Chapter 218: This Is Truly Excellent Mirth
Jing Yuan's lips parted, but no words materialized. He stared at Bai Heng, the sheer absurdity of her statement hanging heavy in the quiet air between them.
The very concept of Aeons gathering on the Xianzhou Luofu for a casual reunion was, by all accounts, an impossible fever dream. Limited by their finite mortal cognition, sentient life across the cosmos could only vaguely perceive that Aeons tread upon Paths entirely invisible to the naked eye, wielding immeasurable, galaxy-shattering power based on rigid philosophical absolutes. Ultimately, in the grand myths passed down by word of mouth across star systems, these divine entities were nothing more than the cold, distant incarnations of highly condensed concepts.
Their actions were notoriously unpredictable, unguessable, and entirely unfathomable.
Who in their right mind would ever dare to imagine that five Aeons would descend upon the Xianzhou Luofu at the exact same time? Had the irrefutable evidence not been staring him right in the face, Jing Yuan himself would have dismissed it as the ramblings of a madman.
Yet, Bai Heng's casual observation pierced through the shock, highlighting a deeply unsettling detail: among the gathered Aeons who had graced the Luofu with their presence, why was Lan, the Reignbow Arbiter, the only one conspicuously missing?
Lan... do You still protect the Luofu, or have You forsaken us?
"How can the actions of Aeons ever be something we mortals can fathom?" Jing Yuan finally managed, releasing a long, helpless sigh that seemed to drain the tension from his broad shoulders.
Just as the words left his mouth, a sharp, rhythmic vibration buzzed against his waist. He retrieved his jade token. The glowing screen displayed an urgent, high-priority notification from Xianzhou Marshal Hua: A General Meeting will convene at 15:00 hours.
"I need to head back to the Seat of Divine Foresight immediately," Jing Yuan said, his golden eyes narrowing as he swiftly adjusted his armor. After offering a brief, apologetic nod to the others, the general turned on his heel and strode away in a hurried blur of white and gold.
Meanwhile, light-years away, the chaotic ripples stirred by Aha's uploaded video were only just beginning to crash across the universe.
Strolling along a bustling, neon-lit street, Welt Yang paused near a crosswalk. He stared down at his phone screen, a wry, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he gently shook his head.
What was bound to come has finally arrived.
The comment section beneath the video had already devolved into an apocalyptic wasteland of digital noise. It was a chaotic, rapidly scrolling mess of bitter arguments, arranged duels, political incitement, and relentless trolling. The Interstellar Peace Corporation had reacted with terrifying speed, forcing their tech divisions to work grueling overnight shifts just to apply emergency comment permissions. After enforcing strict real-name authentication protocols, the IPC had divided the forum into an "Ordinary Section" and an "Advanced Section" based on the user's cosmic identity.
The Ordinary Section was bursting at the seams, flooded with billions of everyday citizens from countless star systems fervently debating the footage. Yet, the Advanced Section—an exclusive hub gathering Pathstriders of various Paths—was not a single degree less volatile.
[Tavern Bartender]: Ahahaha—'Preservation? When has Preservation ever looked at humans?!' This is truly excellent mirth! Praise the God of Mirth!
[IPC Employee 9527]: Heh, you delusional Fools from the Tavern... didn't you just watch your so-called God of Mirth get flattened into a pancake by the Amber Lord's hammer?
[Tavern Bartender]: Hey, He was flattened, sure, but didn't He just bounce right back like a rubber ball~? No matter, no matter!
[Sparkle]: Heehee, the God of Mirth is just begging for a beating. If you're not satisfied, let Qlipoth drop another hammer strike on Him!
Reading such blatantly disrespectful remarks from the Masked Fools, Pathstriders devoted to other Paths stared at their screens in absolute speechless disbelief.
As expected of the Masked Fools... not only did they refuse to defend Aha, but they actively went out of their way to kick their own Aeon while He was down. What made the onlookers even more exasperated was the universal understanding that, after witnessing this digital mockery, Aha probably wouldn't even punish them. In fact, He might just laugh and bestow even more "Elation" blessings upon them for the sheer comedy of it all.
Faced with this disorganized, chaotic swarm of fun-seekers, the devout believers of Preservation found themselves completely helpless. A structured, logical "argument" simply couldn't take root in such absurd soil.
However, the cryptic teaser Aha had deliberately spliced into the very end of the video proved to be far more thought-provoking.
[Sparkle]: Hey, all the Aeons actually went to the Xianzhou Luofu for a little team-building exercise. It's truly, truly enviable. What a tragic pity I'm not on the Xianzhou to witness this magnificent show... heeheehee.
[Phoebe the Cable-Layer]: Xianzhou Luofu? Didn't I just read a news broadcast claiming there was a massive riot over there? I wonder what the specific situation is on the ground.
[Trailblazer]: Where are the locals from the Xianzhou Luofu? Is anyone going to step up and explain the situation...
[Zhong Zhong Shan Shan]: Heehee, I know exactly what's going on with the Xianzhou Luofu. Lord Ravager Phantylia disguised herself as a Xianzhou Amicassador to infiltrate the Luofu and seek out the Ambrosial Arbor... but in the end, it seems she completely failed. She couldn't even get the job done.
[Invincible Swordsman 123]: The situation on the Xianzhou Luofu is very good! There is absolutely no need for you all to worry about it!
[Real Name Surfing]: The unrest on the Xianzhou Luofu has already been quelled. Please do not panic, everyone...
