Chapter 81

When the fierce wind struck, the world suddenly became much brighter.

The wind had lifted all the trees of Whispering Woods into the sky.

"Waaah! What's happening?!"

Barbara held down her skirt, unable to lift her head against the wind.

Huixin also tried to keep low to avoid being blown away.

"Crystallize..."

Jiang Ning immediately deployed his Geo element, creating a large shield that covered everyone.

Though the wind still penetrated through small gaps, it was now reduced to a gentle breeze.

"Jiang Ning? Is that... Geo element?"

Barbara was surprised. Wasn't this boy a Cryo Vision holder? She had assumed his Vision was just hidden since she couldn't see it.

So it wasn't? Could one person actually control two elements?

"Yes, my situation is... special," Jiang Ning smiled.

Barbara opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to ask more, but Jiang Ning looked gravely into the distance:

"It's coming."

Barbara's jaw dropped in disbelief: "Is that... a dragon?!"

In the distance, a magnificent dragon with brilliant scales was rapidly flying toward them.

However, the dragon was surrounded by an extremely ominous aura.

[Host, it's the aura of the Abyss.]

Jiang Ning nodded: "I sense it... what's the deal with the Abyss controlling this big lizard?"

[Big lizard... Host, that's Dvalin, the Dragon of the East Wind, one of the Wind Dragon's vassals.]

The system explained.

Jiang Ning nodded: "I know... but it really does look like a big lizard."

In Jiang Ning's mind, true dragons should be like his ancestors' five-clawed golden dragons, though of course, Rex Lapis's dragon form was also impressive.

Shenhe drew out her Calamity Queller: "Be careful, little brother."

Seemingly discovering their presence, Dvalin appeared ready to tear everything apart. Accompanied by storms and fierce winds, he unleashed wind blades from the sky.

They struck the Geo shield, even creating some cracks.

"Wow."

Jiang Ning was surprised. Though he had created this shield just to block the wind, it was still made from Master Zhongli's Geo element, yet it was cracking?

As expected of Dvalin, the Dragon of the East Wind?

"This dragon has gone berserk!"

Huixin panicked.

Barbara then said: "And this dragon is heading toward... Mondstadt?!"

"We can't let it reach Mondstadt!"

Though Barbara said this, she had no way to stop it.

Jiang Ning asked: "Um, can any of you fly?"

Silence fell.

Jiang Ning felt a headache coming on. If only he had gotten some Anemo element from Venti, he wouldn't be stuck unable to fly now.

"Without flying, we have no chance of stopping Stormterror..."

Jiang Ning muttered.

Shenhe said: "If we can get it to come down, we can prevent it from flying back up."

Huixin panicked: "Wait, wait, you're not planning to fight it right now, are you? We have non-combatants here!"

Four people – two DPS, one healer, and one liability – against a dragon? How would that work?

"Senior Sister, do you have any good ideas?"

"No..."

"Hey, are you even listening to me..."

Huixin was nearly crying.

Jiang Ning continued ignoring her: "What about you, Barbara?"

Barbara fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up and shouted at Dvalin, who was circling vigilantly overhead:

"Come down here!"

She summoned a ball of Hydro element and threw it up, making it explode in mid-air.

"What kind of plan is that... wait, it's actually coming down?!"

Jiang Ning was about to criticize, but Dvalin seemed to be provoked and swooped down directly.

Strangely, Jiang Ning wondered if Barbara had been possessed by that certain someone obsessed with pink fate-threads.

Besides, as everyone knows, you must first attack the minion with taunt.

"Barbara, fall back! I'll beat him up!"

Jiang Ning was eager to fight.

"System, stop playing dead, time for a mission!"

[Mission issued: How dare a little flying lizard offend the Host's might? Beat it down! Make it unable to care for itself in front of the Anemo Archon! Let it know who's boss.]

[Reward: That purifying constitution you wanted, Host. Details omitted because we lost the manual.]

"I really think you need to go back to school."

And that old timer Venti was definitely watching from somewhere, right?

Jiang Ning complained internally, but his feet moved swiftly. He kicked off the ground like an arrow released from a bow, charging toward Dvalin.

The height was perfect now!

Jiang Ning drew out Skyspine, empowering it with both Geo and Cryo elements, and struck Dvalin's neck hard.

Meanwhile, Shenhe wasn't slow either. Taking advantage of Dvalin's proximity to the ground, she grabbed his talons firmly with both hands, channeling her adeptal energy.

Release power! Slam!

Before Dvalin could react, he felt the world spinning.

Shenhe had actually slammed Dvalin hard into the ground.

Watching secretly, Barbatos's jaw dropped in disbelief.

