Chapter 71: The Future of the Crown Clan Without Zao Zao

Chapter 71: The Future of the Crown Clan Without Zao Zao

The starship from the Hymn Organization plummeted.

An unfamiliar psychic energy emanating from Wen He was resisting various attacks.

The energy felt vaguely familiar to the Crown Clan.

It resembled that of the extinct Longlived race, the Soul Race—but only superficially. The Soul Race's psychic energy could manifest as formidable energy entities, whereas this one was merely a distorted, writhing illusion, like a cheap imitation.

Xiao Chuzao, who had been beside Amos, was passed to Finn.

In the next moment, his vision blurred.

The kid hadn’t learned many combat skills, and the speed of this battle left him totally outmatched.

Finn reached out and snagged the kid’s collar.

The surrounding Crown Clan members had already moved in.

One after another, their psychic energies assaulted the weird energy.

Soon, Wen He buckled under the pressure. His psychic energy rapidly retracted, and the starship disintegrated mid-air, plummeting downward.

Amos hung in the air, his crimson eyes icy as he stared down blankly at Wen He, now encased in psychic energy.

Under the relentless attacks, the cloak had been in tatters, revealing glimpses of pink fabric beneath.

"No need to rush."

Amos narrowed his eyes.

"Exactly, what’s up with that psychic energy?"

Fei Man flew closer, while Lynn stood at a distance, taking out Hymn Organization members attempting to escape via emergency pods from the starship.

"Uncle Lynn—"

Fei Man shot Lynn a look.

"We’ll handle things here. Once we’ve got her, there’s no escape. But given the weird vibe she’s giving off, I suspect the Hymn Organization might try to rescue her."

Lynn quickly acknowledged.

With a flap of his wings.

"I’ll take a team to secure the perimeter and link up with An Ya."

Wen He slammed down onto the sparsely populated rogue planet.

Amos and Fei Man followed closely, while the Saint Cas warship continued its descent. The military swiftly disembarked to assess the planet’s conditions, while the little one and Finn remained near the starship’s hatch.

The child still clutched his golden little bow, staring downward.

Amos and Fei Man weren’t rushing to attack just yet—

Though Saint Cas had previously, albeit unintentionally, eliminated a high-ranking member of the Hymn Organization, the group remained like greased weasels—elusive yet infuriating. They spared no effort in messing with the Longliveds, recruiting followers, and exploiting those in vulnerable or confused states as pawns, rarely engaging directly themselves.

Their bizarre beliefs made it difficult for Saint Cas to take decisive action for the time being.

So, they know very little about the Hymn Organization—they worship 'deities,' firmly believing that the Longlived race has seized most of the power in this star system. They believe that if the Longlived race disappears and they offer their sacred rites, the 'deities' will descend, bringing them their so-called ‘fairness’.

No one knows what the sacred rites are.

No one knows what their ‘deities’ really are.

But now, the power Wen He is wielding isn’t something a normal human should have.

This is the first time they've witnessed it.

When the dust cleared, Wen He swayed as she stood up, her glare fixed on Amos and Fei Man nearby.

Behind them, numerous warships hovered in the air. On the lead ship, Wen He spotted a familiar little figure.

Xiao Chuzao also saw her.

"It's... that person from the banquet."

The little cub definitely recognized her.

But something was off.

Xiao Chuzao turned to look at Finn.

Finn gripped a longbow, looking at least halfway dependable as he stood quietly behind Xiao Chuzao, his crimson eyes calm. He only glanced at the cub after hearing him speak.

"Looks like besides Saint Cas, everywhere else is full of holes."

It was only during Amos's era—Amos was a strong, cold-blooded Emperor—that he could intimidate many. Otherwise, who knows how bad things would be.

The sky was pitch-black, no stars, no moon, yet the small golden crown and the glittering little bow shone just as brightly.

Wen He fixed her eyes on that gleam. Her body twisted unnaturally, warped by the foreign power inside her, while the psychic energy behind her swelled like a monster—or like rotting swamp sludge.

As she faced the Crown Clan, her eyes burned with open, unmistakable hatred.

So intense it was sickening.

"Northern Free Federation—you can’t be older than twenty, right?"

As Amos spoke, another surge of psychic energy lashed out.

The Hymn Organization’s been around forever, and while they suspected issues within the Northern Free Federation, they never expected its leaders to be this young.

