"That guide... she was likely an avatar controlled by the same Lord Ravager we encountered back at Herta Space Station," Welt explained, his tone measured and serious as he watched the lingering wisps of spirit-fire fade into nothingness. "From what Julian said before he left, it seems she targeted someone close to him, which drove him into a absolute fury."
"Oh..." March 7th breathed, her eyes widening as the pieces fell into place. "So that's why Boss Julian looked like he was about to tear the world apart."
She glanced around the empty plaza, suddenly realizing their guide was gone. "Wait, didn't that short Diviner ask us to head to the Alchemy Commission next? How are we supposed to get there now?"
"Let me contact Lady Fu Xuan first and see how she wishes to proceed," Welt replied, pulling out his phone.
A response arrived almost immediately. With the situation across the Luofu remaining volatile, Fu Xuan still urged the Trailblazers to push forward toward the medical sanctuaries, promising that a squad of Cloud Knights would arrive shortly to escort them through the restricted transit zones.
Meanwhile, along a misty shore near the borders of the Alchemy Commission, Dan Heng "unluckily" crossed paths with Blade.
Goaded by his former companion's relentless strikes and relentless taunts, Dan Heng finally stopped running from his past. Accepting the long-buried authority sealed within his blood, he unleashed his true form, transforming into the Imbibitor Lunae.
Blade's sharp provocation was only the spark; what truly compelled Dan Heng to shed his mortal disguise was his deep concern for the Express crew. To protect his friends from the oncoming storm, he had to make peace with the legacy he carried.
The moment water and steel clashed on the shore, Yanqing arrived on his flying sword.
However, thanks to Julian's recent "guidance," the young swordmaster did not recklessly throw himself between the two powerhouses as he might have done in the past. Instead, he immediately sent an urgent distress signal to General Jing Yuan before stepping forward to engage the combatants.
Despite the intense training he had undergone under Jingliu's watchful eye, Yanqing remained far outmatched by two former members of the High-Cloud Quintet—especially now that both fighters were unleashing their full, unrestricted power.
He could barely hold his ground. The incidental shockwaves from Dan Heng's water dragons and Blade's dark sword strikes forced the young master to strain every sinew just to parry.
Fortunately, a golden divine construct materialized above the coast just in time. Jing Yuan arrived atop the Lightning-Lord's shoulder, stepping between the clash and saving his pupil from a brutal defeat.
With the General's arrival, the duel came to a sudden halt.
Seeing Jing Yuan take the field, Blade knew his role in this particular scene was complete. Leaping backward into the coastal mist, he used the momentum of the shockwave to retreat into the shadows.
"Halt! You won't escape!" Yanqing called out, raising his blade to pursue the fugitive.
"Stand down, Yanqing," Jing Yuan commanded gently, holding out a hand to stop his apprentice. He turned his gaze toward the draconic warrior standing upon the water. "Dan Feng... you have arrived at the perfect time. I have a small favor to ask, and I hope you will not refuse."
He paused, his voice softening. "Assist me in resolving this crisis, and I can guarantee a full presidential pardon for all your past transgressions."
Dan Heng met his gaze coldly. "I am not Dan Feng."
"Indeed, you are not him," Jing Yuan agreed, letting out a quiet, nostalgic sigh as he looked upon his old friend's altered face. "Yet since you bear his legacy and his power, it falls upon you to fulfill the duties tied to that blood."
Jing Yuan wasn't attempting to manipulate him through moral obligation; he genuinely cared for Dan Heng's future. If Dan Heng wished to master the High Elder's authority without suffering from spiritual backlash, his heart needed to be completely unburdened. Should the Xianzhou fall while he turned a blind eye, the guilt would forever stain his connection to the water path.
Truthfully, if the corruption beneath the Ambrosial Arbor hadn't implicated the ancient Vidyadhara seals—making it impossible for Jing Yuan to trust the greedy Dragon Masters of the High Commission—he would never have asked his reincarnated friend to step back onto this bloodstained stage.
It was a matter of sheer coincidence that Dan Heng was here; otherwise, Jing Yuan would have been forced to bow before those arrogant elders to request the unsealing of Scalegorge Waterscape, a prospect that deeply displeased him.
