Genshin Impact: Dionysus reigns supreme, all demons retreat!

Chapter 642 How Should I Die Now?

Jade was somewhat puzzled and asked for help.

“Marcela has always harbored ulterior motives. Now that Tadella has been taken away by Xu Ning, and he won’t allow her to go back tonight, it’s the perfect opportunity to get rid of him.”

"If you agree, I can do it tonight..."

Babel laughed and said, "The fierce falcon is dead, and the old hunter has lost his sustenance. Hot Sands will prepare a grave for him. You've just returned from a mission, so take a good rest for a couple of days. If you still have energy, there are many other things to do in the tribe."

After saying that, Babel turned and walked into the hall.

Jade stood there, watching as Xu Ning and Tadella's figures disappeared at the end of the canyon.

Finally, he let out a soft, cold snort. "He'd just stand by and watch Tardella die? I don't believe it."

Xu Ning watched as the light-footed Tadra led the way. He didn't ask where they were going, but simply followed behind Tadra, occasionally asking if Lilupal had sensed the last fragment.

However, this path has already been traversed, and Lilupal was unable to perceive it back then, so it is naturally impossible for her to do so now.

"Is there anywhere in this vast desert that we haven't been to? If we can't find anything here in the Thousand Valleys Sandy Land, then we'll have to try our luck further north in the desert."

Lilupal laughed and said, "Those sages back then weren't so diligent as to go over there to bury my fragments. The most likely place is still near the city of Gül, but we just haven't found the right path yet."

Xu Ning knew he had been too impatient. "Let's walk around some more... Hmm, this is the Red King's figurine table. Tadra, you've picked a good spot."

Tadella slowed her pace, and Xu Ning saw that the place where they had stopped was the Chessboard of God, a place they had visited before.

Xu Ning looked into Tadra's thoughts. Although there was tension and fear in them, there was even more joy and anticipation.

"This is where you found it."

Tadella reached out and gently patted the huge chess piece beside her. "I followed your trail and explored this place. I found that it becomes very beautiful at sunset."

Xu Ning pointed up and said, "If you want to enjoy the scenery, there's a special seat up there where you can see views you don't usually see."

“Let’s go up and take a look.” Tadella seemed to have no desire to mention her hunting mission and led the way upwards.

The two went straight to the square platform directly above the chessboard.

Looking down from this position, the huge chessboard is clearly visible.

The greatest buildings in the desert seem to have been turned into chess pieces, which can be easily grasped in someone's hand and manipulated at will.

Tadella glanced at him and asked Xu Ning, "Why does everyone want to be the one holding the pieces? Arbitrarily manipulating the fate of the pieces and deciding the life and death of others doesn't make you happier, does it?"

Xu Ning chuckled, "I don't know either. After all, I don't want to be the one playing the game. But don't even think about putting me in any position. I'm the one who can flip the chessboard."

Tadella was taken aback, but considering Xu Ning's seemingly unruly personality, and the fact that he was willing to be a puppet, she might actually overturn the chessboard.

"Alright, alright, stop saying such discouraging things. We climbed all this way up here not so we could look down again. It's a rare treat to have such good weather. Look over there, that building with two guards, that's the Hall of Transfiguration..."

Xu Ning stood up from the small platform and, taking advantage of the good visibility, pointed out to Tadra the buildings he had previously explored.

However, due to the great distance, some parts were not very clear.

Xu Ning didn't care whether he had admitted his mistake or not, and just casually recounted what he had done in those ruins, even embellishing and fabricating many interesting stories.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, Tadella listened with great interest. The two sat there talking until sunset, when the afterglow cast a red glow on every grain of sand, and the entire desert slowly became quiet and beautiful.

Tadella gazed intently at the breathtaking sunset, murmuring, "If I could die at this moment, it would truly be a life well-lived!"

Xu Ning took a sip of his drink and sighed, "No matter how scorching the sand and gravel are, they cool to the point of frost at night. That's the desert for you! So, are you going to take my life to complete your hunting mission?"

Tadella's grip on the longbow tightened suddenly.

"So you already guessed it. Then why did you come here with me?"

