The two clutched the spots where Wanmeng had hit them, their faces full of innocence.
Qingzhu rubbed the space between her brows and said, "All right, stop fooling around. Lady Arbiter of Life is still here. What kind of behavior is all this racket?"
Ayinai watched the four of them interact, a faint smile on her lips. "It's fine. I didn't bring you along for anything particularly important. I only need you to look after a sapling."
"Look after a sapling?"
Qingzhu looked puzzled. What kind of sapling needed them to look after it? They were the Four Existences Atop Nihility, known to everyone on Daiyu. She in particular was a renowned figure throughout the universe.
Qingzhu couldn't help growing curious.
Ayinai raised a hand, and a branch containing an immense Power of Abundance emerged from her palm.
Qingzhu stared at it in shock and exclaimed, "Th-this is a branch from the Ambrosial Arbor of Abundance!"
"Mm, there's no mistaking it. The Ambrosial Arbor of Abundance is a miracle of Abundance. The Xianzhou Luofu relied entirely on it to gain longevity."
Wanmeng rubbed her chin, giving her answer after examining the details.
Ayinai nodded. "That's right. This is a branch from the Ambrosial Arbor of Abundance. Plant it on this island made from Higgs soil, and before long it will grow into a towering tree."
As Ayinai spoke, she held the branch out to Qingzhu. Since it was an Ambrosial Arbor for the Xianzhou Daiyu, there was no one better to plant it than Qingzhu, the ship's leader.
Qingzhu took the branch and gently planted it in the soil. Looking at the little branch, she was a little doubtful.
"Can such a tiny branch really grow into an Ambrosial Arbor like the one on the Xianzhou Luofu?"
To be honest, she was quite looking forward to it. She called Abundance the Plague Author because Abundance's boundless compassion had led to the proliferation of the Denizens of Abundance. Among them were inevitably races with evil dispositions, like the Shirou they had encountered before. They were the reason Daiyu had crashed once.
But there was no denying that the Ambrosial Arbor of Abundance was a good thing. Longevity was secondary; most important was the immense Power of Abundance contained within the Arbor.
It was a natural energy reservoir they could draw on in an emergency.
While the Xianzhou Daiyu was on its way to the Ayinai System, the balance of power in the system had undergone earthshaking changes.
Garden Master Dong Tian had swiftly conquered the planets surrounding the Garden of Existence, while the planets on the outskirts had been brought under the control of the escaped Elder Ge, forming the Anti-Garden Alliance.
And on this day, the planet where Amo lived received a group of uninvited guests.
Three soldiers in military uniforms patrolled the surrounding ruins with guns in hand. Their faces were covered in wrinkles, and branches grew from their backs and bodies. If a Xianzhou native had been there, they would surely have recognized the soldiers' condition: Mara-Struck.
"Captain, everyone in this town has been cleared out. No survivors found."
The soldier's voice was calm and devoid of emotion. They had been forcibly infused with the Power of Abundance, turning them into what they were now. Though unsightly, they had gained genuine power.
"Mm. Those people refused to submit to the Garden Master, so they deserved to be eliminated. The mission's complete. Let's go back and report."
The three turned to leave. The next moment, a dark figure silently crept out of the ruins nearby. He held a gleaming dagger, his gaze calm, killing intent buried in his eyes.
"Wait, I need to relieve myself."
One of them, a fat man, spoke up. The captain waved impatiently. "Make it quick. A lazy donkey always has to shit and piss when it's time to work."
The fat man smiled sheepishly, then turned and walked into the ruins where the dark figure was hiding. The moment the fat man spoke, the figure had concealed himself in the ruins. Seeing the fat man enter the room next to the one he was in, the figure drew his knife again. As the fat man relieved himself, the figure clamped a hand over his mouth and plunged the knife into his neck.
Then he gave it a forceful twist, and the head came right off.
The fat man's body slowly collapsed. He had only been forcibly infused with the Power of Abundance. Not only had it failed to grant him longevity, but the crude method had also ravaged his bodily functions. Forget longevity-he would have been lucky to live five years.
Because of this, these artificially created "Denizens of Abundance" had none of the traits other Denizens of Abundance should have.
"That takes care of him. Luckily, they're only artificially made. If they were real Denizens of Abundance, we'd probably be the ones in trouble."
The shadow slipped off the man, fell to the ground, and became a pink-haired girl.
The person beneath the shadow had short, silvery-white hair. His azure eyes fixed on the girl before him as he said gravely, "Xiaohe, we can't let our guard down yet. The rebels are still outside. Once we've dealt with them, we'll go back to the base."
Xiaohe nodded and turned into a shadow again, covering Amo's entire body. Amo looked through the wall at the two rebels still waiting outside and concealed himself once more.
The bait was in place and the net was cast. All that remained was to wait for the fish to bite.
Outside the ruins, the captain glanced at his wristwatch and frowned.
Something was very wrong. Why was it taking him so long to relieve himself? Had something happened?
The captain looked at the other soldier beside him, who happened to look back at the same moment. Both saw wariness in each other's eyes.
The captain raised his gun and gestured with his left hand for the soldier to follow. The soldier understood and raised his gun, following behind him.
Amo, hidden in the shadows, saw the two drawing closer. He pulled back a little farther and blended into the darkness.
The outer layer of shadow was a gauze garment Xiaohe had formed using the power of the Heart of Nihility. It could greatly conceal its wearer's movements, and in the shadows it could render them completely hidden. Xiaohe herself had entered the garment to help Amo control it.
The moment the two entered the ruins, they saw the fat man lying face down on the ground. Because of their angle, neither noticed his missing head.
"You there, what are you doing? Get up!"
The captain spoke as he walked forward, but when he got closer, he saw that the fat man's head was gone. Instinct told him a venomous snake was watching them from nearby.
He whipped his head around and was about to speak, but the words died on his lips. His eyes went wide.
The soldier who had come in with him was clutching his own neck, making rasping sounds as blood gushed from the wound and seeped through his fingers.
Clutching his neck, the soldier pitched forward. As he fell, Amo's black figure slowly appeared before the captain.
"Bang!"
The soldier's body hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Amo stood where he was, watching the captain as blood dripped from the dagger in his hand.
The captain swallowed. The person before him clearly had no trace of the power of a Path and was just an ordinary man, yet the captain sensed a power in him more terrifying than that of a Pathstrider.