[Anonymous]: @Phantylia, absolute trash! You can't even handle such a minuscule task.
[Phantylia]:????
Hiding in the suffocating darkness of an undisclosed, ruined sector, Phantylia sat in absolute silence.
The holographic projection of the video was currently playing on an automated loop just a few feet away from her resting form. Initially, the Lord Ravager hadn't cared much about the viral clip, dismissing it as trivial mortal nonsense. But the teaser at the very end caused her glowing eyes to widen, plunging her into a chilling, paralyzing silence.
After all... Phantylia had just suffered a humiliating defeat on the Xianzhou Luofu. She had strutted around, manipulating the shadows, talking an immense amount of arrogant big game about destruction and despair.
And now, this video was casually revealing that Aha, the Aeon of Elation, was physically present on the Xianzhou Luofu at that exact same time?
Worse still, it clearly wasn't just Aha. The casual use of the term "team building" implied a gathering. Multiple Aeons.
When she forced herself to think deeper, realizing that the Luofu was originally the sacred domain of Lan, the Reignbow Arbiter... the horrifying truth dawned on her. She hadn't just been executing a grand scheme; she had essentially taken a leisurely, arrogant stroll right across the front porch of the God of Death.
Framed in that terrifying new light, a phantom chill violently raced down her ethereal spine.
Phantylia pressed a hand against her chest, letting out a long, shuddering breath of pure relief. She had nearly marched herself straight into absolute, unrecoverable annihilation.
"So, Jing Yuan. What exactly is going on here?"
The voice was cold, authoritative, and sliced through the tense air of the conference room. "Why was there not a single, solitary word in your official report regarding the presence of various Aeons and Arbiters?"
"I require a thorough explanation."
At the General Meeting, Xianzhou Marshal Hua sat at the head of the massive, circular table. She gazed piercingly at Jing Yuan, her tone perfectly calm, yet carrying a crushing, unavoidable weight of inquiry.
The holographic projections of the other generals cast inquisitive, sharp glances in his direction. Feixiao, who was currently en route to the Luofu aboard a high-speed starship, leaned forward in her seat. She had originally assumed this was merely a routine post-crisis debriefing. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect the agenda to involve the literal physical manifestation of Aeons.
"This matter... please allow me to explain it slowly," Jing Yuan replied, offering a bitter, exhausted smile as he rested his hands on the table.
"What? There were... five Aeons on the Luofu at that time?!" The collective shock of the generals echoed through the comms, their usual stoic composure shattering instantly.
Jing Yuan felt a dark, vindictive sense of relief wash over him. Do any of you have the slightest idea what I've been through these past few days?
"Wait, it's one thing for Nous the Erudition, Fuli the Remembrance, the leader of the Stellaron Hunters, and Yaoshi the Plagues Author to be present," one of the generals stammered, trying to process the sheer scale of the cosmic hazard. "But why in the cosmos would Nanook, the Ruin Author..."
"Ahem," Jing Yuan quickly interrupted, offering a light, diplomatic cough to steer the panic. "It is currently unknown whether the five entities have officially departed the Luofu..."
"Um... Nanook, the Lord of Extermination, being among them... is that not entirely irrational?" General Jianqiu immediately corrected herself, her holographic brow furrowing in deep concern.
"Though it defies all known logic, it was indeed Him," Jing Yuan admitted, his tone laced with a deep, bone-deep helplessness. He proceeded to carefully report the known situation, detailing every bizarre encounter one by one.
As he spoke, the sharp, interrogative looks from the other generals slowly softened, replaced by distinct, heavy hints of genuine sympathy.
"Then, how are the two teasers—'Do you crave immortality?'and'Open up, Cloud Knights...'—to be explained?" Marshal Hua asked, her armored finger tapping a slow, rhythmic beat against the polished surface of the table.
"This... I have absolutely no way of knowing either," Jing Yuan confessed, shaking his head slowly.
"Truly unknown?" Hua's sharp gaze narrowed, searching his face for any hint of deception.
"The Aeons come and go without leaving a single trace. At that time, we were drowning in the chaos orchestrated by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus," Jing Yuan sighed, leaning back in his chair as he laid all his cards on the table. "I only know that Yaoshi, the Plagues Author, somehow infiltrated a hidden stronghold of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and... inexplicably became one of their local leaders."
Marshal Hua closed her eyes, her fingers rising to massage her temples as a sharp throbbing began to pulse behind her eyes.
To Aha, the Aeon of Elation, this entire sequence of events might just be one giant, hilarious piece of cosmic mirth. But for the Xianzhou Alliance, this was by no means a lighthearted matter. The political and physical ramifications were staggering. The slightest slip-up, the tiniest misinterpretation of these events, could easily allow hostile factions to use it as a pretext to stir up catastrophic trouble.
It was exactly like Belobog's current, precarious situation.
Although no further official news had trickled out from that frozen world just yet, Hua possessed enough tactical foresight to already see the writing on the wall: the Interstellar Peace Corporation would never let the matter rest easily. They smelled blood in the water.
Even though all of this impending corporate warfare stemmed from a single, desperate sentence Cocolia had spoken back then... or perhaps, merely a heavily edited clip Aha had deliberately broadcasted for the universe to mock.
The only real difference between the Xianzhou and Belobog was scale. Belobog was merely a small, isolated power struggling to survive the ice, while the Xianzhou Alliance was a gargantuan, unyielding entity. And the larger the entity, the harder the universe tried to tear it down.
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