The converging powers illuminated the Antimatter Legion's final moments. With the fall of an Aeon and the subsequent severe weakening of the participating Lord Ravagers, this fierce battle finally drew to a close.
Jing Yuan, Feixiao, and the others who had fought valiantly amidst the stars now collapsed onto the deck of a warship, looking utterly exhausted and disheveled.
It was unavoidable.
After all, no matter how great the advantage, they had ultimately engaged in a grueling battle against two Lord Ravagers. After such strenuous combat, unless one possessed the near-infinite stamina of an Abundance-aligned Emanator like Shuhu, even Xianzhou natives and Foxians, blessed with longevity, couldn't ignore the cumulative fatigue.
Mentally and physically, they had all reached their limits.
"Hmm, looks like the fighting here is over too. Hope I didn't come back too late?"
"Heave-ho~"
A cheerful, lighthearted voice echoed through the air. Looking up, they saw the brown-haired girl in blue clothes approaching leisurely, riding atop a massive Celestial Jade tile. She hopped off lightly, surveyed the assembled individuals with a discerning gaze, and smiled:
"Thank you for your hard work, Generals~ It's wonderful that everyone is alright."
"Qingque…"
Seeing [Qingque] appear, Jing Yuan instantly felt a wave of relief. Although the notion that [Qingque] had seemingly swatted Nanook away felt somewhat… surreal, he had been genuinely worried about his favored successor after she vanished alongside the Aeon.
However, with that worry alleviated, his mind immediately returned to the earth-shattering events he had witnessed earlier.
"Just now… The Blemished One…"
"Oh, THEM? THEY'S dead."
"…?"
Jing Yuan, who had intended to ask for details about the earlier confrontation, along with Huaiyan and Feixiao who were equally curious, felt their brains short-circuit upon hearing her words.
What did she just say?
"…The Blemished One… is dead?" Feixiao swallowed hard, her face etched with disbelief.
"Yep."
Recalling the recent spectacle, staring at the girl who had just casually uttered such profoundly shocking words, an utterly absurd thought flickered through Feixiao's mind. Could it be…
"Why the long faces… Hmm, right, THEY is an Aeon. Seeing an Aeon die is pretty rare, I guess." The girl looked puzzled, then nodded in understanding. "But Aeons, when it comes down to it, aren't that different. When their time comes, they die just like mortals."
Feixiao and Huaiyan exchanged glances… Just as we thought.
"…Wait, you guys don't actually think I did it, do you?" [Qingque] looked slightly alarmed, then retorted defensively, "I'm just an ordinary Xianzhou citizen! I don't have THEIR kind of power."
"It was the Amber Lord and the Reignbow Arbiter… You guys probably heard them, right? They made quite a ruckus. The whole universe probably saw and heard it."
"I saw it with my own eyes… If you don't believe me, hmm, I have proof!" [She] fumbled around for a moment, then pulled out a shimmering Light Cone seemingly from nowhere and tossed it to them.
"A Light Cone from the Garden of Recollection?!"
"Err… sort of, but this one's firsthand, fresh off the press!"
The next moment, everyone present witnessed the final moments of an Aeon.
The Amber Lord's great hammer and the Reignbow Arbiter's light arrow intertwined, ultimately dismantling Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction.
Because it was recorded by the Light Cone, the grand spectacle unfolded at nearly full speed, even containing residual echoes of the Aeons' overwhelming pressure.
"This Light Cone…!"
Feeling the desolate finality of an Aeon's fall, sensing the reality-tearing sharpness of Lan's arrow and the crushing weight of Qlipoth's hammer, everyone present found it difficult to breathe for a moment.
Light Cones were a unique technology of the Garden of Recollection. Though precious, some eventually circulated on the market after their collaboration with the IPC.
As experienced Xianzhou Generals, they had certainly encountered Light Cones before.
But… this one, both its content and the sheer presence it exuded… was undoubtedly a treasure destined for permanent archival within the Garden, never meant for external circulation.
