Logically speaking, bringing a Xianzhou flagship close to a battlefield was undoubtedly extremely dangerous and unwise. Each Xianzhou was invaluable to the Alliance, serving as the main base for its faction's power.
However, plagued by the tenacious life force of the Abundance followers, and lacking decisive means to achieve victory, warfare inevitably took the form of attrition.
Fighting a war of attrition against people blessed by Yaoshi the Plaguelord using only the Cloud Knight fleets was clearly difficult.
Only the Xianzhou itself, equipped with powerful external defense systems and essentially functioning as a 'battle star,' could provide the Cloud Knights with the support and logistics needed to counter the Denizens of Abundance.
Therefore, any war against the Denizens of Abundance necessitated bringing a Xianzhou flagship close to serve as a forward base for the Cloud Knights.
Previously, the Fanghu or Yaoqing played this role. With the Fanghu now heavily damaged, only the Luofu and Yaoqing remained capable of fulfilling this duty.
Originally, the Luofu was slated for this role, as the Yaoqing hadn't fully recovered from the battle over a decade ago, and Feixiao was constantly engaged in campaigns.
But now...
"Since the Luofu can't be relied upon, the Yaoqing will go first," Feixiao decided. The Yaoqing was already deployed, awaiting the Luofu's arrival.
But as a general known for swift victories, her style emphasized speed—just like the Yaoqing's role as the Alliance's vanguard, striking fast and withdrawing quickly.
"But General... the Alliance..." the strategist hesitated.
"I will explain to Marshal Hua afterward," Feixiao shook her head, her tone firm.
Normally, the Yaoqing had the authority to decide whether to engage in battle independently—in fact, most Xianzhou ships did, as the Alliance was a coalition, not a unified entity.
However, this authority belonging to the Xianzhou General was used particularly frequently by the Yaoqing.
If not for discovering a living planet and fearing it signaled the start of another conflict like the Third Abundance War, Feixiao, with the Yaoqing's pride, would never have reported it to the Alliance and been subsequently dispatched as reinforcements.
"But General, I have a bad feeling about this..." the strategist worried.
"A bad feeling?" Feixiao countered. "What was the Divination Commission's calculation result?"
"You know, the Divination Commission's calculations are always rather tricky in these matters," the strategist replied helplessly.
Xianzhou divination was essentially a brute-force method—'using computational power to exhaust all future possibilities based on existing information.' However, it became awkward when faced with unknown information and variables.
It was like divining who would win a battle before it started. There was even a very recent, vivid example: the renowned Interastral Peace Corporation, with whom the Yaoqing had many collaborations.
When war broke out between them and that unknown Glamoth Empire, likely no one expected the outcome—especially since the Yaoqing Divination Commission's result at the time had predicted a great victory for the Corporation.
"So, what was it?" Feixiao pressed.
"It seems... a great victory."
"Haha, isn't that good news?" Feixiao's elegant eyebrows instantly relaxed. She let out a satisfied laugh, completely disregarding decorum, and patted her strategist's shoulder heartily. "Mm, just like always."
"Alright, no need to worry. Our Yaoqing has never feared anyone. It's just one living Planet; we just need to be a little careful." Feixiao laughed heartily.
After all, for her, the only true enemy had always been herself.
Even after becoming General, Feixiao hadn't changed her former vanguard combat style. In every campaign she led, Feixiao invariably charged headfirst onto the front lines.
While perhaps foolish from a commander's perspective, this action, whether as a General or as an Emanator of the Hunt, undoubtedly provided immense encouragement and aid to the Yaoqing's Qingqiu Army.
Under her command, the Yaoqing, initially waiting in the designated area, began to advance, taking on the role assigned to the Luofu in the original battle plan.
This undoubtedly achieved the Alliance's primary objective: using one Xianzhou's Abundance aura to divert the living Planet's attention, thereby giving the Xianzhou Fanghu enough time to change course and make an emergency escape.
