Chapter 306 VS Naval Master Xuanwu 1

The sounds of commotion still drifted in from outside the hotel; people were not yet fully recovered from the excitement of encountering the supernatural.

Meanwhile, I was pondering the intelligence brought by the naval commander Xuanwu, and my heart remained unsettled for a long time.

Asahi was already worried about the battle I was about to face. Although I hadn't shown any signs of being unfazed by the death notice of the Navy Genbu, that didn't mean I thought the Navy Genbu wasn't a threat to me.

On the contrary, aside from the Great Impermanence, the person most likely to kill me right now is the Water Master Genbu. Even Silver Moon, who can unleash its full power at Mount Tsukihime, might not be able to give me this sense of danger. The Water Master Genbu's power seems to be born to counter me.

Water can extinguish fire; it's a natural law. In other circumstances, perhaps I could disregard this restraint with my immense strength, just as a forest fire can be undone by a few buckets of water. However, this time my opponent is on the same level as me.

Based on my past intelligence, even the Naval Master Xuanwu is a Grand Completion level cultivator characterized by overwhelming power, capable of unleashing the ultimate technique, the Great Unpredictable Domain. Therefore, it's highly likely that I'll be the one overwhelmed by superior strength this time. This might very well be the first truly disadvantageous battle of my life.

Being countered in terms of attributes and likely to be overwhelmed in terms of size, my heart seemed to tremble as if electrified. This electric current seemed to act as a pacemaker, making my heart beat faster and more excited.

There's no way to avoid this battle. My friends are on Mount Tsukikage, and the Navy's Genbu will appear there like a roadblock. I can't concentrate on dealing with Gingetsu until I defeat him first.

It's a great pity that I didn't get the information from Saishi Genbu about his plan to delve into the deepest part of the mist to find Silver Moon, but this information might be obtainable by defeating him. My original plan was to defeat Silver Moon first, and then invade his mental world by creating a fake Moon in the Water. The same approach might also be applicable to Saishi Genbu, to uncover the method from his consciousness.

As I slowly sorted out my thoughts, I was like someone repeatedly loading a pistol before a battle, summoning my own flames and then condensing "slag" from those flames.

Assuming my superpowers truly originate from the power seed of the Mountain and Yin, then what exactly is this "slag"?

Is the ability to burn the souls of enemies into "slag" also part of the "manipulation of fire" talent given to me by the power seed? If so, what exactly is the use of this "slag"? Since it is likely a designed product, it should have its own meaning.

I recalled a dream I had before I awakened my superpowers: in a deserted corridor, in an empty room behind an iron door, a strange person asked me if I wanted power—power "to match the adventures beyond reality in my mind."

Could the person who appeared in the dream be Shan Liangyi?

If he appears before me and tries to take away my power, what should I do? What preparations should I make now to prevent such a conflict?

It seems that my only option is to focus on improving my own strength.

As the saying goes, overwhelming power is enough to suppress everything.

Even the naval master Xuanwu has said that once one becomes the Great Impermanence, the Mountain Ryoichi, who could originally freely retrieve power seeds from afar, will be forced to appear before its target. Therefore, if one continues to grow stronger, perhaps even more restrictions could be placed on the Mountain Ryoichi's ability to retrieve power seeds, eventually rendering it impossible to retrieve them at all. Although this is an overly rigid method, it's the only idea I have right now.

And, regarding the miraculous manifestations sought by the Mountain and Yin-Yang principles...

Zhu Shi once said that my elementalization is a characteristic of spiritual manifestation, but immortals who have truly reached the realm of spiritual manifestation must be clear about the process by which they achieve elementalization, while I mastered it in a daze. Even Ying Lingyun said that I could not be a true spiritual manifestation, because a true spiritual manifestation should have a more superb mastery of power.

In other words, a normal manifestation of a spirit is a state that can only be achieved through arduous cultivation, which is completely different from my situation where I can achieve elementalization simply by relying on talent.

Yin Yue did mention the strange-sounding term "innate manifestation," suggesting that manifestation could be achieved through talent, although even she herself wasn't entirely convinced of the concept's validity when she brought it up.

There are still many aspects of my superpowers that I cannot fully understand.

As I pondered, the sun was almost setting. Seeing that it was getting dark, I bid farewell to Asaha and left the inn, heading towards Mount Tsukigami.

