"There is no need for Master's name to spread among the people. I do not wish for his deeds to be misconstrued, or to be distorted and defiled in any form," Jingliu said softly.
"I knew you would say that. Rest assured, just as your title is Seamless Flying Light, his is Instant Blood Ember Rainbow."
Hua looked up at the sky, her tone carrying a faint respect.
"Swift as an instant, wherever he passed, the light of blood appeared before his form, bringing cinder and destruction to the enemy, leaving only a momentary rainbow—a hero of the Xianzhou."
"Thank you for granting this, Marshal."
Hua shook her head. "Furthermore, Sleeping Snow Pure Cold wishes to see you."
"...Have they already lost the freedom to take the initiative to see me?" Jingliu keenly caught the deeper meaning in her words.
"That was their choice; I did not force them. I only suggested they speak with you first."
"Fine."
"Take this and head to the Ten Lords Tribunal."
Hua tossed over a jade message in the shape of a command medallion.
Jingliu caught it, glanced back at the women sitting in their original places—those who had shared stories with her master in his past life—and left with a brief farewell.
Watching her leave, Hua smiled slightly and then went to greet someone.
"A member of the renowned Genius Society, I have long looked forward to meeting you..."
...Ten Lords Tribunal.
Jingliu met her seniors who had lived with her for a thousand years.
After learning about everything in the past, her eyes held a complex expression. Recalling their experiences over the millennium, her heart was filled with a mix of emotions.
Not only had they sacrificed much for her master, but their loyalty had never wavered, just like the oath in their hearts—
To fight for Qi Zhimu.
She truly couldn't face these seniors—who also deeply loved her master and had once given her so much care—with the same attitude she held toward other women.
"Sisters, what are your plans for the future?"
After a moment of silence, Jingliu used an address that surprised Sleeping Snow Pure Cold.
Hearing the underlying relief and concern in her words, Sleeping Snow let out a sigh of deep emotion.
"We plan to stay on the Xianzhou to atone for Lord Zhimu and to bear the punishment for our own past crimes."
"Is it related to the Ten Lords Tribunal?" Jingliu asked softly.
"Yes, we will become Messengers of the Ten Lords, redeeming ourselves through service," Clear Cold said.
"Let the names Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold remain in the past. From now on, I will call myself Snow Garment, and my younger sister will be Hanya."
"Snow Garment... Hanya..."
Jingliu murmured under her breath, her eyes shimmering as if she had made a certain decision.
"If I'm not mistaken, the second choice the Marshal gave you was to leave the Xianzhou Alliance, wasn't it?"
"Lord Zhimu did not flee from karma, and neither will we."
Snow Garment was somewhat surprised but still nodded gently.
"From the moment he activated The Self-Actualization Aspect, he had chosen the only ending for himself: to perish along with Shuhu."
"Even if he had completed his revenge in another way, he would not have continued living as a monster."
"And yet, he took it upon himself to let me and my sister live. What a selfish man Lord Zhimu is..."
Snow Garment gave a self-deprecating smile, but as she spoke, tears fell silently.
Hanya put an arm around her shoulder, saying dejectedly, "We are also monsters—monsters unaffected by mara affliction, undying and indestructible."
"Since Lord Zhimu wished for us to live, then let us stay on the Xianzhou."
Hearing this, Jingliu didn't think twice and told them everything about the secrets she had learned from Black Swan and the others.
Learning that Qi Zhimu might have a next life, the two sisters were stunned, their eyes flashing with the light of excitement.
But immediately after, they understood Jingliu's meaning from her expression.
Jingliu wanted them to go with her.
Snow Garment said softly, "Since you say so, we believe Lord Zhimu will have a next life. However, someone must guard his grave. We'll leave the task of finding him to you, Jingliu."
"Take care." Hanya patted her shoulder.
Seeing that their minds were made up, Jingliu nodded silently.
After a moment's hesitation, she leaned forward and gave Hanya and Snow Garment a parting hug each.
"Take care."
After saying goodbye, Jingliu headed straight for the Central Starskiff Haven.
Looking at the Jade Gate from afar, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
"Master, your disciple is coming to find you..."
...The death of Shuhu brought a dramatic change to the structure of the galaxy.
Although the Abominations of Abundance could never be fully eradicated and Yaoshi's blessings never ceased, the Xianzhou Alliance finally welcomed a long-awaited era of peace and prosperity.
Countless Cloud Knights no longer had to wake up ready for battle and expeditions, no longer had to see nothing but Abominations and blood, and no longer had to witness partings day after day.