However, as she habitually led the Dansong Guard fleet to probe the extreme edge of Tunyu Yinghuo's warning zone, intending to observe and admire this living planet teeming with immense life force... she noticed a problem.
This living Planet seemed far larger than the Jiaoqiu she had encountered during the Third Abundance War. Wait... when observed from afar, its scale didn't seem this large...?
Her agate-like, translucent green eyes reflected the captivating, vibrant living Planet. Feixiao stood frozen, this doubt flashing through her mind. A strong sense of foreboding coiled in her heart.
"This living planet... why is it so big?" Staring at the living planet before her, gazing at its vibrant life, Feixiao felt a bone-chilling coldness, as if it could devour everything.
"General, the initial observation reports from the Divination Commission and scouts appear to contain errors... According to the Central Jade Abacus's real-time observational calculations, this living Planet's correct scale should be... star-level." The strategist's voice trembled as the words reached her ears.
Living planets varied. The first recorded living Planet in Xianzhou history was the world-devouring Rahu, which consumed the entire Cangcheng Xianzhou. That living planet was planet-sized.
The Jiaoqiu from the Third Abundance War was smaller, merely planetoid-sized. Hence, descriptions only mentioned it 'falling into the Fanghu,' unlike Rahu's 'engulfing the entire Xianzhou.'
And a star-sized living planet... even throwing the entire Xianzhou Alliance into its maw wouldn't be enough to fill a gap between its teeth!
"Why is this happening?" Feixiao demanded.
"According to analysis, this living planet seems to possess a special... field used to confuse others." Just like anglerfish in the deep sea use luminous lures to attract prey, before getting close enough to Tunyu Yinghuo, one could only see the 'illusion' used to camouflage itself and entice victims.
Hearing the words 'field,' Feixiao's expression changed drastically.
Just as a planet has a gravitational field and atmosphere, a living Planet, despite being alive, remained fundamentally a celestial body.
And fields like these expanded with volume... Her previous judgment for approaching and observing was based entirely on the Jiaoqiu she had seen before. Scaling that up to star-size...
"Notify all ships! Retreat! Get out of here! Now!"
"And the Yaoqing! Quickly notify the Yaoqing to rapidly... withdraw...!" Covering half her face, her alarmed voice struggled, the rationality in her green eyes rapidly fading, replaced by the primal wildness hidden deep within her bloodline, the suppressed Borisin nature.
---||---
Meanwhile, aboard the not-too-distant Xianzhou Yaoqing, chaos reigned. The Fetus Movement Moon, high in the sky, now pulsed blood-red.
Undoubtedly, the suppressed Abundance Treacherous Moon, had broken its restraints and reawakened.
The Yaoqing was predominantly populated by mixed-blood Foxians with Borisin ancestry. Under the influence of this Abundance power, they inevitably entered a state of moon-frenzy.
"Mother, what's going on? The streets are in total chaos!" Sushang, the 'innocent' twin-tailed Cloud Knight girl, frantically found her sword-wielding mother and asked worriedly.
"...The Fetus Movement Moon has revived. Something must have happened with Lord Tianfeng." The brown-haired woman, resembling the girl yet far more mature—Sushang's mother, Suyin—sheathed her sword, looking at the moon-crazed Foxians being controlled by the Qingqiu Army.
Her expression filled with worry, she gazed towards the sky-city hovering extremely close to the Fetus Movement Moon.
"Sushang, stay here and help maintain order. I need to go to the Sky-Faring Commission."
---||---
Shortly after, the Luofu, and indeed the entire Xianzhou Alliance, received a beacon signal transmitted via the Huangzhong System from Qing Ying, Helm Master of the Yaoqing Sky-Faring Commission.
"A beacon signal sent through the Huangzhong System?!" In the Palace of Astrum, Jing Yuan stared, stunned, at the report Yukong handed him. Normally, beacon signals should be sent via a separate wartime system.
The Huangzhong System... this special communication method using 'uninterrupted' links, was built to ensure the Xianzhou wouldn't completely lose contact even if all other communications failed.
