The news of your engagement to Sword Champion Jingliu spread through the Luofu like wildfire.
Though a romance between a short-life species and a long-life species was a rare sight, because you were both legends among the High Cloud Sextet, your love story was sung as a tale of perfect harmony.
Faced with this sudden, monumental news, the friends around you naturally had their own reactions.
Baiheng: "Hah? I told you to confess your identity to him, not confess your relationship to us!"
Jingliu: "What is improper about it? I confessed my identity to him, and I also confessed our relationship to you~."
Jing Yuan: "Looking at it this way, from now on, I suppose I'll have to change how I address you, Brother Bai Heng."
You: "Don't worry about it. From now on, we'll each use our own terms. You call me 'Grandmaster', and I'll still call you... brother."
Dan Feng and Ying Xing: "Congratulations."
Your relationship with Jingliu entered a period of slow, steady warmth. Her nature was cool and tranquil, while yours was lazy and unrestrained; the two of you complemented each other perfectly.
On lazy days, you would gently stroke the pages of a book as you read indoors, listening to the clear whistle of her sword slicing through the air outside. When her duties piled up, you would brew her soups to ease her weariness and fatigue.
You occasionally thought to yourself, 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if days like these could slow down, could last a little longer?'
But in the end, that remained nothing more than your own far-fetched fantasy.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and war once again erupted on the front lines. The creations of the Emanator of Abundance, Shuhu, descended upon the Luofu once more.
The Warheads of the Borisin, the Sky-Defenders of the Wingweavers, and mountain-sized Flesh-Beast giants, along with all manner of undying abominations, stirred up trouble across the starry sea.
Even within the Luofu itself, discordant voices emerged. A faction known as the Denizens of Abundance regained momentum, attempting to incite chaos within the Luofu, aiming to trap the ship between internal strife and the external threat of the Emanator Shuhu.
During these turbulent times, the diviners of the Divination Commission activated the Matrix of Prescience and foresaw the Luofu's future predicament.
—Though they would survive this calamity, less than one in ten Cloud Knights would remain, and countless pocket realms would be utterly destroyed in the disaster.
This outcome lay heavy on everyone's hearts, a weight like a thousand-pound stone.
Finally, as swarms of undying abominations and several baleful stars filled the starry sea where the Luofu resided...
The Abundance's Emanator, Shuhu, had arrived.
At the far end of the starry sea, where the horizon met the heavens, a golden light spilled forth from dark brown clouds, like a savior's radiance.
The next second, countless golden branches and vines, like churning seawater, tore through the dark brown clouds inch by inch!
The form of the Emanator was revealed at that moment!
It was a thousand-faced monstrous tree composed of countless terrifying masses of flesh. Each face bore independent pupils, all sharing the same expression—sacred yet eerie.
The moment this Abundance's Emanator appeared, his proclamation echoed across the sky!
"I am Shuhu, I am Eternity. Beginning with me, you shall obtain true longevity!"
This was an undeniable bloody battle. Countless Cloud Knights formed their ranks at Starskiff Haven.
They swore that even if their arrows were exhausted, their star-skiffs destroyed, and their automatons ceased to function, they would use their flesh and blood to form a cloud barrier, shielding and protecting the Xianzhou!
The current Luofu General, Teng Xiao, transformed into a bolt of lightning on the battlefield, driving his Lighting Lord to plow through the lines of undying abominations. Wherever it passed, it left only scorched earth in its wake.
The Vidyadhara Elder, Dan Feng, the Imbibitor Lunae, brandished his spear, 'Cloud-Piercer,' tearing through the swarms of Wingweavers. He transformed into his draconic form and engaged the Abundance's Emanator Shuhu in direct combat, the clash of the Permanence and the Abundance shaking the heavens and the earth!
The Luofu's Sword Champion, Jingliu, with just her and her sword, unleashed countless sword glares, delivering sighs of death to innumerable Abundance abominations.
Yet even so, the Luofu's situation remained precarious. No matter how many abominations fell to the Cloud Knights, Emanator Shuhu needed only a slight tremble of his branches to make the shattered flesh of those undying horrors reassemble, their ashes reconstitute.
Even he himself seemed to possess limitless life. No matter how many times the Hunt's Emanator Teng Xiao and Dan Feng joined forces to kill him, he always returned from death, driving forth countless branches to mock them:
"Teng Xiao, what do you plan to kill me with this time? I am eager to see."
"In the end, before the divine power of the Abundance, you are no different from mere dust. Your soldiers bleed, they die, yet I need only raise my hand, wave a branch, to make petals fall back to their stamens from the mud, to make my legions return from destruction."
"You stand no chance."
But the moment Shuhu's mockery left his lips, an unbelievable scene unfolded before him.
