The gate of the Temple of the Wolf of the North was already open.
The two of them walked to the end of the passage.
Below lay a shallow basin of water, only reaching about ankle depth.
Several pieces of slime condensate were scattered on the ground.
"Slimes have been killed here," Diluc said.
Since slimes didn't always drop condensate when they died, it was impossible to determine how many had originally been here.
The two jumped down, splashing water everywhere.
Jiang Chen crouched and collected the three pieces of slime condensate into a container.
"You're interested in that stuff?"
Diluc asked.
"It's great for making drinks."
"You should try brewing wine with it sometime. It might taste good."
"Your drinks contain that thing?!"
Diluc's voice suddenly rose before he forced himself to calm down.
He couldn't help clearing his throat.
After all, he had drunk plenty of Good Hunter iced drinks before.
Jiang Chen always served them whenever he visited.
And he couldn't deny that he had liked the taste.
"It's not poisonous. What's the problem?"
Jiang Chen replied casually.
Diluc clenched his fists.
He silently swore he would never drink Good Hunter iced drinks again.
Collecting slime condensate didn't take long.
The two continued down the corridor.
Ahead of them stood a pair of flame-spewing mechanisms.
One on the left.
One on the right.
Between them was a safe zone.
More slime condensate lay there, indicating someone had already passed through.
If that person had reached the safe zone, then they must have gotten past the first trap.
Which meant they could also pass the second.
"Let's start praying Kaeya is still alive."
Diluc said.
Kaeya could temporarily freeze the mechanisms using Cryo, allowing him to pass safely.
But now the traps were no longer frozen.
That meant Kaeya had passed through some time ago.
If he had encountered a Cryo Abyss Mage…
"Let's go."
Jiang Chen waved his hand.
Two stone walls instantly rose in front of the flames.
They ran past safely while the fire blasted harmlessly against the rock.
Jiang Chen even grabbed another piece of slime condensate on the way.
"That ability is really convenient."
Diluc commented.
Even as a Pyro user, forcing his way through those flames would have been messy.
He wouldn't get injured.
But his clothes certainly wouldn't remain intact.
The rest of the corridor was strangely empty.
Soon they reached another obstacle.
A pool filled with sharp spikes blocked the path.
Swimming across was impossible.
Jiang Chen ignored it completely.
A stone wall formed beneath his feet.
He simply stepped across it.
Diluc followed behind.
"Does your Geo energy never run out?"
Diluc complained.
Normally, the elemental power stored in a Vision was limited.
After each use, it had to recharge by absorbing elemental energy from the environment.
That meant abilities usually required cooldown time.
"You can guess."
Jiang Chen smiled.
He didn't have a Vision.
The Vision was an external magical organ, and he simply didn't rely on one.
"Tch."
Diluc clicked his tongue again.
"Quiet."
Jiang Chen gestured for silence.
They were now close to the top level of the temple, and he could feel a chilling cold spreading through the air.
As a Pyro user, Diluc could also sense the strong Cryo energy.
They exchanged a glance.
Then silently split apart—one moving left, the other right—approaching the hall ahead.
The source of the cold was there.
The air inside the hall was saturated with Cryo energy.
No other elemental reactions were present.
"So it really is a Cryo match-up."
Diluc muttered.
Jiang Chen had predicted it perfectly.
Fortunately, the one suffering was Kaeya.
The lingering Cryo energy suggested the battle had not yet ended.
Which meant—
Kaeya was still alive.
Peeking inside the hall, they saw frost covering nearly everything.
Ice crystals had formed in Kaeya's hair and clothing.
Across from him stood the Cryo Abyss Mage, protected by its shield while chanting continuously.
It drew Cryo energy endlessly from the ley lines.
Even though Cryo energy filled the temple, Kaeya's Vision couldn't absorb it nearly as fast.
Jiang Chen felt relieved.
If he hadn't run into Diluc earlier after leaving the Temple of the West Wind Eagle, Kaeya might have been left here to die.
For Jiang Chen's leveling system, these Vision holders were extremely important.
If one of them died, his own potential level cap might drop.
Diluc pulled a greatsword from his back.
The two exchanged a few quick hand signals.
Then they nodded to each other.
Suddenly—
A powerful Pyro aura exploded at the entrance.
Diluc swung his greatsword downward.
A massive flaming bird erupted from the blade.
"Dawn!"
Diluc shouted.
Where the flaming bird passed, the frost instantly melted into water.
At the same time—
Jiang Chen appeared at the doorway.
A violent gale burst from his body.
His bandaged hand gripped an invisible sword, slashing with the wind.
"Wind Wave Slash!"
A tidal wave of Anemo energy surged forward.
It caught up with the flaming bird and collided with it.
BOOM!
Wind fed the flames.
The explosion swept across the entire hall.
The Cryo Abyss Mage took the full impact.
Its Cryo shield shattered instantly.
A shadow fell over it.
Diluc appeared above.
His flaming greatsword came crashing down.