After dealing with the Abundance Profound Deer in the Artisanship Commission, the new version began.
At the start of the mission, it showed the perspective of the Astral Express trio. The three of them, together with Tingyun, headed to the Alchemy Commission, but the place was already filled with corpses.
Looking around, the streets were littered everywhere with the bodies of Cloud Knights and monsters.
From the looks of it, Fu Xuan must have set out ahead of them. That Master Diviner likely chose a "more suitable" timing for action based on her divination.
Seeing the scene of corpses all over the ground, March couldn't help but show a look of pity between her brows.
The girl shook her head, unable to bear looking at such a sight.
"Tingyun," however, said that the current scene was nothing.
Hundreds of years ago, when an Emanator of Abundance led troops to press against the Luofu, destroying more than half of its domains and leaving fewer than one in ten Cloud Knights alive, that was what counted as a grand scene.
And for the long-lived species of the Xianzhou, things like that didn't even count as history, it was as if it had only happened yesterday.
Hearing "Tingyun" say this, the group didn't know what to say.
As they continued forward, they also saw a few Medicine King's followers taking advantage of the situation, trying to deceive dying Cloud Knight soldiers here.
Seeing this, the kind-hearted Astral Express group naturally took action. They gave these remnants of the Medicine King's followers a proper "persuasion," making sure they wouldn't harm others again in the future.
As everyone knows, Stelle is extremely good at persuading people to turn over a new leaf. Her baseball bat persuasion method has helped countless people escape suffering...
"Doing good" like this along the way, after walking for a while, the group finally saw living and healthy Cloud Knights here.
Two Cloud Knights were guarding an entrance. From a distance, when they saw the four of them, they stopped them.
Only after the four approached and their identities were confirmed did the Cloud Knights let them pass.
But after entering the Alchemy Commission, they didn't see Fu Xuan anywhere. After asking the Cloud Knights, they learned some of the situation.
At present, the Cloud Knights were stationed here, while Fu Xuan had taken scouts ahead to investigate.
In addition, Fu Xuan had also divined that the four of them would arrive here soon. Only after everyone had gathered could the Cloud Knights advance. Before that, the main force would wait here.
After understanding the situation, everyone decided to wait here for Fu Xuan to return.
While waiting, Welt made some deductions and discussions about the current situation.
"The Cloud Knights are stationed here, unable to move forward. It seems the situation isn't optimistic."
"The main force of the Medicine King's followers was already wiped out earlier because of Nero's actions. The remaining remnants shouldn't be able to hinder the Cloud Knights this much."
"The enemy clearly has additional support. Also, have you noticed? Along the way, among the corpses, the number of Cloud Knights far exceeds that of the Abundance monstrosities."
"And the expressions on these Cloud Knights... some hide it well, but some look panicked, suspicious of everything, as if the enemy is right beside them."
Hearing Welt say this, Stelle nodded.
March then asked, "So Mr. Yang, did you find something?"
Before Welt could speak, Stelle answered first, "Just now we fought those monsters. They were indeed dangerous, but there's no reason they could kill so many Cloud Knights."
"Exactly." Welt nodded.
"Based on these three points, aside from those Abundance monstrosities, there should be enemies similar to the Cloud Knights... or rather, another group of Cloud Knights has become the enemy."
"How is that possible?" March said in shock.
"Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be. But I have a suspect." Welt said. "Do you remember the mission where we first worked with Nero?"
March nodded, then suddenly her eyes lit up, "Mr. Yang, you mean the ones really hindering the Cloud Knights aren't the Medicine King remnants, but the clones we encountered before?"
"That's right." Welt said.
"After the source of the clones shifted and the Master Diviner performed divination on it, we ended up with this mission. It's very likely that two things have merged into one. There must be some kind of connection."
March nodded thoughtfully.
If it really was those clones, then the current situation made sense.
March had fought clones before. Leaving aside their strange intelligence, in terms of combat strength, they weren't much different from the original.
If clones were hindering the Cloud Knights, it could indeed result in such a tragic situation.
Moreover, if the clones were copying Cloud Knights, then in battle, these real Cloud Knight soldiers could very well be stabbed in the back by their "own people," which would explain why they were so suspicious of everything.
Thinking of this, March suddenly noticed something off and asked, "Wait, that's not right! If that's the case, why did they let us in so easily? Aren't they afraid we might be fake?"
Hearing this, Stelle recalled the clone of March they met at Stargazer Navalia. After hesitating, she said weakly, "Maybe... your innocent eyes are easier to recognize?"
