"...Fu Qing, what is the situation?"
"Does the General even need to ask? There is no need for divination to understand our current circumstances. The sky hangs with dark clouds, and the wind carries sand and dust. A single glance is enough to see clearly."
Jing Yuan's holographic projection in the Divination Commission flickered as if it were losing power, his scattered hair obscuring his expression. He sounded a bit helpless.
"Time is of the essence... Speak plainly, Fu Qing."
"Calamity is upon us, General. Was I not clear enough?"
Fu Xuan shielded her face from the blowing sand, speaking with blunt and merciless honesty.
"That abomination spews one breath after another. The Divination Commission is as chaotic as the Starskiff Sea at peak hour! Look at this—what was once falling stardust has now become blowing sand..."
"Ahaha... Before me stands the one who is 'all-seeing and knows the future,' Fu Qing. Averting disaster and seeking fortune is your specialty. Surely you have a way to overcome these troubles?"
Jing Yuan let out a dry laugh, but it lacked his usual confidence of having everything under control. His tone even held a hint of pleading, as if he were truly hoping Fu Xuan could solve these problems.
But Fu Xuan merely sighed, her eyes filled with exhaustion as she looked at Jing Yuan.
"I am not a child, General. Such words are useless... The rise and fall of fortune is the natural order of things. To rely on divination to avert disaster and see through the future, one must be prepared to face the backlash of fate."
"All the Divination Commission can do is lay out fortune and misfortune before you through the art of divination, to try our best to make the right choice. We possess no divine power to turn the tide... No matter how much you praise me, General, it is beyond my ability."
Hearing this, the smile on Jing Yuan's lips slowly faded. His usually calm and carefree face became serious and solemn.
"Does Fu Qing mean to say that you can no longer see any future in which we win?"
"I have not yet given it my all. If I were to fight that abomination once more, do you see any chance of victory?"
But Fu Xuan just waved her hand, casually swatting away several pieces of rubble that shot towards her like bullets.
She effortlessly struck their weakest points, deflecting them with a light touch and altering their trajectory—a testament to the accuracy of her foresight.
She looked up at the sky, her gaze fixed on the enormous and majestic dragon's head in the distance. Her tone was serious.
"Although I am loath to admit it, if the Divination Commission must reach a conclusion, then I can only say that we likely have no chance of victory... Even if the General were to fight this abomination again, it would only add to our troubles."
"To put it bluntly—General, do you truly believe this is a normal abomination?"
"If the Dragon of [Immortality] had not already perished, I would suspect we were not hunting a Progeny of Abundance, but had instead encountered an Aeon who is unwilling to kill..."
"...Then I will immediately have the Helm Master of the Sky-Faring Commission ring the bell and leave a message in the Yellow Bell System to request reinforcements."
Jing Yuan was silent for a moment before sighing, a rare hint of frustration in his voice.
"I should have known the guests of the Astral Express would be unable to distinguish the caliber of this abomination. But I never thought even Fu Qing's divination could be mistaken... A true miscalculation."
As he spoke, there was not a trace of regret in his voice. Though this was a failure significant enough to be carved into his pillar of shame, it was only that.
The Xianzhou hunt across ten thousand realms, and no one could claim victory every single time. Although this hunt was a failure, it was just that.
The Xianzhou Luofu had suffered a setback, but it had not lost anything significant because of this hunt...
The abomination was strong, but it lacked aggression and was unwilling to uncoil itself from the planet it protected. Thus, it was difficult for it to inflict any real damage on the Xianzhou's main body, and the Cloud Knights had suffered few casualties.
He had plenty of ways to retreat.
The Xianzhou Alliance was not just one ecological giant ship, nor was it just the Luofu... The Alliance shared a common enemy. He only needed to call for aid.
With this thought, Jing Yuan's projection in the Divination Commission vanished. He was preparing to immediately contact the Xianzhou Yaoqing in a nearby star system to request their assistance...
However, before he could, his entire body suddenly trembled. A sense of awe surged from the bottom of his heart, and a chill washed over him. He felt a resonance from the depths of the Path...
