Huangquan was feeling pretty miserable right now. Earlier that morning, Wei Yi had invited her to watch the Martial Exaltation Ritual. She'd agreed, and since there was still plenty of time, she decided to wander around and check out other places first.
While walking down the street, her scabbard accidentally bumped into a man who called himself Scott. After he started yelling for compensation, she "communicated" with him in a friendly way until he calmed down. After that, she ran into Black Swan, and at Black Swan's invitation, they shared a cup of coffee.
Before leaving, Black Swan was still a little worried. What if Huangquan got lost? She even offered to escort her straight to the Zhuofeng flagship.
But Huangquan refused.
She was very confident she absolutely wouldn't get lost.
Seeing her so sure of herself, Black Swan nodded too. After all, if you just looked up, the Zhuofeng flagship was right there in the distance. Getting lost should be impossible, right?
And then… and then Huangquan kept walking and noticed a little alley to the side that seemed to have something interesting in it. Out of curiosity she went in to take a look, casually took out a few soldiers along the way, and then… she stared at the maze of tiny side paths around her and fell into deep thought.
Where had she come from again?
Huangquan had a strange sort of stubbornness about this.
Black Swan had just been afraid she might get lost. Come on—she was this strong. How could she possibly get lost?
She wanted to ask for directions, but the Borisin only seemed to know how to bark like dogs and couldn't communicate at all. With no choice, Huangquan simply "patched up" those guys on the spot.
Just as she was getting confused, specks of starlight gathered beside her. A noble, elegant figure in purple appeared at her side.
After seeing Huangquan, Black Swan didn't speak right away—she only looked at her with a faintly amused smile.
"Beautiful ranger… you don't seem able to live without me."
"It's just a coincidence." Huangquan went silent for a moment and answered a bit blankly, as if trying to save face.
"Then here's the question—why didn't you jump onto a rooftop to get a look at your surroundings? One light leap and you could've seen the Zhuofeng flagship in the distance."
Black Swan tilted her head, genuinely curious.
Huangquan's reply was pure silence.
For a moment they just stared at each other. Usually, Huangquan's eyes showed no emotion at all—quiet, a little wooden.
But this time, Black Swan clearly saw a flicker of realization.
Huangquan: Wait, you can do that? That's amazing!
Yeah, it was basically that.
"My fault. I shouldn't have split up with you."
Seeing Huangquan's dazed expression, Black Swan sighed softly.
"Is everything over over there?" Huangquan asked curiously.
"Mm. It's finished. And I collected a precious memory."
As Black Swan spoke, her slender fingers—covered by a gauzy glove—turned, and a card appeared between them.
On it, Wei Yi wore a look of boundless compassion. Behind him, a colossal phantom encircled a planet—half steeped in dead silence, half granting new life.
"So he's already reached that step…" Huangquan looked at the image inside the light-cone and nodded as if it made perfect sense.
"Exactly. Even I was shocked when I saw it. It's as if he was born to walk the Path of Abundance."
Black Swan gazed at the light-cone with open admiration.
Meanwhile, the livestream had ended, but the atmosphere in the stream only grew hotter. People straight-up treated the channel like a chatroom and argued excitedly.
For ordinary folks, even seeing a Pathstrider was rare—never mind an Emanator. Pathstriders looked numerous, but on a universal scale they were still only a tiny handful.
And today, what had they witnessed?
They'd seen the birth of a new Sword Champion—one of the Xianzhou Alliance's peak combat powers—and a spectacular scene where a single sword strike cut a planet from the heavens.
Jingliu's one slash alone was unforgettable to many viewers for the rest of their lives. Then Feixiao showed up and shattered their entire worldview.
So humans could really do things like this?
A sword that cleaves a planet was outrageous, sure—but plenty of fantasy stories had scenes like that.
But Feixiao? She'd punched space-time itself to pieces. That was only the aftershock, yet no ordinary person could even begin to imagine what the punch's true power looked like.
They'd thought Jingliu was already invincible under heaven… and then an even greater monster appeared.
That was basically the mood.
"My god, my god, that was too cool! Now I get why the internet called the Sky-Strike General the Great Triumph General. With a commander like her, how could you not win? I literally can't imagine who could beat her."
