The Star Patrollers's spaceship was even larger than the " New Journey," yet its interior was almost monotonously simple. Flowing data light bands flickered on the metal walls, and the air was filled with the low hum of energy operation. Xiao Yan sat by the porthole, watching the stars rushing past outside, his hand caressing the packet of Samsara Flower seeds. The warmth of the seeds contrasted strangely with the coldness of the spaceship.
"The 'collapse of the laws' in the Shattered Galaxy stems from their excessive extraction of the stars' primordial energy in an attempt to construct an 'absolute power system.'" The metallic creature's voice echoed within the capsule. Its crystalline head projected a three-dimensional star map, showing a swirling galaxy slowly disintegrating, its peripheral stars dimming like extinguished Zhu Huo. "They call this power ' the Power of Destruction,' capable of forcibly tearing apart the laws, but also accelerating its own demise."
Xiao Yan stared at the ever-expanding black area on the star map. That was the " Absolute Nothingness Zone," formed after the complete collapse of the laws, even more violent than the "nothingness" of the Abyss of Nothingness, impenetrable even to the Star Patrollers's detectors. "Why are they doing this?"
"According to data analysis, it's to counter an invasion from another galaxy." The metallic creature's blue light flashed. "Fear breeds extremes, and extremes lead to destruction."
Xiao Yan fell silent. He recalled the past experiences of the various realms. When the Shadow Clan invaded, someone had proposed a similar extreme plan. If the power of the Seed of Creation had not appeared in time, perhaps the various realms would have followed the same path.
As the spaceship entered the edge of the Shattered Galaxy, a violent energy surge rushed towards it. The stars outside the porthole twisted and deformed, and the once stable space was filled with spiderweb-like cracks. The Power of Destruction seeping from the cracks carried an aura of annihilation, and even the energy shield of the Star Patrollers spaceship trembled violently.
"We have entered a dangerous zone. We recommend releasing the Law of Cycles Barrier," the metal creature warned.
Xiao Yan nodded and channeled the power of the Seed of Creation into the spaceship's auxiliary system. The silvery-white Power of Order and the gray void intertwined and spread along the lines, forming a gray-gold barrier outside the spaceship. The moment the barrier touched the Power of Destruction, there was no conflict. Instead, it absorbed and transformed the power like a sponge. Part of it became energy to nourish the barrier, while the rest was guided to flow towards the distant void zone, forming a slow, circulating flow.
"This is the ' Law of Cycles '?" The metallic creature's crystalline head flashed with surprise, "According to simulations, this conversion efficiency far exceeds expectations."
" The Power of Destruction born of fear and extremism is essentially a product of an imbalance between 'being' and 'non-being,'" Xiao Yan explained. "Like a string that's been stretched too tight, instead of forcibly holding it down to prevent it from snapping, it's better to guide it to relax slowly."
As the spaceship ventured deeper into the galactic core, the scene became increasingly horrifying. Once-prosperous planets were now nothing but shattered ruins, their surfaces riddled with bottomless ravines flowing with dark red Power of Destruction, radiating a suffocating oppressive atmosphere. Countless dying beings floated in the air, their bodies slowly being eroded by the Power of Destruction, yet they still gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes flashing with madness.
"They're still resisting." Qing He gripped her longsword tightly; she could sense the faint life force remaining within those creatures. "But it's impossible to tell whether they're fighting an enemy or the destruction they themselves created."
Xiao Yan hovered the spaceship above a surviving planet, releasing a gentle Power of Life. Emerald light fell like a drizzle upon the dying creatures, temporarily halting the erosion of the Power of Destruction.
"Lay down your weapons." His voice resonated across the planet through the power of law. "Your enemy is gone. If you continue like this, you will perish along with this galaxy."
A commotion arose below, and someone roared as they raised their weapons, condensing the Power of Destruction into a beam of light, which they fired at the spaceship. The beam struck the gray-gold barrier, instantly being converted into a harmless stream of energy that dissipated into the air.
"They don't believe it," the Blazing Sun Realm Lord said in a deep voice. "The long-term fear has robbed them of their judgment."
Xiao Yan did not give up. He took out the packet of Samsara Flower seeds, infused it with a trace of the primordial power of the Seed of Creation, and then waved his hand to scatter the seeds onto the planet below. The seeds landed on the cracked earth and came into contact with the dark red Power of Destruction. Instead of withering, they took root and sprouted at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In just a few breaths, tender green vines spread along the ravines, and pure white flowers bloomed on the vines—these were the Samsara Flower. Strangely, after absorbing the Power of Destruction, the petals of these Samsara Flower would take on a color that was a mixture of dark red and pure white, and the nutrients they turned into when they withered could even soften the surrounding Power of Destruction.
