"Again…"
"It's you again, you damned creature!!!"
Jiang Yan was so furious that smoke nearly rose from his head.
He was about to explode.
That precious chest he'd lost before—this thing was the culprit!!!
"You mangy beast! Get back here!"
Jiang Yan stomped his right foot—Navy Six Styles: Shave!
His figure vanished in a blur.
Meanwhile, Morax frowned.
"What is Jiang Yan doing?"
"What's wrong?" asked the other immortals as they followed his gaze.
In the distance, Jiang Yan darted back and forth, hands pressed together.
"Wood Release: Technique of the Binding Bags!"
A massive wooden hand burst from the ground beneath the creature, grasping for it—
But the strange thing twisted aside with a quick leap, dodging the attack with ease.
"Damn it!!!"
Jiang Yan roared, slamming both hands to the ground.
"Wood Release: Flower Tree World's Descent!"
In an instant, trees erupted in all directions. Within moments, a lush forest surrounded them.
The dense woods slowed the creature's movements, yet it slipped and dodged through the trees with astonishing agility.
Even the pollen from the blooming flowers seemed unable to touch it, as though blocked by an invisible barrier.
"What is this thing?!"
Jiang Yan's brows furrowed.
Was this creature truly native to Teyvat?
From afar, Morax's expression mirrored his.
Even in his thousands of years of life, he had never seen such a beast.
He raised his hand, Geo energy coalescing in his palm.
"Lord Rex Lapis, what are you…?" asked Cloud Retainer.
"Helping Jiang Yan out a little," Morax said with a faint smile.
"Stone Stele: Rise!"
A tall pillar of stone suddenly shot up from the mountainside, blocking the fleeing creature's path.
The beast twisted sharply, barely evading it.
"Oh? That quick?"
Morax chuckled, amusement flickering in his eyes, but he didn't lower his hand.
"Then how about this?"
Another Geo pillar surged upward right beneath the creature.
The beast kicked off it, leaping high into the air—
Only for another towering stele to erupt before it.
With no foothold midair, it couldn't change direction and smashed headfirst into the rock.
"Done."
From afar, Morax clapped his hands, face calm and serene—
the picture of a benevolent man doing good deeds without leaving his name.
At the base of the mountain, the Luxurious Chest rolled to a stop at Jiang Yan's feet.
He snatched it up, eyes blazing with murderous intent.
"Well done, my dear Lord Rex Lapis!"
"Now then, you damned thing, where do you think you're running?!"
"Immortal Art—Wood Release: Miniature Gate of Bright Divinity!"
With his shout, several small red torii-like gates descended from the heavens, pinning the creature firmly to the ground.
"Well, little weasel, try running now," Jiang Yan sneered, crouching down and smacking the creature's head.
"I'm not a weasel! Your Grandpa Mink is a mink! Got it?!"
Startlingly, the creature spoke—
and with a voice dripping with arrogance.
"Hmph! If you hadn't ambushed me, you couldn't catch your Grandpa Mink in eight hundred tries!
Go on, I dare you—remove these seals if you've got the guts!"
Even while trapped, the self-proclaimed "Grandpa Mink" remained as cocky as ever.
"Oh ho! Still acting tough after getting caught?" Jiang Yan sneered and slapped it across the face.
"Say that again, I dare you!"
"How dare you strike your Grandpa Mink?!" the creature roared in outrage, thrashing wildly.
Smack!
Jiang Yan's arm swung again.
"Arrogant!!!"
The ugly, weasel-like creature howled in fury.
Still not giving up?
Smack!
Another slap landed clean.
"Presumptuous!!!"
Even after three heavy slaps, the creature's foul mouth kept running.
"Heh, I just love your kind of bad temper," Jiang Yan said, flexing his wrist and licking his lips.
[Host, leave this one to me.]
A familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Well, if it isn't my dear System Bro. What's so serious that you've decided to speak up?" Jiang Yan drawled mockingly.
The last time the system had spoken to him was when he'd acquired the Sword of Promised Victory.
Normally, it only popped up when treasure chests were involved.
[Ha! You don't slack off during work?]
The system's tone was as irritating as ever.
"So what's got you so rattled this time?" Jiang Yan asked curiously.
[That creature—the Treasure-Eating Mink—is not native to this world.]
"Treasure-Eating Mink?"
"Wait a minute—
Not from this world… again?!"
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