Chapter 65: Divine Form

The massive influx of information carried by the dazzling golden light left Wang Daoyi's consciousness in a state of chaos. He could no longer connect to the Gnosis after emerging from the vast ocean of divine knowledge. Returning to the courtyard of Zhongli, the faint scent of tea helped clear his mind a bit.

Shaking his head, Wang Daoyi looked at Zhongli, feeling a bit unsettled. Though he wasn't sure what had happened, he was certain that the dazzling golden light had something to do with Zhongli.

Seeing Wang Daoyi's unease, Zhongli smiled, quite satisfied with his handiwork. From his perspective, Wang Daoyi's soul had already turned into a faint golden hue, with the radiant golden light still emanating deep within.

However, sensing Wang Daoyi's anxiety, Zhongli began to explain. "The knowledge within the Gnosis, commonly known as divine knowledge, is not as unattainable as many believe. In fact, divine knowledge can be absorbed by the Vision holders!"

"Oh, you mean those who possess the Vision."

"When a Vision holder absorbs divine knowledge, as long as they resist the invasion of the divine knowledge, it's akin to opening the gates to the divine realm, truly becoming a god!"

"You absorbed three pieces of divine knowledge just now. I overestimated the strength of your soul. Although your soul is stronger than that of an average person, compared to other descenders, your soul is far less resilient. Almost as soon as the first piece of divine knowledge entered your soul, you began to be affected!"

With Zhongli's explanation, Wang Daoyi calmed the tumultuous emotions in his heart. He agreed that his soul was weaker than that of other descenders.

"What happens if I'm affected by divine knowledge?" Wang Daoyi curiously asked.

Zhongli gestured, and the Geo Gnosis returned to his hand. "You'll become a true follower of the God of Geo, sharing life and death with the God of Geo!"

Zhongli spoke of the God of Geo, not himself, nor the Zhongli Emperor.

"But aren't you the Geo God?" Wang Daoyi asked.

Hearing Wang Daoyi's question, Zhongli played with his Geo Gnosis, wearing a mysterious smile. "I am the God of Geo, but the God of Geo doesn't necessarily refer to me. During the War of the Archons, there were many gods who wielded the power of the earth! Who knows whose divine knowledge you've absorbed inside the Gnosis!"

"Each piece of divine knowledge is like a divine path, and these paths were carved out by predecessors who left their names on them. If you absorb their divine knowledge and cannot resist the invasion, your soul will be marked with their names, making you their follower!"

Each piece of divine knowledge is a divine path? Thinking of the vast ocean of divine knowledge within the Gnosis, Wang Daoyi couldn't help but show surprise.

Seeing Wang Daoyi's expression, Zhongli knew the boy had misunderstood.

With a somewhat speechless look at Wang Daoyi, Zhongli spoke again. "A piece of divine knowledge is indeed a divine path, but it's not that each god has only one divine path. Most of that ocean of divine knowledge you saw belongs to me. The rest belongs mostly to other powerful gods. Though it looks like a vast ocean of knowledge, there are only a few gods who have descended."

Wang Daoyi fell silent. He had thought there were so many gods in Teyvat, but it turned out that Zhongli alone occupied most of it.

"What was the dazzling golden light that rushed into my consciousness at the end?" Wang Daoyi had already opened the panel of his golden finger and saw the name of that golden light: Divine Form.

Zhongli put down the Gnosis and picked up the teapot on the table, pouring himself a cup of fragrant tea. He then looked at Wang Daoyi with an interested yet somewhat reluctant expression, pouring a cup for him as well.

This was a premium tea sent by the Gentry Estate. Every year, the Gentry Estate would send various influential forces in Liyue some premium tea leaves, and as a guest of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli only received a small portion, which he even took Hu Tao's share this time.

"That was one of my paths. Your soul has been invaded by divine knowledge, and this is an irreversible process. The quickest way to solve this problem is to complete your godhood before your soul is fully invaded."

"But your foundation is too weak. To achieve godhood in a short time, you need to light up six Constellation, analyze your own fate. Obviously, you don't have this accumulation. So, I took a shortcut."

"By using my path to directly invade your soul and devouring the other divine knowledge, you won't be invaded by other gods anymore. The price is that you're truly my follower now!"

"But don't worry, I didn't engrave my god's name in your soul. When you reach the level of an Archon, you can try to break free from this follower status!"

Zhongli smiled faintly, looking at Wang Daoyi with comforting words, but Wang Daoyi couldn't help but feel that Zhongli was teasing him.

Ignoring the unscrupulous soon-to-be-retired old man, Wang Daoyi carefully examined his golden finger panel:

Name: Wang Daoyi

Race: Human 

Constellation: Explorer's Constellation (one Constellation Star lit, first level)

Level: 55 (normal)

Form: Divine Form

Skills: Geo Element Mastery (Lv. 8), Geo Commandments Law (Lv. 8), Elemental Transmutation (Lv. 4), Material Transmutation (Lv. 4), Divine Knowledge: Anemo (Lv. 0), Sandstorm (Lv. 3), Original Geo Resonance (Lv. 3), Treasure Hoarder Techniques (Lv. 3), Elemental Bottle Crafting (Lv. 4), Crossbow Shooting (Lv. 4), Rock Throwing (Lv. 4), Explorer (Max Level)

Reaching level 55, which was originally only 45, clearly showed significant progress not only in knowledge but also in life level after communicating with the heart of the gods. He was now only 5 levels away from reaching level 60, then he could start preparing to light up his second Destiny Star.

Both main skills had been upgraded from Lv. 5 to Lv. 8. These should be the amplifications brought by two pieces of divine knowledge obtained in the inner world of the heart of the gods. Although they were swallowed by the dazzling golden light given by Zhongli in the end, the knowledge did not disappear but merged into the divine knowledge given by Zhongli.

In addition, there was an extra skill called Original Geo Resonance. This should be the special effect of Zhongli's geo-element combat technique, which was retained because it was Zhongli's path and was not devoured.

What caught Wang Daoyi's eye the most was the additional attribute column. He had seen a similar attribute on Tartaglia before—Form.

Tartaglia had two forms, Evil Eye Unleashed and Demon King Armed. Wang Daoyi knew that these were different stages of the boss fight and also the powers wielded by Tartaglia as the Executive Officer of the Fatui.

And now, Wang Daoyi also had a similar power, or even more powerful.

End of Chapter