After recalling that hammer strike, Bai Ming finally let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness—this wasn't some bizarre parallel world after all.
It was just that originally, this should have been the year 2157 of the Amber Era, but when Noa was born, the Amber Lord delivered one final blow, pushing the Amber Era's count forward by one.
He had been trapped somewhere and somehow hadn't heard a thing—could this also have been part of HooH's calculations?
Well, no matter.
In this era, the Astral Express was only just about to embark again, and the Stellaron Hunters were only beginning to join, one by one.
"Hey! What are you doing? Seriously, even your rock-hard brain seems to be showing some expression now."
Herta's impatient voice came through the phone, blunt as ever.
"It's nothing, just cleared up a little misunderstanding."
"Alright then. That project you mentioned has me interested—when are you coming over to talk?"
"Maybe later… I just got fished out by Aha, still getting used to the times."
"Tch."
Herta clicked her tongue in clear distaste, obviously unhappy with Bai Ming's answer.
Getting used to the times?
What kind of excuse is that? Shouldn't it be the times getting used to him?
Even though she didn't say it aloud, Bai Ming could read that exact sentiment in Herta's eyes.
"Anyway, let's talk later. Right now, I'm planning to stop by the Xianzhou Luofu first."
"Fine. I'll go chat with Screwllum for a bit then."
Seeing that Bai Ming had tossed out an idea but had no intention of putting in the work, Herta waved a hand dismissively, her face full of disdain, and ended the call.
Closing the interface, Bai Ming glanced at his chat window.
Even though he didn't have many contacts, the messages from the past few centuries had piled up.
Most of them were from Herta.
At first, she thought Bai Ming had gone missing. But after 'Noa' confirmed he'd been lost near a black hole, Lady Herta's messages shifted from worry to regular mockery.
The gist was always the same—poking fun at how someone like Bai Ming, who'd achieved so much, could make such a rookie mistake.
Then came the reminders to get in touch as soon as he returned.
And sure enough, the moment he got back, Lady Herta had him arrested.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.
If it wasn't a coincidence, did that mean Lady Herta had been keeping tabs on him all these centuries?
What an intense woman.
Bai Ming clicked his tongue and shook his head.
There were fewer messages from Ruan Mei, likely because she'd gotten the full story from Herta. She'd left a note advising Bai Ming to be careful—though that message was already centuries old.
Screwllum had sent his regards too, simply telling him to stay safe and resume their discussions once he was back.
Acheron had also left a message.
According to her, once she realized something had happened to Bai Ming, she'd rushed out and crossed nearly half the universe to reach Herta Space Station, forcing her way into contact with Herta.
Then she chased after the traveling giants of light until she found Zero and the others, finally confirming the news and settling down.
She ended by asking Bai Ming to visit once he returned.
Jingliu, on the other hand, had sent many messages over the centuries.
At first, they were full of worry, then acceptance of reality, followed by updates about her own life. Gradually, her tone began to change—it seemed she really had been touched by Mara.
After that, her messages became much less frequent.
Still, it was clear that between the lines, Jingliu had held onto some shred of rationality.
It was almost as if Bai Ming had become her anchor—like he'd turned into Jingliu's "White Moonlight," idealized and polished by memory to an almost absurd degree.
Reading them made Bai Ming's heart ache with a mix of pity and embarrassment.
He even had the strange feeling that if he showed up in front of Jingliu now, he might get confessed to on the spot.
From Jingliu's messages, Bai Ming pieced together why she'd joined the Stellaron Hunters.
And also…
"That Dan Feng… what a drama king! A total obsessive."
Now Bai Ming understood how he'd caused the Rebellion of Imbibitor Lunae.
So even if Baiheng hadn't died, once Yingxing died of old age, this guy would still have resorted to the revival arts.
According to Jingliu, back during the Shuhu uprising, Yingxing was already middle-aged by short-life species standards.
