Chapter 150: Ms. Welt is Mighty

At that same moment, the phantom moonlight dissipated, and the formidable enemy retreated for the time being.

Jing Yuan did not leave immediately. Her petite figure stood upon the slightly damp stone platform, her long white hair fluttering gently in the salty sea breeze. Those golden eyes, now clear and piercing, held none of their usual languid laziness. They rested quietly on Dan Heng, who stood not far away.

“Dan Feng…” Jing Yuan spoke, her voice a soft murmur carrying the faint echo of a distant sigh. “No, I suppose I should call you Ms. Dan Heng now.”

Hearing this, Dan Heng met Jing Yuan’s gaze. She remained silent for a long moment before her voice, cool and steady, finally answered.

“General, Dan Feng is but a ghost of the past. I am simply Dan Heng, a Trailblazer of the Astral Express.”

“A ghost of the past…” Jing Yuan repeated the words, her lips curling into a faint, enigmatic smile. “But the past never truly leaves, does it? Just like the waters of the Scalegorge Waterscape—the tides rise and fall, but they cannot wash away the deep-seated roots.”

Her words were layered with meaning as her gaze swept over the nascent dragon horns on Dan Heng’s forehead. Then, as if by accident, her eyes flickered toward the direction where Jingliu had just vanished into the shadows.

Dan Heng understood the implication perfectly. She pursed her lips, refusing to take the bait and be drawn into a debate about her past. Instead, she changed the subject directly.

“General, what are your thoughts on that person… the one who was just here?”

“My thoughts?” Jing Yuan chuckled softly. She reached out a hand, catching a tiny ice crystal that drifted down from the air, and watched it melt into a glistening droplet in her palm. “Someone who should not have appeared here suddenly decided to pop out in such a… vivid and unexpected fashion. And she even managed to save my troublesome little lieutenant in the process. It was quite the surprise, I must admit.”

Seeing that Dan Heng still wore an expression of guarded resistance toward the name ‘Dan Feng,’ Jing Yuan could only offer an understanding smile. She concealed the depth in her eyes and returned to her usual composed demeanor.

“In that case, Ms. Dan Heng, would you care to accompany this General for a while? The final stretch to the Scalegorge Waterscape likely has some minor troubles that need clearing out. Besides, your companions are probably up ahead.”

Dan Heng pondered for a moment and gave a slight nod, not refusing the offer.

She and Jing Yuan set off together, bringing along Yanqing, who was still a bit dazed. The young lieutenant was trying his best to process the dizzying chain of logic that had just been dropped on him.

‘So… Jingliu is the Sword Champion… who is also the lady who saved me… but she’s also the General’s old friend… and a major criminal…?’ The complicated equation spun endlessly in his head as they walked deeper into the cavern.

As she turned to follow, however, Dan Heng had already made up her mind. She had to find that fellow Chen as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, on another path.

“Xiiiiiing—!”

March 7th’s voice echoed, long and drawn out. His pink head swiveled left and right, scanning the area.

“Did you fall into a hole? Or were you swallowed by some trap Phantylia left behind? Why did it take you so long just to check on a weapon? Master Fu Xuan has already run on ahead!”

Ms. Welt walked at the front of the group, holding her cane. Her expression was steady, but her pace was measured, clearly keeping an eye on those trailing behind. Caelus followed quietly beside March 7th, though his gaze frequently darted back the way they had come.

“Coming, coming! What’s the rush!”

Chen’s voice finally drifted out from behind a cluster of broken stone pillars. He emerged, brushing non-existent dust from his clothes as he jogged to catch up, his face fixed in its usual easygoing smile.

“I was just striving for perfection! That precious gun of mine performed a great service, so shouldn’t it be properly maintained? What if it jams during the boss fight later?”

“Give me a break!” March 7th planted his hands on his hips, looking Chen up and down with suspicion. “I think you were just being lazy and hiding away for some peace and quiet! It was so noisy here just now—blades clanging, the air turning cold, the moon appearing in broad daylight. And you, you missed everything!”

“Who says I missed everything?” Chen puffed out his chest, an expression on his face that screamed, ‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe.’ “I was… scouting the enemy’s situation from the flank! You guys take the main road to attract their attention, and I take the side paths to investigate hidden threats. It’s called a tactical division of labor! Understand?”

“And what, pray tell, did you scout?” March 7th clearly wasn’t buying a word of it.

“I scouted…” Chen’s eyes darted around, searching for an out. “I scouted that there might be an Antimatter Legion ambush on this road! Yes, I sensed the energy fluctuations of Voidrangers—a presence so familiar it’s nauseating!”

Before his voice could fade, the space at the corner of the path ahead twisted and warped. Several Voidrangers materialized from the distortion, blocking the way as their hideous maws split open in hoarse, guttural roars.

“See! What did I tell you!” Chen immediately pointed at the monstrous squad, looking as smug as if he had orchestrated the whole thing.

March 7th grumbled under his breath, but his movements were anything but slow. He instantly drew his bow, nocking an arrow with practiced ease. “Prepare for battle!”

Caelus had already gripped his bat, stepping forward in silence.

However, before any of them could act, Ms. Welt Yang, who was walking at the very front, didn’t even bother to turn her head fully. She merely glanced out of the corner of her eye at the Voidrangers lunging toward them, all bared fangs and sharp claws. Her expression was as placid as if she were looking at a few troublesome stones by the roadside.

She didn’t even stop walking. She simply raised the cane in her hand.

As if casually drawing back a curtain, she gave a light tap forward.

An invisible, intangible field of gravity—one so vast and majestic it was heart-stopping—instantly expanded from the tip of her cane, precisely enveloping the entire squad of Voidrangers.

The next second.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

A series of wet, bursting sounds followed, like water-filled balloons being crushed under immense weight. Those ferocious Voidrangers couldn’t even let out a proper scream before they were caught in that terrifying gravitational pressure. Like insects flattened by an invisible giant’s palm, they instantly collapsed, twisted, and shattered.

They were reduced to the most primitive dark purple energy fragments and metallic debris, which rustled as they rained down onto the ground.

The entire process was silent and swift.

Ms. Welt retracted her cane as if nothing had happened and calmly adjusted her glasses, as though she had merely brushed a speck of dust from her cuff.

She continued walking forward, her serene voice drifting back to them.

“Cleanup complete. Let’s continue.”

Chen: “…”

March 7th: “Whoa…”

Caelus silently put away his bat.

Chen stared at the puddle of rapidly dissipating Legion-paste on the ground. Then he looked at Ms. Welt’s elegant and composed back, silently withdrawing the hand that had been about to draw his own gun. He gave a dry cough.

“…Ms. Welt is mighty.”

[Elysian’s Note: Having a good time with the story? Every single bit helps immensely: