Somewhere in a star system within the vast universe, on a planet ruled by the Abominations of Abundance, a white-haired young woman froze hundreds of half-human, half-serpent creatures with a single sword strike—they were a race among the Abominations of Abundance known as the 'Cobrakinds.'
"Abominations... all of you deserve to die."
Her cold voice matched the chilling glow in her crimson eyes, which gleamed like pools of blood as her slender frame, long silky white hair tipped with light blue, and pale porcelain-like skin radiated an otherworldly beauty.
Her attire consisted of an elegant dress of black, dark blue, and white, adorned with designs of moon phases and drifting clouds. A blue ribbon tied her long hair, while a red one decorated her hip and the back of her dress.
Her legs were clad in dark, knee-length heeled boots, and in her right hand, she held a sword forged from pure condensed energy—a blade made entirely of ice.
Her name was Jingliu, a wandering swordswoman and a wanted criminal of the Xianzhou Alliance.
"Like I said, killing these Abundance lackeys does absolutely nothing."
A man who had watched from afar stepped forward after the fight ended, speaking with a helpless smile.
"I mean, even the Xianzhou Alliance can't wipe out these abominations faster than the Aeon of Abundance can spawn new ones."
He was a slender man with long blond hair that reached his upper thighs, fair skin, and green eyes. He wore a black turtleneck beneath a white coat trimmed with green and gold, white pants, and black boots with golden buttons and black soles.
However, what truly made him stand out—striking and unforgettable—was the exquisite white coffin strapped to his back.
"Luocha, do you ever dream at night about your homeland being slaughtered by these abominations?"
Jingliu casually tossed her ice sword aside, and it dissolved into icy crystals before vanishing.
"Like you said, killing the Plagues Author and cutting off the Abundance at its root is the only answer. But with my sword right now, I can't even cut down planets."
"All I care about now is killing my enemies with my own hands."
Jingliu took out a black strip of cloth with a silver crescent moon detailed in the center and tied it over her red eyes, hiding any trace of emotion from her gaze, yet from her tone, it was easy to hear the bitterness and hatred beneath it.
"In that case, while I was doing business with the Alliance, I heard some interesting news. Maybe you'll be interested."
Luocha looked calm, his tone betraying no emotion at all, yet it was precisely this calmness that made him seem like a man carrying stories of his own.
"Let's hear it." Jingliu said flatly.
Luocha glanced around, then found a large stone and sat down on it.
"Do you know Yueyu, the former Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Yaoqing?" Luocha asked while crossing one leg over the other.
"I've read about her in the history books. Never met her." Jingliu lightly shook her head.
Back when Yueyu was still active, Jingliu had already been afflicted by mara and had become a wanted criminal, never once returning to the Xianzhou Alliance.
It was only recently that she had started reading some Xianzhou history, wanting to see what had happened over the centuries since she left—and that was when she learned the name Yueyu, the Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Yaoqing who had died in the Third Abundance War.
Luocha nodded softly, then continued.
"Well, the Alliance issued an official announcement, confirming that she's been resurrected. Moreover, she's also regained her military status, so now there are eight Arbiter-Generals in the Xianzhou Alliance. Isn't that crazy?"
Upon hearing this, Jingliu froze for a moment, then clenched her fist in anger.
'Resurrection' was a forbidden topic to her.
Back then, two fools had violated the taboo of 'resurrection,' and that was how everything had spiraled into an endless tragedy.
"Is that news... true?" Jingliu asked, feeling very skeptical.
If resurrection really could be so perfect, her life wouldn't have ended up such a mess.
"Of course." Luocha replied calmly. "Isn't the whole point of my trips to the Alliance to gather information?"
"Was it one of the vidyadhara high elders?" Jingliu asked emotionlessly. "Did they come up with another resurrection technique?"
"I have no idea." Luocha shook his head. "Even though the Alliance didn't release any specific info, the fact that they're willing to accept her and even let her be a general again means there's clearly no harm."
As soon as she heard the words 'no harm,' Jingliu's heart trembled.
