Yet for all that, Hujiang had never fallen to become the absolute dominion of any single Constellation.
All of this was because of Akiyama Sachi and Morioka Hitomi, who were under Gemini’s protection.
The Akiyama Sachi of today had grown into a young woman in her prime, but no longer possessed that stunning beauty from her youth; though her features were fine, she gave off a fierce, ruthless impression.
Morioka Hitomi, on the other hand, somewhat resembled Master Lingqing from before he was corrupted; he no longer simply believed in the notion of "happiness", yet still carried compassion in his heart.
This pair of siblings were the main reason Hujiang had not yet been reduced to territory ruled solely by Libra, or Taurus, or Aquarius.
Because each of their individual Sequences was so powerful that, taken alone, either one could change the situation; together, every time they used their powers, the battlefield would undergo enormous upheaval.
Some of those upheavals were so bizarre that even the Constellations, beings near as mighty as Gods, could not understand them.
Naturally, there had been Constellations who tried to directly erase these siblings.
But somehow, their lives never seemed meant to end, or perhaps it was the protection of the Power of Destiny; in this place where multiple Constellations sought to rule, there was not a single Constellation that could, without interference from the others... kill this pair of siblings.
Some cities already appeared to have become the exclusive dominion of a single Constellation, where that Constellation held absolute discourse power. All the monsters there pledged allegiance to one star sign.
The one who held the most such cities was Leo.
But even Leo could do nothing about Hujiang.
There were too many ghost stories here. From time to time, one or two tales would manifest into reality; from time to time, ordinary people would inexplicably become the vessels of some myth or eerie tale.
Hujiang also had countless manga, and many people, through the "Tower" power, had dragged those comics out into reality.
Add to that the battles between multiple Constellations here, and the way Akiyama Sachi and Morioka Hitomi’s combined power rewrote destiny; the situation was changing every single moment.
Hujiang had become a microcosm of the Three Towers War.
Even the leader of the Demon Cleansing Monks, Master Lingqing, found it hard to glimpse Hujiang’s future; he did not know whether this Sin City would ever see a day of peace.
He was now the guardian of this pair of siblings.
If Hujiang were ever to change for the better, in his view, it would most likely not be because of any Constellation, but only because of... this brother and sister.
Only...
Lian King’s Reincarnation and the Celestial Kingdom of the Goddess of Suffering—this level of Sequence power was too strong, which also made the activation time far too long, and every time they used it, once the power faded, the two children would be left in a state of utter, extreme weakness.
The first time they activated it, Master Lingqing felt... that Hujiang had hope.
The city was made better by that sacred power; righteous forces awakened and suppressed evil.
But before long, Hujiang had sunk into chaos once more.
So a second activation, a third, a fourth...
Sometimes it was like the protagonist’s ultimate technique in a manga; some abilities often brought about earth-shaking changes the first time they were unleashed.
Later uses were still shocking, but you could gradually feel the "enemy" adapting.
After the fourth activation of Lian King’s Reincarnation and the Celestial Kingdom of the Goddess of Suffering, although countless people whose lives had been shattered by suffering gained power and evolved, and the Balance of good and evil once again tilted...
It seemed that people all understood: the war would not stop, and an even greater evil would still come.
And how much longer could this pair of siblings hold on?
Master Lingqing tapped his wooden fish, worry written across his face.
At that moment, Morioka Hitomi—who should have been asleep—suddenly opened his eyes.
Golden light shone from both of his pupils.
"Master..."
"Am I dreaming?"
Morioka Hitomi looked a little dazed, a little incredulous.
Master Lingqing said:
"What did you dream of, child? You... actually woke up early?"
Morioka Hitomi turned his head in some surprise.
"So I’m not dreaming now? I’m really awake?"
Morioka Hitomi noticed that Akiyama Sachi was still fast asleep.
Master Lingqing sensed that something was wrong, his expression growing grave:
"What’s wrong with you?"
Morioka Hitomi said:
"I dreamed of... that person, the one who saved me and Sister Xiaoxing back then. I dreamed that he came to Hujiang."
Master Lingqing suddenly understood. He knew that the Sequence of Lian King’s Reincarnation was a Sequence that invoked the Power of Destiny, and that the "dreams" of those who possessed this Sequence were often a kind of innate talent—
A talent for prophecy and deconstruction of reality.
And Master Lingqing of course knew who it was that had saved Xiaoxing and Xiaotong.
After all, that man was the shared... benefactor in their lives.
"Wen Xishu, is it? I have never once forgotten that name. Xiaotong, you’re sure that you dreamed of him?"
In truth, Master Lingqing himself had felt something strange not long ago.
The wooden fish he struck seemed to be releasing a faint energy ripple; those ripples, without anyone noticing, drifted off toward some unknown place.
"Master, do you think... could it be that he didn’t die in the apocalypse? Could it be... that he’s come, just as he promised?"
Morioka Hitomi looked at Master Lingqing.
Master Lingqing knew that for Morioka Hitomi to suddenly wake like this, he must have dreamed of something extremely shocking.
"If he has really appeared, I will find him," Master Lingqing said.
His features began to distort in an uncanny way; the originally gentle, handsome face was preserved only on one side, while the other half became monstrously terrifying.
As though one half was Buddha, and the other half was demon.
This was Master Lingqing’s combat form—releasing a portion of his karmic power.
Of course, back when he was protecting Xiaoxing and Xiaotong, he had also once fully unleashed his karmic power; at that time, he had been more frightening and more grotesque than any of the monsters.