Chapter 197: Blatant Provocation
"Everything in the universe... will eventually end in Destruction. Whether it is Abundance or The Hunt, none are exceptions..."
Phantylia's voice was languid and melodious, a cruel counterpoint to the devastating act she was about to perform.
"Starfall: Shattered Moon."
Her fingers curled inward, and the chaotic sphere of coruscating light cradled in her palm imploded. The resulting force field was an invisible tsunami of pure power, instantly ripping through the entirety of the explore.
Had this not been the mystical confines of the Scalegorge Waterscape, but the sprawling continents of the Xianzhou Luofu above, that single strike would have atomized countless lives and structures, turning them all to dust.
[Aha: @Lan @Yaoshi, Did you hear that? Did you hear that?! Phantylia said 'everything will eventually end in Destruction'—she's lumping you two in there as well! (AhaFleeing.jpg)]
[Aha: This is provocation! Blatant provocation!]
[Nanook: @Yaoshi, Did you hear? In the end, she remains loyal to Destruction. She will not be throwing herself into your arms.]
[Lan: Hmph... The minions of Destruction shall all be purged.]
[Yaoshi: It matters not. Even as she speaks such words, she is but a child who yearns for long life...]
Gazing upon the devastation wrought by her attack, Phantylia nodded, a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes. Her certainty grew. "Luofu General... with such meager strength, can you possibly survive this 'catastrophe'?"
Jing Yuan, however, remained perfectly composed, not so much as a single thread of his uniform disturbed.
He only felt a pang of regret. 'If only Phantylia hadn't just mocked Abundance and The Hunt,'he mused,'but had also thrown in Erudition, Preservation, Remembrance, Elation... or even Trailblaze. Would the Aeons currently standing on the Luofu have personally intervened to shut her up on the spot?'
After all, those very Aeons were, in fact, present on the Xianzhou Luofu.
"Do you really believe... you've already secured your victory, Phantylia?"
With a gesture from Dan Heng, the surrounding waters coalesced into the form of a majestic dragon. A towering wave, like a collapsing mountain, surged forward and crashed down upon Phantylia.
"Oh? A Scion of Permanence..." she purred, utterly unconcerned. "Have you finally come to fulfill the ancient duty of guarding the Ambrosial Arbor?"
Phantylia allowed the water dragon to strike her massive form. Upon the shell forged from the Arbor's power, the gash it created sealed itself shut at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Dan Heng offered no response; his actions were his words.
Phantylia didn't seem to mind his silence, her gaze drifting toward Jingliu and Blade.
"And you two... you have already walked so far down the Path of Destruction. Do you truly wish to be my enemy?"
She could see the power of Destruction surging within them at a single glance. If she hadn't seen them with her own eyes, Phantylia might have mistaken one of them for a fellow Lord Ravager. Jingliu, in particular, had traveled so far down that Path that it wouldn't have surprised Phantylia if she became a colleague in the near future.
[Nanook: A good prospect. Perhaps she could become a Lord Ravager specializing in the annihilation of Abundance.]
Nanook was secretly pleased. He could naturally sense that the entirety of Jingliu's destructive intent was aimed squarely at Abundance.
For him, that was more than enough.
Jingliu's blood-red eyes, like a pair of frozen crimson moons, stared coldly at Phantylia's bloated form, a grotesque mockery shaped by the Ambrosial Arbor's power.
The sword in her hand lowered slightly, but its tip condensed a single drop of dark, turbid light that seemed capable of eroding space itself.
"Destruction..." Jingliu's voice was colder than her blade, possessing a near-cruel clarity. "I walk this Path only because everything I once cherished has long since turned to dust."
"This power is nothing more than a remnant flame I clawed out of the abyss with my own hands. It exists to burn myself... and all who dare stand in my way."
She took a single step forward.
The invisible, intangible aura of Destruction surrounding her suddenly grew thick and sharp. The solid ground of the Scalegorge Waterscape beneath her feet silently cracked and vanished, leaving behind a footprint that looked as if it had been scorched by nothingness itself.
