assassination of the Geo Archon—whether or not he called Guoba to "light the pot and heat the oil," he at least needed a Kamera on hand to capture every glorious moment.

After all, the old man was committed to authenticity. That dragon’s fall was going to be a messy, undiluted disaster.

A perfect addition to his blackmail collection.

"Fine."

The moment the word left Dainsleif’s lips, his longsword was already swinging down. Its erratic blade arcs made it seem like the wielder was a frail patient struggling to keep their balance.

But that swordplay immediately put Gu Sanqiu on guard.

Because as soon as Dainsleif accepted the battle, he attacked first—and was half a beat faster than Gu Sanqiu himself.

More importantly, that seemingly sloppy technique—the kind that would get any student screamed at in a dojo—was precisely what blocked his spear at the critical moment!

"Hmph. A familiar style. I’ve fought your predecessors before. The usual techniques won’t work on me."

Dainsleif deflected Gu Sanqiu’s weapon and immediately thrust his sword toward his chest.

"Next move—your chest is a weak point."

A jagged Geo shield flared to life. Gu Sanqiu grinned viciously and drove his spear straight for Dainsleif’s heart.

"Good insight. But did you forget I have a Vision?"

"I didn’t. It’s still a weak point."

Dainsleif didn’t dodge. His sword pierced straight through the Geo shield—its tip landing cleanly against Gu Sanqiu’s chest.

The hell?!

Gu Sanqiu had no choice but to shift his stance, slamming his spear downward to force Dainsleif’s blade away. His eyes narrowed as he stared at his opponent.

"My shield was flawless. You actually managed to find a gap in its elemental flow?"

"I told you—I’ve fought your predecessors before."

Dainsleif’s attacks remained relentless. "Your techniques won’t work on me."

"Fate has already woven the outcome of this battle. You will lose."

In an instant, Dainsleif’s sword carved multiple wounds into Gu Sanqiu’s body.

There wasn’t even a proper opening to counterattack.

"Fate? You’re telling me you can control fate?"

Gu Sanqiu sneered. "Let me guess—you had some kind of epiphany after the catastrophe that befell your underground kingdom?"

"You’re not wrong. Call it fate, if you will. But you could also think of it as the distilled essence of my life’s journey."

Dainsleif remained composed. "The [Sword of Fate]—each strike carries the culmination of my centuries of battle experience and my knowledge of all that I have witnessed. That is why you cannot defeat me."

"You have already stepped into fate’s judgment hall."

"[Sword of Fate], huh? Sounds pretty damn fancy."

For some reason, Gu Sanqiu suddenly thought of Kazuha.

If he hadn’t been around, Kazuha’s swordsmanship might have ended up with some ridiculous name like [Heavenly Emperor’s Sword Codex] or [Celestial Monarch’s Blade].

Maybe I should come up with one too?

"[The Supreme, Universe-Shattering, All-Destroying, Boundless Divine Technique Across the Myriad Realms and Nine Heavens]!"

…Yeah, sounds pretty fun.

And now, he knew exactly how to deal with someone like Dainsleif.

Gu Sanqiu smirked. Regardless of whether Dainsleif’s "fate" talk was real or not—he had a way to handle him.

"Fate? Sorry, not interested. If I could control it, I’d fill my life with endless pleasures and shove every misfortune onto my enemies."

He didn’t even dodge—just sat down right where he was, tanking the damage from Dainsleif’s sword.

"That’s the only kind of fate manipulation that’s worth a damn. I’d rather my future be filled with blooming flowers, not some predetermined tragedy."

"Dainsleif—you can’t win!"

A mental storm swept through the arena.

Gu Sanqiu’s soul broke free from his body—grinning at Dainsleif—before launching itself straight into his opponent’s mind!

"Tsk, tsk. Seems like no one bothers guarding their soul properly. I should start using this trick more often."

Though, that probably wasn’t feasible.

Dainsleif had only been caught off guard because he hadn’t expected such an unconventional move. Overuse would just render it ineffective.

Inside Dainsleif’s consciousness, Gu Sanqiu confronted his very soul—and the two clashed in a battle of sheer mental force.

One landed a solid punch to the mind—the other retaliated with a spiritual sword through the chest.

Did it matter?

They were both incorporeal.

"Fate is failing me… Impossible!"

For the first time, Dainsleif was utterly shaken.

If fate was a loom, weaving the destinies of all things—

Then at this moment, Gu Sanqiu was the wild anomaly that had slipped off the production line.

"Like I said—you can’t win!"

A black force coalesced into armor around Gu Sanqiu. Every strike he landed didn’t just drain Dainsleif’s spiritual energy—it also began corroding the very depths of his soul.

Before long, one of Dainsleif’s legs was completely dyed black—his movements growing sluggish.

Most of his strength was now being used to fight against the invading force inside him.

In other words—Dainsleif was already doomed.

"Fate? The only fate worth anything is the one you write for yourself."

Gu Sanqiu let out a boisterous laugh.

With a final punch, he sent Dainsleif hurtling back into the depths of his own consciousness—reclaiming the black energy from his body.

"Remember this, Riddle Man—fate can be rewritten!"

"If I can beat you—I can change everything!"

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This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!