Just as Phantylia attempted to sway Huaiyan to gain a chance to communicate with the outside world, the latter, having dealt with Heliobus for many years, naturally understood the Lord Ravager's intentions.
He simply maintained the seal. Although Huaiyan worried about whether the situation outside was truly dire, he knew for certain, at least for now, that regardless of the external circumstances, Phantylia escaping would only make things worse.
Therefore, even if it cost him his old life, he absolutely had to prevent this lackey of Nanook, the Lord of Destruction, from escaping.
Phantylia, though wanting to wait for an opportunity – convinced that even if something happened to her, the Xianzhou was doomed anyway, as it was Lord Nanook's will, and she could escape once the Legion annihilated the Xianzhou – felt she couldn't just sit idly by.
The Legion had no need for a useless, failed Lord Ravager. If she truly just waited for the Legion to rescue her… A flicker of anxiety and fear crossed Phantylia's mind. Her hatred for the old man Huaiyan before her, and for that Xianzhou girl named 'Qingque' who had previously tricked her, intensified.
Since her debut, she had never suffered such a significant loss!
"...Old fool, you forced my hand!" Phantylia hissed, her heart filled with ruthless determination and bleeding metaphorically.
The next moment—
Her greenish Heliobus form began to decay at an astonishing rate. Noticing this change, Huaiyan's expression shifted:
"Not good!"
"Too late!"
With an angry grunt, the pocket dimension cage, specifically designed for Heliobus, began to tremble violently. Despite the terrifying supply of Imaginary energy attempting to suppress the fluctuations through the runes, they ultimately dimmed for a fleeting instant.
When the space stabilized again, Phantylia remained, but her form seemed to have shrunk, not just by a little, but by nearly half.
At this, her heart truly bled.
As a spiritual entity, she couldn't use the powers of a Destruction Emanator, so she could only rely on her inherent Heliobus power to force this breakthrough. But such a breakthrough came at a cost, evident in the drastic change to her form.
Nearly half of Phantylia's essence had been permanently consumed as the 'explosive charge' to shake this Heliobus prison.
And the result? Merely allowing an infinitesimally small fragment of herself, utterly insignificant to her true form, to escape the prison.
"Old General, this 'great kindness' from the Xianzhou… I shall certainly repay it generously!"
Having lost half of what should have been an immensely powerful Greater Heliobus, Phantylia, though weakened and dispirited, forced a mocking smile, her voice dripping with fury:
"When the time comes, I will definitely let you see what becomes of the Xianzhou you so desperately protect!"
Huaiyan remained silent, simply sitting cross-legged, calming his breath and spirit.
---||---
Meanwhile, outside.
The Luofu itself was now experiencing considerable turmoil.
Zephyro's sudden attack, though intercepted by Glamoth and Brunhilde, had indeed punched a small breach in the Xianzhou's defensive line, allowing a small number of Legion voidspawn to set foot on the ship.
This caused chaos on the Xianzhou – of course, to the garrisoned Cloud Knights, these were just minor disturbances.
"Old Reliable, let's go!"
A black-haired girl, dressed lightly, barefoot, yet carrying a greatsword almost as tall as herself, beamed with excitement.
It was none other than Huaiyan's granddaughter, Yunli, one of the Flamewheel Octet from the Zhuming.
She had naturally accompanied him for the Martial Exhibition this time.
Yunli, whose combat prowess rivaled Yanqing's, hadn't been sent to the front lines like him, but she did assist to some extent with the defense efforts on the two Xianzhou homeworlds.
Though somewhat dissatisfied, she had accepted this arrangement.
Yunli initially thought there wouldn't be much to guard against within the Xianzhou itself; she lacked motivation. After all, with the Cloud Knights present, how could Legion soldiers possibly break through onto the ship?
Unexpectedly, such a thing had actually happened.
This instantly thrilled the battle-loving member of the Flamewheel Octet.
Perhaps due to her childish nature, Yunli's fighting style lacked structure, nor did she deliberately coordinate with the Cloud Knights.
Wherever there were enemies, there she was.
"Help!"
Yunli paused, puzzled. Looking over, she saw a Foxian girl being chased by Antimatter voidspawn.
"Legion pawns, daring to run rampant on the Xianzhou!"
She roared in anger.
Her greatsword, 'Old Reliable', danced through the air, slaying all the pursuing voidspawn.
"Are you alright?" she asked, turning back to the Foxian girl with some concern.
"Mm… mm… I'm fine. Thank you, benefactor."