Hey, old man, what kind of terrifying juniors are these?

Venti thought about the new generation in his Mondstadt.

Compared to these two... well, Venti genuinely feared Shenhe might kill Mondstadt's flowers with one punch...

"ROAR!!!"

Dvalin howled in anger, struggling to rise again, but Shenhe gave him no chance, yanking his wings downward.

"Little brother!"

Shenhe called out.

"Coming! Starfell!"

Jiang Ning summoned a small meteorite that struck Dvalin's head, making him dizzy.

"Though the power is far weaker, the old man even taught him that? He really is the successor."

Venti muttered.

Now he was more worried about Dvalin – bewitched by the Abyss, injured, and without reason, Dvalin's strength had greatly diminished... hope he doesn't get killed.

Just as Venti was considering whether to go out and persuade Jiang Ning, two ice spikes shot out from the shadows, heading straight for Shenhe.

The Geo shield had shattered, and Shenhe had no choice but to retreat.

Dvalin seized this opportunity to break free and soar back into the sky.

"Abyss creatures..."

Venti's gaze darkened, his braids faintly glowing.

Looking back at the battlefield, Dvalin's massive maw began charging energy. The powerful Anemo element was terrifying, making one's skin feel like it was being cut by knives.

"...Think you're so great just because you can fly?!"

Jiang Ning was frustrated. The ancestors were right – air superiority is crucial.

He definitely needed to get some Anemo element from Venti later to be able to fly.

Just as Jiang Ning was thinking this, he seemed to hear Venti's voice:

"Jump... the thousand-year wind will help you fly briefly in the sky."

Jiang Ning said: "But I don't have wind glider."

"...It's fine, you can still fly."

Jiang Ning nodded slightly and said to Shenhe: "Senior Sister, protect them and retreat. I'll be right back."

"Little brother, you..."

Before Shenhe could finish, Jiang Ning leaped powerfully toward the sky.

He even managed to soar briefly.

Barbara's eyes widened in amazement.

But Huixin and Shenhe were terribly worried.

How could one person hold out?

If something happened to Jiang Ning, Mondstadt would probably be in trouble.

"Such a dummy when charging up attacks..."

Jiang Ning noticed.

"System, if I absorb Venti's flowing wind, could I fly on my own?"

[After calculations, yes.]

"Then what are you waiting for? I want to fly!"

Just in case, he gave himself another shield, and Jiang Ning grinned.

Venti's voice was still mumbling nearby.

"Humans always yearned for the sky, soar with the thousand-year... huh?!"

Venti suddenly froze, realizing he had lost connection with his wind.

Wait, where's my wind?!

The next second, Venti immediately knew it must have been this little guy's doing.

Though exasperated, he let him absorb it – consider it payment for helping.

[Host, you've unlocked the Anemo element this time, and it's the thousand-year flowing wind that can support your flight.]

The system was very happy – as expected of Venti's old timer's gold, the quality was excellent.

Jiang Ning said: "Too bad... if only there was a tiny bit of the Anemo Archon's power in it."

That matter could wait. Right now...

Jiang Ning looked at Dvalin with his mouth wide open and suddenly had an idea.

Cryo element's sharpness + Geo element's weight + Anemo element's acceleration...

Target: Dvalin's chin!

Fire!

A massive ice ball struck Dvalin's chin hard. Dvalin closed his mouth, but the Anemo energy inside hadn't dispersed.

BOOM!

Dvalin's dragon blood sprayed out violently, and among the blood was a dragon tooth.

Howling, and seeming to receive some kind of summons, Dvalin flew away unsteadily.

Venti glanced at Jiang Ning, then silently followed.

Jiang Ning wanted to give chase, but seeing the blood drip onto the Geo shield with a "sizzle," slowly corroding it, his expression changed. He quickly turned back and flew down.

Seeing Shenhe with one person on her shoulder and another in her arms, reaching a safe area, he finally relaxed.

"How did you find this cave?"

Jiang Ning was curious – this cave wasn't in the game's Whispering Woods.

Huixin seemed still shocked, somewhat dazed, so Barbara explained:

"Um, Miss Shenhe... punched it out..."

Jiang Ning fell silent. Truly, our girl has grown up, with strength to uproot mountains and spirit to cover the world...

"Well, I'm glad you're all safe... but I think it will return. We should inform Acting Grand Master Jean."

Jiang Ning said.

Barbara became serious: "Yes, let's hurry back."

As they left, Jiang Ning looked again in the direction where Dvalin had disappeared.

If Dvalin had appeared, that meant... one of the twins should appear soon too, right?

Wonder if it would be Lumine or Aether?

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