Chapter 387 Zhu Shi's Attempt
Ma Zao and Zhu Shi are both gathered in my room at this moment.
The purpose of handing over the extra unclaimed Divine Seal fragments to the two of them was to prevent the Lord of the Divine Seals from collecting all the fragments through us, the Apostles of the Void Realm. Because the Lord of the Divine Seals has the potential to monitor others through the fragments bound to the Apostles of the Void Realm, even if they need to be hidden in a secluded place, I cannot hide them myself.
However, if both of them carry fragments of divine seals and are later recruited as Void Realm Apostles, this strategy will have failed. Personally, I don't want them to come with me into such an unknown place.
According to what the Lord of the Divine Seal said before, the new round of recruitment of the Void Realm Apostles does not seem to be carried out immediately after the shortage of personnel, but rather when the number is "too small".
Neither of them seemed inclined to shy away from the possibility of being drafted.
“I can understand Ma Zao. She cares a lot about Xiao Wan, so it’s understandable that she wants to enter the virtual realm to reunite with Xiao Wan… Zhu Shi, what about you?” I asked. “Do you also care a lot about Xiao Wan?”
"Of course. That little bowl could very well be me in the future, or someone who is like the embodiment of my dreams. Generally speaking, I would definitely care so much that I wouldn't be able to sleep, right?" Zhu Shi said matter-of-factly. "But that's just a secondary issue. Since Zhuang Cheng, you've entered a potentially dangerous place, then I definitely have to go in too."
"Before, I was too weak to participate in the battle; now it's different. Although it will take some time, I will soon be able to fight alongside you. In that case, I have no reason to let you fight alone."
"Besides, if the goal is simply to prevent the Lord of the Divine Seals from collecting all the fragments, it is sufficient to ensure that at least one fragment is out of his control. Regardless of whether other Void Realm Apostles have done the same, don't you also have a third unclaimed Divine Seal fragment that you can hide? The premise is that you do not intend to use it to exchange information with the Lord of the Divine Seals."
This third fragment of the divine seal does have other uses, though.
In order to utilize the power of the Divine Seal Fragments, I must further comprehend the connection between myself and the Divine Seal Fragments. One possible direction is to increase the number of Divine Seal Fragments bound to me, thereby increasing the quantity of connections between me and the Divine Seal Fragments, and deepening my perception of them.
However, the connection with the Divine Seal fragments is very likely the same as the connection with the Void Realm, which could increase the possibility that the Lord of the Divine Seals has the power of life and death over me. Although I was bound to two Divine Seal fragments at the same time in the past, I did not exchange answers with the Lord of the Divine Seals at that time, and the connection was not deepened as a result; but now that I am binding to a new Divine Seal fragment, it is hard to guarantee that there will be unknown problems.
At the very least, I should ask Xiaowan for help next time and discuss it before making a decision. No matter how much I enjoy taking risks, I wouldn't so hastily head towards defeat.
"Also... since you know that Ma Zao will want to enter the Void Realm after obtaining the Divine Seal Fragment, then don't give the Divine Seal Fragment to her." Zhu Shi pointed this out directly.
“Those are two different things,” I said.
Ma Zao nodded vigorously.
I don't want Ma Zao to be in danger—so not only should I not have given her the Divine Seal Fragment, I shouldn't have even told her that I had obtained the Unclaimed Divine Seal Fragment. Because she would definitely take the opportunity to suggest that she wanted to try entering the Void Realm for Xiao Wan's sake.
But now I don't want to hide anything from Asa, and I don't want to exclude her from my adventure in the name of protecting her.
Admittedly, I know very well that concealment and protection are the most reasonable strategies, but she said she would accompany me on my adventures, to the ends of the earth, until I am very, very full, and then wait for me to choose her...
Will I ever be so content that I no longer want to take any risks? I simply cannot imagine it. But the possibility of that happening cannot be said to be absolutely nonexistent.
Just as she accepts everything about me, I will also accept her intentions when she clearly expresses them.
Ma Zao silently took my hand.
Zhu Shi seemed to be able to read a lot from my expression, and then said, "Judging from this momentum... you're not planning to attack the Humanitarian Division's main base with Ma Zao next, are you?"
