Not far from the battlefield, the Yaoqing Xianzhou, which had not yet finished decelerating to dock, turned around without stopping.
Its engines roared at maximum speed as it rushed to aid the Azure City in distress.
No one could for the life of them figure out why the main ship of Azure City had suddenly fallen into danger shortly after the General's departure.
Qi Zhimu had just landed on the Yaoqing with the surviving Cloud Knights; without any pause, he immediately rushed to the Sky-Faring Commission.
He wanted to use the Huangzhong Resonance System to understand the current situation of Azure City.
However, the current state of Azure City made his heart sink.
The Sky-Faring Commission of Azure City... had lost contact.
Throughout the entire Huangzhong Resonance System, there was no frequency from Azure City responding to the calls of the other Xianzhou.
Qi Zhimu tried his best to suppress the worry in his heart and spoke in a deep voice.
"Where is the Yaoqing's Helmsman? Please arrange the fastest starship for me!"
The Xianzhou main ship was too massive, and its top speed was far inferior to the fastest starship.
The Yaoqing Xianzhou was already the fastest main ship in the entire Alliance, but it would still take at least a few days to get back.
Qi Zhimu's only family and his few friends were all in Azure City.
He absolutely could not just wait on the Yaoqing and endure the agony.
The Yaoqing's Helmsman understood Qi Zhimu's current feelings. Without any hesitation, he prepared a starship for the Azure City Cloud Knights and dispatched an aerial unit to accompany them.
Regarding the current situation of Azure City, the Yaoqing Cloud Knights were no more calm than Qi Zhimu... By the time Qi Zhimu and the Yaoqing's pilot unit arrived at the star sector where the Star Skiff was located, it had already turned into a scene of purgatory.
In the dark, deep space, a crimson demonic star named Rahu wailed and sang, lunging toward everyone in Azure City with burning mountains and earth.
It hung high above the clouds of the Star Skiff, pulsating incessantly like a heart.
Its surface slowly split open an outer shell made of rock, tendons, and vines, spitting out countless offspring.
It was like an insatiable predatory beast feeding repeatedly, and also like a mother about to give birth.
Following the lifelike pulsation of the crimson constellation, its surface split open a shell of muscle and withered vines, completely enveloping the entire hull of Azure City.
On the long streets, people screamed, struggling and rolling in the despair of an impending apocalypse.
Golden vines grew incessantly in everyone's mouths, noses, and orifices. Whether people or objects, they were being gradually devoured by Rahu's tendons and vines.
"Save them!"
The Yaoqing Foxians were all terrified by this scene, but having never seen such a sight before, they still instinctively rushed toward Rahu.
Under the nightmarish moonlight, the Yaoqing Foxians fruitlessly piloted their starships, like annoying mosquitoes pecking at an immovable giant god.
However, with every breath Rahu took, it summoned countless Borisin Beastships.
Under their pursuit, the densely packed starships turned into sparks in the air that vanished instantly.
Rahu's environment, no different from a giant beast's rumination stomach, forged a flesh-and-blood breeding ground for filth.
All the devoured Xianzhou people had only one plea at this moment—
Death.
But the blessing of longevity from Abundance had become the most terrifying curse.
The Xianzhou people were repeatedly swallowed and spat out in that flesh-and-blood breeding ground, undergoing countless dissolutions and reconstructions.
In this process, they could not die, suffering endless torment.
Clear Cold stared at this purgatory, her mind a complete blank.
She never would have imagined that just a few days after bringing back the news of the Hunt expedition's victory and nearly a million refugees, an apocalyptic disaster would break out in Azure City.
Countless comrades charged one after another toward that terrifying flesh-and-blood breeding ground, only to become a part of it.
She was afraid, she was terrified.
But she had no way back; no one did. They could only move forward.
"Sister, where are you?!"
At this moment, the flesh in the breeding ground writhed, actually condensing into a giant tree that walked on the ground.
The giant tree slowly approached Clear Cold in the middle of the battlefield, stretching out a hundred arms to pierce through everyone in its way, including those comrades who fought alongside her.
Clear Cold gripped her broken sword in fear, watching the giant tree approach.
A smiling face suddenly bloomed on the tree—
It was her sister's face.
"Little sister, it's me! Don't you recognize me?"
"No... you're not her..."
The branches and leaves rustled, and the faces of her comrades grew one by one like fruit on the branches, letting out shrill laughter.
In a daze, Clear Cold found flowers blooming on her sword, only to crumble into a pile of rusty dust within a few heartbeats.
Nimble branches swayed, placing a wreath on her head.
She allowed the branches and the fragrance of flowers to embrace her, just as those warm hands once did... Meanwhile, not far from where Clear Cold was on the battlefield.
Sleeping Snow opened her eyes, her pupils reflecting thousands of familiar yet lifeless faces.
Her sister's face was among them, but she couldn't find her own.
"I can save her, I can save all of you. With just a wave of one of my many hands, I can make flesh grow back on bone and make petals fall from the dust back to the pistil. You know this well."
The strange tree with a thousand faces was speaking to Sleeping Snow, and to everyone.
It waved its branches, the trunk rooting deep into the earth.
"I am Shuhu, I am The Eternal. Starting from me, you all shall obtain true longevity!"
Sleeping Snow wept and closed her eyes, having no strength left to resist.
At this moment, she was but an insignificant fruit on this giant tree, unable to argue with any of its roots.
"Sever!"
A long shout descended from the dark crimson sky.
A man clad in silver armor streaked across the sky on a sword. As he controlled a thousand flying swords, he severed thousands of Shuhu's branches in succession.
At the same time, he also severed the branches tightly binding Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold, shattering the illusions enveloping them.
"Oh, it's you again. I thought you wouldn't be able to make it back in time."
Seeing the familiar man who saved the prey, Shuhu's tone grew excited.
"I'm becoming more and more interested in you. Come... become a part of me as well..."
Over a dozen branches pierced through space with the speed of teleportation, binding Qi Zhimu and the other two in one go.
Sharp thorns sprouted on the surface of the branches, instantly piercing their limbs.
A thousand flying swords tore through the air, severing the branches all at once and carrying the three of them away in a rapid retreat.
"Since you like saving people, I'll swallow you first!"
In the direction the flying swords were retreating, the ground suddenly exploded. Thicker branches shot up and precisely entangled Qi Zhimu, pulling him toward Shuhu's main trunk.
"Guard Qi—!!!"
Seeing this, Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold screamed until their voices cracked.
Just then, a burning giant sword fell from the sky, incinerating the branches and the sweet, sickly stench of rot in the air.
A burly man in heavy armor fell into the battlefield like a meteor, charging toward Shuhu with a furious roar.
Golden branches grew violently, tightly entangling the old enemy, only to be consumed by golden flames.
"Shuhu!!!"
Shuhu was not surprised by Teng Xiao's roar, which was filled with endless rage.
Not long ago, Teng Xiao had been the first to leave the battlefield and rush to Azure City at full speed, leaving behind Wind of Evil.
Clearly, between killing it and saving the Xianzhou, he had chosen the latter.
Unfortunately, it had backup measures and could appear inside Azure City with near-instantaneous speed.
"The destruction of Azure City is already set in stone. Do you like the grand gift I've given you, Teng Xiao?"
Teng Xiao completely ignored Shuhu, his voice echoing throughout Azure City.
"All Cloud Knights, do your utmost to search for and evacuate survivors! Save as many as you can!"