From the end of the world

Chapter 673 VS Xuanming 5
Since they are both fighting for human civilization, Xuanming and Gua Tianshi should be staunch allies. However, Xuanming seems to have never considered joining forces with Gua Tianshi, and the latter has shown no intention of cooperating.

Ultimately, why did Xuanming choose to betray Luoshan?
“Whether it’s the Divination Master or Fazheng, they both want to obtain the Divine Seal,” Xuanming said. “It’s not just to prevent the end of the world; they also want to realize their own wishes through the Divine Seal and materialize their ideal society into the real world. I can’t agree with that, it’s that simple.”

"I can't agree... Why is that?" I asked. "The Divination Master may have some cold-blooded thoughts about the development of human civilization, but ultimately he still pursues a result of governance, and Fazheng's ideal social form needs no further explanation. Do you think their pursuits don't align with your beliefs?"

"It's not a matter of that level. Ultimately, something like a divine seal, capable of easily altering the world, should not be obtained by any individual. Even beings like us, the Great Impermanence, are not a good thing for civilization." Xuanming looked around.

After countless battles, the city, except for its impenetrable city center, has been razed to the ground. The raging inferno has decomposed and destroyed almost all surface structures; were it not for the city's protective barrier, the disaster would have spread to even more distant areas. This southern city, once the nation's economic center, has been destroyed in such a short time.

“I am the Great Impermanence, so I can kill all living beings and destroy anything at will. My crimes will not be judged because I am the moral standard. If a moral system defines me as evil, then it is that moral system that is wrong, not me personally,” Xuanming said. “Countless believers regard me as a god, but I possess only the human heart. I raise the banner of justice to sacrifice innocent children, and in the process, I kill countless people. How can this be right?”
"The weak are easily infected by my thoughts simply by approaching me, and they will submit from the bottom of their souls and become my fanatical believers after only hearing a few words from me. Except for a very few like you, no one can stop my tyranny. And if I were replaced by someone who wields the divine seal, who could stop me?"
"To possess the power to modify the world at will means to turn the world into a dream that one can change with a single thought, which is no different in essence from a 'Shangri-La', an eternal cradle. Even if it is a well-intentioned person like the Diviner Master and Fazheng, the result is nothing more than turning the world into a plaything under one's control."

"From ancient times to the present, I have witnessed countless times throughout my long life that any ideology or thought, especially a vision for the future, is a specific product formed based on the material conditions of that historical stage. The divine seal may seem to be able to bring civilization to the so-called ideal future society in one step, but in reality, it only makes it fixed in a disguised way. Even if it is just fixed in a way, it is not the worst situation. The worst situation is the current crisis."

"I don't know where the Divine Seal came from, but I believe that as long as human civilization continues to develop, one day we will be able to reach the stars and the sea, and even develop into a super interstellar civilization capable of creating the Divine Seal. At that time, humanity will certainly be ready to welcome the Divine Seal."

"At present, it is still too early for the divine seal to be applied to humankind."

Upon hearing this, I had a clear premonition, "So... your real purpose is..."

"After stopping the apocalypse, I will completely destroy the Divine Seal," Xuanming said firmly. "I am certain that I will do it, but I cannot be sure whether other Great Impermanences would make the same choice as me when faced with the temptation of omnipotence."

"If I continued to stay in Luoshan to collect the fragments of the divine seal, I might fall into the trap set by the Divination Master. Therefore, I had to turn to the shadows as soon as possible and fight alone. But what happened next quickly exceeded my control..."

"But these things will come to an end soon. I will defeat the mastermind behind the scenes, and the world will be put back on the right track by my hand. Zhuang Cheng, since you insist on standing in my way, then I will have no choice but to let you die here."

His flames grew even hotter, his attacks more ferocious, almost overwhelming me.

In the clash of flames, I realized that what he said was true. He truly had no greed for omnipotence; he only wanted it to disappear from this world.

I admire the strong willpower he has shown in this matter and respect his unwavering determination, but I have no intention of losing to him here. The fate of the world and the future of civilization are extremely important. Even I am drawn to the blueprint for civilization outlined in Xuanming's words. However, if it means sacrificing those I value for this, then I will first wipe out everyone who wants to do so.

Ultimately, I am not like Xuanming, the Diviner, or Fazheng, who view issues from a grand perspective of the world and civilization, nor do I aspire to be like them. From beginning to end, I have maintained a personal perspective, driven by personal feelings. I do not consider myself inferior to them because of this; everyone possesses their own unique sacredness within them. To realize it, I am equally willing to risk everything without hesitation.

We were repeating earth-shattering clashes with incredible frequency above the city. Now, all our cards were laid bare, and we had no more trump cards to play; all that remained was an irreconcilable battle. While we were killing the enemy, we were also taking damage ourselves. Xuanming's extraordinary output seemed unsustainable, but with the support of the firestorm's home field, its duration was likely no less than my Corona Mode. If we tried to stall for time, we would only be utterly crushed by Xuanming's relentless onslaught. The damage accumulating step by step made me feel like I was about to die. Darkness appeared in my consciousness, spreading like ink poured into water.

For a few moments, I seemed to lose consciousness, and I wasn't even sure if that was really the case. Xuanming's injuries had also become quite severe, but his strength continued to rise with the increase in injuries.

In the end, it was Xuanming who couldn't bear it any longer. At one point, his movement noticeably slowed down.

Without a second thought, I seized the opportunity. Thinking about it carefully, it could also be a feint by Xuanming; if I rushed forward rashly, I might be counter-killed. However, my consciousness was already quite scattered at this point, similar to a state of suffocation and oxygen deprivation leading to complete darkness. My pursuit was basically driven by instinct, though it's also possible that my instincts judged this to be a perfectly legitimate opportunity. When I came to my senses, I had already crashed into Xuanming at high speed.

Xuanming was hit by me before he could build a complete defense. His body plummeted downwards at high speed amidst the explosion, and his magical energy fluctuations dropped for the first time, with its strength decreasing by 30%.

It seems I have won this battle of endurance.

Perhaps this is a logical conclusion. With my manifested immortality, I have a huge advantage in this regard. Xuanming's power is certainly stronger than mine when he is injured, but I only need to destroy his soul, while he must use a more powerful penetration to further damage my true spirit on top of destroying my soul.

My soul can be destroyed many times, but if it is destroyed even once, then all is lost.

I pressed my advantage relentlessly, diving down to pursue him. Even at this critical moment, Xuanming hadn't lost his will to turn the tide. While constructing a defense in front of me with his fire magic, several extremely dense fire shockwaves suddenly erupted from around my body like stray lightning.

However, these concealed killing moves were no longer effective in catching me off guard. I hadn't anticipated these attacks, but thanks to the enhanced consciousness from the blessing, I reacted swiftly and almost reflexively performed an extraordinary evasive maneuver. Like threading a needle, I slipped through the gaps in the attacks, without a moment's delay, and swooped down at full speed to Xuanming's side.

I shattered Xuanming's hastily constructed defenses with overwhelming force, and at the same time, I raised my right hand, unleashing a burst of flames from my palm that blasted into Xuanming's body.

This time, I felt as if I were shattering something decisive.

An explosion that seemed capable of shattering the sky rang out, and Xuanming crashed onto the barren earth like a space-based weapon, sending up a cloud of dust that shot straight into the sky. Immediately afterward, the dust cloud was swept away by the shockwave that emerged from within, and Xuanming stood up on the ground, his body about to erupt with orange flames once again.

But then, most of the flames suddenly went out, he swayed back and forth, his legs could no longer support his body, and he fell heavily to the ground.

He lost.

(End of this chapter)