Chapter 203: Hoo: Resurrection is Not Allowed... Well, Don't Let It Happen Again
Jing Yuan turned to Leon, his posture rigid as he offered a solemn, deeply respectful bow. "Mr. Leon, the Luofu will etch this kindness into its very core. I, Jing Yuan, personally guarantee that not a single word of what transpired here today will ever leak from our lips."
The General knew the stakes all too well.
If the wider universe learned of an existence capable of casually resurrecting the dead and rewriting the boundaries of life and death, the resulting upheaval would tear the cosmos apart. Factions would wage endless wars for a fraction of that power. Even if Leon truly was the fallen Aeon Akivili in disguise... unnecessary chaos had to be avoided at all costs.
, by bringing Bai Heng back from the abyss, Jing Yuan was now bound by an immeasurable debt to Leon. He had to make his absolute loyalty on this matter crystal clear.
"General, you overstate it." Leon waved his hand dismissively, his tone carrying its usual breezy, teasing lilt. "As a proud member of the Astral Express, isn't it only natural to lend a helping hand when seeing an injustice?"
A playful smirk tugged at Leon's lips as he tilted his head, his gaze piercing through the ceiling of the Luofu and looking out into the vast, unseen cosmos.
Just moments ago, the ancient Aeon presiding over the concept of 'Equilibrium'—Hoo—had cast a cold, calculating glance toward the Xianzhou. The resurrection of the dead was a blatant 'imbalance,' an anomaly strictly forbidden by the ironclad laws of the universe.
At the exact second Hoo's divine will prepared to descend and crush this anomaly, Leon clearly 'saw' that invisible, oppressive force abruptly hit a brick wall.
Then, it quietly, almost awkwardly, tiptoed backward.
Leon could practically sketch the comedic scene in his mind. Hoo staring down from the cosmic void, raising a hand to smite the rule-breaker and correct the universal scales. Their omniscient gaze sweeps across the room.
Wait. Nanook, Qlipoth, Nous, Aha, Fuli... why are they all gathered in this one spot?
Am I seeing things? Let me wipe my eyes and look again...
Shit. This looks exactly like a trap.
Resurrecting a mere, insignificant Foxian... well, it's not like it's completely impossible...
Hoo's cosmic scales rapidly weighed the pros and cons.
Fine... the resurrection of a single Foxian is an occasional exception. It falls within the acceptable elastic margin of Equilibrium.
Hoo decisively withdrew Their divine presence, practically whistling a tune as if They had just been passing by to admire the scenery.
[Ding—Group Notification: Hoo, the Aeon of Equilibrium, has joined the chat group.]
Aha: [Welcome, welcome! A warm and joyous welcome to Brother Equilibrium for joining our warm, harmonious little family!]
Aha: [I am your lively and incredibly cute group member Aha~ I really didn't expect the eighth person to join would be you, old timer!]
Hoo: [...Chat group?]
Hoo quietly observed the digital interface manifesting in Their consciousness.
A quick glance at the member list revealed an absolutely absurd gathering. Seven Aeons were already sitting inside. Aside from the five They had just spotted on the Luofu, Lan of The Hunt and Yaoshi of Abundance were also casually lurking in the member list.
What exactly are you all plotting?
Nearly half the active Aeons in the universe were stuffed into this tiny chat box. Were they trying to start a cosmic rebellion?
Hoo said nothing, choosing to observe from the shadows. As one of the oldest entities in existence, this was the first time They had ever witnessed such a bizarre spectacle. Several Aeons whose Paths were fundamentally contradictory—entities who should be tearing each other apart on sight—were sharing the same digital space.
The Hunt and Abundance in the exact same group? This... this was highly unreasonable. It was a severe violation of Equilibrium.
Aha: [As you can see, this is a friendly chat group designed to promote camaraderie between Aeons and build a harmonious universe together!]
Hoo: [Resurrecting the dead is a gross transgression against Equilibrium...]
Aha: [What if the cute Aha insists on resurrecting them just for fun?]
Hoo: [...Don't let it happen again.]
Nanook: [Hmph. Cowardice.]
Aha: [(Slamming virtual table laughing.jpg) Hahahaha! Nanook's words are harsh but true! Hoo, you're still so incredibly 'good at reading the room'!]
Aha: [But Aha appreciates it! This is what we call being flexible!]
Fuli: [Light Cone Record: "Hoo: "Don't let it happen again.""]
Nous: [Analytical conclusion: Based on the current power disparity within this group and Hoo's historical behavioral patterns, the probability of Them choosing to compromise was 99.97%. It can be accurately summarized as: Cowardice.]
Qlipoth: [... (Focusing on building the wall, but the cosmic wall seems to vibrate imperceptibly with silent laughter)]
Lan: [... (Looking away)]
Yaoshi: [... The flow of life naturally takes on countless forms. Occasional exceptions are merely an expression of mercy.]
