Yun Qingzi!
The instant he saw the bizarre, enormous crystalline mass faintly take on a humanoid shape, that name had already flashed through Yu Sheng's mind like thunder. The voice that reached his ears moments later, together with the figures appearing across the crystal's surface, confirmed his judgment—but at the same time, an immense shock surged up from the depths of his heart.
Yun Qingzi... How could he be here?!
Wasn't this just the ruins of a battlefield? Shouldn't Yun Qingzi's hiding place have been a "secret realm" where torrential rain poured down year-round, just like Shouji? Shouldn't he have been hiding behind those black-robed cultivators and members of the Hermetic Society? Why had he appeared at Garrison-3? And why was he in this state?!
Countless questions surged through Yu Sheng's mind, but his body reacted without the slightest delay. The instant the enormous crystalline mass took shape, he raised a hand and waved it. First, he opened a door and pulled out his Tetanus Staff (though he had no idea how effective the thing would be against Yun Qingzi), while also preparing to summon the Mass-produced Eileen legion here at any moment.
Beside him, Huli, in her enormous demon fox form, had already summoned vast swathes of dark-blue flame. She hunched over slightly and let out a threatening growl. Luna assumed a battle stance, her figure gradually turning illusory in her shadow state, while Eileen raised one arm halfway, faint spider silk beginning to appear around her.
Everyone's nerves were taut as they rapidly searched for the crystalline mass's possible weaknesses, flaws, or "source of power." Yu Sheng and the others had dealt with all kinds of bizarre creatures and had long since grown accustomed to facing enemies that did not even have a human form. But to be