Jing Yuan was already feeling a headache coming on. Phantylia's head wasn't just large—it was unnervingly infused with Path-related energies. Mounting it as a display seemed inappropriate, and keeping it stored away felt like a waste.
Sensing Jing Yuan's dilemma, Pei Guang casually suggested, "It's great material—turn it into equipment. And if you don't want that, put it on display. Hang it at the front of the Xianzhou to let everyone know that the Luofu took down a Lord Ravager."
Jing Yuan immediately wanted to reject that idea—it sounded way too… over the top.
But before he could object, a wave of weakness suddenly washed over him. At that moment, he felt something unusual—an abrupt change in the Lighting Lord's energy. The Arbiter-General's weapon, infused with Path energy, had undergone a transformation.
Pei Guang's "gift" wasn't just a trophy anymore. Phantylia's head had somehow become part of the Lighting Lord's arsenal.
Even worse, it seemed like the weapon's nature had shifted. Once purely aligned with the Hunt, it now carried traces of the Hunt, Destruction, Abundance, and—of all things—Harmony.
Jing Yuan's body couldn't handle the sudden influx of conflicting Path energies. His vision darkened, and he collapsed on the spot.
Pei Guang blinked in surprise, staring at the unconscious Jing Yuan. "...I was just making suggestions! I didn't expect something to actually happen!"
Jing Yuan had done quite a lot in this battle—observing Phantylia, launching surprise attacks when necessary, directly fighting her second phase, and even summoning the Lighting Lord for critical support in the final moments. Yet somehow, Pei Guang noticed, despite all of that, Jing Yuan had stayed perfectly fine.
So why did he suddenly pass out the moment Pei Guang made a suggestion?
Though confused, Pei Guang didn't hesitate to call out. "Bailu! Bailu! Quick, your general just fainted!"
Now back to her original form after the battle, Bailu looked a little annoyed but still rushed over to Jing Yuan's side.
She extended her hand to check his pulse and examined his physical condition. After a brief moment, Bailu's expression turned serious. "His body's fine, but…"
Thanks to her recent power-up during the fight, Bailu's perception had improved significantly. She quickly noticed that Jing Yuan's collapse wasn't due to injuries but rather the sudden surge in power from the Lighting Lord.
The current state of the Lighting Lord? It looked like it had… over-eaten.
And since Jing Yuan shared a symbiotic connection, the weapon's overstuffed state had directly affected him, leaving him overwhelmed and unconscious.
This wasn't a typical fainting spell. Instead, it was his body's way of adjusting to the sudden influx of power—preventing any accidents caused by an imbalance in energy.
After finishing her analysis, Bailu kept it simple. "The general's fine. He's just… overfed. He'll be fine after resting for a bit. Could be a few hours, or at most a couple of weeks—no more than forty days!"
For an ordinary person, that kind of recovery time might have seemed excessive. But for the long-lived people of Xianzhou, it was no different than catching up on sleep after pulling an all-nighter.
Hearing Bailu's explanation, Pei Guang finally relaxed. If Jing Yuan was fine, then everything else could wait. Without missing a beat, he casually tossed Jing Yuan into a new trash can for safekeeping and went back to his business.
Just then, Stelle called out excitedly. "Ah Guang! Get over here! Our dungeon reward just spawned!"
Following the sound, Pei Guang saw Stelle holding up a fruit the size of a head—one of the sacred fruits of the Arbor. She practically beamed with excitement.
Based on what Pei Guang had learned, the rejuvenated Arbor produced fruits said to grant immortality. While Pei Guang wasn't particularly interested in immortality, he stuck to a simple principle—if it can go in the inventory, it's worth keeping.
One fruit dropped? Take it. Another fruit dropped? Take that too!
What? Wouldn't that violate some ancient Xianzhou taboo? If no one saw it, then it didn't count. Besides, it was his dungeon reward—what did it have to do with anyone else?
And as for concerns about Pei Guang turning into an Abomination of Abundance?
If Jing Yuan were awake, he wouldn't be worried about Pei Guang becoming a monster. No, he'd be more concerned about whether the rest of the universe's Abundance relics were safe. He'd probably even spare 0.1 seconds of silence for the Abundance faction, just in case Pei Guang decided to start farming their remains for resources.
Judging by some of the things Pei Guang had casually mentioned along the way, Jing Yuan would've seriously questioned whether he might someday kidnap the Abundance's Emanators and set up a fully automated farm.
Most people—and even most Aeons—couldn't pull off something like that.
But Pei Guang? Jing Yuan would have believed it was entirely possible.
Unfortunately for him, Jing Yuan was out cold—completely unable to think about such absurd possibilities. Right now, he was too busy adjusting to the newfound strength that had flooded into the Lighting Lord.
The sheer weight of that power had knocked him out, and there was no way to resist it.
All he could do was accept it—whether he wanted to or not—and prepare to pass it down to the next general… assuming Pei Guang didn't find a way to turn the Lighting Lord into a giant kitchen utensil first.
At this moment, as Jing Yuan continued to absorb the Lighting Lord's newfound power, his mind had already started drifting toward the idea of speeding up the training of his successor. He had faith in the wisdom of future generations.
While Jing Yuan remained unconscious and Pei Guang's group busied themselves poking and prodding the Arbor's fruit, something subtle—but significant—was happening at the front of the Xianzhou Luofu.
Phantylia's severed head had been hung at the prow of the Luofu, and on this day, the ship's reputation as a force to be reckoned with skyrocketed across the universe.
At the very front of the Luofu, the Rwignbow Arbiter—symbolizing the might of the Hunt—stood guard with a spoon representing the Path of Harmony. And hanging right beside it was Phantylia's head, a grotesque display of Destruction and Abundance intertwined.
Etched across the head in bold, glaring letters was a message that left anyone who saw it completely speechless:
"The Head of A Lord Ravager!"
For weaker civilizations, this sight would be nothing short of awe-inspiring—a testament to the Luofu's unmatched greatness.
But for those with enough strength and knowledge to grasp the implications, there was only one thought: Stay as far away from the Luofu as possible.
Even the Abundance followers, who often clashed with other Xianzhou ships, couldn't help but shudder. Death was one thing—but dying like this? Hung up as a decorative warning? That was humiliation that would haunt their legacy forever.
Among them, one particular Abundance Emanator who had once led an invasion against the Luofu was quietly cursing a certain troublemaker—someone who had stirred up chaos among multiple factions and even dragged the Abundance faction into conflict with the Antimatter Legion.
Yet as much as this Emanator wanted to rage, the sight of the Luofu's new ornament left them rethinking their future plans. Perhaps… it might be wise to lay low for a few centuries and avoid drawing attention.
And it wasn't just the Abundance faction that felt uneasy. Even Jing Yuan—though still unconscious—would probably wake up with a headache.
The transformation of the Lighting Lord and the sudden redecorating of the Luofu? He knew exactly whose handiwork it was.
As for whether the Luofu's hull might soon feature a growing collection of enemy heads?
That… remained to be seen.