After the Mirror Holder left, those Medicine King's secret inheritance projections guarding the Cloudmist Purple Palace rushed forward all at once and launched an attack on everyone.
However, with both the Cloud Knights army and several high-combat-power individuals present, these projections couldn't stir up much trouble.
Everyone quickly subdued and eliminated them.
Even so, no one showed any joy. After all, the problem hadn't truly been resolved yet, and from the actions of these projections, another point could be seen:
These Medicine King's secret inheritance projections were already not weak. After turning into mara-struck monsters, they could be considered quite high-quality combat strength.
Yet the Mirror Holder hadn't taken them along. Instead, after leaving, he simply let them charge in like this.
With the Cloud Knights army here, along with the Astral Express crew's assistance, there was no way these few projections could win. Anyone could tell that at a glance.
From this alone, one could get a glimpse of the Mirror Holder's current attitude and mindset.
He clearly still had a trump card. He was confident that whatever he left for last, combined with Phantylia, could contend with the Luofu and the Astral Express crew.
That's why these Medicine King projections were treated like discarded trash, sent forward to die one after another.
This realization made everyone even more cautious.
At this moment, March finally reacted, belatedly realizing that the situation on the Luofu seemed far more complicated than she had imagined.
'There was the Medicine King's secret inheritance, the Antimatter Legion, and now even a "Mirror Holder"...'
'Was Nero's hometown really this full of disasters?'
'And also...'
March blinked, looking around, her uneasy gaze finally settling on the spot where Phantylia had been forced out of her original form by Nero's slash.
"Th-this... so you're saying... Miss Tingyun, who's been traveling with us, is actually from the Legion...?"
March looked at Nero, placing both hands on his shoulders. "Nero, that ball of fire that came out of Miss Tingyun, what exactly is it? And her body? Where did your sword send her body?!"
Nero raised his hand and pressed down on March's hands. "Hold on, calm down first, March.
"Don't worry, Sister Tingyun is fine. Right now she's in Belobog with Sampo, working on the next development plan for my company.
"As for that just now, it'd be more accurate to say that ever since you boarded the Xianzhou, the Tingyun you saw was actually Phantylia in disguise the whole time.
"So no need to worry~ Also, that body Phantylia used was probably made with the Mirror Holder's help. When I came down with that jump slash, the feel was kind of off..."
As he said this, Nero looked at his palm and frowned slightly.
It was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with the feel of that strike just now.
Then again, with Nero's strength, and using such a heavy sword, when he comes down with a jump slash under such overwhelming stats, is there even such a thing as "feel"?
Nero quickly pulled his thoughts back and continued explaining to his friends from the Astral Express. "She introduced herself as Lord Ravager Phantylia earlier. That green flame is probably her true form."
"It looks a lot like a type of creature called a heliobus… you can just think of it as a 'Wubbaboo.'"
"As for heliobi, do you remember Huohuo? That tail of hers that looks like it's burning with spirit fire is actually one too."
With Nero's explanation, the three from the Astral Express nodded, linking the information together in their minds.
With that, the shock in their hearts eased quite a bit.
Mr. Yang sighed and said, "Lord Ravager Phantylia… I've heard that name before from other Nameless.
"She is one of the seven Lord Ravagers under Nanook, someone who delights in the self-destruction of mortals. Many lives have been lured by her into an abyss beyond redemption.
"Even so, we can't assume she's weak in direct combat. Now that she's going to act personally…"
Mr. Yang looked at Fu Xuan. "Lady Diviner, does the General have any strategy?"
Fu Xuan shook her head. "We knew early on that she wasn't the real Tingyun, but we didn't know what her true form actually was.
"Ordinary methods can't deal with her. If we had known earlier, perhaps we should have brought the judges to trap her with techniques.
"As for now… I've already calculated the enemy's location, but as for a winning strategy…"
"For now, we can only fight it out head-on," Jing Yuan's half-smiling voice came from behind. His tone still sounded quite relaxed.
The Cloud Knights parted to make way as Jing Yuan walked in with Dan Heng.
"A battle between Emanators is bound to be spectacular… but our core strength is greater than theirs."
As Jing Yuan approached, Stelle asked, "Since you already knew Tingyun was Phantylia in disguise, why didn't you act earlier?"
"Cast a long line to catch a big fish. Naturally, it was to uproot everything," Jing Yuan said.
"The Xianzhou is protected by the Reignbow Arbiter. To bypass me and bring the Stellaron onto the Xianzhou directly, it had to be someone at the Emanator level. That was the first piece of information I obtained.
