The image kept playing, and Herta's narration continued.
She was still speaking in that calm, story-like tone as she slowly laid out her discoveries.
"When that woman Cecilia was still on the Xianzhou Luofu, she seems to have borrowed the Luofu Divination Commission's Matrix of Prescience to divine the hidden past concealed by Enigmata."
"But Enigmata is clearly no trivial matter. Even with a genius like me personally investigating it, I couldn't uncover any clues."
"And naturally, the Luofu's Matrix of Prescience was nowhere near enough to pierce it either."
"However, Nous seemed interested in Enigmata as well."
"So It intervened."
"It helped the Luofu complete that divination."
At those words, some people on the Luofu immediately showed expressions of sudden realization.
After all, the disturbance at the Divination Commission had happened only recently.
At the time, everyone had assumed the Matrix of Prescience had malfunctioned, and that Lady Fu Xuan had personally stepped in to stabilize it.
Now they finally understood: what they had witnessed back then was in fact Nous itself assisting in divining Enigmata.
Herta went on to reveal the result of that divination.
"And what that divination uncovered was only the faintest sliver of Enigmata's veil."
"It turns out that in the galaxy before Enigmata rewrote history, the one named Theresa was not the only one involved."
"The Hunt had a hand in it as well."
The moment those words fell, the attention of the entire galaxy was seized even more tightly.
Herta's narration continued, and the images shifted again.
"But that is not the focus of what I want to say this time."
"The focus is this: in that galaxy before history was rewritten, there existed truths the world has now forgotten."
The camera slowly advanced, passing through one nebula after another, sweeping by planet after planet.
At last, it came to rest in an unfamiliar star region.
There, suspended in silence, floated a Xianzhou ship.
Its hull was older, more timeworn than any of the current Xianzhou vessels, yet the aura of The Hunt surrounding it was stronger than that of any other ship.
And before its Jade Gateway, the name of that ship appeared.
Yuanqiao.
The ship that, in the current timeline, had supposedly crashed and vanished five thousand years ago.
The eternal pain of the Alliance.
The scar in the heart of every Xianzhou native.
Yet the Yuanqiao in the image was clearly whole and intact.
"Yuanqiao did not fall five thousand years ago. Not only did it survive, it also gave birth to a very special general."
The scene shifted to inside Yuanqiao.
It was a broad council chamber, more ancient and austere than any hall on the Luofu.
More than a dozen figures sat around a long table, their clothing utterly unlike that of the modern Xianzhou—older, sterner, more solemn.
There were men and women, elders and youths among them. Every face was grave, as if they were discussing something of the utmost importance.
At the very front of the chamber, atop a raised platform, stood a lone figure with her back to the camera.
Her posture was straight and unyielding. Gray-white hair spilled down to her waist, and an almost suffocating pressure radiated from her.
Then she slowly turned around.
Every eye in the galaxy fixed upon that face.
It was the very same figure who had appeared beside the Aeon of The Hunt when Herta declared that The Hunt had once been the Fourth End.
Profound. Vast. Unfathomable.
She seemed less like a mortal and more like a god walking out of myth itself, draped in a majesty that made one instinctively want to kneel.
"Yuanqiao's Red Kite General, Fu Hua," Herta said again, in a tone graver than ever.
"In the original history, Fu Hua never left Yuanqiao. She remained forever its Arbiter-General, the strongest Emanator of The Hunt."
"And the divine might she wielded was the true might of The Hunt itself—the direct manifestation of that Path."
The scene shifted again.
Herta reappeared on the screen, seated in a broad chair with her hands folded over her knees, staring straight into the lens.
"But—"
Her tone changed sharply, growing suddenly heavy.
"The original history was not made of beauty alone."
"In that galaxy before Enigmata rewrote it, the Xianzhou Alliance suffered a calamity that nearly erased it."
The image changed violently.
The seven great Xianzhou ships appeared one after another in the starry sky.
The Luofu, the Yaoqing, the Zhuming, the Yuque, the Fanghu, the Xuling, the Yuanqiao.
Seven vessels. Seven lights.
Together they painted a magnificent panorama across the galaxy.
And then, in the next instant, endless darkness descended from above.
It was the power of Nihility—pure, absolute, unstoppable.
Like a gigantic hand, it closed over the seven Xianzhou ships and crushed them.
The Luofu sank. The Yaoqing shattered. The Zhuming went dark. The Yuque collapsed. The Fanghu vaporized. The Xuling vanished.
