Abundance and the Hunt

Three days later.

The faint light of dawn filtered through gaps in the leaves and fell upon the makeshift camp.

Lin Yuan's fingers stirred slightly.

Then he slowly opened his eyes.

As soon as his consciousness returned, an intense weakness surged through every part of his body. His meridians were empty, and his mind seemed shrouded in thick fog. Even simply lifting an arm proved exceedingly difficult.

Lin Yuan tried to sit up.

"You've only just woken up. Don't move around."

A slightly displeased voice came from beside him.

Light Feather Douluo sat leaning against something nearby, an ice-blue longbow resting across his knees. Seeing Lin Yuan awaken, he immediately came to the ice bed and reached out to press the boy back down.

"Teacher..."

Lin Yuan's voice was a little hoarse.

Guang Ling handed him a cup of water.

"You've been unconscious for three days."

"Three days?"

Lin Yuan froze for a moment.

To him, everything that had happened in that starry sea within his mind seemed to have lasted only an instant.

Guang Ling snorted.

"You certainly slept soundly."

"I watched over you for three days. I almost thought the disciple I'd just taken in was gone."

Lin Yuan accepted the water and said quietly:

"I made you worry, Teacher."

"As long as you know."

Guang Ling's words remained brusque, but the expression that had been taut for three days visibly relaxed.

Hearing the commotion, Qian Renxue soon hurried in from outside the camp.

When she saw that Lin Yuan was awake, her steps involuntarily quickened.

"You finally woke up."

Lin Yuan looked up at her.

"I told you I wouldn't die here."

Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment, then gave a soft huff.

"Don't do anything like that again."

"After you fell unconscious, none of us knew whether you would ever wake up."

Lin Yuan did not argue.

Summoning that sliver of the Aeon of the Hunt's projection earlier had far exceeded the limits of what he could endure.

Had the power of the Hunt within his Sea of Consciousness not protected his core essence, whether he could awaken would indeed have remained unknown.

Bi Ji then came to the ice bed and once again examined Lin Yuan's body with her life force.

Soft emerald light enveloped his entire body.

A moment later, she withdrew her hand.

"His Soul Power and spiritual power haven't recovered yet, but his body is no longer in any serious danger."

"Do not use that power again for now."

Guang Ling immediately looked at Lin Yuan.

"Did you hear that?"

Lin Yuan could only nod.

"I heard."

Bi Ji also left several emerald leaves containing the breath of life for Lin Yuan to consume during his recovery.

After confirming that his life was no longer in danger, Qian Daoliu did not have everyone linger any longer.

"Since you're awake, go take a look at that piece of wood."

"There are some things only you can answer."

Lin Yuan rested for an hour and recovered some strength before leaving the makeshift camp with Guang Ling accompanying him.

Not far away, the enormous crater left by the arrow of the Hunt remained clearly visible.

The land surrounding the crater was scorched black. The once-dense forest had been completely cleared away, leaving only broken trunks and a searing heat that had yet to dissipate.

Two layers of barriers covered the crater.

The outer layer was formed from angelic power, its golden pillars of light connecting to form an enormous sacred cage.

The inner layer was condensed from Di Tian's dark dragon power. Pitch-black power overlapped in layers like dragon scales, completely sealing the crater off from the outside world.

Di Tian and Xiong Jun were already waiting outside the barriers.

Seeing Lin Yuan approach, Di Tian's golden slit pupils lingered on him for a moment.

"It seems you're awake."

"I'm out of serious danger for now."

Following Di Tian's gaze, Lin Yuan looked toward the center of the crater.

The pale-gold piece of wood, about the length of an arm, still lay quietly on the scorched earth.

Three days had passed, yet it had neither taken root nor released that twisted life force again.

But even after taking the arrow of the Hunt head-on, its surface still bore no damage.

Di Tian asked directly:

"What exactly is this?"

Lin Yuan gazed at the piece of wood.

The Imperial Bow within him gave a faint tremor in response.

It was not as intense as when he had faced the Ancient Tree of Abundance, but it still carried a clear sense of rejection and warning.

"This is a creation of Abundance."

Qian Daoliu frowned slightly.

"Abundance?"

"In the distant sea of stars, there exist many powers known as Paths."

Lin Yuan slowly explained:

"Each Path represents a power and an ideal capable of influencing countless worlds."

"Abundance is one of them."

"The Aeon who presides over the Path of Abundance is named Yaoshi."