They were able to gather with their families, lovers, and friends, drinking fine wine and experiencing the beauty of ordinary peace.
In the ten years since Qi Zhimu's passing, the entire Xianzhou Alliance had not encountered any large-scale provocations from the Abominations of Abundance.
Whether it was the Borisin, the Wing-Makers, or powerful old Abundance races like the Houyhnhnms, they all tried their best to avoid Xianzhou flight paths, fearing they would draw a purge from the Cloud Knights.
But without Shuhu's protection, how could they escape the scanning of the cloud-gazing mirrors?
The Xianzhou Alliance understood the wisdom of preparing for danger in times of peace and did not completely lose itself in the tranquility.
As long as Abundance was not eradicated, the fires of war would never truly end.
Once the wounds left by the Shuhu campaign had gradually healed, the Luofu restarted its journey to fulfill the will of The Hunt.
Teng Xiao became the first General of the Xianzhou Luofu to live past a thousand years and peacefully pass away after abdication.
There was considerable criticism within the Alliance regarding Jing Yuan's succession, with many believing his experience was too shallow to handle such a great responsibility.
Hua stood firm against the crowd, suppressing all doubts and entrusting the Luofu to him.
Since then, Jing Yuan has served the Alliance with all his loyalty and wisdom, achieving numerous merits.
Unfortunately, the story of the High-Cloud Quintet came to an end there, leaving countless people sighing with regret.
After the Shuhu campaign, Sword Master Jingliu resigned from her post to wander the sea of stars, yet she remained on the path of The Hunt, lonely and determined to slay every abomination she encountered.
Cloud Knight fleets on expeditions might, by chance, encounter this uninvited guest from the Xianzhou on the battlefield.
Though she was no longer on the Xianzhou, the deeds of the Seamless Flying Light still circulated within it.
What people enjoyed discussing most was the hero Instant Blood Ember Rainbow, who was said to be the master of the Seamless Flying Light and had rendered the primary merit in the Shuhu campaign.
Unfortunately, no one among the common folk could confirm this claim, but that didn't stop creators from using them as blueprints to compose many popular heroic stories.
Setting aside those works of praise, there were also many pieces centered on forbidden master-disciple themes.
Whether it was rebellious disciples pursuing their masters or unconventional masters pursuing their disciples, both had plenty of fans, and their popularity was much higher than the stories of the High-Cloud Quintet.
As for the fates of the remaining three members of the High-Cloud Quintet, opinions varied.
Some said the Short-Lived Species Yingxing died of old age, the Foxian pilot Bai Heng retired due to injuries, and High Elder Dan Feng underwent molting and rebirth.
Others said they all died heroically in that campaign alongside the hero Instant Blood Ember Rainbow.
With the Sword Master wandering the stars and the General avoiding the topic, it was truly something to ponder.
The truth was known only to a very small number of people.
In that campaign, Yingxing unexpectedly gained immortality because of Shuhu, and was later taken back to the Zhuming Xianzhou by his mentor, General Huaiyan.
Nine years later, Yingxing changed his name to Blade, returned to the Luofu to visit old friends, and then disappeared without a trace.
As for the situation of Dan Feng and Bai Heng... it is quite complex and involves heavy implications... The word count for the Author's Note isn't enough, so I can only give a heads-up here.
Originally, in Herta's story outline, the two were childhood friends who grew up together, and the major event was the world-ending crisis of the Azure Star.
To pick a reference work, it would be something like the movie Interstellar.
There should have been daily life plots of the female lead growing up, just like in the Xianzhou arc, but now they're gone.
The pace of a straightforward narrative is indeed slow. It's undeniable that many readers can tolerate it, but the data in the author's backend is more obvious.
The completion rate for the first life exceeded 47%, while it plummeted to 10% for the second life.
Part of the reason is the limitations of the reincarnation genre; it's not as seamless as simulation stories in connecting to reality.
Those plots where he meets Ruan Mei and others couldn't be released quickly, so many people abandoned the book halfway.
Unless written as side stories, it wouldn't happen early anyway.
However, the bigger reason is that the daily narrative build-up was too long and dragged on for too long, making the explosion of emotional climax feel a bit lacking.
Of course, this is my personal issue; I don't have the matching excellent writing skills.
After summarizing, I decided to speed up the pace.
The reason for the heads-up is that the original outline for the Herta arc has been completely overturned and replaced with a different style.
There's no deep-seated bitterness and hatred. Although parting and regret are the main themes, at least—
The process is light, happy, and sunny.
I'm not lying, you've got to trust Haji Huan, brothers.
Cover image.