"Hm?
You even know that?"
Phantylia felt a surge of Path energy as a large hand pressed against her side.
Evan had already mobilized Imaginary power.
If he wanted to move, he could strike at any moment.
After all, she hadn't fully absorbed the power of the Ambrosial Arbor and the Stellaron yet.
She was still far from the massive, true form she would later possess.
Truthfully, Evan didn't even need her to explain.
He could already guess why Phantylia had come knocking so late at night.
As the mastermind behind the Xianzhou incident,
her original plan had been simple—
Disguise herself as Tingyun and infiltrate the Luofu.
But the Xianzhou had Emanators.
To avoid being noticed by Jing Yuan,
she first made contact with the resurging Sanctus Medicus.
And among them—
Dan Shu, who believed herself cursed by fate, became one of her targets.
Dan Shu was the perfect choice.
First—she was the Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission,
similar to a hospital's head nurse.
She could reach upward—to the Vidyadhara elders and Dragon Masters.
She could also reach downward—to ordinary Xianzhou citizens.
And everyone had their suffering.
Foxians.
Xianzhou natives.
Vidyadhara.
Each carried their own despair.
Foxians lived barely three hundred years.
Among all Abundance-blessed races, their lifespan was short—
After all, Foxians and the Borisin shared the same bloodline.
The Borisin lived long only because they possessed secret rites—
blessings from the Abundance itself.
So within the Xianzhou, Foxians carried a deep fear of mortality.
Xianzhou natives weren't much better.
Their long lives came with stagnation.
Talent ceilings.
Fate-bound limits.
And then there were the Heaven-Deficient.
Because of the Abundance's blessing, Heaven-Deficient Xianzhou people suffered the most.
Any injury would heal perfectly.
Which meant—
If someone lost a limb or their eyesight,
they couldn't replace it with Xianzhou technology.
Their bodies would simply regenerate the flawed state.
Then there were the Vidyadhara.
After the fall of the Dragon of Permanence,
they lost the ability to reproduce.
If a Vidyadhara died unexpectedly and failed to return to the Primordial Sea—
That death was permanent.
So the Vidyadhara sought another path.
And they found one.
The Dragon-Transmutation Art.
During the Imbibitor Lunae rebellion,
Dan Feng had used that forbidden art to revive Baiheng.
A twisted dragon, yes—
But proof that the method worked.
Yet Xianzhou law forbade its use on outsiders.
And so—
Bailu, the only modern Dragon Sovereign reborn through that method,
naturally became a thorn in many eyes.
Foxians.
Xianzhou natives.
Vidyadhara.
Internal and external worries alike.
A Xianzhou like this could never stand united.
So Phantylia only needed to break them one by one—
And the Luofu would collapse on its own.
"Mm~"
"Well, since you already know who I am,
there's no need to be so tense, is there~?"
She smiled lightly.
"I'm just a tiny littleSuiyang, after all."
"You wouldn't bully a harmless Suiyang, would you?"
Tingyun's lips curved upward,
as she tried—poorly—to suppress her own laughter.
A tiny Suiyang.
She almost believed that nonsense herself.
Still—
Evan's hand pressed against her side.
The Imaginary power gathering there was very real.
It could damage this body she'd worked so hard to obtain.
"You might not believe this," she continued softly,
"but you weren't part of my original plan."
"Yet after meeting you…"
"I think I've grown a little fond of you."
"These strong arms.
This solid body~"
"You stayed on the Astral Express for those two cute girls, didn't you?"
"So why not look at me instead?"
She pulled Evan's hand away from her side.
Her fingers traced his body—slowly, boldly—
From his chin, down to his chest.
Evan stepped back half a pace.
His expression returned to calm.
He studied her carefully.
Phantylia truly had her methods.
She was, in many ways, a victim of her own Aeon—
Yet Evan understood something very clearly now.
This woman was exceptional at manipulating hearts.
If his will weren't firm,
he would've already been dancing in her palm—
Just like the Borisin.
They believed her lies.
Spent enormous effort infiltrating the Xianzhou.
Trying to rescue their war-chief Hoolay,
dreaming of Borisin glory restored.
But Hoolay himself knew the truth.
She never intended to restore the Borisin.
She only wanted to use them—
To make the Xianzhou doubt Jing Yuan again.
To turn the Borisin into a blade against Feixiao.
If not for Feixiao's last-minute maneuver drawing the attention of Lan,
she might have succeeded.
What Phantylia wanted—
Wasn't just the fruit of the Ambrosial Arbor.
She wanted despair.
Pain.
Suspicion.
Collapse.
She wanted people to destroy what they loved with their own hands.
"I'm not really into online dating," Evan said lightly.
"And right now, you're not much different from an inflatable doll."
He smiled faintly.
Phantylia specialized in mental assaults.
But Evan's mind wasn't something easily breached.
"Aiya~"
"Then how about this?"
"Soon, I'll obtain a complete body."
"When that happens, I'll invite you to watch the greatest play ever staged."
"Then… we can talk about us again."
Seeing that seduction wouldn't work, she stopped pushing.
This visit had been a test to begin with.
And she'd gotten her answer.
Evan looked strong—
But not yet at the level of an Emanator.
Evan's eyes showed brief surprise—
Then amusement.
With the script already in hand,
he could see through all her moves.
Though he had to admit—
Her immortal divine body really would look better than this puppet…
"So," he said calmly,
"it's a deal?"
"Of course~"
"I never lie."
She hooked a finger toward him again—
—
BANG!
The door flew open.
"Ah! I didn't see anything!"
Stelle kicked the door in,
with March 7th and Welt Yang right behind her.
"Waaah!
We were here first—me and Stelle!"
March stared at the scene, then immediately covered Stelle's eyes—
Only for Stelle to stubbornly pry her fingers apart.
On the other side, Welt adjusted his glasses, leaned on his cane, and stood at the doorway—
Wearing a very understanding expression.
"Oh my~
So the benefactors of the Astral Express have returned."
"Well then—my message has been delivered."
"Benefactor, tomorrow night—
we meet at Evernight Tavern."
She traced a finger across Evan's chest—
Blew him a playful kiss—
And left.
...
Night flowed across the Xianzhou like water.
Moonlight washed over every cavern realm.
The Luofu didn't remain fixed in any single star system—
Its cycles of light and darkness were carefully maintained by Xianzhou technology.
Inside Yichen Inn, the lights burned bright.
Evan sat at the table, brewed a pot of fine tea, and handed a cup to Welt.
A faint fragrance still clung to him.
The moment he sat down—
March crossed her arms, staring daggers at him.
Stelle copied her perfectly.
"Hmph!
So Fu Xuan called us away, and you said you were 'busy'—
this is what you meant?!"
"Who was that fox?!
When did you two hook up?!"
"If you don't explain right now—
I'm telling Himeko!"
Stelle echoed the threat once more.
Yichen Inn was large—three floors tall.
And not exactly soundproof.
Before long, outworlders staying nearby began craning their necks.
Creak.
Welt calmly shut the door.
He took a sip of tea.
The atmosphere grew… strange.
March and Stelle stood there, hands on hips—
Clearly thinking:
If you don't explain yourself tonight, you're not leaving.
As for Welt—
He studied Evan thoughtfully.
This young man possessed a power similar to someone from his past.
Even shared a comparable journey.
For reasons he couldn't explain—
Welt found himself genuinely appreciating him.
Not bad, he thought.
Really not bad at all.
Just like me, back then.
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