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After reaching this conclusion, Xueyi felt her vision go dark.
The Joyseeker—and there were two of THEM!
The Xianzhou Luofu was in serious trouble.
Once Huohuo finished recounting everything that had happened, Xueyi finally understood why Tail looked like this, and why the room had been arranged in such an extreme way.
At the same time, she became completely certain that the so-called Giovanni was, with extremely high probability, the Joyseeker THEMSELF in person.
She looked at the one person and one heliobus beside her and said helplessly, "You two really have… incredible luck. To encounter two Aeons at once."
"Two?" Huohuo didn't understand what Xueyi was getting at.
Tail was even more blunt. "Judge, have you been scared stupid? The big one never even showed up."
"Never showed up?"
Xueyi's smile rapidly slid toward something closer to tears.
"Is this what people mean by 'airheaded'? Did it never occur to you that an ordinary follower of Elation could not possibly have the ability to communicate with the Joyseeker and create a model?"
"That's not strange at all," Tail said dismissively.
"What if the Joyseeker just happens to favor that white-haired guy with the mask? And as for making a model—Aha doing something like that isn't strange at all, is it?"
"Then is it strange for THEM to take human form and go incognito?" Xueyi shot back.
"Uh…"
Huohuo and Tail looked at each other, both falling silent.
They really had been stumped.
If it were any other Aeon taking on mortal form and wandering the streets, they would scoff without hesitation.
But if it was Aha, the first reaction would probably be, Where are THEY? No one would doubt that THEY could do such a thing—only whether it was a mortal doing cosplay.
Combined with Xueyi's first question, even Tail began to hesitate.
Still, he muttered weakly, "That's just a possibility, isn't it?"
Xueyi had been waiting precisely for that.
"Then what about this mask you obtained?"
"You're considered powerful even among the Heliobi, yet this mask's seal leaves you completely unable to resist. And it can casually double your strength. More importantly—"
Xueyi narrowed her eyes, her voice crisp and deliberate. "It completely converts your power into Elation Path power."
"You may not have systematically studied matters at this level, but I can tell you with certainty—this is something even General Jing Yuan, as an Emanator, cannot accomplish."
"Ah!"
Huohuo let out a soft gasp.
At this moment, the shock she had delivered to Xueyi earlier rebounded onto her in full force.
But unlike Xueyi, she lacked that sense of looming crisis.
Instead, she felt… proud.
I once chatted and laughed with an Aeon?
And when Giovanni appeared, THEY even joked with her—and even yielded first, letting her open the trash can before THEM!
This—this was absolutely something anyone could brag about for a lifetime.
Who would dare call her timid now? She had chatted and laughed with an Aeon!
Tail's expression, meanwhile, was far more complicated.
Thinking back on it now, he hadn't just said "idiot" once—his mouth had been running nonstop.
Every single time THEY pulled out a Curio, he had chimed in.
Great Flint Emperor above…
Tail glanced at the mask on his head, and the sense of humiliation almost completely dissipated.
Instead, he felt that Aha's temper was actually… pretty good.
If he were some fanatic like Cirrus, he might even see the word "idiot" written on him as a divine inscription from an Aeon—an honor to be cherished for life.
Cough—fortunately, he's not that deranged.
Still… being able to mess around with an Aeon like that was really damn thrilling!
Seeing the two of them not only lacking any sense of impending doom but even looking a little smug, Xueyi bit her lip, utterly impressed.
So, this is the famed laid-back attitude of the younger generation? I've truly learned something today.
"Sigh."
Xueyi shook her head, even feeling a bit envious of their thick nerves.
If she could be like that, life would be so much easier.
But she had no time to dwell on such thoughts.
"Do you really have no idea where that new Joyseeker is right now?" Xueyi asked.
Huohuo thought for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! I think I heard her say she was going to the Exalting Sanctum to do something."
"Good."
Xueyi nodded. The future of the Luofu rested on this.
She could only hope the Joyseeker would be magnanimous.
"Come. You're both coming with me to the Exalting Sanctum."
With that, she was already prepared to drop all other duties for the day and head straight there.
As she walked, she also sent a message to Jing Yuan.
This matter was far beyond what she could handle; this trip would only serve as an advance check.
Huohuo and Tail hurried after her. Tail even added a conical hat on top of the sheet, just to be safe.
"Um… by the way, Xueyi-dono. What did you originally come to find me for?"
Huohuo remembered that the strange room setup was only noticed after Xueyi entered.
So, what had the judge originally wanted?
"Oh, that?" Xueyi replied casually. "The higher-ups are placing great importance on the [Human Emperor Banner] you just obtained. They believe it directly counters the weaknesses of Abundance abominations, nullifying the vitality they pride themselves on."
"So, they've decided to select a few death-row inmates from The Shackling Prison to test its power first."
"If the results are ideal, they plan to transfer you to the Cloud Knights to participate in frontline combat."
"But given the situation, it'll probably be put on hold for now—though only temporarily."
Hearing this, Huohuo felt like she'd just downed a huge glass of bitter gourd juice.
"What? When I joined the Ten-Lords Commission, wasn't I told it was a technical position? Why am I being sent to the front lines?"
After all, she hadn't joined because she loved fighting—Tail's possession had been the decisive factor.
Because of that, the Ten-Lords Commission had taken good care of her, including training her as a mechanic.
Few people knew that when she served as a nether judge, she had been personally trained by Hanya.
Her true specialty was maintaining machinery—especially repairing Xueyi, who was frequently "damaged."
So how did she suddenly end up facing life and death on the battlefield?
Tail found it even more absurd. "Sending this little one to the battlefield? Wouldn't that work me to death?"
…
At the Borisin Tribe encampment.
Within her private prophet's temple, Phantylia sighed endlessly.
Looking at the constant stream of intelligence from the Luofu, she felt as if the entire universe were conspiring against her.
"Feixiao wielding four divine swords, Fu Xuan gaining the recognition of The Hunt, that Li family girl comprehending the Taixu Sword Aura, Bailu awakening unknown draconic power, and all sorts of conceptual Curios…"
Phantylia rubbed her temples; the more she read, the more despairing it became.
Hoolay had been a masterstroke, capable of plunging the Xianzhou into chaos.
His individual strength was irrelevant—the true terror lay in the internal damage he would cause.
As long as he escaped alive, the Foxians would erupt in resentment. Even Feixiao, their hero, couldn't suppress that level of anger.
Jing Yuan and the Luofu leadership would be condemned from all sides, while the Vidyadhara elders—who had secret dealings with her—stood ready to seize power.
These three factions were already hostile. All it would take was a single spark to detonate the Luofu like a massive powder keg.
Internal collapse would be inevitable. With her subtle manipulation, the chaos would only grow, greatly weakening the Luofu.
Then she would descend as an Emanator of Destruction—and the Luofu would fall in one decisive battle.
This perfectly aligned with her aesthetics of Destruction.
Internal disintegration was the most elegant, most magnificent form of destruction.
But now, before the plan even began, it had already failed.
If Hoolay escaped The Shackling Prison now, it wouldn't be a wolf among sheep—it would be a march to the execution ground.
The Xianzhou natives had long been eager for a chance to kill him and eliminate future trouble.
Revenge? Go ahead and just peel bananas.
Phantylia slammed the intelligence onto the table and cried out in exhaustion, "Ah! How did it all turn out like this?!"
At that moment, a familiar yet awe-inspiring presence entered her perception without any attempt at concealment.
She sprang to her feet, flashing to the center of the temple, and threw herself down in worship.
"Welcome, the one and only faith of countless followers of Destruction across the universe—Nanook!"
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