Xiong Jun glanced at the wood at the bottom of the crater.

"An Aeon?"

"You can think of them as beings far beyond ordinary gods."

Lin Yuan did not explain the differences between Aeons and the gods of Douluo in detail.

The sheer might displayed when the projection of the Hunt had descended was already enough for Qian Daoliu and Di Tian to realize that these so-called Aeons stood far outside the levels of power familiar to them.

"Yaoshi can heal injuries, prolong life, and restore vitality to withered bodies."

"They can even free lives that receive their blessing from aging and death."

Xiong Jun snorted.

"That hardly sounds like a disaster."

Lin Yuan glanced at him.

"Abundance is never stingy with its blessings."

"So long as a living being prays to Yaoshi, they may answer."

"They do not distinguish between good and evil among those who receive their blessings, nor do they care whether that life should continue to exist."

"Much less stop at the proper time."

Qian Renxue looked at the Ambrosial Arbor within the crater.

"So the true danger isn't healing, but growth without end?"

"Exactly."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"When flesh is shattered, it pieces itself back together."

"When a body rots, a new body grows."

"Even when consciousness has vanished, life will be forcibly sustained by the power of Abundance."

"In the end, immortality is no longer a gift, but a curse that cannot end."

Everyone could not help recalling the earlier battle.

Those Soul Beasts that had lost consciousness yet were still controlled by roots.

Those abominations that could keep growing from their flesh and blood even after their bodies were smashed apart.

And that Ancient Tree of Abundance, which could revive no matter how many times it was destroyed.

They had indeed not died.

But those twisted forms could by no means be called true life.

"That ancient tree and those monsters were the products of Abundance running out of control," Lin Yuan said.

Di Tian's gaze returned to the Ambrosial Arbor.

"So this piece of wood is the true source?"

"It's one of the sources."

Lin Yuan said:

"That ancient tree was merely an outer shell it formed after absorbing the life of the Star Dou Great Forest."

"The roots, the abominations, and the ancient tree itself were all merely extensions of the Ambrosial Arbor's power."

"As long as this piece of the Ambrosial Arbor exists and comes into contact with a sufficiently vast life force again, it can spawn new Abominations of Abundance."

Di Tian's expression immediately darkened further.

The Lake of Life lay at the heart of the forest.

It held the greatest concentration of life force in the Star Dou Great Forest.

If the Ambrosial Arbor came into contact with the Lake of Life, the next disaster would only be more terrifying than this one.

Qian Daoliu asked:

"And what was that power you used?"

"The Hunt."

Lin Yuan raised his right hand.

A faint wisp of cyan-blue starlight flickered in his palm.

"My Imperial Bow is connected to the Path of the Hunt."

"The Aeon who presides over the Path of the Hunt is named Lan."

As he mentioned that name, the cyan-blue arrow mark within Lin Yuan's Sea of Consciousness brightened slightly.

The Imperial Bow gave a faint twang.

As though sensing the presence of the Hunt, the pale-gold radiance slowly flowing within the Ambrosial Arbor in the crater abruptly stopped.

"The Hunt regards the Abominations of Abundance as prey that must be eliminated."

"Lan travels the sea of stars, pursuing every abomination formed after receiving the Blessing of Abundance."

"So long as Abundance continues to spread, the Hunt will never stop."

Lin Yuan looked at the Ambrosial Arbor at the bottom of the crater.

"The Hunt and Abundance are eternal enemies."

"The Hunt will not rest until Abundance is dead."

As those final words fell, everyone seemed to once again feel the icy killing intent radiating from that towering figure spanning the sea of stars three days earlier.

It had not arisen from a chance battle.

It was a hunt that had already continued for countless ages.

Qian Daoliu fell silent for a moment.

"What you summoned earlier was the power of the Aeon of the Hunt?"

"Only a faint sliver of a projection."

Lin Yuan said:

"My Soul Skills still belong to the Soul Master system."

"But a sliver of the Hunt's authority also exists within the Imperial Bow."

"Earlier, I bypassed my Soul Rings and Soul Power and called directly to the Path of the Hunt through the Imperial Bow. Only then did I barely manage to bring that projection down."

Guang Ling's expression immediately darkened.

"You're not allowed to use it again."

Lin Yuan looked at him.

"At least until I'm strong enough, I won't use it again."

"Not 'at least.'"

Guang Ling stressed:

"You are not to use it again without my permission."

Qian Renxue nodded beside him as well.

