Scalegorge Waterscape.
March 7th stared at the sea split in two, her eyes wide with shock.
"No way, he can part the sea?!"
"There are so many structures under the water… No wonder the classics record that Scalegorge Waterscape was once the seat of the Vidyadhara Dragon Palace."
The wonders of Scalegorge Waterscape unfolded before everyone. Jing Yuan couldn't help but recall the past. "During the Sudden Chaos, I was fortunate enough to witness this spectacle firsthand."
"Mountains shift, seas turn, palaces become empty ruins… The Vidyadhara imprisoned the Ambrosial Arbor with their ancestral sacred land. The Xianzhou Luofu truly owes them a great debt."
Jing Yuan's tone suddenly grew serious. "Fu Xuan."
"I'm here."
"You stay behind. Lead the Cloud Knights to guard this passage in case something else happens."
"General Jing Yuan… are you going to face Phantylia alone?" Fu Xuan's pupils contracted.
"It's not exactly alone—I have friends coming along."
"General! We're willing to follow you too! Please don't leave us behind!" The Cloud Knight soldiers nearby volunteered eagerly. How could they do nothing and just stand guard?
"That's right, General. Our skills may be humble, but the Cloud Knights have a duty to shield the Xianzhou. How could we stay in the rear while letting travelers from afar risk their lives for us? If you don't mind, let me clear the path for everyone."
"I understand your intentions." Jing Yuan patted one of the Cloud Knights on the shoulder.
"But the enemy ahead isn't an Abundance abomination… it's the Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion. Beyond this path lies the confrontation between the Reignbow Arbiter and the Plagues Author… You have more important duties."
"Cloud Knights, listen up!" Jing Yuan arranged the aftermath. "Once I enter the Ambrosial Arbor, if the sea returns to normal, evacuate immediately and reseal the blessed land. Follow the Master Diviner's orders for everything."
He turned to Fu Xuan. "Fu Xuan, if I don't return, the task of reporting the full cause and effect to the other Xianzhou falls to you."
"…I won't say something like 'please come back in person to report.' I'll fulfill your orders without fail."
"Ha, that's a bit like a general."
...
Following Jing Yuan's steps, the group entered the ancient Vidyadhara ruins—including Adrian.
"This journey may be risky, but you insist on coming…"
"Huh? What's Adrian saying? These steps are pretty wide. Hey, let me find a step to hop down."
"Did the general's speech just now assume Adrian won't lift a finger?"
Everyone present knew Adrian's identity, so there was no need to hide it.
"The Xianzhou's internal affairs don't require the concern of the Eternal Celestial Lord. This is our battle with Phantylia."
If they really let Adrian help against a Lord Ravager, wouldn't the Xianzhou become a cosmic joke? Where would that leave the Reignbow Arbiter's face?
Unless it involved Aeons, Adrian was basically just spectating. Back at Neverwinter Ridge, he hadn't acted either—he'd originally planned to let Freesna speed-run it in three seconds, but Aha, that bastard, interfered.
But… though HE was restricted by Aeon status, that didn't mean Emanators Freesna and Blake couldn't fight. Who said group beatings weren't allowed? The Arbiter of Equilibrium?
The Swarm Disaster was a war of the Aeons too, with the focus on Preservation's Qlipoth and Abundance's Yaoshi.
In summary, the Church of Eternity was free! Time for a righteous 3v1!
Full preparations: if they couldn't win, call in reinforcements. The Xianzhou could summon Eternity Emanators and THEIR own Aeon—could the Antimatter Legion call in Abundance Emanators and the Plagues Author?
"By tradition, every Dragon Lord must return to the Exalted Dragon Shrine to guide the ancient sea's tides here, guarding and reinforcing the Ambrosial Arbor's seal," Dan Heng said.
"You remember?"
"Yes. 'Kowtow to the three claws, pay homage to the foot-long tree'… The path to the depths of the mysterious root will open."
March 7th rubbed her chin. "Is this some riddle? 'Kowtow to the three claws'… what does that mean?"
"It's a highly praised puzzle section. You just need to unlock three Vidyadhara seals," Adrian explained.
"No need to worry. Follow me."
Along the way, March 7th snapped tons of photos of Scalegorge Waterscape. "Such a huge palace, abandoned just like that… If it were me, I'd be heartbroken for weeks."
It's like… losing a camera full of photos. It'd feel awful.
"For the Vidyadhara, this sacrifice was probably unavoidable…" Dan Heng led everyone to a mural.
"'Vidyadhara legacy eggs, bathed in moon and bloom. The ancient sea vast, reborn under the moon.' …This mural depicts the Vidyadhara eggs molting in the wave-moon ancient sea, the beginning of rebirth as people."
Seeing the stone slab untouched by time, March 7th was shocked. "This mural's pretty interesting… It seems completely unaffected by time. Could it… have Eternity on it?"
"Bold guess, Miss March." Adrian sipped his milk tea. Even HE hadn't thought of that.
"This mural should connect with the others nearby, telling the Vidyadhara cycle of rebirth: molting from the ancient sea, forming eggs, and returning to it."
"Wonder if it's related to the seal?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe… hmm, I get how racking your brain is tough, since I can't remember anything either."
Welt and Jing Yuan stood before other murals. "'Vidyadhara younglings, guided by ancients. Past-life allies, future-life teachers.'"
"It seems… to depict the growth years after molting, mentored by elder kin."
Click!
The shutter sound—March 7th predictably took a photo.
"'Vidyadhara in prime, chanting clouds, dancing waters. Azure dragons soar, each finding their place.'"
"This mural shows… Vidyadhara in their prime, scattering across the Xianzhou to serve the Alliance."
"'Vidyadhara in twilight, walking alone in fading light. Wave-moon ripples, pearls sink in the sea.'"
"Time flows; after over seven hundred years, the Vidyadhara dragonkin near their end, forming dragon eggs once more, sleeping beneath the ancient sea, awaiting the next generation's molting."
...
Earlier, at the Alchemy Commission
After interrogating the frenzied Medicine King cultists and failing to convert them to the Church of Eternity, Screwlloyd had the heretics escorted elsewhere.
Blake sensed the trajectory of the soap he'd thrown—normal at first, until something seemed to collide with it…
Control over the soap was severed. He hoped the Trailblazer was safe.
"Oh~ Ite above…"
Beep beep beep!
Freesna and Blake's phones chimed with a special alert at the same time.
[Adrian: For worldly justice, extend Eternity's aid to the Luofu.]
[Adrian: Soon. Scalegorge Waterscape. Lord Ravager. Group beating. Don't miss it.]