Within the Shackling Prison, defenses were tight, and traps lay everywhere.
However, for Phantylia—for a Lord Ravager, an Emanator of Destruction—it was an unobstructed path.
Although automaton soldiers and prison guards attempted to halt her advance along the way, their efforts were clearly futile.
Even limited by this fabricated, weak body, unable to fully unleash the complete power of an Emanator of Destruction, dealing with these small fries was effortless.
"Hehe, the famously heavily guarded Shackling Prison is nothing special after all."
"Before the mighty power bestowed by Lord Nanook, there is only destruction."
Chuckling, filled with disdain and contempt, 'Tingyun'—Phantylia—covered her face with her fan, glancing at the brown-haired, short-statured automaton girl—the self-proclaimed 'judge' roadblocker—who lay slumped against the wall, her mechanical parts exposed. Then, smiling radiantly, she descended the steps with leisurely confidence.
Unaware of the Shackling Prison's staffing, she obviously didn't notice why it was filled entirely with mechanical puppets, lacking any flesh-and-blood beings—an environment undoubtedly disadvantageous for a Heliobus. But evidently, even if she had known, Phantylia likely wouldn't have cared.
Having allowed her entry into this place, with the prison's feeble defenses, what use were any further precautions?
Gazing ahead at the Domain Gate, emanating a chilling aura and echoing with countless wails, Phantylia already knew—thanks to the Vidyadhara—that beyond this gate lay the confinement and execution site of Hoolay: the Punishment of the Uninterrupted Sword Tree Formation, a barrier specially crafted for him by the Alliance.
Within it, one endured the pain of ten thousand arrows piercing the heart daily.
Those shrill wails, the sound of a wolf's cry, were undoubtedly proof of Hoolay's suffering.
As an Emanator of Destruction who delighted in the suffering of others, Phantylia quite enjoyed listening to those wails before chuckling softly.
"Hoolay, oh Hoolay~ Let this humble one test just how different your tempered body, imbued with the miracles of Abundance, truly is~"
"Rest assured, this humble one will certainly make good use of your undying body, avenging the hatred you've endured under the Punishment of the Uninterrupted Sword Tree, unifying the Borisin, and utterly destroying this Xianzhou Luofu."
As she spoke, she eagerly shed the frail, fabricated body used for infiltrating the Xianzhou.
A massive, condensed, bizarre, and ominous 'fireball' floated in the air.
Phantylia was a Heliobus. A Heliobus's size is proportional to its strength. It is said that the Heliobus [Flint Emperor], imprisoned on the Xianzhou Zhuming, possessed a volume comparable to a star.
And the great Heliobus Ignamar, once imprisoned on the Xianzhou Luofu, was also incredibly powerful; even the former Luofu General Teng xiao had to rely on the power bestowed by the Reignbow Arbiter (Lan) to defeat it (using Lightning-Lord).
However, although Heliobus were powerful, bizarre, undying, and indestructible, they ultimately possessed a fatal flaw—without a physical body, it was difficult for them to exert their full strength.
Therefore, a powerful body was coveted by nearly every strong Heliobus.
Phantylia was naturally no exception.
In fact, because she was a Lord Ravager under Nanook, closer to the Aeon of Destruction, she yearned even more intensely for a powerful, immortal body.
And the Borisin Warleader, Hoolay, clearly met this requirement.
An undying body blessed by Abundance, combined with the destructive power of an Emanator of Destruction... One must remember that even Shuhu, who caused the Shuhu Rebellion (Shuhu Upheaval) back then, inflicted heavy casualties on the Alliance merely by relying on the undying vitality of Abundance.
It took a certain starskiff-killing assassin sacrificing their life (Baiheng), relying on the power of the Black Sun, to finally defeat it.
If an Emanator of Destruction obtained... undying vitality combined with ultimate destruction...
That would be enough to become the Alliance's nightmare.
At that point, even with two Xianzhou Generals present on this ship, what could they do to her?
Imagining the scene of herself rampaging, tormenting the Xianzhou, Phantylia eagerly rushed into the formation, wanting to sample her new body.
However...
...There's nothing here?!
Charging through the gate, intending to seize Hoolay's body immediately, Phantylia stared blankly at the desolate scene before her, utterly bewildered.