Lin Yuan could only agree for the time being.

Di Tian did not join their conversation, but continued asking:

"How should we deal with this section of the Ambrosial Arbor?"

Lin Yuan fell briefly silent.

At his current cultivation, although the power of The Hunt within the Imperial Bow could counter Abundance, it was far from enough to destroy the Ambrosial Arbor outright.

Summoning the projection of The Hunt again was even more impossible.

The previous attempt had already left him unconscious for three whole days.

If he forced himself to use it again, he might not survive.

But leaving the Ambrosial Arbor in the Star Dou Great Forest was equally dangerous.

"Take it back to Spirit Hall."

Di Tian's gaze sharpened.

"Take it away?"

"My power is still too weak. I can't completely destroy it yet."

Lin Yuan did not conceal his shortcomings.

"But the power of The Hunt can harm and suppress it."

"As long as we seal the Ambrosial Arbor and take it back to Spirit Hall, I can keep weakening it with the power of The Hunt."

"If once won't do, then ten times."

"If ten times aren't enough, then a hundred."

"As my cultivation continues to rise, the power of The Hunt will grow stronger and stronger."

"One day, I'll be able to destroy it completely."

Xiong Jun frowned.

"Why must you take it back to Spirit Hall?"

"Because this place isn't suitable for sealing a creation of Abundance."

Lin Yuan looked around.

"The life within the Star Dou Great Forest is far too vast."

"Especially the Lake of Life."

"To the Ambrosial Arbor, this place isn't a cage, but an inexhaustible supply of nourishment."

"The moment the barrier is damaged, it can immediately absorb the surrounding life and take root again."

Di Tian did not argue.

This was also what worried him most.

Although Spirit Hall had many Soul Masters, it had no vast wellspring of life like the Lake of Life.

Coupled with the fact that Lin Yuan himself possessed the power of The Hunt, it was indeed safer than leaving the Ambrosial Arbor in the forest.

Di Tian remained silent for a long time before finally making his decision.

"Very well."

"But Qian Daoliu and I must complete the seal together."

"If the Ambrosial Arbor runs out of control in Spirit Hall, I will personally bring it back."

Qian Daoliu nodded slightly.

"No problem."

The two raised their hands at the same time.

Dark dragon power passed through the barrier first, cutting the entire patch of scorched earth surrounding the Ambrosial Arbor out of the deep pit.

Immediately afterward, countless golden angelic patterns descended from the sky and wound around the earth.

The dark dragon power gradually condensed into layers of barriers resembling dragon scales.

Angelic power covered the outside, forming a second seal.

Moments later, the Ambrosial Arbor and the surrounding earth were sealed together inside a black-and-gold crystal half a person's height.

Inside the crystal, the Ambrosial Arbor still gave off a faint golden light.

Like a heart that had been forcibly sealed, yet had not stopped beating.

Lin Yuan approached the seal.

Guang Ling had wanted to stop him, but seeing Qian Daoliu and Di Tian both standing nearby, he ultimately said nothing.

The Imperial Bow slowly manifested behind Lin Yuan.

A faint wisp of cyan-blue power of The Hunt traveled along his palm, passed through the outer seal, and landed on the surface of the Ambrosial Arbor.

Hiss-

A wisp of pale golden smoke rose.

A tiny scorch mark appeared on the surface of the Ambrosial Arbor.

The scorch mark was extremely shallow. It lasted only a moment before slowly healing under the power of Abundance.

Seeing this, Xiong Jun could not help frowning.

"Just that little bit?"

"This is all I can manage right now."

Lin Yuan withdrew his palm.

His Soul Power had only just recovered a little, and this single attempt had already made his face a few shades paler again.

Guang Ling immediately steadied him by the shoulder.

"That's enough."

Lin Yuan did not push himself any further.

Although the wound had quickly healed, that strike had already proved that the power of The Hunt could indeed harm the Ambrosial Arbor.

For now, it could leave only a negligible scorch mark.

Once he broke through to three rings, four rings, or even reached higher realms, that mark would surely grow deeper and deeper.

One day, the recovery of Abundance would no longer be able to keep pace with the destruction of The Hunt.

Lin Yuan gazed at the sealed Ambrosial Arbor.

"Take it back to Spirit Hall."

"From today onward, I'll keep wearing it down with the power of The Hunt."

"Until it disappears completely."

Abundance possessed nearly limitless vitality.

And what The Hunt lacked least-

Was the time and patience to pursue its prey.