Shifting the view tens of thousands of light-years away, tracing back to Mr. Welt, who had lost contact with the Express.
On a yellowish-brown planet, Old Yang pushed up his glasses, planted his cane into the ground, and surveyed the surrounding environment.
At this moment, describing this planet as desolate and harsh would be entirely fitting.
Standing in place for a long while, Welt raised his head to gaze at the brilliant starry sky, feeling a pang of frustration.
During the process when Acheron tore through the void to help him escape that place, under the massive onslaught of chaotic spacetime energies and Imaginary energy, the communication equipment he had been carrying had long since turned to ash.
This meant that our Mr. Welt was now completely cut off from civilized society.
He couldn't determine his current location, because when he had observed the celestial phenomena earlier, he hadn't found any valuable reference stars.
"Sigh~"
Old Yang let out a sigh, feeling as though he had suddenly aged several decades—though he was already quite old, a centuries-old geezer.
"One step at a time. For now, I can only follow my intuition and keep moving."
Pulling his cane back out of the ground, he straightened his collar, rallied his spirits, and activated his Imaginary power before soaring away from the planet.
Right now, Old Yang only hoped to quickly find a planet with civilization to determine his current position—ideally one equipped with a spatial jump device.
Otherwise, relying on his own two legs and a body full of Imaginary energy to reunite with the Astral Express would probably take him until the cows came home.
Whoosh—!
Welt transformed into a streak of golden light, breaking through the yellowish planet's atmosphere. Following his intuition, he ventured forth into the cosmos.
An unknowable distance away, along the path Welt was flying, a massive star chariot emblazoned with the mark of [The Hunt] was cruising through the universe.
The giant star chariot was approximately 300 meters long and 50 meters wide, overall presenting a mixed tone of red and green.
Notably, beside the mark of [The Hunt] was another emblem representing the Xianzhou.
However, this was not a star chariot from the Xianzhou Luofu—it was still an emblem of the Xianzhou Alliance.
The red imprint representing Zhu Ming Xianzhou.
Let us shift our view inside the star chariot…
"Ahh~!"
A petite black-haired girl was sitting by the window of the star chariot, one hand propping up her small face as she boredly watched the fleeting celestial bodies flash past outside.
After a long while, perhaps growing tired of looking, she extended her slender jade hand and fumbled behind her as though searching for something.
Then, like a magic trick, a beautifully crafted string of candied hawthorn appeared in the girl's hand.
Gazing at the round, vermilion hawthorn fruits on the rock candy stick in her hand, the black-haired girl's eyes sparkled.
A thin layer of sugar crystals faintly shimmered over the vermilion fruits. She lightly sniffed the fragrant, sweet aroma of the candied haw.
Gulp…
Her mouth watered. The girl couldn't help but swallow, and then…
"Ahh~!"
One bite, two bites, three bites—in just a few moments, the exquisite string of candied hawthorn was completely devoured by the girl.
If an outsider saw this scene, they would surely be shocked speechless, their worldview shattered.
Just as the girl finished the candied hawthorn, closed her beautiful eyes, and savored the wonderful sour-sweet taste, a steady and deep voice suddenly sounded behind her.
"Yunli, eat slowly. How many times have I told you—a girl should act like a girl."
Hearing this, the girl turned her head, then adorably tilted it, seemingly unconcerned by the person's words.
"I know, Grandpa."
The petite girl named Yunli replied calmly, without a ripple of surprise.
"Sigh, fine, do whatever you want."
Seeing Yunli's nonchalant attitude, what could he, her grandfather, say? Even though he was the General of Zhu Ming Xianzhou, in front of his own granddaughter, he was probably just an ordinary elder.
He understood his granddaughter's personality well: straightforward, vengeful when wronged, quick to repay kindness and enmity alike.
This time, when heading to the Xianzhou Luofu to participate in the Starskiff Haven Martial Tournament, he had originally not planned to bring Yunli along. But because of certain events that happened a few days ago…
His granddaughter had sworn that she would beat that kid named Yanqing so badly he wouldn't get out of bed for half a year.
"General, sir!"
Just as this Zhu Ming General's thoughts were wandering, a man wearing the Cloud Knights armor of Zhu Ming Xianzhou suddenly stepped forward to report, interrupting his reverie.
"What is it?"
The General didn't mind having his thoughts interrupted. He simply waved his hand and asked what the Cloud Knight had come to report.
"Reporting to the General: during the star chariot's flight path, our detection devices have picked up a life signal. This life signal is currently heading straight toward our position."
"A life signal? Heading toward us?"
Hearing this, the General slightly furrowed his brows. His gaze turned deep and profound. Then, a scorching surge of Narrator energy gathered in his eyes, and his gaze blazed like fire as he looked toward the direction the star chariot was traveling.
At the same time, in the direction the General was gazing…
Wrapped in Imaginary energy and flying aimlessly, Welt suddenly felt a piercing, torch-like gaze lock onto him. A sense of being watched immediately surged in his heart.
"What is it…"
Old Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, then his gaze sharpened.
The spatial distance between the two was vast; neither could confirm the other's identity, nor could they sense whether the other harbored malice or goodwill.
Thus, Welt gathered his Imaginary power and fearlessly returned the gaze across the void.
"A strong one."
Inside the massive star chariot of Zhu Ming Xianzhou, the General withdrew his gaze, fell silent for a moment, and finally gave this evaluation.
And it was precisely this evaluation that caused everyone present to break out in a cold sweat.
After all, the man before them was the General of Zhu Ming Xianzhou—one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals of the Imperial Palace, [Candle Abyss General]—Lord 'Huaiyan'! An Emissary of [The Hunt]!
To be called an expert by this lord, the other party must surely be someone on the level of an Aeon's Emissary. Even if not, they would at least be among the closest to Emissary level beneath an Aeon.
"General…"
Hearing Huaiyan's words, Yunli also realized the gravity of the situation. She secretly tightened her grip on the sword hilt at her waist, her expression turning slightly solemn.
"Inform everyone to prepare for possible combat, but do not take any action for the time being."
"We still cannot judge the other party's intentions. Wait until they approach the star chariot—then attempt communication first."