Silaya: "While my soul was adrift beyond Teyvat, I sensed a faint call. Following it, I journeyed to a place far from beautiful..."
As Silaya narrated, Jiang Mumu worked tirelessly in the System Space, creating videos for the players. Once finished, they were immediately released.
The videos showed a pitch-black space where a green orb of light, representing Silaya, moved in a specific direction, guided by a sound the players couldn't hear but sensed was ancient and strangely melodic.
The dark space resembled the cosmos, yet it was permeated by swirling black mists.
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In the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Silaya continued her account:
"I entered the space where the voice originated—a core shrouded in black mist, with only a sliver of light remaining. I could sense the malice radiating from the surrounding darkness and dared not approach. But then, that last spark of light flew toward me... and a piece of information entered my mind..."
Everyone present held their breath, knowing the most crucial revelation was coming.
Silaya: "I don't know how much you already know, so I'll tell you everything I've learned."
"Before the Primordial One, Phanes, descended upon Teyvat, its true masters were the Seven Elemental Dragon Sovereigns and their leader, Nibelung. Even before the Dragon Sovereign Era, in a time when Teyvat had yet to give rise to many sentient beings..."
"During that ancient age, Teyvat faced an unprecedented calamity. The Abyss's power from beyond the world invaded on a massive scale. Just as the world was about to be completely consumed by the Abyss, a primordial ancient god, born from Teyvat's own benevolence and the power of the Realm of Light, engaged in a desperate battle with the Lord of the Abyss to protect the nascent world."
"The Goddess's power was utterly pure and benevolent, the Abyss's absolute bane. Yet the Abyss's power was foul and boundless, an endless tide of corruption."
"In the end, the Goddess successfully repelled the Abyss's main forces and sealed the gateway. However, her soul, strained to its limits by the intense battle and corrupted by the Abyss's taint, was on the verge of shattering."
"To prevent her core essence from being captured and absorbed by the Abyss, and to preserve the ideals of 'Good' and 'Protection' in the world, the Goddess, in her final moments, deliberately severed the seven untainted strands of her Virtuous Divine Soul. These strands transformed into shooting stars and scattered across the land of Teyvat."
"The remaining bulk of her power and fragmented consciousness fell into a deep slumber, their whereabouts unknown. Of course, some were claimed by the Abyss, corrupted, and twisted to their own purposes. The information I possess was bestowed upon me by the untainted souls of Ancient Gods, and those seven soul strands are the very origin of the Pure Souls."
Silaya paused here, giving the assembled group time to reflect on her words.
Lumine listened intently, her mouth agape, not daring to miss a single syllable.
What Silaya was recounting was the history of Teyvat, knowledge of paramount importance to her!
Zhongli and the other Gods were equally stunned. The truth behind the Pure Souls, which they had been seeking for so long, was this...
Seven untainted strands of the Virtuous Divine Soul from an Ancient God...
Their origins were far grander than anyone had imagined, predating even the Heavenly Principles and the Dragon Sovereign Era.
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Live Stream Chat:
[ Finally, the truth is being revealed! ]
[ Ancient Gods... I remember that Abyss guy mentioning something about the Seven Souls of the Goddess... ]
[ The Primordial Ancient God, born from the world's own benevolence and the Power of the Realm of Light? No wonder Pure Souls are so universally beloved! ]
[ Turns out the Abyss has such a massive origin! It keeps shattering my understanding. At first, I thought the Abyss was just the Abyss Order. ]
[ Massive information dump! ]
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Inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Silaya paused briefly before continuing. The audience, unwilling to miss a word, refocused their attention.
"After the Abyss's gateway to Teyvat was sealed, Teyvat regained its original order, and the world began to develop slowly. High-dimensional beings like the Dragon Sovereigns emerged. Later, Phanes descended and, to defeat the Dragon Sovereigns, split into four Shades—the future Rulers of Life, Death, Time, and Space."
"Ultimately, Phanes defeated the Dragon Race. Nibelung, the Dragon Sovereign, fled Teyvat, and Phanes and his four Shades began creating birds, beasts, and fish, followed by flora, and finally, humans."
"After some time, Nibelung returned with Authorities corrupted or enhanced by Abyss Power, challenging the Heavenly Principles—the War of Funerary Flames between Phanes and the existing order. This war wasn't just a struggle for power; it was a violent clash between two foreign forces: Phanes versus the Abyss brought by Nibelung, erupting within Teyvat itself."
"Though Nibelung was ultimately defeated, the Abyss Energy he brought was never completely purged or expelled."
"Most of the Abyss Energy brought by Nibelung was sealed or suppressed by the Heavenly Principles, but its essence proved remarkably stubborn, acting as a chronic 'contaminant' that persistently and slowly permeated and eroded the foundations of the world of Teyvat. This erosion process spanned millennia."
Silaya continued without pausing:
"The seven Virtuous Divine Souls scattered by the Ancient God possess a passive defense mechanism. They act like antibodies deeply embedded within the world's lifeblood, remaining dormant until the concentration of a specific 'pathogen' reaches a critical threshold. Only then are they activated, seeking a 'carrier' to manifest through."
"Since the War of Funerary Flame, the Abyss Energy brought by Nibelung has been slowly accumulating and permeating, a process that endured through major events such as the Archon War and the Khaenri'ah Cataclysm."
"While the Khaenri'ah Cataclysm also involved the Abyss, its nature leaned more toward a 'man-made' disaster and curse. Though overlapping with the Abyss Energy from Nibelung—a more primordial force originating 'beyond the world'—the two sources were not entirely identical."
"The Khaenri'ah incident may have somewhat accelerated the Abyss's activity, but it fell short of fully awakening all Seven Souls."
"Only in recent decades—or even recent years—did this millennia-long erosion finally trigger a qualitative shift. The Abyss Energy's activity reached that critical 'threshold'."
"It was precisely at the moment this energy threshold was breached that the seven slumbering Divine Souls sensed the approaching, unprecedented threat from the Abyss, triggering their self-preservation mechanisms. They had to awaken immediately, seek out suitable vessels, and prepare to confront the coming storm."
"Simultaneously, perhaps due to the heightened activity of Abyss Energy, the Sea of Souls of Teyvat's living beings was affected, making it easier for girls with extraordinarily pure hearts to be born—girls capable of resonating with the Virtuous Divine Souls. This provided fertile ground for the Souls to manifest."
Silaya straightened her weary frame as she continued:
"Exactly, it's people like us—Rola of Mondstadt, Mu Qingge of Liyue, Kuki Yuna of Inazuma, and myself from Sumeru... Ha ha, our emergence was meant to save the world. We just never imagined the Abyss would discover our existence so early and, worse, exploit us to nourish itself..."