From the end of the world

Chapter 692 Reencounter with the Naval Master Xuanwu 1
This black water cannon attacked from a very tricky angle and had an attribute advantage against me. Not only could it easily cause massive damage, but it also completely locked onto me from the perspective of cause and effect and fate. Although I was mentally prepared, I still felt contradictorily caught off guard.

I don't know how to describe it. It's like watching a horror movie, knowing there will be a scary scene, but still being so frightened by the loud noise and terrifying images that you're completely at a loss for what to do... That description might be close to my current experience. Even my attempts to defend and dodge were involuntarily disrupted, forcibly shifting in the direction of the attack I was unprepared for.

In the chaotic, post-apocalyptic world of the afterlife, the order of cause and effect, destiny, and other aspects was in utter disarray, so the Great Demon Xuanwu's attribute advantage against me never manifested. However, in this illusory labyrinth of spacetime, this order is largely preserved. Natural privileges such as the Law of Heaven and Earth and the power of words can still be used normally here, although it's difficult to move along the expected path. The incredibly powerful attribute advantage I faced before was not actually in its complete form.

If the battlefield had been in the real world instead of the chaotic apocalyptic spacetime, perhaps even with the blessing of the small bowl, I wouldn't have been able to evade the Great Demon Xuanwu's attacks so skillfully during the first joint attack by the Great Demon Xuanwu and Huangquan. And now, that "hypothesis" has become a harsh reality.

I have no choice but to take this blow head-on.

Fortunately, my preparations went beyond just mental preparation.

By the time I reached this street, I had already converted a portion of the powerfully compressed flames from the slag weapon into a sufficient amount of Eclipse Fire. Although I couldn't convert flames with earth element attributes on my own without specific adjustments to the Little Bowl's blessing, the Eclipse Fire I had converted was now completely deviated from the fire element attribute and was not subject to the attribute restraint of the Water Master Xuanwu's water element magic.

Just as the black water cannon was about to hit me, a large amount of eclipse fire emerged from the space according to my preset command, turning into a shield to block it in front of me.

Ignoring the elemental advantage/disadvantage theory, in terms of mana density alone, the Water Master Xuanwu is far inferior to me, and even inferior to veteran Great Impermanences like Mingzhuo and Huangquan. However, compared to me when I first became a Great Impermanence, his mana density is significantly higher. After all, he has been a demon hunter for hundreds of years, and even at the Great Completion stage, he must have deeply studied the concept of mana density.

However, to put it simply, he had only recently become a Great Impermanence. Even though fire power is not good at defense, it still managed to stop the black water cannon. The aftershocks shattered all the buildings and concrete roads in the area, turning it into a rough wasteland.

The fire shield and black water cannon were neutralized and scattered in the fierce conflict.

This change surprised me somewhat. This fiery shield wasn't under my real-time control; it was activated automatically by preset commands, inevitably resulting in a significant deficiency in density. Even so, I expected it should easily withstand the attack of the Navy's Black Tortoise. The fact that it resulted in a draw is rather illogical.

The black water cannon of the Navy's Xuanwu was more powerful than I expected... but its mana density also told me that this attack met my expectations. Could it be that elemental advantage was working in secret?

No, the attribute advantage didn't actually work just now. That black water cannon seemed to possess a destructive power "beyond its normal level." I've encountered similar situations elsewhere, such as with Zhu Shi, who wielded the Yama Sword, and the Dog that imitated the White Tiger's killing power.

Their innate talent for combat and slaughter allows them to unleash attack power exceeding their own inherent density in battle. Even though the Dog (戌狗) has only recently become a Great Impermanence, it is precisely this quality that allows it to exert the combat power of a seasoned Great Impermanence.

The black water cannons of the Water Master Xuanwu also seem to contain a portion of metal element magic power. Although the magnitude is not as high as that of the Dog and Zhu Shi, combined with its inherent density, it actually faintly surpasses the former Great Demon Xuanwu.

"Come out, Xuanwu," I said. "You are no match for me now, so don't waste your energy on such useless things. I'll take your attack just now as a special greeting and won't hold it against you."

It's perfectly normal for the Xuanwu Navy to attack me. Even though we share a common enemy, Meng Zhang, the Lord of Peach Blossom Village, he doesn't necessarily need to join forces with me to gain extra power. He could easily find a way to steal my Vermilion Bird Seed and add my power to himself.

A powerful alliance only doubles the quantity, but if it devours me, it doubles the quality, and the latter brings a much higher chance of victory.

