[Three generals desperately entangled with you, preventing your escape. When the Hunt's luminous arrow was about to descend, you all simultaneously ceased fighting, quietly awaiting the final moment.]
[The next second, the "meteor" fell, bringing apocalyptic destruction.]
[The unnamed planet instantly turned to nothingness, all matter annihilated. The residual shockwaves of the luminous arrow shattered dozens of planets within the star system.]
[The moment the arrow struck, the three generals were instantly obliterated. You, possessing what could be called the strongest physical body below an Aeon, lasted only a few seconds longer.]
[However, traversing the cosmos physically was no challenge for you. Soon, you returned to your loyal empire.]
[The Xianzhou's killing move was swift and sudden. Thanks to a glance from Yaoshi, your recovery didn't take long. So little time had passed that news of the battle hadn't even spread—the Canglang Empire remained exactly as you had left it.]
The Xianzhou truly had guts. To ensure a one-hit kill, they were willing to sacrifice three generals at once.
What else could you expect from followers of the Hunt? Their vengeance was swift, ruthless, and relentless. If "he" hadn't been cheating, this would have been the end.
Too bad even such a costly move failed to kill "him." Now the Xianzhou would be the ones suffering.
[Meanwhile, the Xianzhou Alliance was thrown into turmoil.]
[Losing three generals at once was an enormous blow to the entire alliance.]
[When news of your unharmed return to the Canglang Empire reached them, despair spread like wildfire across the Xianzhou.]
[Victory could mask internal strife, just as failure could ignite it.]
[This catastrophic defeat triggered a chain reaction.]
[The Cloud Knights' morale plummeted, forcing their battle lines to retreat repeatedly, nearly back to the Xianzhou itself.]
[The alliance scrambled to appoint new generals. Knowing the position came with immense benefits, power players within the Xianzhou emerged, turning the political landscape into a chaotic free-for-all.]
[First, the Ten-Lords Commission impeached Marshal Hua, demanding she take full responsibility for the failure. The bureaucratic faction under the Ten-Lords' influence joined the fray, forming a wave of pressure to force Marshal Hua's resignation.]
[Then, the Denizens of Abundance resurged. With you as their inspiration, their movements were fiercer and more influential than ever.]
[The Dragonmasters of the Vidyadhara also began scheming, secretly colluding with the Denizens.]
[In no time, the entire Xianzhou Alliance was on the brink of collapse.]
[To stabilize the ships that had lost their generals, Feixiao was swiftly promoted to the position of Sky-Smiting General.]
[That night, Ningli prepared a lavish feast to celebrate Feixiao's promotion, then brought out fine wine to share with her.]
[Feixiao had a low tolerance for alcohol. After just a few cups, she was completely unconscious.]
[Too drunk to notice, she didn't see the complicated look in Ningli's eyes as she gazed at her...]
[When Feixiao awoke, she found herself in an unfamiliar room, bound to a metal "X"-shaped rack meant for interrogating prisoners.]
[Before she could process the situation, a figure she loathed, feared, and despised more than anyone appeared before her...]
Solon's jaw dropped.
So this was "his" full plan.
Force Feixiao onto the Yaoqing ship, push her to rapidly transform from a slave girl into the unorthodox, defiant, and heroic "General of Great Triumphs."
Then have her most trusted sister drug her, exploit the instability within Yaoqing, and abduct her—bringing her back to the Xianzhou.
At the peak of her life, right after becoming Sky-Smiting General, her closest confidante would personally betray her and drag her back to "hell."
Adding insult to injury.
From the moment Feixiao took Ningli away, she had been nothing but a puppet in "his" hands.
Poor Feixiao had been played all along.
Compared to the Xianzhou Alliance's grand, high-stakes gambit of sacrificing three generals for a sure-kill move...
"His" scheme was smaller in scale but far more cunning and vicious—worthy of the title "Villain."
[Special scenario triggered. Enter immersive mode?]
"Yes! Yes! YES!"
Solon mashed the confirmation button frantically. He couldn't wait to claim his prize.
The world shifted, and Solon found himself inside the simulation.
Perhaps due to sheer excitement, he didn't even feel the usual dizziness as he materialized.
Before him stood Feixiao—the valiant, heroic General of Great Triumphs he remembered.
To prevent resistance, her limbs were bound by special alloy chains, and she had been force-fed a debilitating venom.
Seeing her in such a state, Solon burst into laughter, his grin twisting unnaturally.
"A little fox like you was never escaping my grasp!"
Feixiao ignored him, her gaze locked onto the petite figure behind Solon.
After a long silence, she spoke as if mustering every ounce of strength left in her.
"Ningli... why?"
Ningli pressed her lips together, her face filled with guilt and sorrow.
"Sa... Sa'ran, I—"
Solon, grinning triumphantly, pulled Ningli into his arms.
"Still don't get it, idiot? Ningli has always been mine. Your escape plan was doomed from the start. I was just playing along—did you actually believe it?"
At this moment, Solon embodied the perfect villain. Unfortunately for Feixiao, no heroic savior would appear to rescue her now.
Ningli's choice was no surprise.
Raised as a slave, conditioned by her tribe's relentless brainwashing, she had been imprinted with absolute obedience to "Solon."
[In that instant, you felt your body shatter into countless particles before consciousness faded into endless darkness.]
[But soon, a light appeared before you, followed by the towering visage of a deity.]
[Antlered, six-armed, with a masculine-yet-feminine form, its limbs adorned with crimson eyes...]
[The features were unmistakable. A name flashed in your mind—Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance, known as the "Merciful Medicus."]
[The moment you saw Yaoshi, the Abundance power within you surged. Your body, destroyed by the Hunt's arrow, regenerated—stronger and more resilient than before.]
[As your consciousness faded from the void, an androgynous voice chuckled: "Lan, this round is mine."]
[When you awoke, you found yourself floating in a desolate cosmos, not even a speck of dust in sight.]
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