Chapter 351 VS Fate's Turbidity 1
After realizing the threat posed by the time-manipulator, I was determined to kill him no matter what.
If it hadn't been Shinsho representing the Fate/Turbid faction to capture Asahi during the Humanitarian Affairs base incident, but instead it had been this Time-Ability user, I wouldn't have been able to protect Asahi at all. The reason Shinsho was in charge of the matter at the time was probably just because Lu Youxun's request for assistance happened to be directed at Shinsho, and he didn't expect that I, who was by Asahi's side, possessed such abilities.
It's not too late to do it now. As long as Mingzhu accurately pinpoints Asa's current location and orders this time-manipulation user to capture her, even with my superior strength, I won't be able to act in time. Since this time-manipulation user isn't targeting me, I can't sense or influence him who has infiltrated Planck's timeline. To kill him, I must do it now.
If I had to say, it's not that there's not even a single way... When I touched that time-manipulation user with my giant fiery hand, I had already implanted a thermal energy signal into his body. Through this thermal signal, even if he were to re-enter the frozen world, I might still be able to sense him there.
Now, all it takes is to detonate it like this, and you can kill it before it even has a chance to react.
Because the attack originated directly from within the opponent's body, even Mingzhuo couldn't protect their life. My flames instantly burned away the opponent's frozen state, vaporizing both body and soul on the spot. Mingzhuo roared in uncontrollable rage, his magical energy violently sweeping across the surroundings, transforming into shockwaves and gales that shattered the research institute building from within. The surrounding guards were sent flying like scraps of paper blown away by a hairdryer.
There are fewer than twenty Great Completion level cultivators in Luoshan, while there are eight Great Impermanence cultivators. Even if each Great Completion level cultivator has a master, and these are evenly distributed among all the Great Impermanence cultivators, each Great Impermanence cultivator can only receive a maximum of two people. With the death of the Divine Spear and now the death of this time-manipulation ability user, Mingzhuo's subordinates might have no more useful pawns left.
Ming Zhuo pointed his palm at me. In an instant, the continuous shockwaves and gales vanished. To be precise, they didn't vanish, but rather converged. The magical energy that had been radiating in all directions concentrated into one, and at the same time, his entire body's magical energy erupted violently like a volcano, transforming into an invisible, concentrated force that blasted towards my heart.
With no time to dodge, I reflexively assumed a defensive stance. A massive amount of flame concentrated on the spot to be struck, greatly increasing the area's sturdiness. However, as easily as a diamond drill bit piercing a wafer, my defense crumbled, and my body was sent flying at over Mach 100.
A hole appeared in my heart. Not only that, but my soul was also pierced through. This attack was actually enough to destroy my entire soul, but the power was too concentrated, resulting in a relatively minor perforation.
How could his attack so easily penetrate my defense when we are both Great Impermanence?
In the blink of an eye, I flew out of the Luoshan headquarters and arrived above the primeval forest. Even the Luoshan headquarters quickly disappeared on the other side of the horizon. Although I don't know if Mingzhuo deliberately sent me flying far away or if it was by chance, I didn't intend to start a formal battle in the town area anyway, so this saved me the trouble.
"What...didn't you want my life?" Mingzhuo's hateful voice echoed around them. "Why is it that now you're the one who's been beaten into this shameful, injured state?"
—He is in the forest below.
I instantly sensed his location and immediately unleashed a massive sea of fire, covering a forest area with a radius of more than 20 kilometers.
The towering flames instantly turned the area into daylight, while dark red smoke rose rapidly from the forest below, transforming into a human figure in the air.
This should also be a skill of elemental mimicry. Now I can somewhat see the difference between so-called elemental mimicry and true elemental mimicry. The elemental mimicry used by Ming Zhuo is to transform his physical body into magical elements, and then use his soul to possess them. The elemental mimicry of the Water Master Xuanwu is probably the same principle.
This is essentially more like a soul possession spell. However, ordinary witchers might only be able to possess other bodies or mechanical puppets, while highly skilled ones can possess unstable things like water, fire, and lightning. This is like walking a tightrope; not only is it easy to lose control, but the elemental containers like water, fire, and lightning also lack decent soul defense capabilities.
True elementalization, the elementalization I use, allows me to completely transform my body and soul into magical elements. Even if severely injured, I can repair myself anytime, anywhere. The ancient Chinese poem about "drawing a knife to cut water only makes it flow more"—used to describe something "meaningless"—also applies to attacking my soul.
"Injured? What do you mean?"
With the support of the sea of fire, my body and soul instantly returned to their original form.
"Even the soul can exist in the form of magical elements, true elementalization... As expected, the intelligence didn't exaggerate your abilities. Could it be that you've reached the realm of 'manifestation'?" Ming Zhuo said thoughtfully. "But if the realm of manifestation was reached through acquired cultivation, the changes wouldn't be limited to this level. Could it be that you didn't reach this realm through cultivation and comprehension, but purely through talent? Are you a born manifestation person?"
"If that's the case, then you are no match for me."
As he spoke, he launched another attack, his dark red magical energy transforming into a deep, chilling beam of light. Without hesitation, I unleashed my own attack, transforming flames into a gigantic spear spanning hundreds of meters, thrusting it towards him.
