Soon, the Minghuo Merchant Troupe's ship set sail again, rapidly traversing the Star Rail.
Originally, the merchant ship was filled with a lively atmosphere.
Now, all of that vanished with the departure of the two Sea Rangers, Ju Feng and Liuguang.
The ship's bow, lacking the air force swordsman with a bamboo hat and straw-yellow cape, no longer provided a topic for everyone's eager discussion.
The melodious and gentle sound of the erhu disappeared, making people miss it dearly.
At this moment, two people swaggered to the ship's bow, chatting and laughing.
That's right, these two were Jing Yuan and Nan Li, who had once again disguised themselves and returned here.
"Jing Yuan, when do you think Huàn Lóng will make her move?"
Nan Li's voice appeared in Jing Yuan's mind.
And Jing Yuan responded in the same way.
"Given her cautious nature, she'll probably wait a while longer."
After all, the opponent is a Lord of Destruction who enjoys manipulating people, isn't she?
How could she make her move the moment Nan Li and Jing Yuan left?
She would definitely look for a suitable place and time to strike.
It's worth mentioning that Jing Yuan and Nan Li could speak to each other in their minds due to a minor ability of the latter's mask of elation.
Besides being able to alter others' perceptions, it also had the function of allowing him to speak in anyone's mind.
It must be said, this mask was truly an excellent tool for deception.
Looking at the vibrant nebulae and star seas outside the ship, Jing Yuan finally asked a question that had been buried in his heart.
"Actually, I still don't understand why Huàn Lóng chose Xianzhou Luofu as her target?"
This was a question Jing Yuan hadn't understood since their departure.
If it were just him alone, it would be easier to understand why she targeted Xianzhou Luofu.
After all, after two wars with The Abundance, Xianzhou Luofu could be said to have fallen into a low period.
Not to mention internal and external troubles, there was also a shortage of talent.
However, Xianzhou Luofu still had Nan Li now.
During the third war with The Abundance, the combat power Nan Li displayed was definitely Aeon Envoy level.
And if someone with a keen eye were to investigate, they could also confirm that the recently powerful Tree God Alliance was created by Nan Li.
Since Xianzhou Luofu, with him included, now had two Aeon Envoys guarding it, why would Huàn Lóng still target Xianzhou Luofu?
This was something Jing Yuan had not understood.
"It's very simple. Although Huàn Lóng is an Aeon Envoy of Destruction, she fears her own 'destruction,' so she began to crave an immortal body."
"So, Jing Yuan, what do you think in this universe would be the most suitable vessel for her?"
Although Nan Li didn't say it explicitly, the answer was already obvious.
"It's the Jianmu Tree." Jing Yuan answered without hesitation.
"Exactly, it's the Jianmu Tree."
Saying this, Nan Li leaned back against the railing, adopting a casual, relaxed stance.
"To fulfill her 'aesthetics of destruction,' Huàn Lóng naturally needs to find a faction to invade, and then she also needs to find an immortal body."
"Therefore, the Xianzhou Luofu, with the [Jianmu Tree], would naturally become her primary target."
Actually, even if Nan Li hadn't added those last few sentences, Jing Yuan's train of thought had already been very clear.
"Alas... Xianzhou Luofu has truly suffered many misfortunes in recent years."
"There's no helping it. Who told Xianzhou Luofu that, compared to other Xianzhou, it's the easiest to bully at this stage?"
Those who fall behind will be beaten; this is always an eternal law of the world.
"But... even if Xianzhou Luofu is weakened, we still have two Aeon Envoys stationed here, don't we? Where does Huàn Lóng get the audacity to challenge two Aeon Envoys simultaneously?"
"Hmm... So, which of the other Lords of Destruction do you think she would cooperate with?"
After a moment of thought, Jing Yuan believed that Huàn Lóng wouldn't possibly attack alone.
The greatest possibility was that she had allied with another Lord of Destruction.
Although there are differences in strength between Aeon Envoys, Jing Yuan didn't think he was weaker than Huàn Lóng.
If he alone could repel Huàn Lóng, then with Nan Li joining him, it would be entirely possible to capture and eliminate her.
Given this, the opponent must have joined forces with another Lord of Destruction to invade Xianzhou Luofu.
Regarding the question Jing Yuan posed, Nan Li also had some doubts in his heart.
"Who can know that? As for whether Huàn Lóng has cooperated with another Lord of Destruction, I haven't obtained any intelligence on that front."
"Perhaps she has also brought in helpers from other factions, who knows."
Judging from the original plot, Huàn Lóng was a very arrogant person.
Even when facing Jing Yuan, who was also an Aeon Envoy, after combining with the [Jianmu Divine Fruit], she immediately regarded him as an ant.