"Later, when the Stellaron disaster broke out, its spread bypassed both the Divine Foresight and the Ten-Lords Commission, which means the one guiding and controlling it must be very familiar with the Xianzhou. So there had to be internal trouble."
"The former is Lord Ravager Phantylia, the latter is the Medicine King's secret inheritance. However, the Antimatter Legion working together with the Mirror Holder… that part was unexpected."
Hearing Jing Yuan's explanation, the three from the Astral Express nodded.
If you want to destroy something, you must first let it go mad.
Jing Yuan's plan to purge internal threats had been quite successful. By now, most of the Medicine King's people had already been sent to the Shackling Prison.
But the Mirror Holder had taken over their role…
"Hey! Wait a second!" March suddenly shouted. "If you already knew everything from the start, then why did Yukong suspect us back at the Sky-Faring Commission?!"
"For something this important, to avoid alerting the enemy, it naturally wasn't disclosed downward."
"Not to mention, Phantylia was playing the role of Tingyun at the Sky-Faring Commission at the time," Fu Xuan narrowed her eyes as she explained.
"After Nero discovered that Tingyun was fake, in the end, only four people knew the full plan."
"Which four?", March asked.
"Myself, Fu Xuan, Nero, and Yanqing," Jing Yuan said with a smile.
Dan Heng stood to the side without saying a word, perhaps a bit speechless.
Right now, everyone's attention was on something else. In a moment, March would definitely start making a fuss about his current appearance…
Knowing March well, Dan Heng had already predicted it in his mind.
"General Jing Yuan, there is something I don't understand," Mr. Yang glanced at Dan Heng behind Jing Yuan, nodded, then quickly looked away and asked.
"Please, go ahead," Jing Yuan said.
"You already know that the Astral Express came to the Luofu because of a message from the Stellaron Hunters."
"But in your explanation just now, you didn't mention them at all. I want to know what role they played in this plan," Mr. Yang asked.
"As for that…"
Jing Yuan seemed to be searching for the right word and didn't answer immediately, but Nero directly picked up where he left off. "Manual labor."
"Manual labor?" Mr. Yang was puzzled.
"Well, that's not quite polite," Jing Yuan chuckled, then began explaining.
"I simply went along with the situation. After all, the Stellaron Hunters' original plan was to connect you with the Xianzhou. I merely allowed them to notify you."
"Rest assured, the Xianzhou holds no ill will toward the Astral Express. Even if there were, Nero wouldn't agree to it."
"For us, we need a wildcard force like the Astral Express. And I also need to meet someone on your train."
"When drafting the initial plan, we considered something else."
"The only treasures on the Xianzhou that would attract such attention, aside from Nero, would be the Ambrosial Arbor."
"Combined with the activity of the Medicine King's faction, it's highly likely the enemy's target is the Arbor."
"The Arbor's root is hidden within the Scalegorge Waterscape. To get there, ordinary people like us would need to split the sea and reveal the Dragon Palace."
"To do that, we naturally need the Dragon Lord… someone with the Dragon Lord's memories and power. Otherwise, we'd be forced to harm the Vidyadhara."
"That's why I allowed the Stellaron Hunters to act. Of course, aside from contacting you, I also had them investigate the clone situation, intercept people along the way, and even train disciples. That's why Nero called them manual labor."
Hearing this explanation, March's mouth twitched. "You really aren't holding back…"
"Hahaha," Jing Yuan laughed at her complaint.
"What's there to hold back? They snuck into the Xianzhou with ill intent. Let's just treat it as them making up for their faults. It's quite convenient to use them."
March: "..."
Stelle looked up at Dan Heng behind Jing Yuan, recalling what Jing Yuan had said earlier, and asked to confirm, "You said you needed someone from our train, and also that only someone with the Dragon Lord's memory and power could split the sea without harming the Vidyadhara."
"The three of us got off the train, so only Dan Heng and Himeko were left on board."
"And not long ago, Dan Heng also left the train to come to the Xianzhou to find us, so…?"
Jing Yuan smiled and nodded.
Then he turned to Dan Heng. "Speaking of which, today's situation is quite interesting."
"Dan Heng, do you know? Back then, when Dan Feng committed a grave crime, the Ten-Lords Commission strongly advocated for your destruction."
"Among the Vidyadhara, half agreed and half opposed. Haha, because the dragon transformation inheritance was only half-completed, the elders hated you deeply, yet didn't dare kill you."
"To give an explanation to the Ten-Lords Commission and the Sky-Faring Commission, under pressure, they still carried out the forced scale-shedding ritual on Dan Feng."
