"Is that true? That's really great news!"
Despite inwardly wishing she could destroy the Xianzhou right now, Phantylia had to maintain Yunli's facade, putting on an excited expression.
"I have to tell Grandpa this good news! He'll definitely be happy when he hears it!"
"Speaking of which, where did Grandpa go? I haven't seen him since the Legion invaded."
"General Huaiyan? Oh... he's currently dealing with a little Legion pawn that snuck onto the Xianzhou."
[Qingque] scratched her cheek, her words causing Phantylia to smile while grinding her teeth inwardly.
How dare she call me, a Lord Ravager under Lord Nanook, a 'little pawn'… Veins bulged on her pale wrist. To avoid giving herself away, she had to subtly suppress her rage.
"Oh, so that's why I couldn't find Grandpa… What a pity," Phantylia feigned disappointment, wanting to get away from this annoying Xianzhou person as quickly as possible. She would settle the score with [Qingque] once she freed her main body and regained sufficient power.
"In that case, I guess I'll have to wait until the battle is over… Hmm, no, there are still plenty of Legion soldiers waiting for me and Old Reliable to clean up!"
Making a move to leave, she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder.
Phantylia's heart sank.
Could it be… I've been exposed?
Impossible!
Filled with disbelief, she gritted her teeth, gripping the dead-heavy Old Reliable in her hand, planning to strike first if the annoying person behind her had indeed discovered her identity. She'd deal with this irritating Xianzhou brat first.
However…
"Hey, don't be in such a rush~"
"Although General Huaiyan's matter is quite important and shouldn't technically be disclosed, I definitely trust you, Yunli~ After all, you're Elder Yan's granddaughter, and one of Zhuming's Flamewheel Octet, a pillar of the Alliance."
The girl's lazy tone was full of friendliness. [She] casually slung an arm around Yunli's shoulder, acting very familiar, and said:
"It just so happens, actually, I was planning to go see Elder Yan anyway. If you want to go, there's no problem with us going together."
"Ah… Is that really okay?" Phantylia, though tempted, put on a hesitant and troubled expression. "Aren't there still many Legion voidspawn causing trouble?"
"Oh, it's fine! Just leave it to the Cloud Knights. Those knights guarding the Xianzhou, unable to fight the Legion on the front lines like their comrades, have been itching for a fight anyway. This is the perfect chance for them to blow off some steam."
"Alright then."
Phantylia reluctantly nodded on the surface, but inwardly, she was ecstatic.
Honestly, she had been racking her brain about how to free her main body.
While Yunli's identity as Huaiyan's granddaughter was convenient and wouldn't arouse suspicion, the entrance to the pocket dimension sealing her main body was deep within the Shackling Prison. This time, unlike before, she didn't have treacherous Dragon Scions paving the way, leading her right to the Suppressing Evil Gate.
But now, [Qingque] had walked right into her 'trap', solving this problem for her.
This was truly… a pillow arriving just when one felt sleepy!
With [Qingque], the Acting General, leading the way, reaching the pocket dimension sealing her main body would be effortless.
Phantylia was incredibly excited, full of anticipation, and regarded the girl before her with mockery and malicious intent.
Hehe, when I free my main body, this damned Xianzhou brat would never dream that she personally escorted me right to it, helping me escape.
At that moment, [Qingque]'s expression will surely be one of disbelief, despair, and anger, right?
Just imagining that scene made Phantylia tremble all over… Whoa! Close call! Because of the struggle for control with that little brat, my control over the body is weak. Almost lost control just now…
Feeling a lingering fear, before she could think further, [Qingque] urged her impatiently, complaining:
"Okay, okay, let's stop dawdling. There's still a lot to do back at the Seat of Divine Foresight. After dealing with General Huaiyan's situation here, I need to hurry back."
"Okay."
"By the way, Qingque, why are you looking for Grandpa?" Maintaining Yunli's innocent appearance, Phantylia tried to use this facade during their short walk to pry more useful information out of [Qingque].