If I didn't still need to seek elixirs from the Water Master Xuanwu, and if I could also master the method of devouring other Yin-Yang inheritors, I would definitely have tried to kill the Water Master Xuanwu first. This has nothing to do with whether I respect this person or not—on the contrary, it is precisely because I respect him that I want to defeat and devour him even more. I do have this side to me.

The Eclipse Fire I just witnessed was merely an appetizer; I could easily transform all the flames that constitute my body and soul into Eclipse Fire. In that case, the attribute restraint effect that had previously exerted its power on the level of cause and effect and destiny would cease to exist. The Eclipse Fire, which I control in real time, would also overwhelm the Black Water of the Water Master Xuanwu. However, this excessive manipulation of the flames, deviating from its intended purpose, would have some negative side effects on my condition, but I am confident that I can defeat the Water Master Xuanwu within the safe timeframe.

I first extracted a portion of the Eclipse Fire stored in the slag weapon and temporarily mixed it into my soul. Then, I used my spiritual perception, which exceeded the elemental advantage, to sweep across the surrounding area.

Then, I locked onto one direction and moved my gaze there. The Water Master Xuanwu was hiding in that place. He probably thought he could deceive our senses with his water-based magic, but that trick wouldn't work on me.

"I've found you"—I announced this silently with my actions. Presumably, the Water Master Xuanwu was also aware of his exposure. Silence lasted for two or three seconds, then a black vortex of water appeared before me. After the vortex shattered and dissipated, a composed, middle-aged man, around forty or fifty years old, wearing light-colored training clothes and possessing the air of a scholar or professor, appeared before me.

I'd heard the news of his resurrection countless times, and from time to time I'd doubted its veracity. After all, he had truly died at my hands; the feeling of that touch couldn't be faked. Only now, with my own eyes, had I finally seen it for myself.

This familiar man is none other than the naval commander Xuanwu who died at my hands.

"Zhuang Cheng, it's been a long time." He looked at me with deep eyes.

“I called you out, and you actually came out. Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” I asked.

"You came to me on your own initiative, didn't you? Being able to move freely in this illusory and chaotic space-time... In this place that's like an octagonal arena, I can't do that. No matter how hard I try to escape, it's just a death struggle, and in the end, you'll just catch up and catch me." Saishi Genbu said without changing his expression. "And the exchange just now... it seemed like a stalemate, but I used all my strength, while you just relied on your automatic protective defense to block it without getting hurt."

"You are so much stronger than me, and it seems you can further nullify my attribute advantage... The difference between us is like that between a child and an adult. If you continue to resist, it would be me being disrespectful."

"I admit, I am no match for you."

Based on just a few details, he seemed to have discerned the true difference in combat strength between them. To say it was "a child and an adult" would be an exaggeration, but in terms of the probability of victory or defeat, it was roughly the same.

I was initially thinking about giving them another hard time, but now it seems unnecessary. In fact, it's making me a little itchy and restless.

"Giving up so quickly isn't like you. The fact that you dared to assassinate Xuanming when you were still at the Great Completion stage shows that you're the kind of person who will try your best to seize any opportunity, no matter how slim," I said.

Shui Shi Xuanwu said noncommittally, "...Even Xuanming seems to have been defeated by you. I can sense the residual magical energy fluctuations he left in this city, as well as your magical energy fluctuations intertwined with his...You were the one who killed Xuanming, weren't you?"

"It's me," I said frankly.

Shui Shi Xuanwu stared at me intently for a few seconds, then said, "There's no need for further words. Zhuang Cheng, you never intended to kill me, otherwise you could have simply made your move. What do you want? Are you planning to join forces with me to deal with the Peach Blossom Village Lord?"

“That’s part of the reason, but not the main one,” I said. “I hope you can refine some pills for me.”

Shui Shi Xuanwu was clearly not surprised. He was the foremost alchemist among all demon hunters, and countless people sought his elixirs. If anyone asked him for a favor, it was either to ask him to use his power in battle or to ask him to refine miraculous elixirs.

I then explained my needs to him.

"--So this is a follow-up to last time?" Shui Shi Xuanwu said knowingly. "Indeed, although I refined the Divine Gui Spirit Pill for you last time, that pill could not completely eliminate the injuries left by the Xuanming Fire. At most, it could only achieve a near-complete recovery. That level of repair will basically not affect the patient's future life, but it will still cause inconvenience under very few conditions... This is a consequence of my insufficient strength at the time."

The intelligence he had was still quite outdated; he still believed the flames that harmed Ma Zao were the Flames of Proclamation. But it was also my fault; the information I relayed to the Navy's Xuanwu through Elder Zhu was based on flawed speculation.

"Then...would you be willing to refine the Divine Elixir for us again?" I asked.

(End of this chapter)