Chapter 359 Post-War
The battle is over. Although I still feel a sense of lingering excitement, I'm not a mindless battle maniac. I know that continuing the fight would result in far more losses than gains. Now that the main objective has been achieved, it's best to call it a day.
Now, my flames are everywhere within Mingzhuo's body and soul, coupled with the flames of Xuanming, so he probably won't be able to make a ripple for a long time. Even though his experience and skills in manipulating the power of Great Impermanence far surpass mine, he won't be able to regain his advantage under these conditions.
This is like a Go match where one side is an amateur Go player, and the other side is the world's most advanced AI, but the AI is giving the other a 100-stone handicap. Even with a huge difference in skill, the amateur player is practically guaranteed to win. Common sense dictates that even the phrase "for a very long time" isn't necessary; it seems impossible for the amateur player to ever turn the tables.
But my opponent is, after all, the Great Unpredictable One. Even if I can't come up with a solution, it doesn't mean he'll never find one. The conflict between us hasn't truly ended; it's just resurfaced. I still need to find a way to become stronger as quickly as possible, at least to reach a level of raw power equal to Ming Zhuo's.
Before returning to the Luoshan headquarters, Mingzhuo turned around and looked at me, saying in a very sinister tone, "You didn't make me forbid you from attacking me in the oath."
The previous oath only forbade Mingzhuo from attacking those around me, not from attacking me directly. It's not that I didn't notice this loophole, but I had no intention of fixing it.
“I don’t mind,” I said.
“You madman…” Mingzhuo cursed.
Jian Feixian, who had been standing behind Fazheng without participating in the conversation, suddenly spoke up at this moment.
“If you continue to fight Zhuang Cheng, you might still be able to win,” he said to Ming Zhuo.
Ming Zhuo snorted coldly, not responding to the question. Jian Feixian, on the other hand, revealed a blatant look of contempt, then turned to me and said, "Zhuang Cheng, you must nip it in the bud. If you let him go today, the consequences will be dire."
"I'll let it go this time. Besides, I want to defeat him with my own strength in the future."
I first answered Jian Feixian, then said to Mingzhuo, "You must be very dissatisfied. Next time, I will make you accept it."
I can understand Mingzhuo's emotions. It's one thing for him to be subservient to Xuanming, but he could never truly submit to me. My power is clearly weaker than his; I was only able to suppress him because of the power Xuanming left behind.
Even if I, as the victor, used dishonest means to seize victory, I would at most feel a lukewarm sigh in my heart, "If only I were strong enough to win without resorting to such methods." But for the loser, Mingzhuo, to be defeated by dishonest means, the frustration he felt is unimaginable.
“…You had better be able to do that,” Mingzhuo said coldly, “otherwise, next time, you’ll only have your last breath left.”
"You really think that way?"
Jian Feixian's gaze seemed to be able to read my emotions. After listening, he paused for a moment, then threw a glass talisman at me.
"Come visit me whenever you have time." He seemed quite happy.
Then he turned around, transforming into a streak of silver metallic light and flying into the distance, disappearing at the edge of the horizon. Ming Zhuo glared fiercely in the direction where Jian Feixian had disappeared, then turned into black and red smoke and vanished from the spot.
Just as Jian Feixian said, if Mingzhuo had chosen to continue fighting me after Shenzhao intervened, I wouldn't have been absolutely certain I could push him back into the killing cycle, and the possibility of being counter-killed objectively existed. Mingzhuo didn't do that, and there's only one possibility: he was afraid of the risks.
Faced with the possibility of being worn down by me, and the option of taking a step back to open up a whole new world, he chose the latter.
From my own perspective, while this choice may not align with my aesthetic, there's nothing to despise about it. Everyone categorizes their possessions, and the most precious things they absolutely cannot afford to lose are those they absolutely cannot afford to lose. The most important thing is not to regret the choices you make. In essence, I'm no different from Mingzhuo, who simply protected what he most wanted to protect.
The other Great Impermanences also left one after another. Before leaving, Shenzhao gave me a look, then turned into white light and disappeared. Just as Number Five Yuchi could recognize me as a Void Realm Apostle based on my power, Number Six Shenzhao obviously recognized me as well. He probably hoped to have a chance to talk to me privately in the future.
He just interfered with my battle with Mingzhuo, though you could also say he helped me by preventing me from missing a major event that might determine whether the apocalypse would come. However, I still find it hard to like him. More importantly, I don't really want to be alone with him in my current weakened state.
Let me go back and restore my damaged spirit first.