The sludge-like psychic energy thrashed and coiled, yet managed to deflect Amos's strike.

Amos hadn’t gone all out, but he rarely met this kind of pushback.

His eyes narrowed slightly—now he was interested.

Beneath his composed and steady exterior, Amos had always been a radical warmonger.

In the next instant, Amos vanished from where he had stood.

For a second, Wen He froze in panic. Her bones twisted with a sickening crack, and she cried out in pain, yet her body, driven by the foreign psychic energy, forcibly counterattacked.

Fei Man watched from a distance, not even bothering to call her psychic spear.

"Neutralized so fast. Logically speaking, that psychic power is strong, yet it doesn't belong to her—why is that?"

In truth, it had only been barely twenty seconds.

Amos stood frozen some distance away, gripping the Psychic Sword still bearing Xiao Chuzao's tooth marks.

He watched the enemy—no, that thing wasn't even human anymore—moving at inhuman speeds, attacking and dodging.

Wenhe's body contorted, as if she were merely a vessel for the foreign psychic energy, moving on sheer instinct. Yet after her initial cry of pain, she began to laugh.

"Impenetrable! See? The 'Divine One' is the strongest, the supreme being who'll save us. You Longlived races are nothing but thieves who steal power. Even if I serve the 'Divine One' a step ahead, you're all doomed anyway!"

She laughed madly, her laughter twisted, tears streaming down her face.

"Baffled, aren't you? Why was I chosen by the 'Divine One'? Since I was a child, I was beaten, cursed—because we were too weak. When I was dying, only my 'Divine One' came for me. It gave me dignity, status—the power to fight back. That is my 'faith'—you cursed immortals could never understand!"

There would be no rescue.

Wenhe knew it well.

Those caught in the fangs of the Crown Clan were beyond saving.

She could go serve the 'Divine One'—but she wished, in her final moments, to offer everything she had to the 'Divine One'—even if it's just a flesh wound against the Longlived races.

"You will never break through the 'Divine One's' psychic power..."

Wenhe's laughter came out distorted.

But before she could finish—

A small arrow came arcing from the distant sky.

Wenhe froze for a moment, watching as the arrow struck the monstrous, writhing mass of psychic energy enveloping her. The golden arrow dissolved on impact, melting a small hole through the psychic barrier.

What???

Why?

The sulking kid in the distance seemed equally surprised, his small head tilting as he let out a confused little "Huh?"

Who's supposed to be confused here?

What kind of psychic power is this?

Zange's natural counter?

Amos thought to himself, yet his psychic energy followed like a shadow.

Blood sprayed. A dull thud as something hit the ground. Something warm splattered across Wenhe's stunned face.

She stared wide-eyed for a beat before shrieking—

Lying on the ground was an arm, severed by Amos' psychic strike.

Still wanting to study the situation, Amos hadn't aimed for a fatal blow. He narrowed his eyes, hefting his sword, eyeing Wenhe's remaining arm.

"What just happened?"

Even Finn froze for a second. He peered from his position, then back at Xiao Chuzao.

Zao Zao has no idea.

The little cub raises his tiny bow and looks up.

His small face still looks pouting angrily.

He blinks bewilderedly.

"Zao Zao was so mad listening to her talk."

Too many people are looking at Xiao Chuzao, making the little cub shrink back on instinct.

Whether it's Amos or Wen He boosted by that weird psychic energy, their speed is way beyond what a five-year-old cub can manage.

But now that everything has paused, the little cub holding Cupid's bow acts without thinking.

"Wow, awesome."

Fei Man, who had flown back unnoticed, claps her hands in this tense moment.

"Wow, so tough, even stronger than Brother Amos."

Finn also claps from the side.

"Zao Zao, look, Brother Amos has been fighting forever, but he's not as good as you."

Finn even glances at the other Saint Cas soldiers standing by on the warship.

What are you all standing around for?

Clap!

Give the little cub plenty of encouragement.

Amos steals a glance over. His face was expressionless—this was getting ridiculous.

Then he sees Xiao Chuzao, a little embarrassed by the praise, clutching his tiny bow and gazing over hopefully.

His childish voice calls out, "Daddy—daddy—daddy is the best! She's a bad person!! Everything she says is bad—daddy told Zao Zao, we won’t listen!"

