Chapter 183: Group Notification: Phantylia has initiated a private location share with Yaoshi
The Astral Express crew acted with swift efficiency. Before long, the last of the roaring alchemy furnaces sputtered and died, their fires extinguished. The acrid, green smoke that had choked the Alchemy Commission began to thin, slowly dissipating into the air.
"Alright, mission accomplished! The smoke is finally clearing up," March 7th announced cheerfully, dusting off her hands.
"Good... excellent," Fu Xuan's voice crackled through their communicators at that precise moment. "This Grand Diviner will now lead the Cloud Knights to rendezvous with you."
"The furnace fires... are extinguished."
The voice did not come from a comms unit. It was chillingly close. On the other side of the chamber, Dan Shu stood amidst the cooling braziers, her body twisting and reshaping into the form of a 'Dew-Bearing Celestial.' It was the pinnacle of existence yearned for by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus—a form that had shed the constraints of humanity, a true body remolded by the promise of the immortal path.
In ancient times, seekers of the Path had comprehended its mysteries from the Ambrosial Arbor, proclaiming themselves immortals. They were beings unrestrained, viewing flesh and blood as mere clay. Through countless transformations, they had gradually forgotten the faces they were born with.
"It's you, Dan Shu." Fu Xuan's voice was devoid of surprise as she stepped into the chamber, her gaze fixed on the transformed alchemist.
For the Alchemy Commission to be infiltrated to such a degree, an accomplice among the high-ranking officials was a certainty. The only thing missing had been the proof.
"Chief Alchemist greets the Grand Diviner," Dan Shu said, her voice a strange, layered echo. "You seem... unsurprised?"
"Indeed. The General and I have long known that the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were hidden within the Alchemy Commission. We simply lacked the evidence to make an accusation against one of the Six Charioteers' own," Fu Xuan stated, her small frame radiating an unshakeable authority. "We could only wait for you to reveal yourself."
Her voice turned as cold as the void between stars. "Introducing a Stellaron to the Xianzhou, using the Ambrosial Arbor to tempt the populace into becoming Mara-Struck... The Ten-Lords Commission will settle these charges with you, one by one."
"Crime?" Dan Shu let out a soft, airy chuckle. "If what I have done is a crime, then the ancestors of the Xianzhou are equally guilty. It was they who first accepted the gift of Abundance, turning their descendants into the very seeds of immortality."
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus are merely walking the path they once trod, seeking transcendence. What crime is there in that?" Her voice rose, filled with zealous fervor. "In that era, the Ambrosial Arbor's deep roots entwined the Luofu, and the Xianzhou itself was like a living being! Our people were unmatched; everyone could achieve immortality, transforming their bodies at will! The miracle of Abundance descended upon all Nine Ships! What a glorious age that was!"
She gestured wildly, her new form rippling. "But look at the Xianzhou now! Willingly manipulated by that demon bow, ravaged time and again by the very followers of Abundance you hunt, while the Ten-Lords Commission forces us to abandon immortality itself!"
"Alas," she sighed with theatrical pity. "I do not blame you for your ignorance. Neither you nor I were born in the era of the Ambrosial Arbor's first glory. We never witnessed such miracles with our own eyes."
"But now, we still have a chance to restore the ancient ways..."
"I thought you might have some deep insight to offer, but it's just the same old, tired clichés about pursuing power and abandoning humanity." Fu Xuan shook her head, a small, dismissive laugh escaping her lips.
"The ancestors of the Xianzhou fought alongside the Reignbow Arbiter, destroyed the Ambrosial Arbor, and established the Ten-Lords Commission. They codified the laws of life and death precisely so we could live again as 'humans'."
"Immortals? The Xianzhou has never had immortals. The so-called miracles of Abundance, the manipulation of life and death—what you practice is merely the work of monsters."
"Our philosophies diverge; there is no need for further words." Dan Shu's tone turned frigid. "Grand Diviner, you have made your choice. To abandon power is the most foolish choice of all."
"Now, I shall show you the realm our ancestors once touched... Aeon of Abundance, Yaoshi, please heed my call!"
Dan Shu cried out, her voice echoing with unnatural power. Fu Xuan and the Astral Express crew immediately tensed, their guard raised. Was she truly attempting to summon a gaze from the Plague-Author? Legend claimed that Yaoshi, the Dispenser of Plagues, responded equally to all prayers for life.
