The stench of blood filled the air, seeping into everyone's nostrils.
Xiao immediately furrowed his brows.
"There's something wrong. Stay alert!"
With a swift motion, he spun his spear and positioned himself at the front of the group.
Glancing once at Zhongli, Xiao took a deep breath before leading the way past the Hilichurls, moving toward the core that was shrouded in ominous purple-black energy in the distance.
They had walked no more than a few dozen meters when Xiao suddenly froze in place.
He raised his head, eyes widening at the bizarre sight looming above.
Xiao swore—never in his life had he witnessed something so absurd.
It was a statue.
A godly statue.
A statue suspended upside down.
But not one of Zhongli's Statues of The Seven.
This one was inverted, bound in chains, hanging from the heavens. What should have radiated holiness instead exuded a chilling, grotesque aura.
At its center was a core, pulsing with sinister energy.
Clearly, the eerie aura filling the air was emanating from that very core.
"That's…"
Jean's eyes went wide with shock, leaving her momentarily speechless.
"Venti's… Statue of The Seven?!"
Keqing cried out in disbelief. The others all turned their gazes toward Venti.
Normally, the bard's face was always carefree, but now a rare chill had settled over his expression.
After all, he was the Anemo Archon. The Statue of The Seven was his symbol.
True, he had never been particularly attached to his statues—but even so…
Wasn't this far too much of an insult?
Stealing his statue from Mondstadt and hauling it all the way to Liyue—that was one thing.
But to hang it upside down in chains?
And worse, to use it as some kind of twisted experiment?
Even the most easygoing god would be angered by such blatant humiliation.
Diluc and the others felt their tempers rising as well.
Yes, Venti might take his freedom to extremes, but he was still Mondstadt's Archon—its very face.
And now, in front of so many witnesses, his Statue of The Seven was strung up like this.
Wasn't this nothing short of a slap across Mondstadt's dignity?
"What on earth is the Abyss Order trying to achieve?"
Lisa's brows knitted tightly. Everything before her had gone far beyond her realm of understanding.
Venti clicked his tongue, displeased.
"Rather than the Abyss Order… it's better to ask what Aether is planning."
He gave a short, sharp laugh. "I don't recall ever signing any contract with him that involved stealing my statues!"
Lumine shifted uncomfortably, her voice small.
"Sorry…"
"Why apologize, Lumine? It's not as if you did this."
Jean let out a sigh, massaging her temples wearily.
"One matter has nothing to do with the other. We won't vent our anger on you just because you're his sister."
"But he's still my brother…" Lumine mumbled softly. The others let the words pass without comment.
Suppressing his discomfort, Xiao advanced toward the area beneath the statue.
There, three bodies lay sprawled on the ground, all dressed in the garb of Liyue natives. That was what Ningguang and the others feared most.
The place reeked of ritual corruption—it looked disturbingly like the site of a wicked sacrificial ceremony.
If innocent citizens of Liyue had been dragged into this… that would be a grave matter.
Liyue could very well demand justice.
But if the Abyss was behind it…
That would be far more difficult to confront.
Xiao crouched down and examined the corpses carefully before looking back.
"They're all dead. It's been a while since it happened."
Keqing rubbed her temples, her voice heavy.
"Can you tell who they were? Could they be from Qingce Village?"
Xiao shook his head.
"Judging by their attire, they're Treasure Hoarders."
At that, Ningguang and the others let out a quiet breath of relief.
So long as they weren't ordinary citizens of Liyue, that was good enough.
As for the Treasure Hoarders…
Whether they lived or died hardly mattered.
Most who were caught in Liyue ended up rotting in prison for life anyway.
Dying here or in a cell—strictly speaking, there was little difference.
"Can you tell how they died?"
Zhongli asked softly. Xiao gently turned over the corpse, frowned as he examined it for a moment, and then replied:
"The two on the left… only external injuries, no internal ones. The wounds are on their heads. It looks like… they bashed their heads to death?"
Xiao clicked his tongue lightly, his expression a little strange.
Zhongli's heart sank, and he sighed:
"This place truly does bewitch the mind. No wonder I've been feeling a wave of irritation here… We should probably destroy it afterwards."
"What about the other one?"
At his words, Xiao glanced at Klee and the others. Ganyu and Cloud Retainer understood, so they led Klee, Nahida, and the others away from the square.
Only after making sure they couldn't hear, Xiao spoke in a low, grave tone:
"The manner of death is rather horrific…"
"The blood was completely drained, the internal organs have already rotted away, and the face is twisted with agony—as if he suffered tremendous torture before dying…"
No sooner had he finished than Paimon let out a shriek, dove into Ryen's arms, and buried her face in his chest, trembling as she covered her eyes.
Ryen gently rubbed Paimon's head and sighed:
"What an absurd way to die… So, this really is an evil sacrificial ground?"
"Not necessarily."
Zhongli shook his head and said softly:
"It may have been caused by that strange energy source in the inverted statue."
"In any case, let's destroy that sphere first, then search the surroundings to see if there's anything else unusual."
At this, Xiao nodded, waved his hand, and a jet of black wind swept the corpses to the side. Only then did he move on to continue exploring behind the statue.
Zhongli gestured for Moon Carver and the others to follow Xiao, just in case they ran into danger.
After all this was done, the group finally approached the inverted statue.
But the closer they drew, the stronger that mind-corrupting force became—and Venti's expression grew increasingly sour.
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