"Looking back now, the Stellaron Hunters certainly had their schemes, and it's true they brought you all to the Xianzhou to escalate the situation, thereby forcing you to fight side by side with the Xianzhou. By now, your sincerity is beyond doubt... The Luofu owes you a debt of gratitude for this, and I should ask for nothing more.
"However, as Master Diviner said, the situation is no longer under control. As the General of the Luofu, I must enlist Dan Heng's aid, and I must also ask all of you for your full support."
"The peril of the Luofu, even if unrelated to the Stellaron, is something I cannot stand by and watch given my nature. But my personal will cannot represent the Astral Express.
"To explore, to understand, to build, to connect... The Trailblazing creed embraced by the Express boils down to those eight characters. The journey is fraught with peril, yet living up to those words is as hard as ascending to the heavens.
"Fear, peril, enemies, death... All manner of obstacles lie across the path, and the Nameless who can walk it to the end are few and far few. Whether to press forward or to leave, a Nameless person's choice should be decided by themselves... Just like the vote cast with one's own hands when deciding the destination aboard the train."
March 7th and the Trailblazer listened intently to Welt's words, then walked up to Dan Heng and reached out their hands, just as they used to on the train.
"Dan Heng, you...?" March 7th asked, a trace of anticipation in her tone, hoping he would join them.
Dan Heng lowered his head in thought, and finally reached out his hand.
"Thank you, Dan Heng."
"I am not standing here in the capacity of a Nameless. Because the comings and goings of this journey were dictated by others, I have no freedom to speak of. But as a scion of the Vidyadhara, I will fulfill my responsibility to the Luofu."
Once everyone reached a consensus, they began discussing countermeasures.
"Back in the day, the Reignbow struck down the Ambrosial Arbor, yet remnants of the Abomination of Abundance's curse still lingered. To seal it away, the Luofu enlisted the power of the descendants of Permanence, making it possible to subdue the remnants of the Ambrosial Arbor.
"Under the auspices of the ancient Dragon Elder, the Vidyadhara channeled the waters of the primordial sea to submerge the Scalegorge Waterscape, using it as a vessel to seal the Ambrosial Arbor. To commemorate this monumental feat and sacrifice, the Xianzhou Alliance erected the Dragon Shower Monument within the Scalegorge Waterscape and left behind statues of the Vidyadhara."
With that, Jing Yuan led the Astral Express crew to the Dragon Elder's statue and explained.
"This statue looks just like Dan Heng! Could it be..."
Just as everyone thought March 7th was about to blurt out some earth-shattering secret, she declared, "The person on that statue is... Dan Heng's brother!"
"Ha, merely a superficial resemblance. If you insist, the appearance of successive Dragon Elders has indeed remained virtually unchanged—except for the current generation. The successor to the modern Dragon Elder is merely a child who inherited the name without inheriting the full power."
Jing Yuan turned to Dan Heng and explained that no one else could accomplish this task at present, so everything depended on him.
Looking at the towering statue before him, Dan Heng felt an inexplicable weight descend upon his shoulders. Memories of the past emerged from the darkness and gripped him tightly...
A fierce battle theme swelled.
*(Rending, corporeal forms, liberation!)*
*(The thunderous roar of ten thousand bolts of lightning...)*
The sea was cleaved right down the middle by a golden light descending from the skies, parting toward both sides to reveal a wide path. Thus, the Scalegorge Waterscape was laid bare before everyone.
Seeing such a magnificent feat, everyone showered it with praise. Fu Xuan remarked, "With so many structures here, no wonder the records state that the Scalegorge Waterscape was once home to the Vidyadhara dragon palace."
Jing Yuan recalled that during the Undying War, he had the good fortune to witness it firsthand. The Vidyadhara had imprisoned the Ambrosial Arbor in their sacred homeland, and the Xianzhou had failed them.
Afterward, he ordered Fu Xuan and the Cloud Knights to remain stationed here in case of further developments.
Fu Xuan immediately understood what Jing Yuan intended to do.
"You... General, are you going to face Phantylia alone?" Fu Xuan looked at Jing Yuan with concern.
"It can hardly be called going alone. I have friends joining me," Jing Yuan shook his head, looking toward the Astral Express crew.
Several Cloud Knights volunteered to follow the General, but Jing Yuan shook his head, explaining that the journey was extremely perilous, whereas they had a more important duty: to immediately evacuate once the waters returned to normal, reseal the realm, and obey all instructions from the Master Diviner, Fu Xuan.
Jing Yuan exchanged a few final words with Fu Xuan and was about to lead the group forward when a voice called out from afar.
"General, I'll come to help."
Upon seeing who it was, it turned out to be Baihong.
"Ah, why are you here? Go back quickly, it's too dangerous here. Me and the Astral Express crew are more than enough," Jing Yuan advised.
