["Little Gui's Livestream"]
The end of the storyline continues.
Feixiao has regained consciousness.
Witnessing her own actions.
She smiles apologetically.
The next moment, she suddenly collapses from exhaustion.
Yunli, Yanqing, and March 7th quickly support Feixiao.
Everyone looks ahead together.
The influence of the Crimson Moon has completely vanished.
A clear sky comes into view.
...
"What a perfect ending!"
"Let's celebrate the conclusion!"
"Please analyze the role of the clear weather at this moment."
"In a world where only Jiaoqiu is hurt."
"Holy crap! I almost forgot! My Jiao Jiao (starts crying)"
""
"Dr. Jiaoqiu, this prosperous age is as you wished."
"Salute to the Hero of Xianzhou, Jiaoqiu!"
"Farewell, Jiaoqiu!"
...
Reminded by the barrage of comments.
Many players suddenly remembered.
This battle was not a complete victory!
A respectable foxian had left us forever.
He might never appear in the storyline again!
The previously excited and enthusiastic atmosphere turned somber.
The screen slowly darkened.
Subtitles appeared.
[Thus far, the Wolf Hunt Plan has finally come to a successful conclusion.]
[With the defeat of the Wolf Leader, the wolf soldiers were powerless to resist and were completely suppressed by the Cloud Knights. The Trailblazer and Moze found Jiaoqiu on the brink of death.]
[And at this moment, there is still one final account to settle regarding Hoolay's prison break...]
Seeing the subtitles.
Many players were stunned at first!
Then!
Overjoyed!
...
"!!!!!!"
"He's still alive!?"
"It's good that Jiaoqiu isn't dead, it's good that he's not dead (gasping for breath)."
"Yu Ling held back this time."
"Holy crap? How, how did he survive?"
"Enough, my heart aches for him, thankfully he's still alive."
"Jiaoqiu, it's so good that you're still here, sob sob..."
...
"I'm still alive?"
The Shackling Prison.
Even Jiaoqiu himself was somewhat surprised!
Having his blood drained by Hoolay, poisoning himself...
By all accounts, he should have been long gone.
Yet, I'm still alive?
A miraculous survival?
Suddenly.
A look of realization crossed Jiaoqiu's face.
He muttered to himself, "Out of ten attempts, nine would have been certain death."
"And Yu Ling chose the one with a sliver of hope."
"Indeed... he held back."
Jiaoqiu continued to look at the screen.
He was mentally prepared.
Even if he hadn't died this time, his physical condition was likely not optimistic.
"If only I could see a diagnostic report or something in the game."
"Then I could have a rough assessment of my condition."
[Switching to Lingsha's perspective...]
[In Scalegorge Waterscape, Dan Heng and Lingsha are about to meet with the Preceptor of the Vidyadhara...]
...
"It's happening! It's finally time to settle accounts with these traitors!"
"Preceptor, show me your health bar!"
"Great! Dan Heng himself is here!"
"Welcome the return of the Dragon King!"
"Vidyadhara Preceptor reckoning, commence!"
"I hope the Preceptor can maintain his haughty demeanor later."
"Given Dan Heng's personality, he probably won't take direct action, right?"
"Hard to say, I think Dan Heng has been holding back for a long time."
...
Without much preamble.
Dan Heng and Lingsha directly approached the statue of the High Elder.
Below.
A young man was standing there, quietly gazing at the statue.
Noticing the newcomers.
He turned around.
With a slight smile, he said, "Preceptor Taoran, here to welcome Miss Lingsha."
Lingsha returned the smile, "Lingsha pays her respects to Elder Preceptor, it's been a long time since we last met. This time, I've brought a friend along, who, by the way, is no stranger."
When Taoran noticed Dan Heng behind her.
His smile instantly faded!
And Dan Heng's gaze turned cold.
He stepped forward and questioned, "Taoran... Elder? When I was exiled, you were nearing the end of your reincarnation cycle. Yet... how have you become like this now?"
"All of this is thanks to your past self. If it weren't for your reckless actions back then, I wouldn't have had to take such a perilous path to bear the burden of our people's liberation, transforming myself into this half-human, half-ghost state."
"Mr. Dan Heng, you have returned twice, yet you never deigned to meet with us old folks. What a pity. And now, we meet under such circumstances—truly, fate plays cruel tricks."
"I came today with Miss Lingsha, not to reminisce."
Dan Heng's tone was clear: I'm not familiar with you, so don't try to get chummy.
Lingsha got straight to the point.
She brought up three pieces of evidence—the remains of a Mara-stricken body, a map of The Shackling Prison, and a Pill of Return to Form.
