Phantylia was angry.
No—she was furious.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Ever since she returned to the Xianzhou Luofu, her identity had already been exposed.
Worse—she'd been toyed with, manipulated step by step, like a clown dancing in someone else's palm.
The thought alone made her rage boil over.
Me.
Phantylia.
She had destroyed countless civilizations, ignited internal conflicts, torn worlds apart from the inside out.
And yet—
On the Xianzhou?
She had been played.
Did that make any sense at all?
Even now, wearing Tingyun's unremarkable appearance, she was still an Emanator.
A Destruction Lord.
Unforgivable.
Absolutely unforgivable.
"Tingyun"—no, Phantylia—looked coldly at the figures within the Alchemy Commission.
March 7th.
Stelle.
And the Diviner of the Divination Commission—
Fu Xuan.
"Very well. Very well indeed."
"Once I completely seize the power of the Ambrosial Arbor and the Stellaron…"
"This Xianzhou Luofu will fall."
At that moment, Phantylia made her decision.
She would act.
She had no intention of continuing this farce.
Phantylia was, at her core, a heliobus—an energy lifeform with Emanator-level power.
Without a complete physical vessel, she couldn't fully unleash her strength.
But energy lifeforms had no fixed form to begin with.
Escape? Survival?
Those were her specialties.
Even knowing that Jing Yuan, one of the Xianzhou's divine generals, was present—
She felt no fear.
She knew her own standing among Nanook's Destruction Lords.
In raw combat power, she was no match for Jing Yuan.
But—
If she could harness the Ambrosial Arbor's power—
She could forcibly trigger Jing Yuan's mara ahead of time.
Dragging both him and the Luofu down with her—
Even if future generals or even the Marshal herself intervened—
It would all be worth it.
Yes.
That was the plan.
Crack.
Tingyun's body suddenly twisted, then collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
The next instant—
Her true form dispersed into pure energy, flowing silently into the Ancient Moonlit Sea.
"Should be fine now… right?"
Only after the voice behind them faded did March 7th and the others step outside the Alchemy Commission.
The accompanying Cloud Knights inspected the foxian shell left behind.
"According to Evan, there shouldn't be any issues."
"To think she really infiltrated the Luofu wearing someone else's skin… disgusting."
"Eugh! I'm gonna have nightmares," Stelle muttered, poking the foxian hide cautiously.
"The Xianzhou has legends of fox spirits wearing human skins," Fu Xuan said, frowning.
"But those were always Ten-Lords Commission ghost stories."
"This is the first time I've seen something like this."
The disguise was almost indistinguishable from the real Tingyun—
Only the material itself felt… wrong.
"Then this means we're closing the net," Fu Xuan said quietly.
Her gaze drifted toward the distant horizon.
Beyond the Moonlit Sea lay the ancient sanctum of the Vidyadhara.
"Shouldn't be any problems… right?"
"Let's go take a look!" March 7th said brightly.
"Come on, Lady Fu Xuan, you totally want to see the finale."
"But the Luofu—"
"The Six Commissions will survive without you for a bit. Worst case, dump the Divination Commission on Qingque!"
Fu Xuan hesitated.
…Then sighed.
Meanwhile—
Phantylia had anticipated all of this long ago.
The current Luofu was riddled with internal strife.
The previous Dragon Lord, Dan Feng, had been sentenced to reincarnation for the High-Cloud Quintet's sins and exiled from the Xianzhou.
And now—
The current Dragon Lord, the Imbibitor Lunae Healer, was ineffective.
She held the title, but not the complete authority of a Dragon Lord.
Only Cloudhymn healing arts—barely usable.
The Vidyadhara could not even fully open Scalegorge Waterscape.
All Phantylia had to do was wait.
Wait for the Ambrosial Arbor's fruit to mature.
Devour it.
Fuse it with the Stellaron.
And then—
No one could stop her.
Unless—
Unless someone dared to violate the Three-Species Pact
And destroy this entire sanctum.
But Jing Yuan wouldn't dare.
He couldn't.
The previous Dragon Lord had been his closest friend.
And so—
An energy lifeform slipped into the Ancient Sea, invading Scalegorge Waterscape.
The Arbor's roots began to tremble violently.
Back at the shore—
Yanqing's sword heart shattered again.
Still, Evan was satisfied.
Yanqing had grasped Sword Divine at the crucial moment.
But no matter what—
He was still just a swordsman, not an Emanator.
Against Jingliu?
It wasn't enough.
Which meant—
It was time for a hero to step in and steal the spotlight.
Evan arrived, riding his sword.
One move—
Tai-Xu Sword Form · Swallowing Rain—
And Jingliu's strike was blocked.
Yes.
A single sword stopped Jingliu.
Even so, the impact numbed Evan's right hand.
Jingliu really was a born swordsman.
Yanqing slowly opened his eyes.
"Mr. Evan! I—I mastered Sword Divine!"
"But… I still couldn't beat Grandmaster Jingliu…"
"Oh?" Evan chuckled.
"Whose sword heart shattered this time?"
"Oh. It's our little Yanqing again."
He ruffled the boy's golden hair.
Still—
Hook's head was way more fun to pat.
"Fighting a madwoman and surviving is already impressive."
"But what comes next is beyond your level."
"Go back. Your master has things for you to do."
Yanqing looked back, confused.
Jing Yuan smiled gently.
"Go. Fu Xuan still needs help."
Yanqing nodded and left.
Jing Yuan stepped forward, facing Jingliu.
"…Long time no see."
"Master."
On the other side of the Ancient Sea—
Kafka and Blade had already arrived.
"He's here," Blade muttered, clutching his head.
In his vision, a man carrying a Cloud-Piercer Spear walked toward them.
Kafka smiled faintly.
"Then release your mara."
The moment Kafka's Spirit Whisper faded—
Blade's eyes turned blood-red.
The Shattered Blade in his hand pulsed with violent energy.
Forged by Yingxing, originally meant for Jingliu—
Yet fate returned it to him.
Not far away—
Dan Heng gripped his spear tightly.
Though he was Dan Feng's reincarnation and retained fragments of memory—
The past still felt distant.
Why had Dan Feng chosen Bailu as Dragon Lord?
What had really happened back then?
And then—
A sword intent and a voice crashed toward him.
"So you've finally arrived, Dan Feng!"
"There were five of us. The price was three."
"Here—where it all began—it's time to pay!"
Dan Heng stared silently.
This man had chased him across the stars.
Relentless. Obsessive.
"I am Dan Heng," he said coldly.
"I have nothing to do with the person you're talking about."
"I won't live as anyone's shadow."
Blade laughed darkly.
"You haven't even tasted death."
"You think changing your name changes your sins?"
"Dan Heng… Dan Feng…"
Mara erupted.
The Shattered Blade pierced forward—
Blood-red light swallowed the sky.
The world seemed to lose all color.
And then—
A greatsword.
An ice blade.
Seven figures descended.
Jingliu.
Jing Yuan.
Evan.
March 7th.
Stelle.
Welt Yang.
Between Dan Heng and Blade—
That blindfolded woman appeared.
One hand.
One sword.
Blocking both.
"Dan Heng."
"Blade."
"There were five of us. The price was three…"
Silence followed.
Blade tightened his grip.
Dan Heng steadied his spear.
They both knew who stood before them.
March 7th blinked.
"Wait… Yingxing? Dan Feng?"
"Evan, isn't this the High-Cloud Quintet the storyteller keeps talking about?"
Stelle's eyes lit up.
"See? I knew Dan Heng had a hidden mode!"
"Why didn't he use his ult back on the Space Station?!"
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito