Tom lay flattened on the ground, blinking his eyes.
Seeing Tom's size was just too tiny, Jerry stepped forward, lifted him off the ground, and then took a deep breath.
In the next instant, Jerry's stomach swelled up like a huge balloon. Aiming at Tom's mouth, it blew fiercely.
Tom's entire body inflated instantly, returning to its original size—but his head swelled ridiculously, dozens of times bigger than usual, resembling a giant hot-air balloon.
Seeing Tom bouncing energetically back to life, everyone couldn't help but sigh in relief.
March's bright eyes shone with excitement. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted loudly:
"Go, Tom!"
Stelle quickly joined in:
"Big Brother Tom is invincible on earth, invincible in heaven—beat that Hunt Aeon black and blue!"
Just after Stelle finished, she felt someone tugging her sleeve. Turning confusedly, she saw March pointing awkwardly at the row of Xianzhou people nearby, all staring daggers at her.
Ah—I almost forgot, we're not just on the Xianzhou Luofu right now, we're literally inside a Xianzhou General's inner world…
Even as Tom's biggest fan, maybe yelling like that was a bit too much?
Thinking this, Stelle quickly clarified:
"No, no! That's not what I meant! I mean… even Aeons aren't such a big deal, right? Aeons are made to be defea—mmf!"
March hastily covered Stelle's mouth, forcing her under the table and quickly pointing elsewhere to divert attention.
"Oh my gosh! What's Jerry doing?!"
Although the subject change was terribly awkward, everyone instantly turned their eyes back to Tom and Jerry.
Right at this moment, Jerry let go of Tom's mouth.
Immediately, Tom started leaking air, blasting upward at breakneck speed like a deflating balloon, shooting straight into the sky—
—and directly smashing into the Hunt Aeon Lan's crown with immense force.
BANG—!
Tom crashed hard between Lan's horns, hands smacking into Lan's majestic crown. In the next second, clear cracks formed on the Aeon's crown.
Then, with a loud crash, the crown shattered, its pieces clattering down onto Lan's head.
Seeing this, Tom finally snapped back to his senses, quickly stuffing his right hand into his mouth in embarrassment as he noticed Lan staring at him.
Tom awkwardly revealed eight big white teeth, clasped both hands in front of himself shyly, and let out a bashful giggle.
"Hee-hee-hee-hee…"
Tom hurriedly grabbed the fallen crown fragments from Lan's head, frantically trying to put them back together—but as soon as he released his grip, the crown shattered again, this time falling far below and vanishing completely.
Feeling Lan's dangerously rising anger, Tom quickly pulled a giant set of buffalo horns from behind his back, firmly slammed them onto Lan's head, momentarily stunning him, then swiftly fluttered his translucent wings and bolted away.
Stelles spun around Lan's head as four tiny angelic Toms circled him. When Lan shook off the dizziness and looked up, three angels instantly scattered, while the last one leaned in close, kissed him square on his crystal-shaped mouth, stretched it absurdly long, then vanished into smoke with a pop.
Lan ignored the tiny angel Tom. His left hand immediately grabbed at the new buffalo horns Tom had placed on his head. But when he tried pulling them off, he found—he couldn't!
Or more accurately, they weren't horns placed there afterward.
Rather, these horns seemed as if they'd always been there—like a natural part of Lan's original Aeon form, indistinguishable from his previous majestic crown. They felt like part of his original body, an innate manifestation of his Path energy.
Naturally, they couldn't just be pulled off. Trying to forcibly remove them now would amount to self-mutilation. Even if he healed instantly, these horns would simply regrow back exactly as before.
But…how was this even possible?!
Even as an Aeon, Lan simply couldn't understand.
"Hahahahahahaha!!"
Uncontrollable laughter erupted from the banquet table. Aha clutched his stomach, rolling around on the ground laughing uncontrollably, spinning circles as he howled:
"This is too much fun—absolutely hilarious! Following Tom was the right choice. Tom's comedic talent has no limits! Hahahahaha! Horned Lan! Horned Lan!!"
Aha laughed uproariously. On the other side, however, was only heavy silence.
Jing Yuan rubbed his forehead wearily, a sharp headache creeping in.
