Kafka let out a soft sound when she noticed Blade's breathing suddenly grow ragged.
"Blade, listen to me— calm down."
Blade's breathing gradually steadied, but judging from how tightly his fists were clenched, his heart was anything but calm.
As for why…
Nothing special, really— it was just that when the Yingxing incarnation created by Xunyu vanished, he directly transmitted Bailu's experiences into Blade's mind.
Oh right— before that, he'd also gone to see Jingliu once.
"You helped the Xianzhou with a small matter. For that, I'm grateful. Take this person and leave— this time, I'll pretend I didn't see anything."
The trace of nostalgia in Jing Yuan's eyes faded.
His current position placed many restraints upon him.
But letting two Stellaron Hunters who weren't actively hostile to the Xianzhou leave posed no problem at all.
As for Blade's sins?
Yingxing was already dead.
And Blade had died countless times over.
Perhaps the debts of the past could never truly be repaid, but—
…Forget it. In the end, he'd still acted out of personal sentiment.
"General?! I—"
Seeing the two Stellaron Hunters about to depart, Yanqing could no longer stay still.
"Now is not the time for that."
Shaking his head at Yanqing, Jing Yuan turned to Dan Heng.
"Long time no see… old friend."
"I am not him."
"Mm… my apologies."
Dan Heng glanced at Jing Yuan, then turned to leave.
"You can't go just yet. Your friends from the Express are waiting for you in the Scalegorge Waterscape. Why don't we go see them together?"
...
"Kafka."
"Mm, I'm here."
"Before leaving the Xianzhou… there's one more thing I want to do."
"Alright. Want me to come with you?"
"No."
"…Okay. I'll wait for you."
Blade parted ways with Kafka, concealed his appearance, and entered a narrow alley.
The scent of wine drifted into his nose.
Blade looked at the cold, white-haired figure ahead, his gaze complicated.
"Jingliu…"
No one knew what happened between Xun yu, Blade, and Jingliu.
And no one knew that someone was about to have a very bad day～
Dan Heng and Jing Yuan walked through the Scalegorge Waterscape. Whether intentionally or not, Jing Yuan brought up matters concerning Dan Heng's former life as Dan Feng.
"I am Dan Heng. Whether Dan Feng was a hero or a criminal has nothing to do with me. I've already borne his punishment and accepted eternal exile— I have no grievances about that. But when you look at me, General, please abandon the shadow of the past."
Dan Heng's answer was exactly what Jing Yuan had expected. Looking at him, Jing Yuan sighed softly.
"Ah… dredging up old matters is like stirring muddy water— it only invites discomfort. Perhaps it's your appearance… perhaps those dragon horns, that faint air of a High Elder— they always cause me to associate you with an old acquaintance."
"…I already said—"
Before Dan Heng could finish, Jing Yuan interrupted him.
"Yes, you did. And so what? If a single sentence could change how others view you, the world would have far fewer conflicts. You want me to stop seeing you as Dan Feng— fine. Then do one thing for me."
"Help me one last time as Dan Feng. Once this matter is concluded, he will truly die here, and I will rescind your exile order. From then on, I can guarantee this much: at least on the Luofu, you will no longer be anyone's shadow."
On the Luofu…
Meaning once he left the Luofu, it would no longer be up to Jing Yuan.
And after this, Jing Yuan would surely be held accountable— in which case Dan Heng would likely still be unable to fully escape his fate.
But right now, he had no other choice.
"Things Dan Feng could do, I may not be able to."
"No. You must be able to. Otherwise, all promises are void."
Jing Yuan's lips curved upward. He knew Dan Heng had already agreed.
"As I said earlier— the you and I standing here today are not the same as before. Dan Feng is gone. Only Dan Heng remains. And as for me…"
"I am now the General of the Luofu. Some things must be done, even if I don't wish to do them."
After the fall of the High-Cloud Quintet, those carefree days were long gone.
