Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance, the most [Generous] Aeon in the galaxy, bar none. Their Path was to grant all sentient beings their desires... It could be said that if you could encounter Them, then They would never refuse any request for help.
And the main reason countless people in the galaxy flocked to Them was naturally because the blessings Yaoshi bestowed offered not only power but also long life. No cost, no trials required; as long as you could find this mobile, fully automatic blessing dispenser, you could obtain longevity just by asking.
The reason Xianzhou natives currently possessed such long lifespans was precisely because they found Yaoshi back then and received the blessing of the Ambrosial Arbor. Unfortunately, such longevity wasn't perfect. After millennia, Xianzhou natives would become afflicted by Mara, risking transformation into monsters.
Compounded by issues like population explosion and resource scarcity brought by long lifespans, the Xianzhou eventually abandoned their faith in Abundance, turning instead to the embrace of The Hunt. And the former [Merciful Medicus] became the [Plague Author]...
The current Xianzhou stood opposite Yaoshi. While not strictly prohibiting all followers of the Path of Abundance, they dealt heavy blows against those within the Xianzhou who believed in Yaoshi and sought longevity—the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
After all, continuing to pursue Yaoshi's blessings on the Xianzhou, a place tormented by the suffering of endless lifespans, was practically the greatest insult to the Xianzhou people!
Nothing was more outrageous than this—except truly summoning Yaoshi's power onto the Xianzhou and receiving Their blessing.
Like right now.
However, basically no one on the Luofu was left standing now. Those ordinary citizens lacked the capacity to care whether the Aeon of Abundance appearing on the Xianzhou counted as an insult...
Yaoshi's gaze fell upon this place. They didn't attack anyone, but Their mere presence was enough to freeze Caelus's body in place, preventing him from delivering the killing blow to Phantylia. Such was the gulf between mortal and god; that immense will was simply that terrifying.
But Yaoshi's gaze wasn't even aimed at Caelus; They were looking at Phantylia.
Ultimately, the reason for Their appearance was simple: Phantylia had cried out to Them for help just before being killed.
The first time Phantylia threatened the galaxy, demanding help from the Aeons, she was essentially only seeking aid from Aha, holding no hope for other Aeons. Since her plea was directed at Aha, Yaoshi naturally had no need to respond.
But the second time was different. In that final moment before true death, Phantylia cried out for help to all the gods whose gazes fell upon her.
Help, I don't want to die—such a simple, thin plea, yet it included Yaoshi among the targets of appeal. Since that was the case, They absolutely couldn't let the supplicant's expectations fall empty.
Yaoshi could sense that this seemingly small existence before Them was not simple. They even knew what momentous changes would occur if They granted this being Their blessing. The reason so many gods were spectating yet none intervened might be related to this.
But what did that have to do with Them? Granting all sentient beings their desires... As long as someone asked for help, They would grant anything.
Whether the recipient could bear this gift, and what price they might pay afterward, was not Their concern. After all, Abundance was like this: those receiving the blessing had much to consider, but the god granting the blessing only needed to give.
Even if the demand was godhood itself, so what?
Under Caelus's stunned gaze, he saw that figure, seemingly larger than the sun and moon yet smaller than dust, extend an ephemeral phantom arm from the void and gently tap Phantylia.
So-called Emanators often only received a mere glance from an Aeon. To receive a blessing bestowed by an Aeon's own hand like this—even if it was just an avatar of power across countless galactic seas—was rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
Previously, facing an unblessed Phantylia, they were completely outmatched, only having a chance when her internal power conflict caused self-destruction. Now, Yaoshi had personally intervened to sort out the chaotic power within her, yet on their side, besides himself holding a small knife, not a single person was left standing...
Him soloing an enhanced Phantylia...?
Yaoshi's figure vanished after bestowing the blessing, replaced by Phantylia floating in the air, slowly opening her eyes. Her pupils were grayish-white like a corpse, but the next moment, they were instantly filled with rich golden-green, radiating an eerie vitality.
Caelus felt it was extremely familiar. The current Phantylia gave him a feeling like words were on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn't recall what to say. Like knowing he should remember something, but being unable to find it in his memory no matter what, leaving only anxiety and confusion.
Unlike Caelus, Phantylia's lips now curled into an irrepressible, wild smile.
"Such a pity... It seems fate is on my side." Landing gently, Phantylia smiled and walked towards Caelus, sharp vines coiling around her arm to form claws. "One step short, Express crew. The victor... is still me, Phantylia~"
"Although there's much I'd like to say, I don't want to become that kind of villain who dies from talking too much—so you should just die quickly."
A fierce glint flashed in her eyes. Phantylia struck without hesitation, lightning fast, ripping out Caelus's heart in the blink of an eye!
...
Wait, wasn't she supposed to rip out his heart?
