Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

Chapter 612 Trial Grounds

The flames poured down, instantly engulfing half the mountaintop.

Rek'os fought back with all his might, when suddenly a golden light flashed before his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a snowfield in the midst of a fierce blizzard.

"here it is……"

He paused for a moment, then glanced around. The sky was dark, the mountains were layered upon each other, and the snow-capped peaks stretched as far as the eye could see.

There were no pedestrians or footprints in sight, and even Ifrit had completely vanished.

Only the wind howled, swirling up fine snowflakes that stung my face, icy and biting.

Just then, a noise came from behind.

"Ouch, where did this come from?" Karin covered her head.

Zhao Heng stood up and glanced around: "This doesn't seem to be a glacier, does it?"

"Are you all alright?" Rek'os turned around and walked towards them.

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just that my head feels a little dizzy for some reason," Karen said, spreading her hands.

Mo Yan nodded: "It seems we've been teleported to another place."

Zixuan walked over and said, "Could that light just now have been the Holy Venerable?"

Rednos nodded: "No mistake, I can sense the master's presence. It seems the master has indeed intervened."

“Where did Evelyn go?” Karin asked.

“I don’t know.” Rek’aos shook his head. “The Holy Lord’s teleportation is precise. Since we have been sent here, Ifrit should have been sent elsewhere, or… temporarily suppressed.”

"Temporarily?" Karin's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

“Yes, since he can help us get out of this predicament, he should also be able to eliminate him, right?” Zhao Heng asked.

Upon hearing this, Rednos chuckled lightly, arms crossed: "Heh, as expected, the master's meaning is quite clear. We can ask him to lend a hand, but whether we can completely eliminate Ifrit depends on our capabilities."

"No way?" Karin slumped her shoulders. "We were finally rescued, and now we still have to go ourselves?"

"Stop complaining, let's see what kind of place this is first," Mo Yan said, arms crossed.

The group looked around. The snowfield stretched endlessly, the horizon pressed low by thick, leaden clouds, making it almost impossible to discern directions. The only certainty was that their current location was definitely not anywhere on the glacier.

“Rekioth, you are a native of this place. Do you recognize where this is?” Rekioth asked.

Rek'os was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "There are many regions on the continent of Teyvat that are covered in ice and snow all year round, but none of them feel as unfamiliar as this one."

His gaze drifted to the distant mountains: "And for some reason, seeing that snow-capped mountain gives me a... sense of familiarity?"

"No way," Karin joked, hands on her hips. "Don't tell me this is where you were born."

“Heh, maybe.” Rek’Os chuckled, but as he took a step forward, he said, “No, I remember now.”

“Do you know where this is?” Rednos asked.

Rek'aws nodded: "This is the Ice Age of Teyvat, the 'First Proving Grounds'."

"What?" everyone exclaimed in surprise.

……

Meanwhile, deep within the mountains, Ifrit, who had been forcibly teleported to the canyon, slowly opened his eyes.

It stretched its massive body, looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, and the savagery in its eyes was gradually replaced by confusion.

"This place... seems somewhat familiar."

It took a step forward, and just then, the ground shook, and several ice chains suddenly flew out, locking its body firmly.

"Ice chains? Hmph, child's play!" Ifrit sneered, his body engulfed in flames as he attempted to melt the ice chains.

To its astonishment, the ice chains, instead of melting under the scorching flames, became even more crystalline and solid.

"How could this be?" Its pupils widened, and it tried again, but no matter how many times it burned the ice lock, it remained unmoved.

"Don't waste your energy. Not only will you not be able to burn this lock, it will only become stronger the more you burn it." Suddenly, a mocking voice came from the side.

Ifrit looked down and saw that it was a man dressed in punk clothes.

It was It, and the other four were all present.

"Oh, what a coincidence, Ifrit," he said, looking up at her.

"Who...are you?" it asked in a deep voice.

It chuckled softly: "What, you just said you'd make me run hundreds of miles before turning to ashes, and now you've forgotten?"

Ifrit's pupils contracted slightly: "It's you... the human who broke my seal!"

"That's right, it's me. It seems the commotion just now has teleported us both here." He turned and looked at the canyon with a smile.

"Where is this place?" it asked loudly.

It smiled slightly: "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the trial of the glacier. Legend has it that the most taboo thing here is to use fire. Ordinary people who use fire to keep warm will either attract demons or be devoured by the extreme cold. As a fire demon, you must be having a very difficult time here, right?"

"No, I remember the records say that you were sealed away because you were burned by flames, so you should be very familiar with it."

Ifrit's eyes suddenly turned sinister: "What did you say?"

"Stop pretending, Ifrit." Ifrit turned around and looked at the trapped calamity with interest. "Your origin is the flame stolen from the Eastern Divine Bird. Although that flame is powerful, it has become a shackle that erodes you after being reversed by the rules of this place."

"Shut up!" Ifrit roared, his flames surging, but this only made the ice locks tighten even more.

"See? I told you there would be a backlash. If you want to leave here, I think there's only one way."

"What method? Tell me!" it roared.

Upon hearing this, Itt chuckled lightly: "How about we make a deal, just like we agreed before?"

"A deal?" A hint of mockery flashed in Ifrit's burning eyes. "A mere human dares to talk to me about a deal?"

“Whether you are worthy or not is not for you to decide.” It met its gaze without fear. “You are trapped here now, and using your flames will only tighten the chains. But I can help you break free.”

Ifrit fell silent. Although the other party was not as good as him, he was right. He did need help now.

"Alright, human, tell me your conditions first," it said in a calm voice.

Upon hearing this, It turned around and said, "It's simple. I need you to help me deal with Ice Emperor Rek'os, and then Shadow Tyrant Rednos and the four people with him."

"You don't know this yet, do you? The current Holy Venerable was betrayed in a reincarnation a thousand years ago, and his power was divided into eight parts, which are now the eight Guardian Certificates. Apart from the Ice Emperor's Guardian Certificate being in the hands of Rek'aos, the other seven certificates have been entrusted to the four outsiders by his side by those guardians."

"So what I need is for you to either hold him back or kill him, but in any case, you have to help me get those guardian tokens."