"...Wait. Don't tell me you're that Destruction Emanator—Qingzhou?"
Primeval Doctor stared at Wei Qing, finally connecting the dots after witnessing that absurd stack of methods.
"I thought the Xianzhou Alliance was exaggerating," he rasped. "But the secrets on your body… clearly go far beyond what they've disclosed…"
"Oh?" Wei Qing didn't deny it. A faint smile tugged at his mouth. "Looks like my reputation's louder than I thought."
"So many Paths… it's not reasonable. How did you do it?" Primeval Doctor blurted—so caught up in the discovery that he forgot the situation he was in.
"You want to know?" Wei Qing's tone stayed light. "Too bad. I'm not interested in sharing notes with someone who's about to exit the stage."
He lifted his hand.
In an instant, Undying Slash materialized in his grip.
In Wei Qing's eyes, an Emanator of Nous was exactly the type to graft bizarre life-support modifications onto himself. The safest option was simple.
Cut him down. Cleanly.
"Wait!" Primeval Doctor cried, cold sweat breaking across his forehead.
The moment he saw that blade, death became tangible.
As an Emanator of Nous, he ran countless escape simulations in a single heartbeat.
Every result ended the same way—
Death.
"You can't kill me!"
"We're both fighting Finality!" he shouted, voice cracking. "Different methods—same goal! I can join the Stellaron Hunters—!"
"With me, the Stellaron Hunters will—"
"I refuse," Wei Qing interrupted flatly.
"Why?!" Primeval Doctor nearly screamed. "You'd rather kill a potential ally than add another force against Finality?!"
"Ally?" Wei Qing gave a short, contemptuous laugh.
Then a blood-red blade-light flashed.
The world around them turned to powder.
A thunderous detonation rolled up from underground, and Vonwacq itself seemed to shudder.
Wei Qing reappeared on the surface, sheathing Undying Slash as he looked down at the barely-breathing Primeval Doctor.
"You didn't transplant Abundance into yourself?" Wei Qing sounded genuinely surprised. "I thought guys who do human experimentation love installing all kinds of junk into their own bodies."
"...Cough—!" Primeval Doctor dropped to one knee, spitting blood.
The specialized life-support device he relied on had been shredded by that single strike.
He tried to call on Nous to repair himself—and felt terror bite into his spine.
A deeper, heavier Nihility was gnawing at his Path foundation, slowing his thoughts, corrupting his calculations, forcing error after error.
"Heh… hehehe…" Primeval Doctor dragged his head up. His blood-smeared face twisted into a grin.
"You think I didn't leave a backdoor?"
His fingers trembled as he tried to activate the final protocol buried in Vonwacq's planetary core.
A device that—once triggered—would collapse the biosphere, drain the planet's life-energy in an instant, and convert it into destructive output.
A last card: mutual destruction, or at least chaos enough to slip away.
But the expected quake, the cataclysmic energy bloom—
didn't happen.
"W-why…?" Primeval Doctor went blank.
What was happening?!
His eyes filled with disbelief and despair. "My calculations… can't be wrong…"
"Your calculations aren't wrong," Wei Qing said softly. His gaze slid past Primeval Doctor—into a patch of shadow behind him.
"They're just incomplete. If I were your only opponent."
The shadow stretched without sound, lengthening into a tall, lean figure.
The newcomer wore an early-era Astral Express uniform—an old pattern few recognized anymore.
A hood hid his face. Even the contours were hard to make out.
He merely stood there, and yet it felt as though he belonged to the place—like he had always been part of Vonwacq's ancient forest.
Primeval Doctor snapped his head around.
The instant he saw that figure, all that remained in his chest was a bottomless dread.
"You're… Wo Jian? No—wait—you… you should be—"
He never got the answer.
The figure called Wo Jian raised a hand, ignoring Primeval Doctor's shock.
A violet-gold glimmer flashed.
Primeval Doctor's horror, confusion, and the last thread of venomous resistance—
froze.
He didn't even manage final words.
His expression locked mid-twist as his body broke apart, then vanished entirely—no dust, no trace.
A dead silence fell over Vonwacq.
The life-energy that had been roiling from the lab's collapse calmed, settling as though guided back into a natural flow.
Wo Jian lowered his hand. Under the hood, his gaze turned to Wei Qing.
"First time meeting you, Yi Qing."
"Or should I call you Qingzhou… or Wei Qing?"
"Names are just labels," Wei Qing replied evenly. "Call me Yi Qing."
Then, with a calm curiosity he didn't bother to hide:
"I didn't expect to run into the legendary Stargazer in a place like this."
Wo Jian seemed to chuckle. "Legends always exaggerate. I'm just a former Navigator—an observer."
His gaze swept the now-quiet rainforest. The lingering turbulence was being smoothed away, restored into order by an invisible hand.
"You handled things cleanly," Wo Jian said. "More efficiently than I expected."
"It seems the Astral Express has found itself a remarkable successor."
"You flatter me," Wei Qing said without changing expression. "I was just… in the right place."
Wo Jian dipped his head slightly. The shadow of his hood made his face unreadable, but the scrutiny in his eyes was unmistakable.
"The right place… perhaps. Fate's loom is always woven from countless threads that look like coincidence."
He paused.
"You showing up here wasn't coincidence, was it?"
Wei Qing smoothly tossed the blame where it belonged.
"So you know the Stellaron Hunters pretty well."
"I know… something about fate's script."
"Elio," Wo Jian continued after a beat, "the fragments he sees are… unusually clear."
Then Wo Jian spoke again, voice still mild.
"Since you're here, why hide?"
Nothing happened.
Wei Qing's mouth twitched.
With an exasperated motion, he reached out to the side and snatched something out of the air—dragging a black cat into view as if pulling it out of a sleeve.
"Elio," Wo Jian greeted, unhurried. "Long time no see. You still favor this form."
The black cat twisted midair with practiced grace, landed lightly, and flicked its tail over its paws.
"It's convenient," Elio said coolly. "And you, Wo Jian—since when do you have time to wander around?"
"I need to move sometimes," Wo Jian replied with a faint trace of amusement, "to see the whole board."
Then his tone sharpened slightly.
"As for you—your commotion keeps getting bigger."
"IX's stagnation has caused waves on the Paths far larger than you'd imagine. Quite a few… have been stirred awake."
"Including you?" Elio asked.
"Mm. Including me." Wo Jian didn't deny it.
"And since Wei Qing has become the Astral Express's current Navigator, he can be considered… my junior."
Wo Jian's attention shifted to Elio.
"Elio, would you step aside?"
"I'd like to speak with my junior alone."
Elio's cat-eyes narrowed.
"Oh? What's this—does your Omen Vanguard need manpower now? Trying to poach from me?"
Elio's tone carried open displeasure.
"You misunderstand," Wo Jian said calmly. "I only want to talk—about the Astral Express, about possible futures."
"We once walked the same road, after all."
Elio fell silent.
After a moment, the black cat exhaled like it was humoring a nuisance.
"Fine. Astral Express internal affairs. I'm an outsider. I shouldn't listen."
Elio's body faded into transparency, then disappeared.
Now only Wei Qing and Wo Jian remained.
"Don't be tense," Wo Jian said first, breaking the silence as he took a few steps forward.
"I'm no longer the Express's Navigator. I'm not your enemy."
"I'm not tense," Wei Qing shot back on reflex.
Then he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I'm just curious."
"The Astral Express archive says your records are… mysterious."
"You choosing to show up now can't be just to help me clean up a mess, or to recognize a junior."
"Cleaning up a mess?" Wo Jian lifted his chin slightly. "No."
"That was your victory. I simply ensured the 'bomb' buried in this planet's core wouldn't harm innocents."
He paused.
"I'm here because of you, Wei Qing."
"Your appearance—your road—constitutes a massive variable."
Then he added, lightly:
"But this isn't a good place to talk."
"Come to my place. Rest."
"I'd like to have a proper conversation."
Wo Jian didn't say more.
The authority of an Emanator of Trailblaze surged, and his figure vanished from Vonwacq like a ripple swallowed by the wind.
Wei Qing thought for a brief moment—
then followed.
Not far from Vonwacq, they arrived in a strange sector of space.
With a casual sweep of Wo Jian's hand, the scenery opened—as if a veil had been pulled aside.
A black interstellar train appeared before them.
"…Is that the Astral Express?" Wei Qing asked, confused.
The color was wrong—too dark, too ominous.
But if you ignored the paint, the model was unmistakable.
And more than that—
the train carried a faint, fragile trace of Trailblaze, woven into its bones.
Wo Jian nodded. The hood's shadow seemed to soften.
"Yes. This is one of the earliest Astral Express trains."
"Now… it's my place to stay."
He raised a hand. An unseen force brushed the ancient door.
