After finishing the puzzle, Ah Xian realized she had truly become prone to suspicion.
It was just a short separation—how could anything happen?
The moment the puzzle was solved here, Stelle's phone received a message from Leon.
[Leon: Welt and I are waiting for you here. /image.jpg]
[Stelle: So fast. We're done too. Coming right over.]
The seal loosened, and Dan Heng sensed it immediately.
"No mishaps. Next, we head to the Ambrosial Arbor's profound roots. They're growing constantly."
Jing Yuan said gravely, "Phantylia is behind this. We must hurry."
Time was tight. Dan Heng took the initiative to use Cloudhymn magic to travel.
"First, rendezvous with Leon and the others."
They sped toward the coordinates Leon sent, soon sensing the two's presence.
The group reunited, nodded to each other, then swept together into the depths of the ancient sea.
On the way, Jing Yuan couldn't help but sigh.
"Flying feels great."
March 7th was surprised. "General, aren't you an Emanator? Can't you fly?"
Jing Yuan: "Of course not. Even as an Emanator, I'm still fundamentally a human who can't fly."
"Unlike Dan Heng and Leon, flight comes naturally to them."
"I can only rely on the Divine Lord or other means."
"Divine Lord?" Stelle asked curiously. "Does Xianzhou have another god besides Lan?"
"Hahahaha, no."
Jing Yuan laughed brightly.
"The Divine Lord is the majestic spirit bestowed by the Reignbow Arbiter. Its full name is: Divine Empyrean Thunder Palace Commander of Thunder and Lightning, Demon-Chasing and Evil-Purging Heavenly Lord."
"The ancient texts record a name too long to remember, so we shorten it to Divine Lord."
Leon: "It won't be long before you witness the Divine Lord's power."
March 7th: "Then we're really looking forward to it! General, please use the Divine Lord to beat Phantylia to death!"
"Hehe, naturally…"
Coldness and sharpness flashed in Jing Yuan's eyes.
A mere lesson wouldn't suffice. He aimed for the Lord Ravager to face another succession.
The Hunt's arrow would pierce the heart of his mortal enemy and complete his vengeance.
March 7th wanted to say more, but upon spotting the spectacle ahead, a sense of insignificance welled up.
"What is that! A dragon?"
Dan Heng: "That is the Ambrosial Arbor's profound root, the site of Abundance's miracle."
"'Knock and pay respects to the three claws, pay homage to the scaled wood'—this is the place."
"Suppressed by the dragon descendants' power, the profound root gradually took the form of a dragon."
The group landed steadily. Dan Heng stepped forward and stared at the dragon-shaped root's head.
"Now, I will release the final seal. Then… we face the mighty enemy…"
Jing Yuan's expression turned solemn. "Everyone, are you ready?"
They nodded one by one.
Welt glanced subtly at Leon. His glasses reflected the nearby light, concealing his eyes and all emotions within.
Players didn't quite grasp the meaning of Welt's shot and entered the team-building interface.
[Team must include Trailblazer and Jing Yuan.]
[If Jing Yuan enters an incapacitated state, the battle will fail immediately.]
"Ah, the knife is aimed at Jing Yuan?" Ah Xian blurted.
"And why lock the protagonist again? Did the preview hide something big, like the Trailblazer's Hunt Path form?"
The last mandatory protagonist boss fight was against Cocolia.
The arrow was on the string—it had to be fired.
She didn't overthink it and eagerly built her team.
Trailblazer, Jing Yuan, Leon, and after a moment's thought, the last slot went to Black Swan for support.
In the current version, Tingyun-Asta-Leon was Jing Yuan's best all-around team.
Tingyun ensured energy for Divine Lord layers, Asta sped up the team.
Leon combined crowd control, survival, team energy regen, and enemy debuffs—universal in any team.
But if Tingyun and Asta were split, the remaining support for Jing Yuan was 2-life Black Swan.
"Let's go!"
She pressed Start Challenge and entered the cutscene.
Dan Heng reached out and touched the space in front of the dragon head.
In a burst of light, everyone vanished as if they had never existed.
[Here we go! Finally fighting the big boss!]
[Have to admit, Phantylia is a huge boss.]
[Why did Welt suddenly glance at Leon earlier?]
[Worried about his injuries. Trailblazing while wounded—hope nothing goes wrong.]
[Do you think if Leon poisons Phantylia, it'll work?]
[Probably not. Phantylia isn't even human, and she's a genuine Emanator…]
No time for much discussion—the loading bar finished, and a vast white space appeared.
Dan Heng walked ahead. The six passed massive roots.
The roots visibly grew, constantly squeezing the space.
Leon's gaze pierced the drifting white mist and landed on a lotus platform encircled by several profound roots.
Above the lotus, a strange green flame burned.
"Hmm? Hehe… Is the Luofu General here?"
A familiar voice full of laughter echoed through the space.
"That vile thing! She's really waiting for us! Phantylia, come out!"
March 7th shouted angrily.
"Oh… The benefactor is here too? Don't rush. This humble girl hasn't finished her makeup."
Stelle summoned her fire spear, eyes wary. "Phantylia! Still addicted to pretending to be Tingyun?"
"Hehehe… Benefactor, don't be angry. This humble girl fulfilled the ferryman's duties the whole way, didn't she?"
"…"
Stelle frowned and glanced at Jing Yuan's profile, wanting to see his reaction.
Phantylia's words were like a direct ultimate to Jing Yuan's face.
Mocking him for being blind, unable to see through her disguise.
Someone like Stelle, used to taking ultimates to the face, was fine—but could the general withstand the provocation?
Jing Yuan's expression remained calm, showing no sign of being rattled.
Well, he was the general after all. Overthinking it.
March 7th: "…So mad. I can't even refute her…"
Objectively, Phantylia as Tingyun did fulfill the ferryman's duties—no sabotage, no detours.
But—
Thinking back now, Phantylia's actions reeked of malicious amusement.
Oh, almost forgot—Phantylia loved toying with hearts, driving mortals to ruin.
Then never mind.
"Nice words. You only did it to destroy Luofu!" March 7th fumed.
Phantylia let out waves of laughter.
"As the benefactor says. But what this humble girl wants… is not merely Luofu's destruction…"
Jing Yuan's eyes sharpened. A possibility dawned, and his face darkened.
Phantylia's next words confirmed it.
"No wonder the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were so confident… This Ambrosial Arbor miracle truly possesses the power of rebirth and regeneration."
"Everyone, be careful. I will pin Phantylia head-on and bear the Destruction Emanator's offensive pressure."
Jing Yuan took a deep breath and tilted his head slightly.
"Dan Heng, my back is in your hands."