Chapter 136 The Illusory Realm 2

"—Xuanming?"

Number Five repeated the other person's name blankly.

This reaction wasn't so much that the other person's name was unfamiliar, but rather that he simply hadn't expected to hear it in such a place. It was like encountering a famous person on the subway; upon seeing their face, the first reaction wasn't that you'd met a well-known figure, but rather whether the person looked like someone else. He seemed to be subconsciously considering whether what he heard was a homonym.

Xuanming stopped looking at Number Five and turned his attention back to the Titan.

He casually revealed his real name again—an act that can hardly be called clever, but coincidentally, I've never been one to care much about whether I'm clever or not. I value aesthetics more than that kind of standard. I admire his unpretentious and straightforward manner. So, should I imitate him and simply reveal my real name as well?

I'm not afraid of trouble or danger, and I enjoy this open and aboveboard approach. However, the atmosphere of this mysterious organization where people address each other by numbers is also irresistible. Besides, revealing my real name would cause other problems, so for now, I'll just savor the mystical atmosphere that can only be experienced in places like this.

Number Five seemed to finally come to his senses, and couldn't help but take two steps back away from Xuanming. His reaction was similar to that of Number One and Number Two, Xiaowan; they were all quite wary of Xuanming. It seems that Xuanming truly has a fearsome reputation in the supernatural world.

"Is he really Xuanming?" Number Five asked me.

“I think so,” I said. “By the way, he’s number four here.”

No. 4 did not refute the statement as he did at the last rally.

"Did you walk a long time through the fog to get to these seats?" I asked casually.

"No, I woke up around here... or rather, I woke up, since this is a dream..." Number Five answered hesitantly, glancing frequently at Number Four, Xuanming. "Anyway, I found this place very quickly..."

“Me too, I got here very quickly.” Number Four Xuanming replied to me, “It seems that this misty dream has the power to guide us unconsciously here.”

“It took me quite a while.” Then, I said to Number Four, “Aren’t you going to ask the new Number Five if he’s willing to trade for the Divine Seal fragments this time?”

“Since the Divine Seal fragments are bound to us, there’s no point in trading them.” He shook his head.

"You're collecting fragments of the Divine Seal?" Number Five kept observing Number Four, Xuanming, seemingly mustering his courage. "—Is this what you were willing to betray Luoshan, kill Fu Hongchen, and severely injure Mingzhuo for?"

"Oh? You managed to connect these two things so quickly..." Number Four Xuanming seemed to finally take an interest in Number Five. "Who are you from Luoshan?"

Number Five didn't answer; he seemed to have realized that none of us could use supernatural powers at will here. However, it was still clear that he remained quite wary of Number Four's declaration.

"Fu Hongchen" and "Ming Zhuo" are both names of Da Wuchang, I remember that very clearly. However, judging from what Number Five said, Fu Hongchen and Ming Zhuo seem to have both possessed fragments of the Divine Seal, and Number Four, Xuan Ming, launched an attack on those two in order to obtain them?

Regardless of whether the actions of No. 4 Xuanming are righteous or evil, what is even more astonishing to me is the fact that "there were once Great Impermanences who possessed fragments of the Divine Seal, and there was more than one person who did so."

In Luoshan, the hypothesis that "the source of the Fantian incident was the Divine Seal" was generally considered an unreliable rumor. Even Lu Youxun only used the term "Divine Seal" as a substitute for the source of the Fantian incident, rather than actually believing that the Divine Seal existed.

However, if multiple Great Impermanence believe in the existence of the Divine Seal, or even possess fragments of it, the nature of the matter changes.

The Great Impermanence are collecting fragments of the Divine Seal—may I assume that?

I pondered how to subtly probe for the information I was curious about, but after thinking for a moment, I decided to ask Xuanming No. 4 directly: "Why do you want to collect fragments of the Divine Seal?"

"To investigate some things," said No. 4 Xuanming.

"Is it related to the end of the world?" I asked.

“Hmm, speaking of which, you seem to have some information about the apocalypse…” Number Four Xuanming looked me over and answered my question, “Yes. The era we live in seems peaceful, but it is actually on the verge of destruction. You should know about the doomsday prophecy circulating in Luoshan. Although it is impossible to determine who wrote the prophecy, most of its contents are true.”

"Ah, the end of the world?" Number Five was starting to lose track of our conversation.

But I focused on other parts: "Mostly true—meaning there are false parts?"

"It can't be called false. It's just that once the world begins to perish, time will also become fragmented. The so-called 'destruction in ten years at most' is probably just a figure of speech." Number Four seemed very patient with me. "In fact, from the perspective of people living in the apocalypse... for example, from the perspective of that little girl Number Two, the process of the apocalypse may be completed in just one night, or it may take a hundred years to end."

Asaho also mentioned, in the post-apocalyptic era, some people believe that a long time has passed since the end of the world, while others believe that the end of the world has just begun.

