Chapter 206: Yaoshi: No Need to Thank Me, No Need to Thank Me
Fu Xuan's jade-green eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze lingering on the unfamiliar foxian woman with intense scrutiny. She was burning with curiosity about Bai Heng's true identity.
After all, the Master Diviner and her elite Cloud Knights had locked down the entire perimeter of Scalegorge Waterscape. They had guarded the entrance with an ironclad perimeter, and not a single soul had slipped past their watch. Yet, when the Vanguard ventured inside, this woman was nowhere to be found. Now, as they emerged from the ancient ruins, she had simply materialized out of thin air.
If Fu Xuan actually believed that nothing extraordinary had transpired within the depths of Scalegorge Waterscape, she would be a complete fool.
Could it be that the General had somehow managed to drag Phantylia out in a new form? Given the chaotic, unpredictable situation currently plaguing the Xianzhou, it wasn't entirely outside the world of possibility. But as Fu Xuan watched Bai Heng's gentle demeanor, and noted the soft, almost reverent attitude General Jing Yuan and the others directed toward her, the theory fell apart. This woman was fundamentally different from the malicious Lord Ravager.
Since Jing Yuan clearly had no intention of offering an explanation, Fu Xuan wisely chose not to press the issue, burying her doubts beneath her usual stoic facade for the time being.
"The changes here... are truly immense." Bai Heng stood near the shoreline, the sea breeze catching her hair. She gazed out at the shimmering, sunlit surface of Scalegorge Waterscape, her eyes tracking the faint, gleaming outlines of modern city structures towering in the distance. A bittersweet mix of heavy nostalgia and childlike wonder softened her features. "There are so many new roads. I don't think I recognize any of them anymore."
"If you wish to see what the Luofu has become, there will be plenty of time in the future." Jingliu stood nearby, her arms crossed over her chest. Her tone was light, but a rare, quiet warmth thawed the usual glacial chill in her crimson eyes. "The Xianzhou of today is stable and prosperous. It is vastly different from the era when you left us..."
"That's wonderful!" Bai Heng's eyes curved into bright crescent moons. She spun around, offering a dazzling smile to the Master Diviner. "Diviner Fu, I'm afraid I'll be troubling you quite a bit from now on."
"It is no trouble at all," Fu Xuan replied, offering a polite, measured nod.
Far away, hidden deep within a quiet, desolate corner of the universe.
In the suffocating darkness of the void, a sudden spark flared. Crimson and gold flames ignited without warning, crackling in the vacuum of space. The two contrasting fires spread and intertwined like blooming vines, slowly weaving together to outline a slender, humanoid silhouette.
"It failed... but it wasn't a complete loss."
Phantylia's soft, echoing laughter drifted from the heart of the inferno. The swirling flames condensed, cooling and molding into a brand-new vessel. She retained the physical appearance she favored, but this iteration was far more exquisite, radiating a bewitching, dangerous allure.
Her hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of pure ink, elegantly pinned with dark, complex accessories. Her attire clung to her curves, resembling flowing water solidified directly from the night sky. The fabric shimmered with an eerie, hypnotic glow, perfectly capturing the paradoxical intertwining of absolute destruction and boundless vitality.
Although she had failed to escape the Xianzhou with the perfect, indestructible body forged from the Ambrosial Arbor, Phantylia hadn't exactly been idle during her time lurking within Scalegorge Waterscape.
At the very least, she had successfully siphoned and integrated a lingering trace of the true power of the Path of Abundance.
Now, she wielded this newly acquired energy to reshape her current vessel. While it lacked the infinite, overflowing vitality and sheer indestructibility of the Ambrosial Arbor's flesh, this new form delighted the Lord Ravager even more. It required no external sustenance. Through her own masterful manipulation of both Destruction and Abundance, the body could continuously refine itself. It existed in a perpetual, closed loop of creation and annihilation, achieving a terrifying state of dynamic longevity.
She flexed her fingers, extremely satisfied with this new form. It was the perfect marriage of Destruction's raw might and Abundance's stubborn resilience.
[Yaoshi]: No need to thank me! No need to thank me~
[Yaoshi]: If you had directly prayed to me, I would have granted it willingly.
[Yaoshi]: There was no need for such roundabout methods, little one.
[Nanook]: Hmph... This is my Emanator.
Nanook felt the need to emphasize that fact once more.
At least until Phantylia displayed obvious signs of outright betrayal, the Aeon of Destruction would continue to claim her as His own. However, the sensation of His personal Emanator being repeatedly "coveted" and pampered by other cosmic entities deeply displeased Him.
He couldn't help but wonder how the other Aeons felt when their own Emanators were casually "recruited" by Him. Perhaps they simply didn't care?
