From the end of the world

Chapter 713 The Key Step for Early Childhood Epileptic Disease

The origin of the Soul Loss phenomenon lies in the apocalyptic process that has descended upon the afterlife. To compensate for its own continuous collapse, the afterlife instinctively summons souls from the living world as a supplement. More precisely, this phenomenon of collapse and replenishment is limited to the human aspects of the afterlife; therefore, the souls forcibly summoned are also limited to humans.

Although the current process of the afterlife's apocalyptic unfolding is largely a manifestation of the Naraku Gospel, the apocalypse itself is inherently a more likely event to prematurely influence the appearance of humanity in the afterlife. Even if there were a way to resolve the Naraku Gospel, it would only be a temporary fix. For Fazheng and his followers to truly resolve the soul-loss syndrome, they must address the apocalypse itself.

I started Xiaowan's treatment in the morning, and it didn't end until nightfall.

This treatment was much longer than before, and Xiao Wan looked quite exhausted.

Shan Liangyi's attack on my true spirit was quite accurate and penetrating, making treatment seem much more difficult than before. Xiaowan told me that my true spirit actually had quite a few minor hidden injuries, and she needed to recover her own spirit first. After that, she would need at least another night to treat me to ensure my safety. And this outcome was probably not even Shan Liangyi's full strength.

I thought of the scene when Shan Liangyi grasped the fragment of the divine seal that should have been impossible for them to grasp.

All legendary realms are related to self-proving one's true spirit to varying degrees. In other words, according to some information I have collected in the past, no matter what legendary realm one wants to attain, one must first walk on the path of self-proving one's true spirit.

The legendary realm of "Reincarnation" mastered by Shan Liangyi actually has much higher requirements for proving one's true spirit than "manifestation." Reaching that level, Shan Liangyi might even be able to use the power of his true spirit in a limited way, though he hadn't specifically displayed it before. Therefore, it's entirely plausible that he could access the two divine seal fragments originally bound to me.

After Shan Liangyi took away the two fragments of the divine seal, I was no longer an apostle of the Void Realm. This had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that I was no longer subject to any potential constraints from the Lord of the Divine Seal, while the disadvantage was that I could no longer use the power of the True Spirit.

If you want to completely kill Mingzhuo in future battles, you will need the power of the True Spirit.

There is a way to become a Void Realm Apostle again: simply come into contact with the fragment of the Unowned Divine Seal once more and establish a binding relationship with it. Since the binding was automatic the first time you came into contact with the fragment, it should be possible now as well. Ma Zao and Zhu Shi each have a fragment of the Unowned Divine Seal; you can ask them for it.

As for the ten unclaimed divine seal fragments placed in the tiny nascent virtual realm, I cannot retrieve them for the time being. Opening them requires both the power of the divine seal fragments and Xuanming's experience as a key. Xuanming himself must have accumulated some divine seal fragment power during his lifetime; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to access the tiny nascent virtual realm.

“I don’t think becoming a Void Realm Apostle again is a good thing, Brother Zhuang Cheng,” Xiao Wan objected. “True Spirit Power can’t really enhance your combat power; it just gives you an extra condition to counter any immortal body.”

“Admittedly, one cannot kill Mingzhu without the power of the True Spirit, but Mingzhu no longer has the motive to specifically target Sister Mazao, and his strength is significantly inferior to yours. Although he is currently on the opposing side, killing him is not the only way to eliminate this threat. It is not worth it to pay the price of becoming a Void Realm Apostle again just to eradicate an enemy like Mingzhu.”

“I acknowledge your position, but I’d much rather kill Mingzhuo directly,” I said. “Of course, I’m not indifferent to the fact that the Lord of the Divine Seal can exert influence through the connection between the Divine Seal Fragment and me, but Little Bowl, with your power, you could also sever the connection between me and the Divine Seal Fragment, so that I would no longer be an Apostle of the Void Realm, right?”

Xiao Wan understood my intention. "Are you planning to become a Void Realm Apostle again only when you fight Ming Zhuo, and then have me sever the connection immediately after you kill Ming Zhuo? Although it's not impossible to try, I don't think this kind of skirting the rules is appropriate."

"It was fine before, but now that Brother Zhuang Cheng has so many fragments of the Divine Seal, the Lord of the Divine Seal might actually take some action."

“I know that Brother Zhuang Cheng would actually be happy to face such unknown dangers, and he wouldn’t turn away even if he knew he was in deep trouble. That’s why I didn’t immediately offer to help you give up your identity as a Void Realm Apostle last time… But you’re not the kind of person who would knowingly step into a pit, are you? Right now, it’s better to go with the flow and not go back to that unfavorable situation.”

