Genshin Impact: Dionysus reigns supreme, all demons retreat!

Chapter 328 Divine Thought Assemblage to Replace Divine Soul

"Oh, I'd like to hear that."

The dignified Yae no Miko smiled and said, "In Inazuma, there aren't many people with more influence than me. You wouldn't be hoping my shogun will come and invite me personally, would you?"

Xu Ning smiled and shook his head, then leaned closer and whispered a name in the ear of the palace official.

Yae no Miko's expression changed slightly as she looked at Xu Ning, who had already sat up straight, with a complicated expression.

"You know, she's gone."

Xu Ning smiled and shook his head, saying, "As long as we all remember her, she is not truly dead, and I believe she is watching us from somewhere."

Yae no Miko fell silent and ate a quiet meal with the group.

Xu Ning called Zaoyou three times before the little girl finished her portion.

Seeing that she was about to fall asleep again, Xu Ning had no choice but to let Master Ji take Zaoyou into the cave to sleep, and strictly forbade Wendy from giving the little girl any more alcohol.

"Alright, now that we've eaten, it's time to say goodbye. I'll go find her, and if she's still around, I'll have her come and invite you in person."

Yae no Miko, who had transformed into Zhu Zi, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her mouth. After saying these words, she turned around and walked out of the snack street.

A gust of wind blew, a few cherry blossom petals fell, and she disappeared from the long street.

Meanwhile, at Inatsuma Narukami Shrine, under the sacred cherry tree that resembles a fox.

Yae no Miko, who was leaning against the tree, gently opened her eyes and reached out to touch the tree trunk, which was beginning to crack.

"You're such a troublemaker. That little guy can't bear to see you disappear. I bet he wouldn't care even if Inazuma died. But you... humph!"

Yae no Miko's tone was ambiguous, whether it was doting or coquettish, "You should go and say it yourself, I'm not going to interfere!"

The Tiger-Eating Rock in Liyue.

"He seems to be a powerful immortal, just like my master."

Shen He looked at the spot where the petals had fallen and spoke softly.

Xu Ning laughed and said, "She wouldn't like the title of immortal, after all, in Inazuma, they all belong to the category of monsters."

Shen He nodded and asked, "She asked you for help, but you don't want to go. Is it because the matter is very dangerous?"

"Is it dangerous? Well, a little, but I should be able to handle it. It's just that doing that might hurt someone, and that makes me hesitant."

On the night Xu Ning waited for Hayato to steal the documents related to Kujo Takayuki, he drank with two shrine maidens from Narukami Shrine.

From Inashiro Hotaru's words, I learned that the sip of sake I poured in front of the sacred cherry tree when I first visited Narukami Shrine was equivalent to performing a minor purification ritual.

Xu Ning then understood why Yae no Miko and that person had both chosen him as the host of the Divine Sakura Great Exorcism.

Perhaps they all valued the purifying effects of the gourd of wine in their hands.

But even now, Xu Ning still doesn't know what the final outcome was of the invasion by the Dark Army five hundred years ago.

Like Mondstadt, countless histories of Inazuma have been buried in the long years. Xu Ning never knew what the final outcome of the scene he encountered in that daydream was.

This made him hesitate about whether or not to accept the mission of the Divine Cherry Blossom Exorcism.

"Never mind, I'm back now anyway. I can't deal with Inazuma's affairs since they're so far away. I don't have the time to worry about the people of Inazuma until things here are over."

Shen He nodded.

Although she didn't understand the meaning of many of Xu Ning's words, she understood Inazuma's sentence.

She didn't really like how that woman had leaned towards Xu Ning earlier. It was good that Xu Ning wasn't going to see her.

Liyue has been peaceful recently, and with the help of the Seven Stars, Liyue's strength in all aspects continues to steadily increase.

All the materials for Qunyu Pavilion were ready, and Xu Ning felt that there was basically nothing for him to worry about in Liyue.

Xu Ning actually quite liked this leisurely feeling of having nothing to do.

After dinner, Xu Ning casually took Shen He shopping, explaining to her the various changes in Liyue over the years, as well as the new things that had appeared.

"Look, that's called a phonograph. I didn't expect that it would be sold here in Liyue so soon. I have one here too, and I guarantee that it's of better quality than the one they sell."

Xu Ning took out his specially made phonograph camera from the cave and smiled at Shen He, "Let me take a picture of you!"

It was only on a whim that Xu Ning remembered he possessed a magical artifact that could detect other people's thoughts.

