A/N: All rights to the original content are reserved by the respective copyright owner.

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The remnants of war lay scattered across the once pristine grounds of Xianzhou Yuque, a melancholic testament to the voracious appetite of conflict. Amidst the ruins, Earth Guardian and General Jinhua, a warrior woman of formidable might and unwavering spirit, marshaled their strength. Even amidst the shattered echoes of what was once a scholarly paradise, they, alongside the Cloud Knights, became beacons of hope, aiding civilians and tending to the wounded with compassionate diligence.

With the Denizens of Abundance either retreating or vanquished, the grim visage of victory revealed itself, pained and sorrowful, amidst the rubbles that once echoed with enlightening debates and scholarly discourse.

General Jinhua's boots whispered against the battered terrain of Xianzhou Yuque, every step a solemn ode to a paradise lost amidst the chaos of war. Her eyes, stalwart yet speckled with the reflections of smoldering ruins, met the gaze of the Earth Guardian, a silent agreement forged amidst the decimation: to rise, to persevere.

As Jinhua navigated through the fragments of the once-grand Flagship, a shiver, cold and eerie, grazed her spirit. There, amidst the eerie cold, she found Jingliu – wounded yet unyielding. "Medic!" she bellowed, her voice fracturing the oppressive silence.

Within the mournful remnants, healers swiftly moved, channeling their arts to soothe Jingliu's grievous wounds, their gentle whispers attempting to caress her battered spirit back from the abyss. But her eyes, clouded with an amalgam of pain and resolve, sought answers.

Jinhua, knelt beside her, her voice a gentle tether amidst the desolation. "What of Shuhu?" she inquired.

Jingliu, each syllable a testament to her lingering strength, responded, "Shuhu...is the High Cloud Quintet's burden now. My battle was here...with another nemesis."

A melancholy acceptance shadowed Jinhua's expression before it was abruptly shattered by the arrival of Aoqing and the remnants of the High Cloud Quintet. Their silhouettes, limned by the haunting glow of the aftermath, spoke of both survival and loss.

Jingliu, despite the shards of sorrow embedded in her spirit, felt a flicker of relief. "You're alive," she whispered, even as her gaze searched for, and found, a haunting absence.

"Where...?" Her voice trailed off, the question hanging, suspended amidst the devastation.

Dan Feng, his countenance marred by the trails of tears, voice laden with the anguish of loss, whispered, "Baiheng...she's gone."

Jingliu's world teetered precariously, the words slicing through her already fractured resolve. "What do you mean 'gone', Dan Feng?" Her voice, a fragile blend of hope and impending despair, sought clarity amidst the turmoil.

He took a shuddering breath, "Baiheng chose to lure the dragon away, ensuring Lan's arrow would not claim more than one victim. She...she's gone, Jingliu."

Jingliu's eyes, once vibrant with an unyielding fire, dimmed, her body swaying as the impact of the revelation coursed through her being.

---

Amidst the somber trails above the ravaged Xianzhou Yuque, Baiheng cleaved through the heavens, her aura emanating a serene yet heartbreaking resolve as the dragon, a behemoth of destruction, followed in turbulent pursuit.

Although her thoughts radiated tranquility, expertly navigating through clandestine routes of the sky, her heart pulsated with a melancholic rhythm, her path aimed at leading the beast away from those she swore to protect.

Below, a fleet of starskiffs ascended, the hearts of their pilots ablaze with a noble courage that defied the impending doom. They had overheard Baiheng's intention, her whispered plan of sacrifice through their comms, and without hesitation, they rallied, honoring her with their brave ascent into the maelstrom above.

Within one of the vessels, eyes locked in an understanding forged by mutual respect and impending sorrow, a warrior spoke, "She plans to sacrifice herself, to lead it away...we cannot let her face this alone."

A nod was the reply, solid and resolute, "Then we shall be her shield, even in the face of our end. For Baiheng, for Xianzhou Luofu."

Unleashing their armament, the starskiffs surrounded the dragon, creating a tempest of blinding energy, their explosions lighting up the sky in a symphony of defiance and raw power. The dragon, its wrath tangible within its monstrous roars, responded with devastating tendrils of dark energy, darkening the luminous battlefield above.

The warriors pressed on, their actions fueled by an indomitable spirit, combating an adversary that seemed insurmountable. Beneath the leviathan, two starskiffs positioned themselves, launching an anti-dragon missile, chains seeking to bind the creature, to anchor it amidst the celestial sea.

