Beneath the Seal in the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Phantylia, still incubating her physical form, was no longer as confident as before.
Her connection to the Ambrosial Arbor remained, yet because the Arbor had been broken, the power continuously flowing into her body had weakened yet again.
Phantylia was now both alarmed and furious.
That woman's strength had put her on guard, but what truly ignited her greed was Sylvia's method of simply taking the Ambrosial Arbor away.
If I could seize that Ambrosial Arbor from Sylvia...
Even obtain that method of claiming the Arbor for myself...
Then wouldn't I...?!
Phantylia's eyes were filled with avarice.
Steal it!
Find a chance to ambush Sylvia!
--+--
Meanwhile, as Sylvia was collecting the Arbor,
Acheron remained vigilant, monitoring both the spread of the Nihility and whether Phantylia might attempt to flee.
If she didn't run, Acheron wouldn't act, leaving her for Sylvia to handle, but if she tried to escape, Acheron would draw her blade without a second thought and keep her here for good.
After all, third time's the charm.
Acheron would not allow a scheming enemy to come knocking again and again.
Furthermore, the act of taking the Ambrosial Arbor was far too significant.
Even Emanators wouldn't be immune to its allure.
The fact of the Arbor's disappearance couldn't be hidden, but the truth that Sylvia was the one who took it? Acheron could never allow that to get out.
The Xianzhou, as followers of the Hunt, would not be ungrateful.
As long as Jing Yuan handled it properly, it should be fine.
But a creature like Phantylia? Acheron couldn't trust her in the slightest.
Yet even amidst her vigilance, Acheron couldn't help but marvel at Sylvia's peculiar nature.
Not to mention how she'd casually collected the Stellaron before, now she'd gone and taken the Ambrosial Arbor just as easily.
In Acheron's eyes, Sylvia's sheer audacity probably rivalled, if not surpassed, Phantylia's.
The only difference was that Sylvia was generally more reasonable.
Above the Lunarescent Depths—
Jing Yuan closed his eyes, carefully sensing the air of the Xianzhou.
The Abundance energy from the Arbor's revival, that seductive pull toward Mara, was receding like the tide.
The Arbor crisis had been resolved in a manner completely beyond Jing Yuan's understanding.
Of course, the threat from the Antimatter Legion remained, and Phantylia was still beneath the seal.
"General... do you know something about the Arbor's disappearance?"
Dan Heng, now bearing the dragon visage, had recalled much of Imbibitor Lunae's past.
He also understood the Arbor's significance to the Xianzhou.
It was a calamity, yet their fates were inextricably linked.
But the Arbor had vanished, and Jing Yuan's expression wasn't one of shock. It seemed more like weary resignation to some absurd turn of events.
Jing Yuan sighed with a faint smile.
He glanced at his nearly shattered Jade Abacus and decided to ignore the messages for now.
A headache was already forming over how to write the report.
The Arbor's revival, an Emanator of Destruction's attack, and then the Arbor's disappearance...
Any one of these was a major incident. Now all three had happened at once.
If he submitted a report like this, wouldn't everyone think he'd succumbed to Mara-struck delirium?
Would this even draw the attention of the Marshal?
Jing Yuan wasn't so sure himself.
He was no longer worried about Phantylia.
The fact that the Arbor could vanish according to Sylvia's will spoke volumes.
With Sylvia here, himself, Dan Heng, and that Acheron...
The best outcome for Phantylia would be escaping the Luofu with her life.
The worst would be dying right here.
"It's not the time to explain in detail. Once you undo this seal and go down, you'll understand."
Dan Heng nodded, his face cool.
Internally, he pondered just what kind of masterstroke Jing Yuan had pulled.
Dan Heng stepped onto the ruined plaza. The massive seal beneath his feet materialized clearly in his mind.
He also sensed that someone had already half-opened the seal from its very center.
This was serious.
This wasn't about exploiting loopholes, as Jing Yuan had said. It was a blatant method of unsealing.
So Dan Heng frowned slightly and spoke:
"General Jing Yuan, someone has already unlocked a small portion of the seal before us. Is this related to the Arbor's disappearance?"
"...As expected, as expected. You truly never fail to surprise me."
Jing Yuan chuckled ruefully, then nodded to Dan Heng.
"Yes. Let this stay between you and me. I hope you can keep it a secret, not letting a third person know."
The fact that Sylvia had obtained the Cloudhymn arts...
Could not be let known by the Vidyadhara.
At the very least, not by the Vidyadhara as they are now.
Dan Heng nodded. He could read between Jing Yuan's lines.
This matter simply wasn't suited for open discussion, so he nodded in silent understanding and said no more.
"Dan... Heng. Let us rest here for a moment. Once your companions arrive, we'll go down together."
Jing Yuan remained the picture of calm. Now that Dan Heng realized someone had already reached the area beneath the seal, he was no longer as anxious as before.
Since Jing Yuan was willing to let the Astral Express crew get involved, Dan Heng naturally had no objections.
--+--
As for Sylvia at this moment, she looked down at the card in her hand.
A miniature Ambrosial Arbor had appeared on its surface.
Its immense power had even caused golden patterns, similar to the Arbor's, to emerge on the card itself.
The resplendent golden Arbor swayed gently within the card.
It looked like some exquisitely crafted souvenir.
Sylvia wasn't in a hurry to test the Arbor's power. Instead, she looked down at that flower bud.
"Phantylia, not coming out? If you keep stalling, Jing Yuan will be here."
"Heh~ A crude provocation."
Phantylia sneered, continuing to draw power from the Arbor's root system.
The roots still existed, retaining their ability to absorb energy.
If empowered by other divine forces in the future, these roots might sprout anew.
Of course, that was a concern for another day.
For now, at least, the threat posed by these roots had been minimized.
Both their power absorption and output were greatly diminished.
Having witnessed Acheron's blade, Phantylia, though her body was now fully formed, had no intention of emerging immediately.
She needed to absorb more power first.
Seeing this, Sylvia scoffed and ignored her.
Fine, wait for Jing Yuan to come down.
Returning to Acheron's side, Sylvia held her greatsword in one hand and pinched the card with the other.
Click—
Following Sylvia's will, a new card slot appeared on the greatsword without any Fullbottles being inserted.
I wonder if I can handle this...
Sylvia rubbed the card against her smooth chin, feeling conflicted.
Whether it was the Fullbottles or this broken Ambrosial Arbor, the power contained within was still overwhelming for her current state.
Using both forces simultaneously...
Whether it could achieve that 'cycle of Destruction and Rebirth' like Phantylia had in the game was still uncertain.
After all, what Sylvia understood best was Permanence.
But then...
Sylvia glanced at Acheron beside her.
I have Acheron with me now.
Maybe I don't need to worry so much.
No matter what happened, having Acheron nearby filled Sylvia with a profound sense of security.
It was just a little risk.
No big deal.
Thinking this, Sylvia inserted the card containing the Ambrosial Arbor into the greatsword's slot.
Instantly, a violent surge of life force erupted from the Herrscher Core!
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.