Chapter 321 Divine Elixir
Soon, I sensed the thermal energy signals inside Silver Moon's body.
But that's all I can do. I can only grasp the existence of this thermal energy mark, and thus the state of Silver Moon's body, but I can't pinpoint Silver Moon's exact spatial coordinates at this moment. When I try to observe the scene where Silver Moon is, I feel as if my perception is shrouded in a gray mist, making it impossible to see the specific situation there.
The gray fog is obstructing my senses.
To be honest, I was somewhat surprised. Not because the gray mist could obstruct my senses, but because it couldn't completely block them. This was the power of a fragment of a divine seal; based on past experience, severing my connection with the thermal energy symbol shouldn't be more difficult than cutting spider silk with an iron knife.
Previously, I used my flames to hinder the gray mist, and the gray mist was indeed affected by me. Although the effect only lasted for a second or two before being quickly suppressed, my power was actually able to have an effect on the earth-shattering divine seal's might.
This is also irrefutable proof that I have become stronger.
Unfortunately, this is all I can do for now. To truly suppress the gray mist, I have an unknown road ahead. And…
I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to become stronger in the future.
My full potential has been realized. I can feel the power that has been suppressed deep within my soul transforming into firepower that I can control. From now on, no matter how powerful the enemy or how terrifying the danger, I will no longer be able to instantly become stronger in a crisis as I used to. I am now in my complete form.
In the past, I was a potential master of impermanence, and now I am impermanence.
To continue growing, one must exert effort in other directions, see if one can draw inferences from similar cases, or study the techniques of using strength, and so on.
The former is probably hopeless, because due to the Vermilion Bird Seed of the Two Elements of the Mountain, I lack any talent other than manipulating the power of fire. The direction of "weapon forging" is worth exploring, but considering my strange performance in this area all along, I have a feeling it won't be that smooth.
As for the latter... let's take it one step at a time.
I've considered studying the techniques of manipulating magic before, but when my power was still rapidly increasing, it was better to focus on unleashing my full potential rather than spending time and energy on mastering techniques. A technique I learned yesterday might be inadequate for my increased power by tomorrow. Now that my power can no longer advance, I can only hope for the positive effects that techniques will bring.
For now, let's focus on Silvermoon. Actually, I more or less understand where Silvermoon has been taken. This feeling of being hindered by the gray mist is somewhat similar to an experience I had in the past—when I was inside an independent reality space.
At that time, I also had difficulty communicating with the "fireflies" I had set up in the real world. Right now, the shielding has just been strengthened many times over, but it hasn't reached the point where I can't recognize them. On a side note, I don't know if I'm overthinking it, but the fact that the shielding between me and another space has been strengthened to this extent reminds me of the isolation I experienced in a basement on the fifteenth floor.
The Silver Moon has probably been moved to some independent real-world space set up by Ying Lingyun elsewhere.
In the last independent reality space, I was able to bypass the firewall and forcibly intrude by relying on my identity as the holder of the Divine Seal Fragment and the Flame Teleportation. However, the current independent reality space has likely changed its firewall mechanism, or simply and crudely added a blacklist mechanism specifically targeting "Zhuang Cheng is not allowed to enter," making it impossible for me to do the same thing.
For Yin Yue, falling into Ying Lingyun's hands would be far more unacceptable than falling into my hands. At least for now, I haven't found a way to eliminate her alone and spare Chang'an, while Ying Lingyun likely possesses a method to resurrect the real Yin Yue using her as a sacrifice. Therefore, aside from the fortune teller who intends to invite her to join his side, Yin Yue is truly an enemy of the entire world.
Ying Lingyun's purpose conflicts with mine. I cannot allow Ying Lingyun to use Silver Moon as a living sacrifice, because that would be tantamount to using Chang'an as a living sacrifice. Fortunately, I shouldn't need to worry too much about Ying Lingyun putting it into practice so early. Given Silver Moon's current state of being burned to pieces, it's highly likely that it's incapable of serving as a living sacrifice to resurrect the real Silver Moon.
Ying Lingyun will likely try to heal Yin Yue first, which will definitely be an extremely difficult task. After all, it's a burn inflicted by me, the Great Impermanence. Although it might not be as severe as Xuan Ming's, it's far beyond what a normal burn can be. Of course, if he intends to use the power of the Divine Seal fragments in this matter, then things will be a different story.
Since I couldn't successfully infiltrate Silver Moon's location, I had to refocus my attention. Just then, I sensed something else. Nearby, there was the flame and heat I had left behind.
The area around Moonshadow Mountain is now filled with my embers, but the reaction coming from somewhere is quite different. Although its presence is extremely faint, and I almost ignored it, it is undoubtedly a reaction coming from "someone I have killed".
The source was not far from the mountaintop. Following the guidance of this reaction, I moved in that direction, deep into the dilapidated forest, and soon found my target.
It was the naval commander Xuanwu. He sat on a rock protruding from the ground in the mountains, using it as a stool, his face pale and exhausted. When he saw me approaching, he raised his eyes and glanced at me, his consciousness seemingly not very clear.
He was already a corpse.
It's not a cheap description. He seems conscious, but he's practically dead. I'm not sure how to define his current state precisely. Perhaps I could use some aquatic animals as an example.
