Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [222]

The unexpected turn of events stunned everyone present—everyone except Dan Heng.

Yanqing strode forward and delivered a fierce kick to Blade, sending the bloodied man flying. His youthful face was fraught with panic.

This is bad… This is so bad… If the General finds out that I not only acted without permission to apprehend a Stellaron Hunter but also caused the death of an innocent bystander… I’m definitely looking at a century-long confinement!

Gritting his teeth, Yanqing glared at Blade, who was struggling to his feet. However, his anger quickly morphed into fear.

Blade’s upper body was riddled with wounds—a stab from Dan Heng’s spear still protruded from his abdomen. Yet, Blade casually pulled the weapon from his gut, stuffing his exposed intestines back into place with unnerving calm.

“This… this is it… hahaha! This is what I’ve been waiting for!”

Within moments, Blade, who moments ago had seemed on the verge of death, began to recover. When he removed his hand from his wound, the gaping injury had completely healed. Only his maniacal laughter remained.

Yanqing, who had been prepared to haul a corpse back to redeem himself, now found himself witnessing Blade’s most terrifying ability—his inhuman regeneration.

That familiar self-healing… that deranged behavior…

“You’re… a Mara-struck?!” Yanqing exclaimed in shock. “Are you one of the Abundant?”

Gripping his sword tightly, Yanqing took a cautious step back. Blade, however, paid no heed to the flying swords aimed at him, striding forward with his arms outstretched and head tilted back, the wind whistling ominously.

“Jing Yuan’s lackey, I’ve been waiting for this moment. The clash between life and death will shatter the chains of my seal. Do you really think I wouldn’t notice those petty tricks they played on me?”

Blade’s voice grew colder as he continued, “Incomplete exile, incomplete atonement… They never completed the handover of power. Those decrepit old fools hate him to the core but dare not let his existence vanish entirely from the Vidyadhara lineage.

“They keep saying, ‘He’s not the same person anymore.’ Do they really think slapping on a new face can erase the past? I am the past, and I’ll make sure no one escapes from it unscathed!”

Yanqing’s hands trembled as blood dripped from the cracks in his palms. For the first time in his life, he felt the cold, terrifying grip of someone else controlling his fate.

Even Dan Heng, whose strength far surpassed Yanqing’s, was struggling against Blade, let alone Yanqing himself, who lacked real combat experience.

Still, Yanqing refused to yield. He had come here not for sport but because he wanted his sword to find its true meaning in battle.

Taking a deep breath, Yanqing steeled himself. He understood that the only way to survive was to fight with everything he had.

More importantly…

Blade was a criminal who had brought untold calamities upon the Xianzhou. Countless Cloud Knights had fallen or been maimed under the influence of the Stellaron or Blade’s own blade. As the General’s disciple, Yanqing felt it was his duty to seek justice for his comrades.

No one can stop me!

But just as Yanqing gathered his resolve for a final stand, Blade casually walked past him. Ignoring Yanqing entirely, Blade set his sights on Dan Heng, who lay motionless on the ground, faint light flickering around him. Blade’s grin only grew wider.

“Kid, I won’t kill you. You were never my target.”

Blade’s gaze burned with fervor as he turned toward Dan Heng, whose body was slowly rising from the ground.

“But before you leave, let me properly reintroduce him to you. This man—this so-called exile—is none other than the one who committed the tenfold crimes, the traitor banished eternally from the Xianzhou, the instigator of the Yinyue Calamity… The Vidyadhara High Elder, Yingyue-jun—Dan Feng!”

“…What?”

Yanqing raised his head and stared at Dan Heng—or rather, the transformed figure floating in midair. His pupils shook with disbelief.

Yingyue-jun…

The Xianzhou’s historical records described Yingyue-jun as a Vidyadhara who committed unspeakable crimes. Greedy for the power of the Abundance, he caused a catastrophic disaster that nearly annihilated the Xianzhou. Ultimately, he was exiled, his horns stripped, his form reincarnated. Banished for eternity, never to return.

This piece of history was etched into the memory of every Xianzhou citizen. Those who had survived the calamity spoke of it with heavy hearts, while those who had not lived through it heard tales from their grandparents, who had witnessed the devastation firsthand.

Yingyue-jun Dan Feng…

His name was forever engraved on the Vidyadhara’s pillar of shame, his crimes reviled by countless Xianzhou families—especially those who had lost loved ones in the disaster.

Yanqing had thought this mission was a simple opportunity to prove his competence by capturing a Stellaron Hunter. He never expected to stumble upon a figure straight out of history—a figure whose reputation was synonymous with infamy.

