Chapter 518 The Great Demon Descends

I hadn't even introduced myself yet, but this mysterious woman had already said my name.

I thought back briefly, and realized that neither Youhun nor Tanxiang had called my name when she was following us. Could it be that during my time-space communication with Yuchi Chaokong, they called out my name in an attempt to "wake me up," and he overheard it? I glanced at the two of them.

Sandalwood was puzzled by my actions, while Wandering Soul seemed to understand, shook his head, and then frowned as he sized up the mysterious woman opposite him.

I did not truly demonstrate the level of power I possessed, and the mysterious woman, knowing my name and surrendering so easily, clearly knew my true identity and level of power, thus concluding that continuing the fight was pointless.

The change in her attitude seemed to be triggered by her seeing my appearance clearly, but she had been secretly observing us for so long before, and when she first spoke, she was still asking me who I was. It's impossible that she only recognized my true identity now because of my appearance.

The real turning point will be the moment I unleash my flame.

Fire is a common power, found almost everywhere, and the ability to manipulate fire alone is far from sufficient to determine my true identity. However, things are different when it comes to magical fluctuations. Any demon hunter who has witnessed my fire even once can do that.

But I've only been in this post-apocalyptic era for a short time, so where would I find someone who could recognize me just by the fluctuations of magical power? Even if other post-apocalyptic survivors could "recognize" me, they would most likely recognize me as the Great Demon of Calamity, just like the little girl next to the cartographer last time.

It would be a different story if it were a small bowl. She's seen my flames and should be able to recognize the magical fluctuations within them. Although she's never seen my actual appearance, this information alone would be enough for her to confirm my true identity. In my plan, this is also how we'll recognize each other.

In a post-apocalyptic world, it's possible to encounter your past or future self; similarly, it's also possible to encounter acquaintances from the past or future. Surely this mysterious woman isn't "Little Bowl grown up," is she?

The moment I thought of this section, I suddenly realized another possibility.

If I remember correctly, I had another "acquaintance" in the post-apocalyptic era besides Little Bowl, namely Number Seven.

Yes, Number Seven is very likely also in the apocalyptic era. This has been confirmed through Yuchi's technology. Yuchi once told me that when he tried to locate Little Bowl using the fragments of the Divine Seal, he encountered significant interference due to the difference in eras; and when he tried to track and locate Number Seven, he also encountered the same type of interference. Although it's still in the reasoning stage, Yuchi and I both believe that Number Seven and Little Bowl are in the same situation.

When the Void Realm was destroyed, Number Seven also witnessed my flames. Therefore, when I met her in the apocalypse, it became perfectly reasonable that she could not recognize my true identity by my appearance but only by the fluctuations of my flame magic.

"—Are you number seven?" I asked directly.

"..."

Upon hearing my form of address, the mysterious woman showed neither surprise nor confusion, but remained silent, as if weighing her options for how to respond. It was difficult to discern whether this was tacit agreement, an avoidance of my question, or an intention to deny it.

I re-examined my reasoning and found other inexplicable contradictions. First, assuming this mysterious woman is Number Seven, she should at most be able to identify me as Number Three in the Virtual Realm. Why then does she know my name is Zhuang Cheng?

Yuchi and Xugou knew that "Number Three is Zhuang Cheng" because they were both from the modern world. With a little simple investigation, they could easily narrow down the possibilities of Number Three's identity to "Zhuang Cheng, the newly promoted Great Impermanence of Luoshan." Number Seven, on the other hand, was not only not from the modern world and lacked access to modern intelligence, but had also never interacted with other Void Realm Apostles.

Besides the mysterious woman being Number Seven, are there other possibilities to explain the current situation? It seems there are.

For example, the mysterious woman may have met me at some point in the future before clashing with me in the present. The reason she can't recognize me is because her memory of me is hazy. Alternatively, she may know somewhere that "the predecessor of the Great Demon of Calamity was Zhuang Cheng," so when she sees someone with "the same magical fluctuations as the Great Demon of Calamity" but who looks human, she can accurately match them with the information in her mind.

"I remember now."

Just as I was in a silent stalemate with the mysterious woman, the wandering spirit suddenly spoke, addressing the mysterious woman opposite him, "You are the demigod who has always followed Tai Sui, Tai Sui's confidant, his most trusted right-hand man... right? So you are not dead after all."