Xu Ning looked at Tadella, seemingly answering a question, or perhaps trying to comfort her.

“Many things cannot be solved by simply running away. Time may not heal wounds, and it may even make them worse. I came here with you so that we can face this problem that the old man has created.”

Tadella paused for a moment, then took the longbow off her back nonetheless.

The blue patterns on his body glowed slightly, and the demonic spirit kite, which had been sleeping in the longbow, revealed itself beside him with a sharp cry.

“Xu Ning, although you are a guest of the tribe, you are now prey trapped in a cage with the falcon. Make your move. I hope you will be the one who survives in the end.”

The instant Tardella placed her hands on the longbow, a sharp arrow gleaming with blue light appeared on the string.

Although the two were extremely close at the moment, making it difficult to take advantage of the Spirit Wind Archer, Xu Ning had no doubt that the arrow could still easily pierce his heart, not to mention that the arrow was very likely contaminated with a deadly poison.

With a "bang," the long arrow reached Xu Ning's chest almost instantly, while the demonic kite, also extremely intelligent, stretched out its sharp claws, aiming to gouge out Xu Ning's eyes.

"Of course I'll survive. But I won't let you die either."

Xu Ning used his heels as a pivot, leaning back to dodge the Demon Kite's claw attack and also avoided an arrow aimed at his chest.

But instead of letting himself lie down, he used the strength of his waist to twist and turn, and in one step he was next to Tardra.

This is the "Drunken Swaying Step" from the Drunken Fist style, which is inherently unpredictable. Moreover, it is performed on this small square platform, and with the addition of rotating movements, Tadella couldn't even find Xu Ning's position.

In the chaos, Xu Ning grabbed the demon kite's claws with one hand, swung it around and slammed it hard on the ground before casually tossing it into the Dust Concealment Cave.

Tadella, however, was pushed off the cliff by Xu Ning, who wrapped one arm around her waist and gently swung his arm.

Tadella's feet suddenly lost their footing. She instinctively summoned the Magic Kite to stay airborne and reduce her strength, but the Magic Kite had already been sealed inside the gourd by Xu Ning.

That height is high enough to kill someone falling.

However, if all the wind power within the magic bow is activated, creating a wind field upon landing, the worst that can happen is severe injury.

Tadella knew exactly what she had to do.

There was no need for self-rescue; the falcon's demise was imminent.

She looked up and clearly saw Xu Ning jump down from the platform as well.

"I've already attacked him, do you still think he can save me?"

Without hesitation, Tadella, still in mid-air, drew another long arrow, nocked it, and fired it fiercely at Xu Ning as he fell.

"That's it, thank you."

Xu Ning knew that Tadella was determined to die, and that she would probably not struggle at all once she fell.

But with me here, how could I allow her to die in front of me? I just wanted to scare her a little, to let her truly experience the feeling of death, so that I could use my verbal skills to comfort her later.

I really didn't expect that Tadella could still shoot an arrow to stop me under these circumstances. It seems that this girl is really determined.

Using his foot to brace himself against the wall of the ruins, Xu Ning deflected the arrow with his gourd and rushed down, pulling Tardella into his arms.

"Want to die? You'll have to ask me first..."

Xu Ning spotted the chess piece beneath his feet, which seemed to be supporting a giant ship, and stretched out his leg to kick it horizontally, converting the force of the fall into a lateral thrust to land safely.

But to everyone's surprise, this kick seemed to have triggered some kind of mechanism.

A huge burst of blue light flashed, and the two figures instantly disappeared into the air.

The instant the two disappeared, an old man emerged from the cliff on the other side; it was none other than Massera, the elder of the Tanit tribe.

Marcela cautiously concealed herself as she stealthily approached the spot where Xu Ning and Tadella had disappeared, sensing the lingering aura and power around her.

"It seems they didn't want to lure me out to kill me, but have really disappeared."

Marcela patted and tapped the chess pieces for a while, then kicked the hull of the ship like Xu Ning, but still couldn't activate the mechanism that had made Xu Ning and the other person disappear.