March blinked and turned to look at Stelle.
She felt like she had just been insulted, but had no proof.
Noticing March's gaze, Stelle quickly changed the subject. "Maybe Master Diviner Fu calculated it."
"Oh! That's possible. But Fu Xuan went out with a team. When she comes back, how are we supposed to tell whether she's the real one or a clone?"
March followed along and easily had her attention diverted.
"No, I don't think that situation will happen. Qingque, as a diviner of the Divination Commission, can also calculate. Back at Stargazer Navalia, we also saw Qingque's clone..."
Welt answered March's question and continued, "Master Diviner Fu will judge based on the results of her divination. In this aspect, she has an advantage over us and is less affected by external factors.
"If she judges fortune and misfortune through divination, and the result isn't good, she probably won't take action."
"I think if a clone of Fu Xuan really appears, the situation would be like this..."
"Before taking action, both of them would keep calculating repeatedly, but because of the other's existence, they would never get a favorable result to act."
"In that case, since Master Diviner Fu chose to act, she must have obtained a result from her divination. There's no need to worry too much."
Listening to Welt's explanation, March thought about it.
Soon, two little figures appeared in her mind, separated by a wall. On the left was a Fu Xuan, and on the right was also a Fu Xuan.
The two stood in place, constantly saying things like, "The divination is bad, we can't act." "The divination is bad, this plan won't work." "The divination is bad, the real one will definitely counter it." "The divination is bad, we can't act rashly." "The divination is bad, the other side must have seen through my plan."
In the end, neither of them did anything.
Thinking of that scene, March curled her lips. It felt pretty absurd.
Still, she more or less agreed with Welt's reasoning. After all, the Divination Commission had existed for so long in the Xianzhou Alliance without being erased from history, which meant it definitely had its uses.
With that, March wasn't too worried anymore.
They didn't wait long before Fu Xuan finally returned.
The Cloud Knights could go no further, because above the alchemy furnace "Cloud Mist Purple Palace," smoke and dust swirled, covering the sky and blocking the road.
Although the furnace was magnificent and had an elegant name, its location was a dead zone in military strategy. The smoke wouldn't disperse, making it impossible for the Cloud Knights to pass.
This place was originally where ancient alchemists explored the Dao of immortality. They built the furnace, drew power from the Ambrosial Arbor, and turned their wild ideas into reality.
The Medicine King's followers had mixed into the furnace pills that could trigger mara-struck transformation, and with the smoke spreading everywhere, for the long-lived species of the Xianzhou, it was no different from a toxic land filled with miasma.
Although the Cloud Knights could hold their breath while marching, how long could that last?
No one knew who might suddenly turn into a monster due to mara. On top of that, with clones lurking nearby, suspicion and distrust would spread, harming morale. One mistake could lead to total annihilation.
And this was exactly where the Astral Express group, as a special force, would come into play.
Fu Xuan hoped that while the main Cloud Knight force attracted the enemy's attention here, the Astral Express group could directly break in, extinguish the furnace, and stop the smoke.
The three of them didn't refuse and immediately began to act.
———
At the same time, Dan Heng, Luocha, and Sushang had arrived at the Alchemy Commission earlier.
However, since Nero and the others had been busy with missions and didn't have time to communicate with Dan Heng, he was very worried about his companions' safety.
So he parted ways with the two early and followed his memory, leaving on his own.
After a short time together, Dan Heng felt that Luocha and Sushang, whom he met by chance on the road, were both decent people. But it was only a slight goodwill, far from trust.
Sushang was easy to understand, no matter how you looked at it, she was just a silly girl. As for Luocha... Dan Heng felt this man had too many secrets.
The Alchemy Commission bordered the Scalegorge Waterscape. Along the way, although Dan Heng avoided the Cloud Knight guards, he still saw fragments of memories, heard and witnessed many ancient echoes that lingered here.
At first, he could only hear echoes of the past. But as he got closer to the Scalegorge Waterscape, he began to see more and more undispersed Vidyadhara mirages.
These ancient voices and shadows struck his mind like waves crashing against rocks. The incomplete memories belonging to Dan Feng were like pits on a tidal flat. As the tide receded, those pits were filled.
Dan Heng didn't want to think of himself as Dan Feng, but those memories never left him for even a moment. Like a nightmare, they clung tightly to him.
Before boarding the Astral Express, he often felt suffocated by the pressure. Dan Feng's sins and the hatred of others were like a mountain pressing on him, crushing his spirit until blood seemed to pour from all seven orifices.