In the sky not far away, a foxian girl piloted a speeding star-skiff. Upon it, a man in white robes, his eyes covered by a white blindfold, gently raised his hands. A warm, soothing breeze began to blow across the battlefield.
The next second, countless golden-green raindrops seemed to answer his call. They traversed countless light-years, passed through the bizarre void, and poured down in a torrential downpour!
For the Cloud Knights, these raindrops were a redeeming elixir, easing their fatigue and healing their wounds.
For the Abundance abominations, however, these raindrops were a lethal poison, dissolving them on contact!
Even Shuhu, an Emanator of the Abundance, sensed something ominous from those raindrops!
This was a scene he found utterly perplexing. He could perceive that the power originated from the Abundance, yet he didn't understand why it held such intense malice towards those who also walked the path of the Abundance.
But... that was all.
Facing your life-giving rain, the Abundance Emanator Shuhu erected an impenetrable prison upon the blood-and-fire scorched earth—the Sanguinary Abyss. This barrier blocked the luminous rain while trapping General Teng Xiao, Jingliu, Dan Feng, and numerous elite Cloud Knights who were at the front lines inside.
The situation once again tilted in favor of the undying abominations!
To break the deadlock, Baiheng told you that she had once seen a black sun on the Xianzhou Zhuming. It had devoured everything, leading to destruction. That might be the key to breaking through their current desperate situation.
"Traveling from the Luofu to Zhuming, even at my full speed, the round trip will take two days. I know this is difficult for a healer like you, but you must use every means possible to hold out until I return!"
The usually lively foxian girl wore a grave expression.
She knew this request was exceedingly difficult for a healer, but with the battle at such a critical juncture, she could only entrust this heavy responsibility to Bai Heng.
Faced with this task, Bai Heng's empty eyes gazed towards the Sanguinary Abyss. Though normally sightless, he seemed to see a certain figure at this moment.
After a moment, he spoke calmly:
"No, it's not difficult at all."
Yes, not difficult at all.
His most important person was trapped in dire peril. If he could save her, what difficulty could there be?
Just two days!
Easy!
Seeing Baiheng off, you spread your hands once more. The golden-green luminous rain fell even more heavily, enveloping the entire Luofu in a curtain of illusory, beautiful light.
This was the first time you had driven that Abundance power without any regard for the cost. You could feel the imaginary energy within your body being sucked away by a powerful force, and every fiber of your being screamed in pain.
But this effort yielded results. The wounds of the Cloud Knights outside the Sanguinary Abyss healed at a visible rate. Clad in the golden rain, they fought courageously, managing to hold the line before the bloody barrier.
Warm blood trickled from your mouth and nose, then your eyes and ears. You didn't know how much time had passed. Being unable to see, you couldn't discern the state of the battle, but within the terrifying aura of the Sanguinary Abyss, you seemed to constantly see the figure brandishing a sharp blade.
As long as you saw that she was still trapped, you knew you could not stop.
Finally, just before your consciousness was about to shatter, you felt a lethal wave of destruction ripple through the air, along with a terrifying suction force that seemed capable of annihilating everything.
Witnessing these scenes, everyone in the live stream had strong worry flashing in their eyes.
The sound of Bai Heng's body breaking under the strain of his desperate use of the Abundance power reached their ears with terrifying clarity.
They saw the absolute determination of this 'Heaven-Deficient' man.
It was the resolve to protect the one most important to him, no matter the cost!
--+--
March 7th: 「Mr. Bai Heng... he did it....」
Black Swan: 「Ah... Even though he is merely a physician, even though he cannot see and cannot hold a sword... that belief, the desire to protect someone important, allowed him to use that power continuously for two full days....」
Pela: 「But Miss Baiheng also....」
Kiana: 「One, Bai Heng, used everything he had to hold the line for two full days. The other, Baiheng, transformed herself into an arrow, delivering that black sun into the Sanguinary Abyss... This war is too tragic....」
--+--
Just as the Divination Commission had foreseen, the Luofu achieved victory in this battle. And just as foreseen, it was a pyrrhic victory.
The current Luofu General, Teng Xiao, at the cost of his own flesh and blood, commanded the Lightning Lord's thunder blades to briefly bind the Emanator Shuhu. The ace pilot of the High Cloud Sextet, Baiheng, broke through the Sanguinary Abyss with the devouring black sun, delivering the final blow to the Emanator Shuhu.
And she herself, consumed by the black sun, left behind only a few strands of hair and her jade-blood.
You woke up to learn all of this from Jingliu. Through her cold, clenched hand, you could sense her profound sorrow.
