"Hiss—Big Sister, what just happened? My butt hurts so much…" When the small Stellaron came to, she was already in March 7th's arms, a lingering sting radiating from her backside. It felt like a turquoise flame had entered her body earlier, but she couldn't remember anything after that. Maybe she fell on her butt? It hurt so much.
"Hey, nothing much, just giving you a complete childhood experience," Stelle said with a smile, handing the small Stellaron's phone back to her. She spoke earnestly, "Here, you dropped your phone. Don't be so careless in the future, okay~?"
Small Stellaron: "…Thanks, Big Sister?" Though something felt off, the small Stellaron chose to trust Stelle and March 7th. After all, these two big sisters seemed so kind—how could they possibly deceive her?
In that brief moment, the turquoise flame emerged from the small Stellaron's body. This time, it darted into Stelle's body.
Stelle had already anticipated this, so she wasn't fazed. It was just a matter of blinking and getting through it…
As the heliobus entered her, Stelle felt as if her life had suddenly been struck by a major upheaval. All her sorrow and anger surged to the surface at once, overwhelming her with intense grief.
"I…" Stelle grinned, "There are some things I've been wanting to tell you all for a while…"
"Dan Heng, during our time on the Express, I've already uncovered your secret—your side job isn't just being a novelist. You're also the famous romance manga artist 'Cold-Faced Little Azure Dragon,' aren't you?"
Dan Heng's expression shifted.
Everyone: "Whoa, didn't see that coming, Dan Heng! You're into that kind of stuff? No worries, we're all friends here—we support you!"
Stelle continued, "He mainly draws male-male romance stories. Rumor has it the main characters are named Yingyuan and Jingxing."
The smile on Jing Yuan's face froze, while Bailu, with pure innocence, chimed in, "Oh? Those names sound so familiar! A story about friendship between two guys? I want to read it too!"
Jing Yuan pressed a hand on her shoulder. "No, you don't."
With that, he cracked his knuckles and started walking toward Dan Heng.
"And you, March," Stelle turned her gaze to March 7th. "Don't think I don't know what you do every night after I fall asleep."
March 7th's face changed. "Stelle, don't talk nonsense."
Stelle shrugged. "Nonsense? I've got evidence! Did you really think I'm that clueless? Every time, I let you think I'm asleep, but I'm actually pretending, with my phone under my pillow, recording everything!"
The others: "??? Wait, you two sleep together?"
Stelle: "Every time I'm 'asleep,' March 7th sneaks in to cuddle with me—"
Duang—
March 7th hurled her Six-Phased Ice, striking Stelle squarely on the forehead. Her face flushed red, even her ear tips burning. "You jerk, Stelle! No wonder I always felt you moving… I'm done with you!"
Everyone: …Did we just stumble upon some juicy gossip?
Swish—
A turquoise flame emerged from Stelle's body. This time, with no target to possess, it dissipated into the air.
It took a while for Stelle to regain consciousness amidst the throbbing pain. She rubbed her head, wincing. "Hiss—Ouch! Who hit me so hard? What did I just do?"
"Dan Heng, March, you don't need to help me up, I'm not that fragile… Wait, what are you doing?"
"No, no! I'm sorry, don't come closer!"
"Phantylia, just you wait, I'm not done with you!"
"…"
After the ordeal, the group finally emerged from the heliobus's influence. At that moment, Yanqing approached Jing Yuan with his head bowed, his tone heavy with shame and self-reproach.
"Master, I…"
Though the heliobus's influence had temporarily subsided, Yanqing knew how gravely mistaken his actions had been. He immediately recounted everything about his time with Phantylia over the past two days.
"This is outrageous!" Jing Yuan frowned. "A mighty Lord Ravager, stooping to possess a child's body to commit such despicable acts. But rest assured, my disciple, you are you, and Phantylia is Phantylia. We will never hold you accountable for her wrongs!"
Yanqing froze, his sharp mind picking up on the subtext in Jing Yuan's words. Clearly, his master was making excuses for him. After all, no matter how you looked at it, Yanqing was the one who brought Phantylia here. Even if mental manipulation was involved, he bore undeniable responsibility.
Yet, with just a few words, Jing Yuan reframed his "weakness of will" as "being ambushed and possessed by a Lord Ravager, unable to resist despite his best efforts."
Yanqing lowered his head in guilt, saying no more.
The group didn't linger. They pressed forward at full speed toward the Ambrosial Arbor's roots, treating any Abundant creatures, Borisin, or Abundance creatures they encountered as mere speed bumps. Before long, they arrived at their destination—the place where the Ambrosial Arbor's roots were anchored.
Here, the roots intertwined to form the shape of a dragon's head. As the group stepped inside, it was as if they had entered another world: clouds and mist swirled around, a vibrant lotus platform floated ahead, and a palm-sized spark of stellar flame hovered silently above it.
"Jie jie jie jie jie—Who dares to come? I, Phantylia, never strike down nameless nobodies. State your names one by one~"
Suddenly, the spark of flame emitted a languid female voice, her tone frivolous, as if she didn't take the group seriously at all.
Jing Yuan's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward. "We're just a group of nobodies, Phantylia. To deal with you, we're more than enough."
"Oh? Big talk…" Phantylia's tone carried a hint of surprise. "This is unexpected. Young Yanqing, why have you abandoned our lofty ideals and turned against me?"
Under everyone's gazes, Yanqing gripped his sword tightly and stepped forward. "Phantylia, I was swayed by you before because my will was weak. But now, I can tell you clearly—your so-called 'beautiful dream' is nothing but an abyss built on desire!"
"Even if you let those you possess ascend to the heavens in a single step, bypassing centuries of hard work, the more they indulge, the deeper their desires grow, and the more reckless their actions become, inevitably leading to destruction."
"I will never stand with you!"
Phantylia sighed. "Alas, my good intentions have truly been wasted on you… I had planned to let you all meet your end in a beautiful dream, but now, tsk tsk tsk, it seems I'll have to resort to some violent measures to eliminate you."
Rumble—
Before her words faded, dazzling golden flames erupted from the lotus platform, blazing fiercely. A massive figure, nearly a hundred meters tall, materialized out of thin air. Phantylia, holding a thin fan, looked down at the group with a playful smile. "Dear guests, just six of you? I'm afraid that won't be enough to take me down, hee hee~"
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Himeko stepped off a Cloud Knight skiff, setting foot on the land. Beside her, Huohuo walked with her hands in her pockets.
"According to their message, they should be right here."