Oh, such a good boy.

Amos pauses for a moment, then takes a second to raise his hand and clap.

Seeing the little cub's eyes light up, still dressed in his fluffy pajamas—which have no collar—he instinctively straightens up. The tiny cub adjusts his nonexistent collar, the little halo on his head flickering. If his small dragon tail could appear, it would probably be wagging right now.

The cub, who had been a little unsure just moments ago, suddenly perks up.

Amos lets a small smile curl his lips.

All the tension, the strained mood, seems to dissolve just because this little one is here.

After hearing the Hymn Organization's crazy ideas, their meaningless grudges—while nearly every Crown Clan member has been through way worse, generation after generation of untimely deaths, born waiting for their crowns to shatter—

They think it's all nonsense, those dark emotions festering fast in their hearts.

But this time, it's different.

That tiny voice pipes up loudly.

As if worried he might take even the slightest offense to these words.

Was this the little one’s way of comforting them?

Amos thought it over—this must be Zao Zao’s special gift.

Meanwhile, Wen He, who had been treated like a clown, a mere circus performer on stage, twisted her expression even more after the pain.

She spiraled further into madness and frenzy.

With her last shred of strength, she lashed out at Amos.

She struck first.

Her bones contorted, her flesh melted away, and she was quickly becoming a mangled, bloody mess.

Her tragic past, the nightmares of her childhood—to these arrogant Longlived, it was all just a joke. She’d make them pay—these Longlived thieves who’d taken everything from her.

This was the kind of thing that bound the Hymn Organization together.

“No use—no point—the Crown Clan’s always been like this—”

Wen He’s voice was ragged, but she still managed a twisted sneer, long lost to madness, devoid of any reason or logic.

“Maybe we should carve off another chunk next time?”

“Keeping her barely breathing ought to be enough for answers?”

“Can she even survive?”

“Who knows? At this rate, Second Brother won’t even need to lose patience and blast her to smithereens—she’s about to die on her own. What’s the deal with this mental energy? Is it their experiment? Are they running experiments on the Longlived???”

Fei Man and Finn weren’t the least bit worried about Amos. They stood ready, casually discussing the best way to handle things. Killing was their specialty—anything else was a bit out of their wheelhouse.

On the starship, Xiao Chuzao clutched his tiny bow, full of confidence as he prepared to fire his second arrow. He took aim—

But soon, the little one blinked, slowly lowering his hand. It was all happening too fast—Zao Zao just couldn’t keep up.

The little one, who’d just been so eager, instinctively looked back at Fei Man and Finn.

The little guy was safely tucked behind them.

He still wasn’t much help.

“It’s alright—”

Finn caught the little one’s instinctive hesitation and moved behind Xiao Chuzao.

“Zao Zao, pull the string all the way back, wait for your shot, aim, breathe—no rushing.”

Right then, Finn was the picture of calm, smiling down at the little one.

“Relax, Zao Zao. Just don’t hit your dad by mistake—the rest doesn’t matter. You can do this.”

For the little one, this was all part of growing up.

Crown Clan younglings were meant to grow up in the thick of battle and blood.

They will gain formidable strength, they’ll learn they’re part of something greater. Countless loving eyes watch over every growing youngling—their unwavering support.

Battle experience is precious for a youngling. Fei Man said nothing, silently stepping back.

They weren’t worried about Amos.

As for dodging the youngling's *Love and Peace* arrows?

That was Amos' responsibility—that was nothing Amos couldn’t handle.

Xiao Chuzao listened to his third uncle's voice, slowly drawing the bowstring taut, aiming at the blurred chaos of battle.

Could he really do this?

—"Only Zao Zao can."

The youngling’s eyes flickered open wider.

It was as if, in a daze, he heard the voice of the stranger who had brought him here—the one who called herself the System—soft but strange.

Since bringing him here, she had hardly appeared.

*Only Zao Zao can*—she repeated softly.

Her voice was fainter than the last time he had heard it.

For a moment, Xiao Chuzao felt as if everything around him had fallen silent, as though time itself had frozen.