"However, they deliberately left behind a flaw. The elders thought they could conceal it from the Ten-Lords Commission. Hah, what a wishful plan. But paper can't wrap fire…"
"Haha, it's thanks to this that we now have a solution. Otherwise, the Vidyadhara on the Luofu would likely face great disaster."
Dan Heng glanced at Jing Yuan but said nothing. He just let out a breath through his nose and walked forward, arriving in front of his companions.
March looked up, her eyes wide, one hand covering her mouth.
Although she had already realized something from Jing Yuan's words, seeing it with her own eyes was still shocking, hard to believe.
"Y-you're… Dan Heng?! No way… you… you're Dan Heng, right? What's with those horns on your head…?"
Dan Heng lowered his gaze at March and sighed.
As expected. He had already anticipated this kind of reaction from her.
Dan Heng said, "It's a long story, March. It's me."
March blinked. "Wait, you really have hidden power?!"
Her focus was clearly… unique. That question left Dan Heng momentarily speechless.
Then March immediately asked, "So if you had hidden power, why didn't you use it back in Belobog? We were chased all over the place and had to run like crazy."
"If we'd known, we could've had you and Nero go straight to Qlipoth Fort and capture Cocolia. Wouldn't that have been simple?"
Dan Heng: "..."
'As expected of March, and as expected of someone who gets along with Nero so well. Even the questions were the same…'
While Dan Heng was speechless, Nero gave March a thumbs-up from the side. "Well said! We should've just blitzed Qlipoth Fort! But now Bronya is the Supreme Guardian, she's one of our own, so no need to fight."
Feeling how the atmosphere suddenly turned cheerful, then noticing the somewhat puzzled looks from others around them, Stelle scratched her head and smiled helplessly.
When the trailblazing squad regathers, it really does turn out like this…
"Alright, let's set aside catching up for now. You all came to resolve the Stellaron crisis, and I've seen your sincerity along the way."
"Infiltrating the Medicine King's faction, investigating the clone anomalies, subduing the Abundance Deer, resolving the Cloudmist Purple Palace, and confronting Lord Ravager Phantylia. The Luofu owes you all its gratitude."
"However, Phantylia's alliance with the Mirror Holder has made the situation uncontrollable. Now, I must rely on Dan Heng's power, and I also ask for your full support."
Facing Jing Yuan's formal request, Mr. Yang nodded and said, "The crisis of the Luofu, whether related to the Stellaron or not, I wouldn't stand by and do nothing. But my personal will cannot represent the Astral Express."
Mr. Yang lowered his head, looking at the young people of the Astral Express, and spoke slowly, "Explore, understand, establish, connect… the creed of trailblazing is nothing more than these eight words. The journey is perilous, and to uphold them is no easy task."
"Fear, danger, enemies, death… all kinds of obstacles stand in the way. Those who can continue forward are few."
"To move on or to leave, the destination of the Nameless should be chosen by themselves… just like when we vote on the train to decide our destination."
At this point, March and Stelle had clearly made their decision. They stepped forward and extended their hands.
Then they looked toward Dan Heng and Nero.
Their choices were already obvious. They chose to stay and help the Xianzhou.
"Dan Heng, you…?", March asked.
Dan Heng lowered his head, looking at his companions' faces. "..."
He said nothing, just like before, and naturally extended his hand, casting his vote.
Seeing this result, Jing Yuan nodded slightly and said to him, "Thank you, Dan Heng."
Jing Yuan respected "Dan Heng" as an independent individual. Even though sometimes, unconsciously, he still felt like the person beside him was Dan Feng.
But Jing Yuan clearly understood the difference between Dan Heng and Dan Feng.
Dan Heng sighed. "I am not standing here as a Nameless. Because in this journey, my coming and going has been manipulated. I have no freedom in that regard…"
"But when it comes to choosing whether to stay with the Xianzhou, I speak as a Nameless. Also, as a descendant of the Vidyadhara, I will fulfill my responsibility to the Xianzhou."
Finally, a small, fair hand reached out as well. Nero said, "Alright, unanimous vote passed!"
"Yay! Everyone is still so righteous! Next up, Nero's Hometown Defense Plan, activate!" March said with a smile. Then she looked at Jing Yuan. "So, General, what's the plan?"
Jing Yuan shrugged. "No clever plan. We'll just have to gamble on that half-completed scale-shedding ritual of the Vidyadhara elders."
After saying that, he turned to Dan Heng, "I hope you can regain the Dragon Lord's memories."
"Dragon Lord?", March blinked twice, looking confused.
But Jing Yuan simply smiled, "Let's go. Once we reach the Scalegorge Waterscape, you'll understand."