"Is this what General Jing Yuan meant by 'surprise attack'?"
"I dare not speak presumptuously. I can only say that the Stellaron Hunters's prophecy is more accurate than my own divination, and Kafka's desired future is coming true one by one."
Xing clutched her head, "This is the only way we can go..."
"I also don't want to be controlled by others, but people don't walk the path of Path alone, unburdened. Each person's choices not only shape themselves but also propel those who walk alongside them forward."
"The duty of the diviner is to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune. I don't want my choices to lead Luofu into a terrible future."
However, the probability of such a thing happening is probably as small as the chance of Reignbow Arbiter abandoning his the Hunt for the Plagues Author.
"Getting back to the main point, extinguishing the alchemy furnace to avoid harm is something only you can accomplish... What do you think?"
"Alright, although the oracle didn't say 'please' this time, it's because only we can help with this, am I right?" March 7th said with great enthusiasm.
"I will come immediately once the smoke clears; I will not let you fight alone."
"Ahem, it's not too late to start practicing breath-holding now..." Fu Xuan muttered to himself.
"We're still a long way from the alchemy furnace. Although I'm not an expert in pharmacology, I know that discussing toxicity without considering dosage is just empty talk."
"Hmph, even so... I'm still terrified! I'm still young, I don't want to fall into Mara-Struck so soon!"
"I didn't expect Master Diviner Fu's personality to be so straightforward." As March 7th was speaking, Xing, as usual, looked at Fu Xuan with a worried expression:
"What if the Lord Diviner suddenly falls ill now..."
"My fortune fluctuates between the trigrams Dui and Qian. Decisive action will protect me from harm, so do not speak to sway me! I will do my utmost to maintain my sanity; the rest is up to you."
To prevent the atmosphere from becoming too tense, Xing deliberately changed her perspective. "Hiss... seeing how nervous Tai Bu is, I'm getting a little scared too~ Is that smoke really harmless to us?"
Fu Xuan was displeased. "Huh? You don't trust me, do you!" After saying this, her finger froze in the air for a few seconds, then she changed her words:
"Ahem... If I said I didn't know, you wouldn't immediately quit, would you?"
Let me tell your fortune.
"No need to calculate, besides divination and numerology, my intuition is also very accurate!" Fu Xuan straightened his back confidently. "Hmm... let me reassure you all. You all still don't know what [ Mara-Struck ] is, right?"
"It seems I really don't know..."
These past two days, Xing has been working undercover in [ The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus ] while also traveling around the Xianzhou, like a brick, moved wherever needed.
So, Fu Xuan explained some basic facts about the Mara-Struck to the group, "Medical practitioners believe that the [ Mara-Struck ] is related to Remembrance. Although Long-Life Species have extremely long lifespans, their Remembrance capacity has its limits."
"Over hundreds and thousands of years, the emotional threshold that the Long-Life Species can perceive has continuously increased, and their Remembrance have become thin and weary under the erosion of time, leaving only the most extreme and vivid sediment."
Those are almost certainly remnants of painful and regretful memories... Do you understand? The end for Long-Life Species is the loss of joy and happiness, leaving only deep-seated pain, regret, and hatred etched into their hearts like scars.
"Under these extreme emotions, the human self begins to crumble... This is the beginning of the [ Mara-Struck ]."
For some reason, Fu Xuan suddenly felt a little envious of the people in the Church; their longevity meant they wouldn't suffer from the negative symptoms of "falling into demonic possession."
" Short-Life Species don't need to worry about these things, are you all relieved now?"
"Ah, then I'm relieved. I don't remember anything anyway." Even Short-Life Species can fall into demonic possession, March 7th felt that she had nothing to fear in her current state.
"No, you still don't understand. The cause of the Mara-Struck's illness isn't Remembrance, but rather the erosion of its emotional threshold... Never mind, just take this as Remembrance."
"Sigh... Does that Master Diviner Fu know how many men the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus still has?" March 7th knew that thorough preparations were needed before the battle, and the criminals captured in Exalting Sanctum earlier were only a small part.
