[Their transformation confirms your observation—among countless beings across the cosmos, those endowed with Buddhist nature are exceedingly rare, and those capable of transcending desire and instinct are even fewer.]
[The overwhelming majority of species, upon becoming long-life species, begin to unleash their innermost desires without restraint—growing cruel and greedy.]
[Your conviction in achieving self-transcendence grows ever stronger.]
[Yet this doesn't prevent you from using these Abundance Eremites as mere tools and stepping stones.]
[The Wingweavers made contact with an ancient kingdom, luring them out of their world and into the cosmos with the bait of immortality.]
[No short-life species could resist the temptation of eternal life. The ancient kingdom took the bait—its emperor mobilized the entire nation's resources to construct nine colossal ecological arks, setting off into the universe in pursuit of longevity.]
[This was a tried-and-true tactic of the Abundance Eremites: first, they would showcase "immortality" to short-life species, enticing them to pray to Yaoshi.]
[Once Yaoshi bestowed the Blessing of Abundance, these Eremites would reveal their true nature, attacking their prey to seize the Miracles of Abundance, devouring them as blood sacrifices or enslaving them as livestock.]
[The Abundance Eremites employed this method with relentless success, leaving countless races across the cosmos victimized by their schemes.]
[Soon, the Eremites became infamous, recognized as one of the universe's most notorious scourges.]
[Meanwhile, the ancient kingdom's fleet met with misfortune—two of its Xianzhou arks, Yuanqiao and Daiyu, collided with Shìròu, resulting in Daiyu's catastrophic explosion and Yuanqiao's drastic population decline.]
The Xianzhou's quest for the Elixir of Immortality from Yaoshi was fraught with peril—before even catching a glimpse of the Aeon, they had already lost one and a half arks.
It was worth noting that Shìròu was originally bred as livestock—a low-intelligence organism whose sole advantage was rapid reproduction. No one expected its mutated form to become such a dire threat.
Though Xianzhou historiography classified it as one of the Abundance's abominations and a major adversary, in truth, this creature could never have received Yaoshi's blessing.
To obtain the Aeon's favor, one needed sufficient intelligence to offer prayers—only then would Yaoshi respond with blessings. This thing was little more than a slime-like entity, barely smarter than a single-celled organism. How could it possibly pray to Yaoshi?
Moreover, it was initially livestock raised and herded by the Borisin.
To put it bluntly—a Xianzhou ark was brought to ruin by sheep reared by space nomads.
One can only imagine how exasperated the historians recording this event must have been.
[The Xianzhou fleet's trials were far from over. Shortly after surviving the Shìròu crisis, the cosmos erupted into the Second Emperor's War. Affected by the Anti-Life Equation, the fleet's Automatons revolted.]
[After centuries spent suppressing the Automaton rebellion, they were then beset by the Suiying.]
The Suiying were formless, pure-energy lifeforms. Even without Yaoshi's blessing, their lifespans were virtually infinite—yet the Xianzhou still classified them as Abundance abominations.
Considering Shìròu's origins and traits, the Xianzhou's criteria for labeling "Abundance abominations" likely had little to do with whether a species opposed them or had received Yaoshi's blessing.
Instead, their classification seemed based on longevity and exuberant vitality—traits that indeed aligned with Yaoshi's blessings.
[During this period, the Xianzhou endured one catastrophe after another, leaving its people in a state of profound confusion and helplessness. Seizing the opportunity, you infiltrated the arks and disseminated a meticulously crafted religion.]
[This faith was known as the Divine Medicus Sect—a doctrine that worshiped Yaoshi as its divine source, framed within a modified Buddhist theology.]
Solon's gaze sharpened. He was making his move.
Solon had long believed that, compared to other Abundance Eremites, the Medicus Cult posed the greatest threat to the Xianzhou.
No matter how vehemently the Xianzhou denied it, they could never sever their ties to the Blessing of Abundance—their very longevity was proof of its hold over them.
This was why the Medicus Cult could never be fully eradicated, no matter how many purges were conducted.
The Cult had become one with the people. Anyone could be a follower, and anyone could convert at any moment. Were they to slaughter every Xianzhou native to root it out?
Though Jing Yuan spoke endlessly of "cleansing" and "eliminating" the Cult, as a master of political equilibrium, he understood better than anyone that the Medicus Cult could never be fully destroyed—only periodically pruned.
It was a pity that the Abundance Eremites and even its Emanators were muscle-brained fools, utterly incapable of wielding this venomous blade already embedded in the Xianzhou Alliance's flesh.
Take Phantylia, for example—by merely manipulating the Medicus Cult, she single-handedly threw the entire Luofu into chaos. Without the Trailblazers' intervention, nearly half its population would have perished.
Then consider ShuHu, who rallied an entire Abundance coalition to attack the Luofu—only to be humiliatingly defeated.
But now, things would be different. In this simulation, with Solon assuming ShuHu's role, he would deliver a "gift" the Xianzhou Alliance would never forget.
[Initially, the Divine Medicus Sect struggled to gain traction. The Xianzhou was still under the rule of its ancient monarchy, with conservative factions firmly in control—they would never permit outsiders to claim a share of their power.]
[But soon, fortune turned. At the boundary between reality and illusion, the Xianzhou encountered the Aeon of Abundance—Yaoshi—who bestowed upon the Luofu a miracle known as the "Ambrosial Arbor."]
[The Xianzhou people consumed the Arbor's fruits, obtaining the "endless lifespan" they had long dreamed of, proclaiming themselves Celestials.]
[Within just three years, the remaining eight arks declared that "death had been eradicated."]
[With the Ambrosial Arbor's miracles, Xianzhou's biotechnology advanced explosively, birthing countless cutting-edge innovations.]
[Devotion to Yaoshi surged beyond all previous religions, reaching unprecedented heights.]
[The Divine Medicus Sect reaped the benefits, its influence expanding rapidly. You even took to the stage personally to fuel its rise.]
[When the time was ripe, you descended before the Ambrosial Arbor.]
[That very day, a decade prior, was when the Seekers of the Elixir had obtained the Arbor's miracle from Yaoshi—a date the Xianzhou had since enshrined as the "Festival of Longevity."]
[The tenth anniversary was a particularly auspicious occasion, drawing countless Xianzhou elites to the Arbor for ceremonial rites.]
[Suddenly, the Ambrosial Arbor erupted with radiant light—a golden brilliance piercing the heavens.]
[Then, before the astonished eyes of the Xianzhou nobility and masses, you descended from the Arbor's apex—clad in moon-white monastic robes embroidered with golden threads depicting rice stalks and a thousand-armed, thousand-eyed deity, riding backward on a sapphire stag adorned with golden blossoms and foliage.]
[With a sweeping, indifferent gaze, your voice boomed like a divine bell across the gathering:]
["You behold the Divine Emissary—why do you not bow!?"]
[Your sudden appearance—and in such an audacious, flamboyant manner—incensed the prideful Xianzhou elites, who immediately ordered their armies to attack.]
[A barrage of antiquely-styled advanced weaponry hurtled toward you.]
[Yet you stood motionless before the Ambrosial Arbor, making no move to evade.]
---
Read Up To 30+ Advanced Chapters in pat/reon.com/KyokaSuigetsu