"It's still about the front lines… You know, on the Yaoqing front, the Legion's Iron Tomb and Celenova are locked in battle with General Feixiao and General Jing Yuan. Although I believe our Xianzhou Generals can definitely defeat those lackeys of Nanook, General Jing Yuan is getting old, and his injuries from the last battle with Iron Tomb haven't fully healed. And while General Feixiao is the bravest in the Alliance, she also suffers from a chronic, incurable illness."
"Besides, I'm actually a bit worried about the eastern front too… Given the Legion's cunning, they might very well pull a feint to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Before reinforcements arrive, we naturally need some leverage to stall the Legion's offensive momentum."
"Because of that Legion pawn, General Huaiyan is currently tied up. While holding the fort at the Seat of Divine Foresight, I thought, if we could free General Huaiyan, wouldn't that help make up for the shortage of combat power on the front lines?"
"You plan to help Grandpa?"
"Can't be helped. I'm just an ordinary, good girl from the Xianzhou, without the power of the Generals."
"I see." 'Yunli' nodded, Phantylia's inner amusement growing stronger.
Heh, want to help Huaiyan suppress me, free Huaiyan?
Truly overestimating yourself!
She admitted [Qingque] might have picked up some cunning from Jing Yuan, capable of tricking her twice when she wasn't paying attention, but… wanting to suppress her, a Destruction Emanator under Lord Nanook… Her?
Full of disdain, Phantylia didn't believe [Qingque] posed any real obstacle. Of course, this didn't stop her from using this opportunity to sabotage the girl's intentions, just so she could witness [Qingque]'s despairing expression firsthand.
Even if it was just an unrealistic fantasy.
Hiding her malice, Phantylia followed behind [Qingque], chatting idly while suppressing the increasingly fierce resistance from Yunli.
Due to their shared body, Yunli could perfectly sense Phantylia's thoughts and knew exactly who she was.
Her purpose filled Yunli with deep dread.
In a way, this was probably part of Phantylia's twisted pleasure.
While suppressing Yunli's consciousness with all her might, she made sure Yunli felt every word and action with perfect clarity.
Using Yunli's voice, Yunli's body, Yunli's identity… while Yunli herself could only watch helplessly as her own body was used to lead the Xianzhou towards destruction.
This feeling, it was truly subarashii~
Phantylia reveled in it.
Thanks to [Qingque]'s status as Acting General, they easily entered the Shackling Prison.
Passing through checkpoint after checkpoint, descending level by level, they finally reached a place not unfamiliar to Phantylia.
"Alright, we're here. Behind this door is the pocket dimension suppressing Phantylia… Sigh, it was prepared hastily, definitely inferior to your Zhuming's methods."
"Elder General Huaiyan is inside."
The girl stopped, sighed, and explained.
"Is that so…"
"Well then, thank you very much."
"Oh, come on, why be so formal between us…"
"Go… away… quick…!" Yunli cried out, her face contorted in struggle, her voice hoarse.
But [Qingque] just looked 'blank', 'astonished', and 'confused'.
Before the girl could seem to process anything, 'Yunli' (Phantylia) swung Old Reliable with a狰狞 grin.
Clang
The immense force slammed [Qingque] against the wall.
"Yunli… you…"
"Hehe~ Take a closer look, who am I~"
"I'm not some Yunli… But this little girl's identity is indeed useful. Otherwise, how could I have gained your trust so easily, leading me right to this sealed pocket dimension? Thank you very much."
"You're… Phantylia!" the girl exclaimed with feigned 'shock' and 'disbelief'.
"Oh, you finally recognize me."
"Thanks to your scheming back at the Alchemy Commission, I suffered quite a bit~ Lesson learned." Phantylia smirked triumphantly, her smile full of mockery and anger.
"How did you escape?! Where is General Huaiyan?!"
"Hehe, you don't need to know that~ However, you just need to know that next, that stubborn old fossil will perish along with you, along with this damned Xianzhou."
"Alright, time to deal with that old geezer now."
"Don't you dare!" [Qingque] bit her lip, forcing out the words.