Take crabs, for example. I used to hear people say that you shouldn't eat dead crabs, which puzzled me. Regardless of the animal, people generally kill it before cooking. Some livestock can be cooked if they've just died, but for some reason, crabs can't.
Later, after researching, I learned that arthropods like crabs, which are cold-blooded aquatic animals, can continue to live even when most of their bodies are dead and decaying. Conversely, if something is already dead, even if it just died, its body may have been decomposing for an unknown amount of time.
Humans die first and then become corpses, while many crabs become corpses first and then die at some point.
The naval Xuanwu also exhibited similar characteristics.
My flames undoubtedly killed him; who could have predicted that he could continue to move around for a while after being killed?
At the same time, I also understood how Silver Moon was taken away.
The person who took Silver Moon away must have been Shui Shi Xuanwu. While I was invading Silver Moon's mental world, he used a pre-prepared teleportation method to send the immobile Silver Moon to an unknown, independent reality. This method was likely his trump card for capturing Silver Moon alive. The independent reality is Ying Lingyun's domain; once teleported there, even Silver Moon would be trapped like a turtle in a jar.
The reason the gray mist suddenly appeared in the dream was probably because Silver Moon had been teleported to an independent reality by the Water Master Xuanwu, and the firewall mechanism was trying to forcibly log me out. It wasn't that Ying Lingyun could manipulate the gray mist at will; it was merely a passive manifestation of the mechanism.
The reason I couldn't sense the activities of the naval commander Xuanwu was because he was essentially a lifeless corpse. This was a "great feat" that only a character as close to the Great Impermanence as him, and who possessed an innate advantage over me, could accomplish on the verge of death.
He stared at me for a long time before finally letting out a sigh: "...I never imagined there would be someone who was born with the ability to open the second door."
"The second door?" I asked.
"Witchers have two limits, which are also described as two gates. Breaking through the first gate is the Great Completion stage; while breaking through the second gate is the Great Impermanence stage," he said.
"I see, thank you for your guidance."
I thought of other things, but for now, I'll focus on talking to him: "You're the one who took Silvermoon away, aren't you? And you're almost dead. It's a miracle you can even talk to me now... Why did you go to such lengths?"
"What are you talking about?" he asked back.
“If you hadn’t spent your time trying to take Silver Moon away, but instead focused on escaping, and combined that with your pill-making abilities, you might have had a chance to escape from me—just like when you escaped from Xuanming,” I said. “Are you and Ying Lingyun really that close? Is it really necessary for you to go to such lengths for him?”
“No, Ying Lingyun and I are not friends. We are just casual acquaintances, a mutually beneficial transaction,” he said. “However, I owe him a favor, so I made a promise to him that I would definitely bring Yin Yue to him.”
“I have lived for hundreds of years. In the long course of time, I have changed my appearance, my name, my personality... but I have never broken a promise. I will do my best to fulfill every promise I make. This is what I am most proud of, and it is also the last quality that allows me to feel ‘who I am.’”
"If a person doesn't look out for himself, he'll be punished by heaven and earth... If a person doesn't insist on being himself, heaven and earth won't allow him to exist."
"So even if I die, I will stick to what I said to the end."
There wasn't a trace of regret in his eyes, and I couldn't help but admire him. Then I asked, "So... why didn't you teleport yourself and Silver Moon away together?"
"Based on my own experience, Ying Lingyun should be able to infinitely restart time within his independent reality space. Although this restart cannot repair the soul you lost in the outside world, it might be able to barely keep you alive."
"And in the future, he might take pity on you and resurrect you. Admittedly, that would make you owe a huge favor again, but at least you might not have to die."
“Because I also have an agreement with you.” He said without changing his expression, “What future, what maybe, what uncertain and possible… I don’t care about those things. I won’t base what I have to do on such uncertainty.”
"Have you forgotten? I told you that even if you kill me, I will find a way to deliver the pill to you..."
"Now is the time for me to keep my promise to you."
After speaking, he raised his palm, and his entire body lost all color, resembling a human form made of water. Water-colored magical light seeped from his body, rapidly converging towards his palm, making his body increasingly transparent within the light.
“Making the Divine Sunflower Elixir requires my soul. Since I’m about to be completely destroyed anyway, I’ll just refine it for you right here on the spot,” he said.
"...Do you have any last words?" I asked. "If it's something not too troublesome, I can help you with it."
“I appreciate your kindness, but I don’t want to owe anyone a favor before I die. I’m actually quite relieved to be able to disappear so cleanly now,” he said. “However… there are indeed some things I want to say to you.”
"This is my final warning, Zhuang Cheng. You must be very careful—"
"Although it may be different from the manifestations I know, what you possess is undoubtedly the talent of manifestation, which is also the talent that Shan Liangyi desires most. He has always been plundering the power of others and converting it into his own, and you are his most ideal prey... He will absolutely not let you go."
"So...become stronger, Zhuang Cheng."
"Become so strong that even Yama Ryougi would find it unbelievable, and then use that power to defeat him."
After hearing these words, I nodded and said, "Of course."
The naval commander Xuanwu slowly closed his eyes, his entire body disintegrated, turning into a puddle of water scattered on the ground.
Only a single, aquamarine elixir floated in the air, emitting a faint glow in the dead of night.
(End of this chapter)
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