Truthfully, before being dragged into this bizarre chat group, Nanook Himself had never spared a single thought for ordinary Emanators. Aeons stood at the absolute pinnacle of their respective Paths; what did the fleeting comings and goings of mortal Emanators matter to a god? If He cared, wouldn't He be forced to wage a galactic war against another Aeon every single time He "recruited" one of their pawns?
"Deep within the Xianzhou's Shackling Prison, there are still some interesting little toys locked away in the dark..."
Phantylia toyed with a stray strand of her ink-black hair, a cold, calculating glint flashing in her golden eyes. "Like that 'little puppy' belonging to the Abundance Followers... If he were to be released, it should be more than enough to stir up a delightful amount of trouble for the Luofu. Don't you agree, General?"
She let out a cold, disdainful snort.
Although she was thrilled with her upgraded body, Phantylia deeply despised the bitter taste of defeat she had swallowed on the Xianzhou Luofu.
If she hadn't been so blinded by her own arrogance, treating those "ants" as mere insects she could crush with a lazy flick of her wrist... perhaps the Xianzhou would already be drowning in the beautiful chaos and destruction she so deeply craved.
Arrogance... it was truly a fatal flaw that needed to be kept in check.
She allowed herself a brief moment of reflection before her mind eagerly pivoted to fresh, malicious schemes.
"The Vidyadhara Preceptors are secretly colluding with the pathetic remnants of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the Borisin survivors... If that imprisoned Borisin Broodlord, 'Hoolay', were to be mysteriously released, it would keep you quite busy for a while, wouldn't it, General Jing Yuan?"
Phantylia narrowed her eyes, a cruel, mocking curve forming at the corner of her lips.
Her original grand design had crumbled; her subsequent actions required careful, careful planning. But before launching her next major offensive, why not gift the Guardian of the Luofu some harmless, yet incredibly annoying "trouble" as a petty form of retaliation? It would be immensely satisfying to watch them scramble.
Following the brutal war with the Abundance Followers, the Borisin had been nearly driven to extinction by General Feixiao of the Yaoqing. The scattered survivors had long since devolved into a pathetic pack of rabid, desperate strays.
In Phantylia's grand calculations, the Borisin were no longer capable of posing a fundamental, existential threat to the Luofu. But if setting Hoolay loose could drag the internal, political unrest among the Vidyadhara Preceptors out into the blinding light of day... it would be more than enough to make that perpetually composed Divine Strategist squirm in discomfort for a good, long while.
That alone would suffice.
"Mmm... that was such a comfortable sleep!"
March 7th groaned happily, stretching her arms high above her head as she sat up in her plush bed.
After finally parting ways with Jing Yuan and the local authorities, the Astral Express Crew had dragged their exhausted bodies back to the inn, finally securing a chance to rest properly.
Thinking back on it, ever since they first set foot on the Xianzhou Luofu, they had been violently swept up in a relentless hurricane of crises. Aside from briefly dropping their luggage at the inn upon arrival, it had been non-stop sprinting, fighting, and putting out fires across the ship.
Now, basking in the quiet morning light filtering through the blinds, they finally had a moment to breathe. The peace was incredibly refreshing for both body and mind.
Humming a cheerful tune, March 7th snatched her phone off the nightstand, opened the Astral Express family chat, and began scrolling through the backlog of messages with a wide grin.
[Stelle]: Himeko! You'll never guess what we just experienced on the Luofu...
[Himeko]: Oh? I'm all ears.
Reading through the logs, March saw that Stelle and Caelus had taken turns excitedly detailing their wild adventures on the Xianzhou to Himeko. The chat was a chaotic mess of twists, turns, and highly exaggerated thrilling moments.
Especially their recounting of the final, desperate clash with the Lord Ravager Phantylia.
Reading their dramatic retelling, March 7th couldn't help but giggle behind her hand. The actual main force in that apocalyptic battle was clearly the newly reunited "High-Cloud Quintet." While Stelle and Caelus had bravely faced Phantylia head-on and definitely contributed their fair share of damage... to claim they were currently throwing around Emanator-level strength was a massive stretch.
These two raccoons were incredibly vivid in their descriptions, heavily embellishing their own heroic roles in the fight.
Smiling, she tapped her screen rapidly and fired off a message to the group.
[March 7th]: Hey hey—is everyone awake yet?
[Stelle]: Been up for ages! I'm playing Honkai: Star Rail right now, haha! The main story perfectly recreated my absolute heroic brilliance back there! (Stelle standing tall and laughing.jpg)
[Caelus]: Mm. The Judgement of Shamash is really cool. (Caelus Judgement of Shamash screenshot.jpg)
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