"She's so cool—and so beautiful! The woman among women, the alpha among females! A born commander, the unbeatable Sky-Strike General!"
"Forget Great Triumph General—call her the One-Punch General. I seriously can't picture anyone surviving her full-power punch."
"Normally, if I were there, I'd say 'insane' and 'invincible,' but since this is the internet, all I can say is: still needs more practice."
"Yeah, just so-so. I ran into a strong opponent yesterday. To avoid harming countless beings, I fought them out at the edge of the universe and even wiped out an Aeon."
"Is everyone only watching the Sky-Strike General? What about the man beside her—that's Zhonggu, right? I can't even imagine how Zhonggu managed to marry her."
"You don't know? They met in a war five years ago. Back then they were enemies on the battlefield, but when the Sky-Strike General fought, it was obviously a huge victory. She beat Zhonggu back again and again, and in the end he got crushed. But she thought he looked decent, so she locked him in a dark room and 'worked' him day and night until he learned proper wifely virtue, then finally let him out!"
"I swear you're a fake historian."
"Hey, don't say that—could be true!"
"And did you notice? At the final alliance-announcement, Marshal Hua—the legendary commander of the Xianzhou Alliance—showed up too. She said they'd go after anyone who schemed against Zhonggu back then. Ha, some people are gonna lose sleep tonight!"
"But doesn't this mean Zhonggu is basically living off the Xianzhou Alliance? Otherwise why would they treat him this well?"
"I get it. He must've served the Sky-Strike General really well."
"Clearly the Sky-Strike General keeps Zhonggu locked up and drains him day and night!"
"By the way—did you catch something earlier? The stream cut out for a bit. During that gap, Zhonggu seemed to be doing something. What was that about?"
"No idea. Also… where did the vivified planet's corpse go? After the stream came back, it was just gone."
"No clue. Probably got punched into dust by the Sky-Strike General."
"Maybe. Thank god the Xianzhou Alliance doesn't invade other civilizations. If they did… I don't even want to imagine how scary that would be."
—
The uproar across the universe didn't affect Wei Yi and the others at all. At that moment, Wei Yi, Feixiao, and the rest returned to their room.
They still had work to do.
In the next instant, they arrived above Fusu's vivified planet—Devourer-of-Worlds Rahu.
No. Even though Wei Yi had fully revived this planet, it had already become something different from the old Rahu.
While reviving it, he also made some adjustments. Now the planet constantly radiated the glow of life, like a sun that never dimmed.
Put plainly: live on this planet and you'd immediately gain longevity. Even if you didn't become a true long-lived species, a normal person with a hundred-year lifespan could probably reach about one hundred and fifty.
As for Rahu's original will, Wei Yi wiped it out completely when he revived the planet. Now, across this world of blooming flowers and forests, living beings slept everywhere.
"I was going to let them rest for good, but since I could save them… I helped them one more time."
Wei Yi said this to Hua and Feixiao beside him.
"I didn't expect you could do even this much. I underestimated you."
Hua looked at Wei Yi with a complicated expression.
She'd already considered him important enough—yet his growth was still frighteningly fast.
Before, when she proposed an alliance between Wei Yi as an individual and the Xianzhou Alliance, what she valued most was the symbolic meaning of his identity. In raw strength alone, even an Emanator wasn't enough to make the whole Alliance tilt toward him… even if he was Feixiao's husband.
But now it was different.
A throne-level existence was welcome as an honored guest in any power. And this throne was on the Path of Abundance—yet not a madman like Shuhu, but a true saint in the broad, universal sense.
Honestly speaking, if Wei Yi wanted to, he could already remodel every Xianzhou person's constitution right now, making it so they'd never again be troubled by mara-struck corruption.
But if he really did that, the universe would eventually fall into chaos. After all, the Xianzhou had lived through that script once already.
"When I blessed them, I softened their memories of the millennium of torment they endured. I didn't erase anything—I just made it so recalling it wouldn't hurt as much. This planet will be their new home. I can't restore the Cangcheng Xianzhou ship, but with my changes, this planet is now a roaming world as well. It can sail the cosmos just like the Xianzhou. Only… calling it Cangcheng no longer fits. Let's call it Cangxing."
