While he was still reeling in silent shock, Aha's voice echoed once again in his mind.
["Hehehe, little fox. I'm gonna borrow some of your memories!"]
As the words fell, everyone saw a mask appear out of thin air upon Jiaoqiu's face.
Having just witnessed what had happened before, he no longer resisted, allowing Aha to freely rummage through his mind.
In the blink of an eye, the mask detached itself from Jiaoqiu's face. A copy of the [Memory Bubble of the Spirit Butterfly Alchemist] was drawn out, carried away along with the mask.
Like Fu Xuan earlier, Jiaoqiu gasped heavily for air while his consciousness strained to recollect what had happened.
Realizing that Aha had only copied his memories rather than taken them, he managed to grin despite his discomfort.
So—it seemed that mortals were permitted to grasp the laws of the cosmos.
Upon this realization, he couldn't help but laugh even more gleefully.
["As for a reward… hahaha, I've just thought of something fun."]
But Aha did not leave after taking what he wanted. Instead, THEY seemed all the more delighted.
With a backward flick of the hand, THEY flung another mask toward Fu Xuan.
["A formal qualification as an Emanator—catch it well!"]
As the mask spun through the air, Aha's unrestrained laughter reverberated in everyone's ears.
["I've already seen through this little girl's origins. A captain candidate for one of Lan's ships, huh? Today I grant you the title of Elation's Emanator. Tomorrow, you'll inherit that ship. So, tell me—has Elation stolen the domain of The Hunt? Or has The Hunt recruited one of my emissaries? Just thinking about it fills me with joy!"]
["I grant you not only a Path, but also a field that spreads laughter. And as my emissary, your task is quite simple!"]
["When you swear to become the captain of that ship, you'll unconsciously cry out 'Swear allegiance to the great Aha!' and the worshippers around you will burst into laughter! Doing such a thing on Lan's turf—now that's prestige! Aha!"]
What utter humiliation!
The Joyseeker truly knew no restraint. Just for amusement, THEY would go as far as to slap the Reignbow Arbiter's face.
But for an Aeon, that was merely a symbolic insult. For the Xianzhou, for Fu Xuan—it was a disgrace that would echo through the ages!
Fu Xuan struggled not to let that mask touch her.
Jing Yuan and Feixiao also summoned their Path powers, attempting to intercept it.
But before an Aeon, they were far too insignificant.
With a casual wave of the shadow's hand, all of them were frozen mid-motion—locked in their struggle, turned into statues of stone.
Fu Xuan lowered her head in bitter resignation.
If all this was unavoidable, then for the honor of the Xianzhou, she would rather forever abandon her dream of inheriting the title of Arbiter-General.
Yet… she couldn't accept it.
She had just attained the power of an Emanator, her path should have stretched endlessly ahead!
In a flash of lightning, the mask had already reached her face.
Just as it was about to attach itself to her, a beam of blue-green light tore a hole through the barrier, streaking toward them even faster.
In the blink of an eye, that luminous arrow struck from the side—shattering the mask into countless fragments.
Fu Xuan shook her head, scattering the splinters of the broken mask.
Together with Jing Yuan, Feixiao, and Jiaoqiu, she turned toward the hole torn open in the barrier.
That beam, though slender, was unmistakable. Everyone present had lived through the Third War of the Denizens of Abundance.
They had all seen the same dazzling radiance flash across the void—from the depths of the universe—burning the living planet Ketu Mirage and the Abundance army to ashes with a single strike!
It was the Lux Arrow of the Reignbow Arbiter.
The vengeful light of The Hunt!
Through the torn gap in the barrier, a colossal blue-black figure stepped forth.
Its terrible hooves thundered against the void, the chariot behind it trailing magnificent spirit-flames.
A tall, lithe godlike form held a bow that spanned the length of a starfield—standing like a celestial body before them all.
"This is… the Reignbow Arbiter," Fu Xuan whispered, eyes wide with awe.
