Chapter 140: Mr. Tingyun

Suddenly, a blur of sickly green erupted from the swirling fog.

Before anyone else could even flinch, Ms. Welt had already acted.

She remained perfectly still, the only movement a deliberate, almost casual tap of her cane against the stone path. An unseen, crushing force descended from above, enveloping the charging Remnant of Abundance in a precise, inescapable field of gravity.

A sickening chorus of cracks and snaps echoed as the creature was twisted and contorted, as if crushed within the fist of an invisible giant. It collapsed into a lifeless heap on the ground.

A few more faint, bestial roars echoed from deeper within the mist, hinting at other horrors still lurking there. But before they could fully emerge, Lady Welt acted once more. A few more dull thuds and snaps, and then silence.

Soon, the only sound was the whisper of the flowing fog itself.

“Cleared,” Ms. Welt announced, her gaze withdrawing from the white veil.

“Lady Welt is incredible!” I shouted, offering my full-throated support.

My eyes, however, remained vigilant. I scanned our surroundings, my gaze lingering for a fraction of a second too long on the space just behind Mr. Tingyun.

He, for his part, merely offered a placid, appreciative nod, his expression a mask of admiration for Ms. Welt’s power. Not a flicker of fear marred his handsome face.

Just as the intelligence reports had suggested, scattered around the colossal alchemy furnace ahead were not just the natural fog and its abominable guardians, but also several crude, man-made nodes. These mechanisms, clearly the source maintaining the smoke’s oppressive density and spread, were located with contemptuous ease.

Faced with Ms. Welt’s overwhelming power, they were little more than children’s toys.

As the final node sputtered and died, the thick, impenetrable miasma that had surrounded us seemed to lose its anchor. It began to thin and dissipate at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Ahead, the colossal alchemy furnace, a titan of metal and stone that towered like a small mountain, was finally revealed in its entirety. Though a faint trail of smoke still drifted from its mouth, it was as thin and harmless as a wisp of steam.

And there, standing directly beneath it, was a lone figure. He stood quietly, as if he had been waiting for a very long time.

He wore the ornate robes of a Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission. His build was willowy, his long hair bound by a simple wooden pin, and his face held a pallor that spoke of long hours spent away from the sun.

It was none other than Dan Shu, the leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus in this place.

He showed no surprise at the sudden appearance of the Astral Express crew, who had just broken through his veil of fog.

Almost simultaneously, the sound of hurried, yet perfectly disciplined, footsteps cut through the air from another direction.

Seeing the fog dissipate, Fu Xuan led a squad of elite Cloud Knights, emerging from the thinning haze. They swiftly formed a pincer with the Astral Express crew, completing the encirclement.

Fu Xuan’s gaze immediately locked onto the man beneath the furnace.

“Dan Shu. It really is you.”

Dan Shu slowly turned to face her. His demeanor still carried the faint, ingrained etiquette of a Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission. “Chief Alchemist Dan Shu greets Grand Diviner Fu Xuan.” He offered a slight, formal bow. “However, Your Excellency… you don’t seem surprised at all?”

“Betraying the Xianzhou, colluding with Abominations, studying forbidden arts, inciting rebellion…” Fu Xuan’s voice was as sharp and unyielding as forged steel. “Every single one of your actions has been under the Luofu’s surveillance.”

Her eyes narrowed. “But I never expected you to be so insane as to attempt to reactivate the Ambrosial Arbor, endangering thousands of our comrades!”

“Comrades?” A sarcastic, ugly smile twisted Dan Shu’s lips. “Those numb-minded fools, indulging in a false immortality, terrified of true evolution, willingly shackled by the curse of the Plague Author… They deserve to be called comrades?”

His voice rose with fanatical fervor. “What we pursue is the embrace of the Sanctus Medicus’s true grace! A new life… one that transcends this decaying flesh and these short-sighted rules.”

Seeing that they shared no common ground, further words were futile.

Fu Xuan wasted no more breath. She raised her hand, and a complex, glowing formation materialized beneath her feet. “You stubborn fool! Today, we end this calamity right here!”

Dan Shu met her declaration with a sneer of his own, an ominous, dark green glow beginning to emanate from his body.

The air crackled with tension. A battle was moments away from erupting.

Yet, my attention wasn’t on the impending boss fight. Not in the slightest.

From the very beginning, my gaze had been a carefully managed thing, a constant flick of peripheral vision that always, always ended on the same target: the man who had been quietly trailing at the back of our group.

Mr. Tingyun.

I turned, my back to the brewing storm, and faced him directly. My own signature smile spread across my lips.

“Well, now—” I began, my voice light.

“Mr. Tingyun.”

“Everyone’s about to throw down, and you’re just standing here… what’s so amusing?”

Being called out so directly, the serene smile on Mr. Tingyun’s face froze for a split second, the placid mask faltering. Then, just as quickly, it returned, an impeccable portrait of gentle composure.

Meeting my gaze, he blinked slowly, his tone as smooth and unruffled as ever. “What do you mean, Mr. Chen? I merely feel relieved, seeing the Grand Diviner’s majestic might. Evil will soon be vanquished, after all.”

“Relieved?”

I took a single step closer. My smile didn’t waver, but my eyes had gone cold.

“I think your smile… doesn’t look like you’re relieved we’re about to win.”

My gaze swept over his pristine, elegant attire, utterly untouched by the chaos and filth of our journey. Then, I glanced at the surroundings, still littered with the scars of battle.

I added, my voice leisurely, “It looks more like… you’re watching a good play finally reach its climax.”

My smile widened, becoming something sharp.

“Don’t you think—”

“Mr. Tingyun?”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]