Pei Guang's enthusiasm was palpable. Based on past experiences, 300 pulls ant at least one guaranteed five-star pull, possibly more if luck was on their side. The re thought of the potential loot reinvigorated him.
Jing Yuan chuckled. "Very well. Soon, Fu Xuan will open a shortcut through the Divination Commission to make things easier for you."
At this, Fu Xuan smiled slightly. "General, you're a bit late. I already ntioned the shortcut to them back at the Matrix of Prescience."
Jing Yuan's expression softened with approval. "Excellent, Fu Xuan. Take charge this ti. And as for the Ambrosial Arbor, I entrust it to all of you."
Under Fu Xuan's guidance, the group prepared to head toward the Artisanship Commission. However, as they moved forward, Stelle's communicator buzzed unexpectedly. She glanced at the screen, her expression shifting.
"What's wrong?" Pei Guang asked.
Stelle explained, "Rember how I picked up that quest in Exalting Sanctum to investigate the Disciples of Sanctus dicus? I just got an update. A master I know from the Alchemy Commission made a major breakthrough with the formula and found a critical lead. They want to check it out. Ah Guang, what do you think? Should I leave it and focus on the main mission first?"
Pei Guang fell into thought, then shook his head. "No, go do the side quest. If they're reaching out now, it's got to be important. Check it out, and besides, I noticed on the minimap that the direction overlaps with where Dan Heng, Seele and Silver Wolf are. Our team will still have plenty of manpower. My only concern is: can you handle the quest solo?"
Stelle clenched her fists confidently. "Absolutely! I'll finish the side quest, gather the intel and rewards, and then teleport back to you if needed. One teleport should be enough to cover any ergencies, right?"
Pei Guang nodded. "One teleport is plenty. Just be careful. We're enemies of the Disciples of Sanctus dicus—they might resort to poisoning us since they can't beat us directly. Don't eat or drink anything from strangers."
Stelle rolled her eyes playfully. "Got it. I'm not dumb—I won't eat strange food."
"Then off you go!" Pei Guang waved her away.
And so, the team split up, with Pei Guang and the others pursuing the main quest while Stelle embarked on her side mission. Their separation was only temporary, as Stelle planned to teleport in for reinforcents if needed.
anwhile, back to Dan Heng's group a few hours earlier.
Their journey wasn't without its own complications. Long before Pei Guang's group returned to Cloudford to deal with the scumbag, Dan Heng had already joined a girl nad Sushang aboard her starskiff, bound for the Scalegorge.
However, their route took an unexpected detour due to Sushang's good-hearted nature—she insisted on helping whoever she could along the way. Her detours eventually led them to none other than the Artisanship Commission.
After all, Sushang was an inexperienced navigator: she simply followed wherever the signal was strongest, which is how they ended up at the Artisanship Commission even before Pei Guang's group arrived.
Upon arrival, she decided to pause for a break while planning their next steps. anwhile, Seele couldn't sit still. She activated her stealth and began exploring the area, casually smashing the ceramic decorations scattered around.
Seele's actions were relentless, leaving nothing for others. With Silver Wolf's assistance, they systematically looted every valuable material from the shattered ceramics. By the ti Pei Guang's group arrived, they'd find nothing left.
After smashing the final ceramic, Seele grinned at the purple material she'd extracted. "Not bad."
Silver Wolf, collecting the scattered loot, muttered, "Our luck is terrible. Ah Guang's team already pulled gold items, and here we are with nothing."
Seele shot back, "Oh, so this is my fault now?"
Silver Wolf retorted, "Whose else? You're the one smashing everything."
Seele smirked. "Aren't you supposed to be so master aether editor? Can't you just hack us so gold items?"
Silver Wolf grumbled, "I've tried already, but unfortunately, my Aether Editing can't influence what drops from inside. I seriously have no idea how this works."
Seele shrugged. "According to Pei Guang, it's sothing called quantum entanglent—Schrödinger's loot. Doesn't matter why it works. If it works and we can use it, that's all that matters. Let's head back quickly before Dan Heng, that cold-faced pink rabbit mascot, starts getting impatient."
Silver Wolf, who had been maintaining her poker face, couldn't hold back her laughter at that. Throughout the journey, Dan Heng had been a constant source of amusent for everyone. Whether it was the sight of him using a pink bunny plushie to jab mara-struck soldiers into submission or the way Sushang giggled at his unintentional antics, he had beco the group's unexpected comic relief.
