The next day… Seat of Divine Foresight…
"General, the felon has been transferred to the Shackling Prison."
"Good work." Observing his weary apprentice before him, with bloodshot whites in his eyes, Jing Yuan nodded slightly.
"Yanqing, has something happened?"
At these words, our young Yanqing froze, a wry smile crossing his face. "General, aren't you asking the obvious? Wasn't it you who paid for those people?"
What did I do? Guess what I did? Wasn't it you, esteemed master, who commissioned those two Trailblazers to teach me a lesson? I heard you spared no expense this time. What kind of master hires outsiders to discipline their own apprentice…
"Ahem!!" Hearing Yanqing's words, Jing Yuan nearly choked, coughing awkwardly a couple of times. Those two girls actually spilled the beans about him hiring… ahem, hiring people to educate someone? Where was he supposed to hide his old master's face now…
"Ahem, that's not important, Yanqing. What matters is whether you've realized that there are always people stronger than you, and heavens beyond the heavens." Jing Yuan looked at his apprentice, who no longer carried the same spirited demeanor as before, gently patting his shoulder with a heartfelt admonition.
"…Yes, Master."
Jing Yuan's words left Yanqing silent. After a long pause, he finally responded to his master's question.
Reflecting on past experiences, whether in sparring or competitions, when had he not crushed his opponents with overwhelming force, claiming ultimate victory? Not just among his peers—even among the older generation, few could match him. Yet now, he had been defeated by two young women.
Even if it was two against one, it didn't change the fact of his defeat.
"You understand, and that's good." Jing Yuan nodded with satisfaction, but seeing his apprentice still looking somewhat lost, he felt that as a master, he needed to give him something to do to shift his focus.
"In that case, Cloud Knight Lieutenant Yanqing, heed my command!"
"Your subordinate is present!"
"Yesterday, reports from our informants indicated that remnants of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus will conduct a covert operation at the Alchemy Commission today. In the name of the Cloud Knight General, I order you to proceed immediately and suppress them."
"Your subordinate accepts the command!"
— — — —
Starwatcher Avenue…
"I have no intention of starting a fight."
"Pfft—!"
After piercing the chest of the final enemy, the man named Dan Heng withdrew his Cloud-Piercer spear, confirming that the fallen mara-struck soldiers before him were no longer alive.
"Thank you, sir, for your aid. If not for your timely intervention, we would likely have met a grim fate by now."
A scarred Cloud Knight soldier, enduring the pain of his wounds, propped himself up with his weapon and respectfully bowed to Dan Heng.
In response, Dan Heng merely shook his head and said, "No need for formalities."
"Sir, may I ask who you are…?"
"Uncle Liang, are you okay?!"
An anxious voice interrupted the Cloud Knight's next words from nearby. Following the sound, they saw an ambitious young girl, wielding a two-handed sword disproportionate to her stature, hurrying toward them.
"Sushang, I'm fine."
At this, the Cloud Knight, whom the girl called Uncle Liang, shook his head. "Thanks to this gentleman's help, otherwise, this old life of mine would've been lost here today."
"Phew~ Thank you, young man, thank you for saving Uncle Liang." Sushang stared at Uncle Liang for a while, confirming he had no fatal injuries, before letting out a sigh of relief and clasping her fists in gratitude toward Dan Heng.
Uncle Liang was a friend of Sushang's mother and had once served as a Cloud Knight Lieutenant in the Yaoqing. During the third Abundance War, Uncle Liang was gravely injured. The Cloud Knight leadership had intended for him to retire, but this old soldier's heart remained with the Xianzhou. After much persistence, they relented and assigned him a relatively safe, idle post on the Xianzhou Luofu.
But how could this old general stay idle? With the Ambrosial Arbor's revival causing widespread panic and the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus stirring chaos, he donned his armor once more to fight against them.
Upon hearing that Uncle Liang was surrounded by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Sushang's heart burned with urgency. Since joining the Cloud Knights, she had received no small amount of care from this uncle.
"Sir, I noticed you used Cloud Knight spear techniques just now. May I ask who you are?"
To Uncle Liang's question, Dan Heng did not answer directly. "I'm just a nobody. Since the Cloud Knight reinforcements have arrived, I'll take my leave."
Dan Heng turned to leave, but at that moment, several more followers of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus descended from the sky, blocking his path. At the same time, from the shadows behind Sushang and Uncle Liang, more mara-struck soldiers emerged, encircling the three.
"You're not going anywhere!"
The leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, a Body-Forger, spoke in a chilling tone, the tendons and bones of his hands—gripping a spear and shield—creaking with a grating sound.
At this, Dan Heng closed his eyes, falling briefly silent, as if wrestling with something in his heart. After a long moment, just as the Disciples believed he was afraid, the former member of the High-Cloud Quintet opened his eyes again. In that instant, a flash of light gleamed in Dan Heng's gaze.
"Though I have no desire to start a fight, if you insist on forcing my hand, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
As his words fell, Dan Heng's aura shifted dramatically. Golden lotuses bloomed beneath his feet, and in an instant, several water dragons coiled around him, soaring into the sky. Even from kilometers away, people could see this unparalleled divine dragon, exuding an aura that dominated the heavens.
"That dragon… It's him! The sinner banished from the Xianzhou has returned!" In the Vidyadhara settlement, several Dragon Masters, who had been lounging in the sun sipping tea, suddenly tumbled from their chairs, sensing this sudden aura of immortality and destruction.
Looking toward the source of the aura, they revealed expressions of shock and fear. Over five hundred years ago, the Vidyadhara High Elder, Imbibitor Lunae Dan Feng, caused a catastrophe by recklessly employing the art of dragon transformation.
Afterward, the High Elder underwent rebirth and was exiled from the Xianzhou. Yet now, that madman had returned.
At this thought, cold sweat dripped down the Dragon Masters' faces. If it were the still-immature High Elder, Bailu would pose no threat to them. But Dan Feng was different. They couldn't be sure whether his return was with good intentions. If it was, fine—but if not…
The Dragon Masters fell silent for a moment. Then, one of them proposed, "Everyone, with the Luofu facing calamity, our Vidyadhara clan should contribute as well."