The old man sighed and looked up at the shape of the ship.

"The ferryboat carries souls across the River Styx. How wonderful it would be if you all died."

Marcela chuckled softly, turned and left the chessboard of God, but instead of returning to the tribe, she went out in another direction.

"Oh!"

Xu Ning lost his footing and unexpectedly fell into the hull of a large ship.

Although attracted by the force of the chess pieces, Xu Ning's fall was not measured from the cliff he had just fallen off.

Even though the roof of the stone chamber they were in was only the height of the ship, falling while holding someone would still make him wince in pain and take a long time to recover.

Tadella opened her eyes from Xu Ning's embrace and silently surveyed the massive ship in which she and Xu Ning were.

The stone chamber was pitch black, with only a few rays of light shining through the gems inlaid on the ship's hull, barely enough to make out the surrounding scenery.

"We're...we're all dead, aren't we?!"

Xu Ning had just taken out his wine gourd and taken a sip when he heard Tadra's words in his arms. He suppressed a laugh and nodded, saying, "Yes, it's my fault for slipping and failing to save you. I even got myself involved."

Tadella bowed her head and said, "I'm sorry."

Xu Ning helped her sit up and comforted her, saying, "At least you've escaped that kind of life. From now on, it's a new chapter. I just don't understand why there's a boat here? What's the point of having a boat in the desert?"

Tadella crossed her arms, looked at the ship beside her, and said softly, "This is the Soul Ferry."

The soul boat?

"It sounds really high-tech, what's it used for?"

Xu Ning reached out and tapped on the hull. He didn't know what material the ship was made of; it was neither wood nor iron, but it was extremely strong and tough.

"In order to take our souls into the underworld."

Tadella leaned against the side of the boat and slowly explained, "In ancient legends, people go to the underworld after death to undergo judgment and be reborn. To enter the underworld, one must cross the River Styx, which contains deadly poison and is so shallow that it cannot even support the weight of a feather. Only this ferryboat can move freely on the water and carry the souls of the dead to the other side."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "It seems that choosing to die with you was the right choice. Otherwise, if I had come here on my own, no one would have been able to tell me the origin of this thing."

Xu Ning stood up and walked towards the middle of the large ship. "I wonder if this thing can actually be activated, or if it's just for show."

Lilupal, who had been whispering in Xu Ning's ear without speaking, chuckled, "Of course it can be activated. Look at the core in the center of the ship, isn't there a source of elemental energy burning?"

Xu Ning walked to the center of the ship, looked at the elemental fire emitting a cold light on the rune base, and turned to Lilupal to ask, "How do I use this?"

Lilupal gently instructed, "Place your hands on its body gently, being careful not to squeeze too hard, and then just send your thoughts to it, and it will do as you instruct."

Xu Ning glanced at Lilupal, seemingly a little unaccustomed to her sudden gentleness. After thinking for a moment, Xu Ning looked at the Yuan Energy Seed in front of him.

"What is this spark?"

Lilupal chuckled, “Master, didn’t you collect many elemental energy cores? The cores inside are my children, tireless machines, inexhaustible energy, all driven by the spirit of the town. This elemental energy seed is no exception.”

Seeing that Xu Ning was hesitant to act, Lilupal sighed, "They are born with broken minds and cannot perceive and be loved like a true spirit. The function they are given is the meaning of their existence. You don't need to worry about it."

Just as Xu Ning was hesitating, Tadella slowly came to her senses.

"Are we actually not dead, but just trapped here by some kind of trap? Where is this?"

Seeing that Tadella had stood up and was looking around, Xu Ning smiled and said, "It should be somewhere in the Red King's Tomb."

Tadella stared blankly at Xu Ning, not knowing what to do for a moment.

He had already resolved to die, whether by dying at Xu Ning's hands or by taking his own life in front of him, it would be considered the end of his life.

But what is this now? Just now, I thought I was already sitting in the soul-ferrying boat, about to go to the underworld with him.

He had been planning his death for a whole day, but the unexpected teleportation interrupted his plans and he made a fool of himself. Now he's emotionally disoriented, so how can he possibly die?