As Jing Yuan's questioning words fell, the atmosphere at the scene instantly dropped to a freezing point. A chilling aura unconsciously emanated from Jingliu, enveloping the two of them.
Crack—crack—
Tiny ice crystals slowly climbed along the contours of the building, rendering the surroundings into a pristine white world.
At the same time, Jing Yuan, standing opposite Jingliu, was already covered in ice crystals, his white hair frozen into a solid mass. Yet despite this, the Divine General's gaze remained as sharp as ever, fixed unwaveringly on the mentor who had once taught him martial arts and raised him to adulthood.
"Hmph, you haven't changed, Jing Yuan," Jingliu said after a long pause, letting out a cold snort. Immediately, the pervasive chill dissipated faintly. "Heh, rest assured, my return to the Xianzhou bears no ill intent. If anything… I've come back to atone for my sins and face judgment."
"Atone and face judgment…"
For a moment, the atmosphere between master and apprentice grew silent. Jing Yuan was three parts convinced and seven parts skeptical of Jingliu's words. He couldn't shake the feeling that his master's purpose for this visit wasn't so simple—there must be some hidden motive. But since his master wasn't forthcoming, investigating on his own would inevitably take time.
"Haha, well, since you have this intent to repent, Master, why not come with me to the Seat of Divine Foresight now? It's been a while since we've had a proper chat as master and apprentice…"
"Not yet," Jingliu coldly interrupted Jing Yuan's words, causing the atmosphere to stall once more.
"Master…"
"I said, not yet." Jingliu's cold words came again. She slowly raised her hand and removed the black cloth covering her eyes.
Beneath the cloth was a pair of crimson eyes, now fixed intently on the Cloud Knight General before her. Tyranny, hatred, sorrow, fanaticism… a myriad of complex emotions intertwined, vividly reflected in those scarlet eyes.
…
"Ten Thousand Swords—Heaven's Descent!"
Alchemy Commission…
With a sword incantation, the young man wielded six swords, his figure darting through the ranks of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus like a blade of light. The sharp sword intent reverberated unrestrained with each tremor of the blade, claiming the lives of several Disciples in mere breaths.
"Leave some men to clean the battlefield; the rest, follow me and press forward." Sheathing his sword, Yanqing turned slightly to issue orders to the Cloud Knight soldiers behind him.
"Yes, Lord Yanqing!" ×N
Yanqing led the group of Cloud Knights deeper into the Alchemy Commission. The few soldiers left behind to clean the battlefield glanced at the departing main force, then began tidying up while chatting idly.
"What's with Lord Yanqing today? Why does he seem so irritable?"
"No idea, but I have a guess. Did you all notice the shattered training platform last night?"
"I did. Hiss, it was quite something! I wonder which two masters were sparring to wreck the platform like that!"
"Heh, I know this one. Yesterday, Lord Yanqing ordered the training grounds sealed off. Combined with his mood today, it must be that he sparred with someone and lost."
"Lord Yanqing lost?! Which subordinate general was so formidable?"
"…"
As the group chatted animatedly, a woman with her eyes covered suddenly entered from the entrance of the Alchemy Commission.
At this sight, the Cloud Knights busy cleaning the battlefield paused their actions, their gazes uniformly turning toward the woman.
"This woman… is she blind?" one Cloud Knight whispered to his comrade beside him.
"Probably. Look, her eyes are covered with cloth—she likely can't see the way," the comrade replied uncertainly after sizing up the woman.
"That may be, but look at how she's walking without any trouble…"
Watching the woman continue deeper into the Alchemy Commission as if unhindered, one of the Cloud Knights finally lost patience. A tall, imposing knight, towering over the woman by about two heads, stepped directly in front of her, blocking her path.
"Miss, there's been some chaos in the Alchemy Commission. The Cloud Knights have been ordered to seal it off, so you cannot enter."
To the Cloud Knight's obstruction, the woman merely nodded slightly and said, "You need not stop me. I am aware of the dangers inside."
With that, she moved to bypass the soldier and continue forward, but…
"I'm sorry, miss, please cooperate with the Cloud Knights' work. We are responsible for your safety."
"Is that so…"
The woman lowered her head, murmuring softly. Then, a wave of coldness rose.
"Watch out! Stay away from that woman!"
The Cloud Knight's warning had barely left his mouth when a piercing chill swept over them. In the blink of an eye, their hands and feet were encased in ice.
The woman passed by the Cloud Knight, her ethereal voice lingering faintly.
"No need to worry. I won't take your lives. In half an hour, this mysterious ice will melt on its own."
…
On the other side, Dan Heng, having assumed the form of the Vidyadhara High Elder, did not linger long with Sushang and Uncle Liang.
After leaving Starwatcher Avenue, the High Elder took out his phone and sent a message to Welt.
[Uncle Yang, I've arrived at the Starwatcher Avenue port.]
[Message failed to send…]
Seeing the "message failed to send" notification on his phone screen, Dan Heng's brow furrowed slightly. Back on the Astral Express, he had spoken with Welt without issue. Why was the communication device malfunctioning now that he was on the Xianzhou?
"Could it be… someone deliberately cut the communication lines? The remnants of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, or perhaps the Antimatter Legion…"
As Dan Heng pondered, a familiar aura suddenly approached from nearby. His brow furrowed, and he looked toward the source of the aura.
"Stellaron Hunter… Blade…"
Indeed, the approaching figure was none other than Blade, once a member of the High-Cloud Quintet, now a Stellaron Hunter.
"Hahaha…!! Dan Feng, it's been a while. Since our parting that day, you've made it quite hard for me to find you!"
Blade gripped his fragmented sword, laughing maniacally behind his hand. That day, after Kafka forcibly dragged him back to the Stellaron Hunters' headquarters, he had gone into a frenzy for quite some time. If Kafka and Sam hadn't forcibly subdued him, the entire headquarters might have been half-destroyed.
"Come, let's continue our battle!"