The dragon, however, responded with calculated cruelty, obliterating the vessel and the souls aboard with a mere sweep of its monstrous claws.

Despite witnessing the cruel obliteration of their comrades, the remaining pilots persisted, their crafts weaving through the chaos, entwining the beast in a web of resistance from all angles. A voice, shrouded in both ferocity and sorrow, echoed through their comms, "Hold steady! We fight for Baiheng, for all she seeks to protect! For Xianzhou Luofu!"

But the dragon, with dark intelligence gleaming in its eyes, unfurled its wings to their full, terrifying expanse, conjuring a vortex that consumed the starskiffs and the warriors within, their screams becoming one with the chaotic symphony above.

Far ahead, Baiheng, traversing into the uncharted void, heard the distant echoes of explosions and cries, remnants of the brave who followed her into desolation. A whisper, both a vow and a mourning, escaped her lips into the abyss, "Your echoes will not fade, valiant hearts. You shall forever soar within the skies of Xianzhou."

Her silhouette melded with the enigmatic veil of the unknown ahead, the lingering roars of the dragon dissipating into the silence that stretched infinitely before her. Unseen, she navigated through the obscured mists of the unknown, her path shrouded, yet bound by the memories of the fallen and a solemn oath to shield the world from the cataclysm that threatened to engulf it all.

High above, where the serenity of the skies met the trembles of a looming chaos, Baiheng, the solitary voyager, propelled her starskiff forward, breaching into territories unmarked and stories unspoken, her form gradually blending with the mysterious expanse ahead.

Her heart carried the ethereal echoes of those valiant warriors who had lifted in resistance against the monstrous dragon. Their audacious stand was not in vain but instead burgeoned into precious moments, into stretched distances, into a widened gap between the malevolent and the innocent.

The warriors, upon overhearing Baiheng's intended sacrifice through hastily shared whispers and dire expressions, had chosen to align their destiny with hers, offering their essence to bolster a plan born of desperation and undying hope. Their intentions hadn't been chained to the expectation of survival, but rather, fueled by a desperate need to forge an opening, a chance, however slender, for Baiheng.

As she traversed into realms unwritten, where maps offered no guidance and legends whispered no tales, Baiheng felt the spirits of the fallen coalesce around her, their sacrifices an eternal flame within the boundless unknown.

Softly, she spoke into the ever-expanding enigma, "Your defiance has birthed moments into lifetimes, gallant hearts. These lands, untouched and unspoken, shall carry the tales of your valor, as your memories guide my way through uncharted tapestries."

Baiheng's starskiff gently cleaved through unfamiliar atmospheres, skies painted with unfamiliar hues, and clouds whispering of alien storms. Here, in the untouched realms of the unknown, her path became an intimate fusion of hope and melancholy, each parcel of distance both a step away from looming doom and a step into unscripted mysteries.

The dragon's roars, once an omnipresent terror, now dissipated into forlorn echoes, hinting at a growing distance born from the warriors' brave distraction. A subtle, soulful peace cascaded through the spaces between Baiheng and the unseen territories that awaited, her form becoming a distant silhouette against the otherworldly sky.

In her solitary advance, Baiheng embraced a silent oath, whispering promises into the wind that caressed these unnamed lands. Her spirit, entwined with the memories of selfless valor, pledged an unspoken vow to weave their sacrifices into a future where the shadows of tyrants and monsters could not tread.

Thus, through landscapes unmarred by tales of yore, she voyaged forth, her path illuminated by the eternal glow of selfless sacrifices and a unity that even the impending cataclysm could not shatter. The memories of the fallen became her compass, steering her through the boundless unknown, as the tapestry of their shared destiny quietly unfolded amidst the veiled lands that lay beyond the known horizons.

---

In the battered remnants of a war-stricken Xianzhou Yuque, the air was saturated with a tangible heaviness, a sorrow that clung to the ruins like an unseen mist. Amidst the devastation, figures moved, embodying the indomitable spirit of survival and resistance against the abyss of despair.

Jingliu, the Sword Champion, her eyes reflecting the turbulent storm within, confronted Dan Feng with an intensity that seemed capable of shattering the very cosmos.

Her voice, once a melodic cadence, now roared, "Dan Feng, why?! Why did you not stop her? Baiheng... she...," the Sword Champion's words crumbled into a broken whisper, a fragile lament amidst the chaos.

Dan Feng, his eyes still shimmering with unshed tears, bore Jingliu's wrath with a quiet acceptance. His voice, when it emerged, was soft, laden with grief yet unwavering, "Jingliu, Baiheng made a choice...a selfless choice to offer light amidst this darkness that seeks to consume us all."

