Chapter 471 VS Dog 2
Although you can't see his expression through the helmet, you can clearly feel that the dog's emotions have changed.
In the real world, he had told the outside world that he was a Void Realm Apostle named "Xu Gou" (戌狗), but he had never mentioned his serial number within the Void Realm. The only people who could identify him were fellow Void Realm Apostles.
"Who exactly are you?" Dog said. "You can't be Number Three. Your power form and magical fluctuations are different, but you know my number..."
"Could it be... you're Number Seven? No, Number Seven is female, you're male..."
"I understand, you're number five!"
After going through the process of elimination, he seemed to think he had found the answer, but then he fell into confusion again. "But... why did you pretend to be Number Three? Was it to frame Number Three for attacking this Luoshan branch base?"
“Outsiders don’t know our internal numbers. This kind of framing only works on those of us who have been recruited by the Void Realm. However, we all know the true form of power of Number Three, so it’s impossible for us to be truly deceived… What’s the point of you doing this?”
Since he already believed I was an Apostle of the Void Realm, I figured the more I said, the more mistakes I would make. So I decided to take this opportunity to play the "riddler" and said mysteriously, "Perhaps you are already very close to the answer. Why not think about it some more?"
The dog paused slightly, then resumed its attack.
"Hmph...playing tricks!"
Even after he "knew" my identity, he clearly had no intention of stopping the fight.
Mysterious ripples spread outwards from him in all directions, eventually reaching my location.
This is a skill that Rabbit and Sheep also used in the Humanitarian Division's main stronghold battle. Its effect is to greatly reduce the enemy's mana density.
Originally, this skill seemed to be something that could only be achieved in an independent real-world space, and couldn't be used in normal time and space. However, the Dog itself can transfer our battlefield to a dungeon space similar to an independent real-world space, making this skill a useful asset.
His underlying structure as a member of the Great Impermanence seems similar to that of the Rabbit and the Sheep; rather than being called "Great Impermanence," he is more accurately described as "a person who wields the power of Great Impermanence." The difference lies in the fact that, compared to those two, his synchronization rate with the fragments of the divine seal is much higher, resulting in a significantly greater combat prowess.
What they have in common is that neither of them possesses the unique celestial phenomena of the Great Impermanence.
Perhaps this is why, in the Void Realm, Xuanming and Shenzhao both gave me the impression of being enormous beings, but Xu Gou was not. I don't know if it's because his power comes from the fragments of the Divine Seal rather than his own soul will, or because Ying Lingyun had a flaw in designing the "Great Impermanence-level Modified Human".
This doesn't mean that the Dog's combat power is lower than that of a normal Great Impermanence. The struggle between Great Impermanence has nothing to do with the Law of Heaven and Earth. While the Law of Heaven and Earth can generate total energy ten or a hundred times greater in scale than its true form, in terms of the crucial density, it's usually difficult even for Demon Hunters of the Living or Adult levels to threaten it. In the end, it's still a contest of power output from the true form.
I have a vague feeling that the existence of the Dog (戌狗) is fundamentally different from our system of following the steps of formation, existence, decay, and emptiness to reach the Great Perfection and then the Great Impermanence. If we are characters in a fantasy world, then the Dog is like a character who ran out of a world that blends science fiction and fantasy.
Just like when I faced the Rabbit and the Sheep in the past, the mysterious fluctuations of the Dog did not have a significant impact on my mana density.
While dodging his repeated ranged attacks, I rapidly concentrated the light in my palm, constantly increasing its density.
Seeing this, Xu Gou seemed somewhat surprised, then calmed down and said, "It's actually useless... I see. This move is ineffective against fellow Void Realm Apostles."
"Since that's the case—"
The armor on his arms transformed again, this time turning into large, sharp blades. He crossed and overlapped the two large blades, seemingly in a peculiar stance. At first glance, they looked almost like a giant pair of scissors.
"Turn to dust and die."
As he spoke, he simultaneously swung his arms, and two silver-white beams, resembling the power of gold and slaughter, transformed into extremely sharp blade energy, crisscrossing and shooting towards me.
This attack was clearly inaccurate and I easily dodged it. The next instant, he launched another attack, this time twice as fast and twice as many as before, with four blade beams simultaneously shooting towards me in a crisscrossing pattern.
