Chapter 358 Victory 2
When Fazheng asked for my opinion, Shenzhao smiled.
"What, if he insists on killing Mingzhuo, are you going to join him in the attack?" Shenzhao said.
“At the very least, Jian Feixian and I can keep you and Gua Tianshi out of the game,” Fa Zheng said. “Anyway, whether Zhuang Cheng kills him or not, Ming Zhuo will die within ten years, and the drastic changes in the natural environment caused by his loss will still occur.”
Jian Feixian remained noncommittal, seemingly handing over the decision of how to act to Fazheng.
Fa Zheng probably still hoped that I could let the matter drop, since if I continued fighting with Ming Zhuo, it would cause other secondary disasters. However, on the surface, he still maintained a firm stance of standing by my side.
Even if it's just polite talk, there's a big difference between saying it and not saying it. Even someone like me, who isn't very emotionally intelligent, understands this.
After disengaging from the fierce battle, just as I had thought during the battle, I realized that I couldn't spend the next ten years killing Meiko.
I can muster the patience, but there are many obstacles and concerns. First, even if I had the patience to kill Mingzhuo for ten consecutive years, Fazheng and Jianfeixian might not focus all their attention on intercepting Shenzhao and Guatianshi for ten years as I would; second, in the next ten years, the Lord of the Divine Seal will likely hold several more Void Realm Conferences, and I can't guarantee that I won't be drawn into them during that time.
In the past, I was always pulled into the illusory realm while sleeping. However, sleep is not a necessary requirement for those at the Great Impermanence and Great Accomplishment levels. It's hard to imagine that, apart from Little Bowl and Number Seven whose level is unknown, everyone else was pulled into the illusory realm precisely while sleeping. The possibility of being pulled into the illusory realm while awake is objectively real.
More importantly, it is not to say that the end of the world will definitely come in ten years; there is also a possibility that it will not.
With Mingzhu trapped by me, Mazao is completely free. As a transmigrator from the apocalypse, she can move around as she pleases, using her power restored to the Great Perfection level to investigate the truth of the apocalypse and try to stop it.
Eight months later, with Ma Zao's help, Zhu Shi will be able to master the power of the Great Impermanence level. She is also aware of Ma Zao's true identity and the apocalypse. Being righteous and kind by nature, she will definitely join forces with Ma Zao.
Putting these two together might actually influence whether or not the end of the world will come.
It's not that I necessarily want the apocalypse to come... or rather, that decision always hangs in my mind. But one thing I'm absolutely certain of is that, whether the apocalypse comes or not, I cannot accept missing out on a major event that could determine the fate of the world.
Compared to such a thrilling event, what is life-threatening?
That being said, I can't just let Mingzhuo go back like that, because that would only allow him to lurk in the shadows again and become a huge threat to Mazao's life.
“I can spare Mingzhuo,” I said, “but I need a guarantee—”
Without hesitation, Mingzhuo said, "Yes."
“I haven’t said anything yet,” I said.
"You want me to stop making a move on that girl next to you, right? I said yes," Mingzhuo said coldly.
Shenzhao glanced at Mingzhuo with surprise: "You're quite decisive. Isn't that little girl the condition you need to open the Gate of Naraku? If you can't open the Gate of Naraku, you'll surely die within ten years. Are you really going to let her go so easily?"
Mingzhuo gave a humiliating snort.
The fortune teller smiled and said, "It's a very simple matter. If he doesn't let go, he will have to fight Zhuang Cheng again, and for the next ten years he will be unable to escape until he dies."
"Even if Zhuang Cheng couldn't completely suppress him for ten years, just a few years would be a huge, even fatal, loss for him, who needed to race against time to research how to open the Gate of Abyss. In comparison, whether that little girl could actually be used to open the Gate of Abyss was still a matter of unknown probability; it was only a possibility..."
"It's not worth paying such a price just for a possibility."
“That’s it. If you’re still not convinced, I can swear.” Mingzhuo looked at me and said.
As if worried that I wouldn't understand, the fortune teller added: "If a mortal makes an oath before the Great Impermanence, their fate will be bound. If they break it, they will be punished by heaven."
"But if the Great Impermanence makes an oath using his own power of words, especially in the presence of multiple Great Impermanences, and makes an oath to another Great Impermanence, it will have tremendous power, and even the Great Impermanence will be bound by it."
