Chapter 149: Lady Sangonomiya, it seems someone is plotting to commit treason against you...
「 Dan Heng said no more, but slowly walked towards the statue.
The stone carving depicting the High Elder's form had long been weathered by the ages.
Dan Heng slowly closed his eyes, sensing the power of this place.
Beneath ten thousand acres of surging waves, the ancient Ambrosial Arbor's roots throbbed and proliferated, like a beast that had slumbered for a thousand years, now stirring from a deep dream.
The restrictions woven by successive Vidyadhara High Elders—the entanglements that enslaved and dispersed the behemoth's power—formed a decaying net, on the verge of tearing, about to fall away.
Memories of the past surfaced from the darkness, gripping Dan Heng tightly.
But this time, he no longer intended to refuse, but to embrace and accept it all…
Finally, he slowly raised his left hand, and a brilliant radiance condensed in his palm, as if he were about to grasp a star!
Almost simultaneously, a surge of exhilarating music suddenly echoed through heaven and earth, playing across myriad realms—
〽"Rending… my form… and LIBERATE!!" (Tear the heart the shoulder!!)#1
〽"A thunderous roar, a symphony."
〽"Soul's depths stirred by tempest's might."
〽"Surging waves, an awe-inspiring sight."
In that instant, the radiance in Dan Heng's hand shot straight into the sky, like a divine arrow piercing the firmament, urgent with rolling thunder. Its lingering power rippled outwards, illuminating the gloomy, overcast sky above Scalegorge Waterscape as brightly as dawn.
Beneath the clouds, the raging tides of the ancient sea reluctantly tore open a wound in their tumultuous roar, revealing a mysterious yet magnificent corner of the hidden grotto-heaven it contained.
—As if a deity had forcefully seized the very creation of heaven and earth, commanding the ancient sea not to obstruct, allowing all to pass through unhindered.
And at the distant end of Scalegorge Waterscape, a colossal azure dragon lay prostrate over the deep abyss, gazing across the sea at Jing Yuan. 」
〜Genshin Impact World〜
Teyvat, Watatsumi Island—
"Lady Sangonomiya? I think I just heard…"
Gorou scratched his head, unsure if he'd misheard. Someone was plotting against Lady Sangonomiya's shoulder!
But Gorou quickly realized that Lady Sangonomiya hadn't heard him at all. The maiden's gaze had long been captivated by the breathtaking spectacle on the screen; that magnificent Dragon Palace had firmly seized Kokomi's mind, and no amount of shaking by Gorou could bring her back to reality.
—
〜Journey To The West World〜
Meanwhile, in the underwater purgatory on the other side.
"The Vidyadhara palace is truly grand, though it's a bit of a shame…"
Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, felt both envy and regret. Envy that the Vidyadhara managed to preserve their palace so perfectly after a millennium, and regret that it had stood empty for so long, now utterly devoid of life.
Yet, the distant phantom of the dragon was truly magnificent… making her gaze upon it a few times more.
"These Vidyadhara really went all out. To seal the Ambrosial Arbor, they were willing to sacrifice such a treasure."
Although the screen's footage of Scalegorge Waterscape wasn't long, it was enough for Ao Qin to savor for half a day.
"Brother, why aren't you speaking?"
Ao Shun noticed that ever since Dan Heng parted the sea to reveal the Scalegorge Waterscape palace, his elder brother had been completely out of sorts.
Could it be envy?
That would be understandable; the palaces of Scalegorge Waterscape were arrayed like dragon scales—who wouldn't be envious? But the expression on his brother's face…
"Sigh."
Ao Guang let out a heavy sigh, filled with sorrow:
"I recall our former Dragon Palace… Though our palace was not as magnificent as Scalegorge Waterscape, it was still a sacred place for us, the Four Seas Dragon Clan. Alas, since guarding the underwater purgatory, it has become a ruin of broken walls…"
The Vidyadhara holy land in the screen remained perfectly preserved even after a millennium, but theirs…
He couldn't help but glance at Scalegorge Waterscape again, watching the various fish frolicking and swimming among the palace complex, and Ao Guang grew even sadder.
—
「 "There are so many structures underwater… No wonder the ancient texts record Scalegorge Waterscape as the site of the Vidyadhara Dragon Palace." Fu Xuan, seeing the palace situated within the ancient Scalegorge Sea for the first time, had eyes filled with awe.
"During the Shuhu Upheaval period, I was fortunate enough to witness this marvel. Mountains shifted, seas turned, and the palace city became a ruin… The Vidyadhara imprisoned the Ambrosial Arbor in their ancestral holy land. The Xianzhou Luofu truly owes them much."
Jing Yuan sighed, then quickly composed himself, stating gravely: "Lady Fu."
"Here, general." Fu Xuan stepped before him.
"You are to remain here, lead the Cloud Knights, and guard this passage to prevent further incidents," Jing Yuan solemnly instructed.
"Jing Yuan…" Fu Xuan frowned with concern, "…General, are you going to face Phantylia alone?"
"Not entirely alone," Jing Yuan chuckled, turning to look at Dan Heng and Stelle: "I have friends accompanying me."
"General! We, too, wish to accompany you! Please do not leave us behind!" A chorus of Cloud Knights also began to volunteer for battle, ready to carve a path for them, even if it meant certain sacrifice.
But Jing Yuan calmly refused: "My esteemed comrades, I understand your intentions perfectly. ...but the adversary ahead of us is not an Abomination of 『 Abundance 』. They are a Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion. Crossing this line will bring you into the conflict between the Reignbow Arbiter and the Ruin Author... You have a more crucial duty. Cloud Knights, heed my command!"
At his command, the numerous Cloud Knights stood at strict attention.
"Once I delve into the Ambrosial Arbor, if the seawater returns to its original state, you are to immediately withdraw, re-seal the grotto-heaven, and all matters shall proceed according to the Master Diviner's arrangements." 」
〜Dragon Raja World〜
Japan, Shinjuku—
In front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the love hotel, Lu Mingfei and Erii were chatting with pen and paper, discussing the aftermath of the people on the screen.
"Jing Yuan will die after saying something like that,"
Erii wrote quietly on the paper.
"No, absolutely not! That's not a death flag, he's fine!"
Lu Mingfei thought to himself, Princess, you really haven't watched enough anime. A flag has to be something like "I'll go back home and get married after this battle" or "There's nothing left to fear now." Jing Yuan's type, who hands over responsibilities, is actually very hard to kill. More importantly, he couldn't even imagine Xianzhou without Jing Yuan!
If Jing Yuan died, and the new General was the pink-haired shorty from the Divination Commission, then who would be the Diviner of the Divination Commission? Would they let Qingque do it?
That image was simply too beautiful.
Lu Mingfei counted on his fingers—Jing Yuan, Dan Heng… plus March 7th, that made five people. Under the righteous five-on-one, he actually started to worry about how Phantylia would cope.
Lu Mingfei poked at the Gomoku fried rice on the plate in front of him, which was his breakfast. Thinking that Erii wanted Gomoku fried rice for lunch too, he suddenly had an idea.
"If Jing Yuan wins, how about we go for Hokkaido ramen at Onigashira for lunch?"
Lu Mingfei wrote on the paper.
"If he loses, we'll keep eating Gomoku fried rice."
"Okay,"
Erii responded obediently on the cardboard,
"And you have to watch Fate/Zero with me tonight."
—