Chapter 71: Jing Yuan - 'General, I'm Not Lying!' Old Yang finally felt a wave of relief wash over him.
At the edge of The Shackling Prison, two paths diverged.
One led toward Xianzhou Luofu's bustling city center, while the other stretched out to the docks beyond Luofu.
Standing at this crossroads were Kafka, Silver Wolf, and Blade.
Initially, Blade maintained his usual calm demeanor. But as the approaching figures drew closer, his composure began to unravel, replaced by growing agitation and frenzied energy.
"...Those emotions are surfacing again, Kafka," he muttered, his voice trembling. "It's happening all over again! This feeling...this overwhelming..."
"Then release it—the Demonic Yin Body," Kafka whispered softly, her tone almost soothing.
Ahead, four figures advanced steadily toward their position.
Silver Wolf stroked her chin thoughtfully, a smirk playing on her lips. "What an interesting coincidence!" she remarked.
"It feels like we've wandered straight into another one of Elio's scripts."
"Well, whatever."
"You two handle them; I'll check out the new character release."
"Huh, would you look at that! Isn't that our very own General Jing Yuan?"
At first, Silver Wolf seemed disinterested and listless. But upon spotting the newly added card pool, her eyes lit up with excitement, sparkling with uncontainable enthusiasm.
To her, the world of Honkai: Star Rail was far more captivating than reality itself.
For Blade, however, everything around him faded into the background. His sole focus was on Dan Heng.
"The time has come!" he declared, his voice brimming with intensity.
"Look at yourself now!"
"Have you finally mustered the courage to confront your past?!"
"Holding Light Dragon Venerable."
"Drinking Moon Monarch!"
Blade, who was typically reserved and sparing with words, couldn't restrain himself in the presence of Dan Heng. In those fleeting moments, he spoke more than he had in the entire previous year, each word carrying a weighty conviction.
Deep within The Shackling Prison, the commotion drew Jing Yuan, Yanqing, Luocha, and Jingliu to the scene. Their expressions were grim, as though the surrounding air had turned viscous, swirling and clashing in turbulent currents.
Yanqing wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "[Inbibitor Lunae]..."
*
"I've heard of this infamous name."
"A traitor guilty of unspeakable crimes..."
"...who abandoned Xianzhou and sowed chaos."
"The sinner exiled for eternity."
"What's going on in Xianzhou today? How did so many dangerous criminals suddenly infiltrate?!"
Now Stelle understood why General Jing Yuan had initially chosen to let the Stellaron Hunters go.
It was simply impossible to capture them all—they were beyond reach!
As Blade's excitement grew, Dan Heng frowned and reiterated, "I've told you and that woman countless times... I am [ Dan Heng]."
"My past has no connection to your history."
"Dan Heng... Do you truly believe that changing your appearance and identity can erase your sins? You...you haven't even faced death yet..." Blade paused, his voice hardening. "To make you understand this torment, [ Dan Heng], I will ensure you experience the agony of [ Death ]!"
With that, Blade launched his attack without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Dan Heng stepped forward, intercepting his Astral Express teammates, choosing to face the threat alone.
From a distance, Stelle spotted Kafka, who responded with a gentle smile.
March 7th glanced between their group and the opposing Stellaron Hunters, unease flickering across her face. "We don't have to fight them, right? I'm still sore from battling the Antimatter Legion earlier."
"Relax," Stelle reassured her. "This is currently a phase of individual duels; we haven't reached the team battles yet."
Suddenly, Old Yang stepped forward, his expression turning grave as he noticed someone emerging from The Shackling Prison behind him—the man calling himself Luocha.
Luocha also looked up, sensing Old Yang's piercing gaze. Initially surprised, he remarked, "I don't believe we've met before, Mr. Welt?"
"Why such hostility toward me?"
"You bear a striking resemblance to someone I once knew," Old Yang replied.
"Oh~" A realization dawned on Luocha's face.
"I assume General Jing Yuan was referring to you as his friend, Mr. Welt."
"Cough... Jing Yuan?"
"General?" Luocha observed Jing Yuan's slightly uneasy expression and clarified, "General Jing Yuan, I assure you, I am not lying." As he spoke, Luocha prepared to show Jing Yuan the ornament in his hand.
He intended to add, "General, it's true that my power originates from [ Abundance]. However, like you, I am Yaoshi's enemy."
But from Old Yang's perspective...
Luocha's movement resembled drawing a weapon aimed at Jing Yuan.
Instantly, a chilling sensation shot down Old Yang's spine!
Garden of Eden, Zero-rated Power, activate!
Weren't we supposed to stick to one-on-one fights?! Why is even steady Uncle Yang suddenly intervening without warning?!
In mid-air,
besides the intertwining water dragon and blood-red glow,
emerald radiance and dark crimson lightning now flared to life.
At that moment,
Jing Yuan stepped forward and commanded, "Yanqing, follow me."
"Yes, General."
The two swiftly positioned themselves directly in front of Kafka.
"Kafka, I had intended to let you all leave, but you've hesitated and lingered instead."
"And so?" Kafka asked, smirking slyly.
"So now, you cannot depart anymore."
"With the assistance of the Astral Express Crew, bringing the Stellaron aboard Xianzhou is a grave offense for which you must answer!"
Upon hearing Jing Yuan's declaration, Yanqing's gaze hardened, internally cheering, "Yes!"
Having previously suffered defeat at Kafka's hands, he was determined to redeem himself. With the General joining the fight, this was the perfect opportunity to apprehend such a notorious criminal!
Kafka calmly responded, "What if I say... it wasn't me who brought the Stellaron aboard?"
"Then what purpose do you and your grandly conspicuous Stellaron Hunters serve by appearing here?" Yanqing demanded.
"Sigh..."
Kafka let out a resigned breath. "It seems no matter what we say, you won't believe us."
"In that case, let's take action."
"The situation is chaotic enough already."
"Let us stoke the flames further."
"Silver Wolf..."
However, Silver Wolf nearby seemed oblivious to their exchange, fully absorbed in his Pull animation. He muttered irritably while drawing cards, "Why 'Predator's Gaze' again? Who keeps releasing 'Resolution'?!"
Kafka remained silent for a moment before speaking up.
"Silver Wolf, lend me a hand."
"I'm busy drawing cards, don't disturb me."
"I don't need you to fight; just help me switch the game stream's display."
"Oh, sure." With casual taps on his wrist device, Silver Wolf complied.
Before Yu Jingyuan and Yanqing's eyes, Little Gui Zi's live stream appeared on their screens.
"Please take a look, gentlemen."
"In this game's storyline, I've already been captured by you, and Grand Diviner Fu Xuan is about to use the Indigent Observation Formation to discern my true intentions."
"Even if you don't trust me, the content of Honkai Star Rail speaks for itself."
"Now, we can finally clarify whether our actions have any connection to Xianzhou's calamity, right?"