Chapter 119

When Star was awestruck by the grandeur of the Jianmu, the shackles on Kafka's hand suddenly snapped open with a "pa" sound.

"Eh?" Star, having come to her senses, saw Kafka trying to flee and hurriedly prepared to give chase.

But after just a few steps, Ren descended from the sky wielding the Blade of Severance, blocking Star's path.

"Let's go, Ah Ren. There are still two places we need to visit."

Kafka had her hands behind her back as she walked to the edge of the Qiong Guan Formation; her gaze drifted downward, as if a curious girl examining something. She opened her arms and leaned back gracefully, as if there were not an abyss beneath her but a soft mattress.

In contrast, Ren beside her was like a deep-sea torpedo, plunging straight downward.

Demon Slayer world.

"How can you just let them go?" Sanemi Shinazugawa exclaimed in dissatisfaction. "At least exchange a couple of moves with that guy named Ren."

That Ren looks absurdly strong……and it's rare to find a swordsman of his caliber. Since the last time we spectated Jing Liu, several of the Demon Slayer Corps haven't seen Luofu's swordsmanship in ages.

"Ren's attire also marks him as a Xianzhou person; he probably has a Mara physique too? He feels like the same type as Jing Liu—if they really fought, Star might not be his match."

Everyone present has witnessed Star's strength; although Star wielding a baseball bat is indeed strong……she lacks the killing intent to put others to death, and in combat she tends to leave a chance for survival.

……Subdue, but not kill.

Even against Kokolia, she merely forces her to cancel her transformation.

But Ren is different; just looking at his eyes, everyone can tell that once he acts, he will truly go for the kill—it's not as simple as pulling his punches.

"On this Xianzhou, besides the General, only Jing Liu could likely cross blades with Ren. Now that Jing Liu is dead and the General isn't intervening, we may never get to see Xianzhou swordsmanship." Said the Snake Hashira, Iguro Obanai, with a sigh.

"How could that be? Have you forgotten the youth named Yan Qing?" The Insect Hashira suddenly said. "Though young, he is already the General's personal guard; in swordsmanship, perhaps only General Jing Yuan could defeat him? Moreover, his age is about the same as Wu Yilang's."

That last remark greatly shook the atmosphere in the room.

The gazes of several Hashira toward the Flame Hashira instantly changed—from initially observing and learning to now wearing a look of watching the spectacle.

These guys……

Shitou Wu Yilang let out a long sigh, slightly raising his head; his mint-colored eyes were half-hidden in the shadow cast by his eyelashes.

"I wonder whose swordsmanship would come out on top between us."

——

Star hurried to the edge of the hub to check, but it was already too late……there was no sign of Kafka or Ren below.

"Kafka ran away? Damn, how are we going to explain this to the Divination Commissioner?" March 7 said with a vexed expression.

Recalling what she had just said, Star hesitated: "If she didn't deceive us, then we shouldn't have to report anything……"

"... Hey, you haven't been brainwashed by her, have you?!" March 7 exclaimed, covering her mouth.

Star briefly relayed Kafka's words to March 7 and Walter, proving she hadn't been fooled by the mature older sister.

They planned to first find Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan to discuss next steps, but on the way they discovered Tingyun standing on a nearby corridor, gazing dreamily at the distant Jianmu that kept growing wildly.

March 7 puzzled: "Isn't this the half-dead log that Qingque showed us? How did it suddenly start growing?"

Tingyun ignored them, simply sighing to herself: "Magnificent, utterly magnificent! I'm so lucky—few of the long-lived species ever get to witness such a marvel in a lifetime!"

Teyvat continent, Fontaine.

"Eh? Is this the mindset of Xianzhou people who see the revived Jianmu?"

Furina regarded Tingyun with a strange expression, wondering, "So this fox-person lady enjoys watching the commotion, no matter how big the affair?"

Navia, who had been silently sipping her tea, suddenly praised: "The Jianmu has revived, and the Divination Commissioner's personnel have all vanished, yet Miss Tingyun isn't thinking about fleeing disaster—she's first and foremost wanting to admire the Jianmu's scenery……that's even bolder than how our Rose Corps operates."

Clorinde, however, frowned slightly: "But when we first captured Kafka together with Star and the others, Miss Tingyun didn't seem like this; I recall……she was rather afraid of death, wasn't she saying she still wanted to enjoy another hundred or so years of peaceful life?"

Navia lowered her head in thought: "Indeed, Miss Tingyun does seem a bit odd, but I can't put my finger on exactly what's strange about her."

"Perhaps she was given a powerful fertilizer?" Star stroked her chin, suddenly recalling an advertisement for fertilizer that claimed "one bag covers two bags' worth."

March 7 gave her a speechless look.

"That abnormal energy… is a star core." Walter analyzed: "The star core that the Xianzhou Cloud Knights have been searching for is likely eighty percent the culprit behind this anomaly."

Meanwhile, Fu Xuan had already, via communication projection, conveyed all the information she obtained from the Qiong Guan Formation to Jing Yuan.

Even now, she still wears an expression of shock mixed with doubt.

"Don't panic, Fu Xuan; trust that the Qiong Guan Formation does not lie."

With great peril approaching, Jing Yuan's tone remained as calm as ever—not the slightest hint of panic, and he was even comforting Fu Xuan: 'Your logic regarding Kafka is highly reliable; it's adding a piece to my puzzle.'

I know Luofu must have external enemies, for a star core cannot appear out of thin air; someone must have smuggled it into the Xianzhou by some means; Luofu's internal troubles must therefore be a hidden evil organization that calls itself the Abundance's folk—the Medicine King's Secret Tradition.

When the star core first reared its head, the Xianzhou had the Divine Archer Sovereign protecting it; if not for the envoy of another Star God intervening, how could it have infiltrated Luofu without my knowledge? Hence there must be an external enemy.

The star core corrodes everywhere yet bypasses the Divine Strategy Manor and the Hidden Prison—clearly there's another aim. The enemy's scheming surely means they have mastered Luofu's internal intelligence, so internal trouble will arise. Figuring out these two points isn't that hard……

Another Star God's envoy……so, does the Medicine King's Secret Tradition have an Abundance envoy stationed there?" Rastarkh wondered.

That seems unlikely? The Medicine King's Secret Tradition dares to recruit people on the streets of Changle Heaven; even without an envoy they're already arrogant—if they truly had an envoy pulling the strings, I can't imagine how overbearing they'd be.

Perhaps this is what they call "fox borrowing the tiger's might"?

Nowadays the Xianzhou is a crossroads of three Star God forces; excluding the Abundance envoy, only Destruction remains.

Nabuk's envoy? But don't they just destroy wherever they go?" Filien recalled that back in Belobog, the Founder didn't hesitate to summon a cold current to wipe out the Destruction forces—those were merely ordinary antimatter legions……yet when the Xianzhou deployed an envoy, the outcome was so low-key.