Dan Heng was far too perceptive not to read the unspoken truth behind the General's words. Recognizing that the crisis threatening the world-ship was rooted in his predecessor's legacy, he offered a single, resolute nod.
"Excellent," Jing Yuan smiled. "Then let us make haste."
"What about the chaos raging across the lower docks?" Dan Heng asked, looking toward the distant smoke rising from the residential districts. "Should we not clear the cultists before unsealing the ancient waters?"
"Haha, there is no need to worry about that," Jing Yuan chuckled warmly, a glint of satisfaction in his golden eyes. "Someone far more eager has already volunteered to sweep the trash for us."
Both Yanqing and Dan Heng stared at the General in mild confusion, wondering who could possibly inspire such absolute confidence.
High above the central hall of the Artisanship Commission, two figures stood upon a narrow metallic crane.
"Kafka, the timing is right," Silver Wolf reported, checking her virtual monitors. "The Astral Express is moving through the transit corridors, Julian is maintaining contact with Fu Xuan, and Jing Yuan has reached the coastal seals. This is our best window to deploy the payload."
"Leave it to me," Kafka replied smoothly.
"Initiate the sequence!"
Pulling out her communicator, Kafka softly whispered a single command into the receiver, her Path ability pulsing through the signal.
Deep within the silent halls of the Artisanship Commission, an alchemist wearing the robes of the Alchemy Commission snapped awake from a trance. His eyes remained completely hollow as he stood up, marching directly toward the central Creation Furnace.
The entire district had been evacuated hours prior, leaving only erratic, corrupted automatons wandering the metallic catwalks. Yet the path the spellbound cultist walked had been thoroughly cleared in advance. He moved unimpeded until he reached the massive, dark root coiled around the base of the furnace.
"Hey! You over there! What do you think you're doing?!" an authoritative voice boomed from a nearby platform.
It was Master Gongshu, the elder craftsman who had slipped back into the facility to check on his precious machinery. "Didn't you hear the evacuation sirens?!"
"Should I neutralize him?" Sam asked, her armored voice echoing deeply through her mechanical chest piece.
"No need," Silver Wolf declined, tracking the elder's movements. "He's too far away to stop the proxy anyway. Let him serve as our witness."
Master Gongshu, assuming the alchemist was injured and deafened by the ambient noise, hurried forward to offer aid. But before he could take ten steps, the cultist reached out and pressed his hands against the pulsing bough. A violent surge of dark energy erupted from his chest, and his entire body was instantly dragged into the wooden mass, absorbed by the root system.
Master Gongshu froze in sheer terror.
Looking at the thousands of tiny, needle-like tendrils suddenly sprouting from the floorboards around his boots, the old craftsman let out a terrified shriek. Turning on his heel, he sprinted back toward the exit as fast as his aging legs could carry him.
With the unsealed Stellaron core introduced into its structure, the primary root of the Ambrosial Arbor reacted violently.
A blinding pillar of dark emerald light shot straight into the artificial sky. The wooden root expanded exponentially, wrapping thick, muscular vines around the entire Creation Furnace before blossoming into a towering, colossal tree with dark, lush foliage.
At its base, three massive floral buds swelled with terrible speed. The central blossom gestated a far larger, vastly more terrifying Ebon Deer than any record had ever shown, flanked by two sinister secondary buds that pulsed with heavy Abundance power.
Meanwhile, the Cloud Knights escorting the Astral Express crew through the shortcut brought Welt, March 7th, and Caelus right to the gates of the Artisanship Commission—where they ran headfirst into a frantic Master Gongshu.
"Master Gongshu? Why are you still here?" the lead Cloud Knight asked, stepping forward to support the breathless elder.
"I... I came back to check on the workshop automatons!" Gongshu wheezed, clutching his chest. "I never expected... those cursed roots! They swallowed a man whole right in front of me! Thank the Stars my legs still work..."
BOOM!
Before he could finish his sentence, a massive shockwave rattled the metallic floorboards, and a terrifying pillar of dense energy erupted into the clouds above the central furnace.
Across different sectors of the Luofu, Welt, Fu Xuan, Jing Yuan, and Julian all stopped in their tracks, turning their heads toward the sky.
Welt's eyes narrowed as he felt the oppressive, distortion-heavy signature crushing the air around them. "This energy... a Stellaron?!"
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