Hoo stared at the messages rapidly flooding the screen and fell into a deep, heavy silence.
Hoo: [Equilibrium exists in all things.]
Hoo: [But, just this once.]
Leon: [@Hoo Don't be so nervous, it's just a casual group chat for talking and bonding. Look, Lan and Yaoshi haven't even started throwing hands yet. See how harmonious we are?]
Leon: [By the way, if you see a similar situation next time and I'm the one pulling the strings, remember to turn a blind eye, okay? I'll invite you over to listen to Aha tell stand-up comedy later.]
Leon chuckled softly to himself. He genuinely hadn't expected Hoo to actually accept the invitation and enter the group.
Thinking about it now, the fact that there was no large-scale resurrection technology anywhere in the universe was undoubtedly Hoo's doing. After all, Hoo's entire existence revolved around maintaining the scales. If the dead could be brought back en masse, the universe would tip into chaos.
But if it was just one or two individuals who didn't possess universe-breaking significance... then the scales could handle a slight tilt.
Aha: [Good, good! Aha has a hundred thousand cold jokes locked and loaded! Guaranteed to make even Equilibrium lose its composure!]
Hoo: [(Offline)]
Aha: [Oh my, Brother Hoo, why did you leave?]
Aha: [Wuwuwu, Brother Hoo, you ran away so fast...]
Somewhere in the deep cosmos, Hoo felt Their divine fists clenching tight.
"Astral Express?! You're Trailblazers?!"
Hearing Leon casually drop his affiliation, Bai Heng's fox ears twitched violently. Her eyes lit up instantly, sparkling as if entire galaxies were trapped within her irises.
One of her greatest, unfulfilled dreams had always been to become a true Trailblazer—to freely ride the cosmic rails, traversing the sea of stars and exploring the boundless, uncharted universe.
"That's right! We're all Trailblazers of the Astral Express!" March 7th, Stelle, and Caelus puffed out their chests simultaneously, their voices ringing out in perfect, proud unison.
Welt and Serval stood off to the side, warm smiles gracing their faces as they watched the trio show off.
"Yes. I am also a Trailblazer now," Dan Heng added, giving a small, calm nod.
"Dan Heng, you actually became a Trailblazer! Wow, I'm so jealous!" Bai Heng leaned forward, her eyes wide with undisguised envy.
Her life's dream had been to ride those rails! Yet, in the end, she had perished in the brutal, bloody war against the Emanator Shuhu. She never would have guessed that this stubborn, brooding guy—Dan Feng's reincarnation—would actually be the one to board the Express.
"That... that's amazing!" Bai Heng's smile grew even more brilliant, her fluffy tail swaying excitedly behind her. "Let's exchange contact info later! You have to tell me all your stories from the Express!"
Her gaze burned with pure excitement, as if she could already see the magnificent scroll of star-sea adventures unfolding right before her.
At that exact moment, a highly mischievous grin crept onto Leon's face. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small audio player, and casually hit the play button.
A melodious, traditional Xianzhou tune drifted through the room, followed immediately by the dramatic, theatrical voice of a professional storyteller.
"Legend has it that one day, the High-Cloud Quintet happened upon a mysterious Fortune Teller. The master observed their features carefully and spoke to them one by one: 'Among the five of you, one's life is near its end...'"
Hearing the opening lines of this incredibly famous, highly dramatized street tale, a visible vein popped on Jingliu's forehead.
But, glancing over at the living, breathing Bai Heng standing right in front of her, the Sword Champion's white-knuckled grip on her blade slowly relaxed.
Blade and Jing Yuan also turned their heads, their expressions a mix of complicated nostalgia and dry amusement. Bailu, Bai Heng, and Dan Heng merely blinked, thoroughly curious about where this story was going.
The storyteller's voice continued to echo dramatically from the device.
"Yingxing smiled bitterly."
"One is trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation, their life never-ending... Dan Feng remained silent."
"One will go far to the Alliance, hunting across the boundless star-sea... Jing Yuan looked forward to it."
"One will rise to the rank of Heavenly General, protecting the Xianzhou, and Jingliu was congratulated by all."
"One will step onto the Express, traveling in all directions, and Bai Heng was jubilant..."
The music swelled, hitting a tragic, ironic crescendo.
"However, the final outcome of destiny was a cruel joke..."
"The one protecting the Xianzhou... became Jing Yuan."
"The one who stepped onto the Express... was Dan Feng's reincarnation."
"The one whose life is never-ending and who begs for a death he cannot achieve... is Blade."
"The one who went far to the Alliance and left her homeland forever in exile... is Jingliu."
"And the one whose life was near its end... was Bai Heng."
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