Then why... was her own body bleeding...? Phantylia felt confused. She looked at Caelus's bewildered face, then back at her own body's blank expression and empty chest, feeling something was wrong.
...Wait, why could she see her own body's face?!
At this moment, Phantylia finally realized. In that instant, she hadn't torn out Caelus's heart at all, but that body itself had forcibly ripped her core being out from within!
How was this possible? Her integration with this body was so perfect; she couldn't even detach voluntarily moments ago! How could she suddenly be ejected?! Wasn't the original body's soul supposed to be dormant? Why did it suddenly wake up and fight her for control—Ah, was it because of this damned Nameless one before her?!
Phantylia struggled desperately. Her true form was a Heliobus, originally formless and unrestrained. But under Twilight's brute-force energy control, she was now just a faint ball of light, held firmly in her palm.
Phantylia felt utterly resentful now, thinking this Twilight wasn't human. She herself suffered so much, finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, only to be kicked out now?
If she was going to kick her out, why not do it earlier? Why was there no movement when she was suffering just moments ago?! Now it was perfect; she endured all the pain, while her sister took a nap, woke up, and directly obtained such immense power and a stable body... She paid so much, yet this damned love-struck fool reaped all the benefits!
Although the bound Phantylia couldn't speak, Twilight could sense from her fierce resistance just how much Phantylia wanted to swallow her whole right now.
But she didn't care anymore. A mere Phantylia truly held no interest for her now—the matter she faced was far more troublesome than Phantylia.
She was too busy watching the show earlier. Only when Phantylia counterattacked at the last moment, obtained Yaoshi's blessing, and her aura surged, did Twilight suddenly remember something.
If she obtained an Aeon's blessing, it seemed some rather significant things would happen.
[Candidate for Divinity], this trait, besides having some presence when she first arrived in this world, had been practically invisible afterward. This trait simply meant that after obtaining a certain Aeon's blessing, if that Aeon died, she could directly inherit Their divine seat.
Since her own combat power was already sufficient, and she could switch Paths at will, Twilight hadn't thought about obtaining any Aeon's blessing. Thus, only when Phantylia actually managed to get a blessing from the Aeon of Abundance did Twilight realize the severity of the situation.
She originally thought this 'divine seat substitute' thing was like being an illegitimate child—done secretly, only revealing a big surprise to everyone after the old Aeon died.
But that wasn't the case at all. Once she officially became a Candidate for Divinity, the entire galaxy would feel it extremely clearly... like beating gongs and drums in the village, wanting everyone to know you got into Tsinghua or Peking University.
Even the death of a proper Aeon could be hushed up, yet her being a substitute caused such a huge fanfare... But what worried Twilight wasn't feeling too ostentatious, but that the divinity itself was wrong.
She was the candidate for the Aeon of Abundance.
The same Aeon of Abundance constantly hunted by Lan, yet never successfully killed.
And once she fully digested the blessing within her, the entire galaxy would know of the birth of the little Aeon of Abundance...
If Lan couldn't kill Yaoshi, could They still not kill her?! Lan was the Aeon of The Hunt; vengeance was the concept They embodied. Twilight highly doubted They possessed any noble virtue of sparing the old or young. If targeted by Them, she feared even the eggs in her house would be ground to powder, earthworms squeezed into juice, and every single weed in her yard pulled out!
Although this little Abundance position could grant her terrifying power, it was still far too lacking compared to a true Aeon. If Lan truly shot an arrow at her with full force, Twilight felt death was the only possibility; resistance was futile.
Precisely because of this, Twilight snatched back her body right before Phantylia could harm Caelus. She needed to quickly think of some last words with this final sliver of time!
Feeling the power being rapidly digested within her, Twilight's mind raced. She finally figured out what she should say before dying. Just then, time seemed to run out. Every civilization in the galaxy felt an inexplicable great power sweep across every corner of the universe, as if announcing the arrival of a new god.
It was vibrant life force, boundless confidence—everyone could feel it belonged to the god of Abundance, a new god currently still young, but destined to become the God of Abundance eventually!
Sigh, that's about it. Lan's arrow should be here in a few seconds. Better hurry—
When Twilight's attention finally returned, preparing to speak to Caelus, she found he had already lunged towards her, tackling her forcefully to the ground.
Twilight was momentarily confused. Fear was written all over Caelus's face... What was he worried about? Was he afraid of her becoming a god? But if so, why lunge towards her?
Only after being tackled to the ground, seeing the arrow of light that had appeared silently behind her at some unknown time, did Twilight finally understand everything.
My goodness, Lan! I just became Little Abundance, and your arrow is already here? Your timing is way too precise!
And shooting without sound... Such an old senior, coming to deceive, coming to sneak attack me, a newborn intern? Doesn't your heart ache even a little?!
Yaoshi's power projection was still here just now! Why didn't you shoot Them?!