Chapter 431 Slag Weapons
The raw material for "slag" is the souls of those I killed, the remnants left after being burned by flames. Because it is waste that cannot be burned any further, it can also be regarded as a substance that will not change no matter how it is burned.
To be precise, the "slag" left over from before I became the Great Impermanence could still be further burned and destroyed if it were burned again later. However, this process was less about destruction and more about further refinement, and what was left in the end was still black "slag".
These numerous "slag" may seem like useless trash, but they are not. Precisely because they can withstand the destructive power of my flames, they can also be seen as weapon materials capable of withstanding my fire. However, this excessive resilience brings another problem: the "slag" is too stable to be forged into magical weapons.
I asked Mr. Zhu to have the "slag" examined by other professionals, and the conclusions were basically that it was unusable.
After much thought, I realized that there was no need to use "slag" as a material to forge a magic weapon. We could simply make the most of its strength in "bearing flames" and use it as it was.
The slag longsword that is now in my hand is a weapon I made by simply deforming it. Its purpose is to serve as a container to preserve the flames and further compress them.
The "Eclipse" I used in the past was a skill formed by greatly compressing flames; however, "Eclipse" has its limits. After reaching a certain limit, maintaining this extremely high-density power body itself consumes the vast majority of my mental energy. If I relax my mind even slightly, "Eclipse" will disintegrate and explode on the spot before I can launch it at the enemy—it's like dancing on a tightrope.
In a sense, it could be said that I created a fiery vessel using my own spiritual power. The main components of the "Eclipse" technique are not the flame itself or the power to compress it, but the power to maintain its shape evenly and skillfully at the critical point. There's a saying, "A thousand-mile dike is breached by an ant hole." The slightest mistake can cause an imbalance of internal pressure and destroy itself. "Eclipse" is such a dangerous technique that it is difficult to control.
By compressing the flames within the slag weapon, a significant amount of mental energy can be freed up and used to focus on compressing the flames. Since my flames cannot destroy the slag, there's no need to worry about the thing going out of control and exploding.
While the power will inevitably gradually dissipate from the slag weapon during this process, as long as it's not released explosively, this so-called "dissipation" is merely a slow release of energy. Considering that it could contain enough power to destroy an entire large city, even if I were to simply discard it and return to examine it centuries later, the lost power would likely only represent a very small portion.
The day I created the slag weapon, I immediately put it to the test, and the results were astonishing. This slag weapon allowed me to unleash attack power several times greater than before, while the compressed flames could also be effectively used defensively. If someone were to fight me unarmed with this slag weapon, the battle would be completely one-sided.
Overall, my approach to increasing my combat power is somewhat similar to the "Golden Core" of the Naval Genbu, both of which compress immense magical power into a container. The difference is that the Naval Genbu is basically unable to manipulate the Genbu magical power compressed within the "Golden Core" to reach the Great Impermanence Domain, while I, being the Great Impermanence myself, although the power compressed by the slag weapon is too heavy, is not to the point that I cannot match it.
In addition, because I can attack regardless of spatial distance, the flames released after decompression can reach the target location before they have a chance to spread much and are at a very high density. This avoids the awkward situation where, like the Black Tortoise of the Navy, the flames are only of a usable size when they hit distant enemies.
When Mr. Zhu saw this weapon, he also gave it a very high evaluation.
“In your realm of the Great Impermanence, all special abilities are meaningless; in the end, it all comes down to the strength of the user.” That’s what he told me. “Although you can’t unleash the power of your crafted magic weapon, I think it’s perfectly fine even if you can’t now, because this is the magic weapon that’s best suited for you.”
So, can this weapon be used to defeat the Life-Destroying Turbidity? This was the first question I considered after confirming its power.
I'm afraid that still won't work.
At best, I can only contend with the Life-Destroying Turbidity, because the Life-Destroying Turbidity is unkillable. Although I can achieve infinite endurance, the Life-Destroying Turbidity can also achieve infinite endurance, and even infinite resurrection. Furthermore, it can damage my True Spirit, while I cannot inflict any effective harm on it.
With the slag weapon, I'm confident I can defend against the dark red and black rays of the Life-Defiled Blade. However, if you ask me if I could withstand a thousand attacks from the Life-Defiled Blade, I lack confidence. Even the wisest can make a mistake, and my defense isn't foolproof. If the conflict is dragged out long enough, the Life-Defiled Blade will ultimately prevail.
I need to find a way to overcome Meijo's immortal body. Although Meijo and I seem to be getting along well now, that doesn't mean our conflict has been completely resolved.
