Everything had finally quieted down, and before they could push on to the Alchemy Commission, Stelle's device buzzed with a new message from Phantylia:
[Tingyun: Oh, by the way, benefactor—did you catch that just now? When the dark deer slammed its hoof, vines shot right up from the ground like they owned the place.]
Stelle's brow furrowed. Phantylia hadn't even been there—how the hell did she know about it?
[Tingyun: Even though this humble one isn't right there with you, I can't help worrying about everyone's safety. The instant I caught wind of the Ambrosial Arbor stirring back to life, I broke out my surveillance tools.]
[Stelle: ?]
[Stelle: So... why didn't you tag along with us?]
[Tingyun: ...]
[Tingyun: My deepest apologies. This humble one hit a snag and let down both you benefactors and Lady Yukong.]
On her end, Phantylia ground her teeth. Her borrowed body still needed time to stitch itself back together. Glaring at the revived Ambrosial Arbor, a toxic cocktail of envy and rage bubbled up inside her.
[Tingyun: The essence of Abundance is truly a wonder. In all my star-hopping travels, I've never witnessed anything quite so... miraculous.]
[Tingyun: I even spied golden fruits dangling from those branches—straight out of your Xianzhou legends.]
[Tingyun: They say long ago, your ancestors munched on the immortal fruits from the Arbor and transformed into long-life folk. If I snagged one... would I get endless years like the Xianzhou people?]
"Hey, hey, hey—she's straight-up confessing here!"
March 7th craned over Stelle's shoulder, devouring the flood of messages Phantylia had fired off. The fox's polished facade had cracked wide open.
[Stelle: Lady, that's a risky line of thinking...]
[Tingyun: Benefactor, are you really not tempted by a shot like that?]
The words hit Stelle like a thunderclap, sparking an idea out of nowhere.
[Stelle: Then... Miss Tingyun, did you... hold onto one?]
"Heh, now you're toying with her." March 7th had to smirk—it was kinda thrilling watching Stelle improv this trap.
[Tingyun: If I said yes, would you split it with me?]
[Tingyun: Still, I take your point, benefactor. Shame the dark deer went up in smoke, and not a single fruit made it through. A once-in-a-millennium prize... gone in a blink. Just like life itself...]
No matter how many hosts she hijacked, Phantylia could never claim what she craved most.
Like some desperate alchemist chasing the elixir of immortality, she hungered for a shell that wouldn't crumble—a form unbowed by Destruction itself.
She knew it was a fool's dream.
But Stelle's reply left her gaping at the screen.
[Stelle: Then... has Miss Tingyun ever considered... walking the Path of Eternity?]
Phantylia: ...
A gut-punch straight to the core—she'd totally blanked on the Astral Express packing an Eternity follower.
As expected, not a single one of THEM plays fair.
The tables had turned. She'd been waxing poetic about Abundance's miracles, and now Stelle swerved into Eternity like it was no big deal. Funny? Not even close.
[Stelle: Longevity is a form of eternity, after all. So tell me, Miss Tingyun—esteemed Foxian Trade Liaison of the Merchant Guild—what springs to mind when you think of eternity?]
[Tingyun: Uh...]
Phantylia came up empty. Her true self, Suoxiang, had never bothered with Eternity's flock—hadn't even peeked inside one of their churches.
[Stelle: The Church of Eternity, obviously! With a stellar 99.99% approval rating across the cosmos! ]
Curious about that pesky 0.01%? Look no further than Nanook.
Phantylia's eye twitched. Had Eternity been toying with her this whole time?
Her early days on the Luofu had been a breeze. With the place doomed to burn anyway, she'd savored the eats and the views.
Mmm, that milk tea shop stop was divine... No wonder they dub it Immortal's Delight Tea. So sinfully sweet. The vibe, though—
Then the Stellaron Hunters crashed the party, and poof—every scheme went sideways.
Ruined. All of it.
Sure, this was Destruction with a twist...
But botching the rot from within? She'd tanked her standing with Lord Nanook. Her rep, her kill sheet—torched. A scarlet letter she'd never live down.
How was she supposed to strut back into HQ? Worst case, demotion to the kids' table, supping with the Doomsday Beasts.
What clawed at her deepest: Why the hell was Blake even here? Total blind spot.
Was the Pontiff that restless? And nobody thought to flag that the Xianzhou Alliance and the Church of Eternity were chummy?
For a split second, Phantylia eyed an Eternity plant in the Legion ranks. How else did they swarm her the minute she touched down?
The last couple days replayed in her head like a bad sim, nothing but shame. She was the Lord Ravager who made galaxies quake! How'd she end up a punchline?
[All of this~ every last bit~ is that wretched Aeon Ite's doing~ oh, the stars weep~ why must Ite be so utterly vile!]
[Only one play left! Swipe Abundance's juice from the Arbor's heart and smite the foul god Ite!]
Seething, Phantylia barely clocked the odd sing-song in the whisper. Anyone would swear she had voices in her head.
[[Abundance] against [Eternity]—don't you ache to see which one claims the crown...?]
[Hold up—no, with Abundance and Destruction's might in your veins, pulping the Xianzhou general and that Pontiff? Child's play.]
Phantylia scowled. One versus two? She wasn't brain-dead—she was the schemer of the Lord Ravagers.
She'd only gotten pinned because her every gambit got shredded on launch. How do you counter a foe with god-mode hacks?
A straight-up 1v1 where she even held the edge... then the bastards kept summoning adds until it snowballed to 1v5. Victory yanked away mid-celebration. Tell me how to salvage that mess!
Bank on the dead-weight Sanctus Medicus disciples?
[Walk a mile in their shoes~ two foes, two Paths... but you wield two powers solo. The odds tilt your way~]
...
"Teacher Adrian... what's it really like to be an Aeon?"
March 7th skipped right up to him, curiosity bubbling over. The Alchemy Commission could simmer—they'd hand it off to Diviner Fu. Unmasking Adrian's true nature had lightened the Luofu load a ton, though the Lord Ravager hunt meant no slacking.
"The figure standing before Miss March is merely a vessel... Strictly speaking, I'm not walking as an Aeon at this moment." Adrian deflected with a soft smile, wary of diving too deep into the metaphysics—March might get lost.
Stelle sidled up, looking sheepish. "Any chance I could... take back those nicknames from Belobog?"
"Milk Tea Aeon, Soap Aeon... You're the first soul to tag an Eternity Aeon with that many handles!"
"Haha... Kids spout the silliest things..." Stelle rubbed the back of her neck, cheeks burning. How was she supposed to know? Bumping into an Emanator was a once-in-three-lifetimes jackpot. An Aeon? Yeah, no crystal ball came with that memo.