From the end of the world

Chapter 683 A Sudden Reversal
I am well aware that if I can successfully win over the Dog (戌狗), the benefits will be far greater than they seem.

Although the Dog (戌狗) has never performed well, it's important to know that it possesses power that mimics the White Tiger's killing magic. The term "mimic" might give the impression of being somewhat inferior, but the silvery-white magic that the Dog displays is no less powerful than the White Tiger's killing magic as I know it.

You see, the current Dog is actually similar to me when I first became a Great Impermanence. He basically has no concept of how to properly increase the density of magical power, yet he can already demonstrate a level of strength comparable to a veteran Great Impermanence. If he can make up for his weaknesses in the future, like me, his combat abilities will probably be no less than mine and Xuanming's.

Even so, I will not risk Xiaowan's life to win over Xu Gou.

Even if we take a step back and consider only pure self-interest, Xiao Wan's value is still higher than that of another character who is merely comparable to me in combat strength. Zhu Shi needs Xiao Wan's blessing to master the power of Great Impermanence for a sufficiently short period of time; otherwise, he will most likely miss the battle to subdue Fukuinin. Furthermore, Asaho's plan to become stronger relies on Xiao Wan's blessing as an indispensable core.

I also have to rely on the power of blessings to make up for my shortcomings in many ways. From the afterlife to the world of the living, the victories in battle after battle, and the solutions to many key problems, have all been inseparable from the support of the power of blessings. Xiaowan is also the only person I know who can actively heal true spirits. Without her support, I would still be in a dying and powerless state, and by now I would definitely have been taken by the likes of the Dog.

"Don't worry about the blessings, Brother Zhuangcheng. Even if I die, I can guarantee that the blessings I bestow upon you will not disappear," Xiaowan said in a comforting tone.

I understand that the power of intention sometimes does not end with the death of the person involved.

It is even possible for curses to become more stubborn and powerful precisely because the person died with unresolved grievances. Many ancient legends and tales describe curses left behind by those who died with their eyes wide open, plunging the living into endless terror and suffering. Even ordinary mortals in life may leave behind curses powerful enough to alter the fate of others.

Similarly, blessings can be sustained by following the same principles.

“It might even become stronger,” Xiaowan said. “Although it won’t be as flexible and versatile as it was in life, at least all its original functions will be fully preserved. Even if Brother Zhuangcheng’s true spirit is damaged in the future, the blessing I left behind can automatically repair the true spirit… I can’t do that blessing now, but if anything happens, I will try my best to make the blessing I left behind stronger in this aspect.”

“Little Bowl, you know that’s not what I wanted to say,” I said.

“I understand, Brother Zhuangcheng, you wouldn’t risk your partner’s life for personal gain… right?” Xiaowan said. “But this isn’t just about profit; it’s also what I want. In the past, I’ve always stayed in the safe rear while Brother Zhuangcheng fought on the front lines. If I only need to take the risks to reap huge rewards, what reason do I have to run away? This is exactly what I’ve been longing for.”

“I can’t accept that,” I said. “No matter what you say, I will not risk your life to win over Xu Gou.”

Ultimately, if I hadn't brought Xiaowan to this city, she wouldn't have been caught up in our battle.

I must admit this is my responsibility, and I must also acknowledge that I failed to consider things thoroughly. Of course, I will not regret my choice; that's my principle. Even looking back at my judgment at the time, I still believe that seeking Xiaowan's help was absolutely necessary. Since I consider Xiaowan an important partner, I won't say anything pretentious about sharing risks.

However, seeking Xiaowan's help and risking Xiaowan's life for huge profits are fundamentally different actions. Even if I had 60-70% confidence, or even 99% confidence, I wouldn't make the slightest concession.

Xiao Wan sighed deeply, yet seemed to harbor a complex mix of joy and relief.

"What are you all chattering about over there?" Dog asked coldly.

Our telepathic communication wasn't being shown to Xu Gou, so he couldn't hear it. However, he seemed to have guessed some of the truth based on his intellect and intuition, and his voice became extremely cold and piercing: "You don't actually think... you've already won, do you?"

“Dog, if you surrender, I can spare your life,” I said. “But if you continue to resist... then you shall die here.”

"What a joke!" Dog Dog laughed angrily. "You're taking on all six of us by yourself... and you still dare to be so arrogant?"

Having said that, he suddenly accelerated, soaring to thousands of times the speed of sound, transforming into a jet-black streak that flashed incessantly across the battlefield. The magic of the Metal element symbolizes an indestructible weapon, easily translating into physical speed and power.

