Chapter 334 The Void Realm Forces Make Their Debut 2

Even before these two incidents of Void Realm Apostles attacking the Luoshan branch base occurred, there were already rumors about the Lord of the Divine Seal in Luoshan.

This rumor stemmed from Luo Shan's speculation about the Fan Tian incident. A small-scale hypothesis circulated in Luo Shan that the "origin of the Fan Tian incident was the Divine Seal." Since the Divine Seal existed, it meant there might be someone who "used the Divine Seal," that is, the "Master of the Divine Seal." Now, two Great Impermanences from outside Luo Shan have appeared, claiming to be apostles of the Masters of the Divine Seal, immediately causing related rumors to erupt.

"According to the information I gathered this morning, the Great Impermanence are preparing to gather at the Luoshan headquarters to discuss this matter. The core of their discussion is this newly emerged mysterious organization—'The Void Realm'," said Old Master Zhu with utmost seriousness. "This Void Realm is very likely to become the fourth threat after the Humanity Department, Peach Blossom Spring, and the Proclaimed Believers, and its threat far surpasses any of the previous three..."

"No, even if you combine the first three together, their threat level might not even match that of the mysterious organization, the Void Realm. Although Xuanming said that there are only seven people in this organization who can be called 'Apostles,' the two Apostles that have already appeared have both demonstrated the power of the Great Impermanence Domain. So what about the other five? Could they also be Great Impermanence?"

"Xuanming even said that he was only the fourth among them, just in the middle! What number is that mysterious Great Impermanence who calls himself 'Xu Dog'? Could the top three have even greater power than Xuanming? What exactly is the level of the Divine Seal Master hidden behind the scenes?"

"While I find it hard to believe that so many figures of the Great Impermanence level could appear out of nowhere, the world of Witchers is inherently full of unknowns and chaos. Anything, no matter how unbelievable, is possible; even time travel and parallel world crossings are not entirely impossible. Therefore, until the truth is confirmed, nothing can be definitively concluded..."

No, you're overthinking it. Xuanming is the most powerful "Great Impermanence" among the "Virtual Realm Apostles".

Our numbers don't represent the order of strength, they're just the order of entry...

Although I really wanted to say that, upon calming down and thinking about it, assuming that the mysterious organization in the Void Realm, in Luo Shan's eyes, is truly a force where all members are united, its strength is indeed second to none except for Luo Shan. "Seven Great Impermanences" is definitely an exaggeration, but Xu Gou, Xuan Ming, and Shen Zhao are indeed Great Impermanences, and with me, who has just entered the realm of Great Impermanences, more than half of the seven are actually Great Impermanences.

Of the remaining people, I know Number Two, Little Bowl, inside and out, while Number Five doesn't seem to be a character at the level of Great Impermanence. As for Number Seven... everything about her is very mysterious. Although I didn't sense any Great Impermanence aura from her, I didn't initially determine that Dog was Great Impermanence either, so she might just be hiding it very well... If she is also Great Impermanence, then there will be a full five Great Impermanence in the Void Realm.

Keep in mind that Luoshan currently only has eight Great Impermanences!

Only two days have passed since the incident, not a long time, but some people in Luoshan may have already realized that Xugou is the Great Impermanence qualifier created by the Humanity Division in the past. Although Fufeng and Dongche had already learned of Xugou's existence from senior researchers, it was only a verbal description. After Xugou officially appears as a Great Impermanence powerhouse, the threat level of the Humanity Division in Luoshan's eyes will definitely rise accordingly.

This is likely Xu Gou's purpose as well. He harbors deep hatred for both the Humanitarian Affairs Department and Ying Lingyun. The reason he chose to use the name "Xu Gou" at the Fufeng base while maintaining his hidden identity in the virtual realm, and even deliberately left some eyewitnesses alive, was probably to divert some of the attention to the Humanitarian Affairs Department.

No wonder when I mentioned the information related to the Void Realm and the Divine Seal fragments to Elder Zhu, Zhu Shi kept giving me meaningful glances, telling me not to say so much. Although I felt Elder Zhu was trustworthy, he also had strong political leanings. Given the commotion caused by Xuan Ming and Xu Gou, perhaps Zhu Shi felt it wasn't wise to reveal the Void Realm so hastily.

To be honest, the whole thing that Xuanming and Xugou pulled off gave me a secret sense of satisfaction that I can't share with outsiders.

What Void Realm, what Apostles, what goal of destroying the world, what mysterious organization full of powerful figures—it all struck a chord with me. I couldn't wait to find an opportunity to hide my identity and run away, to attack a Luoshan branch base, and then imitate Xuanming and the others by saying that I was also a Void Realm Apostle, and even ranked one rank higher than Xuanming.

I myself think this idea is too naive, so I wouldn't actually go out of my way to put it into practice. I'll wait for the right time and place.

After calming myself down a bit, Fu Feng's face appeared in my mind.