Before he could react, the voice continued, slow and soothing, like soothing a scared child: "I told Zao Zao from the very beginning—only Zao Zao can do this. Without Zao Zao, the Crown Clan would’ve fallen apart—"

In that instant, Xiao Chuzao seemed to see the ruin of a world without him—the fate of Saint Cas—

All the people Zao Zao cared about had vanished. He stood alone in the void, with no one to welcome him. The Crown Clan, consumed by torment, twisted and corrupted, their titanic bodies crumbling into shadow. Unending explosions tore through the stars.

Saint Cas’s crimson banner shredded apart, everything crumbling endlessly.

A ghostly voice whispered in his ears—was it Amos? Or Frey? Or another Crown Clan member he knew? Or perhaps the countless fallen of the Crown Clan—"Fate... this inevitable doom—it’s maddening."

Yet there was no resisting it.

In his daze, everything melted into a face he knew too well—

The Archangel, whom the youngling knew all too well.

With a smile full of pity, he repeated to the small child again and again:

"You must behave. You don’t belong—you must file down your rough edges, conform to your peers, become a true little angel. Go with the flow, be obedient and sensible. Everything you endure now is for the future, so you may fully become the angel you wish to be. Accept your fate, cherish everything—this is what I have always taught you, isn’t it?"

Over and over, the child had sobbed after hearing these words.

Why was it like this? Was this truly how it should be?

In the past—

The youngling would fold his wings tight, arms clutching himself.

He figured this was just how things were.

But Dad had told Zao Zao otherwise.

It wasn't like that.

Eldest Uncle had told Zao Zao, Third Uncle had told Zao Zao, Aunt had told Zao Zao, Little Uncle had told Zao Zao...

Everyone had told Zao Zao—it wasn't like that.

They were resisting, they were furious because of that so-called fate—

The wind brushed against his cheeks as the kid pulled the bowstring tight, aiming, listening to the wind's whimpers escalating into a roar.

Before, when bullied, he would only cry alone, terrified of standing out, of being ostracized.

But now, Xiao Chuzao thought of the image of the archangel he had just seen—

Clearly feeding Zao Zao lies, trying to mold him into his twisted ideal.

The kid used to just hide and sob—but now, he felt rage.

Swish—

Finn and Fei Man, standing behind the kid, whipped their heads around.

They saw the dark-gold filigree of the child's crown ignite once more, flames spreading from a single point until the entire crown was outlined—the dark gold contours now burning with black fire.

The small bow in his hands also erupted in black fire in that instant.

The kid was focused on a single point.

His aura seemed to spike in that moment.

Finn and Fei Man exchanged a glance.

Finn, standing behind the kid, also narrowed his eyes and pulled his bowstring tight.

Wen He was straining to disrupt Amos.

But Amos was way too nonchalant.

She was itching to scream.

The next moment, however, Amos seemed to sense something and nimbly dodged.

Amos raised his hand and lazily swiped.

What the hell...

Wen He thought to herself.

Same damn pattern—either unable to break through the 'divine' power, or simply shattering her. Would they really destroy such a precious lead so easily?

Wen He scoffed.

But then she heard a tiny, crystalline crack.

Time stretched in that instant. Wen He, her contorted frame, slowly wrenched her head around, eyes widening, pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

Reflected in her pupils was the tiny arrow that had already pierced through the outer mental barrier.

How... is this possible?

It can't be. There's no way she could have missed dodging the arrow of this strange Little Crown Clan.

Did the 'deity' lose to the Crown Clan?

Impossible!!

Absolutely impossible.

And following that arrow, the power of other Crown Clan members chased after it, like an escort, or perhaps a doting guardian, charging straight in.

As excruciating pain surged through her body and her field of vision suddenly dropped, she dazedly gazed toward the horizon.

There, standing atop the clouds, was a small, soft, white figure with amber eyes blazing with intensity as they looked at her. In his hands was a bow and arrow wreathed in black flame, while behind him stood even stronger Crown Clan members, including Amos's psychic energy surging toward her.

Yet—none of the Crown Clan members bore down on her as heavily as Xiao Chuzao did at this moment. The arrow that had pierced through showed no intention of stopping, and in that instant, it shattered the vial necklace around Wenhe's neck.

She saw Xiao Chuzao's tousled little curls, his entire crown appearing to combust amidst the black flames, as if declaring—I no longer fear any of you.

Wenhe's body betrayed her with involuntary tremors—

Now, she understood more clearly what that Little Crown Clan member represented—

He was the wild card.

The nemesis—

Their greatest threat—