Damn Preceptors! Although I knew this bunch of waste wouldn't be useful, I didn't expect they couldn't even stall for a little while...
Looking at the Cloud Knights arrayed before him and Jing Yuan, Dan Heng knew those Preceptors had messed up the delaying task, just as unreliable as ever.
His infiltration to revive Twilight had gone smoothly from start to finish, without any significant delays. According to the plan, Jing Yuan should still be distracted by the Preceptors on the other side, unable to rush back. They should have had ample time to board the Express and leave the Xianzhou leisurely.
But plans never keep up with reality. Now, they had to face this sudden situation.
"General, the Express only sought to revive a companion. Now that our wish is fulfilled, and we haven't caused damage to the Xianzhou... We just wish to leave the Luofu."
Hearing Dan Heng's words, Jing Yuan silently looked up at the sky. After calming himself, he finally spoke.
"The Xianzhou also deeply regrets Miss Twilight's passing. The Express crew previously used the Ambrosial Arbor without authorization; the Luofu, understanding your feelings, already showed leniency beyond the law... But one matter is separate from another. Trespassing into the Shackling Prison is a grave crime on the Luofu, compounded by using the Transmutation Arcanum to disturb the deceased. With such accumulated serious crimes, the Xianzhou truly cannot stand idly by."
"Everyone, cease your actions... This place is surrounded by the Cloud Knight army, and the Astral Express has also been sealed off. Surrender now, and I can consider it turning yourselves in, pleading for leniency for you before the Marshal—"
Jing Yuan's voice faltered here, and he awkwardly scratched his face.
Come to think of it, he probably wasn't qualified to say that... Forget pleading for the Express crew; he'd likely end up squatting in prison alongside them. If the Marshal came, the first person arrested probably wouldn't be the Astral Express members, but him, this ridiculously derelict General whose incompetence was enough to be etched into textbooks...
Although Jing Yuan had offered the greatest sincerity within his power, the Express crew clearly couldn't accept these terms.
Free Trailblazing might permit squatting in some planet's jail for ten days to half a month due to breaking laws, but they would never agree to the entire crew serving time like prisoners on the Xianzhou.
Dan Heng scanned the enemies before him. Besides Jing Yuan, there were also Jingliu and Blade... Heh, even though these two were also wanted criminals, they now bore a resemblance to the former High-Cloud Quintet.
Unfortunately, he now stood opposite them.
The good news was their side's combat strength seemed largely intact; the previous battle with Jingliu and Blade hadn't resulted in casualties for the Express crew. The bad news was the same applied to the other side. After all, both were Mara-Struck and could recover quickly even if injured. Considering Jing Yuan leading a large army, perhaps he and the Express crew could only surrender—the former Dan Heng might have thought so, but the current him was different.
Because they had Twilight!
Carefully setting Twilight down, Dan Heng stopped March 7th, who immediately rushed over wanting to cling to Twilight, and asked softly, "Twilight, how is your body feeling now? I know this might be asking too much, but can you fight right now?"
"I can—Cough cough..." Twilight was about to agree but suddenly coughed heavily twice. Although she quickly wiped away the blood, the others still saw it.
"Twilight, isn't your body better yet?! Dan Heng, what exactly is going on...?"
March 7th looked at Dan Heng with panicked eyes, and he too frowned tightly.
Strange, does the Transmutation Arcanum cause physical discomfort...? Or did something go wrong during the process?
Dan Heng felt unsure. Although theoretically, there shouldn't be problems, this was his first successful attempt at the Transmutation Arcanum; who knew if there were any oversights? After all, the first practical application directly revived Baiheng into an abomination dragon, offering absolutely no reference value...
"It's okay, March, Dan Heng... I can..."
Looking at Twilight trying her best to appear strong, Dan Heng shook his head. He had been too optimistic before, overlooking the possibility of unexpected issues with Twilight's body. In her current condition, how could he possibly let her fight Jing Yuan and the Cloud Knights... Twilight died just days ago precisely because overusing her power worsened her condition. Since her body still showed abnormalities, Dan Heng absolutely wouldn't let her fight before a thorough examination.
"Twilight, since you're unwell, refrain from using your power for now..." Dan Heng looked at the Cloud Knight army before him, taking a deep breath. "Stay behind us later."
Today's matter likely couldn't end peacefully... If Twilight still possessed overwhelming strength, she could quickly defeat the three former High-Cloud Quintet members before them and subdue them along with the numerous Cloud Knights without causing fatal injuries.
That way, besides Jing Yuan losing face again, neither side would suffer casualties.
But without Twilight's ability to control the whole situation, the Express crew members could only force a breakthrough... They had no leeway to hold back. To break out, they had to go all out, inevitably resulting in casualties on both sides.
And by then, the Express crew would likely forge a deadly feud with the Xianzhou... not just being listed as wanted criminals, but being genuinely hunted down.
Dan Heng felt heavy-hearted. After all, fundamentally, the situation deteriorating to this point might all be his fault. Twilight wouldn't lie; since her body was unwell, it must be his Transmutation Arcanum that went wrong, preventing Twilight from fighting normally.
Jing Yuan was honorable and didn't attack while they were talking. Dan Heng looked up, meeting the eyes of the other Express members for an instant, and reached a consensus immediately.
Prepare to use the usual countdown tactic, then break through.
"Third time's the charm—" ["Lit: Things don't exceed three"]
"Who... are you?"
Just as Dan Heng was about to start the countdown, a sudden voice abruptly interrupted him.
And the owner of this voice was none other than Caelus, who had been staring intently at Twilight ever since Dan Heng carried her out of the Shackling Prison!
"Caelus, what are you saying...?" Twilight looked at Caelus quizzically, tilting her head. The next moment, as if thinking of something frightening, she shrank back slightly. "Did I... Did I do something wrong again to make Caelus hate me?"
"Caelus, are you crazy again...?!" March 7th grew anxious, quickly tugging Caelus's sleeve. "After being revived by the Transmutation Arcanum, she became Vidyadhara; of course she looks different from before! The situation is urgent now, stop messing around with these—"
"No, you are not her...!"
Caelus's eyes locked deadly onto the bewildered and fearful Twilight, the baseball bat in his hand unknowingly changing direction. "Face, voice, even power... Indeed, everything looks exactly the same, basically Twilight resurrected—but my heart denies it!"
"You are not Twilight... Who are you?!"
"...Tsk, are you some kind of pervert, like a voyeur or stalker?"
After a long silence, the fear on Twilight's face gradually dissipated, replaced by an undisguised smile of disgust. "I was planning to act a bit longer, watch you guys fight..."
"So disgusting..."
The sickly appearance from moments ago vanished completely. Amidst everyone's stunned silence, Twilight stood up straight, grinned, and brushed her hair back. "How did you figure it out?"