Hearing Jiang Yan's words, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was stunned.
"The purest branch of Irminsul?"
She looked at him with a probing gaze.
"What are you planning to do with that?"
Seeing the slightly wicked smile on Jiang Yan's face, Rukkhadevata felt that this brat most definitely had no good intentions.
"Ahem… don't look at me like that. What could I possibly be doing?"
Jiang Yan said with a shameless grin.
"Think about it—I help you purify Irminsul, and you give me one pure branch. It won't affect Irminsul, and it solves the crisis too.
Isn't that great? Killing two birds with one stone!"
For little Nahida, Jiang Yan was pulling out all the stops—acting cute, coaxing, and scheming—all to get Rukkhadevata to agree.
In the end, she couldn't withstand Jiang Yan's barrage of coaxing and pouting and gave in.
After all, letting Jiang Yan try to purify Irminsul was the most reliable solution.
"But let's be clear—you have to purify Irminsul first. Only after that will I break off a branch for you."
Rukkhadevata reminded him repeatedly not to use the pure branch for anything bad.
Although she didn't know what such a small branch could even be used for, the way Jiang Yan was asking for it absolutely screamed "up to no good."
Jiang Yan nodded like a pecking chicken, swearing he would never use it for anything evil.
…Was creating a person considered doing something bad?
Probably not.
Well—at least he didn't count it as bad.
How could little Jiang Yan have any evil intentions?
He merely wanted a soft, sweet, adorable little Nahida.
Heh!
"All right then. First, come with me into the place where Irminsul lies."
Rukkhadevata said.
Jiang Yan nodded, looked around, and asked:
"So… how do we get in?"
"Wait a moment."
Rukkhadevata raised both hands, divine power blooming from her palms, and extended her hands toward him.
"Close your eyes. Give me your hand."
Jiang Yan followed her instructions, taking her slender hand and obediently closing his eyes.
After a dizzying sensation washed over him, he heard her say:
"Okay, open your eyes."
Jiang Yan slowly opened them—and he was no longer inside Pardis Dhyai.
Instead, he stood in a dreamlike space.
At the center of the area stood a massive tree, shimmering in radiant, prismatic light.
"That is… Irminsul?"
Even though Jiang Yan had seen it in his previous life's story, seeing the real thing left him breathless.
"Yes. Before you attempt to repair it, I need to tell you a few precautions."
Rukkhadevata led Jiang Yan toward the glowing tree.
"First: After entering Irminsul's interior, do not look too deeply into the memories, dreams, or visions inside.
Second: Do not alter anything within Irminsul. Even the slightest change will affect the memories of the entire continent of Teyvat.
Third: This entrance is only for testing. If anything unusual happens, withdraw immediately. I will maintain Irminsul from the outside.
Remember these?"
Seeing Jiang Yan listening seriously, she asked softly.
"Yes, I understand."
He nodded.
"Good. Now stretch your hand toward Irminsul. I'll establish the connection."
Jiang Yan placed his hand on Irminsul and closed his eyes as instructed.
A faint ripple spread from the trunk.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a pitch-black space.
'Where you are now is within Irminsul's memory.'
Rukkhadevata's voice echoed in his mind.
'Now, you must begin searching for the regions polluted by Forbidden Knowledge.'
Jiang Yan nodded and closed his eyes. Even within Irminsul, he could still use his cosmic sense.
Compared to looking with his eyes, cosmic perception was far more effective.
As his awareness expanded outward, scene after scene unfolded before him.
People's joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; the killing between Archons; scenes of bliss and scenes of carnage—
Everything flashed repeatedly inside Jiang Yan's mind.
Irminsul connected to the world's ley lines and contained the memories of everyone who had ever existed in Teyvat.
The sheer amount of information made Jiang Yan's head throb painfully.
"Buzz—!"
Suddenly, the scenes shattered and vanished.
In Jiang Yan's consciousness, the Horse Talisman lit up continuously.
This was both its active and passive effect—removing negative influence.
Jiang Yan exhaled in relief.
'I JUST told you not to look at too many memories! Do you have a death wish?!'
Rukkhadevata's angry voice rang out.
She had been monitoring his every move.
His state just now had nearly made her sever the connection instantly.
If too much information flooded his mind, his consciousness would collapse.
This was why the Horse Talisman's passive ability activated—
It purged anything that threatened its host.
"Whew… I got careless. Sorry, sorry."
Jiang Yan said, relieved.
With the Horse Talisman supporting him, he continued using cosmic sense to search deeper.
After what felt like an eternity of wandering through Irminsul, Jiang Yan finally found the area contaminated by Forbidden Knowledge.
The pollution was cunning, hiding deep within Irminsul's innermost layers—purging it would not be easy.
Jiang Yan extended his hand.
The Horse Talisman glowed brightly in his mind.
A soft radiance formed in his palm.
The cluster of Forbidden Knowledge reacted as though it had seen its natural enemy and tried to scatter in all directions.
Jiang Yan widened his eyes. In his mind, the Rooster Talisman and Tiger Talisman lit up simultaneously.
A telekinetic barrier formed out of thin air, instantly blocking the escaping mass.
Next, the Taiji Diagram unfurled beneath his feet. Yin and Yang harmonized and locked the Forbidden Knowledge firmly in place.
Jiang Yan did not hesitate—
His glowing hands clenched toward the polluted region.
Like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, the Horse Talisman's purifying power detonated the Forbidden Knowledge instantly.
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