The Luoshan headquarters is over 200 kilometers away from where I am now. I used the flame teleportation to return there. Originally, the Luoshan headquarters was surrounded by the Gua Tianshi's barrier, so I might not have been able to sense the thermal energy mark I left there. However, at the start of the battle, Ming Zhuo blasted me outside, breaking through the barrier along the way. Thanks to this, I was spared the trouble of returning.
Fa Zheng came back with me. When we arrived, he turned to me and said, "Go and heal your wounds first. We can talk about anything else later."
I had no objection, so I bid farewell to Fazheng and returned to the hotel where Mazao and the others were staying.
At this moment, the Luoshan headquarters was in an uproar. The magical fluctuations from my battle with Mingzhuo had already been sensed by countless people, but no one noticed what happened to me, the person involved.
When I arrived outside Ma Zao's room, I heard a murmur of conversation coming from behind the door. Judging from the voices, they were Lu Chan, Zhu Shi, Old Master Zhu, and Ma Zao.
"...Zhu Shi, can you sense the magical energy fluctuations of Zhuang Cheng and Ming Zhuo? How is the battle going? Zhuang Cheng's sea of fire has completely blocked Ming Zhuo's magical energy fluctuations, and now I can't sense Zhuang Cheng's magical energy fluctuations anymore... Has Ming Zhuo won?"
“No, I can’t sense it either. It’s not just Zhuang Cheng’s magical energy fluctuations that are unobservable, Ming Zhuo’s magical energy fluctuations have also become unobservable… However, it doesn’t seem to have disappeared suddenly, but rather subsided… Speaking of which, Lu Chan, my ‘Buzhou Mountain’ isn’t specifically used for detecting magical energy fluctuations. Don’t just ask me, try using detection spells yourself.”
"Don't panic. Zhuang Cheng has probably already lost, and we should probably evacuate the Luoshan headquarters. Ma Zao, you should be able to teleport to Zhuang Cheng's side at any time, right? So, can you sense Zhuang Cheng's current location? Perhaps he's not dead, but has fled after his defeat. We should teleport to him first and see if we can help... No, he might still be in the process of fleeing. If we go there now, we might actually hinder him, so..."
"The magical energy fluctuations around Zhuang Cheng were too intense, but it seems to have subsided. I can now sense Zhuang Cheng's location... Hmm? Wait a minute..."
I pushed the door open and entered. The four of them were huddled by the window. Hearing the faint sounds coming from here, they all turned around at once, as if facing a formidable enemy.
When Ma Zao recognized me, she showed a look of surprise.
"Zhuang Cheng!"
She rushed over immediately and hugged me tightly.
The other three stood frozen in place. Old Mr. Zhu was the first to react, saying incredulously, "Why did you come here...? Is the battle over? What was the outcome? Could it be...?"
"Senior Brother Zhuang, you won?" Zhu Shi asked with a beaming smile.
Lu Chan assumed from the beginning that I had a good chance of winning, so he wasn't as incredulous as Mr. Zhu and was the calmest person present.
I, holding Ma Zao, directly announced the result.
“I won,” I said.
-
Three days passed after that.
News of Mingzhuo's defeat had spread far and wide, while I spent most of my time recuperating in secluded places.
At the Luoshan headquarters, there's a super-luxury sanatorium specifically for treating injured Witchers. I've been staying there for a while, receiving the highest level of care. Judging from the description, it might be mistaken for a hospital, but if I had to describe it, it's more like a healthcare center. It's less a place for healing and more for recuperation, so some exhausted Witchers also seek solace here.
My body and soul don't need healing; what needs healing is my spirit. And healing the spirit is a completely unknown area in Luoshan. The safest and most effective method, confirmed throughout history, is "eating well and sleeping well." While I don't have a rigid need to eat, eating like a human brings me inner peace, which seems to help with the recovery of my spirit.
Sleep is even more helpful. Although I don't have a strong need for sleep, sleep is an excellent way to nourish the soul and is also beneficial to the spirit. Since my spirit was damaged, I also felt quite drowsy, so I had a good sleep.
After three days, I feel much better. Zhenling's recovery is slower than I initially predicted, but it's close to initial recovery. If I had to say anything, I still feel a bit carsick, but at least I no longer have any premonitions of danger.
Ma stayed by my side almost constantly, while Mr. Zhu was busy with other things. Zhu Shi was also busy with Mr. Zhu, but he would often come to visit me.
Lu Chan also came to see me on the morning of the third day. After confirming my recovery speed, he showed an expression of amazement.
“According to historical records, damage to the true spirit is generally incurable. Even if it can be healed, the healing process is very slow, and it may even leave lifelong sequelae…” he said.
(End of this chapter)
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