Thank goodness it was only a headache. After being repeatedly bombarded by Tom's antics, he'd somewhat built up his mental endurance. Had he seen Tom turn the mighty Hunt Aeon into this state right from the start, his worldview probably would have shattered completely.
Yunli clenched her fists, lowering her eyes to the tabletop, her cheeks faintly flushed as she murmured softly to herself:
"I…I don't think I really want to become a General anymore."
Yanqing glanced at Jing Yuan and quietly asked:
"General, shouldn't we think of a way to help Lord Lan?"
Hearing this, Jing Yuan sighed, slowly shaking his head:
"Even Lord Lan himself is helpless now. The best we can do is…after returning to the Luofu, immediately report this incident, then change the official images depicting Lan throughout the Xianzhou."
"Otherwise, an inaccurate image could cause endless trouble later. It's just…these buffalo horns…"
Those devout believers whose hearts weren't resilient enough might experience a complete mental breakdown upon learning their Aeon's new image.
Maybe after this is all over, we should politely ask Tom to restore Lord Lan's original crown…
Perhaps Yevenko could talk some sense into him now?
Thinking this, Jing Yuan glanced toward Yevenko—but he realized Yevenko was no longer sitting at the table. Puzzled, he frowned.
In truth, Yevenko had slipped under the table, hiding alongside Stelle, who was also crouching there sheepishly.
Facing her, Yevenko drained another bottle of milk in one swift motion, drinking with the boldness of someone chugging alcohol. Then, with a heavy sigh, he lamented:
"Aah!"
"Did Tom ever think about me before pulling such a prank on Lan?!"
"How am I supposed to explain this to Jing Yuan, let alone the people of the Xianzhou?!"
Stelle scrunched her brows slightly and pointed out cautiously:
"But Yevenko, wasn't it you who told Tom to—"
"Shhh!" Yevenko hastily cut her off, raising a finger dramatically. "Don't speak. My intentions are all in this bottle of milk!"
Stelle quietly watched Yevenko drain yet another milk bottle. Finally, he covered his face with both hands, but his mouth betrayed him as the corners curled upward uncontrollably, and laughter finally burst out:
"Hahahahahahaha! Horned Lan! Hahahahaha!"
...
Meanwhile, Lan, the Hunt Aeon—now well aware that the buffalo horns had become one with his body—
After a brief silence, immediately took action.
He shot out two majestic arrows once more.
The Hunt Aeon knew clearly that those meteor-sized arrows had no real effect on Tom, and scattering their power into countless shooting stars had also failed to pose any genuine threat.
Therefore, these two arrows were refined to the extreme, their light sharpened and concentrated after release, far more piercing and vigorous.
These dazzling, fiercely radiant arrows moved even faster than before, chasing relentlessly after the fleeing Tom.
In the blink of an eye, the two arrows caught up with him.
Sensing movement behind him, Tom frantically turned his head around—
nly then realizing that the arrows were already right behind his tail.
Just as Tom turned to look back, the other arrow swiftly approached from another direction, stabbing straight into Tom's chest, mercilessly hitting its mark.
"Aaooh!!"
Tom let out a pitiful cry. He quickly clutched his heart, shut his eyes tightly, and his fluttering wings stopped mid-motion.
His entire body sank downward, rapidly plunging toward the ground.
But at that very instant—
An ethereal, shimmering-blue Flower-Fairy Tom spirit suddenly floated out of Tom's limp body. It spotted the second arrow still chasing from behind and hurriedly grabbed Tom by the scruff of his neck, swiftly carrying him away.
Seeing this, the second arrow instantly shifted targets, aiming straight for Tom's escaping spirit.
Witnessing the arrow turn toward it, Tom's spirit was so frightened its eyes popped out on springs. If even the real Tom couldn't handle that damage, how could a tiny spirit stand a chance?
Immediately, it rolled its eyes back dramatically and fainted.
However, from this unconscious Tom spirit emerged yet another spirit—quickly grabbing the first spirit by the scruff of its neck and escaping with both the spirit and Tom's body.
The chasing arrow paused, a tiny hand extending from its shaft, scratching its arrowhead in confusion.
There were now three different Toms in front of it—so, exactly which one should it chase?
Well, whichever one was currently flying!
The arrow continued chasing. Upon nearly reaching the second spirit, that spirit also dramatically fainted, giving rise to a third spirit.