Leon, observing from the sidelines, simply smiled and looked up, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. He wondered if the Aeon would actually bother to cast a glance this way.
The Aeon of Abundance appeared in the cosmos—a being of strange, compassionate beauty with six arms and two legs, holding ears of wheat that symbolized life, with thorns of decay entwined around its feet. Yaoshi's face was kind, its eyes filled with a deep concern for all living things.
And then... It really did glance this way.
'Nanook, Qlipoth, Nous, Aha, Fuli... why are they all here?' Yaoshi's conceptual thought rippled through the void.
One more look...
'Alright, that's enough looking. No more looking.'
[Ding! Group Notification: The Aeon of Abundance, Yaoshi, has joined the chat group.]
Almost simultaneously, the potent ripple of Yaoshi's presence, like a dazzling signal flare in the darkness, attracted the unwavering pursuit of The Hunt. The gaze of the Hunter turned towards the Luofu.
'Nanook, Qlipoth, Nous, Aha, Fuli... What are you Aeons doing on my Xianzhou?' Lan's thought echoed, sharp and accusatory.
[Ding! Group Notification: The Aeon of The Hunt has joined the chat group.]
Leon:...
Yaoshi:...
The Hunt: @Yaoshi @Yaoshi @Yaoshi
The Hunt remained silent, its intent focused into a singular, repeated summons.
[Group Notification: The Aeon of The Hunt has shared its location. Come and join!]
Aha: Hahahahaha! Welcome, new members, to the Aeon chat group! I'm your friendly group member, Aha!
Aha: Aha is a genius! I guessed long ago that you two would be the next to join!
[Group Notification: The Aeon of Elation, Aha, has joined the location share.]
The Hunt:...
[Group Notification: The Aeon of The Hunt has ended the location share.]
Aha:?
Aha: The Hunt ended the location share! Aha is so embarrassed! So embarrassed!
[Group Notification: The Aeon of The Hunt has initiated a private location share with the Aeon of Abundance, Yaoshi.]
Leon:...
Fuli: [Light Cone Record: "The Hunt Desperately Seeking Yaoshi's Location"]
The Hunt:??????
Aha: Hahahaha! This is good, this is very good!
Aha: Why is The Hunt, that block of wood, so stubbornly obsessed with the beautiful Abundance?
Aha: Wait... wood. That's right, wood.
Aha: Hahahaha... no wonder it keeps chasing Abundance. Is it trying to return to 'mother's' embrace?
Leon: That's just brutal. Senior Aha's move is too harsh.
The Hunt:...
Leon: Actually, what Aha said isn't wrong. The Hunt was born because of Abundance in the first place.
The Hunt:...
Aha: @The Hunt We're having a team-building event on the Xianzhou Luofu, aren't you going to come and host us?
Aha: @The Hunt As the host, it's unacceptable not to greet your guests.
Aha: @Yaoshi, new member, do you want to join the team-building? Just come to the Xianzhou Luofu.
The Hunt: @Yaoshi If you go, I'll go.
Yaoshi: Then I won't go.
Leon watched the group chat unfold, the corners of his lips curling into an irrepressible smile.
Meanwhile, back in the physical world, Dan Shu was being thoroughly suppressed by Fu Xuan and the Astral Express crew. They had initially maintained full vigilance, expecting her to truly summon a gaze from Yaoshi, but when absolutely nothing happened, their patience wore thin.
"Good heavens, you were just playing us, weren't you!" Stelle clenched her fist, her bat swinging with even more merciless force.
"The Ambrosial Arbor's descent should have bestowed an indestructible, immortal body..." Dan Shu muttered indignantly, staggering under the onslaught. "The one who granted the Stellaron clearly promised..."
"Phantylia... The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have come this far..." Her voice rose to a desperate shriek. "Lord Ravager, it is time to fulfill your promise!"
"Now is the time—act quickly!"
Lord Ravager Phantylia?
Welt and Fu Xuan exchanged a look, a sudden, chilling understanding dawning in their minds. So, it was a Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion who brought the Stellaron to the Xianzhou. And she... she had been lurking beside them all along.
'Then, only you remain.'
Welt's gaze slowly, deliberately, turned towards Tingyun.
"What?! Lord Ravager Phantylia?!" March 7th exclaimed, her shock finally catching up to her.
Compared to Welt and Fu Xuan, who had already harbored suspicions, March 7th was only now truly processing the fact that they were about to face one of the legendary Lord Ravagers.
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