One Xianzhou vessel after another was ground into dust within the blackness. The ships that had once shone with glory, the civilizations that had once stood so proud, proved as fragile as paper before Nihility.
In the end, of all seven Xianzhou ships, only one remained.
Only the one that, in the present galaxy, no longer existed.
Yuanqiao.
The image froze upon the ruins.
Yuanqiao floated there alone in the void, its hull battered and scarred, yet still alive.
"Seven Xianzhou ships. Six sank," Herta's voice said from beyond the image, so calm it chilled the blood.
"Only Yuanqiao. Only the Yuanqiao where Red Kite stood. It alone survived the devouring of Nihility."
"This is the history from before Enigmata rewrote it."
"This is the forgotten past."
In that moment, the entire galaxy fell into the silence of a grave.
Whether it was the IPC, the Family, or any other power, all of them stared at the scene before them in utter disbelief.
After all, no one in the galaxy questioned the strength of the Xianzhou Alliance.
Because The Hunt was famously protective of its own; when the Xianzhou faced calamity, they truly could summon their Aeon.
And even setting the Aeon aside, the Alliance still possessed seven Emanators.
If one counted the Red Kite General as well, that made eight.
Eight Emanators, plus Dragon Sovereigns whose combat power rivaled Emanators—more than ten supreme-tier fighters in total.
To say they could sweep the whole galaxy might have been a stretch.
But to say they stood at the very top, as one of the most overwhelming powers in existence? That was not difficult at all.
And yet Herta was saying that such an Alliance had been destroyed by Nihility?
No outside power could readily accept such a past.
And the Xianzhou Alliance itself would accept it even less.
"Impossible."
Somewhere in the streets of the Luofu, someone was the first to speak.
"Yeah... there's no way that can be real."
Voices gradually multiplied, rising from murmurs into wave after wave of low exclamations.
Every face wore the same expression:
They did not want to believe it.
And could not believe it.
Six Xianzhou ships sunk, Yuanqiao the only survivor?
The Yuanqiao that, in the Alliance's memory, had long since fallen and disappeared, was in fact the last surviving ship?
No Xianzhou native could easily accept such a conclusion.
Inside the Luofu Divination Commission, the atmosphere was no less heavy.
After all, these were hardly pleasant memories.
For the generals present, the information Herta had just made public was something they had already known for some time.
And the reason they had not released it to the public was simply because they feared it would provoke unnecessary panic.
"So this was the entertainment the Elation Aeon wanted to see?" Jing Yuan finally spoke.
To be honest, he had been wondering about that all along.
They had clearly been doing serious work here—so why had Aha insisted on barging in?
Now he understood.
The god of fun had come to watch the spectacle.
Still, as the Luofu's Arbiter-General, Jing Yuan quickly collected himself.
He looked at his fellow generals and said,
"Everyone—the Xianzhou Alliance that was swallowed by Nihility, that past where six ships sank, no longer exists."
"We are the ones who have already lived through Enigmata's rewriting."
"We are the ones living in the present."
"So let the past remain in the past."
The hall went quiet for a moment.
Feixiao was the first to respond.
She took a deep breath, and a sharp light flashed through her fierce eyes before she nodded heavily.
"General Jing Yuan is right."
"That past has already been rewritten. Which means it no longer belongs to us. Rather than drowning ourselves in a history that no longer exists, we should be thinking about how to live well in the present."
Huaiyan stroked his beard, and clarity gleamed in his old eyes.
"This old man has lived a long time. I have seen too many joys and sorrows. If the past is gone, then let it be gone. What matters is that the Xianzhou Alliance still stands now. That the seven ships still remain."
He paused and looked toward the outside, as if his gaze could pass through walls and see the terrified people beyond.
"That said, after this is over, calming public sentiment will take no small amount of work."
Jing Yuan gave a faint, bitter smile.
"Marshal Huaiyan speaks wisely. A matter like this—who could accept it immediately?"
"Six ships sunk, Yuanqiao alone surviving... for any Xianzhou native, that is a burden far too heavy."
"Which is exactly why we generals must step forward," Feixiao said, picking up the thought.
"Once this Martial Rite is over, I'll have Yaoqing's Cloud Knights strengthen patrols and keep order. At the same time, I'll assign people to spread the proper explanation throughout the districts, so everyone understands..."
She paused, choosing her words carefully.
"...that the past no longer exists. The Xianzhou Alliance of today is whole."
"Zhuming will do the same," Huaiyan said with a nod. "When I return, I will appear in person to reassure the people. Some words carry more weight when spoken by those of us in command."