This reaction instantly sent Phantylia into raptures. She hopped like a frog, landing right in front of the pinned girl, leaning down to meet her gaze, her face radiating an ecstatic, perverted joy. "Ohoho, yes, just like that! I just love seeing you hate me, yet utterly helpless!"
"Hehe~ Just stay here obediently."
"After I deal with that old geezer, I'll come back to take care of you. When that time comes, I'll definitely turn you into a voidspawn, eternally enslaved… Hmmhmmhmm, the Acting General of the Xianzhou turned into a voidspawn, that sounds truly amusing."
"Ah, I suddenly feel inspired. I want to turn all your Xianzhou Generals into voidspawn, make them my collection~"
Shouldering Old Reliable, Phantylia threw back her head and laughed maniacally, then eagerly headed towards the entrance of the sealed pocket dimension.
Stepping inside, she could feel the dimension's suppression against Heliobus. This filled Phantylia with immense hatred, extending deep malice towards the dimension's origin, the Zhuming Xianzhou… After destroying the Yaoqing and Luofu, she would personally annihilate that Zhuming Xianzhou, so utterly unfriendly towards Heliobus.
However, unlike before, she now had a physical body, and the power of this confining dimension was currently entirely focused on suppressing her main body. Thus, Phantylia herself was barely affected.
"Grandpa."
Spotting the old man guarding the sealing formation and her own main body within it, Phantylia, filled with deep hatred, didn't attempt to communicate with her other half. Instead, she put on Yunli's乖乖 granddaughter act, calling out the address that made her slightly nauseous.
Of course, it also thrilled her.
Because, next… she was going to use his most beloved granddaughter, under Huaiyan's disbelieving gaze, to personally slaughter this old fossil.
"Yunli?! Why are you here?"
Huaiyan, guarding his mind, heard Yunli's voice. His expression changed upon seeing her, a flicker of unease crossing his mind. However, Phantylia didn't seize this gap to cause trouble.
"I couldn't find you for ages, so naturally I came looking."
"Nonsense! This is the Shackling Prison, a critical area where the Luofu detains major criminals." Huaiyan scolded, somewhat displeased, but seeing the girl's innocent face, his heart softened slightly. He spoke gently:
"Besides, I have a heavy responsibility and cannot be disturbed. Yunli, be good, leave this place."
"Oh…"
"Alright then… But Grandpa, is this that little thief who snuck onto the Xianzhou?"
"Little thief? That Qingque girl told you that, didn't she… Honestly…"
"This is the Lord Ravager under Nanook, Phantylia."
"She is a Heliobus… I must focus entirely on suppressing her here. After this is over, whatever you want, Grandpa will discuss it with you slowly."
"Of course, no problem."
"However~"
"I can't wait any longer to regain my freedom!"
Stealthily approaching, the unsuspecting Huaiyan had completely let his guard down around the face of 'Yunli'. By the time she struck, Huaiyan barely had time to react:
"?!"
"Die, old man!"
With all his power focused on suppressing Phantylia's main body, Huaiyan was undoubtedly at his most vulnerable – Phantylia knew this well.
This was the moment she had been aiming for.
After all, Huaiyan was still an Emanator. Even if she were freed, facing this old timer with extensive experience against Heliobus, she probably wouldn't gain the upper hand easily.
Therefore, for the best strike, she had to catch him completely off guard, using the identity of this close relative to kill him in one blow.
Old Reliable, inches away, carried the weight of Mount Tai, infused with nearly all of Yunli's power. The malicious Phantylia intended for Huaiyan to die by the hand of his own granddaughter.
For this, she even sacrificed longer-term control, concentrating her power for this single moment, creating an attack that even Yunli regaining control couldn't stop.
And Yunli indeed felt exactly what kind of agony this was.
"Grandpa!"
In the nick of time.
KRA-ANG!
The sound of metal clashing echoed endlessly.
Accompanied by blood-red sword energy, the heavy Old Reliable flew from 'Yunli's' grasp.
Following it was a chilling, indifferent, and cruel voice, dripping with killing intent:
"**Netherworld Sentencing!**"