Lifting his head, he could see in the depths of the stars a deep purple arrow of light, trailing a tail flame of death, shooting towards the Progeny of Abundance that was locked in battle with the Luofu...
The Divine Bow never speaks to mortal flesh... It proclaims its edicts only with arrows of light.
No one knew how long the Reigning-Bow, Arbiter of Fate, had been observing the battle, nor from where it had fired this arrow.
All that was known was that from the far end of the starry sky, an arrow of light was loosed from a bowstring. In an instant, it crossed thousands of light-years, evaded every single embattled Cloud Knight, and accurately pierced the abomination's throat.
A brilliant sash of jade pierces the sea of stars,
A single, mighty arrow impales the azure dragon.
This was the Heavenly Punishment Edict.
The battle was decided.
---o---
[You are locked in a fierce battle with the Xianzhou Luofu. The Luofu's Cloud Knight divisions—the Thundering Halberdiers, the Flowing-Mist Striders, the Winged-Flames Vanguards, and the Star-Sunderers—swarm towards you like a black cloud, their battle cries shaking the heavens.]
[You hear them shouting "The Xianzhou soars, the Cloud Knights are ever-victorious!" and "With courage and resolve, we purge the vile abominations!" Their cloud-forged blades strike at you but are blocked by the tentacles sprouting from your body, resulting in a stalemate.]
[Their attacks are like mosquito bites to you. You feel a stir of impatience and instinctively open your mouth towards the Xianzhou Luofu, spewing one breath attack after another, trying to eliminate these annoying insects.]
[Your attacks are ineffective. Although your breath attacks are a nuisance to the Xianzhou Luofu, they cannot inflict any significant damage.]
[Even without your sanity, your biological instincts urge you to unfurl your body and adopt a more suitable combat posture. If you were to collide directly with the Xianzhou, you could perhaps shatter it into scattered debris in the cosmos...]
[But the restraint and choices you made when you still had your reason have been carved into your very bones. You cannot abandon Jarilo-VI, just as a father cannot abandon his young child. Therefore, you continue to merely breathe attacks, locked in a stalemate with the Cloud Knights.]
[Two years have passed in a flash, and you and the Xianzhou Luofu have yet to determine a victor. You cannot expel the Xianzhou while remaining coiled around Jarilo-VI, and the Xianzhou cannot hunt you down.]
Reading the text on the screen, Ron sighed helplessly.
"So it can only be a stalemate... I'm doomed. Don't tell me even the Xianzhou can't deal with me in this simulation?"
The thought that his entire future could be ruined because this one simulation was stuck made Ron's face turn pale.
"Don't tell me I'll be stuck in one simulation for a lifetime... Is there really no way out?"
But just as that thought crossed his mind, the text on the screen vanished, replaced by several lines of crimson text:
[Lan, The Hunt, has cast its gaze upon you.]
[You have obtained the trait: "Ensnared (Black)"]
[Ensnared: Lan, the Aeon of The Hunt, has cast its gaze upon you. It has drawn its bow, an arrow nocked and aimed at your throat. You have fallen within the range of its arrow. It has pronounced your death. It cannot be blocked; it cannot be defied. When this trait is loaded, the event "Heavenly Punishment Edict" will inevitably trigger.]
[You have triggered the event "Heavenly Punishment Edict": Lan, the Aeon of The Hunt, has fired an arrow at you. The arrow of light has crossed thousands of light-years and pierced your throat.]
[You are dead.]
Seeing the crimson text on the screen, Ron's spirits instantly returned.
Lan, The Hunt, had personally made a move, completely finishing off his simulated self... Ron felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was the first time seeing the words "You are dead" had felt so damn good.
"Thanks to my big bro, the Divine Bow, for the arrow!"
He chuckled as he read the screen. The text faded, and new words appeared:
[Your throat was pierced by an arrow. All miracles of [The Abundance] were forcibly erased by this single arrow from the Divine Bow's Command.]
[The Divine Bow's arrow has completely shattered your life force. The Xianzhou Luofu immediately followed up, carefully moving your corpse into the Xianzhou for dissection and processing. It will be sent to the Alchemy Commission to study its biological properties and analyze how to render it inert, completely eliminating the possibility of your corpse spawning more Progeny of Abundance.]