Since my flames can even burn the time frozen by that time-manipulator, then can I burn the time of the corrupted life... or rather, his lifespan?
My flames can burn not only time, but even space itself. In my scientifically minded worldview, time and space are inherently interconnected. Since I've unleashed the power to burn even time, it's only natural that space would be burned simultaneously. And because the concept of spatial distance has been disrupted, my flaming spear, moving with the speed of instantaneous teleportation, struck Mingzhuo's body even though it was delayed.
But the next moment, I was certain...
My strength is insufficient to harm Mingzhuo's body.
It was like a wooden toothpick hitting a stone wall; the moment it struck, it was my flaming spear that crumbled and disintegrated first.
The dark, crimson beam of light, thick with the aura of death, bombarded my body. In an instant, my body felt as if it were being corroded by a potent acid, the process accelerated tens of thousands of times, instantly disintegrating into nothingness. My soul suffered the same fate as my body, being completely decomposed on the spot.
This wasn't the first time my soul had been completely destroyed, so I didn't panic. I manipulated the sea of fire below to rebuild my body high in the sky, and then looked at the distant Mingzhuo.
“I see… it’s ‘density’?” I said.
Mingzhuo didn't answer my question, but only let out a smug, triumphant laugh. It didn't matter that he didn't answer; I had already seen through his scheme.
The reason is very simple: although we are both manipulating the power of impermanence, my "density" is decisively insufficient.
As my power increases, the factors influencing the outcome of my battles with enemies diminish, especially after reaching the realm of Great Impermanence. Favorable timing? Favorable terrain? For Great Impermanence, who can manipulate celestial phenomena and alter landscapes with a mere strike, these factors are practically nonexistent. The number of people under my command is also irrelevant.
There are only two factors that can truly determine the outcome of our conflicts: "scale" and "density." In other words, it's about who has more power and who can use that power more efficiently.
From my observation, the power that Ming Zhuo just used was only slightly stronger than a strategic nuclear weapon in terms of total strength. In other words, it was roughly on par with Yin Yue's nuclear explosion, but significantly weaker than Shui Shi Xuan Wu's shattered golden core attack. This doesn't mean that Ming Zhuo, as a Great Impermanence, could only be compared to those at the Great Completion level. Rather, it's that Yin Yue and Shui Shi Xuan Wu, as Great Completion level cultivators, were exceptionally powerful, able to summon power on the scale of the Great Impermanence at such a high level.
However, those two had a major drawback: although they could summon power on the scale of the Great Impermanence, they could not control it. It was like a child holding the weapons of the generals in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms but being unable to wield them.
The difference is that Mingzhuo is a true "general" with outstanding "martial arts" who is invincible on the battlefield; while I am just an ordinary soldier with swords, spears and clubs. The gap between us in "martial arts" and "experience" is as vast as heaven and earth.
Clearly, since the only factors that can influence the outcome of a battle between the Great Impermanence beings are "scale" and "density," they will naturally devote all their energy to these two aspects. Between "scale" and "density," the Great Impermanence beings will likely focus more on "density." This is because all Great Impermanence beings possess the power to change the world, and they generally don't need to worry about running out of power.
Compared to me, Mingzhuo has been walking this path for countless years. I must admit that I am now undoubtedly the weaker party.
To put it humorously, we're like characters who appear later in many fantasy novels; when we fight, it's all about "throwing projectiles," and whoever has the most powerful move wins. Strategic and technical elements are rarely used anymore, but for the weak to defeat the strong, aren't "strategy" and "technique" all they can rely on?
So, if I am far inferior to my competitors in terms of the main "density", how do I fare in terms of the secondary "scale"?
Unfortunately, based on my perception and the feedback from this exchange, I'm afraid I'm not far behind my opponent in terms of "scale" for the time being. It's hard to say exactly who's bigger or smaller; at least I don't feel I have an advantage. It's roughly a 50/50 split.
I'm afraid my only advantage right now is that I'm hard to die.
It's quite ironic, really. As a fire-type user, my greatest strength, according to stereotypes, is my attack power. But now, my attack power is actually my least advantageous trait, and my greatest strength is my tenacious vitality.
Even this advantage is actually stronger in those with turbid fates.
No... I have another way out.
That is the fire of enlightenment.
I tried to sense the Xuanming Fire within Mingzhuo's body, and at the same time, a black and red light reappeared in Mingzhuo's palm.
In my perception, the light he condensed this time was far more concentrated and terrifying than the last time.
"Do you think you're some kind of divine intervention that makes you immune to being killed?" he said coldly. "Don't underestimate the Great Impermanence."
The black and red beam of light shot towards me again. I tried to dodge it using fire teleportation, but I felt unable to escape. Just as I could previously inflict "guaranteed hit" fate on other demon hunters, Fate Turbid possessed the same ability, and might even have gone further than me on the path of interfering with fate.
This attack itself possesses a strength exceeding my defensive capabilities, and therefore it also overrides my fate of "intending to avoid damage in other ways."
In an instant, the light hit me.
My body and soul crumbled once again, but unlike last time, this time, I felt my consciousness, which could function normally even without my body and soul, being captured by a vast darkness and falling into oblivion...
(End of this chapter)
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