While Pei Guang kept talking, his hands weren't idle. He swapped into his best gear, gripped his wooden sword, and had Bailu buff him just in case.
The group pressed forward, but after walking only a short distance, they came to a sudden halt.
Through the mist, a massive figure emerged, causing everyone to stop in their tracks.
At that very moment—as if it were fate—Phantylia finally fused the destructive power within her with the Arbor's fruit, giving rise to her ultimate form.
She laughed, clearly pleased with herself. "Oh? Why have the ants stopped moving? Don't you want to witness my new body?"
As she spoke, the surrounding mist dissipated, revealing her towering half-formed figure. She held a fan in one hand, lazily waving it. With each swing, it sent ripples of energy mixed with Abundance and Destruction—energies potent enough to drive ordinary people insane.
Her outfit was extravagant, but her body carried a dark, almost bruised hue.
While everyone was staring at her, Phantylia struck a proud pose and introduced herself. "Behold, ants. Feast your eyes on this magnificent body! The miracles of Abundance truly live up to their name. Now, let me see what this body can do."
Everyone's expressions grew tense, even Jing Yuan's.
Her massive size, combined with the overwhelming presence of Destruction and Abundance emanating from her, made her a daunting foe. As she appeared, vines burst from the ground, writhing like living creatures. These vines carried traces of both Path powers—Abundance and Destruction—making them incredibly difficult to destroy. Getting caught by them meant certain death.
For the first time in her life, Bailu faced an enemy that truly frightened her. She swallowed nervously. "Ah Guang, are you sure about this? I'm… kind of scared."
Pei Guang: "Of course I'm sure. Relax, Bailu. If you're scared, hop in the trash can!"
Pei Guang pulled out one of his trusty trash cans, reinforced with Preservation's essence. But Bailu shook her head at the suggestion.
Bailu: "No! I want to fight alongside you!"
Nearby, Dan Heng stepped forward. "If you're ready to fight, then it's time to unlock your seal. I'll guide you."
Bailu nodded firmly. "Right! I'll be a useful dragon!"
With Bailu's seal unlocked, her expression grew more determined. Seeing this, Jing Yuan couldn't help but comment. "To think that I'd have the honor of fighting alongside two souls who've experienced reincarnation."
Jing Yuan prepared to join the fight, but just as he was about to charge in, Pei Guang raised a hand to stop him.
Jing Yuan: "What's the matter?"
Phantylia: "What's the matter?"
Phantylia felt confident in her current state. While she couldn't move just yet, this fight was the perfect chance to get accustomed to her new body. At the same time, she was secretly gathering energy, waiting for Pei Guang and Dan Heng to get close enough for her to strike and eliminate Pei Guang—the biggest threat in her eyes—in one blow.
Pei Guang and Dan Heng weren't particularly strong individually, but Phantylia saw them as amplifiers for Jing Yuan's power. Jing Yuan was indeed the most visibly dangerous opponent here, but Pei Guang's bizarre abilities could very well tilt the odds even further in his favor.
Long-range attacks to finish Pei Guang off weren't an option, though. With Jing Yuan around, the moment she tried charging up a long-range strike, she'd be opening herself to a devastating counterattack. That thunder-wielding general could call upon a Lightning Lord—divine forces of judgment and purification—to deal serious damage to her.
While Aeon powers varied in strength, and so did the abilities granted to their Emanators, Phantylia's lack of a stable physical body left her at a disadvantage. Her new body wasn't fully adapted yet, making her even weaker. On the other hand, despite the Hunt Path not being the strongest among the Paths, it had been exceptionally generous to the Xianzhou. Jing Yuan wielded far more divine strength than Phantylia could currently handle.
All these factors combined made Phantylia reluctant to underestimate the Lightning Lord. What was Jing Yuan, after all, if not a walking Lightning Lord launcher? If it weren't for that power backing him, she would've turned him into a mara-struck puppet long ago.
And so, she waited—waited for Pei Guang and the others to move closer, giving her the perfect moment to unleash the power she'd been building. She felt certain she could destroy Pei Guang instantly, provided he gave her the opening.