Number Four, though not a person from the apocalypse, had already foreseen the chaos of the end times.

"There are actually people from the future in this place?" Number Five exclaimed in surprise.

I continued to question Number Four, Xuanming: "So, your purpose in collecting the fragments of the Divine Seal is to use the wish-granting power of the complete Divine Seal to prevent the apocalypse from coming?"

“You’ve misunderstood something,” Xuanming No. 4 shook his head. “Even if you collect all the fragments of the divine seal, you still won’t be able to obtain the power to make a wish.”

I immediately understood what he meant, and then said, "You mean, the broken divine seal cannot be restored?"

“Yes,” he said. “To use the popular term ‘technology’ as an analogy, the Divine Seal is an ultra-high-tech device. If it is violently thrown to the ground and smashed into pieces with a hammer, even if all the fragments are collected afterward, it will not be able to perform its original function.”

"Repairing this device is also impossible. The origin of the Divine Seal is unknown. It may be a relic from the distant ancient times, or it may be a creation from outer space, or it may even be like some kind of strange object. In the end, there is no explanation for its origin. It is a mysterious thing. Whatever the truth is, the Divine Seal is a mystery beyond the scope of human intelligence. We cannot restore it."

I see. I was just being prejudiced. When I heard the Divine Seal Fragments were fragments of a wish-granting machine, I assumed that collecting them all would automatically grant my wishes. I guess it's because I've read too many fictional stories and unconsciously associated the Divine Seal with those fantastical settings. Just collecting all the relevant items and a miracle would happen—it's not that easy!

Perhaps it's because the fragments of the divine seal are beyond common sense that I forgot about common sense. Number Four's analogy of using high-tech equipment immediately brought me back to my normal train of thought.

Xuanming No. 4 further stated, "Moreover, even our divine seal fragments cannot be guaranteed to be without problems."

Since he was willing to talk, I continued the conversation: "How so?"

He glanced at the giant who remained seated motionless, then frankly stated the information he knew: "According to my investigation... the divine seal should not have been broken yet."

"What?" Number Five was stunned for a moment. "If the Divine Seal wasn't broken, then what about the fragments we have... Are these fake fragments of the Divine Seal? Or are there two Divine Seals?"

“No, the divine seal is unique, and what we obtained is undoubtedly a true fragment of the divine seal.” Number Four also answered Number Five’s question. “At the same time, the true divine seal has indeed never been broken.”

That's a completely contradictory statement. If an item is unique and intact, how can there be fragments of it?

However, I seemed to have heard something similar before. I quickly remembered that it was Asaho who said it. She once said that the divine seal of this era should still be intact.

The shattering of the Divine Seal must have occurred after the apocalypse. In fact, Number Two also obtained the fragment of the Divine Seal during the apocalypse. From this, I have drawn a deduction.

"Is it possible that the divine seal of our era was indeed not broken? The divine seal was broken in the apocalypse, and the fragments of the divine seal we possess originated from the apocalypse?" I asked.

"Are you saying that the fragments of the divine seal from the apocalypse somehow traveled to our time, and some of them ended up in our hands?" After thinking for a moment, Xuanming No. 4 replied, "Impossible."

"Why?" I asked.

"The Divine Seal is a true divine artifact, possessing the attribute of transcending the river of time. The Divine Seal of the past, present, and future is the same Divine Seal. Therefore, it is impossible for someone to obtain a Divine Seal from the future and then return to this era, causing the Divine Seal of the same era to become two. Even if what is brought back from the future is only a fragment, it is the same," said Number Four, Xuanming. "However, if the Divine Seal of the future really becomes fragmented, then the Divine Seal of our era should also be shattered."

"Could it be this 'what if' you're talking about? "It's because the divine seal of the apocalyptic era was shattered that the divine seal of our era was shattered."

Number Four, Xuanming, shook his head: "Impossible, the divine seal of our era is complete."

"How did you confirm it?" I asked. "Did you witness the complete divine seal with your own eyes?"

This time he didn't answer me, but looked at the giant again.

This is truly a contradiction. If we believe Xuanming No. 4's statement, the topic returns to the initial point of contention. How can a unique and intact item simultaneously have fragments? Unless one of them is a fake. But Xuanming No. 4 also stated that both are genuine. Logically, this doesn't make sense.

Perhaps this is a "real weird event".

The strange events I've recently experienced are simply inexplicable by common scientific sense, but they can still be explained by the knowledge of those witchers. What appears before me this time, however, might be something even the knowledge of witchers can't explain, a bizarre phenomenon that tramples on logic itself.

I felt a warmth rising within me.

At the same time, a lingering shadow loomed over my heart.

Has the number two small bowl not arrived yet?

At that moment, footsteps echoed again from the depths of the mist.

(End of this chapter)