Perhaps this will give us a glimpse into what Shen He is thinking.

He took out the phonograph camera he had earned from Xavier in Tasha and slowly aimed it at Shen He, who was standing by the bridge.

Then Xu Ning was surprised to find that he had not sensed any of Shen He's thoughts at all.

Why did he hold it up for so long? Did he need me to pose in some way?

"Why are you holding it up for so long? Do you need me to pose it in some way?" Shen He asked.

It was only after Shen He spoke that Xu Ning sensed his almost identical thoughts.

Xu Ning pressed the shutter and laughed, "No need to pose, just be natural."

He handed the photo ejected from the camera to Shen He, saying, "Look, the colors and lighting are just right. You're very photogenic."

Seeing Shen He curiously examining the photo, Xu Ning sighed inwardly. How did those three guys from Jueyun Pavilion, who didn't look like immortals at all, manage to teach a true immortal disciple?

What is said is what is thought; silence is also silence—this is truly a high state of being.

Unlike ordinary people, whose thoughts are complicated and whose words don't match their hearts.

"Let me take a picture of you too, so that even if you're gone someday, I'll have something to remember you by."

Shen He's sudden words startled Xu Ning.

Xu Ning dared not hand over the phonograph to Shen He, after all, she didn't know which inappropriate thoughts she might have, and if Shen He saw them, something bad might happen.

Xu Ning quickly said, "What you just said feels very ominous. You should have said that we should take a picture of the time we're together now, so we can look back on it when we have free time."

"What you said should mean the same thing as what I said."

Xu Ning thought for a moment, "It's pretty much the same, oh right, we can film it like this."

Xu Ning walked over to Shen He and stood down, taking a picture of the two of them leaning against each other, with the setting sun casting shimmering gold on the water's surface.

Shen He held the photo and examined it for a long time before carefully placing it on the knot of his shirt and tucking it inside.

From Chihu Rock to Yujing Terrace, Xu Ning led Shen He on a round trip.

“Come here,” Xu Ning said, leading Shen He to a large tree.

"I once caught a lazy Thousand Rock Army soldier here, but the place he chose was really nice, with a cool breeze and beautiful scenery."

Xu Ning sat down against the bluestone, took a wine bowl and poured some for Shen He. The two sat under the tree, drinking and chatting.

"You talked a lot while you were sleeping last night."

Shen He said that last night at Tongque Temple, "it seemed like he had grasped some kind of Dharma in a dream, and he looked very happy."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "You even talked in your sleep? Let me tell you, I learned a magic technique in my dream that allows me to split my soul into three parts. It's quite fun, but it seems that it doesn't quite work in combat."

Is it something like this?

As Shen He spoke, he made a hand seal.

A phantom figure appeared beside them, gradually solidifying, and stood gracefully beside them.

"Ah, how come I didn't think of that? You're learning immortal techniques. I'd rather learn from you than from the Bronze Sparrow."

Xu Ning jumped up and circled the spirit summoned by Shen He twice.

“Except for the talisman on your forehead, everything else is exactly the same as yours.”

Shen He nodded. "This is the 'talisman spirit' that I created after using the 'Summoning the Spirit with the Power of the Spirit' spell to absorb ice elemental power into the talisman, and then using the 'Goddess's Spirit Conversion Technique' to give it a true form."

"Because it is based on talismans and embodied by divine thought, it does not require the soul to attach to it. Therefore, in battle, it can assist me in fighting the enemy, or it can directly unleash all the immortal power within the talisman to injure the enemy."

Shen He waved his hand, and the "Lu Ling" crashed directly into a stone wall, then exploded, instantly covering the protruding rock with a large patch of frost.

Xu Ning couldn't help but feel a little ashamed when he saw Shen He's moves.

The shadow to which his soul was attached—let alone self-destruct, he had to be careful to protect it even just to show its face, lest it be fundamentally damaged. Otherwise, according to Tongque's description, he would have to suffer from headaches in bed for at least a year and a half.

However, judging from the sound of that "spirit" crashing into the stone wall, its body, made of elemental force, seemed to be very tough. If my own soul shadow had a body made of elemental force, it might be able to overcome the inherent weakness of a shadow.

Thinking of this, Xu Ning used the Floating World Form Retention Technique to separate a wisp of his divine soul and reveal it to Shen He.

"This is my soul, see if it's as strong as your 'spirit'... Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch..."

Shen He reached out and grabbed his head, but before he could bang it against the tree, Xu Ning shouted.

