Chapter 567 Little Bowl Innocent
"The flames of the Great Demon of Calamity?" Number Seven blurted out.
Even Xiao Wan made a surprised nasal sound next to my cheek.
These two were probably seeing me use Eclipse Fire for the first time, so it's no wonder they were surprised. But actually, the Eclipse Fire I'm using now is different from the "Eclipse" I used in the past.
In the past, the "Eclipse" technique I used was considered a finishing move, requiring me to summon and condense a large number of ordinary flames before it could be completed, with a significant preparatory animation. But now, I can effortlessly conjure black eclipse fire, which means my understanding of eclipse fire has undergone a qualitative change.
The most direct experience I gained in the battle against the Great Demon of Calamity was regarding the Eclipse Form. I'm actually more familiar with using black flames than with how to better control my normal fire power. Of course, black flames are ultimately a power that deviates from the essence of fire, and are vastly different from the path I'm currently on. Even with more experience, in practice I still find normal fire power more comfortable.
In fact, the black flames I conjure now are not as extreme as the Great Demon of Calamity. Although it can be said that it has deviated from fire-elemental magic, it cannot be said that it has completely become earth-elemental magic. It is in a transitional state of being "neither here nor there."
Such black flames can evade the Great Demon Xuanwu's attribute counters, but they are insufficient to counter it. Moreover, excessive use will distort my own fire power. Having painstakingly accumulated so much proficiency in fire power, I have no intention of "transforming" myself into a Calamity Demon.
Whether I can adapt to other elemental powers is secondary. Changing my power attribute might even render me unable to use slag weapons, thus lowering my combat strength. I've already defeated the Great Demon of Calamity in actual combat, proving that I am stronger. What need is there for me to become the other side?
I don't want to change my evolutionary path just to better suppress the Great Demon Xuanwu. It's enough as it is now. Besides, the black flames can only change my own attributes; they don't actually break free from the grand framework of the Four Symbols and Five Elements.
In the past, I had pondered whether a solar eclipse could be a key clue to break free from the Four Symbols and Five Elements system and then escape the clutches of the Mountain and Yin-Yang system. But in the end, the end of the erroneous evolutionary path of the solar eclipse was merely a shift from the "Fire Element" to the "Earth Element," and it was essentially still part of the Four Symbols and Five Elements system.
Even if they encounter the true Mountain Yin-Yang, there won't be a fundamental difference. In fact, considering that earth element power is Mountain Yin-Yang's "private domain," his mastery of this power is likely unmatched by any Great Impermanence throughout history. The fire element power I'm currently using isn't countered by earth element power, but if I were to go to the same arena as Mountain Yin-Yang, I'd probably be completely outmatched by him in terms of experience.
While contemplating the future, I explained the origin of the black flames to Little Bowl and Number Seven, and then asked, "Little Bowl, I can feel your blessing still lingering on me... Are you feeling alright?"
The blessing from the small bowl was an essential element for my victory over the Great Demon of Calamity, and it will remain an indispensable force in the battles to come.
Putting everything else aside, my true spiritual power is actually built upon the blessing of the Little Bowl. Without this blessing, it would be nothing more than a useless power that can only change the frequency of my own magical fluctuations, and it would be even more impossible to use it to truly kill Huang Quan, who possesses an immortal body.
And, if it weren't for this ongoing blessing state, I wouldn't have been able to summon this black flame so easily right now.
To fully digest the experience from the Great Demon of Calamity and thoroughly understand the correct evolutionary path deduced from it, I still need some time. Under normal circumstances, it would take me at least a year to achieve complete mastery; however, under the continuous blessing, it would only take a few days to ten days to complete all the progress.
More importantly, I, who am blessed with good fortune, can enter the "complete state" ahead of time.
The small bowl doesn't directly increase my strength, but the bonus it provides is far more powerful than a direct increase in strength. Its existence, in a sense, has overturned my understanding of the concept of strength.
Then she immediately gave a fantastic piece of good news.
“No problem… As long as I keep in contact with Brother Zhuangcheng, I can maintain this blessing.” She said, “And as long as Brother Zhuangcheng’s thermal energy mark is still on my body, I am essentially always in close contact with Brother Zhuangcheng.”
"The expenditure of energy is insignificant, as the power in this area is mainly provided by the fragments of the Divine Seal. All I need to do is maintain a mindset of hoping that everything goes well for Brother Zhuang Cheng."
After hearing this, Number Seven couldn't help but ask, "No... I've also learned a little about things related to the Son of God. Even if you can bless people of the same camp with all things going well, if the target is a god or a human, that's a very high-intensity blessing, requiring you to enter a state of mind free of any evil thoughts... Don't you get tired of maintaining a state of mind free of any evil thoughts towards Zhuang Cheng?"