Where's my Hoolay? Where did my massive Hoolay go?
"Phantylia, this old man has been waiting for you for a long time."
An old, stern voice echoed in the air. Looking towards the source of the sound, she saw a weathered old man wearing a conical hat, waiting calmly with his hands behind his back.
The moment she saw him, Phantylia's pupils constricted slightly, and her Heliobus form fluctuated.
"The Xianzhou General of the Zhuming?!"
Since she dared to plot against the Xianzhou, she was naturally familiar with its personnel—or at least, familiar enough with the Generals to recognize him instantly.
"Hehe, this is truly rare. The General of the Zhuming isn't staying on the Zhuming, but actually appearing on the Xianzhou Luofu..."
"A miscalculation..."
"However, since you're appearing here, that means... you discovered my presence long ago, so... you specifically set up this trap, didn't you?"
Gazing at the utterly empty surroundings and the vanished Hoolay, no matter how slow Phantylia might be, she had figured it out.
"Haha... Not entirely. We owe thanks to a certain young child's reminder."
"If not for that, you might have truly slipped through the cracks."
"...It was that little brat named Qingque?!"
Having roughly pieced things together, Phantylia instantly reached a conclusion. Huaiyan didn't speak, but she was already certain, grinding her teeth slightly, filled with fury: "...Hmph, to have my plans ruined by a little brat...!"
For Phantylia, being outwitted by a child was undoubtedly a considerable humiliation.
After all, she was the Lord Ravager skilled at manipulating hearts.
In other words, she was the one best at scheming against others.
The result... the hunter became the hunted, blinded by the very prey she stalked. To be outplayed by a mere slip of a girl!
Humiliation... A great humiliation!
"This time, consider it your win. But so what if you moved Hoolay beforehand? Do you think you can actually do anything to me?!"
Furious, yet looking at Huaiyan, Phantylia wasn't flustered at all. Instead, she felt completely confident of victory, laughing repeatedly.
She was a Heliobus!
Formless and intangible, as long as she didn't want to be caught, not even an Emanator could capture her!
Although the Xianzhou's domain technology was indeed advanced, it couldn't block her path.
This scheme would yield no results, only put her on guard, leading to a more prepared comeback!
"I'll remember this. Old General, we have plenty of time."
Having been tricked, the extremely annoyed Phantylia didn't want to linger here. She immediately threw down a threat and prepared to flee.
However...
"I'm afraid you won't be leaving, Phantylia."
"That's not for you to decide... !?"
Phantylia smiled, intending to break through this space, but the next moment, she froze.
The impenetrable barrier felt like an iron wall, completely cutting off her Heliobus senses from the outside world.
There's something wrong... with this place!
"Hehe, although time was short, and the materials here on the Luofu were a bit lacking, fortunately, the Ten-Lords Commission already handles this sort of business. Combined with the power granted to this old man by the Reignbow Arbiter, rushing things along, we managed to finish just in time."
"How does it feel, Phantylia? This cage domain, specially designed for Heliobus."
Huaiyan stroked his beard, laughing heartily.
The next moment, faint crimson fiery patterns emerged on the desolate space around them, covered in unknown, profoundly complex Xianzhou glyphs.
"Once entered, even a Heliobus shouldn't think of escaping easily!"
"Speaking of which, I should thank you for your impatience. If you still had a physical body right now, this hastily constructed barrier might not have been quite so effective."
"If that were the case, this old man would have had to put in quite a bit more effort."
Phantylia's expression instantly turned exceptionally ugly.
For a Heliobus, the time outside a body is often when they are weakest.
Therefore, most Heliobus immediately seek a host, rarely wandering outside.
But perhaps because being an Emanator of Destruction had made her accustomed to arrogance, her vigilance in this regard had become considerably weak.
The result... she walked right into this old scoundrel's trap.
The surging flames reflected Phantylia's current mood—extremely foul, utterly enraged.
"The Old General's methods are truly comprehensive, but I fear your life won't last much longer!"
Facing the well-prepared Huaiyan, she could only utter such a weak taunt.
"Hehe, General Huaiyan still has many years left. But the same might not be true for you."
"The Sky-Faring General of the Yaoqing?!"
"Alright, General Huaiyan, leave this one to me now. Perfect timing... I was planning to warm up anyway!"
