"Let's keep moving forward and see what lies ahead."
Nolan had no intention of using his Adventure EXP for now. Since he didn't know what dangers awaited them further on, it was better to save the points for targeted skill upgrades or to recover health when needed.
"Yeah, who knows what's inside? The temperature here feels like standing under the midday sun in the middle of summer," Xingqiu said, channeling wisps of moisture around the group to help cool them down.
"It must be some powerful Pyro treasure, just like those adventurers mentioned," Paimon speculated as she followed Lumine.
"They didn't actually go in to see, though. It could just be some lava seeping up from the ground," Lumine shook her head, noting that it was pointless to make guesses without concrete evidence. Overestimating could lead to greater disappointment.
"A Pyro Whopperflower ran in, and there were a bunch of Fire Bats too. For all we know, this could be a monster lair," Nolan added.
In this kind of heat, he thought the environment was reminiscent of the Quest Domain- Beneath the Ancient Tree in Liyue. If he remembered correctly, that boss-level monster was also located near the Tianqiu Valley, so this place might indeed be connected.
"Nolan makes a good point. We should be cautious," Xingqiu agreed.
The group continued to advance carefully. After about a few dozen meters, they reached a slope, beyond which the passage ahead was bathed in a bright red glow, as if some light source was illuminating the area ahead.
"My elemental power consumption is increasing, which means it's extremely hot here. Based on this, I'd say we're close to the source of the heat in this cave," Xingqiu suddenly remarked.
"I see! Then let the great detective Paimon unveil the true identity of this 'treasure'!" Paimon, wearing her metal crown, excitedly waved her fists in the air.
It wasn't long before they descended the slope, arriving in a vast underground chamber that resembled the dome of a castle. However, it was far from smooth, with even cracks in the dome through which the sky was visible.
In the center of this underground space stood a massive, crimson-colored tree with strange roots anchored into the earth. It was this tree that had gathered the nearby Pyro elements, making the cave unbearably hot.
"A Pyro Regisvine! So that's what it is—no wonder it's so hot in here," Xingqiu exclaimed in surprise when he saw the tree.
Nolan looked at it and thought to himself, "So it really is a Pyro Regisvine. It seems like today might be a wasted trip."
After all, the Pyro Regisvine isn't just some run-of-the-mill Hilichurl or small Slime that you find all over Teyvat. It's a boss-level monster, far rarer than elite enemies like Hilichurl Chieftains or Abyss Mages.
The Pyro Regisvine is on the same level as the Powerful Mitachurl or the Elemental Hypostases, all of which are considered top-tier monsters.
If you were to compare common monsters, elite monsters, and boss monsters, it would be like comparing an ordinary person to someone who possesses a Vision.
An ordinary person might train their body and martial skills to match someone with a Vision, but without the ability to use elemental power, they'd be easily defeated before they could even get close.
Even if their levels appear similar, the difference in innate abilities and skills creates a significant gap in combat strength.
"Wait, is this tree a monster?" Paimon asked in disappointment, having expected some sort of treasure to appear. Instead, it turned out to be just a plant-like monster.
"How strong is it? Can we defeat it?" Lumine blinked her amber eyes and slightly tilted her fair face towards Nolan, knowing that his golden eyes could assess an opponent's strength.
"Let me take a look," Nolan said, focusing his gaze on the Pyro Regisvine. Apart from the bright spot at its roots, which indicated its "weak spot," several characters also appeared above its head.
[Level: 65]
If it were a level 65 Abyss Mage or similar monster, Nolan might be able to manage a few hits, though winning would be uncertain.
But facing a boss-level Pyro Regisvine, he wouldn't dare provoke it alone.
However, with Lumine and Xingqiu by his side, they might stand a chance.
Especially with Xingqiu, a Hydro Vision bearer. Based on Nolan's knowledge of the Pyro Regisvine, its fire core at the roots, the "weak spot," could be easily broken by Hydro attacks.
Once it's broken, the Pyro Regisvine would enter a weakened state, making it vulnerable to defeat.