Xiao Wan naturally retorted, "Why would I be tired?"
"Uh..." Number Seven was speechless.
Even when facing one's parents, spouse, or children, it's difficult for humans to remain completely free of malice. Occasional complaints, resentment, and even curses are the norm. While one can verbally affirm someone completely, psychologically it's an almost impossible challenge. Even forcing oneself to think that way will unconsciously generate disgust and boredom, and the very act of "forcing oneself to think that way" can become a source of negative thoughts.
Xiaowan actually thinks she can always give me unwavering affirmation... She once said that I am the embodiment of her dreams, so she will stand firmly on my side without a doubt... Are those words really without any exaggeration?
She genuinely believed that trusting me was trusting herself, and regarded me and herself as a true community of shared destiny.
To be honest, being expected to do something so much can easily create a lot of psychological pressure, making one afraid of letting the other person down. The warm, young girl's body behind me, intimately hugging my neck and pressed tightly against my back, also seemed to become something heavy.
Could it be that even my feelings, which I "didn't want to let down," were part of Xiao Wan's calculations? I couldn't help but think this way.
Number Seven glanced at the small bowl, then at me, seemingly hesitant to ask any more questions.
"By the way... Number Seven, what are your plans next?" I asked, taking the initiative to inquire about something serious. "According to the plan we discussed before, we were going to attack the Yellow Springs Gospel Academy, while your Tai Sui Army was responsible for infiltrating the interior to find the 'Dushuo Mountain' technical data and the fragments of the Divine Seal... But now that the Tai Sui Army has been completely wiped out, should we continue with this plan?"
Upon hearing this, Number Seven showed a very distressed expression, and then said: "...First of all, the Tai Sui Army was not completely wiped out."
"Inside the stronghold are numerous devices infused with my magical power. When the Tai Sui Army encounters an insurmountable enemy, these devices will activate immediately, teleporting the Tai Sui Army to a safe area..."
"Of course, since the attackers were powerful demons, these items were not very useful, but two to three tenths of the people were still managed to escape... Perhaps it was because the powerful demon Xuanwu did not use much serious force against the weaker groups."
When an organization is slaughtered down to only 20-30% of its original size, it's practically destroyed, isn't it? I couldn't help but have this thought, but I didn't say it aloud.
Number Seven continued, "In addition, some members of the Tai Sui Army also operate outside as ordinary survivor teams. Combined with the spies and undercover agents lurking inside the Gospel Institute, they can still barely reunite into an organized force."
“But this will probably take a long time, and I don’t think they’ll be able to make it in time for this operation. Or do you want to prepare for a little longer?” I asked.
Xiao Wan suddenly said, "No...no, we absolutely cannot prepare, we must attack now."
Upon hearing Xiao Wan's sudden radical statement, Number Seven was first taken aback, then looked thoughtful, and then suddenly realized what was going on.
“Yes, we absolutely cannot wait! Huang Quan has already become aware of your existence. If we continue to waste time, Huang Quan will inevitably join forces with the other gods and humans in the Gospel House to launch a joint attack on you,” she said, unable to contain herself.
I understood the logic, and then I found the flaw in it: "Wasting time? 'Time' cannot be used as a reference factor in the afterlife. In our view, Huang Quan escaped by means of suicide not long ago, but it is unlikely to be the same in Huang Quan, right?"
"Brother Zhuangcheng, you can rest assured about this. Huang Quan and you are both gods and humans with a high degree of adaptability and understanding of the chaotic spacetime of the afterlife. Your Law of Heaven and Earth will automatically suppress the surrounding time and space. What is a chaotic afterlife for us is relatively close to order for you," Xiao Wan explained patiently. "In addition, you have had direct communication and contact before, so the flow of time between you should not be too different now. Huang Quan has only just been resurrected. We must hurry and finish this quickly."
"I see..." I accepted Xiao Wan's explanation.
Number Seven nodded, as if he had prepared his next words, and continued, "So... this operation will be carried out by us here."
"It's just that the details need to be changed a bit. The original plan was for you to attack the Yellow Springs Gospel Temple directly from the outside, while I would simultaneously lead a large number of people to infiltrate its interior. But now we need to infiltrate its interior first, and after figuring out the approximate location of the 'Dushuo Mountain' technical data and divine seal fragments, we can then apply the original operation procedure."
"The location where those two items are stored must be heavily guarded, making it impossible to sneak them away; the only option is to force your way in. After Huang Quan commits suicide, he will most likely return to the Gospel House base he is in charge of. At that time, he certainly won't stand idly by, and you will be his only opponent."
"Finally, Xiaowan herself also needs to participate in this infiltration process."
(End of this chapter)
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