"My wish here has been fulfilled. There's nothing left to worry about." This time, Qingque put aside her playful mood and turned around. "Dear guests, this way, please. Let's set off."
"By the way, where's Miss Tingyun? I heard from the Lord Diviner that Miss Tingyun of the Sky-Faring Commission would be joining us."
"I'm right here."
Just as everyone was about to leave, Phantylia approached them with a smile. "I had something to attend to just now. Sorry to keep you waiting, benefactors."
"No trouble at all! We were just about to leave, anyway. It's such a relief that you aren't angry, Miss Tingyun..." March 7th chuckled sheepishly, secretly poking Zhang Xiu in the waist.
"What? I'm not apologizing." Zhang Xiu folded his arms and gave a disgruntled snort.
"Hey! You..." March 7th was about to say something when her phone chimed.
She opened it and-whoa-the words "Something's wrong with Tingyun. She's dangerous" jumped straight into her face.
March 7th stared blankly, looking from the username "Galactic Greatsword Hero" on her phone to Zhang Xiu's face. Then she quietly put her phone away, turned to Phantylia, and said indignantly:
"Don't worry, Miss Tingyun. Once we get back, we'll make sure to teach Zhang Xiu some manners!"
"Oh, I'm the one who troubled you all. How could I let Mr. Zhang Xiu suffer for it? There's no need, really~" Phantylia smiled with narrowed eyes, noticing nothing amiss.
Qingque said little from the sidelines. As a legendary slacker, she had long since mastered the art of handling situations like this.
It was simple: as long as the trouble didn't spill over onto her, she would neither ask nor interfere.
"Hmm... shall we get going, then?" Qingque blinked.
Zhang Xiu lowered his arms and nodded. "Let's go."
Reaching the Divination Commission would require taking a Starskiff, but before that, there was another sight worth a look.
"Hey, Stelle, look! Is that...?" March 7th pointed toward the ancient tree towering into the sky in the distance.
"That is the ancient tree known as the [Ambrosial Arbor], a treasure the Xianzhou Luofu once took great pride in," Phantylia explained, a glimmer of longing flashing through her eyes.
"Do people from the Sky-Faring Commission know this much about history, too? They say the Ambrosial Arbor is a remnant left from the ancient Xianzhou's voyages beyond the heavens."
Looking at the now-broken Ambrosial Arbor, even Yaoshi felt a touch of melancholy. Zhang Xiu gently rested his hand on her shoulder.
To preserve its present stability, the Xianzhou had buried the history of its quest for the elixir. He couldn't say whether that was right or wrong.
He only knew that it had left his beloved feeling sorrowful.
"What's past is past. It's all right, darling."
"Memories seem to stir within me, yet remain indistinct. The people of the Xianzhou endured three calamities, and none were unconnected to me." Her voice was so soft that only Zhang Xiu could hear it.
-The Life Calamity: a constantly growing population strained the environment, while immortality made those in power cling to authority and privilege. At one point, two distinct class designations even emerged: "Commoner" and "Noble."
Internal unrest spiraled out of control aboard the Xianzhou Yuanqiao, which plunged into a red giant and vanished without a trace. The deaths of 130 billion innocent Xianzhou citizens temporarily quelled the turmoil.
Afterward, the aurumaton Zhige concluded that the Xianzhou's plight was entirely due to overpopulation and launched a great purge, indiscriminately attacking all Xianzhou citizens.
After enduring such disasters, everyone aboard the Xianzhou reached an agreement to investigate unlawful acts, promote the loyal and upright, and make rewards and punishments clear. Only then did the fighting cease, but the death toll across the Xianzhou had already reached hundreds of billions.
-The Flame Calamity: just as the Xianzhou was preparing to return to its homeworld, it encountered Dinggou, the homeworld of the Borisin.
Dinggou was a tree-shaped world that absorbed stars. Drawn by the Ambrosial Arbor, a miracle of Abundance aboard the Xianzhou, it extended its branches toward the ships, while the Borisin sent colossal beast-ships to attack them.
