Jing Yuan gently pressed his fingers against his temples.
"What should I do to rescue all of them?
And how can I resolve the subsequent troubles they'll face?
The Vidyadhara are surely in turmoil—how should I navigate between the factions that wish to preserve the dragons and those that seek their extermination?
What reason should I give to the Ten-Lords Commission? The Ten-Lords are not unreasonable, but I must still find a way.
And then there's Master… Now is not the time to lose heart..."
Just then,
an administrative assistant handed a report to Jing Yuan. "General, this is a petition from the Dragon Elders, and copies have been distributed to all Six Charioteers."
Jing Yuan unfolded the document and examined it carefully.
"Twelve Dragon Elders injured, 253 Pearlkeepers injured, 116 alchemists and healers injured, with an additional 1,285 lost to calamity and over 3,000 missing."
The Vidyadhara had already suffered significant losses during the two wars against the Abundance Emanators over the past millennia.
This time, the casualties numbered over 5,000—nearly a catastrophic blow.
The chaos in the Scalegorge Waterscape could almost be considered the worst in history.
But...
Jing Yuan frowned. "Then why are they in such a hurry?"
At the end of the document, it read:
"The seal of the Ambrosial Arbor has loosened. Despite deploying all our elite forces, we have been unable to restore it to its former state. Thus, we petition the Six Charioteers to submit a formal request to the Ten-Lords Commission for the release of the criminal Dan Feng."
With a soft click, Jing Yuan finally placed a piece on the board. "The game continues!"
He knew the Dragon Elders' demands were far from simple—yet they were so blatant that even an outsider like him could see the underlying stakes at a glance.
Thus, he needed to understand the situation even more clearly, to ensure he held more cards in his hand.
...
Jing Yuan truthfully submitted the petition to the Ten-Lords Commission.
The matter involved the seal of the Ambrosial Arbor—even the Ten-Lords had to weigh the significance of those two words: "Ambrosial Arbor."
Though Dan Feng had already been sentenced to death by the Ten-Lords Commission, thanks to the maneuvering of the Dragon Elders and Jing Yuan, the execution had been repeatedly delayed.
——
Several days later,
a hellish guard from the Shackling Prison appeared by Jing Yuan's side. As someone who frequently visited the prison to see prisoners, Jing Yuan had naturally taken the opportunity to familiarize himself with a few of them.
After a brief exchange, the guard swiftly vanished from sight.
Jing Yuan rested his forehead in his hand. "So that's it—the Draconic Metamorphosis. That means Dan Feng truly achieved the breakthrough from zero to one.
The art of draconic transformation… As long as Dan Feng doesn't speak, the Dragon Elders will protect him at all costs.
Though, from what I can see, Dan Feng hasn't spoken—and I know his reasons for silence aren't for his own sake.
Still, this is a good opportunity. The Dragon Elders will surely exert pressure on the Ten-Lords Commission.
All that's left is the final push to make the Ten-Lords relent."
The scene repeatedly showed Jing Yuan meeting with various individuals,
all dressed in luxurious attire, clearly high-ranking figures.
Throughout this process, Jing Yuan's diplomatic tone grew increasingly polished.
Finally, on a quiet afternoon,
Jing Yuan received a new petition—this one from the Azure Dragon Lord, Tianfeng Jun, who, after deliberation with the Alliance, decided to pardon Dan Feng of his death sentence in light of his past merits.
However, while the death penalty was commuted, punishment was still inevitable.
At this, Jing Yuan finally let out a sigh of relief.
...
Later, in the Scalegorge Waterscape, Dan Feng completed his molting.
The scene also gave close-ups to the Dragon Elders, emphasizing that this was not a true reincarnation—Dan Feng could still recover his memories.
All of this, of course, was within Jing Yuan's expectations.
The camera lingered on Jing Yuan's face before the screen gradually faded to black.
——
"Star Calendar 7380, Xianzhou Starwatcher Avenue."
The subtitle flashed across the screen.
The scene slowly brightened,
revealing an icy sword emerging from the ruins.
The camera then panned out, showing several Cloud Knight corpses frozen into ice sculptures.
Jing Yuan walked forward slowly, gripping his glaive.
The scene shifted—under the glow of a blood-red moon, Jingliu stood with her icy sword, glaring furiously at Jing Yuan.
At this moment, the crimson hue of her pupils was no longer her natural eye color but a sign of her descent into the Mara-Struck madness.
As he took in Jingliu's appearance, his thoughts seemed to return to that day.
"Uphold this oath: We Cloud Knights, like clouds obscuring the sky, shall shield the Xianzhou!"
Jingliu raised her sword high. "Draw your blade!"
"Yes, Master!" The young Jing Yuan, brimming with vigor, unsheathed his own sword. "Uphold this oath: We Cloud Knights, like clouds obscuring the sky, shall shield the Xianzhou!"
As they spoke, the scene transitioned seamlessly—the greatsword in the memory had become a glaive, and the young Jing Yuan had become the general.
In the next moment, Jingliu, devoid of emotion,
charged at Jing Yuan without hesitation, and the two instantly clashed.
With every swing of his blade, Jing Yuan relived the past.
——
Under the scorching sun, Jingliu sternly instructed Jing Yuan, "Hold it steady! A Cloud Knight must never let his weapon slip! Discipline your stance!"
"Yes, Master!"
The scene cut back to reality—the two were still locked in combat. As Jingliu's blade grazed past his shoulder, Jing Yuan caught his own reflection in the sword's edge
and fell into memory once more.
This time, the scene was ablaze with firelight.
"Master… He doesn't recognize us anymore…" Jing Yuan gripped his weapon, staring at the Cloud Knight who had long succumbed to mara.
Jingliu slowly drew her sword. "Such is the fate of those who fall to mara."
Without hesitation, she sent him into the cycle of reincarnation.
"Mara is the destiny of the long-lived species. If one day, I too succumb to mara… you must not hesitate."
"Yes… Master…"
In the next moment,
Jing Yuan found himself in the Shackling Prison, watching helplessly as Jingliu writhed in agony.
The cold voice of the Ten-Lords Commission echoed in his ears:
"Those who fall to mara are lost to the six defilements, their humanity forsaken. Go back, Jing Yuan. Jingliu is already gone."
——
Suddenly, Jing Yuan snapped back to the present—Jingliu's fatal strike was already upon him.
He was sent flying dozens of meters, stumbling before barely steadying himself with a roll.
The building behind him, cleanly severed at the waist, was proof enough of the attack's force.
Jing Yuan closed his eyes. Even after consulting every alchemist in the Alchemy Commission and scouring every text, he had found no possible cure for mara.
He snapped his eyes open, his body now wreathed in golden light.
"Farewell… Master…"
A colossal golden deity loomed behind Jing Yuan—the same power once wielded by General Teng Xiao: the Divine Foresight.
Now, it had come to Jing Yuan.
"Allow your disciple to repay your teachings with this final strike!"
The blade descended with overwhelming force.
The camera focused on the sky, where two stars shone brightly.
Amid Jing Yuan's furious roar, Jingliu stood frozen, bathed in golden light—
and then, nothing.
——
The next scene was set on a bright afternoon.
Jing Yuan now stood in the place once occupied by Jingliu—a master himself.
And where he had once been the young disciple, Yanqing now stood.
"A Cloud Knight must never let his weapon slip. Discipline your stance."