From the end of the world

Chapter 706 Lord of the Four Directions and Four Seasons
Along with the sound, an unfamiliar figure appeared behind Meng Zhang, holding a silver-white sword in his hand.

A closer look reveals that this sword is not a truly fixed entity, but rather formed from condensed silvery-white magical light. Its metallic sheen and sharp edge flicker erratically, causing a stinging sensation simply to be seen.

Despite wielding such a blinding lightsaber, this person managed to remain as invisible as if he were transparent. When did he infiltrate this battlefield, and when did he stealthily reach that location? Even searching my memory, it was difficult to discern. Meng Zhang clearly only reacted when the other spoke, reflexively turning to attack, and I also assumed a defensive stance.

But it was too late; the opponent unleashed their sword in an unbelievable manner. First, the opponent spoke; then we reacted; and then the opponent swung their sword—reason told me that this was the correct sequence of events, but reality unfolded in a bizarre way.

It might be hard to understand from a normal person's perspective, but this is something I discovered using my ability to observe the timeline. The opponent's sword seemed to have cleaved through time; even though we should have reacted first, this silver-white sword light appeared before we reacted.

What was pierced was not only time, but also space; the sword light simultaneously struck everyone present.

It wasn't that the opponent made three attacks at the same time, nor was it that one sword light split into three. There was only one sword light from beginning to end, yet it managed to strike all three of us simultaneously.

To illustrate, it's similar to trying to pierce three points on a piece of paper with a pencil in a single motion. The easiest solution would be to fold the paper into three layers and then pierce it all at once. Just imagine the space as a piece of paper.

To be precise, the opponent was using a far more mysterious and profound method. Because in this area where spacetime and causality have been thrown into chaos by my battle with Meng Zhang, simple spatial techniques are inapplicable. I don't know exactly how the opponent did it; I can only vaguely deduce that it's a spatial technique far beyond my imagination.

As for the attributes of the silvery-white sword light, I made an extremely clear judgment the moment I saw it. This was the orthodox killing power of the White Tiger. It was completely different from the Dog that had simulated the power of the Metal element, and the Black Tortoise of the Water element that used the White Tiger seed as an auxiliary tool. The killing power of the White Tiger that was attacking me was so pure that it was beyond compare, like the scythe of death, intending to take away everyone's life.

Given the opponent's advanced spatial abilities and the suddenness of the attack, avoiding it was impossible. I intuitively realized this and reflexively made a defensive move, concentrating my fire power in front of me.

However, I failed. At the moment I tried to control the flames, I suddenly felt my power become uncontrollable.

Is it because my true spirit was severely injured in the battle with Meng Zhang, making it unable to mobilize its power? No. Although my true spirit is badly wounded, it is not to the point of affecting its actions. This current loss of control is more like my hands and feet, which have always taken my brain for granted, have somehow developed their own ideas and want to exert force in the opposite direction.

This phenomenon was only momentary, yet in a battle at the level of Great Impermanence, a single moment is enough to determine many things. The sword light struck my undefended torso—limited to that part, so there wasn't much of a problem. Fire can overcome metal, so even if I were to take a direct hit from the metal element's power, I wouldn't suffer any major consequences.

But the moment it struck me, the silvery-white sword light instantly transformed into a deep black, and its elemental attribute changed from metal, which I countered, to water, which countered me. The consequences of being hit immediately went from insignificant to unimaginable.

Unable to immediately change my magical attribute to Eclipse Fire, the flames' uncontrollable behavior prevented my attempt. A single strike from the deep sword light cleaved my body in two, and due to the anomaly, I lost most of my coordination and control; my corona-form body instantly disintegrated and exploded. My true spirit also suffered severe damage, entering a critically injured state. My consciousness began to dissipate.

The degree of damage suffered at the True Spirit level is independent of the generating and restraining relationships of the Four Symbols and Five Elements. It's not that just because Water elemental magic restrains me, the direct damage my True Spirit receives will increase. Although the effect of Water restraining Fire can prevent the destructive power of Water elemental magic from being significantly negated by Fire elemental magic before reaching the True Spirit level, that's a separate issue. Right now, the damage my True Spirit is suffering is clearly excessive; even if I were completely unharmed and took this attack, I would probably still be severely injured.

This result can only prove one thing.

The Great Impermanence who suddenly appeared before them was completely different from those Great Impermanence who couldn't truly target the True Spirit level when launching attacks. This one specifically targeted the True Spirit level. He could deeply perceive the True Spirit level and had a far deeper understanding of it than other Great Impermanence.

The ability to freely convert magical power into the five elements, a profound understanding of the true spirit, and the act of appearing and intervening at the crucial moment when the four seeds of power gathered together...

The identity of this suddenly appearing, unknown being is now quite obvious.

Faced with the incoming sharp sword light, Meng Zhang and the naval commander Xuanwu gave different reactions.

The sword light that was aimed at me was clearly the same as the one that was slashing towards me, but the sword light that was slashing towards Meng Zhang inexplicably remained silver-white throughout. Meng Zhang did not underestimate the White Tiger's killing power as his opponent. He transformed into azure lightning and perfectly avoided the silver-white sword light that should have been absolutely restrained by him in terms of cause and effect and fate, and should not have missed in theory.

