In Little Gui's livestream room, Guinaifen was repeatedly watching the official combat clip released by the game team.
"Wow, impressive!"
"In the weekly boss fight, Phantylia has three stages to defeat, yet Jing Yuan and Dan Heng took it down with just one combo?"
"Is Phantylia too weak or is their bond simply that strong?"
"When Long and Dan become available, imagine pairing them up. Could they have similar combo moves...?"
As Guinaifen indulged in her musings, she received a notification on her phone.
It was from a post by the influential player she followed, whose account name read "[Account Suspended]."
The title read: [The High-Cloud Quintet Has Some Serious Skills].
"The High-Cloud Quintet?"
This was a crucial keyword!
In the narrative of Xianzhou Luofu, the only missing piece of the puzzle revolved around this group!
If one could uncover what exactly happened with the High-Cloud Quintet back then, many plot hints and connections would fall into place.
"Could it be that Banned Account is about to reveal information on the 'High-Cloud Quintet'?"
She clicked open the video.
"Why does this scene look so familiar?"
"Aaaaaah!"
"It's the battle against Phantylia!" Guinaifen instantly recognized it.
The official footage released by Luofu Productions had shown only a brief segment of Jing Yuan and Dan Heng defeating Phantylia together. There was no complete recording of the entire battle sequence.
But now, Banned Account unexpectedly revealed a more comprehensive video than the official version—capturing the entire confrontation with Phantylia!
In the video, Phantylia appeared imposing and majestic, its eyes like lanterns, fixed intently on the four individuals below.
Hmm?
Four individuals?! Not just Jing Yuan and Dan Heng!
It turned out this battle involved all four of them!
At that moment, viewers in the live stream also caught onto this revelation, flooding the chat with comments!
"Wow! This is the complete video of the battle against Phantylia?"
"The official release only showed snippets! Where did Banned Account get this footage from?"
"Incredible! I hereby declare that [Banned Account] dethrones [Zhao Xiangji], becoming the new top source for insider information!"
"The quality and clarity of this video are astounding! It looks so realistic, I'd believe it was filmed on-site!"
"Why are there four people involved? Besides Jing Yuan and Dan Heng, there are more skilled individuals present!"
Guinaifen continued watching closely.
Among the four figures below, Jing Yuan and Dan Heng were unmistakable. The other two also seemed familiar!
Just as Guinaifen was about to zoom in for a better look, Phantylia suddenly launched her attack!
A hand condensed a swirling black hole intertwined with wind and lightning, hurtling it towards the group below.
Within the quartet,
the white-clad figure abruptly jumped several stories high!
This leap directly exposed her to the camera's view.
Recognizing the woman's silhouette, Guinaifen blurted out, "Jingliu!"
"Did everyone see that?! Among those confronting Phantylia is Jingliu herself!"
Jingliu leaped straight in front of the black hole, unleashing three swift sword strikes. The first shattered the black hole, the second destroyed the lotus, and the third inflicted severe damage on Phantylia's divine form!
This wasn't a turn-based game; it was a real-life, intense battle!
Before Guinaifen could fully grasp Jingliu's immense power,
Another figure stepped forward below them!
"It's...Blade?!"
"Whoa! Am I seeing this right?!"
"How could Blade join forces with Jingliu?!"
"Weren't Jingliu pursuing Blade... and then Blade chasing after Dan Heng...?!"
"With their triangular rivalry, how is it possible for them to team up against Phantylia?"
In essence, Jingliu single-handedly took on thousands.
His terrifying frontal assault left Phantylia severely weakened, nearly depleted of health points.
Blade's attacks rendered Phantylia unable to retaliate, systematically destroying its connection to the Tree of Foundation.
It was a sight both awe-inspiring and heart-pounding!
Under this storm-like onslaught from Jingliu and Blade, Jing Yuan and Dan Heng were able to coordinate their subsequent moves, ultimately defeating Phantylia!
"No wonder the official video felt off all along!"
"So this is the complete version!"
"But...why are these four fighting Phantylia together?! Little Gui, I can't wrap my head around this!"
"Could it be that Banned Account added special effects? These four are sworn enemies—how could they possibly team up?"
"Maybe General Jing Yuan used his charisma to persuade Jingliu and Blade, those dangerous individuals?"
"Jingliu is so fierce! Those attacks seem beyond the realm of swordsmanship!"
"I never dreamed I'd see Blade fighting alongside Dan Heng! Wait, hold on—that's actually similar in the game; they teamed up against Yanqing."
"Banned Account mentioned [the High-Cloud Quintet has some secrets]. Could these four be the former members of the High-Cloud Quintet?"
"I believe Jing Yuan and Dan Heng, but you're saying Jingliu and Blade too... That seems quite far-fetched, doesn't it?"
"Before Jingliu fell into Mara-Strike, he was indeed Jing Yuan's teacher. It makes sense for him to have been part of the High-Cloud Quintet, but Blade's involvement truly baffles me."
"Historical records from this period in Luofu's history have all been erased. There must have been some hidden truth behind it!"
"Just what did they experience to transform these five once-prominent figures into their current state?"
Guinaifen scrutinized the image multiple times. Upon confirming it was indeed these four individuals, she felt quite shaken. She promptly began searching online for information about the "High-Cloud Quintet."
The results were unsurprising—almost all details from that era had been expunged. Even General Jing Yuan's biography contained vague and ambiguous accounts.
"What exactly happened back then...?" Guinaifen wished she could reverse time, travel to that period, and witness firsthand the story of the High-Cloud Quintet.
"A story... Wait, Banned Account Feathered Spirit must know what occurred during those days," she murmured to herself.
"As if he heard her plea, a notification popped up on the screen:
[New Feathered Spirit Short Film: 'Black-Yellow' now released.]
Guinaifen stared, momentarily stunned. Pinching herself to ensure she wasn't dreaming, she swiftly clicked on the notification.
This short film was titled "Black-Yellow," with Dan Heng featured prominently on its cover.
Significantly!
It depicted Dan Heng in his Imbibitor Lunae form!
This indicated that the content likely revolved around Dan Heng's past life—the tale of Imbibitor Lunae!
The short film's content would likely narrate Dan Heng's past life story as Imbibitor Lunae!
Below the video, there were several additional lines of text:
He dreamt of assuming his duty, performing the ritual with grace, and sealing the Tree of Foundation.
He dreamt of stepping onto a battlefield awash with falling arrows, descending wrath from the heavens.
He dreamt of being bound by jade chains, pierced through by long needles, and imprisoned in darkness.
He dreamt of wandering helplessly in the shadows, pursued by lurking figures.
In all these dreams, he was a dragon, a hero, or a captive—never just an ordinary person like others, experiencing love, hatred, joy, and sorrow.
As Guinaifen read each line, goosebumps rose on her arms.
Without a doubt!
No surprise here!
This is indeed Imbibitor Lunae's story!
And within this short film, secrets of the High-Cloud Quintet will also be unveiled!