Stelle's eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape. She simply could not connect the dignified, powerful High Elder before her with that quiet, reserved companion from the Astral Express Crew.
"What... is going on?"
Stelle: Jiang Mo, You Liar!
When Dan Heng saw you appear, his imposing aura immediately receded somewhat, and obvious helplessness and worry appeared on his face.
He looked at Stelle and March 7th, then at you, seemingly deeply concerned about what you, his friends, thought of him.
Then, he quietly explained his identity and past.
Stelle and March 7th were still reeling in shock, unsure what to say for a moment.
At that moment, you walked up to Dan Heng, looked into his uneasy eyes, and said softly:
"Who doesn't have a past they keep hidden? It's normal. I understand."
Those words loosened the taut string in Dan Heng's heart.
As he looked into your sincere eyes, the boulder that had long weighed on his heart finally fell away.
"Jiang Mo... thank you."
Although Stelle and March 7th had not fully recovered from the shock, hearing your words gradually helped them accept the truth.
They stepped forward. March 7th patted Dan Heng on the shoulder. "No matter what you become, you're still our companion! Dan Heng of the Astral Express!"
Stelle nodded as well. Though still somewhat dazed, she stepped forward and patted him. "Yeah! Good partner!"
The bond of the Astral Express Crew seemed to have become even stronger in that moment.
In your eyes, the tighter this string was drawn, the easier it would be for you to sever it with your own hands when the time came.
Then, using his powerful High Elder strength, Dan Heng opened a path leading to the deepest part of Jianmu's roots.
Everyone entered the passage together. You walked at the very back of the group, silently watching the people ahead.
Just as they were about to reach their destination, Stelle, walking in front, suddenly turned around.
"We're almost there, Jiang Mo. You... be careful." Her voice seemed to carry too many emotions left unspoken.
You smiled and nodded gently in response. "All right. You too."
Then, you followed the group into the depths of the passage.
The sight before them made everyone suck in a sharp breath.
An incomparably massive figure was intertwined and fused with Jianmu's roots, radiating a suffocatingly powerful pressure.
She held an enormous fan, while the utterly opposing powers of Abundance and Destruction intertwined eerily around her.
So it had become like this... You assessed the strength of this avatar inwardly.
Though it was merely the result of a portion of your power combined with the power of Abundance, it looked fairly convincing.
The battle erupted in an instant.
Jing Yuan and Dan Heng, acting as the main force, charged toward the enormous Phantylia.
You, Stelle, and March 7th provided support from the perimeter, clearing away the Mara-Struck Soldiers and Abundance Sprites pouring out from Jianmu while searching for Phantylia's weakness.
The enormous Phantylia swung her fan, easily scattering everyone's formation.
She seemed to have sensed the greatest threat among them and focused her attacks on Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan maneuvered against Phantylia, but under the disparity in size and strength, he gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Phantylia seized the opportunity. Jianmu's roots instantly coiled around Jing Yuan, binding him firmly in place!
Destruction energy gathered in her hand, ready to transform Jing Yuan into a Voidranger!
Jing Yuan was in danger. Yet his gaze suddenly sharpened! He activated the Divine Lord, whose phantom emerged behind the enormous Phantylia, ready to launch a desperate counterattack!
"Dan Heng, now!" Jing Yuan shouted, seizing the instant Phantylia's attention was diverted by the Divine Lord.
Dan Heng understood immediately. The power of the High Elder within him surged to its limit as he prepared to lend Jing Yuan his aid!
Suddenly, a black shadow appeared behind Dan Heng in an instant!
"Who?!" Dan Heng sensed the anomaly behind him, and his heart jolted. He instinctively tried to evade or counterattack, but the other party was too fast.
Accompanied by the sound of metal piercing flesh, two azure-green longswords condensed from pure Flames of Suyang energy ruthlessly and precisely pierced through the hands Dan Heng used to grip his weapon!
Immediately afterward, the third and fourth swords pierced through his feet, pinning him firmly to the ground!
The shocked expressions on Stelle, March 7th, and Jing Yuan's faces froze.
They stared at you in disbelief, at the longswords in your hands that had pierced Dan Heng's body.
Stelle's lips trembled as a broken cry escaped her. "J-Jiang Mo?! What... what are you doing?!"
The shock in her eyes was swiftly replaced by confusion, as if she had watched the person she trusted most turn into a monster she had never imagined in an instant.
March 7th was equally horrified. Her weapon nearly slipped from her hand as she shouted, "Jiang Mo! Have you lost your mind?! Why?!"
She could not understand why this companion, who had always been steady and dependable, would suddenly commit such a mad and evil act.
Jing Yuan's Divine Lord phantom gathered behind the enormous Phantylia, blazing with golden light and on the verge of striking back.
But upon seeing Dan Heng attacked, the solidified phantom paused, anger and confusion flashing through Jing Yuan's eyes.
