Order and Chaos

Both of them fell into a contemplative silence. Xing Ziao, still grappling with the overwhelming revelations, scrunched up his face in confusion.

"Harbinger of what now?" he asked, his tone a mixture of disbelief and uncertainty.

Baoyu sighed, her eyes reflecting the weight of her words. "Harbinger of Destruction, one of the world's greatest threats."

Xing Ziao's confusion deepened. "And why do you think I am that Harbinger?" he questioned further. "You must have the wrong person. I possess no powers, only a skill with wielding a weapon."

Baoyu's gaze remained steady. "A skill of wielding a weapon can be a conduit for destruction, Xing Ziao. You won't activate those powers unless Hundun hu and his followers capture you," she explained.

Xing Ziao ran a hand over his face, massaging his temples as he attempted to process the deluge of information and decide whether he could trust this person.

"I know you're debating whether to believe me or not," Baoyu said, her voice carrying a hint of sadness. "As much as I wish I could show you everything, the laws of the world forbid me, especially as one of the Guardians of Qiandu."

With a fluid motion, Baoyu rose to her feet and effortlessly sliced through the dead beast with her bare hands, displaying not only incredible strength but also the truth of her identity as a Guardian.

"This past days has been nothing short of a catastrophic swirl," he muttered, a hint of exhaustion in his voice. "My brother and I just wanted to enter the Celestial Warrior's Trial without trouble, but instead, we've been thrown into a maelstrom of events. I've lost my brother and the companions I'd just met. Now, I'm being told I'm a harbinger of destruction with a calamity chasing me. It feels like there's still more to this story, and I suppose I'll have to get used to it."

-

As Baoyu was chopping some...meat and grilling it for them to eat since it's the only source of food they have at the moment. Xing Ziao, still processing the revelations, couldn't help but notice that his most trusted possession, his crimson spear, was nowhere to be found.

"And it seems that my only means of protecting myself... has disappeared," he sighed, his frustration evident.

"It did not," Baoyu said matter-of-factly between bites of the grilled meat.

Xing Ziao gave her a quizzical look. "I placed it in my abyssal storage," she explained, then, with a flick of her finger, summoned his crimson spear, causing it to materialize before him.

Xing Ziao was amazed and baffled. "How?" he asked, reaching out to take his trusty weapon.

"Every celestial being has a personal abyssal storage," Baoyu replied casually as she handed him a bone with a grilled piece of meat. "Eat up."

Xing Ziao accepted the offering, though he never could have imagined he'd one day be eating demon meat.

"Since we're at the point of half-baked revelations, and I'm still adjusting to all this new found knowledge, I've never really asked you, which of the four guardians are you?" Xing Ziao inquired as he took a small bite of the grilled meat.

"Hexie hu, Guardian of Order," Baoyu replied simply.

"So, you're the one responsible for keeping everything in Qiandu in its proper place and ensuring everyone follows the rules," Xing Ziao surmised with a nod.

Baoyu let out a frustrated scoff. "Supposedly. But eventually, everything falls into turmoil, and the order becomes chaos," she grumbled.

"And I'm guessing I'm one of those reasons," Xing Ziao deduced.

"You are indeed, but you're not the one who broke the laws of time and events, bringing a headache-of-a-guardian back from the dead," Baoyu explained.

"Oh, another guardian... and back from the dead. Is this the figure from the history books, the one who lost their immortality and perished?" Xing Ziao inquired, his tone adjusting to the constant stream of revelations.

"Yes, indeed. The one who reached into your consciousness, Hundun hu, the Guardian of Chaos. He is my polar opposite," Baoyu responded calmly, though a flicker of irritation danced in her eyes.

Xing Ziao then held his breath for a moment, connecting the dots. "Of course, Chaos, the reason for that war 15 years ago, before the Celestial Warrior trials establishment,"

Baoyu nodded, her expression growing more somber. "Yes, and his return is heralding changes in the future, changes that may be far more dire than the original timeline..."

"More revelations," Xing Ziao murmured, struggling to keep up. "What do you mean by 'original timeline'? Is this connected to the individual who tampered with time and events?"

"In due course, yes. However, the world's laws are starting to strain me, a clear signal that I should cease divulging information. As a Guardian of Order, I must refrain from further explanations. You will recall everything when the time is right," Baoyu explained, her voice tinged with the discomfort of the world's laws pressing upon her.

"Recall?" Xing Ziao asked, his confusion deepening.

"I'm not prepared to meet my end just yet. I hope you understand that, in time, you will come to understand everything," she said, resuming her meal as the pain receded.

Xing Ziao sighed, then cautiously posed another question. "Hundun hu attempted to show me visions. Given your mention of 'you will remember everything,' I presume those fragments are my memories, related to these law-breaking events. Why isn't he experiencing pain?"

"Eventually, those Supreme deities, minor deities, and guardians who possess the power of darkness, face banishment to the Forsaken Realm if they violate the world's laws. It's a realm of torment, worse than death.Those aligned with the light, on the other hand, undergo divine punishment, their hearts consumed by flames, resulting in instant death. Then those who came back from the dead would be immune to the punishment since their original body...was already punished before they died," she explained while also realizing things.

"Hundun hu wants you because he cannot recreate the chaos that he used to make. He was able to tap into your consciousness since there is still some power left within him. Time was able to reverse the state of his body back to being alive, but part of the flaws did not bring back his prime powers," she continued.

"Which means he wants me to activate my harbinger state, If that's what you celestials call it; He wants to use me as his weapon," Xing Ziao continued, while also realizing what Baoyu meant.

Baoyu then nodded, 'And here I thought that dealing with the demon prince in the original timeline was the worse. Indeed I had thought wrongly, for this time, every calamity got promoted.'