The Foxian girl gradually recovered from her panic, her face full of gratitude.
"Good that you're okay. There are Cloud Knights over there, just find them. I need to keep eliminating these audacious Legion soldiers."
"Wait a minute!"
"Is there something else?" Yunli asked, slightly puzzled at being stopped when she wanted to leave.
"I don't know your name yet, benefactor."
"Ha… My name… Just call me Yunli. It was nothing, no need for special thanks… Of course, if you wanted to treat me to some Cloudford Skewers, I wouldn't say no~"
Yunli instantly thought she had encountered the legendary 'grateful fox spirit'. She had heard that the Foxian people were known for repaying kindness.
"Yunli…"
"Of course, no problem."
"Since benefactor likes Cloudford Skewers, consider it my treat from now on, however many you want."
Hearing this, Yunli's eyes instantly lit up. Did I just run into a wealthy beauty fox spirit repaying a debt?
"However…"
"?"
"Before that, I'll need benefactor to lend me her body for a while~"
"Lend… your body?"
Hearing this, Yunli felt uneasy, a sense of foreboding washing over her. But the Foxian girl holding her arm revealed a sly, malicious smile. Yunli instinctively tried to pull back, but it was too late.
"You…"
Her thoughts grew hazy, utterly chaotic. Emotions spiraled out of control, a torrent of conflicting feelings overwhelming her. The struggling girl clutched her head, crying out sharply:
"You're a Heliobus!"
Coming from the Zhuming, Yunli naturally recognized what had infiltrated her body.
The latter chuckled sinisterly:
"Correct~"
"Hehe, that old General from Zhuming caused me such grievous losses~ Such great kindness, I truly will never forget."
"I wonder, what expression that old General will have when I appear before him looking like his granddaughter."
"Don't you dare!"
Realizing this Heliobus intended to use her against Huaiyan, Yunli burned with fury.
She tried to use the Zhuming's secret Mind-Purifying Incantation, specifically designed to counter Heliobus possession.
After a long while.
The girl slowly rose, her cherubic face displaying a malicious smile completely unlike Yunli's.
"Hehe…"
"A futile struggle."
She mocked the body's owner. Despite the taunt, Phantylia felt a lingering fear.
She had almost lost the struggle against this young girl.
As one of Zhuming's Flamewheel Octet, Yunli might be young, but her willpower was definitely not weak.
Combined with Zhuming's secret arts against Heliobi… Of course, the main reason was Phantylia's own currently weakened state.
Right now, she was merely a small fragment.
If she were still the Greater Heliobus at her peak, forget this young girl, she could even try her luck against a Xianzhou General. But now… she had struggled so much against even this little brat.
To avoid further depleting her scarce remaining power, Phantylia didn't even dare use her usual cruel methods to grind down Yunli's spirit. She could only suppress it in a corner, barely seizing control of the body.
"Huaiyan… Xianzhou… Qingque!"
Phantylia, somewhat enraged, stumbled against a wall, muttering the names of the culprits responsible for her current wretched state.
She consoled herself inwardly, believing she would soon utterly destroy this damned place, annihilate those hateful Xianzhou people, every single one!
Filled with intense hatred and leveraging this special identity, Phantylia eagerly sought to rescue the other half of herself.
However, just as she stepped out of the alley, her body froze:
"So here you are!"
That familiar voice and lazy tone… Phantylia, consumed by hatred, looked up. Sure enough, it was [Qingque].
The latter walked towards Phantylia.
Seeing the girl's face, recalling the memories obtained from her fragment, Phantylia desperately wanted to torture this girl to death… No, torture alone wasn't enough. She wanted to throw her into the war forge, turn her into a mindless, suffering voidspawn, a puppet for others to command.
However, Phantylia currently lacked significant power.
Because she had to suppress Yunli, she couldn't use her Heliobus powers at all. And Yunli herself, due to her strong resistance against Phantylia, could barely even move, let alone use her own powers freely.
Therefore, she could only force a smile and say:
"Oh, it's you… Qingque. Are you looking for me for something?"
Yunli naturally knew [Qingque]. It was hard not to know her.
After all, as Jing Yuan's chosen successor and a rising star of the Luofu, Huaiyan would certainly have introduced Yunli to her.
Although their interactions were brief, their relationship was reasonably good… Of course, Yunli harbored some minor dissatisfaction and jealousy.
Why? Because whenever Huaiyan was with her, he would always mention Qingque, playing the 'other people's kids' comparison game.
This clearly had a significant impact on the somewhat rebellious Yunli.