Jing Yuan nodded in satisfaction, then turned toward Yaoguang.
"And Yuque?"
"Don't worry." Yaoguang waved a hand, the earlier glee fading into something more serious.
"Yuque's diviners understand better than anyone that 'the past cannot be changed.' I'll have them digest this information properly and pass it on in the right way."
"That will suffice." Jing Yuan let out a breath, only to be interrupted by Yaoguang again.
"However..."
She changed tone, her ever-smiling eyes narrowing further.
"Rather than discussing how to settle the aftermath, shouldn't we first talk about a more immediate problem?"
"What problem?" Feixiao asked.
Yaoguang did not answer at once.
Instead, she turned to the screen that was still playing overhead.
Herta's image had faded, replaced by a stretch of deep, silent starry sky.
But her earlier words still echoed in every heart like a thorn lodged deep.
"The fourth Path of the End was The Hunt."
"According to Herta, then, in the history before Enigmata's rewrite, The Hunt was the fourth End."
"To be honest," Yaoguang said slowly, "that's not something I expected at all."
Jing Yuan laughed awkwardly.
They had been enjoying the Family's discomfort just moments ago.
And now it was their turn.
To be honest, it was hard not to feel a little ridiculous.
But why?
Why would The Hunt become one of the Ends?
After all, even the harshest interpretation of The Hunt was still merely vengeance.
And vengeance did not ordinarily mean the destruction of the galaxy.
Moreover, unlike the Family or the IPC, those factions could not be taken as direct representatives of the Aeons they worshiped.
The Xianzhou Alliance was different.
Their conduct did, to some degree, affect the reputation of The Hunt.
And the reverse was true as well.
Now that The Hunt had been named one of the Ends, wouldn't the entire galaxy start thinking the Xianzhou Alliance was rotten too?
Jing Yuan felt a headache coming on.
"There is another matter I'm curious about," Yaoguang said suddenly.
"Oh?" Huaiyan turned to her. "What have you thought of?"
This time Yaoguang answered without hesitation.
"Aren't any of you curious?"
She slowly swept her gaze across Jing Yuan, Feixiao, and Huaiyan.
"That Nihility which swallowed six Xianzhou ships... what exactly was it?"
A deathly stillness fell over the hall.
That question had in truth haunted them all.
It was a question the entire galaxy wanted answered.
By all logic, the only force in existence that could wipe out the Xianzhou Alliance using Nihility should have been IX itself.
But IX, the Aeon of Nihility, was known above all as an utterly passive god.
How could such an Aeon actively move to devour the Xianzhou Alliance?
And even if IX truly had moved, it would never have left Yuanqiao untouched.
Because Nihility was fundamentally indiscriminate.
It did not choose, did not prefer, did not spare.
It reduced all things equally to nothingness.
And yet, in Herta's account of that past, Yuanqiao had survived.
Fu Hua's Yuanqiao.
"Maybe Herta's records will give us the answer."
Yaoguang raised her head toward the still-changing image.
And as soon as she said that, the picture Aha had constructed seemed to respond.
It changed again.
Herta's narration resumed—this time, with unmistakable seriousness in her voice.
"After confirming that the fourth End had once been The Hunt, I had a new question."
"What exactly was that Nihility which swallowed the Xianzhou Alliance?"
The scene shifted.
Herta appeared once more within that immense library, standing before shelf after shelf, her fingers running slowly along row after row of ancient volumes.
"I examined every record on Nihility. I turned over every observation ever made of IX."
"But there was no answer."
"Because IX does not act on its own. That is common knowledge. Any scholar who has studied the Aeons knows this."
"And yet the Xianzhou Alliance really was devoured by Nihility. Six Xianzhou ships truly sank."
"What does that mean?"
Herta turned around and looked directly into the lens, as if she were staring at every being in the galaxy at once.
"It means that whatever that Nihility was... it was not IX."
The image changed again.
Bottomless darkness spread across the screen.
But this was not IX's Nihility.
Not that pure, absolute, unconscious void.
This was a far more dangerous darkness.
It seemed alive.
It had intent.
It made choices.
It had a target.
It devoured the Luofu, the Yaoqing, the Zhuming, the Yuque, the Fanghu, the Xuling—
one after another.
But when it reached Yuanqiao, it stopped.
Not because it chose not to consume it—
but because someone stopped it.
"I searched for a long time," Herta's voice said, "and I discussed many details with Cecilia as well."
