Fu Xuan leaned against some kind of soft yet impenetrable "barrier," with nowhere left to retreat.
Before her, the aeon of abundance known as "Plague Author"—Yaoshi—was leaning over slightly. That face, veiled in a gentle emerald light, slowly approached, as if carefully observing this tiny creature that had accidentally trespassed into Its "domain."
Its arms hung down naturally, radiating an indescribable pressure of life.
Fu Xuan's heart was about to jump out of her throat. Her brain was whirring frantically, cycling through the terrifying records in the Xianzhou Alliance's classics regarding this aeon—bestowing immortality, yet also bringing the curse of endless Abominations of Abundance and the Mara-Struck. It was the very target the Xianzhou Alliance hunted and fought against with everything they had...
Yet now, this "Laifong" was right before her, and so close!
Is It going to purify me? Or turn me into some strange Abomination of Abundance?!
Just as Fu Xuan felt her consciousness was about to dissipate from sheer terror—
Whoosh!
A cyan-gold streak of light, like an arrow tearing through the sea of stars, arrived in an instant, precisely inserting itself between Yaoshi and Fu Xuan!
That light was sharp and swift, carrying an unwavering will to hunt. It was the very source of faith and power for countless warriors of the Xianzhou Alliance—
The aeon of The Hunt, Lan, also known as the Reignbow Arbiter!
Lan's figure was not entirely clear, as if outlined by countless speeding light-arrows, but that sharp and murderous aura gave Fu Xuan an instantly familiar, reassuring sense of pressure.
"Reignbow Arbiter!"
Fu Xuan was pleasantly surprised, as if she had seen her savior.
As expected! The Reignbow Arbiter was always hunting across the universe and must have sensed the movement of Plague Author, coming to exterminate It... Hmm?
She saw Lan standing before Yaoshi, not drawing a bow and nocking an arrow as expected, but instead, silently... extending a hand toward Yaoshi.
The movement wasn't even vigilant; it was more like a... calm signal.
What made Fu Xuan's jaw nearly drop even further was that, facing this "mortal enemy," the compassionate and gentle smile on Yaoshi's face seemed to... deepen slightly?
Not only did It show no hostility, but It also cooperated perfectly, gently lifting the petrified Fu Xuan with both hands, and then, as if handing over something fragile, carefully placed her onto the "hand" Lan had extended.
Fu Xuan: "???"
Standing in the palm of Lan, feeling the flow of cold, sharp energy, her mind was a complete, boiling mess of soy milk.
Why?! Why was the encounter between the Reignbow Arbiter and Plague Author... so peaceful?!
And... even a bit eerily tacit?!
This was completely different from the "mortal enemies," "eternal hunt," and "fight to the death on sight" descriptions in the Xianzhou textbooks, war epics, and all official records!
The two aeons stood opposite each other now, and the atmosphere was actually a bit... quiet?
And after Lan took her, It even nodded slightly to Yaoshi (Fu Xuan suspected her eyes were playing tricks on her)?
"Aren't you... mortal enemies?!"
Fu Xuan finally couldn't help it and asked with all her might.
This was too subversive! More subversive than seeing the General not slacking off for a hundred consecutive system cycles!
"Ha—ha—ha—ha—ha—!!!"
A burst of extremely exaggerated, dramatic laughter, as if holding back a massive "joke," exploded in the space like popcorn!
This laughter came with its own echo and distortion effects; just hearing it made one feel their sanity slipping away.
Immediately after, a being wearing a bizarre mask, whose figure flickered in and out of existence, as if composed of countless jokes and pranks, appeared hopping beside Lan and Yaoshi, not forgetting to circle Fu Xuan twice.
The aeon of Elation—Aha!
"A... a third aeon?!"
Fu Xuan felt that she definitely hadn't checked the almanac before going out today, or rather, the Matrix of Prescience had definitely connected to some channel it shouldn't have—an "Aeon Tea Party" gathering the universe's top big shots!