The historical accounts were concise, yet they painted a vivid picture of the despair that had gripped the Xianzhou during that dark time. Yanqing had often heard tales from his fellow Cloud Knights about the heroes who had sacrificed their lives to defend their homeland during the Yinyue Calamity.

The greatest threat had not come from outside but from within.

In this Stellaron crisis, the internal strife brewing within the Luofu only deepened Yanqing’s hatred for traitors.

Now, before him stood two enemies: one, a Stellaron Hunter conspiring against the Xianzhou; the other, a traitor from the Xianzhou’s darkest history.

As a Cloud Knight, Yanqing refused to flee. A Cloud Knight would rather die than retreat.

Letting the damp mist lash against his face, Yanqing gripped his sword and raised it high, his expression grim.

“Whether you’re Yingyue-jun or a Stellaron Hunter, the Cloud Knights fear no one—”

“Yanqing.”

“…Uncle?”

Before Yanqing could finish his declaration, a calm voice interrupted him. The steady sound of footsteps echoed across the platform, drawing the attention of both Blade and Dan Heng.

Dan Heng stared in stunned silence at the newcomer, clearly not expecting him to appear.

Blade, on the other hand, smirked even wider. In an eerily composed tone, he remarked, “Elio said you’d be useful to me. What will it be? Will you kill me, or…?”

Yanqing’s spirits soared. Though he had never seen his “Uncle” in action, Jing Yuan had often spoken of Chen Lin’s uncanny abilities. With Chen Lin’s help, how could they possibly lose?

“Uncle! Please help me apprehend these two criminals! I’ll be forever in your debt!” Yanqing exclaimed.

Chen Lin, however, looked as if he had a headache. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed.

“Yanqing, Dan Heng is my friend. The Stellaron Hunters are no longer the primary threat, and the bounty on them will soon be irrelevant. In fact, they’ve even helped me on occasion. As long as they don’t cross me, I have no reason to fight them. So no, I’m not here to help you.”

“…What?”

Yanqing was dumbfounded. He had hoped for reinforcements to turn the tide. Instead, his supposed ally was here to sabotage him?!

Chen Lin ignored Yanqing’s confusion and glanced at Dan Heng, who was floating motionless in the air, lotus blossoms beneath his feet.

“You like feeling superior now, huh? Never thought you had this identity hidden up your sleeve. Honestly, when you got stabbed earlier, I panicked a bit. Turns out, that stab uncovered quite the secret.”

“I… It’s not like that,” Dan Heng muttered as he descended, the lotus beneath him dispersing. He landed beside Chen Lin, his usually aloof expression tinged with guilt.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Chen Lin interrupted, rubbing his temples. “No wonder you were so worried about me getting mad. This whole thing was a setup, wasn’t it?”

The tension thickened as the group remained locked in a stalemate. Blade, leaning on his sword, glanced between the three of them with his usual air of detached amusement.

“Let’s go find the others,” Chen Lin said, patting Dan Heng’s shoulder. Then, with a smirk, he added, “And hope March doesn’t think you’ve turned into a delicate maiden.”

Dan Heng: “…”

The trio began to walk away, stepping over damp stones and withered roots as they moved toward their next destination. As they passed by a gnarled, waterlogged tree, a voice suddenly rang out behind them.

“Hold it right there…”

All three stopped in their tracks. Dan Heng turned slightly, but Chen Lin didn’t bother looking back, a sly grin creeping onto his face.

“Worried about punishment when you get back, huh?” Chen Lin’s voice was calm, but the underlying sharpness was impossible to miss. “Recklessness comes at a price, Yanqing. That’s part of growing up.”

His grin remained plastered on his face, but Dan Heng could only shake his head in disbelief. How could someone sound so cold and detached while clearly enjoying himself?

Yanqing’s flying swords returned to hover protectively around him. A frosty aura enveloped the platform, and his eyes burned with defiance as he glared at Chen Lin’s back.

“The General trusted you, and yet here you are, protecting a criminal and a traitor! You’ve betrayed that trust! I swear, none of you will leave here alive!”

Six gleaming swords surrounded the platform, spinning in a slow, menacing orbit. Their sharp edges reflected the dim, misty light, a silent threat to anyone who dared to step out of bounds.

Chen Lin sighed heavily, as if burdened by an unspoken responsibility. He glanced at Dan Heng.

“Dan Heng.”

“…What is it?”

“Have you ever met someone who announces their moves before starting a fight?”

Dan Heng paused, then shook his head. “No. Not even March would do something like that.”

---

This is a fan translation of 在星穹铁道点群星科技树真的没问题吗? by 杏雨诗韵 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!