"But in the end, I still could not find the answer."
The image shifted back once more, returning to Herta's meeting with Kallen.
Kallen Kaslana.
The Witch of Nihility.
The Emanator of Preservation.
The woman who had publicly rebelled against Qlipoth before the entire galaxy.
"It was she who told me," Herta said softly, as though recalling something she had long since come to accept.
"I asked that woman what exactly the Nihility that devoured the Xianzhou Alliance had been."
The camera slowly moved closer, sweeping across Kallen's profile.
Her expression was utterly calm—far too calm for the words she was about to say.
"She said—"
Herta drew in a breath.
"It was her."
The image froze on Kallen's face.
The whole galaxy fell into dead silence.
Inside the Luofu Divination Commission, the expressions of the Arbiter-Generals hardened at once.
"So it really was the Witch of Nihility..." Jing Yuan was the first to speak.
His eyes remained fixed on the screen, fixed on that silver-haired woman.
Naturally, he knew that face well. Not long ago, she had openly defied Qlipoth before the entire galaxy.
But now, seeing that same face here meant something entirely different.
So their fears from the earlier council had come true after all.
She really was the culprit who had once devoured the Xianzhou Alliance.
Yaoguang broke the silence.
"If it truly was that Witch of Nihility, then she very well could have destroyed the Xianzhou Alliance."
"Before, I still hoped that the force which swallowed the Xianzhou might have had nothing to do with her. But now it seems I was being too optimistic."
Huaiyan stroked his beard, a sharp gleam flashing in his old eyes.
"If that is the case, then I believe some matters deserve to be reconsidered."
"Marshal Huaiyan means...?" Jing Yuan asked.
"The matter of cooperation between the IPC and the Xianzhou," Huaiyan replied gravely.
"Before, we delayed only because we did not wish to get entangled with that witch. But now—the Witch of Nihility is not only the IPC's enemy, but ours as well."
"And the enemy of my enemy is a friend."
"In that case, we may as well openly accept the IPC's olive branch. That would bring us tangible aid, and at the same time show the galaxy exactly where we stand."
Yaoguang nodded.
"Jing Yuan has a point. Still, the exact terms of cooperation will require careful discussion. The IPC's merchants never do business at a loss."
"Of course," Jing Yuan replied, but his eyes had already returned to the still-playing image.
It continued.
Now it seemed to be showing the actual destruction of the Xianzhou Alliance.
That Nihility was like a starving beast, opening its maw and lunging at the Alliance.
First came the Luofu.
That once-brilliant vessel gave a final mournful cry within the darkness.
The Cloud Knights' battle formations were meaningless before the void. Those brave warriors did not even have time to scream before the darkness swallowed them whole.
Jing Yuan himself appeared on the screen.
He stood at the highest point of the Luofu, with the burning Star Skiff Haven behind him and endless blackness before him.
The Divine Foresight stood at his back, but it too was badly wounded now, its golden radiance so dim it seemed on the verge of going out.
Yet Jing Yuan did not retreat.
He drew his glaive and pointed its edge at the darkness, a faint bitter smile hanging at his lips.
"So... this is truly the end."
Before the words had even finished leaving him, the darkness engulfed him.
The image changed.
Zhuming.
Huaiyan stood before the forge. His old figure was stretched long by the firelight.
Behind him were thousands upon thousands of Cloud Knights.
Before him, the swallowing void.
Huaiyan did not flee.
He merely turned around and took one last look at Zhuming's sky.
"...My apologies. I was unable to overcome the stronger foe."
Then the darkness descended.
The image shifted again.
Fanghu. Xuling. Yaoqing. Yuque.
One Xianzhou vessel after another sank into the dark.
One general after another fell upon the battlefield.
Those figures who had once shaken the galaxy.
Those heroes who had once protected the Alliance.
Before Kallen, they were as fragile as insects.
At last, the image settled on a single remaining Xianzhou ship.
Yuanqiao.
Everyone held their breath.
According to Herta, Yuanqiao had survived in the end.
If so—perhaps Red Kite General Fu Hua had already killed that Witch of Nihility?
That thought rose almost instinctively in every heart.
But clearly, that was impossible.
At least in this history as altered by Nihility, it could not be so.
Because the Witch of Nihility had appeared only recently.
But perhaps... in the past, she really had died?
At last, the image showed two figures standing face to face upon Yuanqiao.
But they were not Kallen and Fu Hua.
They were Qlipoth, the Preservation, and Lan, the Hunt.
Join here to read ahead.
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