"I'm sorry, I don't believe in those kinds of oaths." I stated my feelings directly. "Since the Great Impermanence is a deity who can turn the impossible into the possible, then there should be a way to break an oath, right?"
Fa Zheng said, "The greatest use of this oath for you is not to bind him, but to be able to sense when he secretly breaks the oath. No one expected the power of the oath to punish him, but you yourself have the power to punish him personally."
“That’s something I can consider, but I have three conditions,” I said. “First, he must not only refrain from attacking Asahi, but also from harming anyone around me. Second, he can suppress the expansion of the Xuanming Fire within his body, but he cannot extinguish it, so that I don’t lose the means to punish him.”
"Third, I will infuse my own flame into his body and soul, so that when he breaks his oath, I can come and kill him immediately."
In other words, I must ensure that I will have the power to decide life and death in the future.
For Mingzhuo, who can resurrect infinitely within ten years, this power of life and death isn't so crucial; it's more about ensuring I can punish him if he breaks his oath. At the same time, I can't use this power to demand more from Mingzhuo in normal times, because actually killing him would still take a maximum of ten years. Such a high time cost means this approach can only serve as a last resort.
This is my bottom line. I will not give up until I reach this point.
"Don't go too far, Zhuang Cheng! You've already killed two of my subordinates at the Great Completion level, and now you still have the nerve to put on this demanding face?" Ming Zhuo said resentfully.
"Are you suggesting that if you hit me once, I'll hit you once, and that'll even things out?" I said. "Don't be ridiculous. If I didn't flex my muscles like this and let you know how much it hurts, would you just let it go? You started this, and now that you realize you've lost more, you're going to start playing the victim?"
"If you're not willing to accept these conditions, then die. Don't think you can escape now just because you have the Divine Illumination and the Divination Master. I'll kill you every time I see you, and when I'm bored, I'll come knocking on your door and kill you for a few days or weeks to relieve my boredom. As for whether you should hurry up and do something, I don't care."
"Anyway, I don't mind having another piece of fitness equipment like you. Although your shelf life is only ten years at most, it is considered durable by the standards of fitness equipment."
With eyes blazing with fury, he growled, "Zhuang Cheng!!!"
The other Great Impermanences watched him silently, and even Shenzhao and the Divination Master did not speak up for him, they just watched.
Regardless of the circumstances, Mingzhuo was defeated.
Although I'm unlikely to be as reckless as before, spending ten years to kill Meijou, others don't know this, while everyone witnessed my past actions and displayed determination. Therefore, the one who must concede now is Meijou, the loser, not me.
Ming Zhuo was clearly aware of this as well. He took a few breaths and then said in a harsh voice, "Fine!"
Fa Zheng suddenly said, "By the way, after you go back, you have to make a public admission at headquarters that you were defeated by Zhuang Cheng."
"What did you say?" Mingzhuo asked in a very gloomy tone.
“Not attacking anyone around Zhuang Cheng isn’t even basic compensation; it’s something you should have done anyway. It’s like punching someone for no reason. Does promising not to do it again count as compensation? You have to pay a price in other ways,” Fa Zheng said. “Perfectly, although Zhuang Cheng is a Great Impermanence, he’s different from those of us who accumulated a lot of connections in the supernatural world before becoming Great Impermanence.”
"He hasn't fully established himself in this world yet; he hasn't forged enough connections. He needs enough anchors to be considered stable. The quickest way is to rapidly expand his power. And to rapidly expand power, he needs a huge reputation."
"With you, this old-school fickle man, serving as his stepping stone, everyone will be happy."
Mingzhuo cursed again: "Go to hell with the happy ending!"
“This is only part of the compensation. We can’t just have non-material compensation, can we? We also need some material compensation…” Fa Zheng thought for a moment and then said, “I don’t know what Zhuang Cheng needs. I’ll leave this to you to discuss later.”
Mingzhuo took a few more breaths, and after a long while, he said fiercely, "...Okay!"
“I have no objection,” I said.
A moment later, witnessed by the other four Great Impermanences, Mingzhuo swore to me that he would never again harm those around me, and released his magical defenses. I used my flames to invade his body and soul, as well as his seal on the Proclaimed Flame. This way, I could always track his whereabouts and, if necessary, break through his seal on the Proclaimed Flame and kill him instantly.
The battle with Mingzhuo has temporarily come to an end.
(End of this chapter)
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