The schism within the Alchemy Commission was growing ever wider.
And outside, in the Scalegorge Waterscape, everyone was waiting for the return of the High Elder.
"We respectfully welcome the High Elder!"
Although the current situation wasn't suitable for reminiscing, Jing Yuan gave Dan Heng all the respect he was due.
Dan Heng was helpless. He was just sleeping on the Express, and the next thing he knew, he was on a stretcher, being rushed to an emergency.
Where was the trust between people? Weren't they all on the same Express? Was it really okay to just sell him out for some manual labor?
To help Dan Heng resolve his past grievances with the Xianzhou, Jing Yuan was even willing to change the rules. At this moment, he would do anything to open a path into the depths of the Fyxestroll Garden.
March 7th never expected Dan Heng to command such a grand reception.
If she had known Dan Heng was such a big shot, she would have pestered him to come down with them from the start. Wouldn't that have meant having someone to clear the way for them wherever they went?
Dan Heng looked down at the red carpet they had procured from who-knows-where, even rolling it out just for him.
He was speechless, looking back and forth between Mr. Yang, Stelle, and March 7th.
The sight of his two friends immediately reminded him of being carried away on a stretcher in his sleep.
Dan Heng sighed. "In any case, once the seal is broken, my job is done, right?"
"That's right! Just break the seal and let us in, and you'll be the greatest hero!" The only thing Jing Yuan wasn't sure about in this crisis was his inability to open the path.
Dan Heng briefly assessed the situation at Fyxestroll Garden, knowing it was a massive cooling system for the Xianzhou. Opening a path here would naturally require the water-controlling power of the Imbibitor Lunae.
'No other way, I'll have to transform...'
To March 7th's utter shock, Dan Heng, like a magical girl, grew his legendary dragon horns and long hair under a blinding light that obscured all detail.
"For real?! He really has a hidden, inexplicable powerful identity!"
Stelle was equally shocked by this version of Dan Heng. She couldn't understand how he had managed to restrain himself from transforming when they fought Cocolia.
If she had that kind of power, she would have transformed and gone all out long ago.
"There's a lot that's hard to explain. I'll explain it all to you when we get back."
Dan Heng felt a little embarrassed, thinking that keeping this from everyone for so long was a bit unfriendly.
"It's fine, it's fine! Just get to work. As long as the Xianzhou doesn't give you any trouble afterward, we're good." Compared to the shock of Dan Heng's transformation, March 7th was more worried about whether the Xianzhou had a bad history with him.
If the two sides started fighting, that would be really bad.
Seeing this, Jing Yuan quickly interjected, "Trouble? What trouble? No trouble! We and the Vidyadhara are old and steadfast allies. Anyone who troubles the High Elder troubles me. Friends of the Astral Express, rest assured, from now on, all the troublesome rules have been changed by me!"
"My power as the General is limitless!"
March 7th broke out in a cold sweat. She hadn't expected the Dan Shu rebellion to push the Xianzhou General to this extent.
Even Mr. Yang hadn't anticipated that a single Stellaron could strike the Xianzhou's Achilles' heel.
In the end, it was the people of the Xianzhou who knew their own weaknesses best.
Look, this was the result of the Alchemy Commission's years of accumulated resentment.
Dan Heng couldn't be bothered with all this. He just wanted to say "open sesame" and leave this painful place as soon as possible.
The High Elder performed a miracle on the spot, parting the sea. If he had shown such power on Jarilo-VI, he would have drowned Cocolia and her followers long ago.
Unfortunately, it wasn't possible there. The water was frozen, which wasn't suitable for Dan Heng's abilities.
"He's that strong?!"
March 7th had no idea her friend possessed such immense power. When she thought about all the suffering she had endured in past battles, she couldn't help but feel a little peeved.
Who would willingly make things harder for themselves?
March 7th and Stelle had the excuse of amnesia for not knowing their past abilities. But Dan Heng... his situation was a bit harder to swallow.
No wonder March 7th had always seen Dan Heng maintain his composure in times of crisis.
It turned out those crises were never crises for him!
After parting the sea, the buildings beneath the Fyxestroll Garden were exposed. Just by looking at the state of the collapsed seals, Dan Heng knew what was going on.
Dan Heng sighed. "The seal is failing. You don't even need to break it to get to the heart of the Arbor. I'll open it for you. You should go in and check the situation as soon as possible."
Jing Yuan cupped his fist. "Gratitude cannot be expressed in words. I know what you want. From now on, we will go our separate ways. The rules of the Xianzhou will no longer bind you."
Dan Heng wasn't concerned about that. Right now, he cared more about his friends on the Express.
"Alright, let's just break the seal and go in!"
There was nothing remarkable about breaking the seal; it was basically just filling in the answers to a password.
Most of the content was related to the history of the Vidyadhara. Besides the Vidyadhara themselves, few outsiders would know these things. The most crucial part was using the power of the High Elder to part the sea.
After breaking the seal, the path to the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor was opened.
The moment the path opened, an inconspicuous speck of light instantly vanished.
Jing Yuan frowned at the disappearing light, but after a moment's hesitation, his focus returned to the Ambrosial Arbor.
He had to know what had happened to it.
And with just one glance, the change in the Ambrosial Arbor made everyone's face turn pale.
Fu Xuan stared numbly at the Arbor before her.
Its root system was no longer a root system. It had become a terrifying, twisted monster, its living wooden roots writhing back and forth.
The faces and bodies of those with congenital defects were vividly "carved" onto the main trunks of the Arbor.
The scene was as grotesque and terrifying as hell itself.
And on the main body of the Arbor was the face of Dan Shu. She had merged herself into it, becoming a part of the Arbor.
What was truly terrifying was not the Arbor itself.
It was the part that had been severed by the Reignbow Arbiter. That part was now filled with a massive, balloon-like growth.
Within it was a powerful, heart-stopping force of Destruction.
This power seemed ready to explode at any moment, while the endless life-giving energy of the Abundance, nurtured by the Arbor, was step by step repairing the about-to-explode growth.
In this terrifying cycle, a suffocating, fragile balance was formed.
Jing Yuan's face became exceptionally grim.
He never would have imagined that someone, in order to get revenge on the Xianzhou, would turn the entire Ambrosial Arbor into a giant bomb.
If they wanted to save everyone on the Xianzhou...
The only way was to sever the Scalegorge Waterscape, to completely abandon the entire territory of the Vidyadhara.