"Their numbers are few, mostly bewitched alchemists and healers. Although they can command strange beasts in battle or strengthen their bodies with elixirs... in the end, they are no match for the Cloud Knights. It is precisely for this reason that these people came up with the method of spreading demonic mist."
"With such a vast disparity in strength, they still ended their infiltration and launched a rebellion. This is abnormal; what turning point are they waiting for...?"
Fu Xuan feigned doubt, now just waiting for Huan Long to drop the Phantylia and give a direct demonstration.
"I will come immediately once the alchemy furnace is extinguished and the smoke dissipates."
Fu Xuan turned his head and began practicing holding his breath in front of everyone.
"Sigh, I always feel that although Long-Life Species can live a long time... in terms of troubles and suffering, they are no different from us Short-Life Species."
March 7th sighed, only to see Xing beside her tear off the hourglass necklace again.
"Traditional switches still pose safety hazards. What if some kind of magical mist leaks out?"
Xing was already a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to draw upon the power of [ Ambrosial Arbor ], and now he had the perfect opportunity to make up for it.
Wow~ you actually used this thing as a vacuum cleaner?
The star didn't give a direct answer; this is the omnipotent, [ Eternity ] hourglass!
" March 7th, witness the [ Eternity ] greatness!"
She slapped the hourglass to the ground, and all the mist was instantly absorbed and wiped away.
Fu Xuan, who was practicing holding his breath not far away, almost choked when he saw this scene.
"Excellent... excellent! I will lead my troops to join you right away!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.
"The furnace... has gone out."
[ The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus ] The leader stood Matrix, now completely devoid of smoke, and changed his tone again:
"It's alright, what's coming will eventually come." She had already sensed several presences behind her.
"It's you, Dan Shu..." Fu Xuan stood in front of everyone. Unlike the original plot, Xing did not see this Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission after the undercover operation in Exalting Sanctum ended.
" Chief Alchemist greets the Lord Diviner... You don't seem surprised."
"Yes, the [ Disciples of Sanctus Medicus ] must be hidden in the Alchemy Commission, as both the General and I know. We just can't find any evidence to hold the Six Commissions accountable, so we'll have to wait for you to come forward yourself."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Cloud Knights surrounded the scene, showing no intention of letting Dan Shu go.
"Very well. You've brought the evil spirits of the Stellaron into the Xianzhou, reborn the Ambrosial Arbor, and lured people into the Mara-Struck... The Ten-Lords Commission will settle accounts with you for these grave sins one by one."
"Sin? If my actions are sinful, then the ancestors of the Xianzhou will be guilty of the same sin! It was they who accepted the gift of [ Abundance ] and transformed their descendants into Long-Life Species..."
Dan Shu raised his arm and pointed to his companion from the [ Disciples of Sanctus Medicus ] group beside him.
" The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus are merely following the path they once walked, pursuing transcendence. What crime is there in that?"
"At that time, the Ambrosial Arbor's Roots enveloped the Xianzhou Luofu, as if it were a living thing. Our race dominated the starry sea, unmatched by any other. Everyone could attain immortality and transform at will... Abundance Miracle would be bestowed upon the nine Xianzhou —what a glorious era that was!"
"And look at us now! What state has the Xianzhou fallen into?! We are willingly driven by the Demon Bow, repeatedly Denizens of Abundance Fenghuang, Ten-Lords Commission are even forcing us to give up immortality..."
"Then... my friend, why not choose to believe in [ Eternity ]?" Before Ye Yan could interject, Xing interrupted Dan Shu.
"[ Eternity ]...?"
Xing stroked his chin. Putting aside his identity as an [ Eternity ] Walker, the [ Eternity ] Aeon was watching right beside him; shouldn't he give this a good talking-to?
"Sigh~ So, you people from the [ Disciples of Sanctus Medicus ] are still too narrow-minded. Times are changing, and we can't still be as feudal and superstitious as before."
"Speaking such nonsense, you are nothing but an unknown traveler... How did you come to such a conclusion?" Dan Shu's veins bulged. How could someone still post such a powerful message!
"Then let me ask you: after all these years of praying for [ Abundance ], has the Yaoshi ever even given you a second glance?"
"Forehead..."