But in the instant it brushed past him, the silver-white sword light seemed to have severed something colorless and formless. Meng Zhang's expression immediately turned extremely ugly, and the surging magical power fluctuations around him decreased sharply, in the blink of an eye, dropping to the normal level without the "Shangri-La" enhancement.

The sword light that struck the Water Master Genbu changed color, just like it had on me, from silver-white to deep yellow, and its element changed from the metal element he also possessed to the earth element, which countered him. The Water Master Genbu himself was unable to dodge or defend, and could only take the blow head-on. From his right shoulder to his left waist, he was instantly cleaved in two. His lower body plummeted downwards, while his upper body barely hovered in the air.

Perhaps because he still possessed the White Tiger seed, the earth elemental magic wasn't completely suppressing him, and he was still barely clinging to his last breath. He stared wide-eyed in the direction of the attacker.

A man with long black hair and wearing a black and yellow Taoist robe stood in the air, looking down at us with a gaze that looked down upon all living beings.

Behind him, a deep yellow wheel, even taller than himself, appeared.

The wheel has a ring structure on each of its top, bottom, left, and right sides, with a blank space in the middle of each ring. At the center of the wheel, a small ring floats, with a deep yellow light emanating from its center.

"King of the Wheel, no..." the Water Warrior Xuanwu cried out in hatred, "Mountain Yin and Yang—!"

His reaction confirmed my suspicions. He had met Shan Liangyi in person before, and since even he said so, it couldn't be wrong. This unknown Great Impermanence was indeed Shan Liangyi!
King Yama is indeed the embodiment of the Two Elements of the Mountain!

At this stage, the only elemental entity for the Mountain Yin-Yang theory should be the Earth-element Yellow Dragon Seed. However, Earth can generate Metal, and Metal can generate Water. The previous Metal-elemental and Water-elemental magical powers were probably transformed according to this principle. If it were me, I could at most transform Fire-elemental magical powers into flawed Earth-elemental magical powers with the aid of blessings.

Not only can the Mountain Two Elements transform its Earth element magic power into perfect Metal element magic power, but it can also further transform it into Water element magic power. This is probably a realm that I can never reach no matter how much I train.

"Long time no see, Xuanwu." Shan Liangyi smiled slightly. "Congratulations on becoming the Great Impermanence."

Upon hearing this, the naval commander Xuanwu's expression changed, and he unleashed a powerful black water cannon attack. Meng Zhang, despite his greatly diminished strength, didn't utter a single pretentious word, and without hesitation, unleashed a magnificent azure lightning bolt. I could easily see what Shan Liangyi was planning, so I immediately regained my scattered consciousness, restored part of my body, and desperately unleashed a powerful fire cannon.

The three different colored magical powers seemed to merge into one, transforming into a powerful spiral that flew towards the target.

When I started the war with Meng Zhang, I never imagined that all the current inheritors of the Two Elements would actually be able to unite and gather all their strength to besiege the Two Elements Mountain.

Faced with this combined three-in-one killing move, Shan Liangyi remained unmoved, all the power passing through his body as if it were air. He appeared to be standing before us, but in reality, he was like a mirage, hidden in the infinite depths of the ocean of time and space.

"How is this possible..." Meng Zhang said in disbelief, "It's actually a spatial technique? No matter how chaotic it becomes, this is still my home turf... How could such spatial power be used here!"

For the Great Impermanence, manipulating time and space is merely a trivial matter; relying solely on this method would not allow them to evade our encirclement. Therefore, generally speaking, there is little room for such techniques to be employed in battles between Great Impermanences.

However, this is only a generalization. Humans cannot fly, so they cannot reach birds soaring among the clouds, and this difficulty does not exist between birds. But even birds, who take flight for granted, cannot reach satellites in outer space beyond the atmosphere.

No matter what it is, once accumulated to a certain degree, it can break through conventional wisdom. The fact that Shan Liangyi could do such a thing right in front of us only shows that his manipulation of space and time is at a level that is beyond our reach.

Just as I, upon entering this city, cannot be simply regarded as a weak demon hunter, but rather as a Great Impermanence who cannot yet unleash his full power; similarly, the Mountain Two Elements before me should not be simply regarded as an ordinary Great Impermanence, but rather as a "god who has pushed open the third door" who has not yet recovered to his full strength.

"The Four Divine Beasts symbolize the four cardinal directions—east, west, south, and north—and also the cycle of the four seasons. The Yellow Dragon, as the ruler of these four directions, possesses the power to control space and time. Space and time are what encompass everything, symbolized by the earth and manifested by gravity. The Yellow Dragon's power is the power of space and time." Shan Liangyi first answered Meng Zhang's question, "Therefore, it can also do such a thing—"

As he spoke, he reached out his hand to the naval commander Xuanwu.

The latter seemed to realize something, and his expression changed drastically. He used all his strength to unleash a surge of magical power, but before he could make any further struggle, countless silver-white sword lights exploded from his body, instantly annihilating his body and soul.

The naval commander Xuanwu died.

(End of this chapter)