"True," Silver Wolf replied, stifling her chuckles. "Let's hurry back. I don't want to be walking any longer than I have to."
What Silver Wolf really wanted was to crawl back into her trusty trash can, play gas, and let a Herta Puppet pull her around in a minecart—a simple yet delightful life. What did bother her, however, was Blade's apparent radio silence. She had sent him a warning ssage to run, but he hadn't responded. If he didn't heed the warning, whatever ca next wasn't going to be pretty.
She knew all too well that Pei Guang had shared so interesting gadgets with Dan Heng via the shared inventory. If Blade got caught in whatever ca next, whether his body and spirit survived was uncertain—but his social dignity would be irreparably obliterated.
As the two made their way back, Seele suddenly picked up on a sound. "Huh? That noise… sounds like fighting?"
Silver Wolf's ears perked up as she quickly honed in on the direction. "It is fighting—over there!"
Before she could finish, Seele's figure had already vanished, heading straight toward the source of the commotion. Silver Wolf followed swiftly, darting around two corners to see a young woman surrounded by a mob of mara-struck soldiers.
Sothing was off about the girl. Though she had a human form, parts of her body looked chanical.
Silver Wolf froze as recognition dawned on her. Without a word, she pulled out her trusty trash can and climbed inside.
"What's wrong?" Seele asked, puzzled.
"That one's from the Xianzhou's Ten-Lords Commission. She'd definitely recognize as a Stellaron Hunter. It's better I stay out of sight. Can you handle the mara-struck soldiers?"
Seele glanced at the scene—dozens of mara-struck soldiers had encircled the short-haired woman, who was barely holding her ground. These weren't just ordinary soldiers but those aligned with the Abundance's followers. The woman, Xueyi, had been tracking the Stellaron Hunters when she unexpectedly ran into this hostile group. Already injured, she didn't know how much longer she could last.
Seele stealthily approached, lowering her voice to mimic their code. "The rcy of Sanctus dicus, the Ambrosial Arbor's new growth…"
"Disciples shall attain enlightennt together. Brother and sisters!!!"
The leader of the mara-struck soldiers hesitated, hearing the familiar code. Assuming the voice belonged to an ally, they remained on guard but didn't attack.
Seele smirked. Pei Guang's shared notes had been useful—if you could match the code, you'd identified an enemy worth eliminating.
"I'm no sister of yours. Attack!" she shouted.
Before they could react, a swirling, radiant energy sphere flew into their midst and detonated. Silver Wolf's aether editing had temporarily immobilized them.
While the mara-struck soldiers were caught off guard, Seele prepared to strike—but before she could, soone else acted faster.
"Are these the followers of the Abundance?"
Seele confird, "That's right."
Above them, standing atop a shipping container, Dan Heng lood with a dark, ominous expression. He too had heard the commotion and rushed over in ti to hear the code exchange, leaving no doubt about the enemy's allegiance.
Dan Heng's grip tightened on his weapon, the mories of Abundance's cris burning in his mind. From Pei Guang's shared intelligence, he knew about the horrifying thods of the Abundance's followers—prolonging their lives with a special elixir made from a rare material called Vidyadhara essence.
Though he lacked mories of his past life, an instinctive anger surged within him. Determined, he muttered, "The truth of life and death, revealed in an instant—this sanctuary, is but a vision…"
From Xueyi's perspective, the man atop the container wielded a peculiar pink bunny plushie. Surrounding him, a strange pink aura shimred, and for a fleeting mont, she could swear the plushie was dancing and singing.
Then, she witnessed sothing she would never forget. Wrapped in the glowing pink aura, Dan Heng's spear transford into a teor-like streak of energy that tore through the enemy ranks.
However, due to the plushie's influence, the spear's glowing tip radiated an unmistakable shade of hot pink.
To make matters even more surreal, the sound of a cat's ow echoed with every strike of his weapon, as if the air itself was yowling in protest.
This ti, Seele and Silver Wolf witnessed Dan Heng's true strength—power so imnse that a single strike from his spear could force back a star-devouring beast. However, despite the overwhelming might of the attack, the expressions on everyone's faces—whether it was Seele, Silver Wolf, Xueyi, or even Sushang and Luocha, who had hurried over—uncontrollably twisted into disbelief.
Everyone present was no stranger to grand, dramatic scenes. But watching soone ow and wield a pink bunny plushie to skewer enemies? That was a sight none of them had ever encountered.
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