The massive momentum of the Ambrosial Arbor's resurgence seized everyone's attention. Unnoticed, Kafka had already broken free from the mantra cords and was walking with light steps toward the edge of the platform.
"You two take good care of yourselves, okay? We will meet again in the future."
Eyelashes pressing down on a gentle look, the corners of Kafka's mouth revealed a bright and beautiful smile.
As her voice fell, the purple-haired beauty standing at the edge of the floating platform elegantly spread her arms and fell backward, plummeting down.
"Holy shit! Caelus-cub, Mom jumped off the building to commit suicide!"
Stelle couldn't hold back a cry of alarm. She hurriedly ran to the edge of the platform, stood on tiptoe, leaned her small head over the railing, and looked down.
The wind swept through the clouds and mist; two figures disappeared into the sea of clouds.
The other figure had leaped down from the adjacent platform. It could be seen that it was a man with a cold, stern face, bandages wrapped around his wrists, and a bundle of long hair tied behind him.
Stelle quickly recognized him: it was the other member of the Stellaron Hunters, Blade, whom the Xianzhou had captured earlier.
"Say, do you think we can go to the Stellaron Hunters' place for the funeral banquet?"
Caelus gazed at the soft cloud layers stirred by the Ambrosial Arbor's resurgence, thought for a long time, and spoke seriously.
"Makes sense!" Stelle's eyes lit up.
"I feel like that height won't kill Kafka. By the way... although I don't really like that woman, aren't you two being a bit too 'filial'? You were clearly so concerned about her just a moment ago."
March 7th, who was also looking out for Kafka's figure, raised her head, casting a sidelong glance at the two Gray-hairs and roasting them speechlessly.
"Mm-hm~ Are you jealous, Ah Qi?"
Stelle revealed a cheeky smile.
"Don't worry, the one we care about most is you," Caelus added with a face full of sincerity.
"Who—who would be jealous!"
March 7th retorted loudly, her face flushing red.
"Wow, I didn't expect Ah Qi to have tsundere attributes."
Stelle seemed to have discovered a new continent. However, upon sensing the energy fluctuations radiating from the Ambrosial Arbor, her brows furrowed.
This surge of energy... is a Stellaron!
"A subconscious tsundere response due to shyness—this line scores very high with Caelus!"
While cracking jokes and acting the buffoon, Caelus took out one of the gifts Asta had given him from his spatial ring—a Starry Sky Observer series telescope, a model for planetary use.
Borrowing the high vantage point of the Divination Commission's Matrix of Prescience, Caelus used the telescope to observe the situation nearby.
The resprouting of the Ambrosial Arbor brought about a vigorous vitality that altered the environment, creating an astonishing and unpredictable spectacle.
At the edge of the stone terrain, roots churned and intertwined. The golden foliage of the Ambrosial Arbor scattered the Luofu's golden light, resembling both golden lotuses and the moon floating in water.
At the base of the Ambrosial Arbor, vines as thick as dragons grew, and towering ancient trees sprouted madly around the Arbor like bamboo shoots after rain, violating the laws of nature.
Sensing the change in atmosphere, March 7th lost the mood to bicker with the two Gray-hairs.
"Is the Stellaron causing the growth of the Ambrosial Arbor?"
"Correct. That Stellaron that both we and the Xianzhou have been searching for is the culprit behind this anomaly."
Welt nodded gravely, giving confirmation.
Matters had become somewhat troublesome.
The Xianzhou should have a response plan, right?
Welt looked towards the hosts.
Fu Xuan's expression was slightly anxious. "General, regarding the Ambrosial Arbor... what do you prepare to do?"
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus... have they finally made their move?"
Jing Yuan, on the other hand, was as calm as ever. He narrowed his eyes, looking toward the location of the Ambrosial Arbor. "As for the next step... Master Fu, what do you think?"
Her willow-leaf brows slightly furrowed, Fu Xuan spoke crisply and decisively:
"In This Seat's opinion, the urgent priority is to summon the Cloud Knights, rush to the Grotto-Heaven where the Ambrosial Arbor is rooted, and uproot the Stellaron evil spirit with the fastest speed to halt the momentum of the Arbor's rebirth."
"Mm, mm. Master Fu's Matrix of Prescience Eye has keen insight; that is surely the fastest shortcut to solving the problem. But sometimes, the fastest is not necessarily the optimal. Guess why I, knowing the location of the Stellaron early on, held back my troops and did not move?"