This crisis forced the Xianzhou, its strength greatly diminished by the unrest that had only just ended, to awaken Reignbow from his guarded slumber.
After awakening, the man known as Reignbow assessed the situation and took command. Ignoring everyone's attempts to dissuade him, he went to the Zhuming and found the ancestor of the Heliobi, the Ember Lord.
The two struck a bargain: Reignbow traded his body for the power of the Heliobi.
Many people aboard the various Xianzhou ships answered his sacrifice, choosing to make bargains with Heliobi. Like banks of cloud veiling the sky, they shielded the Xianzhou. This was the origin of the Cloud Knights.
In the end, a single arrow from Reignbow shattered Dinggou, erased the Ambrosial Arbor upon it, and pierced the colossal beasts, ending the Xianzhou's crisis.
Reignbow left the Xianzhou afterward, while only a few remnants of the Ember Lord's body remained.
To commemorate him, people called him the [Reignbow Arbiter]. As for his true name, no one knew it.
-The Void Calamity: the emergence of the mara-struck condition shattered the Xianzhou citizens' remaining faith in the Aeon of Abundance. Their minds could no longer control their powerful, endlessly growing bodies.
The Ten-Lords Commission was also established at this time, and the Xianzhou Alliance, a power that roamed the universe, began to make its mark.
The addition of the Foxians and the Vidyadhara further bolstered their ranks.
But whom should the Xianzhou natives worship now that they had lost their faith? Which god's will should they carry out?
Qlipoth, the Aeon of [Preservation]? Or Nous, the Aeon of [Erudition]...?
In year 4000 of the Star Calendar, a shaft of light pierced the Ambrosial Arbor, and Lan, the Aeon of [The Hunt], was born.
"You were at fault, but those disasters weren't directly caused by you. Now that there's order, perhaps you can even reconcile with the Xianzhou."
Yaoshi said nothing, only leaning quietly against Zhang Xiu.
The others had also finished marveling at the Ambrosial Arbor and headed toward a Starskiff docked at the port.
When they reached the road leading to the Divination Commission, Qingque reminded them, "You may be the Diviner's guests, but once we're inside, please don't wander off. Her Ladyship hates people who don't follow the rules."
"Relax, relax. Nobody follows rules better than us... right, Stelle?" Zhang Xiu planted his hands on his hips and looked at Stelle beside him.
"Rules are made to be broken!" Stelle copied Zhang Xiu's pose, puffing out her chest and planting both hands on her hips.
Just as Qingque was beginning to feel at a loss, Welt stepped forward. "Miss Qingque is only showing us the way. If we break any rules, naturally, it will have nothing to do with you."
"Hehe, you're a very reasonable gentleman. Come on, everyone. Let's hurry along."
There weren't many rules to getting along as adults. As long as you didn't make others answer for your actions, you were easy enough to get along with.
As for Zhang Xiu? He simply didn't want to put himself out. Nothing else mattered.
But when they reached the main entrance and Qingque went to open the gates, she muttered, "That's strange..."
Long accustomed to scenes like this, March 7th spoke up. "Let me guess. Did the gates suddenly break?"
"I don't get it. The gates are locked. They've never been locked before... and nobody told me to bring a key..."
"My super intelligence tells me it's time to use my super strength." Zhang Xiu stepped forward, even ostentatiously straightening his collar.
"Hey, why does everything you see make you want to use brute force? Besides, we're guests here. What kind of guests tear down their hosts' gates?"
"But using violence feels so good." Zhang Xiu looked at March 7th with an aggrieved expression.
"Hahaha, you certainly know how to joke. The gates of our Divination Commission are made from the finest adamantine. They're not something you can just..."
Qingque had thought Zhang Xiu was trying to lighten the mood, but when she glanced around, all she saw in everyone's eyes as they looked at him was resignation. None of them seemed to doubt that he could tear down the gates.
But hearing Qingque underestimate him left Zhang Xiu indignant, and he immediately started rolling up his sleeves to demonstrate his super stats.
Unfortunately, Yaoshi held him back from beside him, leaving him no choice but to give up...
Before you continue