Thus began an endless chase in the sky, the arrows pursuing Tom's multiplying spirits. Eventually, there were over ten Tom spirits, and the earliest fainted ones began waking up, tossing Tom's physical body around among themselves, leaving the poor arrow utterly unable to catch him, helplessly played around like a fool.
At the banquet table, Aha softly stroked beneath his Fool's mask, quietly observing the chase in the sky.
Though it remained amusing, compared to earlier moments, it had lost some freshness, leaving Aha feeling slightly unsatisfied.
It seemed it was now time for him to step in personally.
As the god of entertainment, of course his duty was to make things more exciting!
Aha's wine-red eyes shifted, landing gently upon the heated battle between Feixiao and Phantylia.
Under the Fool mask, his lips curled upward into a mischievous grin.
...
Meanwhile, Feixiao's duel against Phantylia had already reached fever pitch.
BANG!
Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!!
Holding her halberd-axe, Feixiao continuously pressed her fierce assault upon Phantylia, who desperately defended herself, wielding twin warblades crossed tightly.
However, Phantylia had not merely taken on Feixiao's form.
She had also seized control of Feixiao's own Heartbeast.
The huge, azure-winged wolf, suffused with bloody intent, hovered protectively around Phantylia, letting out a furious roar:
"ROOOAR—!"
Energy gathered rapidly within its jaws, releasing a terrifying azure-and-blood-colored breath toward Feixiao.
Seeing this, Feixiao quickly dodged aside.
Yet the distance was so close that despite her swift reaction, her left arm was still grazed by the blast, crimson veins instantly creeping up her pale skin.
This was a battle of the spirit.
If that blood-colored intent corrupted her any further, it would mean total defeat.
She had to admit—Phantylia was infinitely more troublesome than Hoolay had been.
Feixiao could sense clearly: had it been Hoolay invading her inner world, she would've been entirely confident of her victory.
Although Hoolay's will was strong, it had already lost its roots—now merely a desperate gamble.
Not to mention, Hoolay wasn't truly an Emanator; naturally weaker than her by a significant margin.
But Phantylia was different. She was an Emanator equal to Feixiao herself, and even more dangerously, she was fundamentally a Yaoshi—a being whose very essence was spirit and soul.
Moreover, Phantylia had cunningly inherited Hoolay's "legacy," the Red Moon.
Had Tom and Jerry not reinforced Feixiao's mental barriers, this current stalemate would've long become a disadvantage.
Yet even now, as time passed, Feixiao's situation remained far from optimistic.
Phantylia, now wielding the Red Moon, not only directly restrained Feixiao's abilities but also possessed a spiritual strength equal—if not superior—to her own.
"It's time to end this, Feixiao!"
"Your flesh will become my strength, and together we shall witness the destruction of the Luofu—and even all Xianzhou!"
"Hahahahaha!!"
Blazing crimson flames ignited fiercely along Phantylia's blades. Hoolay raised its head, unleashing a terrifying roar as an orb of entwined azure and bloody hues condensed rapidly above its jaws, radiating an overwhelming, heart-stopping power.
Clearly, Phantylia intended to exploit her earlier slight advantage, now committing all her strength to strike decisively.
Feixiao's expression turned grim, her heart sinking heavily as she gripped her halberd-axe tighter.
Yet, at that critical moment—
A crisp, playful applause echoed clearly through the air.
Clap! Clap!
Both combatants turned abruptly, only to see a man in a wine-red suit, wearing a Fool's mask, strolling leisurely between them.
"Alright, alright, this little sideshow is over. For the next performance, such poor jokes won't be permitted~"
Phantylia narrowed her eyes sharply.
"A Masked Fool?"
"No one can stand in the way of Destruction—not even Elation!"
Her words finished, Phantylia instantly charged toward Aha like an unleashed arrow, her twin blades burning with crimson fire, Hoolay's accumulated energy orb fiercely erupting forth.
Yet, Aha merely waved a hand lightly.
In that instant, Hoolay vanished like smoke, and the false Feixiao form created by Phantylia disappeared along with it.
All that remained was Phantylia's own ghostly cyan flame, which Aha effortlessly seized, instantly refining it in his grasp.
"Nanook, now it's your turn to provide Aha with some bigger entertainment~"