Uncle Yang Visits

"Your name is... Jing Yan, right?" Welt Yang began.

"Yes," Jing Yan replied.

"You're strong," Welt Yang said.

"Right back at you," Jing Yan said with a smile.

In his eyes, Welt Yang was also a very powerful person.

In his own world, Welt Yang had fought in many great battles. He had faced Herrschers, Honkai, and the People of the Sky, among others, and many old friends had faded away.

Yet not only had he survived, he had even ventured into the stars.

He had roamed a far broader and more powerful realm, witnessing beings of even greater strength.

After all, the strongest beings in the universe these days were basically the Aeons.

Welt Yang had also said that as long as no Lord Ravager showed up, he could guarantee the Astral Express would make it out in one piece. That alone spoke volumes about his confidence.

When he unleashed his power, he could trade blows with some powerful Emanators—beings capable of destroying planets.

Of course, not every Emanator could destroy a planet.

Besides, Welt Yang's abilities didn't come entirely from himself.

The blood-red, gemstone-colored cane in his hand was a Divine Key: the Ninth Divine Key from the previous era, Star of Eden.

Its ability was to control gravity—the "Power of Earth" wielded by the Ninth Herrscher—and it could warp space-time and create black holes.

He was also the First Herrscher, the Herrscher of Reason, capable of understanding all things in the world and recreating them.

However...

The pinnacle of power for those at the level of Herrschers or Emanators couldn't compare to an Aeon.

So as the Aeon of Eros, Jing Yan naturally had even greater potential than Welt Yang.

Of course, it wasn't all that strange for the other man to take an interest in him.

Welt Yang reached up and adjusted his glasses, then continued, "It seems you've fused with the Stellaron. From what I can see, you don't seem to be suffering any ill effects?"

Welt Yang sounded surprised.

The Stellaron was extremely dangerous. It was also a creation of Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, and was a troublesome phenomenon throughout the universe. Only a few powerful people knew how to deal with it.

Most of them were Emanators.

For instance, Herta, an Emanator of Nous, the Aeon of Erudition, and a member of the Genius Society.

The Marshal and generals of the Xianzhou Alliance were Emanators of Lan, the Aeon of the Hunt.

These powerful people knew how to handle Stellarons and had experience dealing with them.

Aside from that, Stellarons brought destruction to nearly every place and planet they reached.

Most people couldn't even seal one away.

At present, Stelle was the only person who could seal a Stellaron inside her body.

To learn the specifics, they'd have to get answers from Kafka of the Stellaron Hunters.

But the man standing before him had done something similar.

And...

He had just faced Cocolia, empowered by the Stellaron, and seemed completely at ease.

Welt Yang had reached his conclusion without the slightest difficulty.

Jing Yan was no ordinary man.

Even before this, the information March 7th, Stelle, and Dan Heng had sent back had left Welt Yang and Himeko impressed by Jing Yan. Now they were even more astonished.

"Mr. Welt, you're with the Astral Express, right?" Jing Yan asked.

"That's right. Would you be interested in joining us, Mr. Jing Yan?"

"Of course," Jing Yan said with a faint smile.

"Mm." Welt Yang nodded.

"In fact, you'd be an excellent fit to travel with us."

"You know about the Stellaron inside Stelle, right?"

Jing Yan nodded. He had a good idea of what Welt Yang wanted to say.

At Herta Space Station, the Astral Express crew had run into an invasion by the Antimatter Legion. Stelle had stepped forward to fight the Doomsday Beast, but the power of the Stellaron inside her had run wild. In the end, Welt Yang had helped suppress it.

So now, by bringing up the Stellaron inside Stelle, Welt Yang was probably saying that if the Stellaron inside Jing Yan ever caused trouble and went out of control, he could help rein it in as well.

"Though I think you might not even need my help when it comes to handling your Stellaron, Mr. Jing Yan," Welt Yang said, looking at him.

"Mr. Welt Yang, you're a smart man. You're just a little too polite," Jing Yan said calmly.

"That isn't politeness, just courtesy. Everyone has their own quirks. And when traveling companions aboard the Astral Express, it's best to be tolerant and seek common ground while accepting differences."

"Mr. Jing Yan, you were the key figure in resolving the Stellaron crisis on Yarilo-VI. You deserve our respect. If there's anything you particularly like or dislike, just let us know," Welt Yang said earnestly.

"All right. I don't think I'm difficult to get along with," Jing Yan said with a smile.

Hearing this, March 7th stepped forward too.

She'd been circling Jing Yan and inspecting him from every angle. Only after confirming that he seemed fine did she speak again. "Jing Yan, are you really okay?"

"You've got a Stellaron hidden inside you too?"

March 7th found it hard to believe.

"You could put it that way," Jing Yan said with a smile.

By now, more people had come to their senses and gathered around.

They had just gone to check on Cocolia in the huge crater up ahead.

It was clear that Cocolia hadn't survived the explosion of the Stellaron.

The crater in the ground ahead was now nothing but the ruins of a battlefield. Nothing unusual had been left behind.

"Oh, right. The snow's stopped," Jing Yan said, glancing up at the sky.

Only then did everyone else realize it.

They looked at the sunlight reappearing from behind the clouds, astonished.

"The Frost Wave was still blowing just a moment ago. And now it's gone?!" Seele said, unable to believe it.

As a Pathstrider, she knew about the power of Paths and believed in it.

But seeing it with her own eyes still left her shaken.

The clear skies now also proved that the three members of the Astral Express had been completely right.

The Frost Wave really had been caused by the Stellaron.

Besides that,

once the Stellaron was sealed, the Fragmentum would gradually shrink until it disappeared.

Some parts would remain for a long time, but Jing Yan had already altered them with his power, making them far less dangerous.

Of course, beyond the danger it posed, the Fragmentum could also serve as a projection of the real world, reflecting scenes from the past.

Some of those relics could even preserve them.

"But, Mr. Jing Yan, could you tell us in detail how you did it?"

"And you too, Stelle. What happened when you were fighting? How did you suddenly change your appearance?"

Jing Yan smiled at that. "If you have questions, I'll answer what I can."

Stelle scratched her head. The experience had felt incredibly strange to her, especially making eye contact with Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation.