The entire galactic civilization had been swept into a superstorm.
The Emanator of Abundance, Shuhu, had once again rallied the Abominations of Abundance and launched successive assaults on the Xianzhou Yuque and the Xianzhou Luofu of the Xianzhou Alliance, inflicting immeasurable and devastating losses.
Yet unlike the tragedy of Cangcheng's destruction in the past, this storm ended with Shuhu's complete demise—the true death of an Emanator of Abundance.
The vast majority of civilization factions had no idea what methods the Xianzhou Alliance had used to kill Shuhu.
But at least this much was an undeniable fact.
The last unnatural death of an Emanator of an Aeon dated back to the Lord Ravager Zulo, whom the Galaxy Rangers had annihilated at the cost of endless sacrifice.
There was more than one Lord Ravager, however. Several others still remained.
And for every Lord Ravager that fell, a Celenova would rise to take his place.
An Emanator of Abundance was different. Thus far, only Shuhu had ever claimed to be the messenger of Abundance, the sole direct agent of Yaoshi.
Since no trace or news of a second Emanator of Abundance had ever appeared, most factions across the galaxy accepted that claim.
Now that Abundance's only known agent had fallen, only the heavens knew what kind of variables this would bring to the galaxy.
What moves Yaoshi would make remained to be seen, but those fanatical Abominations of Abundance who had revered Shuhu were almost certainly facing difficult times ahead.
They had already suffered heavy casualties in this war against the Xianzhou. Next, they would have to endure the endless pursuit of The Hunt…
Meanwhile, the Xianzhou Luofu itself was shrouded in an indescribable, strange atmosphere.
The common folk beat gongs and drums, celebrating with a joy livelier than any grand festival.
Yet the high-ranking Six Charioteers and even the Ten-Lords Commission did not know how to handle certain post-war affairs of this colossal battle.
The Foxian clans were fine, having never been drawn into the vortex.
It was different for the Vidyadhara. The Dragon Masters were all furious.
Dan Feng remained silent, having not spoken a single word for over half a month.
Oh, right—he was currently at the Ten-Lords Commission.
As one of the heroes of this great war, this should not have been the place where he was detained. The problem lay with the Ambrosial Arbor.
Simply put, when Shuhu led his army in pressing upon the Luofu, Kanzaki, Mian Xue, and Qing Han had managed to break the seal without anyone noticing and entered the grotto-heaven where the Ambrosial Arbor resided.
It had been wartime then, and absolutely no one noticed the change in the Ambrosial Arbor.
It was not until after the war, when a Vidyadhara patrol sensed something amiss and notified Dan Feng to investigate.
The Reignbow Arbiter had once severed the Ambrosial Arbor, yet failed to cause its complete annihilation, merely stopping its growth and entrusting the Vidyadhara to suppress it within the Scalegorge Waterscape.
But now, the Ambrosial Arbor could barely be considered a dead branch.
The Ten-Lords Commission, in conjunction with the Six Charioteers and the Vidyadhara, conducted an in-depth investigation and reached a conclusion:
The trio of Tomomu Kanzaki had seized enough blessed power to grant eternal life to the inhabitants of at least a hundred Xianzhou vessels.
The crime of tampering with the Ambrosial Arbor was infinitely more severe than the Ten Unpardonable Sins.
Dan Feng, as the current High Elder in charge of the seal, had been on good terms with Kanzaki during his life and had taken him to the Scalegorge Waterscape many times.
Therefore, he had to take responsibility for this crime and submit to investigation.
Upon learning that Kanzaki's association with him had carried a clear motive, Dan Feng's gaze darkened.
Upon learning that the tampering with the Ambrosial Arbor had been done to take revenge on Shuhu, his heart filled with complexity.
So many ineffable emotions blocked his chest that he had no desire to defend himself.
"How are Baiheng and Yingxing?"
Dan Feng looked at Teng Xiao, who had come to visit him.
Teng Xiao's lips moved slightly, and he finally sighed.
"…Neither is doing well."
"Shuhu's attack left a chaotic energy, like a toxin, inside Baiheng. Every healer on the Luofu is helpless."
"Her legs and arms… will most likely never heal for the rest of her life."
"…" Dan Feng fell silent again.
That eternally cheerful and vibrant woman, the morale booster of the team, had ended up in such a state…
"When Shuhu attacked Yingxing, he blessed him, so he became the immortal monster he hated the most…"
"What about Jingliu?"
"Before worrying about your comrades, haven't you considered defending yourself? You should know that most of the accusations against you come from the Dragon Masters."
The Dragon Masters had long been dissatisfied with Dan Feng's practice of turning the Vidyadhara into a one-man show, and for years they had been looking for an opportunity to weaken his power.
Now, using the excuse of the Ambrosial Arbor being tampered with and his failure to guard the seal, they severely impeached him several times.
"There is nothing to defend. If I had stayed guarding the Scalegorge Waterscape, could I really have stopped a being capable of contending with an Emanator of Abundance?"
Kanzaki's true strength was evident to all.
Could a Vidyadhara High Elder truly block the resolve fueled by the fire of revenge of someone who could attract the notice of the Reignbow Arbiter?
"Sigh… Since you have made up your mind, I cannot say much."
Teng Xiao sighed deeply.
"I don't have much time left. I have already recommended Jing Yuan to the Marshal to succeed me as the Luofu General."
"In the future… take care of yourself."
With that, Teng Xiao turned away wistfully and walked toward a certain cell at the lowest level of the Shackling Prison…
"Ghost Doctor."
"It's the Luofu General, a rare visitor… Hmm, your current state… Heh heh, it seems in a few days the Ten-Lords Tribunal Judge will guide you to oblivion."
"I came to fulfill a promise, to deliver a message for someone."
"Oh?"
Could it be…
Teng Xiao slowly closed his eyes.
"Kanzaki fought a bloody battle with the Emanator of Abundance, attracted the notice of the Reignbow Arbiter, and ultimately perished together with him. That is his end."
The Primus Immortus's multiple pupils froze simultaneously.
He only recovered after Teng Xiao left and the cell door was sealed shut again.
"In ancient times, loyalty and filial piety were hard to reconcile; today, love and hate are mutually repellent. In the end, one cannot have both. Alas, alas…"
"…You gave up the qualification to step into the Realm of Eternal Existence just to save the person in your heart, but can that person accept such an ending…?"
===
Elsewhere in the Shackling Prison, the interrogation of Mian Xue and Qing Han continued.
The two sisters were utterly disheartened and confessed fully to every crime that violated Xianzhou Law.
Whatever the Ten-Lords Tribunal Judge asked, they answered.
Starting from nearly dying on the battlefield and being activated by Kanzaki's Self-Actualization Aspect Method, all the way to the finale of the Shuhu Campaign.
A thousand years of experience, even when summarizing only major events, was enough for the interrogators to digest for a long time.
Throughout the entire process, Judges from the Department of Inquiry simultaneously read their Karmic Sins to verify the truth.
The interrogation, which lasted over ten days, concluded, and they had not spoken a single lie.
Knowing the entire sequence of cause and effect, every Judge present showed a look of emotion in their eyes.
From the day Cangcheng was destroyed, Kanzaki had begun to show signs of being mara-struck.
To completely execute Shuhu, he chose to touch the forbidden and activate the Self-Actualization Aspect Method, initiating a plan spanning a thousand years.
Over the past millennium, the trio of Tomomu Kanzaki had plundered countless Abundance power, yet never once harmed their comrades.
On the contrary, as their strength grew, the casualties suffered by the Cloud Knights significantly decreased.
Xianzhou Law is inherently merciless.
But now, the same phrase surfaced in the minds of every Judge present: Judge based on actions, not intent.
From the perspective of the Ten-Lords Edict, their crimes were almost equivalent to those of a Primus Immortus.
But from the standpoint of a Xianzhou citizen, it was impossible to muster the thought of condemning them.
It was hard to imagine the uproar that would erupt in the Alliance if the crimes and deeds of Tomomu Kanzaki's trio were made public.
It seemed that how to deal with Mian Xue and Qing Han must be decided after consulting the Marshal.