Luofu, Central Starskiff Haven.
As the most renowned grotto-heaven on the Xianzhou, with their magnificent palaces and bustling crowds.
Phainon walked in the shadows, surrounded by his followers, his golden mask isolating him from everything outside.
He found it a bit strange.
According to Mauve Moon's report, the meeting point should have been a secret stronghold of the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus deep within the grotto-heaven. Why, then, was it chosen to be in Central Starskiff Haven, a place teeming with people?
Mauve Moon seemed to have seen through his silence and bowed respectfully, replying, "Reddish brown, Chief has ordered that she has been waiting at Ruo Mu Pavilion for a long time."
It was Chief's arrangement again.
Phainon sneered.
It was indeed not so simple to directly access the hidden Stellaron.
However, it didn't matter.
As long as the Stellaron remained on the Luofu, and as long as cultivating the Ambrosial Arbor was Phantylia's ultimate goal, the initiative would always be in his hands.
He was not afraid of Phantylia; he would not fall into her trap!
He passed through the crowd, Around the waterside pavilion.
An ancient pavilion appeared under the shade of a giant Ruo Mu tree.
Inside the pavilion, a figure stood with her back to him.
It was a woman dressed in elegant Dan Shi attire, her long, gray-white hair like a still waterfall, her posture dignified, and her demeanor calm.
The wind quieted before the pavilion, and people fell silent before it.
Mauve Moon led his followers in a bow, seamlessly merging into the surrounding shadows.
Only Phainon, step by step, ascended the stone steps and entered the pavilion.
Only then did he see clearly that the woman had a pair of dull eyes.
A desolate gray.
She was blind.
"You've arrived."
The woman spoke, her voice gentle, "I've heard all about your affairs."
She turned around, and her lifeless eyes accurately "locked onto" Phainon.
"I am Dan Shu, the Dan Shizhang of the Alchemy Commission, and also... the Chief of the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
She tilted her head slightly, as if listening to an invisible string in the air.
"Your footsteps are light, but each step feels solid, terrifyingly steady."
"A burning energy surges within you, like lava dormant beneath the earth, yet you can make it lie still. This level of control is beyond ordinary people."
Dan Shu's brows suddenly furrowed, as if she had caught something that intrigued her even more.
She held her breath, concentrating fully on "listening" to Phainon's breathing.
The next moment, an expression of astonishment appeared on her gentle face for the first time.
His breathing... it was too strange.
It did not belong to the long-lived species, with their enduring steadiness; it did not belong to the short-lived species, with their hurried fragility; nor did it belong to any of the outworlders.
That breath was steady and prolonged, yet it carried a sense of non-life, non-death, of nirvana.
It didn't sound like the breathing of a living being at all.
"You..."
"Phantylia's true goal is to use the Stellaron to fully revive the Ambrosial Arbor, thereby corrupting the entire Luofu."
Phainon spoke without warning, cutting off Dan Shu's inquiry.
He opened his palm.
The token belonging to Phantylia glowed faintly.
The astonishment on Dan Shu's face receded, replaced by a calm expression tinged with scrutiny.
"Are you her envoy?"
"I used to be," Phainon said, putting away the token, his tone flat. "Her ideas, her so-called game, run counter to mine."
"So, I have temporarily changed my goal—to destroy her first."
His voice was not loud, but it made Dan Shu's heart suddenly constrict.
After a long pause, she laughed, a bone-chilling coldness in her laughter.
"Kill a Lord Ravager? Young man, your arrogance is more astonishing than any Abundance follower I've ever seen."
The next moment, a curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"If not for the interference of that Lord Ravager, the blessings of Abundance could perfectly descend upon this land, and all long-lived species would achieve the evolution they dream of.
There would no longer be the tragedy of 'Heaven's Deficient' in the world."
Her voice was infused with an almost fanatical compassion.
"Your madness can become the sharpest blade in my hand. However..."
"Cooperation is possible," Dan Shu's tone shifted, "but before that, I need to see your value."
"You need to complete a trial to prove your sincerity in cooperating wholeheartedly with me and the entire The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
"Understood," Phainon agreed decisively.
A hint of approval appeared in Dan Shu's dull eyes.
She took out a hand Card from her sleeve and handed it over.
"This is my token. With this token, all the Disciples within the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus will obey your command."
"Find a place to rest in Central Starskiff Haven. Later, I will personally inform you of the contents of the trial."
Phainon took the token, turned, and left.
From beginning to end, not a single superfluous word was spoken.
Watching his disappearing back, the smile on Dan Shu's lips deepened.
A madman?
Perhaps.
But only a madman would dare to assassinate a Lord Ravager.
And she, precisely, needed such a madman to carve a bloody path for her ideals... Meanwhile.
At another street corner in Central Starskiff Haven.
Stelle was going around catching people.
"Hello, are you from the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus?"
Upon hearing this, the passersby turned pale and fled more than ten meters away as if their lives depended on it.
Stelle scratched her gray head, her face full of confusion.
Earlier, she, March 7th, and Welt had met Fu Xuan of the Divination Commission, but Fu Xuan needed time to prepare to activate the Matrix of Foresight.
Taking advantage of this gap, she accepted a commission from the Ten-Lords Commission to infiltrate the mysterious organization—the The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus—that was bewitching outworlders.
But now, she couldn't even find a contact person.
Just then, a figure stealthily approached her.
It was Mauve Moon, who had just left Ruo Mu Pavilion and was utterly impressed by "Reddish brown."
He lowered his voice and whispered, "Sister, do you yearn for immortality?"
Stelle turned her head, appraising the man in the purple brocade robe.
The clothes were indeed luxurious, but the edges had some familiar scorch marks.
She nodded seriously.
"Actually, I yearn for power!!"
"I understand!" A glint flashed in Mauve Moon's eyes, and he immediately understood Stelle's "subtext." "Before gaining absolute power, you must live for a long time, right!"
"My name is Mauve Moon. I came to Central Starskiff Haven this time hoping to meet a fated person like you, to ascend the immortal path of longevity with me!"
Stelle pretended to be conflicted and asked, "What if you're a bad person?"
Mauve Moon immediately adopted an incredibly devout attitude, puffing out his chest: "How could that be? We are all law-abiding citizens! I won't harm you!"
Finally, Stelle pondered for a moment and replied, "Let's go. You'd better not lie to me!"