With Hu Lei's capture, the battle's outcome was no longer in doubt. Deprived of their leader, the Borisin scattered in disarray beneath the encirclement of the Xianzhou Luofu's forces. Their collapse came swift and total.
The expeditionary force swept through the star system like a storm, eradicating every last Abomination of Abundance. When the final Beastship was reduced to cosmic dust, the army began preparations for the return journey.
In a quiet corner of a starskiff, Jingliu sat with her eyes closed, methodically wiping the blood of Abominations from her longsword. A faint, strangely curved smile touched her lips.
Master… look. I am stronger than all of them now.
By capturing the Borisin warhead alive, I have finally caught up to your footsteps.
Does your disciple now have the right to ask even a single glance from you?
The news of Hu Lei's imprisonment in the deepest level of the Shackling Prison spread rapidly across the Xianzhou Luofu. The Xianzhou Alliance broadcast the victory throughout the galaxy. Civilizations that had once suffered under Borisin invasions rejoiced, declaring that justice had finally been served upon the evil wolves.
Yet this was only the calm before the storm.
Not long after, a distress signal from the Xianzhou Yuque shattered the brief respite and plunged the entire Xianzhou Alliance into tension once more.
Hu Lei's capture had failed to deter the Abominations of Abundance scattered across the galaxy. Instead, it had provoked them like a hammer striking a hornet's nest. The Wing Makers, the Houyhnhnms, and the Serpent Descendants — factions that had long fought only for their own interests — had lost their leaders in recent years. They now formed an unprecedented coalition. Even more alarming, they had brought with them another living constellation: the Jidu Mirage.
That malevolent star was approaching the Xianzhou Yuque, its maw open wide as if to devour everything in its path, evoking the catastrophic destruction of Cangcheng a thousand years ago.
The Alliance investigated whether an Emanator of Abundance stood behind the coalition, but no trace was found. It seemed the alliance had formed purely from shared hatred toward the Xianzhou.
In times of chaos, however, one truth remained clear: a loose scattering of sand could never ignite a prairie fire on its own. An unknown force had to be guiding this, one with its eyes fixed on the Xianzhou Yuque.
In the Military Affairs Office, the holographic display showed enemy positions marked in dense red clusters, resembling a swarm of Propagation stingbugs.
"This battle will determine the survival of the Xianzhou Yuque," Teng Xiao said gravely, his gaze sweeping across the High-Cloud Quintet, the Valiant Guards, and the Strategists. "As the nearest Xianzhou ship, the Luofu bears an inescapable responsibility to provide aid."
Dan Feng glanced at Jing Yuan, recalling the bold plan the general had proposed not long ago. Then he spoke, his words carrying weight.
"This battle will be perilous. I fear the Cloud Knights alone may not suffice. I will persuade the Dragon Masters to dispatch the Vidyadhara Cloudhymnists to the front lines. With the power of surging waters, we can help the Cloud Knights sweep these demonic invaders away."
Teng Xiao narrowed his eyes. "Are you certain?"
If an Emanator of Abundance truly stood behind the coalition, this reinforcement would mean participating in what could become the Third Abundance Plague War. The defense of the Xianzhou Yuque would become a sea of corpses and blood. The Vidyadhara could not reproduce; every death was permanent. The previous High Elder, Yubie, had already drawn the Dragon Masters' displeasure by using the Scalegorge Waterscape to suppress the Ambrosial Arbor. Now Dan Feng wished to lead the clan's mages into battle. How could they possibly consent?
"In the Vidyadhara of the Xianzhou Luofu, my word is final."
Dan Feng delivered the near-dictatorial statement and was the first to leave the Military Affairs Office.
After the meeting, the Cloud Knights of the Xianzhou Luofu were given only three days to prepare.
On the eve of battle, the High-Cloud Quintet gathered at the Qingxin Residence.
Jingliu seemed distracted, her thoughts far away.
Jing Yuan noticed but chose not to comment. Instead, he turned to Yingxing, who was already lifting a cup.
"Why are you drinking already? Shouldn't we wait for Dan Feng?"
"The High Elder is surely entangled in endless meetings with the Preceptors. He won't be free anytime soon. No point waiting."
Yingxing downed the cup and nearly spat it out.
"Pah! This is just water?!"
"With war looming, excessive drinking would only invite mistakes," Bai Heng replied, her smile bright as ever. "So I placed a jar of spring water from the Thalassa Crystal Palace here first. Hehe…"
Even with a great battle ahead, her cheerful demeanor remained undimmed.
"Wine tastes best when savored after victory," she continued. "When the time comes, Lord Kanzaki will surely provide us with plum blossom wine to drink to our hearts' content."
"Right, Jingliu? No one here knows Lord Kanzaki better than you."
"…Yes…" Jingliu nodded, her reply almost automatic.
Yingxing rolled his eyes. "You should have said so earlier."
"Hehe, I just wanted to see the look on your face when you took that first sip," Bai Heng teased.
Jing Yuan smiled faintly. "Whether water or wine, a gift from a friend carries the same warmth."
"Has that old habit of finding profound meaning in everything still not been cured?"
Dan Feng pushed open the door and immediately teased Jing Yuan's measured way of speaking.
To Jing Yuan, the High Elder's sharp tongue was far milder than his own master's, so he paid it no mind.
"You've arrived at the perfect moment. Everyone has been waiting. Why not penalize yourself with three cups?"
"Spare me. I've already drunk more than enough bitter water by the Ancient Sea."
Dan Feng sighed, then brought the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"I have persuaded the Dragon Masters. In this battle, the Vidyadhara Cloudhymnists will take to the front lines and fight alongside our forces."
Yingxing raised an eyebrow and looked toward Jing Yuan.
"It seems your plan regarding the Jidu Mirage can proceed after all."
"Thank you for holding firm, Dan Feng," Jing Yuan said with genuine gratitude.
"I didn't expect the Dragon Masters to actually agree," Yingxing remarked with a frown. "After this battle, there will surely be…"
"There will surely be countless Vidyadhara who will never return, who will never have the chance to shed their scales and be reborn. We all understand this."
Dan Feng completed the thought, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.
"But if we do not share the same fate as the Alliance, the Vidyadhara will remain nothing more than bystanders to others' suffering, never truly part of its destiny."
"I'm sorry," Jing Yuan said quietly. "My reckless plan must have placed a great burden on you."
"Don't say that. If our positions were reversed, no matter how reckless my plan might be, you would support me without hesitation, wouldn't you?"
"Of course. But let us still strive not to be too reckless."
"Thank you, Dan Feng! Thank you, Jing Yuan! Thank you, Jingliu! Thank you, Bai Heng!"
Yingxing raised another cup of spring water, his relief plain.
Without these comrades at his side, a short-lived species like him, skilled only in forging and machinery, would have found it nearly impossible to seek vengeance against the Abominations of Abundance.
"You drunkard," Dan Feng remarked, glancing at him. "Can one even become intoxicated on spring water?"
Yingxing's expression grew more serious.
"I would rather be a firefly charging into the flame than a tree that lives forever in uselessness. In the past, that was truly how I felt. But ever since I met all of you, I have never felt more vividly alive… and I have never wished more strongly to live even a moment longer…"
Realizing the weight of his words, he quickly corrected himself.
"No, I shouldn't say such things here."
A brief silence fell over the group.
Then Kanzaki's voice came through, calm and steady.
"I have been retired for many years. I have the heart but not the strength to assist the Xianzhou Yuque directly. All I can do is offer wine to see you all off."
---
Bonus chapters
200 - Stones
400 - Stones
600 - Stones
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