Chapter 144: Where is Teacher Dan Heng?

The starship glided to a smooth halt, its gangway extending to touch down upon… a pristine, white sandy beach.

Chen was the first to leap from the ramp. His boots sank into the soft sand, and as he surveyed his surroundings, a sigh of genuine admiration escaped his lips.

“Now this is what I’m talking about! If someone developed this place into a high-end, exclusive tourist destination, they’d make a killing. Sunlight, beaches, waves… it’s absolutely perfect…”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence before the space a short distance away began to warp and distort. With a sickening tear in reality, several Void Ranger: Tramplers materialized, their bodies radiating a foul, dark purple energy that instantly soured the beautiful scenery.

“…Tsk. See? There’s always something trying to spoil the mood.” Chen curled his lip in annoyance, stepping aside with an exaggerated, theatrical flourish. “If you please! Aunt Yang, do your thing!”

Ms. Welt Yang stepped forward, her cane held loosely in one hand, her expression as placid as a calm sea. She didn’t even spare a glance for the Void Rangers lunging at her with bared fangs and claws. She simply tapped the ground lightly with her cane.

An invisible field of force rippled outward with her at its epicenter.

The charging Tramplers froze mid-pounce, their monstrous forms held fast as if gripped by a thousand unseen hands. Then, as if caught in a slow-motion film, their bodies were inexorably compressed, crushed down into the very sand they stood on. They dissolved without a sound, leaving behind nothing but a few deep impressions in the sand and dissipating motes of violet light.

The entire process was silent, swift, and possessed an almost unnerving elegance.

Ms. Welt retracted her cane, adjusted her glasses, and turned her gaze to Fu Xuan. “Cleanup complete. Let us proceed, Fu Xuan.”

A muscle in Fu Xuan’s jaw twitched. She was clearly rendered speechless by this display of utterly effortless combat. She quickly regained her composure, however, and gave a curt nod. “Much obliged. Please follow me. The core of the Ambrosial Arbor is just ahead.”

The group followed Fu Xuan along the beach, heading deeper into the Scalegorge Waterscape. As Chen walked, he glanced around, a low muttering escaping his lips.

‘Where’s Teacher Dan Heng? What happened to the grand entrance of the Imbibitor Lunae? This beach party is almost over, and the main character still hasn’t shown up? Could we be moving too fast? Maybe he’s still on his way and got lost?’

The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed.

Soon, they arrived at a fork in the path. Chen’s eyes darted left and right before he suddenly let out a pained cry. “Ouch!” He clutched his lower back, his face contorting.

“What’s wrong, Chen?” March 7th immediately asked, his voice laced with concern.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” Chen said through a grimace. “I think I just twisted my back… You guys go on ahead, I’ll just take a moment. Besides,” he added, waving the pistol in his hand, “I need to check if my precious gun sustained any internal damage from that overload earlier. I’ll catch up after a quick adjustment.”

The weapon still looked thoroughly battered, but after its recent performance, no one dared to underestimate it.

Ms. Welt gave him a knowing glance but said nothing. Caelus clearly wanted to stay behind, but Chen shot him a look and mouthed the words, ‘It’s fine, I’ll be there soon.’

Fu Xuan was anxious to deal with the Ambrosial Arbor. Although she saw right through Chen’s flimsy excuse, she merely offered a word of caution. “There are still remnants of the enemy wandering this area. Please be careful and catch up as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry!” Chen waved them off dismissively.

The moment the main group disappeared behind a formation of reefs, Chen immediately dropped his pained act. He straightened up, his back perfectly fine, and pulled the Geo-Map from his pocket.

“Geo-Map, scan the area. See if there’s a lost, cold-faced little green… uh, youth, around here. Or any direction with an intense energy reaction.”

The Geo-Map’s lightbulb eyes flickered. “Command received. Scanning… Energy collision detected to the southeast. Recommendation: Stay away or bring weapons of mass destruction to spectate.”

“That’s the one!” Chen’s eyes lit up. He pocketed the device and began to creep toward the indicated direction.

Before long, he rounded a massive, black reef. The sounds of fierce combat—the furious ringing of steel and the crisp clash of blades—were now clearly audible. Chen found a crevice between two rocks that offered a perfect vantage point, skillfully squeezed himself in, and poked half his head out to watch.

Ahead, on a relatively open stone platform submerged in shallow seawater, three figures were locked in a desperate battle.

He recognized all three of them.

