After Jiang Yan and the others knelt to the ground, the Abyss Baptizers spread their arms wide and once again shouted in unison:
"Welcome the descent of our supreme Lord!"
As their voices rang out, Jiang Yan suddenly frowned.
Because he could feel it—
the surrounding space itself seemed to be trembling.
It was as if something was forcing its way through space, rapidly approaching.
Before Jiang Yan could think any further, the pool beneath the Abyss Baptizers began to boil violently.
Four pillars of water shot skyward, converging above the Baptizers' heads.
At the same time, all of the Abyss Baptizers lowered their heads.
Amid an eerie fluctuation, a humanoid figure slowly emerged at the center where the water pillars converged.
Jiang Yan raised his head slightly, carefully observing it.
This…
was the being these Abyss Baptizers referred to as—
The Lord?
One had to remember that at this point in time, the Abyss Order had not yet appeared.
Its founders would come from Khaenri'ah, and that was still far in the future.
So this so-called "Lord"…
Was it the Lord of the Abyss?
Doubt arose in Jiang Yan's heart.
"Rise."
At that moment, a vast, boundless voice echoed throughout the area.
The voice was hollow, ancient, and carried a sense of near-dissolution.
As the words fell, Jiang Yan rose together with Abyss Flame and the others.
However, whether Abyss Lectors or Abyss Baptizers, all of them kept their heads lowered, appearing exceedingly obedient.
Naturally—
With the exception of a certain someone merely pretending to be an Abyss Lector.
Jiang Yan was secretly observing the figure with the corner of his eye.
Tsk, what the hell is this thing?
You're still putting on airs in front of your own people, hiding in the water instead of showing your face.
It made Jiang Yan grind his teeth in annoyance.
Even among its followers, it was still so deliberately mysterious.
"My supreme Lord, may we begin the ritual?"
The Abyss Baptizers knelt on one knee in midair and asked respectfully.
"Begin."
The figure did not move. Its voice once again echoed across the city.
"Yes! Our revered Lord!"
The Abyss Baptizers rose, and their bodies began to move in strange, unnatural motions.
Under Jiang Yan's gaze, the Abyssal monsters around them also began to dance in the same eerie manner.
Not only the Abyssal monsters—
Even the figure known as the "Lord" was dancing as well!
Jiang Yan followed their movements, dancing along with them.
The ground began to tremble, and the entire pool boiled violently.
"O power that drowns all things!"
"I welcome your arrival!"
"O power that drowns all things!"
"Please accept our worship!"
…
As the hollow chanting of the figure rang out, the entire Abyss City seemed to quake.
The chants grew louder and louder—
first from the Baptizers,
then from every Abyssal creature on the ground.
Jiang Yan's expression turned solemn as he observed everything around him.
The power that drowns all things…
Drowning…
Sure enough.
The power of the Abyss originated from the Sea of Quanta!
In Jiang Yan's understanding, a power capable of "drowning everything" could only be a force from beyond the world.
And that pointed to only one thing—
The Sea of Quanta.
At this moment, part of the Abyss's secrets had been unveiled before Jiang Yan.
Just as his inner demon had once said to him:
[Teyvat is merely a world bubble on the verge of being swallowed by the Sea of Quanta. Save it.]
So the formation of the Abyss truly did stem from the Sea of Quanta.
That also explained why the Heavenly Principles annihilated any nation that came into contact with forbidden knowledge or Abyssal power—to prevent the Sea of Quanta from invading.
Now Jiang Yan finally understood why so many underground ancient civilizations had been destroyed.
The underground nation of the Chasm.
Khaenri'ah.
All of them shared the same fate.
And this so-called Lord of the Abyss—
Was likely a being born after the Sea of Quanta eroded Teyvat.
Its purpose was to assist the Sea of Quanta in devouring Teyvat itself.
But that raised a new question.
Why didn't the Sea of Quanta directly swallow Teyvat?
Why create the Abyss, first destroying Teyvat completely before consuming it?
Jiang Yan had solved one mystery, only for new ones to arise.
He suddenly felt that the truth was far more complicated than it appeared.
Just then, after the pool had boiled to an extreme, it suddenly exploded.
Countless streams of pitch-black liquid surged out, almost instantly flooding the entire Abyss City and rapidly spreading outward.
This was no ordinary liquid!
Protected by the Space Stone, Jiang Yan could clearly see what this black substance submerging his lower body truly was.
With Vector Manipulation, he could distinctly observe the countless tiny "arrows" flowing within it.
Strictly speaking, this black liquid was a very special form of energy.
But it was incredibly impure—turbid and chaotic.
Was this the Sea of Quanta?
No—it wasn't.
Although the Sea of Quanta was often described metaphorically as an ocean, that was merely a figure of speech.
In reality, it was a fusion of chaos and dimensions.
If the Sea of Quanta itself truly entered Teyvat's world bubble, Teyvat would have been destroyed long ago.
So the Abyss repeatedly "guiding" the Sea of Quanta into Teyvat?
That didn't make sense.
Perhaps only that being who looked like the Lord of the Abyss could answer these questions.
Jiang Yan fixed his gaze on the figure above and slowly stopped dancing.
His halted movement was immediately noticed by the Baptizers—and by the figure within the water pillars.
"Violet Thunder, what are you doing?!"
Abyss Flame noticed Jiang Yan's abnormal behavior and shouted in a low, urgent voice.
"Violet Thunder, do you have something to say?"
One of the Abyss Baptizers spoke slowly.
This Baptizer was the very one who commanded Violet Thunder, Abyss Flame, and Frostfall.
"You…"
At that moment, the figure suddenly spoke.
"You are not of the Abyss."
As the words fell—
Whether it was the Abyss Lectors and Abyss Mages dancing on the ground, or the Abyss Baptizers in the sky—
All of them froze.
Every gaze turned toward Jiang Yan.
"W–What?!"
Abyss Flame stared in shock.
"No—no, revered Lord, there must be some misunderstanding!"
"He is Violet Thunder!"
What Jiang Yan hadn't expected was that Abyss Flame was actually defending him at this moment.
To be honest—
Abyss Flame's loyalty to Violet Thunder was truly unquestionable.
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