Dan Heng took a deep breath, ignored the mirages, and continued forward.
He had already noticed the anomaly of the Ambrosial Arbor, so he knew that with his companions' personalities, they would definitely head this way.
He was Dan Heng. Dan Feng's past wasn't important to him. At least, compared to his friends on the train, compared to March, Stelle, and Nero, it wasn't worth mentioning at all.
When he reached the dock, Dan Heng suddenly stopped.
There was also a mirage lingering at the dock. He heard it call out in extreme excitement, "This surging power... you are... the Dragon Lord has returned."
The mirage blocked Dan Heng. As a remnant of the past, her obsession remained here, lingering for a long time, like echoes in a Fragmentum.
"Something terrible is happening in the Scalegorge Waterscape. Please don't go any further. Your enemy... your enemy is waiting for you."
Dan Heng didn't hesitate for a moment. He stepped forward onto the boat. For some reason, he said to the mirage, "Sorry, I can't stop here. My friends have already gone ahead. I have to catch up with them."
The mirage fell silent for a moment, watching the boat move away, watching the white trails rising on the sea... soon, the boat disappeared from sight.
In the end, the mirage let out a long sigh. "You are still so stubborn... you refuse to listen to us... just like back then."
After saying this, her figure began to disperse. Just as she was about to vanish, she suddenly heard a loud noise nearby.
Startled, the mirage trembled and immediately solidified again.
She turned to look and saw a pitch-black greatsword, with two children standing on it.
The white-haired person stood there looking into the distance, making the mirage pause slightly, as if she had seen the young Dragon Lord from long ago.
Nero raised his hand to shade his eyes and looked ahead. "I think I saw Teacher Dan Heng. Let's go catch up to him!"
"Nero, the general's task was to find Blade and notify him. Going to look for someone you know halfway doesn't seem appropriate, right?", Yanqing said seriously.
Unfortunately, Nero had already seen through him.
After getting money from Jing Yuan, this guy had been grinning foolishly the whole time.
Nero shook his head. "It's on the way anyway. Didn't your info say Blade is also here? Let's go!"
Yanqing pressed his lips together but couldn't find a reason to argue.
In the next moment, the sea and the sound barrier burst apart together. The black blade shot forward like a meteor, splitting the surface of the sea as white waves surged to both sides.
The mirage left behind blinked her blurry eyes.
'This kid seems even more impressive than the Dragon Lord when he was young...'
After some time, Dan Heng rode the boat with his eyes closed, not noticing any movement behind him.
His expression wasn't very good.
No matter what, he didn't want to face everything related to Dan Feng.
Before long, the boat docked. Dan Heng jumped onto the shore and walked forward.
Two unlucky people had already been waiting there for a long time.
As for why they were called unlucky... that would have to be asked of Nero and Jing Yuan.
After all, they were first caught by Nero and exchanged for money, then squeezed by Jing Yuan, and now they were still working for him.
Even someone as emotionally stable as Kafka felt like asking Blade, why are all you Xianzhou people, big or small, so good at "using people"?
The only thing to be thankful for was that things hadn't deviated too much. At least overall, everything was still following Elio's predictions.
But...
Even so, it still wasn't time for them to leave. They had to continue supervising things on the Xianzhou.
After all, in Elio's script, there was neither Nero nor any clones...
Suddenly, Blade raised his head, his voice carrying suppressed excitement. "He's here."
He hadn't even seen the person yet, but he had already sensed it.
"Mm, perfect timing.", Kafka said, arms crossed.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, her expression calm.
Blade raised a hand and pressed his forehead. "...Those emotions are coming back, Kafka. I can feel it. That feeling again... this kind of..."
"Then release it. The mara-struck state...", Kafka said casually, then looked up as Dan Heng approached.
Seeing the two waiting there, Dan Heng stopped and slightly widened his eyes.
He never expected to run into them here.
"You've come." Blade looked at Dan Heng and let out a cold laugh. "It's time to repay the price! The time has come!!"
"You think becoming like this lets you escape?! Escape...?"
Watching Blade go mad in front of him, Dan Heng narrowed his eyes. Right now, he really had a headache.
But he still tried to remain calm and said seriously, "I've told you, and that woman, many times... I am Dan Heng. I have nothing to do with your past."
But his words were useless. Blade clearly wasn't listening.
Of course, if he listened, things wouldn't have turned out like this.
