The Vidyadhara's Concerns

In the following days, the Starskiff did not encounter many more groups of Denizens of Abundance. It seemed that everyone sensed that a great battle was about to break out, and they all headed towards the Fanghu Xianzhou, without even having time to provoke each other.

A few days later, looking out the porthole, what came into view was no longer a desolate star, but a vast sea of clouds filled with steaming water, and the Fanghu Xianzhou enveloping it within it.

Fanghu Xianzhou is probably the most unique one in the Xianzhou Alliance. The rulers of other Xianzhou all trace their lineage back to ancient kingdoms whose origins are now lost to history, but Fanghu Xianzhou is governed by the Vidyadhara.

However, upon closer examination of history, long before the Xianzhou set sail, the Vidyadhara was still on their homeland. Therefore, many of the systems and plans of the Fanghu Xianzhou were quite different from those of other Xianzhou.

"For example, there are no Cloud Knights here," Fu Xuan explained to Jingxing, "Only an army called the 'Pearlkeepers,' composed entirely of members of the Vidyadhara."

"They're all from the Vidyadhara," Jingxing raised an eyebrow. "Then their combat strength must be quite formidable, right?"

After all, the Vidyadharas are renowned descendants of Aeon throughout the world—they shouldn't be weak by any measure.

"Well..." Fu Xuan's expression was somewhat complicated, "They are indeed strong, but in upcoming battles, they may not be able to perform at their best."

"Why do you say that?" Jingxing, somewhat puzzled.

"It's a long story," Fu Xuan shook his head, "I'll try to explain it clearly later when I have the chance."

When the Starskiff entered the port, they were not inspected—thanks to the special status of Jingxing, the Starskiff were ignored by the Pearl-Bearers.

Jingxing moored the Starskiff at an old berth in the far corner of the harbor. Before disembarking, the two sent a message to Yaoguang.

The reply came quickly: [Yaoguang: You two can proceed as you see fit.]

[Yaoguang: The first wave of engagement at the front is expected to occur in seven days. Fortunately, the Jidu Mirage has not yet fully activated.]

Fu Xuan glanced at the second message, pursed his lips, and tucked the Jade Abacus into his sleeve.

"Although it's said to give you and me the freedom to act as you see fit, it seems General Yaoguang is trying hard to hint that we should investigate the situation at Jidu Mirage." Jingxing raised an eyebrow.

"Although Senior Sister hinted at it," Fu Xuan said in a low voice, "We shouldn't rush to investigate. After Jidu Mirage hasn't been cremated yet, and the Abominations of Abundance must be protecting it with layers of protection. It would be too dangerous for us to investigate."

"Alright." Jingxing had no objection to this. "So, what do we do now?"

"Let's find some supplies first. We can't fight on an empty stomach, can we?" Fu Xuan stepped out of the Starskiff first. "Before the battle begins, I'll show you around Fanghu."

"After all, after this war, Fanghu was more than half destroyed, fled to the starry sea and almost lost contact with the Xianzhou Alliance."

And so, the two decided to spend a few days exploring Fanghu.

Anyway, the war hasn't even started yet—the real battle will only begin after the Jidu Mirage comes to life. The front lines are currently still a stalemate and a war of attrition, with small skirmishes happening every day, but Jingxing doesn't need to intervene in every single one.

Unlike the Yuque and the Zhuming Palace, Fanghu has a more elegant style of decoration. Moreover, there are babbling rivers on both sides of the street.

As Jingxing crossed the bridge, he saw that the water was completely empty; not even his or Fu Xuan's reflections could be seen.

However, he was soon drawn to the people around him—they all had pointed ears, and apart from that, they didn't look much different from the Celestials of the Xianzhou.

"The Vidyadhara looks quite similar to the Xianzhou native," Jingxing remarked in a low voice. "Could it be the result of years of intermarriage?"

"Although the laws of the Xianzhou do not prohibit intermarriage," Fu Xuan continued, walking ahead, "It is regrettable that, as descendants of the Permanence Aeon 'Dragon,' while they are immortal individually, they are also unable to Propagation."

"It's difficult to have it both ways." Jingxing raised an eyebrow. "Is it due to the influence of the Equilibrium Aeon? Since individuals have achieved immortality, they naturally cannot arbitrarily expand their populations; otherwise, over time, the universe will Vidyadharas."

"Let me finish," Fu Xuan glared at him. "Their immortality comes from 'not dying from natural causes.' Calamities of swords and spears can still kill them. And those who die from such Vidyadhara will not undergo the Molting Rebirth again."

"Molting Rebirth? What's that?"

"Just think of it as being reborn in the ancient sea," Fu Xuan replied. "Vidyadharas reach the end of their lives, they shed their old shells and transform back into Vidyadhara eggs. They then hatch anew, but having been reborn, they can't remember their past lives. So for the Vidyadharas, so-called 'eternal life' is more like another kind of reincarnation."

Jingxing nodded thoughtfully, "I see."

No wonder we haven't heard of the Vidyadhara having "Mara-Struck." They erase their Remembrance at the appropriate time, so how could Mara-Struck possibly entangle them?

But will the slain Vidyadharas never Molting Rebirth?

Jingxing recalled Fu Xuan's evaluation of the Pearl-Bearers on the Starskiff.

"In other words, the Vidyadhara died in battle are dead and cannot be resurrected, and the Vidyadharas themselves do not have the ability to reproduce..."

Wouldn't dying on the battlefield mean the permanent disappearance of one person? Considering the continuation of the race, even if the Pearl-Bearers are willing to die, the elders of the Vidyadhara probably wouldn't want to see such a thing happen.

Thinking of this, Jingxing said, "I want to see the place where the Vidyadhara Molting Rebirth."

In the past, Fu Xuan would definitely have refused the suggestion—even as a high-ranking Diviner, it would have been difficult for her to set foot in the Molting Rebirth Land of the Vidyadhara in Luofu. But now that the two of them were perfectly invisible in this world, she had no worries.

"Sure, I was just thinking of taking a look too." She agreed very readily.

The two walked along the long street until they reached the end, where they saw a palace with a very high lintel and two characters on the plaque: "Molting Rebirth".

The palace gates were tightly closed, but the two easily scaled the high wall.

After catching Fu Xuan who jumped down from the wall, Jingxing turned his head and glanced into the hall. The space inside emanated folded fluctuations, clearly indicating that another hidden world was concealed within.

"It's similar to the Scalegorge Waterscape in Luofu." Fu Xuan crawled out of Jingxing's arms, observed carefully for a moment, and then looked up. "Let's go, I'll lead the way. The people here won't be able to find us."

Jingxing obediently followed behind Fu Xuan, watching this Lord Diviner of Luofu "arbitrarily" perform operations that he couldn't understand. Before long, a spatial portal appeared before them.

"Come on, let's go inside and take a look around." Fu Xuan offered his hand.

The moment their fingers intertwined, Jingxing a dizzying sensation before his eyes. When he regained his senses, he was already standing on a beach.

"This is where the Fanghu- Vidyadhara of Fanghu hid during their Molting Rebirth." Fu Xuan looked around.

"The scenery is really nice," Jingxing said, taking out his phone to take a picture, intending to keep it as material for future paintings.