Chapter 298 Bifang 2

What did the fortune teller just say?

"Invite Silvermoon?" I felt like I had heard something utterly absurd. "Luoshan is the headquarters of demon hunters. Even the Great Impermanence should be a demon hunter, right? You want to recruit a man-eating demon like Silvermoon to join Luoshan?"

"The identity of the Witcher is merely a historical fact from before the Fantian Incident, something fixed in our hearts by the power of the Divine Seal, like a steel imprint of our thoughts. The real us shouldn't be 'Witchers,' but 'Cultivators'—you must be familiar with these words, right?" The Divination Master replied in a tone as if stating the truth. "As for racial distinctions, it's even more inappropriate for you to say such things."

"Do you really think you're more human than Silver Moon now? Heretic Impermanence Zhuang Cheng, or rather... Flame Demon Zhuang Cheng?"

As their power increases, it's almost inevitable that witchers will become less and less human in essence.

Even strange people are considered by Luo Shan to be fallen demon hunters. And even though he saw that the Winter Chariot from that period had the nature of a strange thing, Fu Feng adopted a nonchalant attitude.

Superpowered individuals like myself, whose human bodies are entirely mimicked by flames, are even less human-like, yet they are still treated as such. The fortune teller before me, for some unknown reason, appeared in the form of a strange bird. How could an ordinary person, upon first seeing him, possibly mistake him for a human?

What exactly is the definition of "human being"?

Is it a soul? But the distinction between races, like gender, seems to be based on the physical body. As far as I know, souls don't have a concept of gender, nor do they seem to have a distinction between races. If I had to say, it would be that the way of thinking changes the nature of the soul, and since Silver Moon is an anomaly, its way of thinking exists in a different dimension than that of humans.

But my way of seeing the world is also drifting further and further away from that of humanity. At least, as far as I know, humans cannot directly observe cause and effect on a metaphysical level and influence them in the same way I can. The closer I get to the realm of impermanence, the more difficult it becomes for me to express in words what I see and the insights I gain from it. I can only use some crude metaphors to palely describe the causes and consequences of events. I am entering a realm beyond the reach of human perception and thought.

The only thing that can classify me as human is the fact that I was once human. But if we only look at the "present," from the perspective of ordinary people, I might have already become a monster no different from the Silver Moon.

Although I judged him to be human based on the sense of kinship he exuded, if even I am not human, then the divination master certainly isn't either.

Could it be that the fortune teller deliberately appeared in the form of a strange bird because he foresaw this conversation?

“Silver Moon has a human appearance, can be compatible with human sensory systems, and can use human language, so she can certainly be defined as human,” the Diviner said slowly. “Admittedly, she also has an evil personality and cannibalistic habits, but at the same time, she also has a rationality and tendency towards order that is rare among strange beings.”

"Her mental inclinations can also be described as a kind of 'civilization.' Considering her unique abilities and great potential, I judged that we could first win her over to Luoshan and make use of her."

"At the same time, she is also a rare subject of observation. In the future development of Luoshan, we will likely encounter more strange beings that possess great power and can communicate in language. It would be too wasteful to simply eliminate them all without thinking, as we have done for the past few thousand years. In the future, we may need to consider 'absorption' as an option. Silver Moon is an important attempt at this."

"What's even more remarkable is that she's not entirely a monster anymore, is she? She manifested as the Silver Moon incarnation using Zhu Chang'an, a human, as a vessel. It's very likely that while she's a monster, she also possesses a human perspective. She's perfect as a reference point for seeking common ground while respecting differences."

It seems that the divination master valued more than just Silver Moon's special abilities and potential; his vision extended to a much longer-term perspective.

As for his knowledge of Chang'an's name and the truth behind Yin Yue's "resurrection," that's hardly surprising. He's a legendary diviner capable of predicting everything from the past to the future; to surrender and say "I don't know" on something so trivial would be a disservice to his reputation.

He probably doesn't know all the secrets of the world, but knowing most things about it should be a piece of cake for him. Thinking about it that way, I feel he's somewhat like the Lord of the Divine Seal.

"What if I said I wanted to destroy Silvermoon? Are you going to stop me?" I asked.

"No, this time I'm just a spectator." He shook his head. "I won't stop Silver Moon from regaining her power, nor will I stop you from eliminating her. If Silver Moon really dies at your hands, it only means she couldn't seize the opportunity; it was her fate."

"However, I need to prevent the great disaster caused by the Silver Moon's transformation of heaven and earth, so I will stay in Moonshadow Mountain City for the time being until your conflict ends."