Blade sneered disdainfully. "Dan Heng... you think changing your appearance, taking on a new identity, can erase your past sins? You... you haven't even experienced death..."
"I will make you feel this pain, Dan Heng. I will make you understand the pain of death!"
Hearing this, Dan Heng frowned. He didn't have time to play around here with Blade.
Suddenly, a young voice came from the side. "Ah, that won't do."
Everyone turned to look and saw Yanqing walking over slowly. Looking at Blade, he said, "Today, you won't be killing anyone, wanted criminal, because you're coming with me."
Behind Yanqing floated a pitch-black greatsword. Sitting on it was another white-haired boy, Nero, fiddling with his phone.
Seeing Nero, Dan Heng let out a breath. His tense expression softened, and he even showed a faint, almost pixel-like smile.
On the other side, when Blade saw Nero, his momentum paused...
After all, they had fought before. He knew Nero wasn't easy to deal with...
Nero, after noticing everyone's gaze, put down his phone and waved. "Long time no see~ everyone~"
Blade, "..."
'Jing Yuan, that bastard... sending a job is one thing, but why bring this kid too? Do you think I can just kill your disciple?'
"...Tch.", Blade clicked his tongue, feeling a bit annoyed.
But things still had to be done. Letting out a breath, he said, "Jing Yuan's little follower... didn't he teach you to judge the situation?"
Yanqing spread his hands. "I made this judgment after judging the situation!"
Then he grinned. "With Nero here, isn't it obvious you'll come back with us obediently?"
Blade, "..."
Kafka, "..."
Dan Heng, "..."
Yanqing's attitude was a bit cheeky. Clearly, he had been influenced by Nero.
And at that moment, Nero even gave a thumbs-up. "Nice! Opponents like this aren't easy to find!"
Even though he didn't say it outright, he was obviously treating Blade as a whetstone for Yanqing.
Yanqing stepped forward a few more steps, came to Dan Heng's side, and said in a low voice, "Hey, you're Nero's friend, right? With Nero here, don't worry. Those two won't cause any trouble."
"But before that... you should step back a bit. I want to spar with them."
After encountering his grandmaster, Yanqing had completely figured things out.
If first place is someone you can never catch up to, then chasing first place is meaningless. He was no longer obsessed with surpassing Nero.
Instead, now he could use Nero as backing.
What's the point of chasing a title? What matters is honing yourself.
Nero had already said it, stats are the reason for becoming the sword champion.
Wanting to become the sword champion doesn't mean you will, but if you train your body, you might still achieve it.
Hearing Yanqing's words, Dan Heng looked down at the boy.
He didn't know him, but from what Blade said, he should have a close relationship with Jing Yuan.
Also, why does this kid keep calling him Nero...
"Hm?"
When Dan Heng turned his head to look at Yanqing, Yanqing also saw his face clearly and froze for a moment.
"You look a bit familiar..."
Dan Heng, "..."
'That reaction is exactly the same as Nero's.'
At that moment, Dan Heng suddenly felt a killing intent. He immediately turned to look at Blade, who was sneering.
He realized Blade was about to attack and shouted, "Be careful!"
———
[Inside The Shackling Prison]
A tea table was set there, with two people sitting face to face.
Jing Yuan put down his phone and smiled slightly. "Mm. Very fast. Nero and Yanqing have already found them. Then, it's time for me to head over as well."
With that, Jing Yuan stood up.
As he stood, Jingliu raised her head. At this moment, she had already removed the black cloth covering her eyes. Although her face hadn't completely lost its swelling, it didn't affect her cold beauty.
She already looked much better than when Nero had first brought her here, when she looked like a swollen pig head.
"You already have a plan?"
Jing Yuan nodded and said, "Due to my position, Master, please remain in the Shackling Prison."
Jingliu nodded without saying more.
Jing Yuan then walked out directly.
After he left, Jingliu lowered her head and looked at her reflection in the tea.
She saw a pair of clear eyes.
She raised her hand and touched her still slightly swollen face, then sighed.
Although she didn't know what exactly had happened, the slap Jiang Yu gave her seemed to have caused some kind of effect.
'The mara-struck state...'
Logically speaking, even if it could be controlled, upon seeing old acquaintances and familiar places, those restless emotions should surge up like a tide, swallowing her whole.
But now...
Her mind was unexpectedly clear?
Those negative thoughts weren't gone, but they were suppressed.
Thinking about that slap she hadn't even seen clearly, Jingliu sighed.
'The kids of the Xianzhou nowadays... how are they this strong?'