Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

Noticing Xiao's intense, almost probing gaze on him, Gu Sanqiu turned to size up the weapon in the adeptus's hands, a similarly evaluative look in his eyes.

An exclusive weapon, boosts critical rate… he mused.

He wondered if the weapon's supposed "crit rate" was from some sentient spirit, allowing it to target an enemy's weak spots automatically. Or, if he were to put it scientifically, maybe it was something like an "optimized combat analysis module."

If weapons crafted by the adepti contained that level of precision, maybe he should consider digging up a few manuals to study them himself. Imagine—tailoring the augmentation of each weapon for his own strengths. Now that would be something.

"Right." Xiao pointed to the heap of rubble still shifting in the distance. "Didn't you say you were leaving them an escape route? Are you certain they'll be able to use it in this state?"

"Yeah, the other exits are completely blocked by the ley line force. I considered the possibility of a formation master among them, so sealing them in with ley line energy was the safest bet."

Gu Sanqiu gestured toward the mound of debris. "Up here, it may look fragile enough to collapse any second, but from their perspective, this looks like the work of a reinforced formation."

"And since it seems like a man-made barrier, they'll believe it's something they can break through," he continued, "which feels a lot more achievable than breaching ley line seals."

"This formation's solid enough that they won't think twice about it being a trap—they'll just feel a normal level of caution, keeping an eye out for falling rocks, maybe."

"And when they try to break out, they'll have one thought." Gu Sanqiu smirked. "They'll believe this is the only thing keeping them trapped down there—the only source of whatever just shook their world to pieces."

"Once that idea takes hold, they'll feel there's only one choice. Even if one or two of them are clever enough to suspect something's up, they'll still push through here for a shot at survival."

"Otherwise, it's a slow, suffocating death below, or a rush to the surface with one slim hope of escape."

Pulling out an array of bottles, he added, "If they still haven't moved in three minutes, I won't mind giving them a little encouragement with these."

"Sure, they might stand a chance coming out here to face me, but if I throw this stuff down there? Survival won't even be on the menu."

Xiao's gaze sharpened as he glanced back at Gu Sanqiu.

"Like your forebears, you know when to show mercy, but you know even better when to strike."

"Well, you have to hit hard." Gu Sanqiu shrugged, smiling grimly. "Those guys have plotted my death on loop—if I don't put an end to them, what if they actually manage it someday?"

Technically, they already had.

"They've tried before, then? Even made their move?"

"You could say that." Gu Sanqiu's eyes settled on the rubble once more.

Clang!

A mechanical clamor rose as rocks and dirt flew, revealing a massive puppet bursting through the rubble. It forced its way through the formation with such force that dark scorch marks etched themselves across its bronze shell.

"Oh-ho! A giant tortoise, huh?"

Gu Sanqiu chuckled, studying the golem's patchwork design. "Looks like a bunch of parts scavenged from ruined automatons… These guys must really love playing with building blocks."

"Gu Sanqiu! So it really is you!" Voices from within the machine echoed furiously. "How did you track us down?"

"Oh, that's easy," he replied, brandishing his spear. "I had a nice chat with your ancestors. They all agreed to adopt me as your new daddy and sent me over to knock some sense into you fools disrupting Liyue."

With that, he lunged, his spear flashing as he drove it hard into one of the golem's joints.

"This thing won't be easy to breach!" the mechanical turtle growled, its maw opening to spit out blasts of scorching fire.

"Oh, wow—so this baby has an attack module installed? Or did you find some old relic of the Archon War?"

While the revelation surprised him, a smile tugged at Gu Sanqiu's lips.

"Fine, I'll give it to you. I wasn't expecting much from your handiwork, but maybe I misjudged you. You've amassed some solid tech here."

"Enough chatter!"

The golem shuddered as multiple operators shouted from within, firing red beams from its maw. Darts shot from openings in its shell, while its four legs launched volleys of arrows, their tips tinged blue with venom.

"Pity. Your firepower's scattered—barely enough to keep up," he taunted.

Size alone didn't guarantee strength; these constructs were made to hold the line in warfare, overpowering soldiers in formation as weapons of war.

But against someone like Gu Sanqiu? Their size was a liability.

Unlike the conventional automata, this turtle had several operators inside, only adding to the mess he'd make of it. Already his form shifted into a streak of green as a burst of anemo energy surged within him, enhancing his speed and agility to that of a gust of wind itself.

Xiao watched with narrowed eyes, an unfamiliar flicker of curiosity in his gaze.

Anemo energy?

Could this be a new technique from the Gu family—or had this person experienced something extraordinary?

Clang!

The spear struck again at the golem's joint as Gu Sanqiu swiftly began channeling more elemental power, pressing downward with fierce precision.

"Earthbreaker Art!"

Boom!

With a thunderous shake, the golem's back legs sank into the ground, leaving it wobbling as it tried to balance on its forelegs.

"Hurry, you fools! If this man manages to unleash some high-grade art, we're done for!"

"We're working on it! Who'd have thought he'd throw this curveball at us? I told you we should've backed off when the ley lines felt unstable!"

"What? Are you suggesting I made a bad call?"

Even the Sanxuan leaders began to unravel, now that their precious puppet—where they'd holed up for safety—was quickly becoming their doom.

Far from indulging in the luxurious life of emperors, these leaders had forced themselves to live cooped up in this machine, even conducting regular combat drills to avoid slip-ups like these.

But here they were, being run ragged in their own backyard.

Dodging their frantic attacks, Gu Sanqiu took a deep breath as the anemo energy propelled him into the air.

Their golem was formidable, but it wasn't anything he hadn't anticipated. The joints were weak points, but if direct strikes weren't enough, then he'd just need to find a workaround.

---

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