Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [521]

In the Millelith’s domain, a small cyan-colored spirit darted in from an unknown corner, bouncing back and forth in front of the slumbering dragon.

"Hey, hey, what’s going on with you? Don’t tell me you’ve finally caught the crazy from your nephew and his family?"

"Wasn’t this just supposed to be a test? How did it suddenly turn into this mess? Are you trying to get your son killed?"

Zhongli looked at the tiny spirit hovering before him. "And if I told you that I don’t know what’s happening, would you believe me?"

The spirit froze midair. "Are you kidding me? You—Zhongli—saying you don’t know what’s happening? Do you even hear yourself?"

"It is simply the truth. I truly have no idea what went wrong."

Zhongli lifted his gaze toward the sky. "Following the original trajectory, at most, there should have been some mild danger. But now… death is inevitable."

"It’s here."

...

Far away in Mondstadt, aside from Venti, there was another observer keeping watch over these unfolding events.

"Two completely different paths… and he chose the one shrouded in mist. But that choice has now led him straight into catastrophe."

Mona’s eyes reflected a vast, intricate star map. "Had he stayed in Liyue Harbor, he would have been safe. But if he continues down this road… his end is unavoidable."

...

In Inazuma, atop Tenshukaku, the Raiden Shogun also raised her eyes to the heavens before shifting her gaze toward the Grand Narukami Shrine.

"Yae Miko, the hope you placed in him is about to die."

"His fate star trembles, its golden radiance absent. If he continues down this path, death is certain."

The Raiden Shogun closed her eyes, sensing the vast flow of fate and divine law.

"The light above the firmament has dimmed. And when it goes out entirely… his fate shall be sealed."

"Ara, ara~. Old friend, don’t tell me you’re actually pleased about this? Are you happy that such a troublesome opponent will soon disappear?"

Under the sacred sakura tree, Yae Miko smiled mischievously. "How could that be? That little rascal is someone I’ve taken a liking to. There’s no way he’d lose over something as trivial as this."

"Then let’s just sit back and watch."

The Raiden Shogun frowned slightly, her inner self within the Plane of Euthymia clearly filled with doubt.

The last time she had laid eyes on that insolent troublemaker, his fate was shrouded in mist, but it was never one of premature death. So why had things suddenly changed?

Had fate been altered?

Had he provoked some unfathomable existence?

---

Whatever the great figures of the world were feeling at the moment was irrelevant.

Three days had passed.

During this time, Hu Tao—bored out of her mind—had ridden the Shadow Roc all over, aimlessly sightseeing.

And now, the Mountain Lord of Mount Canglong once again stood before Gu Sanqiu.

"Xiangjun, it is time."

Gu Sanqiu glanced at the Mountain Lord, still treating him with the same level of respect as before. Memories surfaced in his mind.

Had this absurd turn of events not happened, perhaps he would have long since forgotten about those things.

A spoiled little sparrow, a certain shady “Electro Therapy True Monarch” running scams in Minlin, and even a bizarre internal energy master rumored to be able to make evil spirits self-destruct just by touching them.

But he had never heard of these people.

Much less seen them in person.

Seriously, starting a fake sect in Minlin to scam people? If they weren’t strung up and displayed on the cliffs of Liyue as a warning, then today’s younger generation must truly be lacking in quality.

While the cultivation world had its ties with Liyue’s official authorities, taking on disciples still required fate and qualification. Scammers like that wouldn't last two days.

As for the Guhua Clan, they were still barely scraping by, with only a handful of members left.

But at least with Xingqiu around, they weren’t facing complete extinction.

Or rather, after Gu Sanqiu had once dragged Xingqiu by the collar, forcing him to practice writing properly at sword-point, things had significantly improved.

The then-head of the Guhua Clan had nearly fallen to his knees in gratitude.

Though, a few days later, Xingqiu’s handwriting was still atrocious.

But at least the Guhua techniques could now be properly documented and passed down.

"It seems I’m carrying burdens I don’t even know about."

Gu Sanqiu chuckled. If he were to be thrown into the cycle of elemental reincarnation, would the cultivation world evolve into the very future he had envisioned?

"Mountain Lord."

Gu Sanqiu asked, "If I die, what happens to you all?"

The robust elder hesitated. "Xiangjun, what do you mean by that? If you die, it would indeed be a great pity. But to be frank, our daily lives would continue as usual. At least in terms of material matters, nothing would change significantly."

"True. Perhaps that’s not the right question."

Gu Sanqiu drew his spear. "Then I ask this of you, Mountain Lord—ring the bell."

The mist around them thickened, as if they were the only two living beings left in the world.

But Gu Sanqiu knew this was merely an illusion.

His challengers had already positioned themselves all around him.

"I wish you success in ascending to immortality."

DONG, DONG—

The Golden Bell tolled twice.

The immortals had arrived.

Suddenly—

WHAM!

Two enormous hands shot out from the ground beneath Gu Sanqiu, seizing his legs in a vice grip.

A foul stench wafted up from below. When he glanced down, he saw that his assailants were wearing gloves—densely covered in poisonous spikes, glistening with an eerie, toxic glow.

Clearly, they didn’t trust brute force alone to hold him. Poison was an added precaution.

At that very moment—

Several muscle-bound warriors burst from the mist, wielding massive weapons aimed straight at Gu Sanqiu’s vitals!

"[Seal of the Fourfold Demon-Slayer]!"

With a flick of his fingers, Gu Sanqiu conjured four massive Geo seals, intercepting the incoming strikes and slowing their momentum.

Then, he crouched—completely unbothered by the poison—gripping the arms of the enemies holding him and violently yanking them up from the ground!

BOOM!

A deafening explosion sent Gu Sanqiu flying.

The poison-coated shards and the blackish-purple toxic smog wrapped around him, completely engulfing his form.

The warriors didn’t even glance at their weapons again.

Instead, they swiftly retreated into the mist.

Their strategy was simple:

Make it look like they were the hidden trump cards—draw attention—when in reality, the real killing blow had been the trap at Gu Sanqiu’s feet.

Even if he hadn’t tried to rip his captors out of the ground, the mechanism would have triggered the moment he got distracted.

"Toxic smog… I didn’t expect your traps to be this advanced."

The poison cloud began dissipating at an unnatural rate.

When Gu Sanqiu finally emerged from the haze, the hidden tacticians watching from the mist widened their eyes in shock.

Gu Sanqiu inhaled deeply—

Then swallowed the last tendrils of poison into his mouth.

He even shook his head, as if tasting it carefully.

"Not bad. While it can’t corrupt elemental energy directly, you guys took a more biological approach. Impressive—it achieves roughly the same result."

If he had to name it, this technique would probably be something like "Silencing Venom"—a substance that, when applied in sufficient doses, could likely disrupt the activation of powerful techniques.

"Interesting."

Gu Sanqiu grinned.

"The world is advancing. Looks like the cultivation world isn’t content to be left behind, either. Good. Very good."

---

T/N: i know immortals are adepti but like this au has cultivation so immortals seem fitting

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!