Ma shook his head first, saying, "No, that would only hinder Zhuang Cheng's performance in battle. At least in terms of combat, I am currently unable to share the risks with him. I can make that clear, and I will absolutely not make a fuss."
"It's good that you haven't let your romantic feelings cloud your judgment." Zhu Shi breathed a sigh of relief.
Mazao then solemnly corrected him: "Zhuang Cheng and I are not dating right now."
"You two are holding hands, and you're still telling me you're not dating?" Zhu Shi retorted sharply. "Do you know how much I feel superfluous when I'm standing next to you guys?"
I need to reiterate here that Mazao and I are not officially in a romantic relationship yet.
Asaho said that she would wait until she grew up to have a body as comfortable to hug as Zhu Shi before becoming my real lover, and I accepted her promise. Although I am well aware that the idea that "we are not actually dating" is not convincing given our current interactions, and sometimes I even forget about it myself, it might seem like some kind of strange romance to outsiders.
The distribution of the unclaimed divine seal fragments ends here. As for the wooden box that came with the divine light to hold the three unclaimed divine seal fragments, I did not throw it away.
This unassuming object possesses the remarkable ability to prevent Void Realm Apostles from sensing the unclaimed Divine Seal fragments. If the Void Realm Apostles' ability to sense the Divine Seal fragments is a manifestation of their power, then this wooden box can be said to possess the profound ability to hinder them. The fact that Shenzhao casually gives away such an item demonstrates his deep understanding of the Divine Seal fragments and their power; assassinating the master of the Divine Seal is definitely not just an arrogant boast.
In addition, I heard from Mr. Zhu this past week that Zhu Shi took advantage of Ma Zao's teleportation ability to return to Xianshui City.
At first, I thought she was just taking some time to visit her still-sleeping mother, Zhu Jiu. But then I realized she hadn't been away from Xianshui City for many days, and given the turbulent times that had been happening, she might have had other motives for going back. Now that I had the chance, I asked her what she was going back for.
Zhu Shi gave the answer: "I went to try to see if I could regain the power of the correct celestial and terrestrial orientation as soon as possible."
"What does this have to do with your return to Xianshui City?" I asked curiously.
“This inspiration came to me recently when I saw Lu Chan hanging around here,” Zhu Shi said. “Do you remember how he regained his ‘Possibility Clone’ ability?”
Upon hearing this, I immediately understood the key point: "...I see."
Lu Chan once discarded his original aspirations along with his National First-Class Demon Hunter Medal at the secret outpost of the Humanitarian Department. Later, by re-encountering the medal, he regained his former self and also reclaimed the power of "Possibility Doppelganger".
Zhu Shi may also have similar "items that represent her past self" in her home in Xianshui City. Through contact with them, she might be able to transform back into Zhu Jiuxing and directly reclaim her romantic feelings and the correct divination method.
To put it bluntly, I think this item is most likely that white box... or more precisely, the rag dolls that were filled with Zhu Jiuxing's childhood memories.
“I took all the dolls out of the room, arranged them in a circle on my bed at home, and then took a nap inside,” Zhu Shi said. “But nothing happened. I am still me, and ‘Buzhou Mountain’ is still ‘Buzhou Mountain’.”
I immediately said, "It would be best if nothing happened. If you really turned back into Zhu Jiuxing, wouldn't that mean you would be spiritually dead?"
After considering that the changes Zhu Shi experienced in his childhood might be the same as those of Lu Chan in the past, I re-examined whether I should help Zhu Shi regain his romantic feelings, and only then did I realize the fatal flaw in the matter.
"No, I don't have a premonition that I will die... It's just that I will regain the sensibility of my childhood and become less suited to fighting," Zhu Shi said. "Because my childhood self did not deny my past values and thoughts, but merely set ambitions that were not suitable for me and forced myself to be ruthless enough in certain choices."
"Regarding the lack of combat power, the main component of my combat power in the future will be the forging of the Yama Sword. Even if I myself become less suitable for combat, it will not affect my performance as a Great Impermanence-level combat force."