I never imagined he would die at the hands of Xu Gou… Although I didn’t have much affection for Fu Feng, and he often gave off a very calculating vibe, he had, after all, treated Ma Zao and me well. His unexpected straightforwardness and honesty at our parting also won me over. But that turned out to be the last time I saw him… Recalling his voice, his smile, and his mannerisms, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.

“Since Fazheng invited me to the Luoshan headquarters, then I will go. It just so happens that Mingzhuo is at the Luoshan headquarters, which will make it convenient for me to cause him trouble.” I said, “Where is the Luoshan headquarters? I’ll go there now.”

“No…we’ll go together too,” Mr. Zhu said. “Let’s take the proper route.”

"The official route?" I asked.

"The Luoshan headquarters is currently covered by the defensive barrier of the Divination Master, and entry is only permitted by following proper procedures. Of course, as the Great Impermanence, you should be able to forcefully break through that barrier on your own," said Old Master Zhu. "However, it seems you don't intend to make a big fuss about it right now. Are you planning to temporarily conceal your entry into the Great Impermanence's domain? If so, I suggest you don't confront the Divination Master's barrier head-on."

I really don't want Mingzhuo to know in advance that I have become the Great Impermanence.

It's not that I want to launch a sneak attack; on the contrary, I'll challenge him through the main gate. So what's the point of concealing my identity as the Great Impermanence? The point is simple: I want to surprise that guy.

"I understand, we'll follow the proper procedures." I nodded.

“Alright, my granddaughter and I will make preparations afterward. Once we arrive at headquarters, with Fazheng's token, you will be able to move freely throughout most of Luoshan…”

As he spoke, Mr. Zhu looked at the glass talisman in my hand and suddenly asked, "What do you think of Fazheng's invitation? Are you planning to refuse?"

“Yinyue… or rather Chang’an, should have been captured by Ying Lingyun and taken to the Humanitarian Affairs Department’s facilities. In order to find them as soon as possible, I may need to rely on the power of Fazheng…” I said, expressing my thoughts. “I might have to agree to some of his requests.”

"If that's the reason..."

Mr. Zhu showed a complicated expression. He paused for a moment, then continued, "Although it may seem too heartless for me, as his grandfather, to say such things... Zhuang Cheng, Chang'an is beyond saving."

"Grandpa?" Zhu Shiyi exclaimed in surprise.

Mr. Zhu continued, "If what you say is true, Chang'an's personality was a dream created by Yin Yue from the very beginning... an illusion woven by Yin Yue. Then is there really a way to save him? Shouldn't the object that should be saved have never existed in the first place? You don't need to agree to Fa Zheng's request for something like this."

"Stop talking, Mr. Zhu. If we can't save Chang'an by any means necessary, I will naturally give up. But that's a choice I can only make after exhausting all other options," I said. "Chang'an is my friend, and Zhu Shi is my friend too. I feel this way towards Chang'an today, and I will feel the same way towards Zhu Shi if he is in trouble in the future."

"On the other hand, if you saw how easily I gave up Chang'an today..."

Before I could finish my sentence, Mr. Zhu understood what I meant. He nodded and said, "I understand. I won't say such things again."

“Zhuang Cheng, I’ve heard that the words of the Great Impermanence possess immense power, capable of issuing commands to the world, with the power to make one’s words come true and almost to grant one’s wishes, and even to reverse life and death with just a single sentence… Could it be that even such power could not save my brother?” Zhu Shi asked.

“It’s impossible.” I shook my head. “I know this from personal experience. The power of the Great Impermanence’s words is not such a convenient power… no, to be precise, it’s a power that’s not very useful except for convenience.”

"Why do you say that?" Zhu Shi asked curiously.

"For example... 'water'."

I stretched out my palm, and then, a ball of water appeared out of thin air in my palm. At the same time, the air in the room suddenly became very dry. This was because I had concentrated all the moisture in the air.

In this process, I did not use any magic power. Moreover, my magic power is fire, so I cannot do something like the Water Master Xuanwu summoning a water sphere. I merely commanded the moisture in the air.

In ancient philosophy, there is a worldview called "animism," which, simply put, believes that all things in the world possess spirit and soul, with perception, memory, and even the ability to think. I don't know if that worldview aligns with reality, but I can indeed command all things in the world with words, making them act as if they possess their own thoughts and abilities, following my instructions.

I don't even need to say it out loud; I can just think it in my head. I put it into words simply because it aligns with my intuitive thinking.

"'freeze'."

With the second command, the water sphere transformed into an ice sphere. My words can command not only matter, but also energy. I could also accomplish this freezing phenomenon using my superpowers to manipulate heat, but now I'm doing it purely with language. And it's not just phenomena of this magnitude; I can even attempt to create phenomena that defy the laws of physics.

I threw the water balloon towards the floor, and before it hit the ground, I issued the third command.

"'Gravity reversal'."

The hockey puck paused very close to the floor, then miraculously "fell" towards the ceiling.

(End of this chapter)