With this in mind, Nolan explained simply, "This Pyro Regisvine is stronger than any of us individually, but if we work together, we should have a chance. What do you think? Want to give it a try?"
"I've known you for a few days now and can tell that you're a cautious person. If you think we have a chance, then why not give it a shot?" Xingqiu replied confidently.
With his fully upgraded artifacts and a four-star weapon, his combat strength was far beyond his apparent level of 39.
While he couldn't close the gap entirely between himself and the Pyro Regisvine, he was confident that he could hold his own and retreat if necessary.
"Hehe, this girl is really strong. With her around, a mere Pyro Regisvine won't be a problem," Paimon said, pointing at Lumine with a smile.
Lumine looked at Paimon, who was singing her praises, then casually shifted her gaze upward toward the crack in the dome through which the sky was visible.
A soft smile played on her lips. "Chongyun couldn't come in here because it's too hot, but what if we had him up there attacking this monster with us? Wouldn't that make things easier?"
Nolan, Xingqiu, and Paimon quickly imagined Chongyun using his Cryo abilities to attack from above, and their eyes lit up. This was a good idea.
Chongyun's Cryo attacks would be highly effective against a monster that absorbed Pyro energy, as its high resistance to Pyro would likely make it vulnerable to Cryo.
However, generally speaking, no creature is perfect, especially not a Pyro Regisvine, which relies on a single elemental power.
Because it absorbs Pyro energy for growth, its physical properties have become quite similar to the Pyro element.
Of course, it hasn't reached the level of an elemental being.
Elemental reactions between Pyro, Cryo, and Hydro involve significant energy consumption, or you could say they "counter" each other.
With Xingqiu and Chongyun, both of whom can "counter" the Pyro Regisvine, and with Nolan and Lumine using Anemo to spread the effects, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to handle it!
"Yep, as expected of the Traveler to come up with such a 'devious' plan. I'll go notify Chongyun right away," Paimon said, laughing excitedly. She was about to fly out of the cave to find Chongyun but suddenly turned around.
"What's wrong?" Lumine asked, crossing her arms, a slight smile curving her lips as she looked at Paimon.
"Hehe, can you come with me? I'm a little scared of running into monsters in that passage," Paimon said, scratching her head awkwardly.
"I knew it," Lumine sighed, running her fingers through the golden strands of hair on her forehead, brushing against her fair skin. She nodded slightly and followed Paimon out.
The strange Pyro Regisvine stood quietly ahead, seemingly oblivious to the presence of the intruders.
With Lumine gone to find Chongyun, Nolan and Xingqiu had no choice but to wait for her return before taking action.
"Let's not provoke the Pyro Regisvine for now. How about we search for that Whopperflower and the group of Pyro Bats that ran in here?" Nolan suggested to Xingqiu.
He was still interested in those escaped monsters. While the Whopperflower was of little concern, the Pyro Bats were worth thousands of Adventure EXP.
"Of course," Xingqiu agreed with a nod. Although he didn't need the monster materials to sell for Mora, he certainly wouldn't mind having them.
And so, the two of them began exploring the underground space, careful not to disturb the Pyro Regisvine. Without Xingqiu's Hydro element to help cool the air, Nolan immediately felt like he was inside an oven, with sweat quickly forming on his skin.
After some thought, he decided to create a gentle breeze to cool himself down. But the result was disappointing. Due to the high ambient temperature, the wind was hot, offering little relief.
With no other option, Nolan had to endure it.
He stepped on the fire-dried earth and lightly jumped onto a large, flat rock in front of him. Glancing to his left, he noticed a hole in the wall about the size of a basin.
Peering into the hole, he saw nothing but darkness, the interior completely obscured. However, his instincts told him that this sudden hole must be significant. He suspected it might be the nest of the Pyro Bats.
There was no point in just guessing.
Nolan removed the "Moonlight Greatsword" from his back and held it in his hand as he slowly approached the hole. He stopped when he was about four meters away.
A transparent, smooth tentacle with a faint outline appeared beside Nolan, as if extending from the void.