Before Caelus successfully infiltrated the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, Jing Yuan had a high degree of certainty that the Stellaron was in the hands of a Xianzhou traitor.
The reason he didn't act rashly was, firstly, to guard against the enemy who brought the Stellaron into the Xianzhou.
The Xianzhou is protected by the Reignbow Arbiter. Unless it was an existence at the level of an Emanator, or through special means, it would be impossible to deceive him.
Finding and eradicating the enemy in the dark was the most important thing. Otherwise, if attention were diverted by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the opponent was allowed to play their piece, the situation might reach an irredeemable degree.
Secondly, to use this opportunity to pull up the existing Disciples of Sanctus Medicus by the roots.
Although Caelus had gained the trust of the Head of the Disciples and become a high-ranking member, the jade token he obtained contained only partial data.
Relying on this partial information was insufficient to exterminate the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
This malignant tumor of the Disciples had taken root in the Xianzhou for too long. The Head had even become a high-ranking official within the Six Commissions, occupying half of the Alchemy Commission. There had to be a thorough cleansing.
A severe illness requires strong medicine!
Therefore, Jing Yuan did not mobilize his full strength to hunt down the Disciples or search for the Stellaron. Instead, he gave them this opportunity. Wait until they saw the dawn of victory; those incurable fellows would surely all crawl out of the sewers.
At that time, they could catch them all in one net!
Fu Xuan lowered her head in contemplation. After a few seconds, she glared at Jing Yuan. "...You villain."
"Haha, to cut weeds, one must dig up the roots."
Jing Yuan laughed twice.
"Master Fu, I hand the military seal to you. Next, you will command the Cloud Knights. This expedition to exterminate the chaotic party is a heavenly political achievement. Wouldn't I have more assurance in recommending you as General after the meeting?"
"General, how many times have you painted this pie?"
Fu Xuan was expressionless, but in reality, she was slightly angry.
"Ten years after another ten years. Before, when I asked you for military power, you wouldn't give it. Now you're willing to release military power, but how many soldiers do I have available to use?"
The places where Caelus observed similar changes were not limited to the location of the Ambrosial Arbor's main root.
Across the vast Luofu, the sum of the Grotto-Heavens exceeded four times Earth's surface area, and many branches of the Ambrosial Arbor were exposed to the outside world.
Ordinarily, these areas containing the Arbor's branches were listed as military restricted zones, garrisoned by Cloud Knights.
At this moment, all the withered branches of the Ambrosial Arbor exposed on the surface of the Luofu revived along with it.
Surrounding vegetation bloomed, birthing Abundance Spirit Beasts. The combination of the Ambrosial Arbor's Power of Abundance and the Stellaron made the erosion even more severe; the Mara disaster was bound to occur frequently.
The Cloud Knight armies usually stationed at the withered branches would definitely have to fight the Abundance Spirit Beasts spawned there right now, to prevent those Spirit Beasts from running into the outside world and causing harm to civilians.
They also needed to allocate troops to suppress the Mara disaster, as well as manpower to deal with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
Yes, the military power was there, but there weren't many soldiers available to use!
"Ai, Master Fu, don't forget. We still have a squad of surprise troops here."
Jing Yuan looked toward the approaching Astral Express group and revealed a warm smile.
"Just when we need people. Since the Stellaron Hunters have the heart to let the Express form an alliance with us, I, Jing Yuan, won't stand on ceremony."
"Ugh, I knew it. The moment the General smiles, we're going to get ordered around!"
March 7th roasted him helplessly, then her aura suddenly changed.
The girl mimicked Fu Xuan's previous hand-rubbing motion with decent accuracy and spoke methodically:
"Everyone, I cast a hexagram for us. The image reveals we are all fated to toil."
"It doesn't matter. As long as there are rewards, mere Abundance monsters will all turn into this baby's Crystals!"
Hefting her bat, Stelle spoke with a heavy 'Colonel' accent, throwing Jing Yuan a 'You get me, right?' look.
"I understand, I understand."
Jing Yuan chuckled, nodding repeatedly. "However, the matter has arisen hastily. If I were to haggle with you all while facing the enemy, wouldn't that dim your grace and righteousness, and also bring shame upon the Luofu?"
