"General Yao Guang! We're under attack! Before us, the Abundance army has gathered in unprecedented numbers! Requesting backup! We need immediate support!"
In the communication feed from the Xianzhou Fanghu, the background was filled with endless silhouettes—countless Abominations of Abundance swarming like a tide of ants.
Yao Guang, watching the communication feed, gasped sharply at the sight of such an overwhelming number of abominations.
From what they had learned, the goal of this large-scale invasion by the Abominations of Abundance was the Plaguemark within the Xianzhou Fanghu, the Miniature Myriads.
Clearly, all these abominations, as always, had never given up on spreading the plague of Abundance.
"Master Diviner Jingtian, the situation is dire! Please, divine the outcome of this war—we... we need a sliver of hope..."
Inside the Seat of Seiche Queller in the Xianzhou Fanghu, the High Elder of the Vidyadhara known as Glaciator Marum spoke anxiously, her icy yet weary countenance betraying her composure.
Upon hearing her words, Jingtian's expression grew so grave it seemed water could drip from it.
He took a deep breath, formed a sign with his hands, and soon, a mysterious formation began to glow around him.
In the next second, the jade abacus linked to the Deca-Light Reflection Barrier Matrix in the Xianzhou Yuque activated at full capacity—its intricate structure controlled remotely.
Light and shadow within the formation twisted and flickered like stars in the void—until finally, the vision froze on a blinding crimson glow and a shattered divination pattern.
As everyone waited for Jingtian's divination result, absolute silence fell upon the hall—it was so silent that even a falling pin would have echoed clearly.
"Less than... ten percent..."
Jingtian slowly opened his eyes, a bitter smile twisting his lips—one that looked far worse than crying.
""Hiss...""
Glaciator Marum and Xuanquan both gasped in disbelief.
Less than ten percent?
How was that any different from a death sentence?
Upon hearing Jingtian's divination result, the vidyadhara elders in the room turned ashen—some even staggered on their feet.
A wave of despair, cold as the tide, instantly swept through the entire room.
"Less than ten percent...?" Glaciator Marum's gaze turned frigid. "Divination is never absolute. Even if there's a mere 0.2 percent chance of victory, we must seize it."
"Yes! Even if this is half-cooked rice, we'll eat it no matter how hard it is to swallow!" Xuanquan followed firmly.
Like Glaciator Marum, Arbiter-General Xuanquan was also a beautiful female vidyadhara with majestic horns curling atop her head.
Glaciator Marum, the Vidyadhara High Elder of the Xianzhou Fanghu.
Xuanquan, the Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Fanghu.
Both were unmatched beauties among vidyadhara, and both were renowned for their martial might—yet even so, the result predicted by Jingtian would still be a crushing defeat.
"Our vidyadhara can no longer withstand such massive losses..."
As one of the vidyadhara elders spoke, the rest of the elders lamented bitterly.
"High Elder, General, Master Diviner, what should we do? Is the Fanghu truly doomed today...?"
"Stop panicking!"
Jingtian's sudden bark snapped through the tension.
Now, the usually relaxed and easy-going Master Diviner stood straight-backed, his 'calm, even if the sky falls, someone taller will hold it up' attitude returning to his face—and even carrying a strange hint of excitement.
*Pa!*
Jingtian slapped his thigh hard, the sound of his wooden arm striking his leg echoing sharply.
"Less than ten percent? So what? Less than ten percent is still hope! Besides, who said we only have less than ten percent?"
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but get confused.
Wasn't it he who said that?
Jingtian looked around at the group of horned vidyadhara staring at him in confusion and despair, then lowered his voice mysteriously, as if revealing some great secret.
"Everyone, don't panic... In a situation this desperate, conventional methods won't work—but thankfully, our Yuque has a cheat!"
"Cheat?" Glaciator Marum blinked her eyes in bewilderment. "What cheat? A divine weapon? Or some ancient formation? Perhaps an army of hidden warriors?"
"No, no, none of that!" Jingtian waved his hand proudly, his face glowing with the confidence of someone who had just discovered a treasure. "It's a literal cheat! A secret cheat that can defy fate itself! You get it?"
Seeing everyone's blank faces, he gave up on subtlety.
"In desperate times like these, we can only use that cheat! General Yao Guang, quickly—call the Celestial Master!"
""Celestial Master?""
Everyone in the room looked even more confused.
It couldn't be helped.
Given that the Xianzhou Fanghu was quite isolated from the outside world compared to the other Xianzhou ships, it was understandable for them not to be well-informed about the recent rise of the Xianzhou Yuque's Celestial Master.
Yao Guang, on the other hand, immediately caught on, her eyes lighting up with sudden realization.
"Yes! Jingtian's right! Whether the Fanghu survives depends on whether he can shoulder this immense karmic weight."
===
At the same time, in the endless sea of stars surrounding the Xianzhou Fanghu, a vast army composed of borisin mechabeasts, wingweaver flocks that blotted out the sea of stars, and countless grotesque abominations swollen and twisted by the blessing of Abundance advanced slowly, like a swarm of cosmic locusts closing in on the jade-like world of the Fanghu.