I dodged again with lightning speed, but in the next instant, his attack speed doubled once more, with eight blade energies flying towards me simultaneously. The next instant after that, sixteen blade energies flew towards me at once—
In the blink of an eye, he unleashed fourteen consecutive slashes, the number of blade auras increasing exponentially, exceeding sixteen thousand silver-white slashes simultaneously hurtling towards him. Yes, he wasn't joking; although it sounded like nonsense, that many slashes were truly flying towards him. And the number was increasing exponentially.
Although I could barely break down his attacks into individual moments, to an ordinary demon hunter, the accumulation of two sword auras into more than two hundred thousand sword auras could very well be considered an event that occurred in a single instant.
The ever-growing number of sharp, silvery-white blades rained down on my surroundings like a deluge. There was simply no gap to slip through or hide in; the Dog's attack had become a veritable inescapable net.
Even in a real downpour, I can move through it without getting wet. This has nothing to do with whether there are physical gaps between the raindrops large enough for me to pass through; I can simply do it without any logic. However, this ability is useless against an opponent who is also a powerful being of the Great Impermanence level.
Centered on my location, the land within a radius of over a hundred kilometers was engulfed by countless white lights. The vast and solid land was easily pulverized, and the ground turned into a bottomless abyss. The ubiquitous explosions made the world dark and chaotic, and even time and space themselves seemed to be shattered.
Just as the Dog had declared, my body and soul were instantly reduced to dust. Yet my senses had not been extinguished, and I could still see this terrifying scene, so vast it left me speechless.
Such destructive power, in terms of scale alone, far exceeds the capabilities of a single Great Impermanence. If I were given the time, I could certainly accomplish it; even destroying the world, if no one stopped me, I could spend a considerable amount of time completing it. But the Dog (戌狗) caused such widespread destruction in less than a breath—it's utterly absurd.
If the battles between the Great Impermanence were determined purely by the size of the crater created by a single move, then the Dog's fighting power would probably have already pushed open the third gate. Even if I were tied to Mingzhuo, we certainly wouldn't be a match for the current Dog.
The reason why the Dog (戌狗) could unleash such divine power was likely due to the special nature of the divine seal fragments.
The omniscient and omnipotent wish-granting machine, capable of granting any wish, possesses inexhaustible energy even in its fragments. The Dog (戌狗) used itself as a medium to reveal just the tip of the iceberg of its infinite possibilities. Simply by repeatedly unleashing its power in one breath, it created such a terrifying, apocalyptic scene.
It's important to understand that many countries in this world are not even 100 kilometers in diameter; this is a move that, literally, can destroy a country in one fell swoop.
However, this move did not actually threaten my life.
Although my body and soul were completely destroyed, my true spirit remains. Strictly speaking, my true spirit seems to have been injured as well, but only superficially.
Logically, unless the opponent possesses skills capable of harming a true spirit, even such a shallow wound shouldn't be able to leave a mark. Furthermore, the density of Xu Gou's magical power isn't high enough to cause such a qualitative change. I suspect that perhaps Xu Gou has unleashed some properties of the divine seal fragment itself; this mysterious power is qualified to touch a true spirit.
However, the user, the Dog (戌狗), likely lacked the awareness to "attack the true spirit," and its power was misdirected, leaving only such superficial injuries. Furthermore, subsequent attacks lacked depth, merely cutting back and forth on the shallow surface without reaching deeper areas.
Actually, I think using that kind of metaphor to describe the damage to my true spirit is also inappropriate. By definition, the true spirit shouldn't have any structure; it's an extremely simple point—it either exists or it doesn't. I can only use this ambiguous description to describe my current state. Perhaps only those who have verified their own true spirit know the true situation.
We can't laugh at the dog's lack of awareness; after all, he doesn't know I'm a so-called innate manifestation of spirit. Even in the battle against the Great Impermanence, normally no one would feel the need to attack something like a true spirit. If the body is gone, and the soul is gone, then death is inevitable—that's the common understanding.
After ending the offensive, the dog seemed to think the battle was over. Exhausted, it lowered its arms and transformed its two large blades back into arm armor.
"it's over."
He spoke as if to himself, his gaze scanning the abyss he had created, as if searching for something.
He's probably searching for fragments of the Divine Seal. Since he's an Apostle of the Void Realm, he should drop fragments of the Divine Seal upon death. He might even be hoping to exchange them with the Lord of the Divine Seal for the knowledge about resurrection he desires.
I reassembled my body and soul, and his gaze immediately swept over me. Then, as if struck by lightning, he stood there dumbfounded.
"Is your attack over?" I asked.
Upon hearing this, the dog was a beat slow to react, and then suddenly retreated several kilometers, staring at me as if it had seen a ghost.
(End of this chapter)
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