readytorunbook Chapter 438 Brothers Drink Together
Chapter 438 Brothers Drink Together
"Qingming, is that you speaking to me?"
Xu Ning said in a deep voice, "You were actually unwilling to come down at first, but you did in the end. I always thought I could bring you back up safely, but I broke my promise in the end, and that was my fault."
"It's your fault. You gave us false hope. When we came here, we were prepared to fight those monsters with our lives. We never thought about living. You gave us hope, but then cruelly took it away!"
Xu Ning took a sip of wine and asked, "But you still won in the end? Even without me, you still managed to suppress those demons here, not letting a single one escape, and ultimately protecting Liyue."
“We protected Liyue? Yes, we did, and then we suffered endless pain down there. We were lost underground. We knew death would come eventually, but it seemed to be a long way off. We needed to hate, to curse those who could be cursed.”
The whispers in the darkness began to turn malevolent, and the phantoms seemed eager to transfer their own suffering onto others, finding solace in their piercing screams and wails.
However, the wine that Xu Ning spilled was like sulfuric acid poison, making them dare not approach it at all.
They could only roam around like lurking wolves, searching for an opening to attack.
Xu Ning didn't stop. As he poured the wine, the aroma seemed to awaken some memories in the phantoms, and their movements began to slow down.
"This is the wine we gave you back then, and it still tastes the same to this day."
Xu Ning smiled and said, "Although a great battle was imminent and everyone was on the verge of life and death, I still heard you secretly praising my wine, saying that it was worth it to be able to drink such good wine before you die."
"I am still here today, so please drink the wine we drank. Consider it an atonement. Tell me your wishes, and I will do my best to fulfill them."
Xu Ning waited quietly for a while, but there was no sound for a long time.
Finally, a voice slowly spoke: "We die to protect everyone and pursue our desires, like fish plunging into a deep abyss or birds falling into a secluded valley. Though we may achieve our own satisfaction, we remain unknown to others and are ultimately forgotten. So, what wish is there left to hope for?"
Xu Ning took a sip of wine and laughed, "Brother Liaoyuan, I haven't forgotten you all. You all gave me your names that day, I saw you with my own eyes and heard you with my own ears. All the past events are etched in my memory. Even though hundreds of years have passed, I have never forgotten you. Liaoyuan, Qingming, Chengshan, Shugen... Boyang, Hulan, Xiudao, Yunzhen... I still remember all your names!"
As Xu Ning announced the names of the people, figures suddenly appeared in the void outside the stone plate. At first, their faces were somewhat ferocious, but as Xu Ning announced their names, their expressions began to become peaceful.
"Good brother, this farewell may mean it's hard to see each other again."
Looking at the familiar faces, Xu Ning said, "Actually, I've always had even better wine, but I didn't dare to share it with you back then, for fear of making you all drunk. But now that we're saying goodbye, we can drink until we drop."
"The wine is named Qianyan, meaning 'thousand-year-old cliff,' as steadfast as a rock. Brothers, drink to your hearts' content!"
Xu Ning drew out his Thousand Rock Wine.
Suddenly, the figures in front of them produced rough wine bowls, which were the stone wine bowls that Xu Ning had made with his rock elemental body before entering the Abyss.
It's like the drink we all shared when we agreed to fight back against the invading monsters of Liyue—no regrets!
It's like the drink we shared with our brothers after we completed our mission to protect Liyue—no regrets!
"The cliffs stand firm, the peaks remain unmoved. Farewell, brother!"
One by one, the figures drank through the Thousand Rocks, and then their bodies gradually turned into black mist and dissipated.
Xu Ning murmured, "The cliffs are steadfast, the mountains unyielding. As long as Liyue remains, this is not our final farewell. I will engrave you deep within my soul, and carry you into the cycle of the ley lines. We will meet again someday!"
As Kuki watched Xu Ning stand at the edge of the platform bidding farewell to the group of ghosts, he asked Yan Fei, "Are these the warriors who stopped the Black Tide back then?"
Yanfei nodded seriously, "Yes, thanks to them, the disaster was contained within the Lava Abyss, protecting countless people in Liyue Harbor."
Hisa sighed, "This war in Liyue is known as a miracle in our land. No one could have imagined that a black tide could end in such a way. It's just too incredible."
The Kuroshio Current's rampage in Inazuma was nothing short of devastating.
Despite the fierce resistance from the Inazuma demons and the people, countless resistance fighters perished in this war.
Xu Ning walked over and, continuing from Jiuqi Ren's words, laughed, "Is it called a miracle? Well, when people's beautiful vision for the future and their burning emotions for their loved ones come together, they can accomplish feats that surpass even miracles!"
"If we unite our strengths like this, breaking through here shouldn't be too difficult."
"I see a point of light!"
As the group was talking, Paimon, who kept wondering when they could get out, suddenly pointed upwards and shouted.
Everyone looked up and saw that in the endless darkness, a point of light had indeed appeared, and as time passed, the point of light was gradually growing larger.
"Are we about to get out? That's the exit, right?"
The little guy seemed to have been really suffocating down there. As soon as he saw the exit, he got so excited that he forgot himself and kept pulling on Kong and asking questions.
Xu Ning, however, was not as excited as she was.
He could feel that as time passed, the exit was gradually approaching them.
This indicates that one's perception of the surrounding environment is gradually recovering.
This is a good thing, but it's also a bad thing.
The good news naturally means that I am getting closer and closer to escaping, but the bad news is that what I can sense, the Taiwei Instrument Panel can also sense.
Then the thing I'm most worried about is probably going to happen soon.
"Ye Lan, how are you feeling? Have you suddenly felt very tired?"
Ye Lan and Yan Fei both nodded.
"That feeling of fatigue seemed to have just appeared, but it accumulated very quickly."
Xu Ning pondered for a moment, then asked Xiao, "Xiao, you are the most seriously injured. Can you still hold on?"
Xiao calmly and earnestly replied, "It's alright."
Xu Ning nodded in relief, "Then, let's discuss how to deal with the loss of the Taiweiyi Pan!"