He shouted sternly, "Who are you?!"
You maintained your usual smile.
But in everyone's eyes, that smile now looked incomparably twisted.
You did not answer Jing Yuan. Instead, you drove the longsword in your hand deeper into Dan Heng's body.
The movement was smooth and cruel, without the slightest hesitation.
"What? What am I doing?" You chuckled.
Your voice was no longer warm and friendly as before. It carried a mockery that sent chills down their spines.
"Of course... I'm carrying out my plan."
You looked at Dan Heng, who stared at you in disbelief.
"Sorry, Dan Heng."
"You're too dangerous. The power of Imbibitor Lunae is an uncertainty."
"And besides... this little game of ours should be over."
Those words were like the sharpest blade in the world. They not only wounded Dan Heng's body, but also tore painfully through Stelle and March 7th's hearts.
They suddenly realized that every intimate moment and playful exchange aboard the train, every seemingly sincere smile, had all been an elaborate deception you had carefully arranged.
Stelle felt dizzy. She could not accept the truth.
The gentle Jiang Mo, who had played around with her and called her his "wife," was actually a monster like this?
She staggered a step forward and reached out, as though trying to grasp that vanishing illusion. "No... this isn't you!"
Your gaze turned toward Stelle, and the amusement in your eyes deepened.
It was the smug delight of a predator watching prey that had fallen into its trap, toying with it in the palm of its hand.
"Oh? Stelle."
Your voice carried a bewitching power as it pierced straight into Stelle's heart.
"You look very disappointed."
"Is it because I'm not the 'boyfriend' you imagined?"
"Y-you lied to me!" Stelle's eyes instantly reddened.
Destroying the Luofu? No, That Would Be Too Easy
An unprecedented pain and fury surged into her heart.
Stelle could no longer control her emotions. She charged straight at you, trying to grab hold of you!
But your figure flickered, easily avoiding Stelle's pounce.
You no longer paid attention to Stelle, who had collapsed under the betrayal, or to the equally stunned March 7th.
You looked at Jing Yuan. A trace of wariness flashed through your eyes, but what showed more clearly was an undisguised cold cruelty.
"You think that Phantylia is the real body?"
"How naive."
"That was merely bait to draw away your attention."
As your words fell, an aura and pressure similar to that Phantylia avatar's, yet even more powerful and evil, erupted from your body!
This seemingly ordinary black-haired young man's body displayed a terrifying power far beyond everyone's expectations at that moment!
You did not choose to clash head-on with Jing Yuan.
Instead, you suddenly swept your hand, and an illusion burst forth instantly.
The entire space among Jianmu's roots was instantly distorted into shattered fragments like a kaleidoscope.
Terrifying illusions appeared out of nowhere, targeting every person present and striking at the deepest fears in their hearts.
Jing Yuan saw the Divine Lord he had always taken pride in suddenly lose control. The massive, icy phantom turned around and launched a deadly backlash against him.
Dan Heng saw the bloody sins of his past take physical form. Countless souls harmed by Imbibitor Lunae's power wailed as they lunged at him, seeking to drag him into an endless abyss.
As for Stelle and March 7th, they saw a scene that shattered their hearts and souls.
The Astral Express broke apart and exploded in the universe, becoming cosmic dust.
Himeko, Welt Yang, Pom-Pom... every companion aboard the train had lost all signs of life.
"No...!"
"Himeko! Uncle Yang!"
Stelle and March 7th cried out loudly. Their pupils suddenly contracted, and their bodies trembled from extreme terror.
The entire space was instantly filled with despair and madness!
And you stood at the center of those terrifying illusions, a nearly sickly satisfied smile on your face.
You savored the extreme negative emotions radiating from those prey at the brink of mental collapse.
The blue-black Flames of Suyang danced joyfully within your body.
You were the true body of Phantylia, Lord of Ruin.
And this body named "Jiang Mo" was merely a disguise you had personally created to infiltrate the Astral Express and infiltrate the Xianzhou.
This plan of destruction, aimed at the Xianzhou and everyone who stood in the way of your revenge, had only just begun.
Who knew how much time had passed...
The illusions faded, and cold reality instantly pierced Stelle's consciousness.
Her body went weak. She felt something wrapped around her, fastening her tightly against an icy pillar.
As her vision gradually cleared, she discovered that she had been bound tightly, unable to move even her fingertips.
Instinctively, she searched for the figure that had once made her feel safe.
"Jiang..." That name nearly slipped from her lips.
But then she suddenly froze.
No, that wasn't Jiang Mo!
The pain in her heart was worse than the restraints on her body, as though a dull blade were stirring through her flesh and blood.
Suddenly, a voice sounded at just the right moment, carrying a familiar tone:
"Even like this, you still can't forget me?"
Before you continue