Using her Heliobus innate ability, Phantylia could barely glean information about [Qingque].
This time, she gathered even more than during their previous brief encounter.
Of course, after realizing who this young girl truly was, her anger intensified.
Damn it! No wonder she's so ruthless, she's the successor to that Divine Foresight General of the Luofu!
As the saying goes, competitors are enemies.
Phantylia, a master manipulator who specialized in inciting internal conflict, was considered an intelligence-type unit within the Legion.
Schemers hated being outsmarted, and Phantylia, being a schemer herself, detested falling into a trap laid by someone else – especially when it wasn't even the Divine Foresight General himself, but a junior.
She had lost all face!
"Nah… Nothing much. Aren't there a lot of Antimatter Legion soldiers popping up on the Luofu now? I thought of you and came by to check."
The girl waved her hand dismissively and smiled.
"Oh, I see. Things are going pretty smoothly on my end."
Initially, Phantylia worried about being exposed. After all, she still didn't know how this brat had seen through her identity and led her into a trap. But seeing the girl's clear eyes, devoid of any negative emotion, Phantylia relaxed.
Although her power was nearly depleted, she could still manage simple tasks like reading minds, discerning truth from lies, and checking if she had aroused suspicion.
A faint smile and a sense of confidence bloomed in her heart.
Heh, seems like figuring out my identity earlier was just this brat's luck. Or perhaps it was related to that problematic Sky-Faring Commission identity.
The arrogant Phantylia, even after falling into a trap once, refused to believe it was her own fault, attributing it instead to unforeseen circumstances.
Of course, this confidence didn't diminish her hatred for [Qingque].
Phantylia was already considering how to torture her later to vent her fury.
But…
Before that, she needed to maintain this identity and completely fool this damned brat!
Originally intending only to use Yunli's appearance to torment Huaiyan, Phantylia now looked at [Qingque], who seemed to have a decent relationship with 'Yunli', and smiled broadly.
Deception, betrayal, using various methods to break people apart, savoring their expressions of disbelief and despair – this was her greatest pleasure.
And now, such a perfect opportunity presented itself.
Harboring malicious intent but maintaining Yunli's facade, Phantylia looked at the heavy, ornate sword and declared proudly:
"Hmph, just some Antimatter Legion soldiers. Me and Old Reliable can handle them all."
"Mm, I definitely trust the strength of Zhuming's Flamewheel Octet. Besides, these are just some stragglers who luckily broke through the front line."
Hearing [Qingque]'s words, Phantylia's heart stirred.
Because the Xianzhou was currently under lockdown, she had lost contact with the Legion after infiltrating the ship and truly didn't know the situation at the front.
"Stragglers from the front… The situation at the front lines should be okay, right?" she probed tentatively.
The girl in blue clothes looked dejected upon hearing this:
"Not really…"
"It seems the Legion went all out this time. News from the Yaoqing front says Iron Tomb appeared on the western battlefield and ambushed General Feixiao. Luckily, General Jing Yuan saw through the Legion's plot, barely maintaining a stalemate."
Phantylia felt a surge of hidden joy. Knowing the Legion's strategy, she inwardly laughed. Given the Xianzhou's situation, with Zephyro's typical style on the eastern front, he would undoubtedly advance like wildfire. It wouldn't be long before he eliminated those Xianzhou remnants putting up a futile resistance.
The day of the Xianzhou's destruction was near!
Although inwardly delighted, she couldn't show it while occupying Yunli's body, lest she expose herself. Instead, she had to express immense anger and unwillingness:
"Damn that Legion… Hmph, I shouldn't have stayed behind to guard the Xianzhou!"
"Don't worry. Reinforcements from the Alliance, the Yuque and Zhuming Xianzhou, will arrive soon. I heard General Yaoguang from the Yuque and Marshal Hua are also on their way. When they get here, those lackeys of the Lord of Destruction won't be able to hop around anymore."
Hearing [Qingque]'s reassurance, Phantylia's expression subtly changed, her smile becoming strained.
Although supremely confident in the Legion, if Generals from the Xianzhou Alliance arrived… even just two would be enough to turn the tide of the disadvantageous situation on the Xianzhou front.
At that point, that guy's strategy would probably be useless…
No, I have to act quickly… Speed up the rescue of my main body. Only then can I strike at the heart of the Xianzhou from within before their reinforcements arrive, breaking the defensive lines of the Yaoqing and Luofu!
At this moment, Phantylia felt an overwhelming sense of urgency.