Chapter 163: Dian Ci: The General Won't Fall Into Demon‑Shadow After This Battle?

"Jingyuan! Jingyuan!"

The surrounding smoke was still churning, Jianmu's broken branches fell from midair, and Jingyuan, whose consciousness was gradually returning, finally saw the person before him… It was Dan Heng, who had firmly caught him as he fell.

"Well done, hunting general."

A wisp of ghostly flame floated in the air; even though its body had been completely destroyed, Huanlong's mouth remained astonishingly hard: "But what I lost was only a casually forged flesh body, and you—how much longer can you hold out?"

"The day of Xianzhou's destruction is approaching."

"Hehe…"

Supported by Dan Heng, Jingyuan barely stood up from the ground, let out a low chuckle, raised his hand to wipe the blood from his lips: "Let's go… the little pawn of destruction."

"Tell the legion: the hunting's revenge… is inevitable!"

Jingyuan extended his right hand, gave a gentle flick, sweeping the wisp of ghostly flame cleanly away. As the wind shifted, Huanlong's low chuckle gradually drifted off.

Teyvat, Liyue—

"Huh, it's finally over… right?"

Keqing, as if she had lost her support, flopped onto the stone table and let out a long sigh. Remembering the moment just now when she was caught by Huanlong, she couldn't help but exclaim: The general of this Xianzhou is far too bold!

"Using his own body as bait, just to draw Huanlong's attention… that's too risky." Although the outcome was good, Ganyu didn't fully endorse Jingyuan's daring strategy; a single slip could jeopardize the entire Luofu Xianzhou—undoubtedly a gamble of extreme risk.

"Hehe, Ganyu, Keqing, to defeat Huanlong… without risk how could you seize that sliver of chance?"

Grandma Ping folded away her once‑kind smile, and a few lines of admiration crept onto her wrinkled face: "On the contrary, General Jingyuan, as the leader of a Xianzhou, dares to risk his own life without hesitation… just that decisive resolve is truly admirable."

"If he doesn't use his body as bait, then what do you think, how should we defeat Huanlong?"

"Hmm…"

Ping's question left Ganyu and Keqing silent for a moment; they thought hard for a long while, then simply gave up, shaking their heads gently.

According to Keqing, she would probably have Dan Heng carry Jingyuan and leave at the first sign of injury, since Jianmu is in the Lin Yuan Jing and Huanlong can't take it away. Moreover, she must connect with Jianmu's Xuan Root to wield abundant power; if things got truly out of hand, swaying people from other Xianzhou would be her first choice.

Ganyu's thought… given her nature, she would likely be placed by Jingyuan at the entrance of Lin Yuan Jing to assist Fu Xuan, meaning she'd never even get a chance to confront Huanlong.

"Seeing Jingyuan looking as if he might collapse, San Yue Qi worried: 'General, are you… okay?'"

Jingyuan shook his head: "... I can still hold on."

He turned his head toward Dan Heng, forced a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, and said weakly: "Seems our past tacit understanding hasn't vanished yet…"

"Huanlong is truly a terrifying foe," Jingyuan said, still trembling: "If she hadn't tried to inject the destructive power into my body, turning me into a void pawn, the outcome might still have been uncertain."

"Thanks to Dan Heng's perfectly timed shot, which severely wounded Huanlong that was tightly linked to me, and also severed her connection with Jianmu."

"I see!" Xiao San Yue clutched her chest, still worried: "When I saw Dan Heng thrust his gun at you, it scared me half to death…"

"Is that thing… dead?" Xing asked.

Jingyuan sighed: "Unfortunately, the Destruction's envoy doesn't get destroyed easily, but…"

"Huanlong won't be able to cause trouble again for a short time, and there's no need to worry about her meddling with Jianmu again. However, sealing the Star Core will still take some time," Walter volunteered, picking up Jingyuan's words.

"Leave these matters… to Fu Qing to worry about; I just feel… a bit drowsy…"

As he spoke, Jingyuan finally could no longer support his body, his vision went black and he collapsed to the ground. Moments later, Xing and San Yue summoned Fu Xuan and the Yun Cavalry, and everyone boarded the Xing Cha to fly toward Chang Le Tian.

Jingyuan, after this battle… won't become a demon‑shadow body? Dian Ci, chewing popcorn, suddenly said.

Beside him, Pawa, who had been hyped up by Jingyuan and Huanlong's great battle, suddenly turned pale.

"Dian Ci, how could you say such sinister, twisted words? It must be because you've spent too much time with Maqima and got infected!"

"No way. Miss Maqima is clearly adorable," Dian Ci grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it into his mouth. "Older Xianzhou folk easily become demon‑shadow, right? Have you forgotten Jing Liu?"

Jing Liu also fell into demon‑shadow after a great battle, and finally fought his disciple Jingyuan, though he wasn't slain by a single strike from the Divine Lord.

Popcorn crumbs flew with Dian Ci's words: "If it were Jingyuan, he'd probably fall straight into demon‑shadow, then cause chaos on the Xianzhou. Even though the general just defeated Huanlong and saved the Xianzhou, Yan Qing still had to tearfully slay his master. How's that, makes sense, right?"

"…"

Pawa stared blankly at Dian Ci for three seconds.

Then let out a sharp, explosive screech.

She vaulted onto Dian Ci, clamped his neck tightly and shook him furiously: "You're a hell demon, aren't you! Dian Ci! You trash don't deserve to eat popcorn! Spit it out for me—aaahhh!"

Jingyuan was sent back to Shen Ce Fu, where Bai Lu personally examined him and concluded that, while his life was not in danger, he needs some quiet convalescence before fully recovering.

Until then, everyone in the train crew may stay on the Xianzhou to rest and have fun; any expenses will be covered by Shen Ce Fu.

"Yay!" San Yue Qi jumped up happily; she had long wanted everyone to stroll around the Xianzhou together, but had never had the time before.

However, San Yue and Xing's excitement didn't last long; just as they stepped out of Shen Ce Fu's main gate, they received a message from the Di Heng Si.

The sender was Da Hao, the steward officer of Di Heng Si.

The reason was simple: before the Xianzhou incident, Tai Bu and the general suspected that someone had smuggled a dangerous item onto Luofu. Their two departments investigated but found no suspect, so they turned to Xing and the others for help.

If convenient, Da Hao suggested Xing bring several companions over to help identify it together. Of course, post‑mission compensation would naturally be included.

Xing asked Walter for his thoughts; he said he could go together, but Dan Heng had just been heavily exhausted in the battle and needed a few days to recover, so this trip would be just the three of them.