Baiheng, that foxian girl whose name differed from yours by only a single character and shared the same pronunciation, held significant meaning for the entire group of the High Cloud Sextet.
She was Ying Xing's guiding star, Dan Feng's spiritual mentor, and also Jingliu's only closest friend. Her existence was more like a link that connected the High Cloud Sextet. But now that link was gone, vanished along with that terrifying black sun.
You could feel the atmosphere among your former friends change due to Baiheng's departure. But there was little you could do, except try your best to soothe the grief in Jingliu's heart.
Half a year later, you received a transfer notice from the Xianzhou Yaoqing. Because they were perpetually in a 'battle-hungry' state, their medical resources were scarce, so they requested you, the physician who could summon the luminous rain, to provide support.
On the day of your departure, Jingliu came to see you off.
"Take care on this journey," she said, gripping Bai Heng's hand, her face showing unconcealed worry.
"Don't worry~ Yaoqing has ample military resources; I won't need to go to the front lines." Sensing his lover's concern, Bai Heng smiled faintly. "Besides, I have to come back to complete our...."
Before the word 'marriage' could leave his lips, a cold finger gently pressed against them.
"Some words, once spoken, can become harder to fulfill."
"You're starting to get superstitious?" Bai Heng raised an eyebrow.
"It's not superstition..." Her slightly cool form leaned gently against his chest. This usually stern and strong Sword Champion now wore a vulnerable expression. "It's just... I particularly cannot bear to lose you."
Bai Heng fell silent for a moment. Under normal circumstances, he might have laughed it off and changed the subject to lighten the mood.
But now, a bitterness in his throat only allowed him to whisper softly.
"Wait for me to come back."
--+--
Lumine: 「When Mr. Bai Heng said that, my heart almost stopped...」
Stelle: 「Luckily the Sword Champion knows how to interrupt a death flag! Hmph! So if Bai Heng doesn't say it, he should be safe and sound, right? At least nothing major should happen! [(૭ ｡•̀ ᵕ •́｡ )૭]」
Sparkle: 「But have you heard this saying? The one who interrupts the flag ends up bearing its effect~」
Stelle: 「You ⁽⁽(੭ꐦ •̀Д•́ )੭*⁾⁾」
March 7th: 「.....」
--+--
You proceeded to the Xianzhou Yaoqing. The Yaoqing General, Feixiao, personally received you. She was genuinely pleased by your arrival, and after witnessing your exceptional medical skills, she exclaimed with sincere admiration: "If Brother Bai Heng had come to our Yaoqing sooner, we'd already be fighting at the feet of the Plague Author!"
With your help, the Yaoqing achieved successive victories. Within just a few months, they destroyed four living planets and eradicated countless Abundance followers. Right at this time, you received a communication from Jing Yuan.
The message contained only two words: "Return immediately."
Sparks flew as blades and glaives collided. The ground was littered with scorched earth from lightning strikes and frost covering everything. Blood froze into ice the moment it sprayed, and pillars of ice thrust up from the ground like bamboo shoots after rain, constantly emerging at Jing Yuan's feet.
Jing Yuan stared at the ice-blue figure resembling a god of slaughter not far away, hesitation flickering in his golden eyes.
This was his master, the one who had taught him. The memories of her instruction were still vivid in his mind, and even her words, "If one day I fall into the Mara-Struck state, you must not hold back," still echoed in his ears.
Jing Yuan slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his golden pupils had finally hardened with resolve.
A massive figure of the Lightning Lord solidified behind him—the mantle of the Hunt's Emanator manifesting at this moment.
"Farewell, Master..."
But before he could finish speaking, the scene before him made him freeze abruptly.
Not far away, behind the Mara-crazed, slaughterous ice-blue figure, a white-robed man had appeared without a sound.
He gently laid a hand over Jingliu's sword-holding hand. A soft, warm voice murmured by her ear.
"Sorry, I'm late."
The voice seemed to carry a mysterious power. The moment it reached Jingliu's ears, all the uncontrollable frenzy within her began to recede like a tide.
The Mara-Struck state had stripped away her awareness, her memories, yet for some reason...
This voice felt intensely familiar to her. Intensely... soothing.
So soothing it made her want to sink into a deep sleep.
The cracked sword clattered to the ground. Cradling the icy-cold form—colder than ever before—in his arms, Bai Heng remained silent, head bowed.
On his rushed journey back, he had already learned everything that had happened.
Even so, he didn't say another word.
Only after a long while did he slowly rise, holding the unconscious figure, and turn to leave.
"We will take our leave. The matters that follow... I leave to you, Brother Jing Yuan... to you, General Jing Yuan."
And so, the legend that had once resounded throughout the Xianzhou Alliance—
—The High Cloud Sextet, was completely scattered.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.