"I walk my own Path. My Destruction belongs only to me."
"What does it have to do with you? And what does it have to do... with Nanook?"
Hearing Jingliu's words, the expression on Jing Yuan's face suddenly became quite fascinating.
'Master, please don't...'he thought desperately.'Nanook is actually on the Luofu! Just scold Phantylia, don't drag him into it...' He had no idea that Nanook, far from being angered, was actually showing a hint of appreciation for Jingliu.
[Aha: @Nanook, Hahahaha! Nanook, what do you say to that?]
[Nanook: A good child.]
Nanook paid Aha's taunt no mind. He acknowledged the purity of Jingliu's destructive will.
[Lan: Hmph. The mad are all abominations.]
Having one of his greatest generals poached by another Path naturally infuriated Lan.
[Nanook: Jingliu turned to Destruction, Lan. Why don't you reflect on yourself?]
[Nanook: If the Path of The Hunt did not pose such an insignificant threat to Abundance, why would she need to borrow the power of Destruction?]
[Nanook: Have you ever stopped to think about whether you've worked hard enough all these years? Whether you've made your Path strong?]
Nanook's smug retorts echoed in the chat, leaving Lan utterly dumbfounded.
Leon, too, wore a look of surprise.
'Nanook actually said something like that?'he thought.'You're breaking character, you know that?'
But on second thought, the Aeons who entered the chat group seemed to gradually break free from the shackles of their Paths, becoming more... human. Leon wondered if this was a result of Nanook's extended time in the group.
Then again... the Emanators of Abundance were notoriously difficult to kill.
Jingliu's current state had a great deal to do with Shuhu. In the "Third Abundance War" years ago, the Emanator had defeated not only Jingliu, the Sword Master of the Luofu at the time, but also the High Elder of the Vidyadhara, Dan Feng, and had even struck down the previous General of the Luofu, Teng Xiao.
In the end, it was Bai Heng, one of the High-Cloud Quintet, who used a mysterious power suspected to be her "Flintwing" to take Shuhu down with her.
However, death was not the end.
Shuhu's residual flesh and blood spawned disasters that have persisted to this day. Yingxing—now Blade—and Dan Feng tried to use its flesh to resurrect Bai Heng, but instead turned their dear friend into a draconic abomination. Yingxing himself became an undying being as a consequence.
To this day, Shuhu's remaining flesh is still sealed in the deepest part of the Xianzhou's Shackling Prison. Due to the bizarre nature of Abundance's power, the Xianzhou Alliance cannot even fully determine if it is truly alive or dead.
It was precisely because she had experienced all this, seeing firsthand that the power of The Hunt alone was insufficient to truly exterminate the source of Abundance, that Jingliu had resolutely stepped onto the Path of Destruction. After all, the power of Destruction possessed a special, corrosive quality against other Paths. When fighting the forces of Abundance, tainting one's attacks with Destruction often yielded miraculous results.
[Aha: Ahahahaha, this is truly entertaining!]
[Aha: @Lan, Boo-hoo! Lan was scolded so badly he couldn't even talk back. How pitiful.]
[Lan:!@!￥@!% You little[Censored]Aha...]
[Yaoshi: Ah, such pain and persistence... these too are forms of life blooming, requiring more care and love...]
The lazy smile on Phantylia's face froze slightly.
"As for you..." Jingliu's sword point rose, aimed at Phantylia from afar.
"You are nothing but a clown who stole the vitality of the Ambrosial Arbor, a pretender playing with Destruction while wearing the skin of Abundance."
"You are not worthy of discussing 'Destruction' with me."
As her words fell, Jingliu's figure suddenly blurred.
In the next instant, she had closed the distance to Phantylia's massive body and struck with her sword. Where the blade's light passed, space itself seemed to tear open, leaving behind a frosty wound.
"Phantylia," Jing Yuan's voice sounded out, tinged with a faint smile, "although you view us as nothing more than ants..."
"To be pushed this far in a fight against mere 'ants'... you can be considered truly unique among the Lord Ravagers."
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