Chapter 363 Error Evolution
Combustion is a physical phenomenon that produces light and heat, and these are fundamental properties of flames. The flames created by my superpowers are no exception.
Not only are the flames I summon composed of my spirit, but the light and heat emanating from them are also manifestations of my spirit. The application of thermal energy symbols, as well as the past tactic of using light to infiltrate Chenlong's "teleportation armor," are all based on this principle.
Because I concentrated all my magical power into one thing, the resulting "eclipse" naturally became a creation that did not emit light or heat. Although it still possessed the high temperature that could destroy even time and space, it seemed to be deviating from the definition of "fire".
This qualitative change reminds me of a discussion I saw online before.
Compared to the sun, Earth is incredibly small. Therefore, even if all the water on Earth were used to drench the sun, it wouldn't cause any significant damage. So, if a massive mass of water, equal to the sun's mass, existed in space, and was moved and thrown at the sun, would it be able to extinguish it?
Anyone with even a basic understanding of astrophysics would realize that this is a problem that is fundamentally flawed; it's impossible for a mass of water equal to the mass of the Sun to exist in the universe. It's not that it's impossible to collect that much water, but rather that assuming such a massive mass did exist, the gravitational pull would compress it inwards.
If compressed to a certain point, it will trigger a nuclear fusion reaction, causing this excessively large mass of water to "burn." Before it can even be thrown towards the sun, it will become another sun itself.
Just as an excessive amount of magical power, when simply piled up, can produce incredible wonders, the simple accumulation of natural matter can also lead to such an incredible qualitative change. Anything, when pushed to its extreme, will reveal unimaginable forms, and faced with that transformed "water," even the water master Xuanwu would likely be unable to control it. Because it is no longer his water, but more akin to my fire.
The "eclipse" I summoned has now undergone a qualitative change.
The excessive pursuit of high density and compression of power has transformed it from a "flame that emits light and heat" into "darkness that neither emits light nor heat." This is the current property of the "miniature solar eclipse." If it were the "solar eclipse" released during the last battle with Mingzhuo, it would not only not emit light or heat, but if necessary, it would even absorb light and heat from the surrounding environment. This property is more like the opposite of a flame.
Although it still appears to be in the form of black flames, continuing in this direction would lead it further away from the essence of fire. Just as the water spirit Genbu could not manipulate water that had become the sun, I, as a fire-wielding user, should not continue down this path. This black flame symbolizes a flawed evolutionary path.
Error Evolution... that sounds kind of cool. Speaking of which, when I was a kid, I preferred SkullGreymon to MetalGreymon... and the black flames were really cool. One of my biggest fantasies during my chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) years was to control black flames to fight enemies...
No, no, I can't get the wrong idea. In short, I must re-examine the evolutionary direction of my power. After fully exploring my potential, the challenge I must face is how to better manipulate my existing power. Since what awaits me on this evolutionary path is uncontrollable power, I must decisively change course.
"Eclipse" is still a very powerful finishing move, so it can continue to be used.
I first dispelled the "eclipse," and as I watched the black flames disappear into the sky, I remembered what Xiaowan had told me in the past.
It is said that the Great Demon of Calamity, which appeared in the apocalypse, was a monster whose body was wrapped in black flames.
The flames I found inside the bodies of Shui Shi Xuanwu and Ming Zhuo were not black flames, but rather orange flames that appeared quite normal to me, just like they usually are.
I have never heard of Xuanming ever manipulating black flames. In mythology, Xuanming is a legitimate fire god, not an evil god or demon who manipulates ominous black flames.
In this apocalyptic era, it's said that the Great Demon of Calamity was originally Xuanming, yet the black flames symbolizing the Great Demon of Calamity have appeared on my body. Could it be, as I've suspected before, that the Great Demon of Calamity's predecessor wasn't Xuanming, but me?
It can't be that the Great Demon of Calamity is actually a corrupted life, and its body is covered in black flames because I set it on fire with "Solar Eclipse" in the future, and because it can't die, it can only be burned indefinitely, right?
If the Great Demon of Calamity is truly me, does that mean that my future self will continue down the evolutionary path of black flames? Is this actually the correct evolutionary path?
There are some things I can't figure out. To clear my mind, I can only put this problem aside for now and shift my attention to other things.
I sensed her current state by using the thermal energy markers set in Asao's body.
At this moment, Asao was cooking in the sanatorium's kitchen. It was a rather large kitchen, and there were other people busy inside. Asao found a corner and was vigorously stirring a thick, viscous liquid of egg yolks in a stainless steel bowl with a stick. Some people tried to get close enough to help her, but she deterred them with a wary look.
I couldn't tell what she was making yet; it didn't seem like a typical home-cooked meal. I decided to treat it as an unknown surprise and wait for her to bring out the finished product. Then, I sensed in other directions first.
