When Purple Moonflower arrived at the entrance of the secret passage, he was utterly dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Right upon arrival, he saw a cultivator in the Verdant Aspect state, ferociously attacking another cultivator.
No, not attacking—
Chopping!
The victim had already been hacked into pieces.
A chilling, savage gaze suddenly locked onto Purple Moonflower.
Caught in that stare, everyone except Purple Moonflower felt their legs go weak, trembling involuntarily.
What a terrifying look.
The aura was all too familiar.
It was that White Owl guy.
Why had he suddenly gone berserk and transformed like this?
In the next instant, Purple Moonflower saw the frenzied cultivator charging toward their group.
The speed was so overwhelming that even he had to take it seriously.
Without hesitation—
He unleashed his Sanctus Medicus form, a menacing long spear materializing in his hand.
For the cultivators of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, this spear was a symbol of both cultivation and status, named the Dragoncoil Spear.
"Stand ready!"
With Purple Moonflower's shout, the others didn't dare slack off, each revealing their true forms.
But before they could act to subdue the seemingly crazed Leon, he lost consciousness.
Purple Moonflower approached with utmost caution, slowly closing the distance.
Confirming that Leon was unconscious, he let out a sigh of relief.
He immediately took out the small vial given by the Leader and stuffed the sole pill inside into Leon's mouth.
Green Hibiscus asked, "What… what happened to him?"
"It must be the Dragoncoil Elixir. Otherwise, with his short-life species physique, there's no way he could manifest the Verdant Aspect."
"But, Lord Purple Moonflower, even if he took it, it should take at least five days for the body to complete the transformation under normal circumstances."
"…I don't fully understand either. We'll have to wait until he wakes up to ask… hm?"
Before he could finish, Purple Moonflower noticed a corner of a special wrapping paper sticking out from Leon's body.
Pulling it out and examining it, he confirmed it was, as expected, a receipt for purchasing components of the Dragoncoil Elixir.
What made him gasp was that Leon had bought three portions…
In other words, this guy had likely consumed three Dragoncoil Elixirs.
Green Hibiscus and the others realized it too, their gazes toward Leon filled with more shock than if they were looking at a madman.
Big brother, you're beyond insane!
A short-life species taking three elixirs at once and not exploding on the spot, only going mad and chopping people up?
"White Owl's physique is far stronger than I imagined, and with his martial arts foundation, no wonder he could withstand a lethal dose."
After a brief inspection, Purple Moonflower reached his conclusion.
He shook his head.
"It seems Yellow Peony and the Leader's concerns were unnecessary."
"For the sake of power, White Owl stops at nothing. Having taken the Dragoncoil Elixir, betraying the organization would be suicide."
"You should already understand—the Dustform Pill not only maintains one's original appearance but also keeps their sanity intact."
"Without reaching the Leader's level, failing to take it within the set time frame… well, I don't need to spell out the consequences."
"Take White Owl back to the organization. By the time the Leader guides the cultivators to complete the first step of our grand plan, he should be awake."
"Yes, Lord Purple Moonflower."
…
Back at the Divination Commission, from the players' perspective.
The Astral Express trio escorted Qingque to complete the restart of the three array bases, dealing with numerous monsters spawned by the Rift and some Abyssal Corruption forms along the way.
Returning to the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, many players caught sight of Kafka.
[Speaking of which, Kafka looks a bit different!]
[She took off her coat, and her colored contacts are gone. Did she remove her makeup?]
[Her eyes look even better without makeup!!!]
[Mom!]
[Overall, she's less dangerously seductive and more soft and sweet.]
[She's so pretty!]
Seeing Kafka being escorted into the array by the Cloud Knights, Stelle stared at her for a few seconds.
"Master Diviner Fu Xuan, it's your turn to show off. Let's see the Divination Commission's unique interrogation methods—open our eyes."
"Naturally."
Fu Xuan nodded, her expression serious as she approached Kafka, gesturing for the Cloud Knights to bring her to the center of the array.
"Is all this fanfare necessary? I said I'd cooperate with you."
Kafka's alluring lips curved into a smile, showing no trace of worry about what was to come.
"You're a wanted criminal skilled in using Word of Command to manipulate minds. This seat has no interest in your words."
"Say what you want, but this seat will only trust the divinations of the Matrix of Prescience Ultima."
"Hm… I understand."
Kafka nodded in agreement, her gaze tinged with amusement.
If she didn't know Fu Xuan relied solely on this, she wouldn't have bothered coming to the Divination Commission.
"The Divination Commission has its ways of extracting the truth from you—far more than what you'd say directly."
"Heh… then please, Master Diviner, witness my fate."
Kafka casually squinted her eyes.
Fu Xuan wasted no time, swiftly forming hand seals to activate the Matrix of Prescience Ultima.
"Begin!"
The three array bases quickly linked to the central hub, radiant light bursting forth and converging toward the center along the array's pathways.
As the Matrix of Prescience Ultima activated, Kafka gradually lifted off the ground, floating at the center of the Celestial Instrument.
With a playful smile, Fu Xuan's third eye peered through Kafka's pupils, delving into her heart…
A predetermined outcome, with no alternative possibility, unfolded before her eyes.
???
Fu Xuan's hand seals involuntarily dissipated, and she instinctively took two steps back.
Her gaze toward Kafka was filled with shock and disbelief.
"You… for this? For something like this?"
"What do you think? Like this truth?" Kafka's eyes sparkled with amusement.
Fu Xuan panted heavily.
"Unbelievable… but the Matrix of Prescience Ultima cannot be wrong."
The Astral Express trio exchanged glances.
Stelle spoke up, "What did you see? What did Kafka do? And you're not going to trick us again, are you?"
Fu Xuan quickly composed herself, casting a complicated glance at Kafka before turning to the Express crew.
"Kafka has nothing to do with the Stellaron. But you… it's actually you…"
"This is utterly absurd. Who would do such a thing…"
Stelle rolled her eyes. "Are you following the Path of The Hunt or Enigmata? Stop being a riddle master, okay?"
The players' mood perfectly matched Stelle's.
What exactly had Kafka done to shock Fu Xuan so much?
"Go ask her yourselves. Ask as long as you want. This seat must report to the General immediately. Excuse me."
With that, Fu Xuan left, ignoring the group.
Welt said to Stelle, "You go ask. I know you have a lot of questions for Kafka."
March 7th cautioned, "Be careful, okay? Don't get fooled by the mature older sister again."
① "What if I want to be fooled?"
② "Got it. Fool me twice, shame on me."
③ "Uh… aren't you the one most likely to get fooled?"