"Although I've forgotten your name, I'm sure I've met you more than once before. Of course, someone as important as you probably wouldn't even consider a nobody like me a threat..."

Perhaps it was the mysterious woman number seven who glanced at the wandering spirit and spoke again: "I remember you, you're the wandering spirit. Still looking as disheveled as ever... Could it be that you're the one who wanted the Three Lives Stone to be scattered?"

“It is I,” the wandering spirit said in a humble tone. “You… no, you used to be a high-ranking official in charge of the Tai Sui Gospel Temple, and you know this place like the back of your hand. I don’t know why the Three Lives Stone Powder appeared in the Tai Sui Gospel Temple, nor do I know why you are lingering in this destroyed place now… but if you know any clues…”

The mysterious woman ignored the wandering spirit and looked at me, asking, "Is this your intention? You want to find the Three Lives Stone Powder for him?"

“Yes,” I said.

Upon receiving this reply, the mysterious woman took out a small item from her bosom and tossed it towards me from a distance.

I reached out and grabbed it, looking down at it. It was a paper package only about half the size of a fist, containing something that looked like sand, and faintly emitting a smell reminiscent of traditional Chinese medicine.

“This is what you wanted,” the mysterious woman said. “It’s enough for one person only; just take it with water.”

Is this the Three Lives Stone Powder? I sensed the astonishment and surprise on the faces of the wandering spirits around me. Although I really wanted to verify it, I didn't know what the Three Lives Stone Powder actually looked like, and unless I took it, there was no way to confirm it.

"Is this your apology for surrendering? Or are you planning to use this item to trade something with us?" I asked.

"Consider it an apology, but I do have something I want to discuss with you." The mysterious woman seemed to be carefully choosing her words. "Zhuang Cheng, could you tell me... how did you leave your original time and space and come to this place?"

As soon as she asked that question, I was pretty sure she was number seven.

"I was banished to the void by the underworld. When I tried to return to the modern world, something went wrong and I unexpectedly arrived in the apocalypse," I said.

"The Underworld? Exile? Accident?" The mysterious woman seemed to be caught in a strange anxiety. "Didn't you come here voluntarily for Number Two? I mean... you don't even know how you traveled through time?"

"I don't know," I said.

The mysterious woman took a deep breath and then said, "I understand. So, Zhuang Cheng, let me ask you a question first: do you want to return to your original time and space?"

I asked him noncommittally, "Do you have a solution?"

The mysterious woman nodded and continued, "That's right, I have a way. However, I lack the power necessary to fulfill the conditions. This can only be done with your help."

“But before that, we’d better find somewhere else to talk. It’s far too dangerous here, especially for you…”

For me? I was completely baffled.

However, it's better to talk in a different place. Assuming the mysterious woman is Number Seven, and her attitude here seems to be that she doesn't want to discuss anything related to her virtual identity in front of the Wandering Soul and Sandalwood, then I can just confirm her identity again in private.

But before she could finish speaking, an unexpected turn of events disrupted the exchange.

Based on the mysterious woman's cold attitude, the wandering soul and I suspected that some kind of dangerous anomaly might exist here. Considering that the mysterious woman possessed the abilities of a Great Completion Realm cultivator, and could determine that the anomaly being the source of the threat was at least beyond the capabilities of a Great Completion Realm cultivator, I was somewhat prepared for this. However, the threat, the moment it appeared, easily crushed my expectations.

The enemy that appears this time is definitely not a post-apocalyptic monster that only has special abilities but lacks sufficient power.

The magical energy fluctuations that reached the realm of the gods exploded from afar and ravaged this place like an overwhelming tsunami.

For a moment, I even had a strong visual hallucination, as if the whole world was submerged by dark seawater, and I was immersed in an abyss thousands of feet below.

The mysterious woman seemed to have a similar hallucination. She lost her strength and fell to the ground, clutching her body in pain, as if an invisible "water pressure" was pressing down on her body from the outside, and her body inexplicably burst open with wounds.

The wandering spirit and the sandalwood were completely unharmed; they clearly felt nothing.

"How could it be so fast... Xuanwu..." the mysterious woman said desperately, "...Run... The Great Demon Xuanwu is coming—!"

Then, from beneath the ground in the courtyard, an overwhelming force erupted like a volcanic eruption.

(End of this chapter)