A strange, indescribable tremor suddenly exploded in Wei Qing's chest.
It was unbelievably faint—yet it was nothing like the hollow pressure produced by a formation's simulation. It was closer to… that feeling from the very beginning of his existence in this world, when Nanook had first looked upon him.
Almost on instinct, the power belonging to an Emanator inside him surged violently—only to be forced down at once.
Tch… you're doing this for real? Wei Qing muttered inwardly, his expression finally sobering. What the hell did those two geniuses build? Can it actually poke a hole all the way up to the "boss"?
He didn't dare let his thoughts run wild. He steadied his breath and waited.
Blessing or disaster—if it wasn't his fate, it wouldn't hit him; if it was, he couldn't dodge it anyway. And right now, running wasn't an option.
That raised finger didn't point at him. It simply hovered toward the void.
Nanook's golden eyes remained indifferent, as if the tiny motion had been nothing but Wei Qing's imagination.
The next instant, the entire dark-red star sea began to convulse. The scene shattered—and switched again.
A towering spire collapsed. Calamity-flames of destruction washed across everything.
Wei Qing's pupils snapped tight.
This wasn't a projection from the Matrix at all.
He could feel it clearly: the aura here came from the same source as his own power.
This wasn't something Ruan Mei and Herta could simulate.
Something else had interfered.
Wei Qing suspected Remembrance or Elation.
Remembrance loved peeping on people everywhere—though Fuli hadn't even "been born" yet in this setting, there were still documented cases of it taking action.
But who could ever be sure with Aeons?
As for Aha, Wei Qing was guessing—because ever since the System appeared, he'd wondered if Aha was messing with him.
Wei Qing never doubted his own "specialness."
An Emanator infiltrating the Xianzhou Alliance and about to become the Luofu's general—something this absurd attracting Aha's attention wouldn't be strange at all.
He steadied his mind and moved forward cautiously.
Burning fire streamed around him, almost as if it were parting—making way.
The warped scenery ahead condensed, resolving into several silhouettes.
The first was… a grotesque creature: at first glance humanoid, but on closer look the "head" was nothing but a palm dragging something that shouldn't have been there.
In this life he'd never met it—but by its aura and his prior-life memories, Wei Qing recognized it instantly.
An Emanator. Gui Ji—the one branded "Destroyer of Elation."
He had to admit: the thing looked truly freakish. No wonder it got picked to "destroy" Elation.
Then the remaining figures appeared one after another—his "colleagues," so to speak:
Nihility: Phantylia's counterpart? No—here it was Burning Wind.
Harmony: Starhowl.
Preservation: Forged King.
Hunt: Phantylia.
And one more—Guang Shi, who he still couldn't tell was tied to Voracity or Immortality.
As for Erudition's Iron Tomb, it didn't appear at all—he knew exactly why.
These six Emanators stood like six monuments, each anchored in a different direction along the Path of Destruction, each embodying a different form of ending.
Wei Qing silently looked at them, then murmured into the void:
"So… what am I supposed to take from this?"
"Reminding me not to forget my job?"
Truthfully, Wei Qing didn't feel much belonging toward Destruction—and as for the Aeons, he didn't have the kind of reverence most people did.
Their might was unquestionable, but "Paths" were still too abstract.
Once you become a god, everything you do becomes your Path.
…Maybe that was just him being arrogant. After all, he'd never been an Aeon.
With that thought, Wei Qing studied the six again.
They were definitely not real—but the intense Path-residue clinging to them still made him pause.
That joke about Nanook "loving to steal other people's kids" wasn't exactly wrong.
Aside from the socially-off one—Phantylia—the others all carried traces linked to the Paths they'd "touched."
Even Phantylia's Heliobus lineage had deep ties to the Xianzhou.
So what about him?
What did he have to do with Abundance—or what did he need to have to do with Abundance?
For some reason, Wei Qing thought of the Ambrosial Arbor on the Luofu… and the System's main quest he'd been conveniently ignoring:
Become an Abundance Emanator.
The quest was absurd, but judging by what happened with Phantylia—if he could interpret it correctly, it did help in a pinch.
So… did he really need to find a way to "blend in" as an Abundance Emanator?
"Boy," a voice suddenly rang out, the tone like a cheap street preacher, "do you crave power?"
Wei Qing frowned and looked up.
A figure walked out of the burning ruins.
The man wore a suit, had on a pair of tacky, exaggerated goggles, and wore a grin so forced it looked painful.
"Look!" he spread his arms wide, voice dripping with theatrical exaggeration. "Such exquisite confusion—such delicious bewilderment!"
Wei Qing immediately clasped his hands together, utterly devout in tone:
"Aha above—yes, I absolutely crave power. More than ten percent. A full hundred percent."
"I've believed in Elation for ages—please, Lord Aha, grant me strength!"
The suited freak—Aha, apparently—answered with a sniff:
"Mortal, is that really your attitude toward an Aeon's gift? Aha is very picky!"
"Tch." Wei Qing clicked his tongue. "So are you giving it or not?"
Aha didn't answer.
Instead, it swirled like wind behind Wei Qing, then snapped into view in front of him again.
"Destruction doesn't love you. The Hunt doesn't understand you. Abundance still hasn't found you… heehee—little lost star, you make Aha's heart bloom with joy!"
"But it doesn't matter! Aha never cares what believers really think. Aha only cares whether the performance is entertaining!"
"So tell me—wanderer of Destruction—does the future make you uneasy?"
Wei Qing steadied himself and shot back, "So the kind, benevolent, helpful Lord Aha came specifically to guide your faithful out of confusion?"
"Guide you?" Aha recoiled like it had heard something boring. "How dull!"
Behind it, the destruction scenery instantly morphed into a roaring circus stage.
"Aha is only here to deliver a ticket!"
"A front-row VIP seat to a grand spectacle!"
A ticket stub glittering with ridiculous light spun through the air and floated before Wei Qing.
"Watch the show—early!"
"Stir the waters—thoroughly!"
Aha's body began to flicker. Its voice layered with countless laughs and screams.
"Remember, little star—answers don't matter. Fun is eternal!"
"When you don't know what to do…"
"Pick the most interesting path! Hahahahahaha—!"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 10
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 10
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