It was the very Aeon that the Xianzhou had worshipped for generations—and today, she was witnessing THEIR true form!
Jiaoqiu glanced once and closed his eyes.
For him, the last time he had witnessed the Reignbow Arbiter's miracle had not been a pleasant memory. Without that arrow, things would have turned far worse—but even so, it dredged up ghosts of those he'd lost.
"Yes… with Reignbow Arbiter's aid, we're truly safe now," Jing Yuan exhaled deeply.
His successor had been spared at last.
["Yo! Isn't this Brother Lan? What wind blew you here?"]
At the sound of that irreverent voice, thick with mockery and flattery alike, everyone's expressions fell dark.
Aha must've spent too long mingling in mortal guises—where had THEY picked up such vulgar tone?!
Lan stood between Aha and the others, voice resonating like a mighty bell: ["Leave. The Hunt's vengeance has nothing to do with you."]
["Eyy, look at that,"] Aha drawled.
Hearing no courtesy in Lan's words, THEIR tone shifted instantly, becoming brash and taunting. ["Little Lanny, ever heard of first come, first served? Ever heard of respecting your elders? Just because that little girl was born under your domain, she's yours now? I found her first—by rights, she should be working for me!"]
Aha knew full well that Lan, the most tight-lipped of the Aeons, was hopeless with words. To beat THEM in an argument? Child's play.
To spar with another Aeon in words—such chances were rare indeed!
The others of THEIR rank were all stubborn in their own way, incapable of understanding the joy in such banter. But now—heh—Aha had found a perfect target.
Heheheh, now this is entertainment.
Confident in Lan's silence, Aha prepared to indulge in a verbal feast.
But unexpectedly, Lan—being poor with words—simply refused to play.
The blue-black figure lifted the longbow, silent, pointing it straight at the shadow that held the mask.
The meaning was crystal clear—fight, or leave.
["Whoa, hey now!"] Aha cried out, indignant. ["You think I'm scared of you? Among the Aeons, aside from that lazy bum Nihility, there's no one I'd ever back down from!"]
Jing Yuan, Feixiao, Fu Xuan, and the rest calmly sat aside, nibbling the snacks Jiaoqiu had brought, watching the scene like a show.
There was no helping it—the level of this confrontation was far beyond them.
Ordinarily, a clash between two Aeons should have been suffocating, the air thick with tension.
And indeed, it was—except that every time Aha opened THEIR mouth, all that tension evaporated. Even though Lan had drawn the bow, no one could truly feel afraid.
Hmm. Probably because it's Aha…
Lan showed no sign of backing down. With steady grace, THEY drew the bowstring, the glowing limbs of the weapon gathering a storm of blazing power at the nock.
The Hunt said nothing—merely took aim.
["Seriously~"] Aha drawled, voice stretching in feigned helplessness. ["You really are such a hardhead, huh?"]
The shadow waved a hand. ["Fine, fine, the little girl's yours. But don't think I'm scared of you. It's just not worth dying over. Elation can afford to be a joke—but never a farce."]
With that, THEY sighed, lamenting once more how Aeons were such dull creatures—forever wedged in their horns, incapable of even the slightest flexibility.
Seeing Aha yield, Lan immediately lowered the bow and gestured toward the edge of the barrier.
The meaning couldn't have been clearer.
Get out.
Aha threw up THEIR hands. ["Little Lanny, you really have no manners. Won't fight, but still insisting with throwing me out?"]
Lan pointed again, silent as ever.
Aha slumped with a theatrical sigh. ["Fine, fine. Elation being forced out by The Hunt—well, that's still a kind of fun."]
THEY had wanted a battle of words, but instead had been utterly stonewalled.
"Tch. Aha's really lost face this time."
["But still, I can't just leave empty-handed."] With a flick of the wrist, a mask appeared before Fu Xuan, gently descending into her hands.
["Take it. When the time comes, just use it—simple and clean, it'll blow up an entire galaxy."]