The image within the Shackling Prison extinguished at this point.
"Well? Do you wish to continue?"
Resting her cheek on her hand, [Qingque] watched with a grin as Preceptor Taoran, usually so imposing, turned deathly pale.
The Borisin, the Emissary of the Master of Immortality... how did she turn into a Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion?
But no matter how many questions, how much confusion and unwillingness filled his heart, he couldn't voice them anymore.
Caelorum Venti stated simply: "Take him away."
Like a dead dog, Preceptor Taoran was dragged away by the guards, trembling.
"What will happen to that bad guy?"
A tender, curious voice sounded nearby. It was Bailu, clearly concerned about Preceptor Taoran's fate.
"Colluding with the Antimatter Legion to bring chaos to the Xianzhou, assisting in the rescue of the Borisin Warleader, betraying the Alliance pact, pursuing the calamities of Abundance... He's committed practically all Ten Unpardonable Evils. He can only receive the death penalty of [Extinction], just like that Imbibitor Lunae..."
"It's that serious..."
Bailu was startled, feeling a bit sympathetic. "Although that guy is annoying, this seems a bit too harsh."
"If you could persuade our Lady Caelorum Venti here to plead for leniency and protect him, it might not be impossible to sentence him to the [hatching rebirth] punishment, like the Imbibitor Lunae back then." (TL/N: Don't ask me)
"Miss Qingque is joking."
Caelorum Venti looked resigned.
She had been able to protect the Imbibitor Lunae back then partly due to her own prestige, but mostly because Dan Feng was irreplaceable—the Vidyadhara's 'one dragon passes through three generations' wasn't just talk.
From the first High Elder Yubie to the previous generation's Dan Feng, they were actually reincarnations of the same person. A truly hereditary High Elder.
Furthermore, Dan Feng's actions during the Imbibitor Lunae Rebellion weren't entirely disastrous, and there was internal controversy among the Vidyadhara, which allowed her to protect him.
As for Taoran, putting aside the fact that she wouldn't protect such scum, even if she wanted to, there was no way.
Colluding with the Antimatter Legion, overthrowing the Xianzhou... Forget protecting him, if she even got slightly involved, she'd have to shed her own life immediately to atone.
In this situation, just Taoran dying would be a dream. Likely more than half of the Preceptors here on the Luofu would end up joining Taoran. The conservatives, those who passively allowed the Preceptors to act recklessly, seemingly innocent, would also have to face shedding their scales... For this, they'd probably need to transfer new Preceptors over from the Fanghu.
Otherwise, forget the Alliance, they wouldn't even pass muster with the Foxians.
Thinking this, Caelorum Venti felt full of resentment. She had been doing fine on the Yaoqing, only to be called over to watch such a drama... The Vidyadhara had lost all face.
But it couldn't be helped. The High Elder here on the Luofu was still a child; she had to act on her behalf.
"Haha, Caelorum Venti seems to be getting along well with the little one."
An aged voice sounded from the side. It was General Huaiyan, emerging from the Shackling Prison's domain exit with his hands behind his back.
"Elder Huaiyan, have matters on your end been handled?"
The girl [Qingque] asked with a light smile.
"Mm, mostly."
"Phantylia voluntarily separating from her body provided considerable convenience... But the Luofu ultimately isn't the Zhuming, and Phantylia's power is comparable to Flint Emperor's. Even with the blessing of the Reignbow Arbiter's power, suppressing her took quite some effort."
"No matter. While Elder Huaiyan fought bravely, I have already asked Helm Master Yukong to relay a message to the Zhuming, requesting a batch of materials be sent over. I'm afraid we'll need to trouble Elder Huaiyan further afterwards."
"You little rascal... If Jing Yuan hadn't already claimed you, I would definitely petition the Alliance to transfer you to our Zhuming..."
Huaiyan laughed heartily, yet sounded full of regret.
"Elder Huaiyan is joking. Whether on the Zhuming or the Luofu, it's all in service to the Alliance. Of course, while going to the Zhuming would be nice, working at the Seat of the Divine Foresight on the Luofu offers me much more freedom."
"So mature at such a young age... Sigh, you child, you need more youthful spirit."
"Elder Huaiyan's words strike deep!"