"Hahahaha! Little girl! Confused? Shocked? Is your worldview crumbling?"
Aha leaned in front of Fu Xuan, the expression on its mask seemingly changing frantically.
"Aha knows! Aha knows all too well! Let the god of fun tell you why!"
Aha suddenly spread its arms and shouted in an exaggerated tone, as if announcing a universal truth:
"That's obviously because 'The Hunt' is pursuing 'Abundance'!!!"
Fu Xuan: "...Ah?" (Brain completely crashed, soul leaving body.jpg)
Although she understood in an instant that this was definitely just "unofficial history" or even "rumors" made up by this fun-loving aeon who feared no chaos, the content was simply too shocking and unbelievable!
The Hunt pursuing Abundance, because of unrequited love? Is that why Lan was unwavering, crossing the sea of stars to chase after Yaoshi?
This, this...
And! Fu Xuan keenly (or rather, forcedly) noticed that the moment this absurd thought crossed her mind, the "hand" of Lan beneath her feet trembled, extremely slightly, but definitely!
"Think about it! Think carefully!"
Aha, fearing no chaos, danced around, its voice full of seduction (and the flavor of fun).
"Why has Lan always been chasing Yaoshi? From ancient times to the present, never stopping? Why is every 'encounter' so 'intense' (referring to light arrows flying everywhere)? That's not hate! That's love! It's an extreme and twisted love, unrequited, so it has to express care through arrows! Hahahaha! The Hunt is tsundere! Abundance is innocent! Is Aha right or not?!"
"Shut your mouth, you damn—!!!"
A roar that seemed to contain infinite fury, yet carried a hint of exasperation (?), exploded from Lan's direction like a starburst!
This was the first time Fu Xuan "heard" the Reignbow Arbiter's "voice" with such emotion.
Lan's face seemed to turn completely dark, and It unhesitatingly handed Fu Xuan, who was being held in Its palm, back to Yaoshi beside It.
The movement was so fast it was like discarding a hot potato.
Fu Xuan: "...Ah???"
Being handed over again, her mood was already numb, mixed with endless absurdity.
Yaoshi seemed to be stunned for a moment too, but still good-naturedly extended two hands to catch Fu Xuan again.
After receiving the "handover," Lan turned abruptly, the great bow made of light instantly solidifying in Its hand, the bowstring pulled taut, and a cyan-gold arrow, even more condensed and terrifying than before, locked onto Aha!
"Hahahaha! Look! The Hunt is embarrassed and angry! The truth has been spoken! Aha has no face! But Aha will still say it!"
Aha laughed wildly while beginning to dodge and run in this strange space in a completely irregular, drunken manner.
"Can't catch Abundance, so you take it out on Aha! The Hunt really has no face! Na-na-na~"
"Whoosh—Boom!!!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!"
Lan stopped caring about anything else, and one after another, arrows of The Hunt chased and shot at Aha, exploding into clusters of cyan-gold "fireworks" in this space.
Aha continued to provoke Lan with all sorts of outrageous words while fleeing, the laughter, explosions, and roars blending together.
The two aeons chased and ran, bringing with them exaggerated sound and light effects, quickly moving away from the location of Yaoshi and Fu Xuan, their figures becoming smaller and smaller, finally turning into two noisy specks of light on the horizon.
The scene finally became temporarily "quiet."
Yaoshi held Fu Xuan, who had returned to Its hands, with four arms steady and secure.
It seemed to lower Its head to "look" at the Xianzhou Grand Diviner in its palm, who was completely dazed with empty eyes, and fell into some kind of thought.
A moment later, It seemed to have thought of a "good idea."
Yaoshi raised one of Its free hands and gently knocked on the "air" beside It with Its knuckles.
Knock, knock, knock.
Even though there was nothing there, Fu Xuan inexplicably had the feeling that "someone is politely knocking on the door."