"As for how my changed personality might hinder my combat ability... I'm an adult now, and I have a lot of combat experience, so I think I can solve this problem on my own."
Her desire to quickly reclaim the rightful position of the Heavenly and Earthly Laws is probably driven by a desire to acquire Great Impermanence-level combat power within three days and then join the Humanitarian Division's main stronghold battle. It's likely not just to fight alongside me, but also to personally bring closure to the life of her evil father, Ying Lingyun.
Unfortunately, she didn't make it in time.
She didn't show much regret about it. Unlike Chang'an, her feelings for Ying Lingyun weren't so strong that she couldn't let go.
At the same time, I noticed another problem.
"Can something that was so drastically sacrificed in the past be so easily reversed?" I felt this didn't align with my intuition.
"The Great Abandonment?"
Zhu Shi was puzzled at first, then suddenly realized, and said, "You mean the extreme methods some demon hunters use to become stronger? Although I did give up something important when I was a child, it's not the same thing."
"In fact, I did not gain any greater power from the abandonment I experienced in my childhood. It was merely a change in my attributes. If I had to say, my total talent might not even be as good as my childhood self."
Indeed, while "Mount Buzhou" possesses powerful supernatural abilities, it doesn't feel as extraordinary as the original form of the Heaven and Earth, and its functional scope is narrower compared to its prototype.
"Mount Buzhou" even has the restriction that it can only be used at full power in battle, perhaps reflecting Zhu Shi's determination to "live a life of battle." If I had to choose between the two abilities, I would rather choose the "Correct Position of Heaven and Earth." ...Although the attribute of having eyes that change color during battle is indeed very attractive.
“I’ve heard that the True Position Method of Heaven and Earth can be mastered through training,” I said. “Although it seems extremely difficult, since you have experience in mastering the True Position Method of Heaven and Earth before, and now you have Asaha helping you reproduce it every day, is there a chance that you can master it again through training?”
“Probably not,” Zhu Shi shook his head. “First of all, strictly speaking, ‘Mount Buzhou’ is the transformed, properly positioned celestial and terrestrial form. Therefore, unless through a special power like Ma Zao’s power of return, the two cannot coexist under natural conditions.”
"Secondly, for me, killing is an act of arbitrariness. And now that I have accepted my own capacity to kill, I can no longer control the communicative power of the celestial bodies and the earth."
"...It's not that murder and the celestial and terrestrial orientation are necessarily incompatible, but that's how it is in my world. It's not entirely impossible for me to become someone who can combine the two, provided that I completely reconstruct my values based on regaining my childhood spirit, and spiritually kill myself completely, replacing the old me with the new me."
Reaching that point would be tantamount to giving up entirely, something Zhu Shi could never do.
From this perspective, even if Zhu Shi reverts to her former self, Zhu Jiuxing, upon returning to Xianshui City, she would likely find it difficult to intentionally kill anyone. It's unclear whether she considered this at the time. Of course, not being able to kill doesn't mean she can't fight. She might become like a superhero in American comics who adheres to a no-kill policy. Honestly, I think that might actually suit her quite well.
"Looks like we'll have to wait patiently for eight months," I said.
"It's nine to ten months, Senior Brother Zhuang. Are you mistaken, or are you deliberately urging me?" Zhu Shi said.
"Nine to ten months is eight months from now, isn't it?" I said.
"But it sounds completely different," Zhu Shi said with a smile. "Could it be that Senior Brother Zhuang is lonely and wants his junior sister to be with him on the front lines like before?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation.
I've always operated alone, but I really long for the kind of relationship where I can entrust my back to my comrades.
Zhu Shi said sarcastically, "Although I know you didn't mean it that way, it's not really appropriate to admit it like that in front of Ma Zao, is it?"
"Why not? The more combat power Zhuang Cheng has around him, the better," Ma Zao said seriously.
"You two are clearly both blockheads, so why do you progress so fast when you're together..." Zhu Shi said with a speechless expression.
"More than that, there's something else I'm really concerned about right now..." I said.
"What is it?" Zhu Shi asked.
After thinking for a moment, I asked, "...If Ying Lingyun is destined to fail in reviving Yin Yue, what do you think would be the reason?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com