[After removing your body, they discovered the vibrant, forested planet Jarilo-VI that you had been protecting beneath you.]
[Due to your passing, Jarilo-VI has been plunged into an eternal night. It is now the only intact planet within hundreds of surrounding star systems. The brilliant stars can no longer be seen, and there is no longer a sun to bring it light.]
[The Xianzhou Luofu detected life signals on Jarilo-VI. After reconnaissance and deduction by the Divination Commission, the Divine Foresight General Jing Yuan personally led the Thundering Halberdiers to land on and explore Jarilo-VI.]
[The empire is extremely vigilant. The main force of the Pioneer Groups has been deployed to the border, standing ready against the "enemy from the heavens." ]
The text faded, and a new scene appeared:
Jing Yuan led a vast army of Cloud Knights down from the sky. Above them, the majestic phantom of the Lightning-Lord flickered with brilliant golden lightning, illuminating the ground and bringing a fleeting moment of light to the eternal night of Jarilo-VI.
He looked at the massive formation of the Pioneer Groups not far away, and at Natasha standing before them, a lazy smile on his face.
"You all have the scent of [The Abundance] on you... but it is not strong."
"The Luofu is willing to provide all possible assistance to any civilization ravaged by these abominations... This star system's sun has been completely destroyed. Your home has fallen into eternal darkness, and it is no longer habitable."
As he spoke, he opened his eyes slightly, extending a friendly hand towards the crowd.
"The Xianzhou Luofu will open its gates to all of you... Will you come with us?"
Hearing Jing Yuan's words, a slight commotion rippled through the Pioneer Groups. Some began to whisper among themselves, intrigued by his invitation.
But Natasha took a step forward and plunged a dull silver longsword into the ground.
It was the weapon of the Vanguard of Catastrophe, a symbol of its rank within the Legion, but it was now Natasha's favored blade.
As she thrust the sword into the earth, verdant green shoots began to sprout from the ground around it, spreading across the entire battlefield and rapidly advancing towards the vast Cloud Knight army—
But the Cloud Knights merely took a single, synchronized step back. With a flourish of their cloud-forged blades, they effortlessly severed the sprouting tendrils.
Jing Yuan looked at the clearly hostile Natasha, the smile on his lips not fading. He still asked in a friendly tone:
"Is there a problem, miss? I believe my words were not difficult to understand. The Luofu is showing you goodwill. There should be no conflict between us..."
"You killed Ron, didn't you?"
It was the first time Natasha had shown such a cold expression. All of her former warmth had vanished. The look on her face was colder than the most bone-chilling ice on Jarilo-VI. Her rose-red eyes seemed to burn with the scarlet flames of hell, overflowing with the acrid smoke of hatred. Her sanity had completely shattered.
"Ron?"
The expression on Jing Yuan's face faltered. For the first time, he let the lazy, friendly smile drop.
He looked at Natasha and asked, somewhat confused:
"And who might that be?"
Natasha's face grew even colder. The fire in her eyes blazed, her reason turning to fuel for the flames of vengeance, growing ever hotter, as if wanting to consume everything.
But her voice was terrifyingly calm and detached as she earnestly explained to Jing Yuan:
"Our leader. The hero who brought dawn to this planet... The faith of the empire. My everything."
"You killed him. You shot him down before all of us... This is a blood feud."
Natasha spoke with grave seriousness. Behind her, the whispers in the Pioneer Groups, from those who had been interested in Jing Yuan's invitation, fell silent. Hidden vines shot out from the ground, piercing their hearts and throats, silencing them forever.
Looking at Natasha from a distance, Jing Yuan's face regained its former lazy expression, but the friendly smile could not return.
He was silent for a moment before asking calmly:
"...Then how do you wish to handle this?"
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth... A fight to the death."
Natasha responded earnestly, tightening her grip on the longsword embedded in the ground. A faint green light flickered in her chest as the blessing of The Apothecary of The Abundance began to burn.
"I will have vengeance for Ron."