Frontline lost contact. Treacherous Moon revived. Yaoqing in chaos. Proceed with caution.
The concise words made Jing Yuan's expression shift instantly. "How could this happen?" He frowned deeply, striving to maintain composure, feeling shocked and uncertain.
"The Cloud Knight fleet led by the Sky-Striking General is the elite of our Xianzhou. General Tianji herself has few rivals among the Arbiter-Generals. How could they fall into such a state?"
Never mind just one living planet; even if an Abundance Emanator, even Shuhu himself, were lurking there, Feixiao's combat prowess shouldn't have allowed the situation to deteriorate so drastically.
---||---
While the General of the Divine Foresight wrestled with this immense headache... Ms. Qingque sat leisurely on a throne—well, she wasn't entirely sure what was going on.
As far as Qingque remembered, one moment she was suffering through her shift at the Divination Commission, the next, after doing something, she opened her eyes in this place that looked kinda like the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Hmm, must be a dream, Qingque quickly concluded. Though initially baffled, once she got into character, she adapted perfectly to the position of Xianzhou General.
Ehehe, you know, this general's cushion is quite comfy! Soft and fluffy, feels like it was custom-made just for me. Once you sit down, it's like you sink in and can't get out. She was already thinking about getting a similar cushion for herself later.
Besides comfort, what made Qingque happy was probably the pink-haired girl serving her tea—hehe, isn't this that exploitative, annoying boss, Master Diviner Fu Xuan?
After being targeted and 'picked on' by Fu Xuan several times, she held quite a grudge against her supervisor. She never expected to get this kind of catharsis.
Of course, Qingque had minor complaints too. For example, earlier, when she was happily drinking tea, slacking off, and petting the cat, she still had to handle official business.
Though there were only a few items, Ms. Qingque, strictly adhering to the creed 'work is work, life is life,' strongly protested having to work even in what was supposed to be a pleasant dream.
Luckily, there were only those few tasks. So being a general is this easy... No wonder the General always seems so relaxed and effortless. Lying comfortably on the cushion, petting the large cat, Qingque squinted, having this thought. Ehehe, how come there's another cute little cat here?
Though its tail looks a bit... bald...
The drowsy Qingque found it novel. Meanwhile, the surface [Qingque] gazed into the distance, at the white-haired Foxian woman frantically venting her power, wielding a battle halberd haphazardly, destroying surrounding Abominations of Abundance.
"Is that the Sky-Striking General of the Xianzhou Yaoqing? How did she end up like this?"
"It seems she was affected by the living planet's field, activating the Abundance power in her bloodline, awakening suppressed wildness. According to the Xianzhou people, it's moon-frenzy," Brunhilde explained beside him, sounding somewhat helpless.
"I tried using Abundance power to suppress the planet's influence, but the Xianzhou people seem more sensitive to this power than expected."
"And this planet too," she added. "Abundance power makes it more excited, intensifying its strength."
"Propagation power... you should know, the effect wouldn't be good." The latter nodded knowingly.
Propagation power excelled at addition—destroying something, increasing something, these were easy tasks for it. But suppressing something... especially suppressing the kindred power of Abundance, might backfire, causing the power to swell even more.
"I only managed to lure the Xianzhou General here. My apologies, Your Majesty, for failing your expectations."
"No matter. This was an unexpected turn of events. At least you helped the Xianzhou Cloud Knight fleet."
"This was also my miscalculation. I originally thought this was just an ordinary living planet." [Qingque] scrutinized the slowly advancing living planet in the distance... no, at this size, it should be called a living star. He sighed.
Brunhilde did manage to help somewhat. Otherwise, the Yaoqing Cloud Knight fleet might have been wiped out in this wave—by their own General. If that happened, this so-called 'great victory' would be far too dark.
"However, if it's this scale..." He gazed at the constantly expanding planet, his lazy girlish voice holding rare seriousness.
"Then I suppose I'll have to borrow his wheelchair for a bit."