"To put it another way, we shouldn't do this right now. We're already facing enough of the crisis of the Two Elements of the Mountain, and we also have to consider the matter of the Lord of the Divine Seal. There's no need to create more trouble for ourselves."

Xiaowan's words make sense. If the sole purpose was to kill Meiko, the motive would be somewhat insufficient, but the thought that someone who had nearly killed Asaha could escape death because of this is unacceptable. Such a compromising approach doesn't suit my nature either.

Even if it means taking some risks, I will make Meizo pay with her life; this is my promise to Asa. In other words, it's because Yama Ryougi has rendered me helpless that I want to eliminate Meizo, this enemy, before I lose all my power. That way, even if I fail and die, at least Asa and the others will be relatively safer.

To think of defeat first, to prepare for it, and to expend the energy of adventure on someone other than myself—this is so unlike me. After confirming my thoughts, Xiaowan paused for a moment, then smiled happily, her eyes becoming very serious.

“I understand. From now on, I will do my best to devise a plan for Brother Zhuangcheng, and try to find a way to kill Mingzhuo effectively while avoiding the threat of the Lord of the Divine Seal. I will also do my best to find a solution for the matter of Shan Liangyi,” she said.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. Xiao Wan said softly, "No matter how willful Brother Zhuang Cheng is, I will accompany him to the ends of the earth. This is something I decided when I was in the afterlife."

Is it just my imagination? It seems like in my relationship with Xiaowan, I'm the one who's more like the child.

"Now that the treatment is over, let's go find Sister Mazao," Xiaowan said with a smile.

We left the guest room and found Mazao in another part of the mansion.

Asaha was meditating in the courtyard of the mansion, her eyes closed, as if sensing the surrounding air currents; she was probably performing some kind of spiritual practice. As we approached, she turned her head as if sensing something, and at the same time opened her eyes, seeing me.

"Zhuang Cheng!" she exclaimed happily, "You're back!"

As she made a sound, she rushed over and hugged me tightly.

I hugged Mazao tightly, inhaling the fragrance of her hair and feeling the touch of her body. Xiaowan stood beside us, watching us with a joyful smile.

We returned to the room where we had been chatting. Asa looked at me with concern and asked about everything I had experienced in the southern city. Kouwan had probably told Asa about my experiences there over the past period, but it was probably limited to when I defeated Xuanming.

Although I was very glad that I had asked Xiaowan to get myself in order before I met Mazao, I did not hide what happened afterward. I frankly admitted all my successes and failures, and also confessed my little thoughts about finding Xiaowan first after I came back.

As Ma listened, she maintained her embrace, her expression shifting between worry and seriousness. After hearing my final confession, she thought for a moment and then said, "Zhuang Cheng, next time you get hurt... no, if possible, it's better not to get hurt at all. But if you do get hurt again, I hope you can notify me immediately..."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "I heard Xiaowan say that when she was treating you, she would often hug you or let you lie on her lap, is that right?"

I didn't expect Xiaowan to have told Ma Zao about this.

I feel a little guilty for some reason. Okay, that's not quite right. It's not "for some reason".

“Although I can’t heal your injuries like Xiaowan, well…” Mazao said, blushing, “I can hug you while you’re being treated, or let you lie on my lap.”

I'm starting to realize that it was a mistake not to contact Ma Zao immediately after my return because I was too proud.

Despite thinking this way, in reality, even outside of the scenario Mazao envisioned, we're always clinging to each other. Whenever she gets the chance, she hugs me, and when we sleep, she often stays close to me, like a kitten trying to leave as much of its scent as possible on its partner.

I would always hold her petite, soft body tightly in my arms, feeling her warmth and letting her feel mine, as if I wanted to leave my mark all over her. And I did just that; now, Asahi's entire body is covered in my thermal energy marks.

Then, Mazao showed a very happy expression and told me about her recent situation.

After consuming the Great Demon God Guiling Pill I gave her, her soul was completely healed, meaning the final obstacle preventing her from becoming stronger had disappeared. She can now try to use the blessing power of the small bowl to sense the vortex of world destiny surrounding her and simulate the operating principles of the divine weapon of humanity, thereby gaining godlike power.

Because it was a power so strong that it could easily destroy the user, Asahi and Kouwan were extremely careful when they tried it. The result, however, was much easier than expected; it was as if the vortex of world destiny itself was eagerly cooperating, and Asahi quickly gained a basic grasp of this power.

The immense, unimaginable vortex of world destiny is commonly referred to as the "Power of the Broom Star." Having mastered this power, Asahi has finally taken a crucial step in overcoming her curse.

(End of this chapter)