These pieces of evidence were enough to prove it.
Hoolay's escape from prison was undeniably linked to the Preceptors!
Initially, I thought Taoran would deny it outright or come up with excuses.
But to my surprise.
He smiled slightly and replied, "Indeed, I played a part in planning the prison break at The Shackling Prison."
His tone even carried a hint of pride!
"So, the appearance of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and Lord Ravager in the Alchemy Commission, the chaos they caused, the introduction of the Stellaron, and the rebirth of the Ambrosial Arbor—all of this is also connected to the Vidyadhara?"
"Correct."
...
"666, the pipe's gone smokeless!"
"He just admitted it so casually?"
"Does this guy have some kind of trump card?"
"He's even gloating about it!"
"At this point, he must think Hoolay has succeeded, so he's stopped pretending."
"To eradicate the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, how many of our Cloud Knights have sacrificed their lives? You truly deserve to die!"
"Betraying your own kin, harming innocent people—are you even human?"
...
However.
Taoran "righteously" explained his reasons:
"Since the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, the Vidyadhara population has dwindled. With the High Elder exiled, I and a few Preceptors had no choice but to struggle to hold things together, trying to turn the tide. Our methods may have been radical, perhaps misunderstood, but in the end, it was all for one thing—the survival of the Vidyadhara..."
"Yet the people of Xianzhou stubbornly sought to eradicate the traces of the Plague Author, turning a blind eye to the suffering of the Vidyadhara. Dan Heng, Lingsha, as Vidyadhara yourselves, you should understand my intentions. All I did was for the sake of survival."
Lingsha retorted, "I am well aware of the challenges the Vidyadhara face. Survival is not a crime."
"But what you have done, Elder, goes beyond the bounds of what a survivor should do... Like a beast that knows only propagation, without a shred of human compassion."
Taoran, upon hearing this, grew agitated:
"Oh? Even if we call ourselves the noble dragon lineage, we have always been nothing more than upright-walking animals. The survival of our race is fundamental. If I don't act like a beast, the Vidyadhara might not even remain human!"
"In ancient times, it was said that the Saint was unkind. The High Elder abandoned the duty of maintaining the survival of our race, so I had no choice but to take upon myself the great evils of the world!"
"Lingsha, Dan Heng, what's done is done, but the future of the Vidyadhara still lies in your hands. Now, with the situation on the Luofu Xianzhou rapidly changing, we Vidyadhara should unite as one, and not repeat the mistakes of the past Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae."
Not just Dan Heng.
Even Lingsha wore a look of sarcasm.
She coldly said, "I was skeptical about the rumors of the Luofu Vidyadhara betraying the alliance... but after hearing the Elder confess his crimes, I find it meaningless to speak of trust."
"Violating the alliance's laws will bring calamity upon the entire Vidyadhara race. Even if we regain the possibility of reproduction, what good will it do?"
Taoran seemed to have anticipated Lingsha's question long before.
He confidently replied, "On the contrary, once my actions succeed, the Alliance will regard the Chiming as saviors. Because the ultimate interests of the Alliance and the Chiming are aligned."
"The Alliance has been locked in a bloody war with the Abundance for a millennium, yet no decisive victory has been achieved. Have you ever considered why? If the Alliance were to win, it would inevitably become the next Abundance; if it were to lose, the Alliance would face extinction."
"Thus, for a long time, the Alliance has hypocritically maintained this precarious balance."
As soon as these words were spoken.
They immediately sparked heated debates among many players!
Numerous scholars had previously raised similar concerns.
Questioning the Hunt of the Xianzhou.
And now.
Taoran had essentially brought this issue to the forefront!
...
"Huh?"
"The Xianzhou was nearly destroyed because of the blessings of the Abundance, which is why it turned to the Hunt. Are you telling me that the people of Xianzhou will inevitably become the next Abundance?"
"Having seen so much of the Xianzhou storyline, I believe the generals of Xianzhou would never allow such a thing to happen."
"This Preceptor is spouting nonsense, spreading lies to deceive the masses!"
"The Abundance people will never perish as long as Yaoshi lives, otherwise they wouldn't be one of the three great calamities of the universe..."
"We've all witnessed the great war between the Xianzhou and the Abundance. There's no such thing as 'hypocritically maintaining a balance.'"
"The Alliance's purpose is to return to mortality, not to cease being human!"
"Seeing so many players defending the Xianzhou, as a Xianzhou player myself, I feel deeply honored and proud!"
"Let the great scholars argue the scriptures for me!"
...