Chapter 158: Charge

A giddy joy bubbled up in Chen’s chest, and he had to physically restrain himself from bursting into laughter right then and there.

“Chen! What are you grinning like a fool for? Get over here! Dan Heng opened the door!”

March 7th’s shout yanked him back to reality from his private ecstasy.

He looked over and saw that Dan Heng had indeed completed the final step. A path paved with fine gravel had materialized before them, leading straight toward the shimmering phantom of the Ambrosial Arbor that dominated the space’s center.

The group quickly gathered at the entrance to the newly formed walkway.

Jing Yuan stood at the very front, his gaze fixed on the stone bridge suspended in the void. The habitual, lazy smile that usually graced his features had vanished completely, replaced by a stern focus as he stared at the ethereal tree at the path’s end, which pulsed with a terrifying power.

“The Ambrosial Arbor is just ahead. Everyone, be on your guard.”

One by one, they stepped onto the path.

Perhaps due to some unique force field in the area, delicate wisps of mist drifted all around them. It flowed slowly across the unseen surface below, accumulating into soft, white carpets of cloud that rose high enough to submerge their ankles.

“Wow! These clouds! They’re so soft!” March 7th was the first to cry out, unable to resist kicking at the fluffy vapor with the toe of his boot. “It’s like cotton candy!”

Chen’s eyes darted around, and a familiar, mischievous impulse began to stir. He squatted down, making a great show of scooping up a cluster of the white clouds with his hands. He brought the puff of mist to his nose, took a theatrical, deep breath, and then adopted an expression of pure intoxication.

“Mmm—! Fresh, sweet, and infused with the essence of a thousand years of Vidyadhara spiritual power!” he declared. “March, quick, you have to try some! This…”

He leaned in conspiratorially.

“…is a great tonic. It might even enhance your beauty and make your little face even more tender!”

“Really?” March 7th eyed him with skepticism, his gaze flickering between Chen’s earnest face and the fluffy white clouds on the ground. His gluttonous nature was already beginning to waver. “Can… can you really eat this?”

“Of course! It’s a Xianzhou specialty, Vidyadhara Cloud Paste!” Chen insisted with unwavering conviction, even making a grand, inviting gesture. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

Ultimately, March 7th couldn’t resist the temptation. He squatted down as well, carefully scooping up a handful of the mist. Puffing out his cheeks just like Chen had, he took a sharp, deep breath.

“Pfft—! Cough, cough, cough!!!”

What he inhaled wasn’t some sweet, ethereal nectar, but a lungful of cold, damp water vapor. The sudden chill sent him into a violent coughing fit, his small face flushing bright red as tears sprang to his eyes.

“Chen Xing!” March 7th shot to his feet, furiously wiping the water droplets from his face. “You lied to me again! This is just water vapor!”

“Hahaha!” Chen had already ducked behind Caelus, poking his head out from behind her shoulder and laughing uncontrollably. “I said it was mist, I never said it had to be sweet! You just misunderstood! The beauty enhancement part is real, though—it’s super hydrating and moisturizing!”

“I’m going to kill you!”

March 7th flailed his arms and began to circle around Caelus, trying to get at Chen. The two of them chased each other back and forth along the path, their antics shattering the solemn, heavy atmosphere that had settled over the group.

Caelus silently stepped aside, the corner of her mouth twitching upward in a barely suppressed smile.

Ms. Welt shook her head with a helpless sigh, while Dan Heng simply pressed a hand to his forehead, a deep sigh escaping him. He had long grown numb to the uncanny ability of these two jokers to stir up a scene, no matter the gravity of the situation.

Walking at the very front of the procession, Jing Yuan acted as if he hadn’t heard the farce unfolding behind him, though the slight curve of his lips betrayed his amusement, rising just a fraction of an inch higher.

Amidst the playful chaos, the path finally reached its end.

The view suddenly opened up. They had arrived at the true center of this strange dimension, standing directly beneath the deep, phantom roots of the Ambrosial Arbor. Not far ahead of them, a massive lotus flower was in quiet, ominous bloom.

And nestled in the heart of that lotus was a cluster of emerald-green spiritual fire, constantly leaping and changing its shape. It radiated a crushing pressure, thick with the promise of destruction and ill omens.

It was none other than the Lord Ravager, Phantylia, the very same one Chen had “pew-pewed” away before.

As if sensing their arrival, the spiritual fire suddenly flared. From within the flickering, verdant flames, a voice emerged. It was impossible to distinguish as male or female, a strange fusion of the ethereal and the malicious, its tone laced with a sort of pretentious, theatrical elegance.

“Ah… you’ve finally arrived.”

“Members of the Astral Express, and… my dear benefactors?”

The word “benefactors” was articulated with exceptional clarity, each syllable dripping with deep sarcasm and seething hatred. The cluster of flames seemed to fix its non-existent gaze specifically on Chen and March 7th, who had just ceased their horseplay.

“It was you who helped me shed that imperfect, fleshy shell, allowing me to possess the newborn power of this Ambrosial Arbor in its purest form…”

Phantylia’s voice began to rise in pitch and volume, as if she were preparing to deliver a grand opening monologue befitting her station.

However, her long-winded speech had barely begun when it was unceremoniously cut short.

“Brothers! What is there to say to a terrorist who does landscaping and plays with self-combustion?!”

Chen suddenly strode forward, his voice loud and clear, instantly drowning out the carefully crafted atmosphere Phantylia had just established. He waved a hand dismissively, pointing at the spiritual fire in the center of the lotus, not a trace of fear on his face.

“See that? That green thing right there!” he shouted. “One look and you can tell it’s no good! That’s bad fire!”

“Why are we talking about codes of honor or pre-battle courtesy with a villain like this?!” He spun back around to face his somewhat dazed companions. “Let’s all jump her together!”

“No need to line up! No need for duels! If we can gang up on her, don’t fight fair! If we can sneak attack, don’t face her head-on!”

“Charge!!!”

Before his voice had even faded, Chen had already taken the lead, breaking into a full-blown sprint. Though he held no weapon, he ran with such unwavering determination and unstoppable momentum that one might think he was charging not toward a Lord Ravager, but toward the last discounted television on Black Friday.

The spiritual fire that Phantylia had condensed flickered violently.

The grand opening speech about destruction and rebirth, which she had been preparing for ages, was choked back down into the flames.

“You… how dare you…!!!”

Phantylia’s voice suddenly became sharp and piercing, filled with a mixture of unbelievable shock and incandescent fury. In all her long years, she had encountered reckless mortals, but never had she met someone so utterly devoid of martial ethics that they would start a fight before she could even finish her monologue!

Last time, at the Alchemy Commission, it was this very same boy who had inexplicably blown her avatar to smithereens with a single shot!

And now he wouldn’t even let her speak?!

Old grudges and new insults surged into her consciousness. The emerald spiritual fire erupted with a blinding light, and a terrifying pressure of pure destruction swept out in all directions like a tsunami.

“Ants! Time and time again… you spoil my mood and disrupt my ceremony!!!”

Phantylia completely broke character. Her elegant and ethereal poise could no longer be maintained.

Only pure, unadulterated rage and killing intent remained in her voice.

“Today, you shall all become sacrifices for my sundering of the Luofu!!!”

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