Furthermore, to create a Light Cone of this magnitude, capable of replicating even the oppressive aura of Aeons… likely only an Emanator-level Memokeeper could achieve such a feat.
Both Jing Yuan, and Diamond representing the IPC and Glamoth reinforcements, thought this with certainty.
Of course, the Light Cone's existence wasn't as important as the meaning it held.
The fall of an Aeon…
It wasn't just hearsay. Although Jing Yuan, Huaiyan, and Feixiao, despite their disbelief, wouldn't have suspected [Qingque] of lying about something so monumental – there was simply no reason to – seeing this irrefutable proof with their own eyes still left them struggling to process it.
"No wonder Iron Tomb and Celenova's power diminished so drastically."
"This old man initially thought they were simply exhausted, never imagining… it was a chain reaction caused by The Blemished One's fall." Huaiyan stroked his white beard, understanding dawning, filled with emotion.
As one of the oldest surviving individuals on the Xianzhou, Huaiyan considered himself well-versed in the wonders and terrors of the universe, having witnessed much in his long life. Yet, to witness the fall of an Aeon in his twilight years, even an enemy of the Xianzhou… it was profoundly shocking.
"Wait, if that's the case… during the battle with the Lord Ravagers, our own power also fluctuated…" Feixiao recalled something, her expression turning subtle, tense.
Jing Yuan and Huaiyan's faces changed as well.
If fluctuations and weakening within a Path signified the fall of its Aeon… then the tremors they, as Emanators of the Hunt, also felt…
Could it be…
"Oh, no, no, nothing like that~" Seeing their worried expressions, [Qingque] waved her hand dismissively. "If the Reignbow Arbiter had fought The Blemished One alone, maybe something unexpected might have happened. But the Amber Lord was there too, wasn't THEY…"
"However, to minimize the collateral damage from the Divine War, both of them really pushed themselves to the limit. The tremors you felt were probably because of that."
Just as Nanook's fall affected the Lord Ravagers.
An Aeon being severely wounded inherently meant their corresponding Path was also impacted.
If they had fought cautiously, Lan and Qlipoth, with their combined strength, could likely have defeated Nanook with minor injuries after several Amber Eras.
But the consequence would have been the devastation of the entire surrounding cosmos.
The Xianzhou, which Lan sought to protect, would have been the first to go. Qlipoth's painstaking constructions over countless Amber Eras would have been reduced to dust. Nanook wouldn't have cared about collateral damage, just as THEY desperately tore open the crystal wall to lure Oroboros before THEIR demise.
If things had unfolded that way, the cosmic horrors the Amber Lord constantly walled off would likely have poured in, causing a chain reaction affecting the Path of Preservation itself.
Given these concerns, the two Aeons drastically shortened the duration of the war to a timeframe almost unimaginable for Aeons.
And the price…
After eliminating Nanook and crippling the Path of Destruction.
Preservation and Hunt, having employed near 'self-destruct' levels of power against Destruction, naturally didn't emerge unscathed.
The former, the Amber Lord, had accumulated vast reserves over eons and could endure it, even having enough energy left to repair the wall and potentially swat a certain meddlesome pest afterwards.
But the latter… Lan, an Aeon whose Path was relatively narrow and who had ascended relatively recently, lacked such deep reserves.
"Wait… who is that on your shoulder…?" Jing Yuan suddenly noticed the figure slung over [Qingque]'s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His expression froze.
"Oh, THEM? Hmm, overexerted THEMSELF, got pretty banged up too. It probably wouldn't matter if I just left THEM floating around, but letting THEM drift in space seemed kinda rude, so I carried HIM back."
"…Hmm… As for a name, you can just call THEM Wheelchair. THEY doesn't care about stuff like that anyway."