Many "voices" are flooding into my consciousness from all directions.
The Great Impermanence can sense when others mention his name. However, strictly speaking, it's not that the Great Impermanence has the ability to specifically sense when his name is mentioned, but rather that his perception is so strong that he can "even sense when his name is mentioned," which is essentially like saying that a shark's sense of smell is so keen that it can track bleeding prey several kilometers away.
Even if someone on the other side of the world calls out my name, I can hear it as if I'm in the same room. That being said, if many people are talking about me at the same time, I might not be willing to listen attentively. It's like in junior and senior high school, when I would occasionally hear people gossiping about me from different directions in the classroom; although I could hear them clearly, it was just background noise to me.
For the past three days, I've become a big star in Luoshan. Everyone's talking about me, mainly about how I defeated Mingzhuo, how Mingzhuo will retaliate against me, and who's stronger between me and Xuanming. I really enjoy hearing people praise me, but after a while, I get tired of it, and it also affects my rest.
If someone wants to stand out from the background noise, they might need to use some ritualistic means to amplify their voice; perhaps this is also the main purpose of some rituals performed to worship gods.
Alternatively, if the other party possesses great power, or even harbors hostility or malice towards me and wants to investigate my location, then even without explicitly stating my name, I will instinctively notice them—perhaps that's how Mingzhuo noticed me in the past.
I've recently been observing the overall operation of Luoshan. Observing the Luoshan headquarters with my current perception is like looking down on a chessboard from a superior, godlike perspective. While I can get a general overview, I can also choose to delve deeper and observe the work status of each individual from a micro perspective. Although some areas have anti-detection barriers set up, and there are many technical tasks that I don't understand, I've still managed to grasp some general information from the atmosphere.
The Luoshan headquarters can basically be seen as an open-air, enlarged version of the Fufeng base I've visited before. It's a comprehensive fortress integrating command, training, medical care, and living quarters. However, unlike the Fufeng base, which is primarily based on governance, this place is home to many demon hunters from different factions. Friction and infighting frequently occur, and non-cooperation and functional conflicts are common in their work. Efficiency is high in some areas, but low in others, even among their own people.
Besides the large number of witchers, there were also a significant number of agents at work. It was clear that most of the agents had been newly assigned to headquarters. Faced with the powerful group of witchers, the agents appeared subservient. Many of the tasks assigned to the agents could have been handled better by the witchers, given that the latter could use magic during their work; the presence of ordinary people here seemed rather unnecessary.
However, the headquarters in Luoshan seems to be exploring a way to allow ordinary people and demon hunters to coexist harmoniously—or rather, it's probably only the hegemonic approach that is actively exploring this.
The idea of recruiting a large number of ordinary people to work at the Luoshan headquarters was probably conceived by the social order. However, at this stage, instead of bringing harmony between the two sides, it has further exposed the differences between demon hunters and ordinary people.
The agents took on some of the work of the Witcher group, but they were not able to complete it with the efficiency of the Witcher group as a whole. Even in electronic work that does not require much physical strength, some Witcher can operate dozens of devices simultaneously, while others can accelerate their consciousness to use one second as a hundred seconds.
As a result, some agents with advanced professional skills who were qualified to work at the Luoshan headquarters were relegated to cleaning jobs such as sweeping garbage and mopping floors. Even so, some demon hunters could still cast cleaning spells that could instantly make rooms and corridors spotless.
In some parts of headquarters, there are mechanical dolls that can operate automatically for extended periods, performing physical labor and even simple mental tasks. According to some demon hunters, these dolls seem to be mass-producible at low cost; it's just that the higher-ups haven't yet issued instructions for widespread adoption.
It seems that some mechanical dolls can also perform complex mental tasks, simply by extracting the soul of an ordinary person and imprisoning it inside the doll like a chip. Such mechanical dolls do not need rest or sleep, nor do they need to eat or excrete. They are absolutely obedient to commands and can even cooperate collectively like a swarm of bees, working continuously until they break down, at which point they are replaced with the next one.
However, the production of such tools is currently prohibited by the political system, and it is unknown whether anyone is still producing them in secret.
I couldn't quite imagine what a civilization dominated by witchers would be like before, but now I seem to be able to vaguely see that future scenario.
In the "audience seats" unseen by these witchers and agents, I silently observed everything as if watching a movie screen. Slowly, I sensed something else. In this invisible "audience seat," it seemed another person had entered. He quietly sat down beside me, and together we silently watched what was unfolding in the distance.
I turned my head and glanced at the newcomer—this was just a figure of speech; in reality, I was simply sitting on a bed in a sanatorium. But in that imagined "audience," I seemed to truly see the newcomer's face.
"What are your thoughts after seeing all this?" Fa Zheng asked.
(End of this chapter)
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