"Let's talk about something happier. Your friends from the Express are here— don't you want to see them?"
After all, you'll need to help open the seal beneath the ancient sea later anyway.
...
"Oh ho, the cold-faced little azure dragon is here."
"Y-you're… Dan Heng?! No way… what's with those horns on your head?!"
"It's a long story, March. It's me."
Dan Heng answered while dodging stelle's grasping hand aimed at his dragon horns.
"What?! You really had hidden power too?!"
March 7 was stunned.
Himeko fixed the Astral Express.
Uncle Yang had a mysterious past.
Stelle had a Stellaron inside her.
Xunyu was an Emanator.
And now you're telling her Dan Heng had hidden power too?
Why did it feel like she was the only normal one left on the train?
"You can't just touch the horns…"
Dan Heng helplessly caught stelle's wrist.
"Tch, so stingy— I was just gonna touch them…"
"But I remember when Xun yu touched that dragon girl, she reacted pretty strongly too…"
Stelle stopped her sneak attack and stroked her chin, reminiscing.
Completely unaware she'd just exposed Xun yu's past deeds.
Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan instantly gave Xun yu very different looks.
"Uh— that was an accident… ahem. Let's focus on the task at hand."
"Dan Heng, you're up. Open the way."
Dan Feng had once been the Dragon Sovereign guarding the Ambrosial Arbor— naturally, he possessed the authority to open the path to it.
And his reincarnation, Dan Heng, should possess that power as well.
Seeing Xun yu deliberately change the subject, Dan Heng felt a bit helpless.
As for that dragon girl…
What remained were mostly memories— and that lingering sense of guilt.
She was the current Dragon Sovereign, right?
He wondered how she was doing now.
After this was over… maybe he'd find a chance to see her.
Dan Heng nodded, stepped forward, and extended his hand.
The stone statue carved in the likeness of the Dragon Sovereign had long been weathered by time. Near its base was engraved a line of small text:
"When the sacred tree revived and calamity invaded, prayers drew forth the waters of the ancient sea to seal the cavern realm and suppress the Profound Root. Let this be engraved in stone, as a warning to later generations— never move it without cause…"
Beneath the boundless waves, the ancient Profound Root of the Ambrosial Arbor stirred restlessly—
like a beast that had lain dormant for a thousand years, just awakening from a long dream.
The restraints woven by generations of Vidyadhara High Elders—
the bindings that tamed and divided the colossal beast's power—
had formed a decaying net, now on the verge of collapse.
Memories emerged from the darkness.
Dan Heng, who had never truly forgotten much to begin with, filled in the missing fragments belonging to the Dragon Sovereign.
Then—
"The Dragon Sovereign Opens the Sea."
Watching Dan Heng, a melody suddenly surfaced in Xunyu's mind.
Given the moment…
Why not—
🎵 "Tearing apart~ the sea of the heart~ the shoulder~"
🎵 "With the thunderous roar of ten thousand bolts~"
Imagine it—
A scene meant to be awe-inspiring, and suddenly someone starts singing.
Welt and the others stared blankly at Xun yu.
"Uh… Xun yu, why did you suddenly start singing?"
"Though… the song does kind of fit the scene…"
"I think I heard something about tearing someone's shoulder apart?"
March scratched her head, while stelle focused on the very questionable opening lyric.
The homeland of the Vidyadhara surfaced once more.
The magnificent underwater city spread out before their eyes.
Gazing downward— and at the distant, faintly visible dragon-shaped Ambrosial Arbor—
one had to admit…
Seeing it in person was truly breathtaking.
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TL note:
Supposedly I was to post this chapter on the next Sunday or Saturday so that I can post up to chapter 70 but after reading the last chapters I'm actually having fun translating it because of its funny and serious at the same time
And the fact that chatgpt is finally being reasonable with the translations is actually motivating me too chapter 47 and 48 is straight up chatgpt's work the only thing I fixed in it is the spacing and that's it all of it was made by chatgpt