"Understood." Blue Bird and Lu Duo exchanged a look and nodded in agreent.
"Rember," Bai Cheng cautioned, "do not proactively ntion the trial.
If he asks about our purpose here, say... we are here to seek the truth of lost history."
The two transford into streaks of light, flying toward that ice crystal island.
Bai Cheng turned her gaze toward another island wrapped in erald vines and golden flowers. It overflowed with surging vitality, yet faintly exuded a lingering sense of sorrow.
"Forest Whisper Star Lord, Verdandi." Bai Cheng said softly, "One of the three among the six parties involved who were judged to have insufficient evidence. Yu Nian, I'll leave this island to you."
Yu Nian held the pure heart vine, her eyes clear and firm. "Her power attribute... is sowhat similar to mine."
"Precisely because of that, it might be easier for you to gain her trust," Bai Cheng said.
"In the records, Verdandi is known for being benevolent and wise, yet indecisive.
Go and listen to her story, especially... why she remained silent during the trial."
Yu Nian nodded solemnly. The vines extended, transforming into a glowing green rainbow bridge that carried her toward that island teeming with life.
Bai Cheng looked at the final two islands that were connected by obvious beams of light.
One was shrouded in a never-ending black and white storm, its laws fluctuating violently and chaotically;
The other was silent and still, its surface covered in silver tal as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the electric light of the lightning sea.
"Chaos Star Lord Khaos and Mirror Heart Star Lord Seras." Leng Ningxue pulled up the data.
"Both were judged guilty.
Khaos has a wild and unrestrained personality, while Seras is cold and rational.
These two must be approached with caution."
"I'll go see Khaos." Zi Yuan volunteered. "The intent of Tide Breaker might be able to slice through his chaotic storm."
Bai Cheng pondered for a mont. "Very well. But if he shows aggression, retreat imdiately. Do not get locked in a struggle."
Zi Yuan acknowledged. Her long blade humd softly as her form turned into a purple blade-light, tearing through the turbulent laws between the lightning sea and charging straight for the black and white storm island.
"Then, Seras is mine." A stream of data flashed through Leng Ningxue's icy eyes.
"His mirror laws may have commonalities with my Absolute Rationality Analysis Mode. I will attempt to establish communication through logical dialogue."
Bai Cheng nodded. "Ning Xue, your safety cos first."
Leng Ningxue nodded slightly. An ice crystal slide condensed beneath her feet, and she slid silently toward the silver tal island.
Finally, Bai Cheng looked toward the remaining two islands that had no direct light beam connections, but possessed equally strong auras.
One burned with an unquenchable crimson fla, with the faint silhouette of a city visible within the fire;
The other was shrouded in a hazy gray mist, with hollow echoes occasionally drifting from within.
"Ember City Star Lord Ignis and Echo Star Lord Echo." Bai Cheng softly spoke their nas. "Both belong to the category of insufficient evidence.
It seems the guidance beams of the scales of judgent prioritize connecting to the parties with clearer stances and more acute conflicts."
She stepped forward. "I shall pay a visit to these two then."
The ice crystal island.
Blue Bird and Lu Duo landed on a crystal-clear snowy plain.
The cold wind was like a knife, bringing a strange stinging pain as it scraped across the skin. It wasn't the cold caused by temperature, but a sensation of freezing at the level of laws.
"Such strong resentnt." Lu Duo unfurled an erald radiance, propping up a warm barrier around them. "These ice crystals... every single flake is an accusation."
Ahead, a palace carved entirely from cold ice stood in the center of the snowy plain.
The palace gates were wide open, and the interior was deep and dark.
"Guests from afar." A low, cold voice that sounded like ten-thousand-year-old profound ice rubbing together drifted from the depths of the palace. "Why do you set foot in this forgotten cage of mine?"
Blue Bird and Lu Duo looked at each other. According to the plan, Blue Bird stepped forward and cupped her fists.
"We an no offense. We were simply navigating the sea of stars and accidentally entered this strange domain. Seeing the unique laws here, we ca to explore."
"Explore?" The voice sneered.
"Explore what? Explore how a loser is sealed by eternal ice, burdened with unwarranted cris, and left to linger on in this place?"
The ice crystal palace shook violently. Countless icicles stabbed down from the vaulted ceiling, only to hang suspended in mid-air.
"Lord Astra."
Lu Duo spoke softly. The erald radiance spread like ripples, brushing over those sharp icicles.
"We are not judges. We are rely... lost travelers who wish to hear the story of this land."
Silence.
After a long while, the voice spoke again, less sharp and more weary.
"A story? Heh... A story of betrayal, lies, and injustice. You... wish to hear it?"
"We would be honored to hear the details," Blue Bird said sincerely.
A cold current surged from the palace gates, condensing on the snowy plain into a blurry, tall figure made of ice crystals. It was the manifestation of a lingering soul fragnt of the Abyssal Ice Star Lord, Astra.
He sat cross-legged. Though only a phantom, his movents carried the majesty of a forr Star Lord.
"That trial..." Astra's voice echoed in the wind and snow, "was a scam from the very beginning."
The Forest Whisper island.
Yu Nian set foot on a adow soft as a carpet.
All around, giant trees reached for the sky, vines hung down, and golden flowers moved without wind, scattering points of light like glowing powder.
The air was filled with the fragrance of vegetation, yet it was also haunted by a faint sorrow.
She followed that sorrowful aura forward, arriving beneath an especially massive ancient tree.
The trunk of the ancient tree was hollow, its interior transford into a simple treehouse.
A woman dressed in an erald green dress and wearing a flower crown was sitting on a swing in front of the treehouse, gently swaying.
Her face was soft and beautiful, but her eyes gazed hollowly at the distant lightning sea, as if staring at a past that had long since vanished.
"Lord Verdandi?" Yu Nian called out softly.
The woman slowly turned her head. Her gaze fell on Yu Nian, and when it reached the pure heart vine in her arms, a glimr of light flashed in her eyes.
"pure heart vine... To think there is still a successor of it within the sea of stars."
"Junior Yu Nian, from the Erald Sea." Yu Nian approached a few steps, maintaining a polite distance.
"Passing through this place, I felt your aura... It was sowhat familiar, and sowhat sad. So I took the liberty of coming here."
"Erald Sea..." Verdandi repeated in a low voice.
"I rember that place. Erald, fertile, and full of life... just like this place used to be."
She raised her hand to lightly touch a golden flower beside her. The flower withered instantly, turning to flying ash, only to bloom again in the next second.
"The cycle of life and death is naturally a matter of course," Verdandi sighed. "But when life and death are used as tools for conviction... everything becos distorted."
Yu Nian sat on a stone «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» stool beside her, gently placing the pure heart vine on the ground.
The vine extended of its own accord, wrapping around the ropes of Verdandi's swing and emitting gentle, soothing fluctuations.
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