Suddenly, Dongfang Wantang strode forward and grabbed Han Feng's wrist: "Give me a drop of blood."
"Huh?" Before Han Feng could react, his fingertip was cut by the edge of the star chart. A drop of blood fell into the center of the star chart and was immediately absorbed by the ancient runes.
"Wantang?" Liu Mengran approached with concern.
Dongfang Wantang offered no explanation, her hands swiftly forming hand seals. The star chart floated in mid-air, bursting forth with a blinding blue light, illuminating the entire room as if it were underwater. Runes detached from the chart and danced, forming a swirling galaxy around the four of them.
Han Feng felt the power of the stars within him surging uncontrollably, resonating strongly with the star chart. He instinctively tried to pull his hand away, but Dongfang Wantang held it firmly: "Don't move!"
At this moment, Dongfang Wantang was completely different from usual—her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, her lips were bloodless, and her fingers gripping Han Feng were white from the force. The light of the star chart grew brighter and brighter, and the galaxy formed by the runes began to distort, as if it were fighting against some invisible force.
"What is she divining?" Su Wanwan asked Liu Mengran in a low voice. The latter shook her head, her gaze never leaving Dongfang Wantang's trembling figure.
Suddenly, the astrolabe emitted a piercing metallic scraping sound. A crack appeared on the chart, followed by a second, a third...
"No!" Han Feng forcefully broke free from Dongfang Wantang's grasp and caught her as she collapsed. The star chart crashed to the ground, its light instantly extinguished.
Dongfang Wantang gasped for breath in Han Feng's arms, her pupils dilated so much that her irises were almost invisible. Liu Mengran immediately grabbed a towel to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.
Han Feng held Dongfang Wantang in his arms, his hands never stopping. The power of the stars flowed into Dongfang Wantang's body like a gentle stream, and her pale cheeks finally regained a trace of color. Han Feng's palm was placed on her back, and he could clearly feel the heartbeat beneath her thin body gradually calming down from its erratic state.
"If you act recklessly again next time," Han Feng withdrew his energy, his voice stern, "I won't bring you out."
Dongfang Wantang smiled weakly, her fingers still clutching Han Feng's clothes: "I just... wanted to help..."
Liu Mengran handed over warm water, while Su Wanwan picked up the cracked star chart from the ground and painedly wiped it clean: "Wantang, what exactly did you see? How could the backlash be so severe?"
The room suddenly fell silent. Dark clouds had gathered outside the window, blocking out the sunlight and casting a gray filter over the interior. Dongfang Wantang's pupils contracted slightly in the shadows, as if she were seeing those horrifying images again.
"I saw Aya Ikegami..." Her voice was as soft as a feather, "She was standing on the high platform of the Ikegami family's residence, and below her, a crowd of people were kneeling..."
Han Feng frowned: "Isn't it normal for the Chishang family to submit to her?"
"No." Dongfang Wantang shook her head, "There are also people from other families kneeling. I saw their clan crests on their collars. There are several different clan crests, so..."
She suddenly began to tremble violently, and Han Feng immediately grasped her icy hand.
"So what?" Su Wanwan asked impatiently.
"I'm worried their intentions go beyond that," Dongfang Wantang uttered with difficulty. "So many families in R Country have actually bowed down to Chishang Ling... I suspect even the royal family won't escape their grasp."
Liu Mengran gasped. The R country's royal family held a position of paramount importance in R country; if even they were to submit to Ikegami Aya...
"That doesn't make sense," Han Feng pondered. "Even with the support of Mu Xiaoxiao and the Moon Goddess Organization, Chi Shangling couldn't possibly have done it in such a short time..."
"It's not over yet." Dongfang Wantang interrupted him, her voice suddenly becoming sharp, "When I tried to see the shadow behind Chi Shangling clearly... something spotted me."
The room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Su Wanwan unconsciously hugged her arms tighter, while Liu Mengran subconsciously moved closer to Han Feng.
"That power isn't from the Nether Crystal Clan... but its energy intensity is no weaker than theirs." Dongfang Wantang's fingernails dug into Han Feng's palm. "It's like a writhing mass of darkness, with countless faces appearing and disappearing within... then suddenly an eye opens..."
Her pupils dilated again, and her breathing became rapid: "That eye... was as big as the moon, its pupil filled with swirling stars. The moment it looked at me, my soul almost left my body..."
Han Feng suddenly remembered his conversation with Zero. Could it be that, besides the Nether Crystal Clan, other extraterrestrial forces had also begun to make contact with the Blue Star plane?
"And then?" Su Wanwan's voice trembled.
"Then...it laughed." Dongfang Wantang curled up. "That laughter sounded like a million people wailing at the same time...that's when the star chart started to shatter. If Han Feng hadn't severed the connection in time, I might..."
Before he could finish speaking, a bolt of lightning flashed across the window, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. A torrential downpour began, the raindrops pounding against the glass like countless tiny impacts.
"There's someone else behind Aya Ikegami..." Han Feng walked to the window, looking at the world blurred by the rain, "Someone that even Mu Xiaoxiao and the Youjing Clan can't detect yet."
Liu Mengran suddenly remembered something: "Wait, if Chi Shangling already controls so much power, why would she still ally with the Moon Goddess Organization?"
"Two possibilities." Han Feng turned around, his eyes gleaming. "Either her 'master' can't directly intervene; or..."
Another flash of lightning illuminated his solemn face:
"She only came into contact with this new force after she had already been introduced to the Moon Goddess Organization."
After settling the three women in, Han Feng gently closed the door. In the corridor, Chen Feng was already waiting with several Longyuan agents, each with a look of fatigue and seriousness on their faces from their long journey.
"How many families have returned?" Han Feng asked in a low voice.
Chen Feng opened his tablet: "The spies from the Ouyang and Beitang families have finished their reports. The Ximen and Murong families are still on their way; they've chosen to detour by sea and will arrive no later than tomorrow morning."
Han Feng nodded and strode towards the temporary command center. When he pushed open the door, he found more than a dozen representatives from prominent families already seated inside. The hushed conversation abruptly stopped when they saw him.
"The situation." Han Feng walked directly to the holographic projection map and spoke concisely.
The Ouyang family representative—a lean, middle-aged man—was the first to stand up: "I disguised myself as a medicinal herb merchant and went to R country. The Matsui family now controls 70% of the seats in parliament; the remaining 30% have either disappeared or suddenly 'changed their stance.'" He pulled up a secretly recorded video. "Watch this."
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