Girl, which master did you learn that head-smashing technique from to be so proficient?

Xu Ning withdrew his divine sense with lingering fear.

Xu Ning felt a splitting headache from Shen He's grab just now. If he had crashed into the tree and broken, he would basically have been out of work for the rest of the year.

"Yours is too weak; it's basically useless."

Shen He summoned another "spirit," saying, "Try pinching mine."

Xu Ning looked at the approaching "spirit," which was almost a carbon copy of Shen He. The ice-blue color covered all the details of "her" body, making "her" look as if she were not wearing any clothes.

Xu Ning was momentarily at a loss as to where to begin.

Shen He chimed in, "The immortal power is distributed very evenly within the talisman, so the spirit of this talisman has the same hardness throughout its entire body. You can squeeze it however you like."

Xu Ning looked at the seemingly trembling slime and thought to himself, "I don't believe it."

But his hand reached out and squeezed the "spirit's" shoulder.

It is smooth and cold to the touch, and feels like a solid block of ice when held in the hand.

"It seems I was thinking in the wrong direction from the beginning. I should have taken elemental power into account. I need to think about this carefully."

Shen He said, "How about I teach you the Spell of Summoning Generals with the Power of Spirit and the True Technique of Divine Maiden's Spirit Dispatch?"

Before Shen He could finish speaking, the little bluebird beside Xu Ning suddenly coughed as if it were choking on phlegm.

Shen He's expression immediately turned cold. "Master, you haven't been listening in there since yesterday, have you?"

The little bluebird's eyes blinked a few times. "Ahem, how could your master be so idle as to listen to your pointless gossip? I just happened to remember that a certain sound-producing mechanism inside its body could be optimized, so I decided to adjust it on a whim, and it's fixed now."

Xu Ning smiled as he looked at the little bluebird.

“True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng need not worry. Even if you do not speak, I will not allow Shen He to rashly pass on his skills without your permission.”

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun seemed surprised that Xu Ning would so bluntly state his intentions, and coughed lightly to explain, "This immortal was really just adjusting the mechanism."

"Moreover, although the Summoning Incantation of the Spiritual Might and the True Technique of the Divine Maiden's Spirit Summoning are already considered extremely high-grade immortal techniques in the mortal world, in my eyes, they are merely ordinary among countless techniques. I might not even care about something like the Great Cave Mi Luo Venerable Technique."

Shen He said calmly, "Then I might as well give it to Xu Ning as well."

The little bluebird shook its wings angrily, "Hmph, whatever you want!"

"True Lord? The True Lord Who Retains Clouds and Borrows Wind?"

Xu Ning waved his hand in front of the little bluebird's face, and seeing that the little thing didn't react at all, he knew that True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng might really be angry.

"Let me first tell you about the summoning of the spirit..."

Just as Shen He was about to begin speaking, Xu Ning reached out to stop her.

Seeing Shen He's puzzled expression, Xu Ning smiled and said, "True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng's decision not to let you pass on your teachings is for your own good, and also for my own good."

"why?"

"After all, a cultivation technique tailored for you might be useful to you, but harmful to me."

Xu Ning rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "Actually, having seen your 'spirit register,' I have some understanding of how divine sense can be manifested. However, I still need to consider the difficulty of the operation in the details, since my divine soul is not strong enough..."

Seeing that Xu Ning was deep in thought, Shen He did not disturb him, but simply sat cross-legged to one side and waited for Xu Ning.

Just as the little bluebird started to dart up and down and even somersault out of boredom, Xu Ning finally snapped out of his reverie and smiled sheepishly at Shen He, saying, "You got completely absorbed in it for a while, didn't you?"

Shen He shook his head. "Not long."

Xu Ning stretched out his hand and said to Shen He, "Come with me to the Hidden Dust Cave. There's a method we can try, and I need your advice."

Shen He hesitated for a moment, but finally reached out his hand and let Xu Ning lead her into the cave.

Xu Ning's grotto is different from his master's; it's very different.

Although Master's cave dwelling was ingenious and unique, it was rather desolate and somewhat... messy.

However, Xu Ning's cave seemed to be quite lively everywhere. A gentle breeze carried the smell of wine, the flower garden exuded a refreshing fragrance, and the neat tableware next to the stove and the wine jars under the square table showed that people often drank and ate here.

While Shen He was still looking around, Xu Ning had already walked to the side of the Thousand Wind Wine Pool and reached out to pick up a drunk man from the ground.

"My inspiration came from this lazy bum."