Jingliu's gaze, afire with anguish and rage, sought answers in the depths of Dan Feng's eyes, "A choice? To throw her life away while we stand here, shrouded in powerlessness?"

Before Dan Feng could muster a response, Aoqing stepped forward, placing a gentle hand upon his shoulder. Her eyes, solemn yet empowered, locked with Jingliu's. "No, Jingliu," Aoqing's voice, a gentle force, interweaved through the despair hanging in the air, "Baiheng's sacrifice has given something invaluable to countless souls—time. Time to escape the onslaught of the dragon, time for us to forge a path forward amidst this catastrophe."

Jingliu, her stance unwavering yet her eyes betraying the turmoil within, stared into the abyss of the shattered world around her. The weight of Aoqing's words, heavy with truth, gradually seeped into her consciousness, yet the embers of rage and grief continued to flicker defiantly within.

Suddenly, a celestial brilliance perforated the night, a luminescent halo cascading down from the heavens above. Faces, both weary and embattled, lifted towards the spectacle, as an ethereal light, untainted by the shadows of despair, bathed the lands of Xianzhou Luofu in a divine glow.

Awe, and a fragile tendril of hope, whispered through the assembly as they witnessed the once-impenetrable darkness yield to a beacon of sublime light. Within that moment of celestial splendor, a majestic arrow, embodying the amalgamation of fervent wishes and unyielding spirit, pierced through the illuminated skies, its trajectory unwavering, guided by destinies intertwined.

Jingliu, her form silhouetted against the celestial spectacle, felt a quiet strength cascade through her being, as the ephemeral glow gently caressed her soul, whispering tales of undying courage and bonds unbroken even in the face of absolute despair.

As the ethereal arrow sailed through the boundless skies, its path illuminated by the heavenly glow, a subtle unity enveloped those below, each heart pulsating with a collective breath, a silent ode to the intrepid voyager in the unknown realms yonder.

Here, amidst the remnants of a once-flourishing civilization, the echoes of Baiheng's sacrifice melded with the celestial radiance, crafting a silent promise that her spirit, defiant and eternal, would linger perpetually within the tapestry of their shared destiny.

And so, beneath the divine spectacle unfolding above, the wounded, yet unbroken, inhabitants of Xianzhou Luofu found themselves bound by an unspoken covenant, to honor the sacrifices scribed amidst the stars, and to forge ahead, where hope and despair danced in an eternal embrace within the boundless canvas of the unknown.

---

In the infinitesimal pause between realms and realities, where the arrow sailed as a harbinger of hopes and the end of despair, Baiheng's existence transcended the physical. It was within this realm of echoes, where time held no sway, that her life – a tapestry woven with threads of joy, camaraderie, and battle – unfurled before her.

As scenes danced before her, the clarity of this ethereal realm allowed her a poignant reflection, each memory radiating with the intensity of a star being born. And amidst this cosmic ballet, she found her voice - not one bound by the limitations of the mortal coil, but one that resonated with the very fabric of existence.

"To have walked amongst you, my friends, was the greatest honor," Baiheng whispered into the vastness, her words rippling through the cosmos. "In each step, we found strength; in each victory, we discovered our bonds anew. Carry forth this strength, beyond the threshold of stars."

A smile, reminiscent of their days of laughter and nights of shared tales, played across her lips as an image of Y/N solidified in the stellar mist. "Y/N, beacon of our collective soul, continue to shine, unfettered by the shadows of despair. Let the sun in your heart eclipse the darkness that seeks to encroach upon our hopes."

Her gaze, unbound by time, then found Jingliu, the silent sentinel of their destinies. "And Jingliu, my sister in spirit, yours is the night, a canvas of tranquility and reflection. Dance in the moonlight, find joy in the quietude, and know that in every shadow, there is respite for the weary."

As the arrow, now a celestial entity itself, merged with the darkness that sought to unmake their world, Baiheng's farewell, infused with the collective memories of love, friendship, and resolve, became a silent pact.

In the explosion of light, akin to the birth of a universe, her voice was a serene lullaby that cradled her comrades, a final embrace from a guardian who had ascended. The people of Xianzhou, their tear-streaked faces upturned, could hear it in the very wind, a soothing hum that melded with the light.

Baiheng's words, inscribed in the hearts of those she cherished, promised that every end bore the seeds of a new beginning, and in their unity, the dawn was never too far away.