Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

The Fengrao people came with great force, and the situation at Fanghu took a sharp turn for the worse.

The atmosphere in Luofu suddenly became tense.

The streets were deserted. The breakfast stalls that used to be bustling with activity in Jinren Lane had closed down at some point, the mahjong parlors in Changletian were closed, and even the jack-o'-lanterns that used to fly around delivering goods along the roadside were much less frequent.

Passersby hurried by, and occasionally a starship flew low overhead. The deck was filled with Yunqi soldiers, fully equipped and ready to go.

Every so often, large numbers of Cloud Cavalry would emerge from the military camp in formation, their silver armor reflecting a cold light in the sunlight.

Fu Xuan hadn't had a proper night's sleep for several days.

She locked herself in the Taibu Si (a place name), working tirelessly to analyze the war situation. The blue light of the jade tablet shone on her face, making her look more and more haggard each day.

Lu Ze, who brings her meals every day, feels heartbroken.

Finally, she deduced the result she wanted. She went to the Shence Mansion alone and told Jing Yuan and the other six emperors about her plan.

"General, we only need to activate the ancient artifact, the Cloud-Gazing Mirror, on the Fanghu Immortal Boat to borrow the power of the Emperor's Bow and the Life-Giving Force to annihilate the enemy army."

Her voice was hoarse, clearly from not having rested well for too long.

Fu Xuan traced a sharp arc with his fingertip across the floating star map, precisely hitting the core coordinates of the Jidu Mirage.

The six emperors present were all worldly and important figures, but when they heard about the Cloud-Gazing Mirror, their expressions all changed.

Indeed, only the arrows of the Emperor's Bow could destroy the living planet Ketu Mirage in one strike.

No one else, not even the celestial generals wielding their divine power, could possibly completely destroy an entire living planet brimming with abundant life-destiny energy.

However, activating the Cloud-Gazing Mirror to guide the Emperor's Bow requires a sacrifice of life; someone must be willing to risk their life.

This is an ironclad rule of ancient artifacts, which cannot be bypassed by any technological means.

"In that case, I will carry out this task."

Jing Tian was the first to step forward. His voice wasn't loud, but it was especially clear in the Shence Mansion, where you could hear a pin drop.

"Teacher, this is the plan I devised, so naturally I should be the one to execute it," Fu Xuan immediately retorted, his voice urgent and his eyes reddening.

Jingtian looked at her, his eyes filled with no reproach, only the helplessness a teacher feels when looking at a stubborn student.

"So? Your way of changing fate is to replace my life with yours to break free from destiny? Foolish."

He shouted sharply, the empty sleeve of his severed arm swaying slightly as he raised his hand.

"You are still young, while I am already old. Besides, the Cloud-Gazing Mirror is not something you can use—only a Grand Diviner is qualified to activate it, and you are not a Grand Diviner yet."

He paused for a moment, then softened his tone, as if afraid that harsh words would shatter his disciple's last bit of stubbornness.

"Go back, Fu Xuan. Go back and think it over carefully."

The six emperors present all expressed that Jingtian was more suitable to carry out this task.

From the perspectives of reason, military orders, and regulations, Fu Xuan had no way to refute him.

She stood there, her gaze moving from Jing Yuan to the other six emperors, and then to her teacher's aged yet calm face. Her lips moved, but she said nothing.

Fu Xuan didn't know how he got home.

She had walked this route from Shence Mansion to her home countless times, but today she had absolutely no recollection of it.

When I got home and opened the door, I was completely dazed, and it took me several tries to find the lock.

Lu Ze came out of the kitchen when he heard the noise, still wearing his apron and with wet hands.

Upon seeing her like this, he immediately dried his hands and came over.

"What happened?"

Fu Xuan threw herself into his arms, and the emotions she had suppressed all the way finally broke down.

She clutched at his shirt collar, her forehead pressed against his collarbone, tears silently soaking his shirt.

Then she recounted in fits and starts how she incorporated the Cloud-Gazing Mirror into the plan, how she presented the strategy to Liu Yu, and how she saw her teacher stand up first.

The plan she personally devised to kill the enemy ultimately became the murder weapon prophesied by the strategist.

All her deductions, all her struggles, and all her efforts to defy fate seemed to have been meticulously planned, precisely pushing her toward the end she desperately wanted to escape.

Lu Ze gently patted her back, his palm slowly stroking her trembling spine.

His chin rested on the top of her head, his gaze passing over her disheveled pink hair and landing on the gray sky outside the window.

He already had an idea in mind.

It seems it's time to implement it.

"I don't want to go into details about what happened after that." Fu Xuan's voice suddenly stopped at this point.

Fu Xuan didn't want to recall what happened afterward, because that irreversible tragedy caused her to lose the two most important people in her life.

The people in the Shence Mansion waited for a while and realized that she really had no intention of continuing.

"Huh? You're done talking? I didn't hear anything about Lu Ze being in danger!"

Xing was clearly extremely dissatisfied with this abrupt ending.

Where are the monks in robes we were promised? Where is the second attack we were promised?

Fu Xuan remained silent for a few seconds.

"All you need to know is that later, my teacher activated the Cloud-Gazing Mirror to summon the Emperor's arrows. The instant the arrows fell, the monks reappeared around Lu Ze. Their swords tore Lu Ze apart."

As she said this, she suppressed her anger, her body trembling slightly, as if she were trying her best to endure something.

However, since a considerable amount of time had passed, Fu Xuan quickly regained his composure.

Anger flickered in Xing's eyes, but she also wanted to complain:

Fu Xuan, you only needed to say those last few words, but you insisted on starting with you and Lu Ze hugging and cuddling.