Return to the Upper District

The next morning.

Jing Yan felt refreshed and invigorated.

Although the weather in Belobog was frigid, it felt as pleasant as a spring breeze.

He had spent the night resting at Natasha's clinic once again.

During the night, Natasha had even come over to tuck him in.

When he rose, he found that Natasha had already woken up before him and was waiting nearby.

"Jing Yan, there is something I must ask you," Natasha said solemnly.

Jing Yan was taken aback by her tone and asked, "Please, go ahead, Natasha."

Natasha smiled. "The stone you gave me—after testing, it appears to possess the divine power of an Aeon, which is why those near it feel such joy."

"However, beyond that, it is merely an ordinary stone, and it does not seem to be a relic from the distant past."

"This may contain some sort of contradiction, though perhaps not necessarily. For instance..."

"Is it possible that you created it using the power of your Path?" Natasha asked.

Jing Yan was stunned. He had not expected Natasha to be so sharp; she had guessed the origin of the Emotion Stone he had gifted her with startling accuracy. However, he did not answer directly.

"What is it? Your expression suggests I've guessed correctly," Natasha said, looking surprised by his reaction.

"So, what exactly is your Path?" Natasha couldn't help but ask.

Even though many had wanted to ask this, or had already asked, Jing Yan had never given them a straight answer.

"My Path?"

"Eros!" Jing Yan answered truthfully.

He chose to answer this way because her favorability toward him was nearing 90%. At this stage, he had no intention of lying to his prospective believer.

"Eros?"

Natasha paused, stunned.

She had never considered the existence of such a Path.

After all, every Path corresponded to an Aeon.

If there were a Path called "Eros" in this world, it would imply the existence of a corresponding Aeon.

But...

Why had she never heard of such a legend?

Of course, the people of Belobog were different from those on the Astral Express; their access to information was quite limited.

The vast majority of them had never left this planet in their entire lives.

Even in the days before this planet was covered in ice and snow, many interstellar travelers had descended upon it.

Furthermore, the Antimatter Legion, the Masked Fools, and others had visited as well.

However...

The original myths here concerned a war from a thousand years ago.

It was a mythical war between the eleven nations of the Perun people and the Veles legions.

Many believed that the victory in that war was due to the protection of a being known as the Spring God Yarilo.

The planet Yarilo-VI was named after him—though, of course, that was the name given by the Interastral Peace Corporation.

There was even a book titled Spring God and War God Yarilo, which recorded these ancient myths.

According to the story, the supreme guardian of the Pantheon a thousand years ago, Perun, wielded the power of lightning to resist demons.

His counterpart and rival was a god named the War God Veles, and they fought against one another.

Yarilo was the tenth son of Perun.

In any case, the concepts of Aeons and Paths only emerged after the mythical war ended and the mining civilization began to develop.

The trade commissioners of the Interastral Peace Corporation had arrived for Geomarrow, an energy-rich ore, and the planet had benefited greatly from that trade.

Naturally, this also brought other cultural ideas, such as the Aeons and the Architects who followed the "Preservation" of Qlipoth.

Unfortunately, thirty years into the Foundation Era—seven hundred years ago—disaster struck.

The Stellaron, representing destruction, arrived on the planet, followed closely by the Antimatter Legion.

Using their technological prowess, the Architects built massive machines originally intended for city construction, known as the "Engine of Creation," along with a staggering number of small Mechanical Vanguard units to fight the enemy.

In the end, the former Supreme Guardian struck a deal with the Stellaron and summoned the Frost Wave, which wiped out the Antimatter Legion, though it pushed the people of this planet into a different abyss.

As a researcher, Natasha had a deeper understanding of cultural history than most, which was why she was so puzzled by the origin of this "Eros" Aeon.

"This faith is truly so rare that I have never even heard of it," Natasha murmured, dazed.

"It's perfectly normal," Jing Yan answered candidly.

"However, it truly exists, and I am a practitioner of this Path. Furthermore, I am destined to become its Emanator in the future."

As Jing Yan spoke, he did not reveal his identity as an Aeon.

"This power is indeed quite unique," Natasha admitted after some thought.

"But can it really..." Natasha wanted to ask if Jing Yan's power could resolve the Stellaron crisis.

After all, now that Mr. Svarog, under Jing Yan's control, had sent the archived records to several Underworld leaders, they understood the root of everything.

In this way, the goal had become very clear.

"It is of no concern."

Jing Yan smiled.

At this moment, he could not say he had 100% certainty, but he still possessed a degree of confidence.

The reason was that he had previously attempted to use his own power to influence the "Stagnant Shadows" brought about by the Fragmentum.

Now, all the Stagnant Shadows throughout the Underworld were under Jing Yan's control.

The power of "Destruction" within them had been overwritten and replaced by his power of "Eros."

Furthermore, the power could be preliminarily digested by him.

Therefore, when facing the Stellaron, even if he could not immediately devour it, he could use his divine power to contain it.

Of course, the rate at which he could absorb and convert the power within it seemed somewhat limited.

But even so, it was enough for Jing Yan.

Moreover, he had powerful allies by his side, such as Svarog, Seele, and the Astral Express trio. Additionally, Himeko and Welt Yang were on the Astral Express far out in space.

They were not just waiting around up there.

If anything happened, they could provide immediate support from the sky.

"This battle will be won," Jing Yan said to Natasha with a smile.

"Really?"

"Shall we pinky swear on it?" Natasha said with a hint of conviction.

Jing Yan chuckled.

"Sister Natasha, why do you still seem so childish? Are you that worried about me?"

"I said it would be fine, so it will definitely be fine."

Having said that, Jing Yan left the clinic.

In Jing Yan's gaze, Natasha saw a look of seriousness, which put her mind at ease.

"Alright, I believe you!" Natasha replied from behind.

At this moment, outside the clinic, Jing Yan met up with the others and headed toward the Overworld.

Arriving in the Overworld once more, for some, it was a long-awaited reunion.

"This sunlight is so beautiful!" Seele said, shielding her eyes.

"If I could fight to the very last moment under this sun, I would have no regrets in death!" Seele declared.

Jing Yan was left speechless.

"You're overthinking it; that won't be necessary at all."