Countless silver-white beams of light shot out from different angles, and as if in coordination with the high-speed movement of the Dog, the five avatars of Meng Zhang also changed their combat modes. At first glance, they were still launching lightning strikes from different angles, but they displayed extremely tacit cooperation, with the frequency and rhythm of their attacks significantly optimized.

Neither the Dog of the Dogs nor these incarnations of Meng Zhang possessed much knowledge of military strategy. However, because the Dog of the Dogs used a devastating force that delved into metaphysical concepts, and these incarnations of Meng Zhang consciously used the Dog of the Dogs as the core of their offensive, they "accidentally" displayed an offensive that perfectly aligned with the principles of military strategy. However, the Dog of the Dogs misunderstood one thing.

Ultimately, he still lacked a deep understanding of the realm of the Great Impermanence, and his experience in fighting and confronting other Great Impermanence was far inferior to mine.

Because he had five Meng Zhang avatars assisting him, he thought he could overcome the gap in strength and gain an advantageous position—this kind of thinking only shows a lack of understanding of the difference in density.

If the power of all five Meng Zhang incarnations were superimposed and compressed onto him, then things would probably really turn out as he envisioned. But if it were presented around me in this dispersed form, trying to take me down like this would just be wishful thinking.

No matter how well one arranges military formations, it's nothing more than child's play in a battle between two powerful beings. If the strength were similar, such tactics might be useful, but now the gap between us is so vast that his actions are nothing more than a desperate struggle.

On one side was him, who could only rival the veteran Great Impermanence thanks to his special attributes; on the other side was me, who had far surpassed him in the level he had reached through trickery, and who also had the added blessing power... If it weren't for the need to protect those around me, the battle would have been over long ago. I guess it was because of my momentary passive defensive stance that he mistakenly thought I was at a disadvantage with no chance of fighting back.

Now, this farce should come to an end.

I unleashed all the fire magic I had been accumulating, transforming it into five enormous fire spears, each as large as a pillar, which locked onto the five Meng Zhang avatars and hurtled towards them.

Meng Zhang's avatars all darted away at high speed in different directions to evade. I thought that since these enemies had previously been able to achieve an abnormally high hit rate by taking advantage of the illusory spacetime, they might also be able to achieve an abnormally high evasion rate. And the facts once again confirmed my guess; they actually avoided the flaming spears at the same time.

However, this change was within my expectations. The five flaming spears seemed to come alive, their trajectories suddenly veering at a sharp angle, striking their targets with a counter-attack. This was a simulation of the "sure-hit kill" effect of the legendary divine spears, achieved by utilizing the power of the Great Impermanence to intervene in fate and cause and effect.

Although Meng Zhang's avatar has a high hit rate, I have experience in dodging it by force using my own strength; similarly, it is also possible to forcefully hit Meng Zhang's avatar with sufficient strength.

Just as it's difficult for me to dodge the attacks of five Meng Zhang avatars simultaneously, it's equally difficult to kill them all at once. That's why I need so much time to accumulate power and prepare my finishing move. I don't know what other unpredictable special abilities these Meng Zhang avatars possess, so in order to wipe them all out in one fell swoop before they change their tactics, this is the only strategy I have.

Five flaming spears struck five of Meng Zhang's avatars simultaneously. In the earth-shattering explosion, these enemies had no chance to rise again and were all reduced to dust.

Seeing this, the dog's high-speed movement seemed to have gone out of control, and I could sense its extremely strong sense of astonishment.

“How…how is this possible!” he exclaimed.

Immediately afterwards, I flew towards him at top speed.

The truly threatening move of the Dog (戌狗) is not those chaotic silver-white beams, but his cutting power. To put it more precisely, it is the destructive blade storm he unleashes, relying on the power of endless fragments of divine seals, capable of annihilating everything within a hundred-kilometer radius in one fell swoop.

Once released, everything inside the barrier will be reduced to nothing. My battle with Xuanming only leveled a southern city; the scale of destruction caused by the enemy far exceeds that. At that time, even the earth itself will cease to exist, replaced by a deep abyss with a diameter of hundreds of kilometers.

In terms of sheer scale, it even makes one doubt whether it can rival the power beyond the third gate. Even now, I have no confidence in completely withstanding that attack. While it wouldn't necessarily kill me, protecting the little bowl under such an onslaught would be impossible. Therefore, I must interrupt it immediately.

He probably didn't do that before because he was worried about affecting friendly forces, but now he no longer has that concern.

The dog's two arms transformed into blade shapes, exuding an immense and overwhelming sense of threat.

(End of this chapter)