"…"
Seeing the girl's utterly casual attitude, Jing Yuan, Huaiyan, and Feixiao – three Arbiter-Generals of the Xianzhou Alliance – felt the unmistakable blessing of the Reignbow Arbiter connecting them to the [man] slumped over her shoulder. Their minds went blank, and a cold sweat broke out despite the vacuum.
Subconsciously, Jing Yuan recalled the scene from over a decade ago during the battle against Tunari, the Domain Corruptor.
That day, [she] had also carried someone – back then, it was Feixiao.
But the person she called immediately afterwards…
"Qingque, you—"
Just as Feixiao was about to voice her incredulous thoughts, she felt Jing Yuan nudge her elbow. She glanced sideways, puzzled, but noticing the subtle expressions on Huaiyan and Jing Yuan's faces, understanding seemed to dawn.
She instantly clamped her mouth shut.
"Alright, the eastern front should be secure now… Hmm, if there's nothing else, I'll go check on the western front."
"Also, General Jing Yuan."
"This is the last chance. Aren't you going to say goodbye to your companions?" [Qingque] reminded Jing Yuan with a knowing smile.
The latter instantly remembered something, his face paling slightly. He seemed agitated, losing his usual calm demeanor as the Divine Foresight General.
"Elder Yan, I leave this to you!"
"Hoho… Leave it to this old man. Go on, don't worry." Huaiyan smiled and waved him off.
Having joined the battle later, and not being a warrior by trade like Jing Yuan or Feixiao, he had primarily played a supporting role. His current condition was far better than theirs.
With his immediate duties resolved, under Huaiyan's watchful eye, Jing Yuan anxiously began searching for traces of his former companions.
However, he found nothing.
As the war against the Legion concluded, Jingliu and Blade had vanished without a trace.
The result left him disheartened.
Have they left already?
Ignoring his exhaustion, Jing Yuan seemed to recall something. Boarding a starskiff, he quickly returned to the Xianzhou Luofu.
When he saw that a new mark, a familiar one, had appeared near the ancient sea of Scalegorge Waterscape, the answer in his heart was instantly confirmed.
"You're still as slow as ever."
"Just like back then."
A cold, male voice sounded beside him, carrying a hint of deadly stillness.
Looking over, he saw Blade.
"Don't say that, Yingxing. Jing Yuan has his responsibilities, doesn't he?"
A bright, lively female voice chimed in from a starskiff parked near the ancient Vidyadhara site, by the Grand Cleansing Pillar Remnant. Though lacking the familiar fox ears, replaced now by the dragon horns of the High Elder, the underlying essence of Baiheng was unmistakable.
"He should be punished."
The blindfolded, blue-haired woman – his former master, Jingliu – stated coolly.
And the last figure, Dan Feng, sat on the stone steps nearby, saying nothing, only answering with the familiar, soothing Vidyadhara Cloudhymn that flowed with the waters of the ancient sea, capable of mending wounds both physical and spiritual.
Just like seven hundred years ago.
Looking at this dreamlike scene, Jing Yuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"I'm sorry… Baiheng." Dan Feng finally spoke, breaking the harmonious atmosphere, causing a subtle shift among the five, seemingly reunited companions.
Or rather, between two of them.
"Colluding with Yingxing to commit such boundless evil, Dan Feng… is that all you have to say?" Jingliu's voice was low, spectral.
"…We both deserved death! But I don't understand, why did it have to be Baiheng who left us!" Blade grew agitated, his voice thick with fury.
The pain of the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae remained vivid even now.
If Baiheng's death was the final straw for Dan Feng, pushing him towards his actions alongside the constant sacrifices of the Vidyadhara.
Then for Yingxing, it was simply the raw, unacceptable reality of Baiheng's death.
Some died too early, some died too late… some hadn't died even yet.
This resentment hadn't faded with time; instead, it had festered, growing deeper.
"…" Jing Yuan remained silent.
In truth, he understood the divergence between his former companions all too well. And he, Jing Yuan, was precisely the one caught in the fissure between them.
