As the Aeon of the Hunt cast Its gaze once more, the sky itself seemed to be pried open by an invisible hand—just a sliver.
Behind General Teng Xiao, a towering golden silhouette slowly condensed into being, its body wreathed in thunder-patterns that crawled like living lightning.
Its honorific boomed through the mind like a roll of heaven's drums:
"Heavenly Lord of the Divine Firmament's Thunder Court—Supreme Warden of Lightning, Driver of Thunderbolts, Pursuer of Demons, Sweeper of Filth."
…A name with profound heritage, and somehow also remarkably easy to say out loud.
Fine. Let's just call it the Spirit-General.
And don't misunderstand—this wasn't superstition or cheap mysticism. It was a bestowed war-spirit, granted by the Reignbow Arbiter, temporarily commanded by Teng Xiao.
It was both the authority of a "General," and the burden bound to the "General's" very existence.
Now that the Luofu's generalship was changing hands, the Spirit-General would naturally pass to the new General.
Its gaze—like thunder itself—swept across every living being present, and finally settled on the new General:
Wei Qing.
Teng Xiao drew a deep breath. In his eyes was the relief of setting down a mountain… and the last, earnest expectation he held for his successor.
He slowly raised his hand.
Guided by the Hunt, that Spirit-General—symbol of the Luofu's power and responsibility—began to dissolve into flowing golden radiance, surging toward Wei Qing.
A vast force poured into his body. Wei Qing could clearly feel the General's duty and might fusing into him, locking into place like a key turning in an ancient mechanism.
On the Path of the Hunt, he stepped forward again—so far that his standing there now was nearly level with what he possessed on the Path of Abundance.
And the Spirit-General wasn't merely raw energy.
It was more like the crystallized will of the Luofu's millennia of war—an oath made manifest, the Reignbow Arbiter's promise to safeguard this ark.
Then the Hunt's gaze withdrew, as if it had never been there at all.
Teng Xiao watched Wei Qing complete the inheritance without a hitch. A truly relaxed smile finally appeared on his face. He took one step back, yielding the very center of the platform.
Now—
It was Wei Qing's era.
By ritual procedure, the next part was for the new General to face the Luofu's people and the Alliance envoys, and declare his oath of office.
Every gaze fixed on Wei Qing again, waiting for the vow to protect the Luofu, to carry out the Hunt.
Wei Qing stepped forward to the platform's edge and looked down upon the sea of people—then beyond them, to the boundless starry sky.
He was silent for a moment, as if arranging his words… or making one last choice.
The plaza gradually fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Wei Qing laughed.
But that laugh was cold enough to send a shiver through the bones of everyone who heard it.
At last, he spoke—calmly, clearly—his voice reaching every ear and echoing through every corner of the Luofu.
"By the Reignbow Arbiter's favor, the Marshal's trust, the former General's kindness, and the support of the Luofu's people… today, I, Wei Qing, formally assume the office of Luofu General."
A standard opening. Many nodded reflexively.
Then his next words froze every expression in place.
"However, I know full well that what this body can bear… is far more than this."
Under countless stares, fissures suddenly spread across Wei Qing's body—like cracks in a statue pushed past its limits. From within those cracks, radiant golden blood—the unmistakable mark of Destruction—shimmered into view.
His ash-gray hair bleached to a stark white.
His deep blue eyes turned into a godlike gold.
"The Hunt's arrow seeks to purge corruption and cleanse hatred. The Abundance's grace seeks to nurture life and extend existence. These two may seem opposed—yet both are forces this world cannot do without."
Wei Qing's voice rose, and within him the dormant power of Destruction stirred like an awakening beast, slowly lifting its head. A third aura—terrifying, utterly different from either Hunt or Abundance—began to spill from him.
"But the universe's truth is not so simple. Where there is life, there is death. Where there is creation, there is destruction. To pursue only longevity and abundance leads to stagnation and rot; yet endless conquest and hunting will also, in time, exhaust itself."
Reactions rippled through the crowd—each person different—but all of them felt it:
That swelling Path-power did not belong to Hunt.
And it did not belong to Abundance.
"Therefore."
Wei Qing spread his arms wide. The last trace of hesitation in his eyes shattered into resolute madness.
A terror-black energy, threaded with blood-red light, erupted straight into the heavens, dyeing the clouds above the Seat of Divine Foresight into an ominous dark crimson.
Pure Destruction surged like a storm across the entire plaza—its pressure far surpassing what Shuhu had once exuded.
"I, too, embrace the truth of Destruction."
"The Rupture's gaze has long been upon this place! I, Wei Qing, am also a Lord Ravager of Destruction!"
The declaration struck like a funeral bell, tolling inside every heart.
The entire Luofu fell into a deathly silence.
Joy, expectation, admiration—shattered in an instant, replaced by disbelief, terror, and a numb, bottomless confusion.
If one insisted on finding even a single abnormal reaction in the midst of this collective shock… it wasn't impossible.
Herta, eyes blazing with fanatic excitement, muttered:
"…This is too interesting! Now that's a real surprise!"
"Ruan Mei, did you see that? That's a third Path—an Emanator walking three Paths at once!"
Her eyes glittered with hunger for knowledge, utterly ignoring the temperature of the room dropping into an abyss.
But that tiny deviation was negligible against the tidal wave of silence and panic.
On the platform, Teng Xiao's eyes went bloodshot. He looked as if he could not believe his own ears—or his own senses.
"You… what are you saying?!"
Jingliu's sword was already half-drawn. Her killing intent locked onto Wei Qing, but her eyes were filled not with hatred—only shock, pain, and utter incomprehension.
"He's… gone mad…" someone in the crowd finally forced out, voice broken with trembling disbelief.
And then—
The Luofu exploded.
"My gods—Destruction?!"
"No—he just said he's a Lord Ravager?!"
"How is that possible?! An Emanator of the Reignbow—how could he…?!"
"Is this mara-struck madness?!!"
Panic spread like plague. The plaza erupted into chaos.
The Alliance envoy stumbled backward, pointing at Wei Qing with a shaking finger.
"Madman! Monster! How dare you—how dare you blaspheme the Reignbow—betray the Alliance!"
Amid the extreme disorder and deadened shock, Wei Qing spoke again.
His gaze swept across familiar faces.
He saw Teng Xiao's fury and heartbreak.
He saw the disbelief in Jingliu and the others.
But he did not pause.
"The old era has ended. The Luofu—no, the entire Xianzhou Alliance—must be reborn through destruction."
"And that rebirth… will be delivered by my own hand."
"I—Wei Qing, the current General of the Luofu…"
"From this moment onward—"
"I defect from the Xianzhou."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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