Dan Heng wielded his spear, Cloud-Piercer, his movements agile and swift, each thrust striking like a dragon. But his usual stoicism was replaced by a grim tension, his brow furrowed in concentration.

His opponent was a tall man clad in dark red martial attire, his eyes wild with a mixture of pain and madness. He held a strangely shaped longsword. Blade! He was here, too!

The third combatant was a youth of about twelve or thirteen. Blonde, with a neat ponytail, his face was still boyish yet brimming with a heroic spirit. He held a longsword of his own, attempting to join the fray and land a blow on Blade. This was, of course, the young prodigy, Yanqing.

The battle was exceptionally fierce. Blade’s swordsmanship was a vicious, frenzied storm, each swing carrying a desperate, self-destructive weight. He kept roaring slurred, hate-filled words.

“…Pay back… the price… Dan Heng!!!”

Dan Heng’s lips were pressed into a thin line. He remained silent, responding only with a faster flurry of spear-shadows. But he was clearly constrained, his movements held back by some unspoken emotion.

Just as Yanqing lunged once more, his sword-light aiming for a gap in Blade’s ribs and forcing a momentary distraction—

“Now’s the time!”

Blade seemed to have been waiting for this exact opportunity. He swung his left hand violently! A black-and-red streak of sword energy shot out at an incredible speed and from an impossible angle. It bypassed Dan Heng’s spear defense entirely and, with a sickening squelch, pierced straight through Dan Heng’s right chest.

“Are you okay?!” Yanqing cried out in shock.

Dan Heng’s body jolted violently. A muffled groan escaped his lips as he stumbled back several steps, only managing to keep his footing by planting the butt of his spear against the ground for support.

“Hiss—!”

Chen, hiding behind the rock, sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, nearly shouting out loud.

‘Holy crap! The iconic scene! It’s actually happening! That angle, that force… damn, that looks like it really hurts!’

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he subconsciously started playing a stirring, tragic BGM in his head. The scene before him seemed to acquire its own slow-motion filter and dramatic special effects.

Blade didn’t even look at Yanqing, who was trembling with rage, his sword tip pointed directly at him. His eyes were fixed solely on the wounded Dan Heng.

“Let me introduce you,” Blade said, raising a hand to point at Dan Heng, who remained standing tall despite his pale face. “The person before you is no ordinary man.”

His voice boomed, dripping with venomous satisfaction. “He is the one who committed the Ten Unpardonable Sins, who betrayed the Xianzhou, who incited great chaos, and who was exiled for all eternity—”

Blade paused, letting the words hang in the air before delivering the final, devastating blow.

“The Vidyadhara Dragon Lord, ‘Imbibitor Lunae’.”

Those last two words struck the stone platform like a clap of thunder. Yanqing’s eyes widened in utter disbelief as he stared at Dan Heng.

Dan Heng closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the last trace of hesitation and forbearance had vanished.

In its place was a deep, almost chilling calm.

“Ugh… Ah…!”

A suppressed groan tore from his throat, the sound of some internal restraint shattering to pieces. With him at the center, the dense water vapor in the air began to gather, swirling around him in a frantic vortex! The shallow water beneath his feet surged as if boiling, forming a massive whirlpool!

A brilliant azure radiance erupted from his body, a pillar of light soaring into the sky!

Within that blinding glow, Dan Heng’s figure seemed to shift and change… and when the light finally dimmed just enough to see, the man who appeared in his place…

…was no longer the cold and silent youth, Dan Heng.

He floated in the air, his feet resting upon an azure lotus pedestal condensed from pure water. His posture was still upright, but he now appeared even more slender and elegant. A magnificent and complex Dragon Lord’s ceremonial robe had replaced his simple uniform, its fabric embroidered with flowing cloud patterns and shimmering dragon scale motifs.

Most striking of all were the pair of translucent, beautifully curved azure dragon horns that had sprouted from his temples. His long hair drifted as if weightless, and he was wreathed in a mist of water vapor that pulsed with immense vitality.

He was majestic, ancient, and ethereal, radiating a hint of non-human divinity.

“Wow… wow wow wow!!!”

From his hiding spot in the rock crevice, Chen’s eyes sparkled, and he almost forgot to stay hidden.

‘So good-looking! So cool! So beautiful! So ethereal! As expected of Five-Star Dan Heng! This skin! These special effects! The character model! Just changing his outfit made his looks go completely off the charts! Totally worth it! This trip was not in vain! Where’s the screenshot button? Oh, right, this isn’t a game… better take a few more looks then!’

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]