Metal murmured softly as the hatch slid open, revealing warm, nostalgic light within.
"Come in," Wo Jian said, stepping aside in invitation.
Wei Qing didn't hesitate.
He entered.
The door closed behind him without a sound, sealing off the eerie silence outside.
Inside, everything was old—but immaculate.
Soft leather seats. Wooden paneling. A star chart on the wall that looked like it belonged to a version of the universe from countless Amber Eras ago.
Time itself felt frozen in a distant moment.
Wo Jian led him into what seemed to be an observation carriage.
He gestured for Wei Qing to sit in a comfortable high-backed chair, then moved behind a small bar counter.
"Something to drink?" Wo Jian asked conversationally, like he was hosting an old friend.
"I have a few collections from different worlds. Probably not as modern as what Pom-Pom mixes."
"Water is fine," Wei Qing answered, his gaze quietly sweeping the space.
He could feel it—
this ancient train was a colossal relic in its own right, its internal space unbelievably stable, even faintly rejecting direct probing by outside Path power.
Wo Jian placed a glass of clear spring water on the table before Wei Qing.
He sat opposite with a cup of dark red liquid in hand.
He didn't remove his hood. He simply rotated the cup slowly between his fingers.
"Now," Wo Jian said, tone gentle, "we can talk properly."
"First—congratulations on becoming the Astral Express's Navigator."
"If Akivili could see this day, I think they would be… very pleased."
Wei Qing lifted the cup but didn't drink.
"You knew Akivili well?" he asked.
"We traveled together for a time," Wo Jian replied, a trace of distant memory in his voice. "But that was long ago."
"What I want to discuss today… is you."
"Me?" Wei Qing set the glass down, meeting the gaze hidden under the hood.
"Then what do you want to talk about, Senior Wo Jian?"
"Your future," Wo Jian answered, "and the Astral Express's future."
"You've joined the Stellaron Hunters."
"And the Four Paths that guide Finality—you should know them, yes?"
"Destruction. Nihility. Harmony…" Wei Qing said.
"Those are the three I knew."
"As for the fourth—according to the future I'm familiar with, it might be Remembrance."
"But recently I've uncovered something else."
"That fourth Path… may once have been Trailblaze."
"And with your appearance, Senior Wo Jian… that guess feels even more confirmed."
Wo Jian's hood shadow shifted slightly, like a nod.
"A sharp conclusion."
"Yes. In the beginning, the four Paths that led to Finality were exactly these:
Destruction, Nihility, Harmony… and Trailblaze."
"Trailblaze represents 'no boundaries' and infinite possibility," Wo Jian continued, voice even.
"And under certain conditions, that infinity can become a fuse."
"A trigger that tears open existing order and steers everything toward an unknown end."
"Like a key," he said softly, "that can open a door to a new world…"
"Or open the cage of disaster."
Wei Qing leaned forward slightly. "According to records, you were Navigator during Akivili's fall."
"Do you know more about what happened?"
Wo Jian's answer came without hesitation.
"To the outside world, the truth of Akivili's fall remains a mystery."
"But the truth is simple."
"Akivili fell because of Finality."
"Or rather—Akivili chose to fall."
"Chose?" Wei Qing's pupils tightened. That was not what he expected.
Wo Jian nodded.
"Yes. Chose."
"At that time, the 'Unking' who came against the arrow of time brought a prophecy."
"Not a vague omen."
"A clear, unmistakable Finality."
"Four Paths entwined into a torrent that would scour away everything that existed."
"Other Paths still had routes to avoidance."
"But Trailblaze's outcome was already fixed."
"Akivili saw it," Wo Jian said, his voice growing heavier.
"They saw a future in which Trailblaze—this Path of exploration and hope—would no longer be a symbol of possibility."
"It would become the catalyst that breaks balance and accelerates Finality."
"Infinite possibility, in that moment, pointed to a single, hopeless ending."
"Akivili could not accept that future."
"Not because they feared their own extinction," Wo Jian said slowly, "but because if Trailblaze became Finality's engine…"
"It would be the most complete betrayal of every Nameless belief."
"It would trample the hope of countless worlds."
"So Akivili made a choice."
Wo Jian raised his head. Even the hood's shadow could not fully conceal the weight in his gaze.
"And thus—among the Four Ends, the first Path to be 'resolved' was born."
"But the stage of the Four Ends had not yet arrived."
"So in the future, another Path would take Trailblaze's place."
Wei Qing fell silent, absorbing the shock.
