Jingxing: Do I Have to Protect the Xianzhou Too?

"Tell me about your side," Yaoguang steered the conversation back, his expression becoming more serious. "You said you used your abilities to sabotage their biological weapons production? You did it so silently... how did you do that?"

Jingxing paused, then explained, "Taking advantage of their Path Energy, I infiltrated their workshop—those jars used to cultivate biological weapons. I used the energy of 'Temperance' to end their growth."

"Temperance..." Yaoguang raised an eyebrow, "So you're the Pathstrider of Beauty."

"Yes."

Although the reputation of the Mirror Holders is tarnished, thanks to the Knights of Beauty ' "meddling" around the galaxy, the Pathstrider of Beauty's reputation is ultimately still somewhat positive.

After learning of Jingxing's Path, Yaoguang looked him over again. "Using Temperance to control Abundance —how did you even come up with that idea? And it actually works... It seems we also need to strengthen our cooperation with the Knights of Beauty."

"It's effective, but it's only a temporary fix." Jingxing shook his head helplessly. "I only destroyed their existing products. But as you can see, their camp has mountains of materials stored up, enough to restart the furnace at any time. At most, it will only delay them for a day or two. So I think you should act here as soon as possible. If we delay any longer, who knows what those Borisin will create."

Yaoguang pondered for a moment, put the water bottle on the table, and stood up. "A day or two should be enough. Let's go and investigate their situation again."

She gazed out the porthole at the forest shrouded in the darkness of night. "I always felt that these Borisin were here for more than just manufacturing weapons and resting."

When the two sneaked back into the camp, the night was already so dark it was impossible to break through.

As usual, Yaoguang swung his talisman around, while Jingxing maintained his "Blank Space" ability to conceal their figures. This time, they not only entered the camp but also bypassed the workshop, venturing deeper into the camp.

As Jingxing passed by the workshop, he glanced inside—the row of jars he had stopped working in the evening had been emptied. New materials were being transported in truckload after truckload, Borisin craftsmen were around the new jars, pouring in a green liquid that made one's brows furrow at the sight of it.

The Borisin faster than he had anticipated. At this rate, their production lines would likely be up and running again before dawn.

"See?" Jingxing lowered his voice, "This is what I meant by treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

Yaoguang didn't speak, but glanced a few more times into the depths of the workshop before quickening his pace.

The further they went, the sparser the torches became, but the stronger the smell of rotting flesh grew, mixed with something that Jingxing seemed to have seen before.

He pondered for a long time, then suddenly felt a numbness in his back.

The taste was the same as the green liquid in the jar, but many times stronger.

Jingxing recalled the Beast Molts beneath the Dual-Phase Paradise. The Voracity remains exuded "endless desire," while this place held a different kind of endless allure.

It turns out that all desires, when Temperance, smell equally chilling.

Hidden in the shadow of a bone tower, the two watched as groups of Bu Borisin carried sealed metal boxes toward the deepest part of the camp. Some of the boxes were salvaged from spaceship wreckage, while others were engraved with inscriptions that Jingxing couldn't recognize. The Borisin carried them on their shoulders like coffins to the heart of the camp.

Jingxing roughly counted them. This one line alone had more than thirty boxes.

"These boxes should all contain remnants of what they looted." Yaoguang nibbled at his ear, his warm breath tickling him. "Judging from the way they came, it seems they emerged from underground. It looks like there are things we can't see beneath this camp."

Following the convoy, the two men saw them carry the boxes to an open area surrounded by torches.

In the center of the open space stood a frame made of giant bones and animal hides, resembling an altar or some kind of nest.

In the very center of the altar was a bottomless pit.

A Borisin draped in an animal skin stood at the edge of the pit, wearing a tall bone crown, and chanted something in a low voice towards the pit. With each verse he uttered, the Borisin around him echoed in unison, and the combined resonance sounded like a sob coming from the depths of the earth.

Green light shone through the pit, flickering on and off.

Jingxing stared at it for a while, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end: the flashing frequency was like something breathing underground.

"It's almost like trying to awaken something." Yaoguang squinted. "The Abominations of Abundance is indeed full of malevolent intentions."

The group of Borisin walked to the edge of the pit, opened the boxes, and poured their contents in.

Jingxing couldn't see what it was, only that the falling object disappeared into the green light without making a sound.

"This isn't about building weapons." Yaoguang's voice was so low it was almost inaudible, yet each word struck Jingxing's ears like shards of ice. "They're trying to awaken something."

"... What could it be?"

"I don't know," Yaoguang, his eyes fixed on the pit, "But whatever it is, we can't let them have their way."

She took Jingxing's hand and slowly backed away until they reached a safe area outside the camp before straightening up. "Let's go. Let the Cloud Knights attack here as soon as possible. Once we wipe out this hunting group, we'll know what they're really up to."

"I'll participate too," Jingxing said.

Yaoguang glanced at him but did not object.

After the two retreated to the Chasing the Moon under the cover of night, Yaoguang went straight to the communications station, dialed the encrypted channel of the Jade Abacus Xianzhou, and tapped the panel a few times with his fingertips—no response.

She tried again, but there was still no response. The screen was filled with static; she couldn't even find basic navigation beacons.

"Communications are blocked." Yaoguang frowned.

Jingxing took out his terminal and tried to connect to the Interastral Peace Corporation's network—but he couldn't connect either. He held the terminal up to the porthole and waved it around, then restarted it again, but the signal bars didn't budge, as if it were dead and unresponsive.

The two looked at each other and saw the same emotion in each other's eyes.

For the next half hour, they checked everything they could think of: antennas, frequency bands, signal amplifiers. Jingxing even dug out a spare antenna from the cargo hold, climbed onto the roof, and replaced it, but the communication band remained completely silent.

Yaoguang shook his head. "It's not a problem with your ship."

The sky was clear, and the stars shone quietly, without any sign of anything amiss.

But this planet just wouldn't let them open their mouths to the outside world.

Yaoguang dropped three copper coins from his sleeve and tried to cast a divination.

Her expression quickly darkened. "It's the ritual held by those Borisin that's influencing us."

"Then let's just take a spaceship and leave here," Jingxing suggested.

"That's all we can do now." Yaoguang nodded in agreement, but she was still a little worried, "It's just that the ceremony could even disrupt communication signals, so I'm afraid your spaceship might also..."

"We'll only know if we try." Jingxing sat in the pilot's seat, preparing to start the spaceship.

But unsurprisingly, the spaceship also failed to start.

"It seems the only way is for the two of us to join forces to face this Borisin." A relaxed smile appeared on Yaoguang's face.

"Should I fight too?" Jingxing twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Hmm?" Yaoguang looked Jing Jingxing up and down with some surprise. "Otherwise?"