It was wonderful news that the Divination Master wouldn't be my enemy, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Then I asked, "Where exactly did Silver Moon's 'Heaven and Earth Manifestation' come from? Did she simulate it using her own abilities? And what are its specific effects?"

Upon hearing this, he first looked at me, then suddenly said, "Even if I just said I wouldn't stop you, it doesn't mean I'll provide you with information related to Silver Moon, does it?"

It seems he has decided to maintain a neutral stance.

That's perfectly normal; I never expected him to answer so many of my questions for free. Even if he did answer, there's no guarantee that some of the answers wouldn't be misleading information he'd leaked to facilitate behind-the-scenes manipulation. At least, if it were one of those fortune tellers I'd heard about before, they might have done that.

Just as I was thinking this, the fortune teller suddenly changed his tone and said with a chuckle as if he were playing a prank: "However, you saved my important disciple, so I can answer anything related to Silver Moon."

"...Thank you so much, and I look forward to your guidance." I deliberately pretended not to be surprised by the turn of events.

He seemed to be observing my reaction, and I couldn't tell from his bird-like face whether he was disappointed. Then he answered the question from before: "The Great Impermanence's Law of Heaven and Earth is something she can't normally imitate. It's the land's enhancement. Moonshadow Mountain is her place of origin, so she can only perform the Law of Heaven and Earth here. Combined with that unique ability, she can unleash the Law of Heaven and Earth."

"You've already experienced its specific effects: it can distort the normal order of time and space in nature, trapping its prey inside like a spider web. This white mist isn't a material mist, but a special phenomenon that occurs when spacetime is distorted. At the same time, because it's consciously manipulating and compressing the power of the celestial phenomena, it creates a barrier-like area within its core that's difficult for even you to escape from."

"The reason she chose to restore her power in this place was to draw on the power of the land's spiritual veins, and she also wanted to use the power of the law of heaven and earth to kill and devour the souls of all the residents of Moonshadow Mountain City."

"The reason I came here in person is to stop her from affecting the human settlements. If it were Mingzhuo or Shenzhao, they would probably be indifferent, but I cannot let Yinyue kill so many humans in one go."

By devouring the souls of countless humans to restore her power—this was something Silver Moon had done in her previous life, or rather, wanted to do, but failed to accomplish. It was precisely because of this that Ying Lingyun, who was still mentally sound in the past, betrayed her and killed her.

It shouldn't be difficult for the Divination Master to intervene in the Heavenly Manifestation of the Silver Moon. This is based not only on his power advantage but also on his affinity advantage. I've been observing him carefully and have figured out some things, such as the Heavenly Manifestation he displays.

Just as Dongche said, his "Law of Heaven and Earth" doesn't produce any visible phenomena. Dongche mentioned that once he reaches the Great Completion stage, he will naturally understand the effects of the Divination Master's "Law of Heaven and Earth." That was likely a prediction made for someone like Dongche who naturally possesses strong perception. In a short time, I could only see some superficial aspects—if nothing unexpected happens, the Divination Master's "Law of Heaven and Earth" may have the effect of influencing other "Laws of Heaven and Earth."

I can't explain how I came to this conclusion. Even though I didn't see anything, the answer automatically popped into my head. It's like how I couldn't consciously perceive the realm of cause and effect in the past, but I could sense it when my opponent displayed corresponding supernatural abilities; the existence of the Divination Master itself seemed to influence my understanding of the laws of heaven and earth, so I instinctively connected it to part of the truth.

After realizing this, I noticed something else—even though I've now emerged from the mist, the rainy weather around Moonshadow Mountain hasn't returned. It seems that not only my and Silver Moon's Celestial Manifestation Techniques are affected, but also the Celestial Manifestation Techniques of the Water Master Black Tortoise.

The air on the mountain was also showing a gradual cooling trend.

Interfering with other aspects of the celestial phenomena and terrestrial phenomena is probably not the whole picture of the divination master's understanding of the celestial phenomena and terrestrial phenomena; it may just be a byproduct.

"The inability to use the Heavenly Manifestation Technique to devour all the residents of Moonshadow Mountain City is actually a minor issue for Silver Moon. The important thing is that she must devour the Ancient Moon Goddess." The Divination Master continued, "The Ancient Moon Goddess should have told you that she used a portion of the reserve power that Silver Moon had reserved before her death, right? That was a lie."

"The Ancient Moon God was the core of the backup power that the Silver Moon had carefully prepared in its previous life. But thanks to you, the Ancient Moon God has died prematurely."

"The Silvermoon of today can never truly return to its former glory."

(End of this chapter)