Zhu Shi said that the power of the True Spirit can even threaten those who have reached the realm of dreaming of enlightenment. So, could it be used to restrain the Naraku Undying Body of Life Turbidity? If so, would I also have the opportunity to master such power?
Silver Moon once mentioned to me in a spiritual dream that legendary realms such as "reincarnation," "dreams," and "manifestations" are all related to the self-realization of one's true spirit, to varying degrees. Perhaps I too will have the opportunity to touch upon the power of the true spirit. Unfortunately, I have also actively investigated the knowledge related to those legendary realms in the archives of the Luoshan headquarters. Most of it only describes "who left behind what deeds," without much in-depth description of the connotations of the realms themselves.
Just as each Great Impermanence is an unrepeatable miracle, the achievement of each legendary realm seems to have no correct rules to follow, and in terms of quantity, it is far rarer than the Great Impermanence in history.
In the world of Witcher, the sole criterion for judging whether someone is a Great Impermanent is the magnitude of their power, but power and realm are not entirely intertwined. Those who reach the Legendary realm can mostly wield power at the level of a Great Impermanent; however, those who wield power at the level of a Great Impermanent are not necessarily capable of reaching the Legendary realm.
The next day, I went to the university and observed that Xiao Qiao, a junior student, also entered the campus as usual.
I first approached her and asked if she had encountered anything strange the previous night. Although my surveillance hadn't revealed anything unusual, I was still concerned about the possibility of any "anomalies that only the person experiencing them could perceive." Fortunately, everything seemed normal the previous night, and she went to class afterwards.
Although I was supposed to protect her closely yesterday, the mysterious man specified the time as night, but it's still daytime. Since "Firefly" is here, I don't really need to stick my whole body to protect her. I'll just stay nearby like an undercover bodyguard.
When Zhu Shi saw me waiting nearby, he came over to chat with me and then said with a smile, "Xiao Qiao was a famous beauty in the first year. Although the title of 'school beauty' is no longer popular these days, you can be considered the school beauty's bodyguard now, Senior Brother Zhuang."
“Really? But I think you’re more famous. Although I haven’t heard much about those rumors,” I said.
"You really know how to say things like that without batting an eye..."
Zhu Shi sighed first, then prepared to go to class, and added before leaving: "By the way, I tried to contact the level-one Wuchang in charge of Xianshui City, but I couldn't get through. He hasn't been around for half a month, I can't get through to him on the phone, and he doesn't reply to my email messages."
Could it be that the extraordinary, high-ranking, and unpredictable man was actually the weirdo who persuaded and recruited Xiao Qiao, and that he betrayed Luo Shan to come to Taoyuan Township? I had this suspicion. Taoyuan Township itself has a large record of developing members in all aspects of society, and even in Luo Shan. The defection of a high-ranking, unpredictable man like Cheng, while surprising, is not the first case.
As evening approached, it seemed that Xiao Qiao had finished all her classes for the day. She walked to the entrance of the teaching building and looked around. It was dinnertime, and many people were heading towards the student cafeteria. The student cafeteria at Xianshui University was also open to people from outside the university, and the food was of decent quality; there were quite a few people on the way. I walked over alone, and when Xiao Qiao saw me, she looked relieved and quickly ran to my side.
"Did that person say exactly what time to meet at the abandoned construction site?" I asked.
"That wasn't mentioned, they only said it would be at night."
Xiao Qiao, a junior student, looked at the sky and then suggested, "How about... we go to the cafeteria for a meal first?"
"good……"
Just as I finished replying, I saw a man dressed in black stop as he was about to pass behind Xiao Qiao, then gently tap her on the shoulder from behind. She looked puzzled and turned around.
At the same time, the man's body underwent a terrifying transformation. His entire body suddenly expanded as if inflated, his clothes and trousers were torn apart by the violent change, revealing his blood-red skin and explosive muscles that seemed to contain endless rage.
His head had become like a sheep's, yet it appeared grotesque and deformed. Even his pupils were horizontal, making one feel utterly uncomfortable just looking at him. His mouth was not covered by lips, and his teeth and gums were exposed to the air, with hot air escaping from between his teeth, making him look like a monster crawling out of hell.
What Xiao Qiao saw when she turned around was a monster whose entire body was filled with terror and violence.
She froze on the spot, as if her whole body had crashed. After a moment, she seemed to realize that the monster in front of her was not her daydream, and let out a scream of utter panic.
(End of this chapter)
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