Jingliu herself was nearly a thousand years old—to the Xianzhou natives, the fact that she hadn't succumbed to Mara was a miracle in itself.
Which meant…
Even though Bai Ming had saved Baiheng back then, Yingxing only had a few decades left, and Jingliu could fall to Mara at any moment.
And after confirming Bai Ming's disappearance with no way to contact the Xianzhou Alliance, Jingliu had already begun showing early signs of Mara.
That was when Dan Feng started scheming.
Whether it was the Dragon Elders' influence or his own idea, no one knew.
In any case, decades later, Yingxing—after a lifetime of forging—came to the Luofu for one last gathering with his friends, then passed away at the Alchemy Commission. Dan Feng preserved his body.
Coincidentally, that was during the transition of power when Jing Yuan was taking over and Teng Xiao was retiring.
Somehow, Dan Feng convinced Baiheng. He took a segment from the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor beneath the Scalegorge Waterscape.
After Baiheng tested the dragon-morphing art on herself, Dan Feng used the same method to resurrect Yingxing.
The Transmutation Arcanum erupted, but it wasn't severe—the two of them suppressed it together, keeping the commotion contained within Scalegorge.
They should have successfully formed an egg and reincarnated as a Vidhyadhara.
But the disturbance still alarmed the nearby Alchemy Commission.
Jingliu rushed to the scene and witnessed her two friends violating the Xianzhou's greatest taboo—resurrecting the dead.
She didn't go into detail, only saying that a fierce argument broke out between them.
In the end, Jingliu personally subdued Dan Feng and Baiheng, who offered no resistance, and handed them over to Jing Yuan.
With no other choice, Jing Yuan personally judged the two for their grave crimes.
Dan Feng was forced to shed his scales and reincarnate, and both were imprisoned in the Shackling Prison.
Some time later, Baiheng, while imprisoned, somehow learned of the Dragon Elders' actions and flew into a rage.
She took Dan Heng and escaped the Shackling Prison. With Jing Yuan's deliberate assistance, they evaded the Elders' pursuit and fled the Luofu, exiled from the Xianzhou forever.
Jingliu, powerless to change the outcome, wanted to storm the Vidhyadhara Elders' grounds. After slaying several of them, she was stopped by Jing Yuan.
Heartbroken and disillusioned, Jingliu resigned as Sword Champion and left her home, saying she would search for traces of Bai Ming.
However, according to Jingliu, after their exile, Baiheng and Dan Heng eventually parted ways.
Baiheng joined the Galaxy Rangers, and even reunited with Jingliu once out among the stars.
As for Dan Heng, he drifted aimlessly, unknown and unheard of for centuries—no one knew where he was.
And Jingliu?
It seemed that, partly due to Baiheng's insistence, she spent some time as a Galaxy Ranger too.
With the power of the Rangers' shared oath, she even managed to suppress her Mara to some extent.
But in the end, she left the Rangers and journeyed into the starry seas.
As for how she was later found by Elio and recruited into the Stellaron Hunters… that part wasn't clear.
Jingliu didn't elaborate in her messages.
After reading all this, Bai Ming scratched his cheek.
So now… should I still go see Jingliu?
Honestly, this situation is way too complicated.
Baiheng joined the Galaxy Rangers?
And since she was altered by the dragon-morphing art, is she still alive? Or did she eventually run out of time and pass away in some distant land?
Yingxing—who was supposed to be a Stellaron Hunter—became the new Vidhyadhara High Elder? Does that mean Bailu would become Yinglu?
Dan Heng seems to be the same as ever.
But without Blade hunting him, who knows if he'll still end up boarding the Express.
And Jingliu's situation is the most unbelievable.
She started this journey just to find me, spent centuries searching, and ended up joining the Stellaron Hunters along the way.
And from the looks of it…
It really seems like she's made me her sole anchor for sanity.
Is now really the right time to go see her?
--+--