"The General needn't worry. Since I am a Cloud Knight, it is only natural that I contribute to the Xianzhou. Yanqing has already told me the situation, but I do not fear this army of Destruction. With you all here, mere Phantylia is nothing to worry about."
"General, he previously held off Blade's attack all by himself. I believe he can lend us a hand," Dan Heng looked at Baihong and explained to Jing Yuan.
"Very well, then let us set out," Jing Yuan agreed.
Passing through a dense fog, they arrived at the location of the Ambrosial Arbor, where enemies awaited them.
"Let's take them on together."
*(Outside the game, due to Baihong joining, Phantylia's health bars increased from three to five. Health bars one and two constitute form one; health bars three and four constitute form two; health bar five constitutes form three. When the gauge is full, two choices appear on the right side of the screen: the first is Imbibitor Lunae's attack, which deals Imaginary damage to Phantylia; the second is a red button that triggers Baihong's buff, increasing the party's attack and critical damage by 200% while granting Phantylia a Fire weakness for a certain number of turns.)*
***
After a period of fierce combat...
Everyone still proved no match for the terrifying Lord Ravager Phantylia, yet the Lord Ravager was likewise unable to wipe everyone out in one fell swoop. Baihong stood his ground at the front; for some reason, he instinctively fell into this habit, as if he had done precisely this before.
"Hmph, as a General, how could I let a Cloud Knight shield me? Phantylia, you boast of absolute overwhelming strength, yet you're still trading blows back and forth with us mere mortals—you must be a first! And another thing, why do you keep staring at the little one? Your target is me; if you have the guts, come at me."
"Oh my, the General is quite the joker. I'm merely toying with you all, but you'll soon know my true power." Phantylia's massive form trembled violently, likely due to the heavy impact dealt by Baihong and the others' attacks. "A pack of insects, yet you dare bounce around before me! Watch me crush you all with a single palm."
"Everyone, protect the General!" Welt instructed.
"But... Baihong is in great danger! He's been bearing the brunt of most of Phantylia's attacks, we need to be careful," March 7th said.
Phantylia finally lost patience, seizing Jing Yuan in one swift motion and imprisoning him mid-air. She looked down at Jing Yuan from on high with a triumphant expression.
"Hehe, behold! I wonder if turning the Luofu General into an Antimatter Legion foot soldier would spark another civil war on the Luofu? Such destruction is so much more entertaining..."
She channeled the power of Destruction into Jing Yuan's body, waiting to enjoy the show. At that exact moment, Dan Heng made his move, thrusting his spear horizontally between the two of them to disrupt Phantylia's actions. Seizing the opportunity, Jing Yuan summoned the Spirit, whose weapon struck and wounded Phantylia.
Baihong gathered his inner qi and unleashed a sword array for a final strike against Phantylia. Phantylia rolled her eyes upward, crashed heavily to the ground, and then dissolved into a ball of fire, leaving behind a harsh threat as she fled at top speed.
Having been injected with the power of Destruction and worn down by endless exhaustion, Jing Yuan was now extremely frail. Thanks to Dan Heng supporting him, he managed not to collapse.
The others crowded around and asked, "How is the General?"
Jing Yuan waved his hand and weakly said, "I am fine. Phantylia has been dealt with for now, but our vengeance against the Hunt will never end."
"Is that Phantylia dead?" Caelus asked.
Jing Yuan replied, "Not at all. An Emanator of Destruction is not so easily destroyed. This was merely an avatar she casually cobbled together."
With that, his eyelids grew heavy, and he gradually lost consciousness amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd.
"Quickly, go call Fu Xuan and the Cloud Knights. We need to get out of here right away," March 7th said.
"Brother Baihong, are you alright? You worked hard just now. Thank you," Dan Heng said to Baihong.
"It was nothing more than a minor matter. Let's first check on General Jing Yuan; he is of vital importance to the Xianzhou," Baihong replied.
"You should be careful, too," Dan Heng said.
Upon emerging from the Scalegorge Waterscape, the Cloud Knights transported the wounded to the Alchemy Commission for treatment. The Astral Express crew headed to the Commission of Divine Foresight to await Fu Xuan and report on the situation.
With Jing Yuan injured, Fu Xuan temporarily assumed the duties of the General.
She still had many challenges ahead of her—perhaps this, too, was the trial she had to face in becoming a General.
As soon as Yanqing saw Baihong emerge from the Scalegorge Waterscape, he rushed to his side and asked, "How is it? What happened? How is the General?"
"Don't worry, Yanqing. Phantylia has been dealt with. The General is merely suffering from exhaustion and has fainted; he is in no major danger, and the crisis on the Xianzhou has been temporarily averted. The Nameless are waiting for Fu Xuan at the Commission of Divine Foresight."