Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

Chapter 613 The Initial Trial Grounds

"It's that simple?"

“It’s that simple!” Ite laughed.

Upon hearing this, Ifrit snorted coldly: "Fine, I agree. Anyway, my goal is to settle the score with Rek'osbao from back then, and the Guardian Certificate you mentioned is just a thank you gift."

"Great, then..."

Itte nodded in satisfaction and turned to look at Phantom. Phantom understood, and his black spear pierced the ground, undead power surging and beginning to erode the ice chains binding Ifrit.

However, the ice lock only trembled slightly, but did not loosen.

“Interesting.” It’s no wonder it’s a seal that can trap calamities; even the power of the undead can’t erode it. Phantom, continue.

The Phantom silently increased its power output, and dense cracks appeared on the surface of the black gun.

Ifrit looked down at the scene, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Doctor, the situation here..." Phantom hadn't finished speaking.

“I see. It seems the owner of this place anticipated this. Phantom, stop. If this continues, the damage to your weapons will be minor, but you will suffer the backlash.”

Phantom sheathed his black gun, the cracks on its blade healing at a visible speed. He looked at Itt, awaiting further instructions.

After a moment of contemplation, It said, "I've got it. Since it's an array, it must have a core. Find it, and then I'll reverse it."

“Then let’s go look for it,” Hong Tao said.

However, just as everyone turned around, a mocking voice suddenly rang out.

"There's no need for you all to trouble yourselves. This is the initial trial ground. You cannot escape, nor can you find the array's core. Because the core of the array is this very world itself."

A man dressed in a strange blue-purple robe and wearing glasses walked slowly towards them.

"Who are you?" Itte frowned.

"This should... be considered our first meeting. Let me formally introduce myself. I am Diablo, one of the Six Evil Saints, the Primordial One of Time and Dimensions." The man smiled slightly, opening his eyes to reveal his demonic pupils.

……

Meanwhile, somewhere in the snowy plains.

Rek'os led the group, struggling through the snowstorm. The environment here was even harsher than the Abyss; everyone except him, Sugnir, and Caesar was huddled up.

"Rek'os, are you sure this is your birthplace?" Karin pulled her coat tighter, her teeth chattering. "It feels much colder than the glacier."

“Because this is the source of all ice and snow,” Rek'os said in a deep voice. “I was born on this land ten thousand years ago during the Ice Age of Teyvat. The world then was a hundred times colder than it is now.”

“But now, with the changing times, this place shouldn’t exist anymore,” Rednos said, arms crossed.

Rek'os nodded: "That's right, so this should be another trial created by the layout within the Holy Venerable's Connection Trial."

As Mo Yan walked, he observed his surroundings: "Since this is a trial ground, there must be some special rules, right? For example... we can't use fire?"

Rek'os nodded slightly: "You guessed right. The rules of the glacier's trial originated from this place. Here, fire is suppressed by ice elements, and the more it is used, the stronger the backlash. If Ifrit were here, he would probably have already suffered the backlash."

"That's great!" Karin exclaimed excitedly. "That guy must be feeling really bad right now!"

"Don't get too excited," Rednos said, pouring cold water on the idea. "Even a cornered beast will fight back. The more desperate the situation, the more careful you should be of its last stand. And don't forget, it has that group of lunatics from the Fallen Gods Guild with it."

The group remained silent and continued on their way.

Suddenly, Rek'os stopped and looked toward the distant canyon.

"What's wrong?" Rednos asked.

“There…” Rek’Os narrowed his eyes, “there’s a familiar aura there.”

"A familiar aura? Are there other people here besides us?" Karin asked, puzzled.

"Could it be the Fallen Gods Guild?" Zi Xuan asked.

Rek'os shook his head: "No, although it is human, it does not have the aura of elemental power."

"No elemental power? Then you're just an ordinary person. Since this is a space created by the Holy Venerable, how could an ordinary person intervene?" Rednos asked, his brow furrowed in surprise.

Rek'os did not answer, but silently gazed at the valley shrouded in snow and wind ahead. After a moment, he stepped forward.

Seeing this, the crowd dared not linger and followed in turn.

The scene that appeared before us astonished as we passed through the snow fog: countless ice-toothed venomous centipedes lay on the snow, their bodies and bloodstains frozen and covered by the white snow.

Further away, there was a giant frost wolf that had been completely cleaved in two. The sword wounds remaining on these monsters were neat and clean, as if they had been killed with a single blow.

"My God, is this... really something an ordinary person would do?" Karin exclaimed in surprise.

Rednos crouched down, his fingertips lightly touching the giant wolf's wound. Ice crystals condensed on his fingertips, then dissipated.

"There is indeed no residual elemental power. Pure power, precise swordsmanship... to achieve this level is no ordinary feat."

Caesar, arms crossed: "Hmph? How interesting. If this is the past, then was it done by people from the past?"

"People from the past? You're not kidding, are you? Unless we go back in time, how is that possible?" Karin said, spreading her hands.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the ground suddenly trembled, and snow poured down the hillside like a white, raging wave.

"It's an avalanche!" Zhao Heng shouted.

Rek'os raised his hand, and an ice wall rose from the ground, protecting everyone behind him. The snow waves crashed against the ice wall with a deafening roar, but could not budge it an inch.

But just then, the snow beneath their feet tumbled, and the next second, dozens of ice-toothed venomous centipedes burst forth from the snow.

Everyone was startled and was about to make a move when a sharp sword light descended from the sky, severing the first few poisonous centipedes in one fell swoop.

Immediately afterwards, a figure emerged from the snow mist, the sword flashing again, beheading the remaining poisonous centipedes.

sizzle!

The centipede's remains twitched a few times on the snow before being frozen solid by the cold air.

The figure sheathed his sword and turned around. By then, the avalanche had stopped.

"Hey, are you guys alright?" the red-haired boy asked as he walked over to the group.

The man was dressed in simple animal skin clothing, with a bear coat over his body, and held an ordinary iron sword. There were no elemental fluctuations around him.

“He’s just an ordinary person,” Rednos said incredulously.

Looking at the boy's face, Rek'aos was stunned.

At this moment, Karin waved her hand with a smile: "It's nothing, thank you so much for earlier."

Upon hearing this, the boy closed his eyes and said expressionlessly, "If you have nothing else to do, hurry up and leave. This is not a place for you."

"Hmph? Kid, you're not that big of a man, but you've got quite the big mouth. What, you think you can give orders just because you saved us?" Caesar looked him over with interest.

Seeing this, the boy glanced at him and said nonchalantly, "Uncle, you have a lot of fire about you. If I'm not mistaken, you've been suppressing your power to avoid a backlash?"