After finishing the diary entry, a massive emerald barrier appeared in Su Xuan's field of vision not far away.
Venti sensed the elements within the emerald barrier, his expression darkening. "This is an ancient ruin. Dvalin did indeed turn it into his lair after waking up."
"But the barrier enveloping the entire ancient ruins isn't purely wind elemental power. I sense an energy in it that's hard to describe."
If it were just a wind elemental barrier, Venti could easily dispel it.
However, that unfamiliar energy within the barrier was likely there to prevent him from breaking it and to sever his connection with Dvalin.
"This is to keep us from easily seeing Dvalin," Venti spread his hands. "Good-hearted bro, if it really doesn't work, let's head back to Mondstadt."
"As long as we get the Skyward Harp, I can summon Dvalin. Then we won't need to enter the Wind Dragon Ruins."
Su Xuan glanced sideways at Venti.
Venti wasn't messing around or stalling this time.
The storm barrier did contain some kind of energy provided by the Abyss Order, but dispelling it wouldn't be difficult for Venti.
He just needed to kill a nearby Abyss Order monster, and Venti could quickly read the rhythm of the barrier's energy weave from the dissipating energy after its death.
"No need for all that trouble."
As Su Xuan's words fell, a layer of glow suddenly lit up around him. With a casual lift of his hand, under Venti's puzzled gaze, a vortex abruptly twisted open on the storm barrier.
Before Venti could comprehend what had happened, Su Xuan lightly twisted his palm, and the vortex's rotational force surged violently.
In an instant, the storm barrier enveloping the entire Wind Dragon Ruins couldn't withstand the immense twisting force and shattered on the spot.
Boom!
Fierce winds howled through the mountains.
Venti stared dumbfounded at the path leading to the Wind Dragon Ruins' high tower ahead, momentarily unable to react.
"Alright, let's go..." Su Xuan stepped toward the Wind Dragon Ruins.
Venti hurriedly caught up from behind, chuckling awkwardly. "Good-hearted bro, what exactly did you just do?"
"I didn't understand a thing."
"I just brute-forced the barrier apart," Su Xuan said matter-of-factly with a smile. "Compared to studying the barrier's energy patterns and playing a tune,"
"I figured simple destruction was easier."
Venti: "..."
The wind spirit was speechless.
From Su Xuan's words, it was clear he didn't want to reveal the secrets of his power.
That was normal.
The clever wind spirit naturally wouldn't pry further.
He pointed to the distant tower wrapped in windfields. "Dvalin's resting deep in that tower. The path here is tricky to navigate, so let's fly straight there."
"Also, from what I can tell, a barrier on the tower's upper levels is blocking the storms surging from the base. Dvalin probably doesn't want to be disturbed."
"We'll need to figure out a way..."
"Shh..." Su Xuan made a "shh" gesture at Venti. "Quiet down first. I need to observe the surroundings."
Venti: "Uh, this..."
Su Xuan patted Venti's shoulder firmly. "Since I promised that diligent knight I'd help rescue Dvalin, you don't need to worry."
"Just stay here quietly for a bit."
Venti wanted to ask how exactly Su Xuan planned to cleanse the corrupted blood from Dvalin's body.
But hearing Su Xuan put it that way, the frustrated wind spirit could only shut up.
Su Xuan scanned the area, his mind stirring slightly.
[Wind Dragon Ruins.jpg]
[This is the town from back when the High Tower Solitary King ruled.]
[Now it's so ruined that it's hard to reach the tower on foot.]
[Of course, it wasn't originally this inaccessible for sightseeing.]
[Until a woman full of weird ideas showed up.]
[She thought the Wind Dragon Ruins lacked that historic ruin vibe, so she blew it up into the Wind Dragon Ruins we see today.]
[Standing amid this desolation, I feel a sigh of sorrow.]
[The dragon's home was once called the Wind Dragon Ruins; now it's the Wind Dragon Ruins.]
[The hero wakes from five hundred years of slumber, comes home, and finds his mansion turned into a doghouse.]
[Sigh, Dvalin—'tragic' sums it up.]
[Seeing this wreckage, I can't help but snort at that woman with her head full of strange ideas.]
[But thinking of her reminded me of one of her proposals that suddenly enlightened me on my lost travels.]
[She had a truly admirable dream: creating an idol group on the Teyvat Continent.]
[She even tried multiple times to recruit Barbara and Kamisato Ayaka as idols.]
[Sadly, the plan failed, and the Teyvat Idol Group project was shelved.]
[Maybe I should pick up her great ideal and create my own exclusive idol group.]
[Imagine: emulate Ningguang's rich lady style with a Jade Chamber floating in the sky, perched high above where no one can reach.]
[Waking up each day on an 800-square-meter bed to the sweet voices and graceful dances of exclusive idols—now that's the life.]
The beautiful girls were speechless on the spot.
So *that's* how you "snort" at her?
Liyue Jade Chamber.
Ningguang couldn't help but chuckle at Su Xuan's thoughts. "If that's truly what you desire, it's easy enough."
"Want a Jade Chamber? I'll give you mine. Need a new one? I'll bankrupt myself to build you one."
"As for the idols... that might be tricky..."
"If they agree, fine. If not, kidnap them? Really?"
[Never mind. Right now, the priority is helping Little Jean rescue Dvalin.]
[Time to get to work.]
Wind Dragon Ruins.
Venti, who had been watching Su Xuan, suddenly saw him look up toward the distant tower.
Just as he was about to ask about the next step,
Su Xuan raised his arm.
Boom!
The entire ground shook violently.
The wind spirit froze, but with his prior experience of Su Xuan shattering the barrier, Venti instinctively looked in the direction of Su Xuan's arm.
In that instant, he saw the entire tower uprooted from its foundation.
Dvalin's dormant storm was fully exposed in his view.
Venti: "?"
A flash of emerald light streaked through the storm.
Accompanied by an enormous roar of fury, a giant dragon burst skyward from the storm.
"This guy's got morning rage?" Su Xuan narrowed his eyes with a smile.
Dvalin, emerging from the storm,俯视ed the ground and immediately spotted Venti beside Su Xuan.
"Barbatos! Was it you, disturbing my rest?!"
But as Dvalin's roar escaped, he found his entire body seemingly controlled and bound by some force, stiffening in place.
"Barbatos, you... what have you done to me..."
Hearing Dvalin's furious bellow, Venti blinked. "Me? I haven't done anything."
"Impossible! My body... I can't move!"
Venti: "?"
After hearing Dvalin's impotent rage, Venti abruptly turned to Su Xuan—and sure enough, Su Xuan's palm was clenched in a gripping pose.
Dvalin's current state was undoubtedly tied to Su Xuan.
The wind spirit sharply inhaled: What kind of power was this, binding such a massive dragon so utterly?
"Good-hearted bro..." Venti began, but Su Xuan retracted his palm.
A gust surged in from nearby.
Venti hurriedly looked over, only to find that in a mere instant, Dvalin—who had been in the sky—had been yanked down to the ground nearby.
"Barbatos, you—you brought people to kill me!" Dvalin let out a wail of sorrow, but no matter how it struggled, it was futile.
Like a lamb awaiting slaughter, pinned firmly to the earth.
"I..." Venti panicked.
Su Xuan followed up, "Why explain yourself to a berserk dragon? Once we cleanse the corrupted blood from its body, it'll be fine."
With that, under Venti's bewildered and shocked gaze, Su Xuan waved his hand, and a mirror shining with brilliant light materialized out of thin air.
A breath later, Dvalin's image appeared on the mirror's surface.