Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [536]

If the Khaenri'ah research team that originally developed war machines were standing before Gu Sanqiu right now, he would make sure they understood what it meant to face the iron fist of the living beings of this land.

Just look at what you've done!

It wasn’t just the Hilichurls that had evolved distinct forms based on their geographical environment—even Ruin Machines possessed an artificial "adaptation function."

Beyond the standard Ruin Guards and Ruin Hunters, four Ruin Machines working in tandem formed an elite combat formation.

Gu Sanqiu had also heard of other varieties of Ruin Machines, such as the ones unique to Fontaine. Those could move through water like crocodiles, waiting for the perfect moment to clamp down on unsuspecting prey.

The only problem was… most creatures wouldn’t survive this kind of "affection." One bite, and there wouldn’t even be a corpse left to recover.

But now, it wasn’t just one squad of four Ruin Machines—there were several. The sky and ground were patrolled by pairs of Ruin Hunters and Guards, and in the center stood a high-performance Ruin Grader, acting as their anchor.

A formation like this could only be assembled in a place backed by the Pyro Archon’s arena—or maybe in some massive, long-abandoned weapons factory deep within a ruin.

Gu Sanqiu glared at the mechanical abominations before him. To be honest, he couldn’t immediately think of a way to break through their formation.

And from their earlier exchange, which had left him injured, he realized there was something about these machines he had overlooked.

These war machines had chips—something akin to combat core modules.

As for what exactly a "chip" meant in Teyvat, whether it functioned as a core or something else entirely, Gu Sanqiu wasn’t too sure.

One thing was certain: their appearance was no coincidence. Ever since he had racked up a series of victories, these machines had been observing his combat style, recording useful data into their systems.

That was why his sudden attack just now had been countered so swiftly—as if they had predicted it in advance. Their defense wasn’t just reactive; it was anticipatory, turning into a counterattack that landed a clean hit on him in a single round.

If Hu Tao and Xingqiu were the ones who knew him best in every aspect, then in terms of combat, these war machines might just be the ones who understood him the most.

"Damn it… no easy way around this, huh?"

Gu Sanqiu put away his twin hammers and ignited flames in his palms.

"Looks like it's time for some mage tactics."

To conserve elemental energy for the challenges ahead, he had barely used any magic since the beginning—aside from his battle against Laining.

But if these machines had adapted to his previous combat patterns, then, just like in his fight with Dainsleif, he needed to switch tactics and find a way to break through.

"Guess I’ll give it a try… even though I’m still not all that skilled with it."

Flames spread across the ground, while Geo energy churned beneath the fire’s surface.

A fierce wind howled, lightning crackled in the sky, and a bone-chilling frost filled the air.

However, Gu Sanqiu lacked a natural conduit for Electro and Cryo, so compared to his proficiency with Anemo, Pyro, and Geo, these rune-based elemental effects were much weaker.

"Still… it should be enough to deal with you lot."

The war machines continued their relentless assault, but this time, Gu Sanqiu had already laid out his elemental field. They would no longer be able to unleash the same overwhelming offense as before.

"[Myriad Realm Barrier]."

Gu Sanqiu furrowed his brow, channeling immense mental power as he expanded his elemental domain. His energy clashed against the Ruin Machines' territory, forming an intense standoff—two opposing forces eroding each other.

"Just as I thought… These machines can merge their power into a single entity. Otherwise, there’s no way they could resist my elemental expansion."

The sight reminded Gu Sanqiu of the [Perpetual Mechanical Array], that monstrous construct with absurd durability and a variety of attack patterns.

"[Celestial Phenomenon—World Suppression]!"

Gu Sanqiu pressed his palms together before spreading them apart and slamming his hands down toward the enemy’s mechanical field!

BOOM!

Geo and Pyro erupted simultaneously, restricting movement as searing Abyssal flames burst forth, corroding armor and depleting their energy reserves.

Above, Electro and Cryo forces collided within the raging Anemo storm, creating an elemental vortex. The precise Superconduct reactions wove through the enemy ranks like needles through fabric, paralyzing them one by one.

One by one, the Ruin Machines’ cores dimmed.

Except for the Ruin Grader.

Every other war machine had fallen into complete shutdown, their cores overloaded by the sheer magnitude of the combined elemental reactions.

The Ruin Grader’s massive cores pulsed with blinding light, then suddenly unleashed a powerful, piercing energy beam straight at Gu Sanqiu!

"Tch. As expected."

Though this attack packed immense power, it was not yet at a level where it moved as fluidly as an extension of his will. He had to remain still, carefully maintaining the delicate balance of elemental forces—leaving him a sitting duck.

His mastery of elemental combat was an amalgamation of various sources—ancient training methods, climate manipulation techniques borrowed from the Church of Favonius, and his own self-developed path of cultivation.

Only by bringing them all together had he barely managed to form this rudimentary [Celestial Phenomenon] technique.

If he could fully grasp the true power of all seven elements, his current display of elemental dominion would be far beyond what it was now.

But if he wanted to make real progress in that direction, his best bet would be Goldilocks.

After all, they were the only one capable of switching between multiple elements at will—an ideal test subject, really.

The first true test subject had already succumbed to the Abyss, and after being tricked once, Gu Sanqiu wasn’t keen on messing with them again.

Who knew if accumulating too much "sin" would trigger another death trial?

The Ruin Grader’s energy beam surged forward, but Gu Sanqiu dispersed his hand seals and retracted his remaining mental energy.

A smirk played on his lips as he dodged the incoming attack.

"Balance between elements is balance within nature… But when that balance is artificially maintained, what do you think happens when the external force disappears?"

Pollution returns.
Elements destabilize.
Catastrophe reignites.

The fragile equilibrium collapsed.

Destruction descended.

BOOM!

The elemental forces spiraled into complete chaos—solid Geo and explosive Pyro surged into the sky, intertwining with wild Cryo and Electro tempests. The raging winds became the conduit, spreading the devastation throughout the entire arena!

[Celestial Phenomenon: Cataclysmic Calamity—Incomplete Version].

Gu Sanqiu activated his [Dragon Scale Shield], bracing for impact.

The reason it was "incomplete" was simple—it didn’t distinguish between friend and foe. He, too, would suffer from the backlash.

Still, compared to the annihilation that befell the enemy, the edge damage he sustained was insignificant. His wounds reopened, blood trickling down his body, but nothing too serious.

The lingering shockwaves of the [Calamity] gradually faded.

Gu Sanqiu wasted no time, focusing on healing.

Those machines had been programmed solely to kill him. Even now, they hadn’t moved—not because they didn’t want to, but because they had suffered devastating damage.

Now was the time to strike.

Clank. Clank—

A jagged, unnatural mechanical sound echoed from the far end of the arena.

Gu Sanqiu's eyes sharpened as he used Anemo to disperse the dust, revealing the scene beyond.

Atop the Ruin Grader, its central core still pulsed with light.

And from the wreckage of the fallen machines… pieces of armor and vital components began to detach and reassemble onto its body.

His eyes widened.

The Ruin Grader was merging with the remains of its fallen comrades.

"What the hell kind of second phase is this?!"

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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!