"Heh, she's really got it good..." Jingliu remarked, sounding like she was mocking herself, or maybe she was just envious. "Not being regarded as an abomination and then killed..."
"So?" Luocha looked straight at her. "Are you going to go and ask how she was brought back to life? Maybe your friend—"
"Don't mention her." Jingliu's voice instantly turned cold, and ice crystals began to materialize around her body as she interrupted Luocha. "I'll never let Baiheng suffer that punishment again. No one's going to disturb her peace—she's fine now."
Baiheng was a forbidden topic for her.
Back then, it was those two fools who had used a vidyadhara secret technique known as 'Transmutation Arcanum,' along with the flesh and blood of the Emanator Shuhu, to resurrect Baiheng.
In the end, they had turned Baiheng into a mindless draconic abomination that went on a killing spree, slaughtering anyone on sight.
Ultimately, because those two fools couldn't even clean up the mess, Jingliu herself had no choice but to drive her sword through her best friend's skull. Even now, she still remembered how she had twisted her sword inside Baiheng's brain, destroying it completely—blood gushing everywhere—as she watched her die in agony.
Because of that incident, Jingliu had lost herself to mara-struck, killed her own people, fled the Xianzhou Luofu, became a criminal, and had wandered the universe ever since.
"In that case, let's stick to the original plan and keep waiting for a chance to meet with the marshal."
Seeing Jingliu's strong reaction, Luocha decided not to bring up the resurrection topic again.
Other people might chase after 'resurrection' like it was the greatest thing ever, but to Jingliu, it was a kind of torture.
"Fine." Jingliu responded indifferently.
"Alright, I'll keep doing business with the Alliance..." Luocha sighed softly, then stood up. "By the way, your mara is only being suppressed for now. Try to control your emotions—a little fluctuation, and you'll fall into mara-struck again. If that happens, I won't be able to save you. My Abundance power isn't all-powerful."
As these words fell, he turned, planning to head toward the nearest Xianzhou ship as a traveling merchant.
Jingliu stayed where she was, watching him walk away.
Of course, even though her eyes were covered, Jingliu could still sense where people were.
"Keep an eye on the Luofu for me." Jingliu calmly reminded. "If you hear anything about Dan Heng or Blade, let me know right away."
Luocha raised his hand with his back to her, signaling that he understood.
Jingliu didn't trust those two fools—Dan Heng and Blade—to stay out of trouble if they caught wind of resurrection.
If another incident like the 'Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae' broke out, she really would go on a killing spree, leaving no one alive.
Just the thought of it made her head throb.
In truth, the reason she had stayed on this planet was solely to vent her anger by killing abominations and keep herself in a good mood, but the moment she thought about those two fools, her mood soured again.
As a result, Jingliu went out and slaughtered over a thousand more cobrakinds, taking over one of their settlements.
Done with the slaughter, she stepped into one of the houses within the settlement, planning to rest for a bit.
*Thud!*
Jingliu swung the door shut, sealed it with her ice, then lay down on the bed inside and closed her eyes to rest.
Before long, a wave of drowsiness suddenly swept over her, and in her trance, she began to remember her homeland, the Xianzhou Cangcheng, and her enemies, the Devourer of Worlds, Rahu, and the mastermind behind it, an Emanator of Abundance, Shuhu.
In the deep, dark void, the living planet Rahu wailed and sang, charging forward with burning mountains and scorched land, ready to swallow everything. Countless people screamed in the streets, struggling and writhing in the despair of doomsday, while golden vines grew endlessly from their noses and mouths.
Back then, she had been just an ordinary eleven-year-old girl, able only to watch helplessly as it all unfolded—unable to move as her insides churned, something within her heart thrashing wildly like a ripe grain about to burst from its shell, swelling beyond its limit.
Nevertheless, the mountains charging toward her made it clear—she was nothing but a fly before it, about to be snuffed out by the mere pinch of a divine envoy's fingers.
"Someone... save me..."
Jingliu murmured a barely audible plea before drifting into a deep sleep, entering a mysterious state beyond reach.
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