But to her surprise, Pei Guang wasn't advancing. He was waiting, too. And his next words even made Jing Yuan pause.
Pei Guang: "Hold up a second. Did you notice? She's big, strong, and terrifying… but she can't move."
Pei Guang's observation snapped everyone's focus back to Phantylia.
Jing Yuan: "You're right. Judging by her condition, she's just absorbed the Arbor's energy. It's incomplete—she can't move or fight at full strength yet."
Pei Guang nodded. "Exactly. And look at her—no signs of long-range attacks either. From my experience, she's probably got at least two phases. Maybe even three to five phases. Since she can't go long-range right now, we need to milk this opening for all it's worth. Let me poke at her first and test out her gimmicks. Once we know what we're dealing with, then you can go all in."
Jing Yuan: "Understood."
Jing Yuan had been prepared to charge in immediately. Against an Emanator like Phantylia, he expected most of the work to fall on his shoulders. But since Pei Guang offered to scout first, he decided to trust him. Pei Guang might not match Phantylia in raw strength, but if he could force out some of her abilities and identify patterns, it'd make his job much easier.
Stelle clapped her hands. "Got it! Time to start dumping all our junk at her!"
Pei Guang shook his head. "No, not yet. That's for later—when we're bullying her in the final phase. Right now, she's stronger than us. If we push her into a berserk state early, it'll just make our lives miserable. We need to be smart about this. Speaking of which… March, I need you!"
March 7th perked up. "Me? What do you need me to do?"
Pei Guang: "Just pull your bow and shoot her."
March 7th hesitated. "But my Six-Phased Ice probably won't do anything to her."
Pei Guang reassured her. "Don't worry about that. You just shoot. I'll handle the rest."
March 7th nodded and drew her bow. She aimed carefully and fired at Phantylia.
The shot landed perfectly, striking Phantylia's right breast. However, her body—crafted from the Arbor's wood—deflected the arrow with ease. She barely even noticed the attack.
But what Phantylia failed to see was the faint flicker of flame clinging to the arrowhead—a tiny ember of Pei Guang's Savory Truefire.
She didn't even flinch. She just scoffed, dripping with condescension. "Is that it?"
But just as her taunt left her mouth, she noticed something strange. Her enemies were… smiling?
Then it hit her—an odd scent lingering in the air. A rich aroma that tickled her senses, layered with an unsettling warmth.
Unease creeping in, Phantylia instinctively looked down. What she saw made her eyes widen in shock.
A small but persistent flame flickered on her right breast. The fire crackled, its heat unmistakable, and—most baffling of all—it carried a mouthwatering scent. Three distinct aromas blended in the air, making her question if her divine body had suddenly been turned into… food.
Yes. Phantylia's chest was on fire.
A Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion, a destroyer feared across the stars—set ablaze. It was something no one would dare imagine. But Pei Guang had done it.
Yet, while he had succeeded, he wasn't exactly in peak condition either.
Keeping the Savory Truefire burning on a being like Phantylia wasn't as simple as setting a match to dry grass. It drained his energy—a constant, gnawing pull on his strength. Against weaker enemies, like the regular Antimatter Legion pawns, the cost was negligible. But against Phantylia, a powerhouse whose very essence pulsed with divine energy, the effort was staggering.
It felt like someone was siphoning away his stamina, bit by bit. His limbs were growing heavy, and his head began to feel light. But Pei Guang? He wasn't the type to back down.
Instead, his eyes glinted with determination, as if the sight of Phantylia sizzling before him was fuel enough to keep him going. He clenched his fists and muttered under his breath, "I have to know. I have to find out what this tastes like when it's cooked through."
Exhaustion? Energy depletion? Those were problems for later. After all, he had prepared in advance. His inventory was stocked with stamina-restoring items—foods and potions he'd crafted during downtime. And with Phantylia stuck in place and lacking any long-range attacks, there was no better chance to exploit her weaknesses.
All he had to do was keep the flames burning and make sure the boss stayed in the oven.