A god's fall—an act of self-sacrifice—to prevent a worse future.
Unexpected…
and yet, somehow, it made sense.
Among all the Aeons Wei Qing knew, Akivili had always felt the most human.
"Then what about Trailblaze now?" Wei Qing asked quietly.
"Trailblaze now is a safe Path," Wo Jian answered.
"It remains a symbol of exploration and hope."
"But its boundaries have been drawn."
"It can no longer touch that 'no-boundaries' domain that once could ignite Finality."
"That is what we—what Akivili and the early Nameless—bought for the universe."
"A chance to breathe."
Wei Qing leaned back, fingers tapping the armrest.
"If that's the case, Senior Wo Jian…"
"Why appear now? Just to teach the new Navigator history?"
"Not entirely," Wo Jian said, draining the last of his dark liquid.
"History is a foundation."
"But the future is the key."
"Wei Qing—your existence is a massive variable."
He rose and walked to the observation window.
"Of what remains among the Three Ends, the one I worry about most is Destruction."
"Nihility has no will of its own," Wo Jian said.
"I've met Polka. She spoke with me about the plan of the 'Tenth Mechanism.'"
"I consider her mad, but not without method."
"I have confidence in her."
"As for Harmony…"
"Xipe, like Akivili, does not wish for Finality."
"They cannot reset their Path the way Trailblaze once did, but the intent matters."
Wo Jian turned back. His gaze settled on Wei Qing.
"But Destruction is different."
"Nanook's existence is Finality's most direct expression."
"Their will is pure."
"And you, Qingzhou…"
"The power you've shown is already making many uneasy."
Wei Qing lifted an eyebrow.
"So you're worried I'll accelerate Destruction's End?"
"…Yes." Wo Jian admitted it plainly.
"That's why I came."
"I needed to confirm with my own eyes—whether you, an Emanator born of Destruction, truly 'lean' toward Destruction."
"Lean toward Destruction?" Wei Qing echoed.
"I walk Destruction's Path—true."
"But 'lean' is too narrow."
"Senior Wo Jian—do you believe Nanook leans toward destruction…"
"Or that Nanook is destruction?"
It was a bold counterquestion—nearly blasphemy.
Wo Jian lifted his cup of water and took a slow sip.
"A very good question."
"Aeons are embodiments of Paths—concepts at their extreme."
"They may not possess 'intent' as mortals define it."
"But your intent matters."
"I'm curious, Wei Qing."
"On Destruction's road, what end did you see?"
"The void Nanook promises?"
"Or… something else?"
Wei Qing held Wo Jian's gaze. Silence stretched.
How was he supposed to answer that?
He understood it now.
Elio and Polka and the rest had approached him because of what he was.
A Destruction Lord forged by Nanook—his significance was obvious.
But Wei Qing was a transmigrator.
That fact couldn't be spoken.
After a beat, Wei Qing exhaled a quiet laugh, then finally replied:
"An end? Senior Wo Jian, you think too highly of me."
"I haven't seen anything that far."
"I was born of Destruction, yes."
"But that's all it is."
"What Nanook wants might be a grand ending—the universe cooling into a final silence."
"But I don't have ambitions that majestic."
"My destruction is… more selfish."
"I destroy what I believe should be destroyed."
"What blocks me."
"Or, sometimes…"
"What simply annoys me."
He lifted his eyes, voice steady.
"If you insist on defining my intent…"
"Then it's this—my destruction is defined by me."
"It's a tool in my hand."
"Not a truth I worship."
The words were outright heresy.
If other Destruction Lords heard it, they'd likely try to kill him on principle.
But under Wo Jian's hood, the tension seemed to ease.
A sound—almost like relief—escaped him, half a laugh.
Wo Jian stood, walked to Wei Qing, and for the first time—pulled back his hood.
What appeared wasn't an old, weathered face.
It was young.
Sharp-featured.
Even… handsome.
"Wei Qing," Wo Jian said, solemn.
"Remember what you said today."
"Your selfishness may be exactly what's needed to resist blind Destruction."
"Do not let the Path bind you."
"You are someone who walks upon Paths."
"You are not a puppet of a Path."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
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Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
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TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter250)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
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Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
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The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
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My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
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Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 80
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 70
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 80
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 57
The Uma Musume Who Became 55
I'm Definitely Not the King of 60
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 35
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 34
I, the Elden Sword Saint 27
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 24
No One Knows Pokémon Better 18
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 20
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