Thanks to Su Chen's outrageous decision to split a single season into two halves, viewers who had been following the show were left with no small amount of frustration.
For instance, online shopping platforms saw a mysterious surge in sales of box cutters.
Not only that, but miHoYo had also killed off a beloved "waifu" of the masses.
Fortunately, miHoYo acted quickly to make amends, promising to release Season 3, Part 2 in its entirety 21 days later.
Only then did the flood of mailed box cutters begin to subside.
Soon enough, the day arrived.
As punctual as ever, the moment the clock struck 12, Season 3 began airing.
—
The very first frame had viewers on the verge of losing it.
Then came Caelus' swing of his bat,
followed by a cut to March 7th.
[What a jarring cliffhanger—so the first half was literally just chopped in half like this?!]
[They're not even pretending anymore!]
[I'm definitely leaving a bad review for Season 3. The first half had zero highlights—aside from that head tilt that scared the piss out of me! And they killed Tingyun!]
[They just killed off a perfectly good waifu like that!]
—
Tingyun's eerie head tilt was still fresh in their minds, and even March 7th stumbled over her words:
"Th-this… So, Miss Tingyun, who's been traveling with us this whole time… is with the Legion?!
"And that flame that burst out of her—what was that?! Where's Miss Tingyun's body… What happened to her body?!
"Mr. Yang, you've seen a lot—what just happened?!"
When Welt Yang remained silent for a long time, Caelus turned to see his troubled expression.
"Mr. Yang?"
"Sigh—" Welt Yang exhaled deeply, resting his chin on one hand.
"That flame called itself the Emanator of Destruction, Phantylia. I've heard that name before, from other Nameless.
"She's one of the seven Emanators under Nanook, obsessed with the self-destruction of mortals. Countless lives have been lured by her into abysses of ruin…"
The ensuing conversation left viewers feeling half-dead inside.
From Welt Yang's deductions, it seemed Tingyun was gone—though he didn't outright confirm it, leaving a sliver of hope for the audience.
[Oh no, oh no… Old Yang sounds like he's gently breaking the news that Tingyun's done for.]
[Not necessarily, right? Didn't he say this isn't Phantylia's usual MO? That body was something she crafted herself, just to mess with the protagonists' heads.]
[Wait a minute… Have you guys noticed something? Why did miHoYo only drop one bombshell during the filler period of Season 3's first half? That's not their usual style—they love dropping huge reveals during filler arcs!]
[Oh? What's your theory, fellow daoist?]
[Luocha! Luocha's coffin!]
[Ohhhh, right! That's why they sandwiched Luocha's exclusive story quest movie between the two halves! Makes sense, makes sense!]
[Immortal Luocha, I beg you—please let Tingyun win her resurrection match! From now on, no matter what role you play, I'll never badmouth you again!]
[Same here!]
—
At that moment, Fu Xuan informed everyone that Phantylia's target was undoubtedly the Ambrosial Arbor. She immediately arranged for them to board a starskiff to Scalegorge Waterscape.
For viewers familiar with the High-Cloud Quintet, this was a well-known location—
The place where the Ambrosial Arbor's roots were sealed to halt its growth, and also the sacred ground of the Vidyadhara's molting rebirth.
The journey was a somber one.
It was Caelus who broke the silence first, turning to Fu Xuan and asking,
"Where's General Jing Yuan?"
"After our last communication via the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, he vanished without a trace. He said he had 'urgent personal matters to attend to.'
"Given how dire the situation is now… we'll just have to trust the General."
Just as Fu Xuan finished speaking, the starskiff pilot called out,
"Master Diviner, we've arrived at Scalegorge Waterscape!"
—
Then, the screen faded to black.
White text appeared: "A short while earlier…"
Dan Heng, Luocha, and Sushang appeared on screen, having successfully arrived at the Alchemy Commission.
Sushang had finally fulfilled her promise to escort the two to safety.
After bidding them farewell—reminding them to stay close—she went to report to the Cloud Knight commander.
Dan Heng and Luocha nodded in understanding.
Soon after,
Dan Heng's phone buzzed. He opened it to see a message from Caelus—a photo of the Furnace in the Taizhen Alchemy Room.
However, the message had been sent much earlier but was delayed due to poor signal.
This implied that Caelus and the others were already on their way to Scalegorge Waterscape.
Dan Heng tried to reply, but the message failed to send—again.
"Still no connection… What a pain. I wonder what's happening with the Trailblazer, March, and Mr. Yang…
"The Cloud Knights seem to be mobilizing for the Stellaron crisis… But why did Kafka send us here? What's happened to them? What about Blade?
"We've wasted too much time. We need intel…"
Dan Heng gathered useful information from the locals, piecing together the general picture.
"The Ambrosial Arbor's resurgence is tied to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus' uprising… When was the last time I heard those names?"
Dan Heng frowned.
"How did the Trailblazers get caught up in something this troublesome…?"
Worry clouded his judgment, but Dan Heng had no choice. Seizing the moment when no one was watching, he slipped away from the Cloud Knights' surveillance.
After walking a short distance, he came upon a massive alchemy furnace.
Perhaps stirred by the scene, memories of his past life flooded his mind.
Among them was the "Cloud-Quelling Art"—helpfully captioned as a water-manipulation technique unique to the Dragon Lords.
"These memories…" Dan Heng shook his head.
"No. None of this has anything to do with me anymore."
Yet, as he walked, recollections sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, with Vidyadhara mirages appearing at every turn.
Battling through the mental onslaught, Dan Heng eventually reached a small boat.
Just as he was about to step aboard,
echoes of the past whispered around him:
"Something terrible is happening in Scalegorge Waterscape. Please, go no further. Your enemies… Your enemies are waiting for you."
Dan Heng's gaze hardened. "I'm sorry. I can't stop here. My friends have already gone ahead—I must catch up to them."
"You remain as stubborn as ever… Just like back then.
"Very well. The boat to Scalegorge Waterscape is at the shore. Please, board it."
Dan Heng took a deep breath and stepped onto the boat.
Amid the boundless waves, he stood alone at the prow.
—
Meanwhile, on the opposite shore, two familiar figures appeared.
A raspy, smoke-roughened voice spoke:
"He's here."