*Clink-Clink-Clink—*
On the leading and biggest mechabeast, a Borisin Brood Lord tapped his clawed, bone-spiked fingers against the armrest of his metallic throne, producing an ear-piercing screech.
"Did they wait for reinforcements? Hah! A drop in the ocean! Before the might of our army, they're nothing more than extra meat for the feast!"
Seeing the Xianzhou Fanghu still silent and unmoving, the Brood Lord spoke with a voracious glee.
"Let's crush them! Let the divine light of the Abundance bathe the entire Fanghu!"
As soon as these words fell, a feverish air of triumph and plunder filled the Abundance army.
Engines roared.
Abominations shrieked.
Energy cannons on every mechabeast began to charge, aiming directly at the fragile barrier surrounding the Xianzhou Fanghu.
All the abominations could already envision the Xianzhou Fanghu engulfed in flames, the Miniature Myriads theirs for the taking.
Given that not only was this a surprise attack, but their numbers also exceeded the enemy's by more than tenfold, how could they possibly lose?
===
At the same time, inside the Xianzhou Yuque's highest-level strategic conference room within the Seat of Seer Strategist, the atmosphere was so heavy it could be wrung like a wet cloth.
Yao Guang's floating jade abacus, several captains of the Cloud Knights, and the encrypted projections of Jingtian, Glaciator Marum, Xuanquan, and their vidyadhara elders all had their eyes fixed on one spot in the room.
At that spot, Lucian sat casually, long-legged and relaxed, looking utterly out of place among the solemn officials in armor and formal robes.
Beside him, Fu Xuan tried her best to keep a straight face, forcing herself to appear serious, yet her eyes gleamed with uncontainable pride, as if silently proclaiming: 'My master is the best!'
*Cough!*
Suddenly, the floating jade abacus of Yao Guang let out a heavy cough, breaking the silence.
"Celestial Master, the situation is urgent, and the Abundance army we face this time is overwhelmingly numerous."
"Master Diviner Jingtian and I have calculated... and the odds of victory are less than ten percent."
"Celestial Master, this is the moment that decides the Fanghu's survival! We need you to act—to defy fate itself! We don't ask for a glorious triumph, only to hold the Fanghu, to force a draw, or even... a small victory would suffice!"
Yao Guang's voice carried a weighty plea—it sounded like that of a young woman, similar to Fu Xuan's, yet Lucian had never seen her before.
It couldn't be helped.
Yao Guang was someone who never showed herself to the public.
It was strange—after dealing with the Xianzhou Alliance for so long, he had never once met her.
What a cautious general.
"Yes, Celestial Master! As long as the foundation of the Fanghu can be preserved, we vidyadhara will remember your great kindness for generations!" Xuanquan's projection bowed deeply, lowering herself with utmost respect.
Pride?
She wasn't stupid, nor was she one of those prideful types.
If even Yao Guang and Jingtian revered this so-called Celestial Master so much, then there was no doubt about his capability.
Everyone held their breath, gazes burning on Lucian as they realized that he was the one fragile straw that could overturn despair.
"A draw? A small victory? Let's aim higher." Lucian said with a calm smile before patting Fu Xuan's shoulder. "Hey, Little Xuan, what do you think? Can I turn this war into a grand victory?"
Fu Xuan glanced at the sheer number of abominations in the communication feed, then looked again at her calm and composed master.
No matter what she thought, reason and logic told her victory was impossible—let alone a grand victory.
It was only natural.
In a war of such scale, even if the enemy threw their lives away to pile on, they could easily drown the Xianzhou army with their sheer number alone.
How could a grand victory be possible?
Yet her heart made her believe in her master.
"Yes." Fu Xuan nodded, answering with a solemn expression. "If you say you can, then I believe you can."
Hearing this answer, Lucian nodded back, then spoke up.
"In that case, let's make it a grand victory."
*Snap!*
Lucian snapped his fingers, a faint grin spreading across his face—the kind Fu Xuan knew all too well.
It was the expression that said: 'I'm about to stop playing fair.'
In truth, even if Sham Diviner failed, Lucian alone could annihilate the Abundance army by his own hand. After all, last time, in Feixiao's script, he had wiped out an entire Abundance army by throwing ten planets.
Lucian closed his eyes, then activated Sham Diviner.
In the next moment, the divination result came—an inevitable defeat.
However, since the result was wrong, this war could not possibly be a defeat.
Before long, an invisible ripple swept through the conference room, making Yao Guang feel her heart skip a beat, sensing that something fated had been forcibly broken.
"Everyone, prepare to witness a grand victory."
Lucian's light remark fell like a talisman of reassurance, calming everyone present, who could only pray that he truly possessed the power to defy fate itself.
At the same time, they couldn't help but wonder—in this dire situation, what on earth could possibly lead to a grand victory?
Unless the Reignbow Arbiter THEMSELF suddenly fired THEIR arrow right into the middle of the Abundance army, they couldn't think of any other possibilities that could lead to such a grand victory.
===
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