March 7th's words silenced everyone present. Regarding the Lord of Samsara and the Emissary of Causality under his command, most of them only had a vague understanding.
What were the abilities of an Emissary of Causality? How strong was their combat prowess? These were all unknowns to them.
"I don't think that's likely." Our Anti-Entropy leader, Welt, was the first to break the silence. Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to him, awaiting his explanation.
"The Path of Causality, as the broadest Path in existence today, is far more powerful than we can imagine."
"Indeed." Jing Yuan nodded, picking up where Welt left off.
"Qingque has only been an Emissary of Causality for a few months at most. Meanwhile, Zephyro is an older Emissary, existing for a full thousand years. Yet, from the battle just now, it seems Qingque was the one with the upper hand."
"I believe that even if Qingque can't defeat Zephyro, she should at least have enough strength to escape."
Hearing Jing Yuan's words, March 7th and Stelle finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing the two girls relax, Jing Yuan shifted his gaze to the cold, handsome youth with dragon horns.
Noting Dan Heng's familiar attire, our General Jing Yuan let out a sigh and spoke in a gentle tone. "It's been a long time, my old friend."
Jing Yuan's voice reached Dan Heng's ears, and the latter fell silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Dan Feng is dead. He died during the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae. The one standing here now is only Dan Heng, Dan Heng of the Nameless."
"Hm, Dan Heng." A barely perceptible flicker of disappointment passed through Jing Yuan's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, unnoticed by anyone.
"Dan Heng, do you wish to return to the Xianzhou?" Jing Yuan's eyes were filled with anticipation and solemnity.
Of the High-Cloud Quintet, Baiheng perished in battle, Jingliu descended into madness, Yingxing fell to corruption, and Imbibitor Lunae was reborn. Now, only he remained on the so-called side of light.
As the stars shifted and seas dried, living alone while old friends were long gone had left unhealable scars in the heart of the seemingly unyielding General of the Seat of Divine Foresight.
"General Jing Yuan, I appreciate your kindness." As expected, Dan Heng shook his head.
"As I just said, I am no longer the Vidyadhara Dragon Lord Dan Feng. The Xianzhou, at most, is just a fragment of memory from my past life."
At this, Dan Heng paused, seeming to hesitate slightly. "However, if the Xianzhou faces trouble in the future, I'm still willing to do what I can to help."
As Dan Heng's words fell, he looked up to see our General beaming with a wide smile.
At this, Dan Heng's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt… as if he had fallen into some kind of trap.
"Originally, this General felt a bit uneasy, but since Brother Dan Heng has said so, I won't hold back." Jing Yuan rubbed his hands with a beaming smile, then his expression turned serious. "I'd like to ask all of you to help me confront the Annihilation Lords and assist the Xianzhou in overcoming this crisis!"
"In the name of the General of the Seat of Divine Foresight, once the Xianzhou overcomes this ordeal, I will ensure you receive the rewards you deserve."
Jing Yuan's voice was resolute, filled with tenacity and unyielding spirit. From a third-person perspective, one could see the determination and resolve on the General's face.
"Confront the Annihilation Lords? Confront that Zephyro from earlier?"
March 7th scratched her head in distress. If it were a matter of fighting some Voidrangers or a defeated foe like the Doomsday Beast, they might be able to lend a hand.
But Jing Yuan was asking them to help confront an Annihilation Lord, an Emissary of Destruction! How could small fries like them possibly stand a chance against such a powerhouse?
And if she remembered correctly, among all the Annihilation Lords, Zephyro was one of the stronger ones, wasn't he?
"The Annihilation Lord I'm asking you to help confront isn't Zephyro, but another among their ranks."
Stelle, March 7th: ???
Welt, Dan Heng: …
Fu Xuan: …
Hearing Jing Yuan's words, March 7th and Stelle, the two lively girls, wore expressions of shock. They exchanged a glance, and Stelle nodded, continuing to question Jing Yuan.
"General Jing Yuan, are you saying… besides the Annihilation Lord Zephyro, there's a second Annihilation Lord on the Xianzhou?"
Stelle felt her heart leap into her throat. One such monster was already hard enough to deal with, and now there was a second one on the Xianzhou.
"Exactly."
Jing Yuan nodded with a slightly grave expression. Some time ago, well past working hours, Fu Xuan had suddenly rushed to the Seat of Divine Foresight in a frenzy, informing him that she had received confirmed intelligence that the Annihilation Lord Phantylia was hiding on the Xianzhou Luofu.
At the time, hearing Fu Xuan's report, Jing Yuan was naturally quite surprised that Fu Xuan had obtained information about an Annihilation Lord before him.
Of course, the moment he heard the news, he had questioned its authenticity.
Not that he doubted Fu Xuan—her loyalty to both the Xianzhou and the Reignbow Arbiter was beyond question.
Rather, he was concerned that someone might have fed Fu Xuan false information, misleading her and, in turn, affecting his judgment.
If he had harbored any doubts before, after hearing Zephyro's words today, he could now fully confirm the truth of the intelligence.
"Currently, another Annihilation Lord is lurking on the Xianzhou. That Annihilation Lord is named Phantylia, a Heliobus by nature."
Jing Yuan recounted the details about Phantylia to the group, both thoroughly and concisely.
Upon learning that Phantylia lacked a physical form and could possess others' bodies, Stelle and March 7th, unfamiliar with this Annihilation Lord, gasped in shock.
Taking over someone's body and ejecting their soul—that was terrifying! No wonder this Emissary of Destruction could dismantle civilizations from within; it was all thanks to such a devious tactic!
"Um… there's no chance that Phantylia, the Annihilation Lord, is hiding among us right now, is there?" March 7th asked cautiously.
As her words fell, the atmosphere instantly grew tense. A wave of oppressive energy rose, and truthfully, March 7th's words weren't entirely implausible.
If an Annihilation Lord was indeed among them, things were about to get very complicated!
March 7th's offhand comment planted the seeds of suspicion among the group.