"This is..." The creatures below were stunned, and their attacks ceased. They had never seen life bloom so tenaciously under the Power of Destruction of destruction.
"This is the ' Flower of Cycles '," Xiao Yan's voice rang out again. "It can absorb the Power of Destruction you despise, but it can also give birth to new life from it. Just like your galaxy, though shattered, it may still be capable of rebirth."
He manipulated the gray-gold barrier to slowly descend, landing on a relatively intact piece of ground. The barrier dissipated, and he held the Heaven Burning Sword in his hand, the gray-gold power of law flowing across its blade. He neither attacked nor defended, but simply displayed the balance between "existence" and "non-existence."
An elderly man clad in tattered armor stepped forward, leaning on his weapon. Half of his body had become a semi-transparent phantom, clearly severely corrupted by the Power of Destruction. "You... can you really save our star system?"
"It's not about saving, it's about guiding." Xiao Yan shook his head, pointing to the spreading Samsara Flower. "You created the Power of Destruction, so you must learn to coexist with it and transform it, instead of being devoured by it. Just like these flowers, they don't resist the Power of Destruction, but they can make it the nourishment for their growth."
The old man fell silent. He gazed at the red and white intertwined Samsara Flower, then at his dying clansmen around him. The madness in his eyes gradually faded, revealing a trace of weariness and longing. "What... should we do?"
"The first step is to stop extracting stellar energy and allow the source of the Power of Destruction to calm down." Xiao Yan took out a jade slip with a simplified Cycle Formation engraved on it. "The second step is to guide the remaining power of the laws into the Samsara Flower according to this formation, allowing them to flow naturally."
He paused, then added, "This will take time, perhaps hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. But as long as the cycle continues, one day, your galaxy will shine again."
The old man took the jade slip, his fingertips trembling as he stroked the runes on it. The beings behind him exchanged glances, some hesitant, some skeptical, but when they saw the Samsara Flower that stubbornly bloomed amidst the Power of Destruction, a faint hope gradually ignited in their eyes.
"We... are willing to try." The old man finally made his decision, waving his hand to signal his people to lay down their weapons. "For the children who can still see tomorrow."
In the days that followed, Xiao Yan, Qing He, and Blazing Sun worked together to help the surviving creatures build Cycle Formation. Meanwhile Star Patrollers's spaceships laid out an energy net around the star system to prevent the Power of Destruction from spreading to other Star Domain. The process was not without its challenges. Some people resisted the transformation because they had become accustomed to the violence of the Power of Destruction, while others fell into despair because they had lost their homes. However, whenever they saw the Samsara Flower blooming more and more profusely within the formation, their negative emotions would fade somewhat.
As they left the Shattered Galaxy, Xiao Yan stood by the ship's porthole, looking down at the planet. The once dark red land was now dotted with patches of Samsara Flower, their red and white petals swaying in the wind. Gray-gold Cycle Formation light spread across the planet like veins, slowly repairing the shattered laws.
The metallic creature's crystalline head shimmered with a soft blue light. "According to the tests, the spread rate of the Power of Destruction has decreased by 73%, and the rate at which stars are dying has slowed down, which is consistent with the conclusion that the ' Law of Cycles is effective.'"
Xiao Yan smiled but remained silent. He knew that the real change lay not in the data, but in the renewed hope in the eyes of those living beings, and in the Samsara Flower that took root and blossomed in despair.
The spaceship departed the Shattered Galaxy and headed back towards the heavens. Outside the porthole, the stars became bright and stable again, as if the shattering and destruction just now were nothing more than a nightmare.
Xiao Yan took out a new Samsara Flower seed from his storage bag. It was harvested in the Shattered Galaxy. The seed had a faint dark red tinge on it, a mark of absorbing the Power of Destruction. He gently held the seed in his hand and could feel the resilience and vitality it contained.
Perhaps the true meaning of protection is never about making the world perfect forever, but about planting the seeds of renewal when things are broken, finding the point of balance when things are out of balance, so that "existence" can have the possibility of blooming again no matter how many storms it experiences.
He looked up into the distance, towards the heavens, where the pillar of light from the Balance Tower resembled a distant lighthouse, guiding him home. And the seed in his hand seemed to be saying: as long as the cycle continues, hope will always be there.