Looking at the mountains under the night sky, I thought of the strange bird that the fortune teller presented when I met him on the mountain.

It wasn't until recently that I belatedly realized that the strange bird image wasn't just a random illusion conjured by the fortune teller, but rather a mythical creature recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Its name is "Bifang," with a white beak, blue feathers, red spots, and a single leg. Its body resembles a crane, and its appearance foretells a wildfire in the region.

“邑” means town or village, and the so-called “讹火” refers to strange fires that cannot be explained. In ancient times, people would also call fires that appeared inexplicably in the wilderness “讹火”.

According to the information Mr. Zhu previously provided me, the Divination Master has been operating as the Great Impermanence for thousands of years. Sometimes he transforms into a phoenix, and sometimes into the Zhu Yan. The phoenix is ​​an auspicious beast, resembling a pheasant with five-colored plumage; its appearance signifies peace and tranquility. The Zhu Yan, on the other hand, is a ferocious beast, resembling an ape with a white head and red feet; its appearance foretells war and chaos.

His appearance in the form of Bifang this time is probably a premonition that a strange force will cause a fire in the mountainous area around Moonshadow Mountain City.

This is probably a prophecy of the upcoming battle between me and the naval master Xuanwu.

How far into the future did he foresee?

I ventured deep into Moonshadow Mountain. Moonshadow Mountain was now vastly different from when Masa and I had left during the day. The white mist that had trapped us, which had initially occupied only a portion of the mountain, now practically enveloped the entire area. This was now a true demonic realm; normal time had lost its meaning.

Even the space itself is like this. I'm probably halfway up the mountain now, but maybe if I walk a few more steps I'll reach the foot of the mountain, or maybe I'll reach the top. Finding the Water Master Xuanwu in this place is practically impossible for anyone else, and perhaps even the Water Master Xuanwu himself didn't predict such a change.

Mount Moonshadow is the origin of the Silver Moon. Probably no one knows what stories the Silver Moon had here, or whether there was anything worth remembering for that monstrous creature who doesn't understand human nature.

I observed it briefly while I was outside; the fog is still expanding and will likely cover Moonshadow Mountain City in the distance in a while. Of course, "a while" might mean it has already covered the city. But since the Divination Master is stationed in Moonshadow Mountain City, there's at least no need to worry about any danger there.

There's no need to worry about getting lost. With Masao's "blessing," I have no chance of missing the Water Master Xuanwu. I can find him by luck, even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance.

Sure enough, less than fifteen minutes later, I sensed a familiar presence ahead.

The naval commander Xuanwu stood amidst the heavy mist of the forest, just as I had seen him during the day, gazing up at the mountains and forests. I did not conceal my presence or footsteps, and he turned his head sharply, revealing a hint of surprise upon seeing me.

“You kept your promise…that’s not surprising, but how did you manage to find me…can you move freely in this fog?” he asked.

Strictly speaking, although I acquiesced, this agreement was merely his own self-deception.

“Never mind, that’s not important. This is where you’ll die,” he said. “For Ying Lingyun, you’re also an obstacle he can’t ignore. Although killing you this time is entirely my personal matter, it can also be seen as a gift to repay Ying Lingyun’s favor. I can bring him good news later.”

I suspect the reason he knew from the beginning that I was the one who intended to exchange the Zhu family's token for the elixir was because of the information provided by Ying Lingyun.

"What exactly did Ying Lingyun do for you that made you willing to risk your life for him, even to become an enemy of Yin Yue?" I asked curiously.

“Do you think things are still the same as during the day? The time for talking is over; now it’s time to decide life and death with force,” he said.

Since that's the case, let's use the fake Moon in the Water to extract information from his brain after we defeat him.

The premise is that I have the ability to defeat him.

“I sincerely hope you don’t die so easily. If you must die, do it after you’ve refined the elixir for me,” I said.

"Making a fool of oneself."

Shui Shi Xuanwu sneered, then stretched out his hand in my direction.

A massive surge of magical power erupted from his body like a tsunami, shattering the earth and spewing forth copious amounts of water. I was about twenty or thirty meters away from him, while the shattered earth, with a radius exceeding two or three hundred meters, easily encompassed the area where we stood.

I felt like a tiny ant caught in a fountain, swept up by a massive amount of water and propelled straight into the sky.

(End of this chapter)