Wei Yi rubbed his chin, studying the planet.
Still, a planet's own will wouldn't form quickly. Even after Wei Yi enlightened it, that remained true.
The stronger the lifeform, the harder it was for consciousness to be born. For this world to develop its own will, it might take a very, very long time.
So Wei Yi planned a shortcut.
He would transplant Kazami Yuuka here—let her take root, then spread across the entire planet.
The benefits were obvious: Yuuka would be massively strengthened at once. From then on, she would become the planet's natural will, inheriting all its authority. And because she was nurtured by Wei Yi himself, there was no risk of her losing control.
Even more importantly, she could normally take on a physical form or choose to sleep; but if the planet ever faced danger, she could borrow the world's power to drive enemies away.
That would make her a true embodiment of nature—the lord of flowers through all four seasons.
When Wei Yi had first given her that name, he'd only been half-joking. Now it looked like she might surpass even the original. The rest, he'd leave to time and fate.
"Thank you. The Xianzhou will never forget your grace."
Looking at this brand-new world, even Hua couldn't help but feel stirred.
For years she had blamed herself. If she'd noticed earlier back then, perhaps Cangcheng wouldn't have fallen.
That was why she chose to bring Jingliu back and open the Sword Champion selection.
From beginning to end, Hua had carried a quiet guilt toward Cangcheng's people, even though none of it had been her fault.
As Marshal, if her leadership failed to guide the Xianzhou into the future, then in Hua's eyes it was already a grave dereliction.
Now Wei Yi had redeemed Cangcheng's survivors.
And wasn't that also redemption for Hua herself?
Just then, Jingliu descended slowly from the sky.
"Don't dwell on it. When Cangcheng fell, not everyone was swallowed by the vivified planet—some died completely. For those people, I can't bring them back."
Wei Yi shook his head.
"I know, Doctor." Jingliu nodded softly. "I just tried to look. But maybe dying back then wasn't the worst fate. These people may have been given life again a thousand years later… but the suffering they endured over that millennium was too cruel."
Jingliu looked at the sleeping people, her eyes complicated.
She had just searched for her family from back then, but she hadn't found them.
Alongside regret, there was also relief.
Even with Wei Yi's help, the people of this planet still had a long road ahead.
Back then it was Shuhu, leading Rahu, who gave them pain.
Now another Zhonggu had granted them release.
When they awoke, maybe even she would feel conflicted.
But Wei Yi believed they would recover, and step into a new tomorrow—
because that was what people did.
"So what happens next with this planet?"
Wei Yi turned to Hua.
"I'll send Cloud Knights to maintain basic order until they regain the ability to govern themselves. But after that… how they move forward will depend on you."
"Me?"
Hearing that, Wei Yi pointed at himself, completely stunned.
"I don't know how to manage anything! What good am I for a whole planet?"
"You don't need to manage it. You're the one who saved them. The planet's ownership lies with you. When I say I'll send Cloud Knights, I only mean to assist you."
Hua wore a faint smile. "Maybe their faith will change with time. After all, their savior is right beside them, isn't he? Whether they return to the Xianzhou Alliance as a family again or choose another path… that will be their decision."
"Alright…" Wei Yi sighed.
"We'll have to move later, too. Our faces are probably known across the whole universe now. Staying in Chang'an Heaven doesn't seem too suitable anymore."
Feixiao spoke from the side.
"Mm. No rush on that. We'll talk after we go back. A whole extra planet suddenly needing oversight… even for the Xianzhou Alliance, that's a serious test."
Wei Yi shrugged.
"True…" Hua nodded lightly.
—
Ya'oqing Xianzhou, Scalescourge Gorge.
Several figures lurked here, unnoticed by anyone.
"Hmph. Looks like the chaos over at the Luofu worked perfectly. Up to now we haven't even seen a single guard. It's time to reclaim our clan's sacred relic! Once we take back the Crimson Moon, we can reopen the War-Chief inheritance!"
The infiltrators were Borisin—swift and agile, elite warriors of their tribe.
From start to finish, the Borisin had never given up on snatching the Crimson Moon.
Especially now, with the front lines in total upheaval, coming to Ya'oqing to seize it was almost laughably easy.
Everyone knew the people of Abundance wouldn't miss this chance to cause trouble.