"Wait until the catastrophe is quelled; I will surely make everyone satisfied."
"Jing Yuan, ah, I said it before. One must be polite when asking others for help."
Caelus stood with one hand behind his back, adopting the posture of an elder.
"..."
Jing Yuan's smile stiffened for a moment. Operating on the principle that since he'd already called it once, calling it again didn't matter...
"Grandmaster, I entrust this matter to you."
Fu Xuan's eyes went wide upon hearing this, her face full of bewilderment.
Grandmaster? What Grandmaster?
Given her relationship with Jing Yuan, she naturally knew of Jing Yuan's master, Jingliu, one of the former High-Cloud Quintet. But how did Caelus become the Grandmaster?
What is the relationship between him and Jingliu?
[Commission Mission: Let the Bullets Fly for a While.]
[Mission Content: A great wind rises, clouds fly high! Where can I find brave warriors to guard the four corners? Cults must be exterminated at all times! Not exterminating them won't do! Only days without cults are good days.]
[Mission Reward: Obtain 160-320 Crystals based on completion degree.]
"Eh! Now that's more like it!"
It was the joyful tone of a child responding to an elder during the New Year.
Recently, Caelus had been fiercely grinding the System's daily missions. Between the Qingque Companion Mission stage tasks and the 30 Crystals gifted daily by the Monthly Card, his Crystals had reached a critical point.
After finishing this job, he would scrape together enough Crystals for a ten-pull!
Caelus walked up to Jing Yuan with a chuckle.
"Grandmaster won't let you call him that for nothing. I'll tell you another important piece of intelligence."
Caelus beckoned to Jing Yuan's projection. After Jing Yuan leaned in, he whispered in his ear:
"The Emanator hiding on the Xianzhou is the Lord Ravager Phantylia. She has disguised herself as Tingyun."
"What!?"
As the word 'Emanator' entered his ears, Jing Yuan's expression froze. After Caelus finished speaking, his pupils contracted abruptly.
"Grandmaster, are these words true?"
The amount of information contained in the news left Jing Yuan with no mind to care about such small matters as forms of address.
Lord Ravager Phantylia. Jing Yuan had heard of her reputation; the internal chaos within the Xianzhou right now indeed fit her customary methods.
"Of course. She doesn't know yet that I've seen through her exposure. You issue an order for her to accompany us, then go to the Alchemy Commission to set up first. When we get there, we'll take them by surprise—it's an Execute!"
Caelus made a throat-slitting motion.
The reason Jing Yuan came here only via projection was that he had more important things to do. But now, Phantylia's importance surpassed the matters at hand.
"Ah Caelus, what are you and Jing Yuan whispering about?"
March 7th saw Caelus acting all secretive and felt it was strange. What matter needs to be kept confidential?
"You'll know later," Caelus responded with a light laugh.
If he told March 7th about Tingyun's identity now, she definitely wouldn't be able to act out a state of natural interaction perfectly.
Jing Yuan and Caelus quickly discussed the plan. Then, in his capacity as General, he issued an order to Tingyun, having Tingyun guide the Express crew.
"Master Fu, use the military seal to command the Cloud Knights to move out and deploy."
"Everyone, please proceed from the Divination Commission shortcut to the Artisanship Commission, and from the Artisanship Commission to the Alchemy Commission."
"Why do we have to take a detour?"
Stelle stuck out her small head and asked.
"It is not a detour; this is the fastest route. Furthermore..."
Jing Yuan's phantom image looked toward the direction of the Artisanship Commission.
"The Artisanship Commission ceased operations several days ago. Reports state that foreign objects are overgrown inside, and many Aurumatons, influenced by the Stellaron, cannot distinguish friend from foe. That is the Stellaron's influence."
"The situation now is adding frost to snow. The Artisanship Commission houses important roots of the Ambrosial Arbor. The Arbor's resuscitation has an immense impact there. The urgent priority is to prevent the entire department of the Artisanship Commission from being destroyed in one fell swoop. Therefore, you must detour through the Artisanship Commission and solve the Artisanship Commission's problems in passing."
There were very few branches of the Ambrosial Arbor not listed as restricted areas. Due to the nature of their work, the Artisanship Commission and the Alchemy Commission—two of the Six Commissions—possessed the clearance to access the Ambrosial Arbor's branches.
At this moment, being special had instead become the source of calamity.
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