The transparent tentacle reached toward the hole in the wall, where the Pyro Bats might be hiding. It was much safer to investigate this way than by approaching it himself.
As he focused on the information relayed by the transparent tentacle, Nolan knew it could provide him with very detailed sensory data, being a creation of his mental power.
The transparent psychic tentacle, like an extra hand, could transmit touch sensations back to him.
Additionally, spiritual power also possessed the "sight" of eyes, the "hearing" of ears, the "smell" of the nose, and the "taste" of the tongue.
In other words, spiritual power is an extended means for living beings to perceive and interact with the world.
Moreover, it allows one to selectively block the transmission of certain senses.
Otherwise, if pain were to be felt during battle with monsters, it would be too much to bear. It's better to rely on one's exceptional swordsmanship and archery skills to solve the problem.
At this moment, Nolan's transparent psychic tentacle only activated "vision" and "hearing."
The scene inside the small hole in the wall immediately appeared in his mind. The tunnel was irregular, resembling a mouse hole, and faint "squeaking" sounds could be heard from within.
Just as he suspected.
The sound was familiar—it was the same noise the Pyro Bats made during their earlier fight.
Nolan didn't attack impulsively; instead, he continued to extend the transparent psychic tentacle further.
Before long, the space in front of him suddenly widened, much like when they had walked down from the cave tunnel and saw the underground space where the Pyro Regisvine was located.
Inside, he found a cluster of Pyro Bats huddling together, hiding in this space.
Perhaps this small hole was a safe haven the Pyro Bats used to escape when they encountered an enemy they couldn't defeat.
After all, with such a powerful Pyro Regisvine nearby, ordinary monsters wouldn't dare pursue them after sensing the dangerous aura.
Unfortunately for them, this time they provoked a group of humans who weren't easy to deal with.
Without any change in expression, Nolan dissipated the psychic tentacle in place, then slung the greatsword back onto his back and began channeling Anemo energy in his hands.
He was preparing to unleash a massive attack on the Pyro Bats!
Anemo energy slowly formed a sharp whirlwind in his hands, eventually coalescing into an orb made entirely of swirling wind.
Nolan's plan was to gather a large amount of Anemo energy in his hands and compress it together.
Then, he would throw it into the hole. In such a confined space, the wind energy would fully erupt, dealing damage to every Pyro Bat inside.
Even if it didn't kill them, it would likely leave them severely injured.
A minute passed.
The Anemo ball in Nolan's hand had reached the limit of what his Level 3 "Anemo Manipulation" could handle.
If he continued to condense it, it would become unstable and might explode, injuring him in the process.
"Huff."
Nolan took a deep breath and suddenly activated his Elemental Skill, Dandelion Shield. The wind-element shield enveloped him as he charged forward.
He approached the hole in the wall and threw the compressed Anemo ball inside.
Then, he used the Dandelion Shield to tightly seal the entrance, leaving no gaps.
Soon, Nolan felt the wall begin to tremble continuously, and his interface started flashing with notifications like a screen full of messages.
Adventure EXP +198
Adventure EXP +243
Adventure EXP +291
...
A few seconds later, a series of rapid "squeaks" came from the hole, as the few surviving Pyro Bats desperately tried to escape.
"Smack!"
They collided with Nolan's Dandelion Shield and were instantly blown back by the violent whirlwind.
Each and every one of them met the same fate.
The raging wind inside the hole hadn't subsided yet, and the bats that were flung back were immediately swept up again. About ten seconds later, everything inside finally fell silent.
[Defeated Powerful enemies * 43, Obtained 9542 Adventure EXP.]
Nolan took two steps back. After waiting a moment and seeing no more Pyro Bats emerge, he dispelled the Dandelion Shield.
At that moment, he saw Lumine and Paimon returning.
He glanced at the hole briefly but didn't hesitate and turned to walk back toward Lumine and the others.
Since the carrying capacity of the Delusion's inventory space was almost at its limit, he had to abandon the Pyro Bats' corpses.
Anyway, he had already collected enough earlier.
(End of Chapter)
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