She even thought of directly turning Jing Yuan into a Stellaron Hunter.
So Nan Li had a feeling that, even knowing there was one more person, the arrogant Huàn Lóng might still charge into Xianzhou Luofu alone to seize the Jianmu Tree.
Moreover, judging from the numerous civilizations she had destroyed over hundreds of years, she didn't seem to have a habit of cooperating with other Lords of Destruction.
Of course, all of this was still just speculation.
He would also have to observe Huàn Lóng's subsequent actions to adjust some strategies...
Since Jing Yuan's long-held doubts had been answered, he began to relax.
Now, like Nan Li, he leaned against the railing, resting his entire body on it.
"By the way, was that 'Ultimate Killer—Fire Cloud Cthulhu' something you made up, or is he a real person?"
"That, of course, was something I made up."
Nan Li merely provided the Tree God Alliance with information about a certain "Ultimate Killer King" from his memory.
Then he had them find a few fictional historians to do some work.
"Aren't you afraid of what would happen if there really was someone in this universe who looked exactly like him?"
Jing Yuan said in a half-joking manner, and Nan Li immediately responded.
"Haha, how could that be... Hmm? No, wait, maybe there really is such a possibility."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but stroke his chin in thought.
If Nan Li hadn't joined the "Multiverse Correction Chat Group," he would have directly denied it.
But now... he really couldn't be sure if that Fire Cloud Cthulhu had transmigrated to the Honkai: Star Rail universe.
Surely... not?
What Nan Li didn't know was that on an unknown planetary civilization, a bald old man in a white tank top and slippers was staring at a wanted poster, lost in thought.
The wanted poster bore his exact likeness.
Especially upon seeing the bounty of 500 million credits, Fire Cloud Cthulhu was now very flustered.
He had been sitting on a toilet in a mental hospital bathroom, reading a newspaper, when he finished and stood up, only to find himself in an unfamiliar place.
At first, he would tell everyone he met, "I just want to kill everyone, or be killed by everyone."
After being taught a lesson like a roadside dog several times, Fire Cloud Cthulhu began to keep a low profile.
After all, a wise man knows when to yield.
He hadn't expected that today, as he went out as usual, he would find many people looking at him strangely.
When the wanted poster appeared before his eyes, Fire Cloud Cthulhu felt as if the sky had fallen.
Slander!
Pure slander!
Those people from the Tree God Alliance were inhuman, bullying a frail old man like him.
When did he, Fire Cloud Cthulhu, slaughter all intelligent life on an entire planet?
He felt that on some planets, he probably couldn't even beat a dog.
Only he knew how wronged he was.
Before he could dwell on his indignation, a commotion and voices came from a distance.
"Officers, I just saw a bald old man who looks exactly like the one on the wanted poster head into this alley."
Fire Cloud Cthulhu, hiding in the alley, was terrified by the conversation he heard outside. Without thinking twice, he took off running.
Damn it! I, Fire Cloud Cthulhu, must live!
...Three days passed since Ju Feng and Liuguang left the Minghuo Merchant Troupe.
This time, the Minghuo Merchant Troupe arrived at a rarely visited star system, with only one or two Star Rails.
They were going to a civilization that had just entered the interstellar age.
Although this civilization's technological level was still very low, its natural resources were abundant.
After all, in business, as long as there's profit, trouble is no issue.
However, before the merchant ship could enter the star system where that civilization was located, the entire ship began to shake.
Before anyone on board could check what was wrong with the ship, a humanoid phantom, hundreds of times larger than the entire ship, appeared.
The colossal humanoid phantom said nothing, and directly brought a palm down hard on the merchant ship below, which was not even as big as its hand.
Watching the enormous, sky-obscuring hand gradually approach, the people on the Minghuo Merchant Troupe's ship were filled with despair.
Even Tingyun, who had weathered many storms, was no exception.
Or perhaps it was precisely because she had seen too much that she understood more clearly that the Minghuo Merchant Troupe had absolutely no chance of survival under this palm strike.
Just at this critical moment, an extremely sharp aura suddenly erupted from the ship's bow.
The next second, a sword light shot into the sky, then directly cleaved the giant palm in two.
As the saying goes, when immortals fight, mortals suffer.
The impact from the clash of the two attacks was unavoidable.
This meant that the fragile merchant ship would still be destroyed by the aftermath.
However, the other person at the bow of the ship naturally wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
He pulled an erhu from who knows where, and as a melodious and gentle piece of music began, the merchant ship was enveloped by an invisible layer of energy, allowing it to safely weather the terrifying aftershock.
Seeing this, the colossal humanoid phantom's expression changed, and it let out a sharp roar.
"What?! You two abominable Sea Rangers, you haven't left yet!"