He understood the reasons behind Dan Feng and Yingxing's actions… even subconsciously agreed with them on some level. Baiheng's death was equally difficult for him to accept. Yet, he also understood and sympathized with his master Jingliu's righteous anger.
Blade's accusation, 'You knew everything, yet did nothing,' was the most stinging indictment of his conflicted self.
And having become the General of the Luofu, bound by the edicts of the Ten Lords, he could no longer offer any defense.
The Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae was like a thorn, deeply embedded in the hearts of the former High-Cloud Quintet, turning them against each other, leaving wounds that refused to heal.
Normally, the only outcome would be a bitter parting.
After all, the chasm between them was already too wide to bridge.
However…
Now, things were different.
"Honestly, saying such things in front of me… Blade, Dan Feng, and Jingliu, you three are being quite mean, you know."
"No! I… It was them!" Baiheng's words were like a pebble dropped into still water, shattering the walls between the four. Jingliu, moments ago cold and detached, instantly retorted defensively, "You know what those two did!"
In that moment, Jingliu seemed nothing like the aloof former Sword Champion or the Xianzhou fugitive, but more like a young girl arguing her case.
"Yes, of course, I know."
"After all, I saw everything."
"That's why I'm so sad."
"We were all once so close, yet because I left, things became like this…"
"Perhaps… the one who should be saying sorry… is me."
"How could it possibly be your fault! It was them!" Jingliu exclaimed angrily. Blade, too, seemed about to shout something, but meeting the girl's steady gaze, his voice instantly dwindled, losing all its force:
"It was my fault, and Imbibitor Lunae's! It had nothing to do with you…"
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have become like this, would you?" Baiheng smiled, a touch of helpless self-deprecation in her tone.
It was an undeniable point.
Perhaps even without Baiheng, Dan Feng, the Imbibitor Lunae, might still have eventually touched upon the forbidden draconic transformation due to the Vidyadhara's plight.
But he wouldn't have sought out the flesh of Shuhu, the Abomination of Abundance.
If not for Baiheng, Yingxing would have become a legendary craftsman of the Alliance, not a tortured soul living a cursed existence.
If not for Baiheng, Jingliu wouldn't have, consumed by grief, personally slain the draconic abomination her dear friend had become, falling into the clutches of mara herself.
The tragic end of the High-Cloud Quintet, ultimately, stemmed from their shared obsession with Baiheng, their shining beacon.
Their inability to accept her departure twisted everything into an utter tragedy.
Dan Feng spoke quietly, "...We have never regretted knowing you."
"Yes, me neither."
"Meeting all of you was the greatest fortune of Baiheng's life."
"But… the past is gone. What happened can ultimately never be changed."
"I can no longer accompany you. To be able to see everyone like this again, borrowing this child's body, is more than I could have ever dreamed of."
"…I can ask 'her'!" Blade, understanding somewhat how the Baiheng before them came to be, struggled, just like seven hundred years ago, unable to accept Baiheng leaving them once more.
"No, don't do that, Yingxing." But Baiheng simply smiled and shook her head, gently touching her chest, speaking earnestly, "This is my own decision."
"The future belongs to this child. And I… belong to the past."
"Don't cling to me anymore, Yingxing, Jingliu. This is my final request to you."
"Let those who belong to the past, remain in the past."
"…"
Dan Feng sighed softly, "Yes… Let those who belong to the past, remain in the past."
The Cloudhymn flowed, melancholic yet serene.
Jingliu and Blade stood still, silent.
Baiheng took out something someone had left for her – Dreamjoy Brew, supposedly from Penacony, the City of Dreams.
"Let's have one last drink together."
Without hesitation, the other four gathered around.
With the clear chime of glasses touching, the sweet Dreamjoy Brew brought forth waves of memories from days gone by.
Their first meeting, the bloody battle against Shuhu, their final parting, and now, this reunion – everything vivid, clear as day.
"Farewell forever, Jingliu, Yingxing, Jing Yuan, and… Dan Feng. My dearest companions."