Although Noldrei said they didn't need to worry about Dan Shu anymore, no one dared to just leave. Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan, in particular, had no idea what Dan Shu and Noldrei had discussed.
Those who didn't know the inside story would only think that Noldrei had stabilized Dan Shu with a few random words.
But those who knew the truth would be even more suspicious. Could such a massive conflict be resolved with just a sentence or two?
No matter how they thought about it, it just wasn't possible.
However, there were things Noldrei didn't know either. He looked up at Dan Shu and asked suspiciously, "Logically, this shouldn't have happened. You should have either walked the path of Nihility or followed The Hunt. But in this state, how did you end up on the path of Destruction?"
"And this body of yours... it's constructed completely backwards. While 'Emptiness' refers to an unseen nested motion within the universe, it's actually the process of a person's subjectivation and objectivation. No matter how you changed, you shouldn't have ended up on the path of Destruction."
"Did something happen that I don't know about? Or did some outside enemy lure you?"
Noldrei's questions made the situation awkward.
Fu Xuan nervously gripped his hand, her face shifting between shades of black and red, not daring to make a sound.
"Why are you all so quiet?"
Noldrei's question was genuinely hard to answer.
The members of the Astral Express were naturally in no position to speak.
Elysia, who knew the truth, was a savvy young woman who understood the ways of the world. She quite enjoyed watching proud people like Fu Xuan admit their own failings.
"That would be because of Master Diviner Fu's sudden attempt to kill me at the last moment."
Dan Shu's words were laced with sarcasm.
"It was me! I attacked Dan Shu first, but I was only trying to knock the Stellaron out of her hand!"
Fu Xuan immediately explained her reasons for attacking Dan Shu. Her primary target had been the Stellaron in her hand.
March 7th and Stelle watched this scene in shock.
They never would have imagined such a turn of events.
You Xianzhou people forced your own people onto the path of Destruction, and then pushed things this far?
Mr. Yang's scalp tingled. He felt a deep sense that the Nameless had stumbled into a dangerous place they shouldn't have.
Fu Xuan's face was flushed, whether from anger or the shame of her confession.
She seemed desperately worried that those around her would misunderstand, frantically explaining, "Dan Shu was already trying to use the Stellaron at that point! I... I had no choice. I was just trying to knock the Stellaron out of her hand!"
Unfortunately, Dan Shu didn't see it that way.
"Master Diviner Fu, your strike was aimed directly at the Stellaron. If I hadn't protected it with my hand, I'm afraid you would have activated it on the spot, blowing up everyone present."
Dan Shu's words shocked everyone even more.
Even Jing Yuan's face showed a hint of astonishment.
These two women in charge of the Six Charioteers were both so insidious and ruthless.
Could it be that Yukong, the head of the Sky-Faring Commission, was the same?
Thinking of this, Jing Yuan couldn't help but feel a sliver of doubt about the future of the Xianzhou.
Noldrei was also a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Fu Xuan to have such audacity. It made him wonder if she had been putting on an act in front of him before.
Seeing his doubtful expression, the Master Diviner almost broke down on the spot.
"You doubt me too?! If I could act so ruthlessly, how could I have let things get to this point? I would have had it under control from the very beginning!"
In her anger, Fu Xuan threw all decorum to the wind and began to act shamelessly.
She felt as if her self-respect had been severely challenged.
Noldrei quickly shook his head. "No, no, I don't doubt you. I was just considering whether you had the skill to come up with such a vicious plan. Theoretically, your actions at that time could be considered quite villainous. It was very surprising to me."
"Let's move on from this topic. Since Dan Shu has stabilized, why don't you talk about what she plans to do next?"
He quickly glossed over Fu Xuan's role in the whole affair.
This made Fu Xuan feel as if her self-respect had been trampled on by him yet again!
But this kind of blow had already become a habit. The Master Diviner was gradually getting used to the reality that she wasn't as capable as she had imagined.
Jing Yuan no longer cared what Fu Xuan had done at the time. He stepped forward and asked Dan Shu, "Dan Shu, what do you want? Whether it's to restore the faith of Yaoshi or to solve the problems of the Xianzhou people with defects... anything is fine. As long as all the followers of Yaoshi can adhere to the Pure Land Sect, I can agree to it."
He had already compromised a great deal. In the context of the Alliance, this could even cause a major crisis of faith.
Dan Shu's golden, glazed eyes swept over everything below.
In a daze, she felt as if she held the choices of everyone present in her hands. Whether it was the power of Destruction she wielded or the emotions Yufei had sustained her with.
The power of Destruction and the power of past emotions were no different.
No wonder so many people liked to use force to control others. Perhaps this was what they called power...
Dan Shu recalled her past actions. She had never thought about making others do something willingly. Step by step, she had been driven like a current in the great river of fate.
Her silence brought an invisible pressure upon the crowd.
Fu Xuan was terrified that Dan Shu would choose to self-destruct in the blink of an eye.
"I don't want anything, nor do I wish to force you to do anything. For me, I have already constructed the world I wanted. What I want has nothing to do with any of you. From the moment I decided to take this step..."
"Now, this is the result I wanted."
"I am definitely taking the Ambrosial Arbor with me. No matter what any of you say, you cannot stop me now."
Dan Shu's frankness made Jing Yuan's face turn pale.
His words had lost all power. His status as General had become a laughable piece of rubble.
No matter how high his position, no matter how glorious he was, what could he do in the face of a dying person?
As the scepter of military might slipped from Jing Yuan's hand, the bewildered helplessness he felt as a child facing the impossible washed over him once more.
Dan Shu said serenely, "You should consider what the Xianzhou will do without the Ambrosial Arbor. Will you continue as before, blaming the wicked karma of your own civilization on Yaoshi, on the Abominations of Abundance?"