Jing Yuan placed his hands behind his waist and slowly walked to the shore where the tide had receded, taking in the underwater world with his eyes.
Fu Xuan scanned the buildings below, her face showing surprise.
"There are so many buildings underwater. No wonder the classics record that the Scalegorge Waterscape was once the location of the Vidyadhara Dragon Palace."
Jing Yuan felt a touch of nostalgia, his eyes filled with reminiscence.
"During the Spatium Crisis, I was fortunate enough to witness its grandeur and see this wondrous sight."
"Mountains shift, seas change, palaces and cities lie empty..."
"The Vidyadhara clan used their ancestral sacred land to imprison the Ambrosial Arbor. The Xianzhou Luofu truly owes them too much."
"Fu Xuan." The nostalgia in Jing Yuan's tone vanished.
"I'm here."
Knowing Jing Yuan was about to give serious orders, Fu Xuan stepped forward with a solemn expression.
Jing Yuan said gravely, "You stay here and lead the Cloud Knights to guard this passage to prevent any other incidents."
Fu Xuan was stunned, her face covered with worry.
"Jing Yuan... General, are you going to face Phantylia alone?"
"It's not exactly alone. I have friends accompanying me." He smiled and looked toward the five Nameless.
"General! We are also willing to go with you. Please do not leave us behind!"
A Cloud Knight stepped forward, his armor clanging loudly, resonating with the fighting spirit and determination in the hearts of all the Cloud Knights.
"Yes, General!"
"Though our abilities are meager, it is the duty of the Cloud Knights to protect the Xianzhou. How can we stay in the rear and let travelers from afar take risks in our place!"
"Please allow us to clear the way, General!"
"Please give the order, General!"
The Cloud Knights stood straight as arrows, their iron armor reflecting cold light. Their voices surged like a tide, their killing intent piercing the skies.
A look of gratification crossed Jing Yuan's face, but he slowly shook his head.
"I understand your intentions clearly, but the enemy ahead is not a Denizen of Abundance. It is a Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion."
"Once we cross this point, it will be a confrontation between the Reignbow Arbiter and the Destruction's Ancestor. You have more important duties."
His gaze swept over every resolute face, and Jing Yuan suddenly barked.
"Cloud Knights, listen to my command!"
"After I enter the depths of the Ambrosial Arbor, if the seawater returns to its original state, immediately withdraw and reseal the cavern."
"All subsequent matters will be under the jurisdiction of Master Diviner Fu Xuan."
"Yes!" The Cloud Knights accepted the order without hesitation.
Jing Yuan nodded slightly, then looked at Fu Xuan. His tone was light, as if discussing something trivial.
"Fu Xuan, if I do not return, the task of reporting the full cause and effect to the other Xianzhou falls to you."
Fu Xuan's pupils trembled. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to regulate her emotions.
How could she not understand the meaning behind Jing Yuan's words?
Having left the Jade Abacus Xianzhou and developed on Luofu all these years, there wasn't a single day she didn't want to succeed him as general.
But... she didn't want to succeed in this way, nor did she want to repeat Jing Yuan's mistakes.
The previous Luofu general, Teng Xiao, had entrusted Jing Yuan in the same way before that battle began.
The players gradually understood Fu Xuan's expression.
[Redemption arc!]
[Of six people, the one to be knifed is unknown. Jing Yuan, are you one of them?]
[Bad memories are resurfacing. Jing Yuan is entrusting his aftermath...]
[Is the Emanator of Destruction that strong? Could it be like the Hunt, with the Path fully open to its subordinate factions?]
[Reminds me of certain scenes in the preview PV. Honestly, I'm starting to panic.]
[It shouldn't be. He's only been in the pool for two versions. Even Tingyun's death isn't confirmed. Knifing another Jing Yuan would be too much.]
Fu Xuan sighed, her small face solemn.
"I won't say things like 'please come back in person to report.' What you've entrusted, I will not fail."
"Ha, that's a bit like a general now."
Jing Yuan chuckled lightly, turned to look at the Express Crew, and nodded. A battle intent that had been dormant for years rose from the depths of his eyes.
Welt nodded back at him.
The Express Crew standing here now was united as one.
Stelle knew the atmosphere was serious, even heavy, and had no desire to play abstract.
She obediently followed behind her seniors and stepped onto the stairs leading to the underwater palace.
Watching their backs disappear, Fu Xuan quickly adjusted her complex emotions and methodically arranged the follow-up matters.
...
At the bottom of the palace ruins.
The group stopped and looked at two mirages not far away.
Stelle: "Listen, there's a sound."
A sound with echoes slowly transmitted.
An aged voice: "Use the Scalegorge Waterscape to seal the Ambrosial Arbor? Betrayal! This is great disrespect! Are you insane?!"
"Do you think this will earn the trust of the Xianzhou people? Those not of our kind can never share the same heart!"
The High Elder's voice: "I understand the elder's meaning, but my decision is made and cannot be changed."
Aged voice: "Fine... fine!"
"I will report to the dragon masters and strip you of your High Elder title and power!"
The echo from the past ended here, and the mirages rapidly dissipated.
Many blurry scenes flashed through Dan Heng's mind.
"...The first High Elder who accepted the mission to suppress the Ambrosial Arbor..."
"According to tradition, from then on, every successive High Elder must return to the Dragonvista Rain Hall, guide the tides of the ancient sea here, and watch over and reinforce the seal of the Ambrosial Arbor."
Jing Yuan glanced at him.
"You remembered?"
"Yes."
Dan Heng's gaze swept toward several specific locations in the palace.
"Knock and pay respects to the three claws, pay homage to the scaled wood, and the path to the profound roots of the Ambrosial Arbor will open."
March 7th's CPU ran for a moment but still didn't understand.
"Is this some kind of riddle? What does 'knock and pay respects to the three claws' mean?"
Leon: "Translation and summary— the seal is a door. To unlock it, find the key to open the door and use it to enter the internal space of the Ambrosial Arbor."
March 7th: "Now I understand."
She walked while observing the grand buildings around her, sighing with emotion.
"Abandoning such a huge palace just like that. If it were me, I'd be heartbroken for several weeks."
Stelle: "The enormous cost of building this palace, and you only grieve for a few weeks? So, Your Excellency is a low-key cosmic tycoon?"
March 7th: "You guessed it. I originally wanted to keep being low-key."
① "March, hungry hungry, food food."
② "Great, with a tycoon backing us, we'll have double the confidence when out and about."
The players couldn't hold back their laughter.
[Probably the episode with the least suspense in choice percentages. Everyone picks one!]
[My stomach isn't exactly hard either.]
[No matter what outrageous writing the script pulls, I'm not surprised anymore. Too funny.]
Stelle clasped her hands together, staring eagerly at March 7th.
"March, hungry hungry, food food. I haven't eaten a single meal this month. Take pity on me~~"
[Stelle's fine, but hearing the male MC say this line is hard to hold in laughter.]
[LOL.]
March 7th took out her phone and checked the time.
"Amber Era December 1st, system time 0:15... hehe..."
Stelle said righteously, "This month, just tell me if I've eaten a meal or not!"
"Yes yes yes." March 7th laughed in relief.
No wonder it always felt like something was missing. Now she understood.
If it's not abstract, it's not her.
"Hungry? Here."
Leon handed a plate of over a dozen fragrant grilled skewers to Stelle.
Suddenly switching to Stelle's first-person perspective, seeing the delicious food almost shoved in her face, the players were stunned.
Wait...
How are you like a treasure chest?
Whatever is needed, you can just pull it out?