The next moment, that "space" being knocked on became dark red and twisted, like an iron plate melted by high heat, and a vortex formed at the center, constantly rotating and emitting an aura of pure destruction and end!
An arm that seemed to be composed of lava, black iron, and scars suddenly stretched out from the vortex, grabbing the "edge."
Subsequently, a tall, heavy figure with a huge burn scar on its chest and silent flames burning all over its body "squeezed" out of the vortex.
The aeon of Destruction—Nanook! The Avatar of Entropy!
Fu Xuan: "..."
She was so shocked that she couldn't even make a shocked expression; her pupils were just shaking.
What kind of day is it today?!
First Abundance, then The Hunt, then Elation came to stir up trouble, and now even Destruction is here?!
This lineup could scare half the civilizations in the universe to death just by holding a meeting!
And... why was the atmosphere between the aeon of Destruction and the aeon of abundance also so... peaceful?!
Nanook didn't even immediately start "destroying" everything in sight!
This is not how an aeon should act!
Yaoshi seemed very satisfied with Nanook's arrival. It carefully lifted Fu Xuan with both hands toward the aeon of Destruction, then gestured toward Nanook, while conveying a clear thought:
"Trouble you, send her back."
Nanook's eyes, burning with flames of destruction and devoid of emotional fluctuation, fell on Fu Xuan.
Fu Xuan: "...Ah?"
Send her back? How? Can the aeon of Destruction open space doors?
Before she could figure it out, she discovered with horror that Nanook had extended those large hands capable of crushing stars and... received her from Yaoshi's hands.
The movement wasn't gentle, but it didn't crush her either, as if receiving an "item" that needed to be processed.
Immediately after, Nanook did something that made Fu Xuan's soul fly away in terror—
It adjusted the posture of holding Fu Xuan, then leaned back slightly, pulled its arm back, just like... just like a javelin thrower or a hammer thrower preparing!
The aura of destruction gathered on Its arm, and that patch of space began to groan under the unbearable weight!
"Wait, wait! What are you doing?! No! Don't! Aaaaaah—!!!"
Fu Xuan's consciousness let out a final, desperate scream.
"Whoosh————!!!"
Nanook's arm swung forward violently, throwing Fu Xuan's consciousness like a human cannonball toward a certain "coordinate"!
Fu Xuan only felt the world spinning, the incomparable acceleration making her feel like her consciousness was being stretched into noodles!
In her field of vision, there was nothing left but the rapidly retreating, distorted, and bizarre sights, as well as the whistling wind of destruction in her ears!
She really became a "star," the brightest and unluckiest shooting star thrown by the aeon of Destruction himself, cutting through layers of dimensions and spatial barriers, falling rapidly toward the direction of the real world!
In place, Nanook calmly retracted Its arm, as if just casually throwing away a piece of trash (?).
Inside the burn scar on its chest, the flames of destruction burned quietly.
And Yaoshi, watching the direction where Fu Xuan disappeared as a shooting star, seemed to confirm that she was "safely" on her way.
Then, It made a gesture that would cause any Abomination of Abundance to have their faith collapse upon seeing it—
Its four arms raised simultaneously toward Nanook, holding up four... thumbs.
As if saying: "Well done, delivery (throwing goods) arrived, precise and direct, good review."
As for whether Nanook responded, or how it responded, that was not something Fu Xuan, who had already become a shooting star, could know.
She only had one thought now: I want to go home! I want to return to the Luofu! I will never casually divine again! General! Save me—!!!
And in the real world, on the sickbed of the Alchemy Commission, the unconscious Fu Xuan's body jerked, cold sweat seeping from her forehead, and she muttered unconsciously: "...Shooting star... Reignbow Arbiter... Yaoshi... Destruction... Good review..."
The medics and strategists guarding nearby were bewildered, and worriedly recorded: "Master Diviner's delirium symptoms have worsened; suspected of having serious hallucinations due to trauma to her consciousness..."