["Jing Yuan! Jing Yuan!"]
[The surrounding smoke and dust continued to swirl, broken branches of the Ambrosial Arbor falling from the air. As Jing Yuan gradually regained consciousness, he finally saw the person before him… it was Dan Heng, who had caught him steadily as he fell.]
["Well done, General of the Hunt."]
[A wisp of ghostly flame floated in midair. Even with her body utterly destroyed, Phantylia's mouth remained stubbornly defiant. "But what I've lost is merely a casually crafted vessel. How much longer can you hold out?"]
["The day of the Xianzhou's destruction is coming."]
["Heh…"]
[With Dan Heng's support, Jing Yuan managed to stand from the ground, letting out a low chuckle. He raised a hand to wipe the blood from his lips. "Begone… pawn of Destruction."]
["Tell the Legion: the vengeance of the Hunt… will surely come!"]
[Jing Yuan extended his right hand, flicking lightly, dispersing the wisp of ghostly flame completely. With the direction of the blowing wind, Phantylia's low laughter gradually faded into the distance.]
Teyvat, Liyue——
"Phew, it's finally over… right?"
As if all strength had left her, Keqing slumped onto the stone table, letting out a long sigh. Recalling the moment Jing Yuan was seized by Phantylia, she couldn't help but exclaim, "This Xianzhou general has some serious guts!"
"Using himself as bait just to draw Phantylia's attention… that's too reckless." Though the outcome was favorable, Ganyu didn't entirely approve of Jing Yuan's risky strategy. A single misstep could have put the entire Xianzhou Luofu at risk of collapse—a gamble with incredibly high stakes.
"Heh, Ganyu, Keqing, to defeat Phantylia… how can you seize that sliver of victory without taking risks?"
Granny Ping set aside her usual kindly smile, her wrinkled face showing a hint of admiration. "On the contrary, as the leader of a Xianzhou, General Jing Yuan dared to put himself in danger without hesitation… his decisive resolve alone is truly admirable."
"If he hadn't used himself as bait, how do you think they could have defeated Phantylia?"
"Hm…"
Granny Ping's question left Ganyu and Keqing momentarily silent. They pondered for a long while but eventually gave up, shaking their heads lightly.
In Keqing's mind, she'd likely have Dan Heng carry Jing Yuan away the moment he was injured. After all, the Ambrosial Arbor was in Scalegorge Waterscape, and Phantylia couldn't take it with her. Moreover, she needed to stay connected to the Arbor's mystic roots to wield Abundance's power. If things truly became unmanageable, Keqing's first choice would be to call for aid from the other Xianzhou generals.
As for Ganyu's perspective… with her personality, she'd probably be stationed by Jing Yuan at the entrance to Scalegorge Waterscape to assist Fu Xuan, never even getting the chance to face Phantylia.
[Seeing Jing Yuan's unsteady state, March 7th worriedly asked, "General, are you… okay?"]
[Jing Yuan shook his head. "…I can still hold on."]
[He turned to Dan Heng, forcing a faint smile despite his weakness. "Looks like… our old chemistry hasn't faded, has it…"]
["Phantylia, what a terrifying foe," Jing Yuan said with lingering fear. "If she hadn't tried to infuse me with Destruction's power to turn me into a Voidranger, the outcome might still be uncertain."]
["Thanks to Dan Heng's perfectly timed spear strike, it dealt a heavy blow to Phantylia, who was closely linked to me, and severed her connection to the Ambrosial Arbor."]
["I see!" March 7th touched her chest, still worried. "When I saw Dan Heng aim his spear at you, I was scared to death…"]
["Is that thing… dead?" Stelle asked doubtfully.]
[Jing Yuan sighed. "Regrettably, an emissary of Destruction isn't so easily destroyed, but…"]
["Phantylia won't be able to stir trouble again for a while, nor do we need to worry about her tampering with the Ambrosial Arbor. However, sealing the Stellaron will still take some time," Welt continued, picking up where Jing Yuan left off.]
["Leave those matters to Master Diviner Fu Xuan to handle. I just feel… a bit weary…"]
[As he spoke, Jing Yuan could no longer support his body. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground. Moments later, Stelle and March 7th called for Fu Xuan and the Cloud Knights, and everyone boarded a starskiff bound for Exalting Sanctum.]
"After this battle… Jing Yuan won't become Mara-struck, will he?" Denji suddenly said, munching on popcorn.
Power, who had been hyped up by Jing Yuan and Phantylia's battle, suddenly paled.
"Denji, how could you say something so sinister and twisted? It's definitely because you've been around Makima too long and got corrupted!"
"No way! Miss Makima is totally adorable." Denji stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth. "Older Xianzhou folks easily turn Mara-struck, don't they? You didn't forget about Jingliu, did you?"
"Jingliu fell to Mara after a big battle, then fought her disciple Jing Yuan. She didn't get killed by the Divine Lord's blade, though."
Popcorn crumbs flew as Denji spoke. "If it's Jing Yuan, he'd probably fall straight to Mara, then cause chaos on the Xianzhou. Even though the general just defeated Phantylia and saved the Xianzhou, Yanqing would still have to tearfully slay his master. Sounds reasonable, right?"
"…"
Power stared blankly at Denji for three seconds.
Then let out a piercing scream.
She pounced on Denji, straddling him, grabbing his neck and shaking him furiously. "You're a demon from hell, Denji! Trash like you doesn't deserve popcorn! Spit it out, aaahhh!"
[Jing Yuan was taken back to the Seat of Divine Foresight, where Bailu personally examined him. Her conclusion was that, while there was no danger to his life, he would need to rest for some time to fully recover.]
[In the meantime, the Astral Express crew could stay on the Xianzhou to rest and enjoy themselves, with all expenses covered by the Seat of Divine Foresight.]
["Yay!" March 7th jumped with excitement. She'd long wanted to explore the Xianzhou with everyone, but they hadn't had the time before.]
[However, no sooner had March and Stelle's excitement begun than, just as they stepped out of the Seat of Divine Foresight, they received a message from the Commissioner's Office.]
[The sender was Da Hao, an official from the Commissioner's Office.]
[The reason was simple. Before the incident on the Xianzhou, the Master Diviner and the General had suspected someone had brought a dangerous item onto the Luofu. After investigating both offices, they found no suspicious individuals and had to turn to Stelle and the others for help.]
[If convenient, Da Hao suggested Stelle bring a few companions to assist in identifying the suspects. Naturally, there would be generous compensation afterward.]
[Stelle consulted Welt, who agreed to go along. However, since Dan Heng had expended too much energy in the battle and needed a few days to recover, it would just be the three of them for this task.]