Chapter 26: Backstab (Patreon)

[Shuhu is preparing to assemble an Abundance coalition army to attack the Luofu Xianzhou.]

Shuhu is one of the most unique Emanators of Abundance.

Rumor has it that he was a disciple of the Aeon of Abundance before their ascension, and had once sat and discussed the Dao with them.

Its immortality is terrifyingly potent; a single piece of its flesh was enough to grant the short-lived Yingxing the curse of undeath. Shuhu can even transform dead planets into living celestial bodies, the 'world-devouring Rahu.'

In terms of raw power, it is the strongest Emanator of Abundance; ordinary Celestial Generals of the Reignbow Arbiter are no match for it.

Seeing this, Victor's eyes glinted.

If he recalled correctly, the simulation had reached a critical juncture: the 'Third Shuhu's Rampage.'

It was this great war that caused the Luofu Xianzhou to suffer catastrophic losses, severely weakening it. It took several hundred years for it to recover, resulting in a generational gap among its masters.

For 'Victor,' this war was also a massive opportunity. With 'Victor's' cunning and deceit, he was certain to make some gains.

[As the strongest Emanator of the Aeon of Abundance, Shuhu commanded great respect. The Wingweavers, the Borisin, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, and other followers of Abundance answered its call.]

[Shuhu quickly formed a massive coalition army and advanced upon the Luofu Xianzhou. Your pack was among them.]

[Countless hunting packs dispatched vast numbers of Borisin warriors and Foxian war-slaves, who boarded Beast Ships to join the expedition. As far as the eye could see, the Borisin Beast Ships blotted out the sun. This was likely the grandest Borisin operation in centuries.]

[You sit upon the bone throne of your flagship, gazing at the massive army with a cold, unreadable expression.]

[The Xianzhou and the followers of Abundance are mortal enemies. The moment they met, war erupted.]

[The two fleets clashed fiercely in the cosmos. Due to the sheer size of the coalition army, the Luofu Xianzhou's fleet was quickly put on the defensive.]

[At this moment, Shuhu made its move.]

[Perhaps out of confidence born from its immense power, Shuhu directly invaded the Luofu Xianzhou without completely routing the Cloud Knights, making a beeline for the Ambrosial Arbor.]

[General Teng Xiao ordered the High-Cloud Quintet to guard the Ambrosial Arbor while he went to intercept Shuhu, and a great battle began.]

[After a brutal battle, the guards on both sides were annihilated. General Teng Xiao sacrificed himself to destroy Shuhu's form of a thousand-faced tree, causing it to degenerate into an unstable shadow of flesh and blood.]

[Having finally defeated its great foe, with the Ambrosial Arbor seemingly within reach, Shuhu was unwilling to retreat. It lunged directly for the Ambrosial Arbor.]

[Near the Ambrosial Arbor, Shuhu encountered the High-Cloud Quintet. Shuhu used 'Blood-Soaked Purgatory' to trap Dan Feng and induced his Dragon's Delirium, then proceeded to wound Jingliu and Jing Yuan.]

[The tide of battle turned against them in an instant.]

[Just as Baiheng was about to use a Suihuang Bomb to take Shuhu down with her, you, who had been slacking off at the edge of the battlefield, suddenly charged in.]

[Seeing the powerful reinforcement, Shuhu was overjoyed. "War-Chief, you've come at the perfect time! Let's join forces to eliminate these followers of the Demonic Bow, then we'll split this holy relic of the Aeon of Abundance King!"]

[Upon seeing you, Jingliu's eyes turned crimson with uncontrollable rage. "Victor, I will kill you today!"]

[Jing Yuan and the others also subconsciously tightened their grips on their weapons.]

[You gave a slight smile. Illuminated by the fires of war, your grin looked somewhat sinister. "It seems I've arrived just in time."]

[With that, you approached Shuhu.]

[When you were less than a step away from Shuhu, you made a sudden move that no one anticipated, instantly piercing its chest from behind.]

[At this point, Shuhu was merely a flickering shadow of flesh, yet your backstabbing attack made it bleed profusely from the wound like a living being.]

["Traitor!" Shuhu roared, blood streaming from its eyes, its voice filled with grief and fury.]

[You sneered, "I think you're mistaken. We were never allies, but competitors vying for the Aeon of Abundance's blessing."]

[Without another word, you tore Shuhu's body apart, ripped out the 'Crimson Moon'-like core from within, and swallowed it whole.]

[After devouring Shuhu's core, you didn't linger. Amidst Jingliu's hateful glare and the stunned looks of the others, you swiftly withdrew from the battlefield.]

[Eager to find a safe place to integrate Shuhu's core, you ignored the objections of the elders and forced the Borisin army to retreat.]

[With the coalition's leader, Shuhu, backstabbed and killed, and the Borisin army being the first to withdraw, the Abundance coalition army instantly collapsed and scattered.]

[The heavily damaged Cloud Knights were in no condition to pursue, and could only watch as the Abundance forces retreated with impunity.]

[Relying on your powerful, perfect bloodline, you forcibly erased the remnants of Shuhu's consciousness within the core and completely devoured its power.]

[After fully absorbing Shuhu's power, you became the strongest Emanator of Abundance, even stronger than Shuhu had been. Now, within the entire Xianzhou Alliance, perhaps only Marshal Hua could be your match.]

Victor stared at the simulation before him, his eyes shining.

He had thought his simulated self was after Jingliu and expected to unlock some new kind of 'play,' like a battlefield scenario or something.

He never imagined that 'his' ambition was so vast, targeting the strongest Emanator of Abundance, Shuhu, directly.

When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. He couldn't believe it actually worked!

It could only be said that his own perspective was too narrow; his simulated self saw the bigger picture.

As one of the three major disasters of the universe, the Borisin were treated like rats in the street, hated wherever they went.

To live a better life, one must possess power so great that everyone fears it.

Jingliu? Hmph! She would only slow down my quest for power!

Of course, if Jingliu offered herself up to be 'moxibusted,' 'he' wouldn't pass up the opportunity. It would just be a way to blow off some steam.

After the major turning point of the 'Third Shuhu's Rampage,' the history within the simulation had been drastically altered.

The Xianzhou history Victor knew was now completely useless even as a reference.

[After obtaining the power to overturn everything, you began to forcefully consolidate all Borisin factions. The first order of business was to abolish the backward system of the tribal elder council.]

[The Nest-Fathers who held 'elder' seats were naturally unwilling to give up their power. Almost all the elders objected, and the higher-ranking ones even used your unprovoked retreat and resulting failure as a pretext to try and force you to step down as War-Chief.]

[With your absolute power, you executed all dissenters on the spot. From then on, only one voice remained among the Borisin.]

[After consolidating power within the race, you began to implement large-scale reforms.]

[After abolishing the tribal council system, you began to centralize authority, preparing to transform the Borisin from a backward nomadic society into a feudal dynasty.]

[Centralization of power greatly increased the demand for administrative personnel.]

[You began to employ Foxians on a large scale, assigning them to roles that required intellect, such as artisans and civil officials.]