Deep in the Chasm, everything appeared hazy due to the dim lighting. But within the ruins ahead, a faint, flickering glow could be seen.
"It's up there." Xiao's gaze locked onto the ruins above, his brows tightening involuntarily.
The ancient city was built upside down—its structures extending downward from the ceiling of the cavern. Under the eerie light, the suspended black silhouette looked especially ominous and disturbing.
"Khaenri'ah ruins?" Miko glanced at Lu Chen.
Since this was a secret base of the Abyss Order, and they were descendants of Khaenri'ah, it was reasonable to assume those massive stone buildings came from that lost civilization.
Lu Chen studied the upside-down architecture carefully. After a moment, he shook his head. "The design's similar, but... not necessarily."
"Why not?"
Ei answered for him. "Civilizations that predated the Seven Nations—like Enkanomiya's Byakuyakoku—used similar architectural styles."
Miko let out a small "Oh," and her expression lit up with understanding.
Lu Chen nodded. He had read up on those ancient civilizations. They spanned the entire continent and flourished to incredible heights—until the Cataclysm brought them to ruin...
He looked at the inverted ruins. "Even if it's not from Khaenri'ah, the Abyss Order clearly learned things from it—power that was never theirs to begin with."
After a brief discussion, Lu Chen decided to scout ahead alone. He was the only one with the skills to move undetected.
"Be careful, Lu Chen." Ei's violet eyes shimmered with concern.
"Relax!" Lu Chen grinned. "Maybe in a while, I'll even be stronger than you."
"That's impossible."
It was just a joke, but Ei answered with total seriousness, pure straight-faced conviction.
She looked directly at him and said, "You're just regaining your former strength. I've been refining my technique for five hundred years. There's no way you can beat me."
"...Alright then." Lu Chen gave her a helpless look. This wasn't the time to debate who was stronger.
Miko chuckled at their exchange.
"What's with you two?" she said, amused. "You sound like kids every time fighting comes up. Do you really need to compete?"
Lu Chen shrugged and smiled at Ei. "Well, I'm still stronger."
Before Ei could respond, he activated the [Space-Time Rift] and vanished into thin air.
...
Within the distortion of the [Space-Time Rift], Lu Chen quietly approached the central tower of the inverted ruins. Using Anemo to guide himself, he finally landed on one of the "floors."
Or more accurately—he landed on the ceiling of one of the tower's inverted levels.
A group of Abyss Mages and Abyss Heralds had gathered in this upside-down hall. At the center stood a strange machine glowing with ghostly light.
Nearby, the corrupted black mass of Archon remnants writhed and billowed upward like smoke. Yet under the light of that device, the remnants behaved strangely docile—not spreading, not infecting the nearby Abyss Order members.
Through the distorted air, Lu Chen could hear them speaking—excitedly discussing something among themselves.
"This operation can't afford any mistakes. It's even more important than the 'Loom of Fate'..."
"His Highness places great importance on it..."
"Who would've guessed the fragile boundaries of Teyvat were connected to another world? No—an entire plane!"
"A realm beyond the human world, the void realm, or the realm of light. A world far vaster than our own..."
"Based on the intel, the sudden disappearance of elemental creatures in Teyvat is due to them passing into that world. From past experiments, corrupted monsters exposed to the remnants can travel there too..."
"This is our chance. If we establish a new homeland, we can finally escape the gaze of Celestia!"
Lu Chen crept closer to the strange device.
Two towering Abyss Heralds suddenly sensed something and turned to look in his direction. He froze on instinct.
But they quickly looked away. From their view, there was nothing there.
Lu Chen felt a strange thrill—like spying on a secret meeting. He silently hoped they'd keep talking, revealing as much information as possible.
So far, he'd learned that they viewed this so-called "New Home" as key to Khaenri'ah's revival.
If they could escape Celestia's judgment by relocating to another world, they could develop openly—no longer hiding their research into Archon remnants, mechanical gods, or Abyssal power. They wanted to turn this "New World" into a strategic base to strike back at the Seven Nations and defy the Heavenly Principles.
Of course, that was just their dream. In truth, they knew next to nothing about the other world—not its inhabitants, nor its strength. They certainly had no idea several gods were sitting just on the other side of the gate, sipping tea, drinking wine, and toasting marshmallows...
Still, their next move was clear: continue sending so-called "vanguard units"—the corrupted monsters—into the other world.
"Looks like the system was right to bring me back. Better to clean this up now than let them wreck the real world with the remnants or worse, Abyssal power."
...
After returning from his infiltration, Lu Chen reported everything to the others.
"In that case, we shouldn't delay," Ei said, placing a hand over her chest.
Lu Chen had a feeling she was about to draw her sword again. The last time she summoned "Musou Isshin," he still remembered vividly—she had cut him down with a single stroke under the Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed Statue.
No need to worry about Ei's strength. Lu Chen turned to Miko.
"Be careful."
"I know already..." Miko's tone was annoyed, but she still nodded.
"Xiao, you stay and observe for now."
Xiao nodded solemnly.
In the next instant, Lu Chen and Ei—two seasoned warriors—vanished on the spot. A moment later, they reappeared in the heart of the ruins without any attempt at stealth.
The sudden arrival of two intruders threw the Abyss Order into chaos.
"Who are you?!"
"Intruders! Intruders!"
Lu Chen drew the Skyward Blade from his system inventory, locking eyes on the most powerful Abyss Lectors.
"Remaining time: 43 hours and 20 minutes."
"Ei."
"Let's finish this quickly."
Ei had already drawn "Musou Isshin," its purple lightning surging—showing just how serious she was.
An Abyss Lector wielding the same element summoned bolts of thunder, chanting an incantation. Lightning crackled across the hall.
"Feel the grace—"
"Feel your mother's grace!"
Before the chant was even complete, Lu Chen's fist smashed straight into the chanter's face.