The Xianzhou would definitely tighten defenses.
And when the other side tightened up, this side would inevitably loosen.
Sure enough, an elite Borisin squad sneaked all the way here without being discovered.
One more step ahead lay the place where the Gestating Moon was sealed.
"Ha! Those idiot Xianzhou—either they're too confident, or they think every Borisin's a moron. After the Crimson Moon broke free last time, they still didn't reinforce the seal. Once we raise the Gestating Moon, the interstellar gate will open instantly and we can transport the Crimson Moon away! When that happens, you and I will be heroes among the Borisin!"
One Borisin said this, eyes blazing, already acting like they'd succeeded.
"Wait! There's someone there!"
Just as they were basking in fantasy, they noticed a figure ahead.
Under the Gestating Moon's light, the figure's fangs and savage silhouette were cast perfectly onto the canyon wall—its presence crushingly oppressive.
At once they fell silent, advancing cautiously.
They crept closer… and then realized—
This wasn't some fearsome beast at all.
It was just a dumb dog, chained by the neck.
A yellow-furred, slack-tongued, panting mutt, looking stupid as could be.
"Hah. Scaring ourselves. It's just a dumb dog."
One Borisin wiped nonexistent sweat, chuckling. What threat could something this stupid possibly be?
Just as he was about to step out openly, a companion yanked him back.
"Idiot! Use that pea-sized brain. If it were really just a dumb dog, how could it be here? This is beneath the Crimson Moon! That dog's chain is tied directly beside the Crimson Moon itself! How could a thing like that be ordinary? Remember the intel we got the first time we schemed against Ya'oqing?
If I'm not mistaken, that dog is the legendary Dark-Moon Demon Lord!"
"Hah! How's that possible? Him?"
The Borisin still didn't believe it, staring at Big Yellow with mockery.
Then, following his gaze, they saw Big Yellow glance around to make sure no one was watching… and casually take a bite out of the Gestating Moon.
Right away, a visible notch appeared in the Gestating Moon.
It was tiny, but it was there.
And if you looked closely, you'd see those tiny bite marks already covering the surface.
Borisin: ???
Bro.
What the hell are you eating?
The entire squad's eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
A dumb dog… chomping on the Gestating Moon?
Meanwhile, Big Yellow chewed, swallowed a small chunk, and even looked a little disgusted.
What is this crap? Tastes awful. Not even close to one strand from my master's flower garden.
Feels… inferior…
Ah, whatever. It's all I can get right now. I'll just make do—no one's watching anyway.
As for the Borisin hiding nearby, Big Yellow had noticed them ages ago. He just couldn't be bothered with them.
He could smell these stupid dogs' stench from hundreds of miles away. He knew exactly what they wanted. But his master's order was to guard the Gestating Moon and not let anyone touch it. Since they hadn't come close yet, he didn't feel like moving.
Hah. The Gestating Moon is protected by me, the mighty Big Yellow!
Let me see who dares approach!
You Borisin wild dogs—come any closer and I'll make sure you never go back!
In Big Yellow's mind, Borisin were basically stray dogs.
Poor strays. Not like me, who gets to eat the master's exquisite dog food every day.
Still… this couldn't go on forever. The Borisin had already come this far—they wouldn't leave empty-handed.
While Big Yellow snuck another bite from the Gestating Moon, several Borisin quietly circled to his flank, their curved blades gathering power.
"Die!"
Three Borisin burst from the shadows at once—this strike was meant to be fatal.
Their scimitars slammed into Big Yellow's forehead, neck, and waist. If he were a normal creature, he'd have been reduced to dust on the spot.
But the Borisin didn't feel optimistic.
Because…
He was too hard.
Their blades struck his body like a normal man hacking at stone. Force met force.
They'd used full strength to kill him.
The price was that the recoil numbed their arms.
Then—
crack.
The blades snapped.
???
Next moment, Big Yellow wagged his tail.
Some mosquito just bit me?
He turned his head and looked at the Borisin, now practically within arm's reach of the Gestating Moon.
He bared his teeth.
…Hey, can we talk this out?
That was the last thought the Borisin had before Big Yellow bit off his head in one gulp.
Sadly, it was already too late.
....
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