Phantylia: ???
"Benefactor, that's a bit underhanded~" Phantylia forced calm. Stelle calling a [Nihility] Emanator? No sweat—they'd never respond.
But an [Eternity] Emanator? Different story. They'd actually crawl through the connection!
No way, can't let that happen!
Worst part: she couldn't even escape. That necklace's pull was insane!
Beep beep beep!
Connection successful. Blake's voice slithered in like a ghost.
"Lord Ravager?"
"Pontiff Blake!" Stelle lit up like she'd grabbed a lifeline, but Phantylia wasn't just villain fodder. A pro antagonist knows: don't let the call go through.
She scanned for props. The iron furnace? No go—too heavy anyway.
Then she spotted the milk tea in Adrian's hand, fresh out.
So...
Splat!
She snatched it, jammed in the straw, and force-fed Stelle.
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph!"
The sweet aroma flooded Stelle's senses, blanking her mind for a crucial second.
Feeling the necklace weaken, Phantylia seized the moment and bolted like smoke.
"She even stuck the straw in for you. I'm literally crying..."
"So that's how she pulled it off..." Dan Heng was floored. A Lord Ravager surviving a pinch with milk tea? Unbelievable.
"Surrounded and still brainstorming an escape in one second—this Phantylia... don't underestimate her." Welt adjusted his glasses.
The method, though... a tad abstract. Sure she didn't defect from a [tavern]?
Fu Xuan got serious. "The [Disciples of Sanctus Medicus] rebellion was colluding with a Legion Lord Ravager all along. She disguised as a Xianzhou native, smuggled in the Stellaron Core, set us to destroy ourselves..."
"Now it's clear: her real target is the Ambrosial Arbor! Touch that, and it's like ripping out the Luofu's roots—toppling the Xianzhou would be child's play."
"No time to waste. We stop her! Board the starskiff—the cavern sealing the Ambrosial Arbor ahead is [Scalegorge Waterscape]."
Fu Xuan clenched her fist. She'd known the truth, but thinking of Phantylia's carefree days on the Luofu stoked nameless rage.
"That creep infiltrated as one of us, toyed with everyone... Utterly despicable. Her venom and cruelty are meant to rattle us—don't fall for it." Fu Xuan warned repeatedly.
"[Scalegorge Waterscape]—why's this the first I'm hearing of it from the Grand Diviner?"
"It's a cavern managed by the Vidyadhara, supposedly an ancient sea paradise transplanted from their homeworld. After the great war severed the [Ambrosial Arbor], its roots coiled on, never truly dying."
"The Alliance sealed it in Scalegorge Waterscape, entrusting the Vidyadhara Dragon Lords to watch eternally—using their draconic power to suppress it."
Fu Xuan worried. "Too much time's passed. Who knows if the old seal holds... Even if it does, it might not stop that ghostly Lord Ravager."
"Speaking of, where's Jing Yuan?"
"I reported everything to the Seat of Divine Foresight. After our Matrix of Prescience call, he's gone silent—said [a fateful matter demands his presence]."
"We're on the razor's edge now. We trust the General."
...
Earlier, at the Alchemy Commission
To avoid church recognition, Freesna disguised herself (hood up).
She soon found Luocha and Sushang, guarding a mumbling, mara-struck mortal—mind gone.
"I... I saw myself become thunder... I saw myself as storm..."
"The furnace smoke... I smelled the future..."
"Flesh and mire can't hold me... As dark deer, I saw branches stretch to veil the dome. I'll transform again..."
Sushang looked troubled. "Cloud Knights captured some [Disciples of Sanctus Medicus] fiends. A few went mad. This one's the worst."
The alchemist's eyes stared unfocused in opposite directions, like seeing a forked path's ends at once.
Spotting Freesna, Sushang greeted warmly.
After all the twists, she'd finally linked with Cloud Knights and rejoined.
Luocha met Freesna's puzzled gaze and explained.
"Before heading to the starskiff sea, I consulted a diviner on this trip's fortunes. He said [follow and gain]—no need to fret direction; drift with the flow for rewards."
"Seeing Cloud Knight brothers wounded fighting [Disciples of Sanctus Medicus], as a healer... how could Luocha abandon them?"
"Huh... aren't you a merchant?" Sushang blinked.
"A traveler, a peddler... I know a bit of medicine. Call it what you will." Luocha smiled.
"What... happened here?"
Sushang couldn't summarize, so Luocha took over.
"Guarding Cloud Knights say: per the Grand Diviner's orders, they stormed hours ago. Then learned the foe worshipped [Abundance]—Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
"Smooth at first. Their fiends and beasts were no match. But soon, other Cloud Knights turned, slashing indiscriminately."
Luocha eyed the injured ahead. "Xianzhou folk dread showing [mara-struck] publicly—it means forsaking humanity, succumbing to the [abomination] in long-life blood... defying the Ichorflame Bow's teachings."
"Wow, you know a lot." Sushang had zero suspicions.
Freesna wandered nearby, spotting familiar faces: Screwlloyd and a fully armored Cloud Knight by captives.
"Interrogate? Fine, but I oversee—full transcript for records... Huh? Lady Freesna?" Screwlloyd straightened with [eternity]'s aura, deflating at the sight.
"Heehee, finally someone to chat with—someone you know?" The captive believer cackled. "Escorted by stone-faced silent security... Heehee, so boring~"
Ignoring him, Freesna chatted with Screwlloyd.
"Sigh~ Luofu chaos—perfect for church promo!" Screwlloyd puffed his chest, eyes resolute.
"If it were Pontiff Blake, he'd do the same."
"Mm~ If it were me... yeah, I'd do it." The Cloud Knight pulled out soap, muttering to himself.
Screwlloyd sighed inwardly. No knights in sight this whole way—had the church fallen this far?