From the end of the world

Chapter 714 New changes

After gaining a basic understanding of the power of the jinx, Asahi first tried to remove the bad luck caused by the jinx from Shushi.

The result was a great success. Having spent a long time with Mazao, Zhu Shi, like me, had developed a constitution that easily attracted strange things and events. However, according to Xiao Wan's observations as a child of divinity, Zhu Shi no longer shows any such signs in terms of destiny. This is why, when I asked Xiao Wan before whether Zhu Shi's entry into the afterlife with Fa Zheng and Jian Feixian would cause the Gospel Institute forces to launch an early attack, she gave a negative answer.

However, while Ma Zao could use the same method on Zhu Shi, he couldn't use it on himself.

The reason she was able to wield the power of the jinx ultimately stemmed from her being at the center of the vortex of fate. Trying to escape the influence of this vortex is like trying to strangle oneself with one's own hands. This is the same thing as how Little Bowl, despite attempting to sever the connection between me and the fragments of the divine seal, couldn't sever her own connection.

To be honest, I was quite shocked when I heard about this from Ma Zao.

Because this means that if Asaho is willing, she can remove the jinx power from me. Although she's perfectly aware that the jinx power is what made me fall for her, and has expressed positive views about it, based on her past experiences, she clearly still leans towards the idea that the jinx power is evil. I'm not sure what decision she'll make later.

Fortunately, I then received some good news that made me breathe a huge sigh of relief—Mazao was also unable to use this method to remove the influence of the jinx on me.

The reason isn't complicated. The Divination Master once said that my existence is like a huge shadow looming over Asao on the level of fate. Any strange things or events that want to get close to Asao are more likely to pass through my path first. Therefore, many of the misfortunes caused by the power of the jinx don't first affect Asao, but rather me.

Given my current connections in the supernatural world, I won't quickly fall into a state of decline just because the jinx power has been removed. Furthermore, as long as I maintain my unwavering will to keep Asahaya by my side no matter what, the shadow of my fate will continue to loom over her. Because Asahaya is unable to break free from her attraction to supernatural beings, she might have been unable to reach me when I was in the afterlife, but as long as I can be with Asahaya, all the demons and monsters drawn by the vortex of fate are destined to be drawn to me.

Next is the issue of how the vortex of fate enhances Asaho's power.

“Right now I can unleash power beyond the Great Completion level, but as for whether I can reach the Great Impermanence realm… I think it’s still clearly insufficient.” Ma Zao looked at his hands. “Not good enough, but better than bad… that’s about the feeling. If I had to make a comparison, it would probably be equivalent to the Xuanwu that you described before, Zhuang Cheng, using the ‘Golden Core’.”

Xuanwu is one of the very few powerful figures who can interfere with Dawuchang at the Great Completion stage. Under extremely thorough preparation, he was even able to harm Xuanming at the Great Completion stage—to be honest, I still can't imagine how he did it. And it is said that Yuchi, who uses formations to fight positional battles at full power, can also cause some damage and hindrance to Dawuchang.

I personally refer to it as the "super-advanced level" in my mind, and Asahi seems to be at that level now.

"Haven't we reached the realm of Great Impermanence?" I tried to observe again the enormous vortex of fate surrounding Ma Zao.

If Asao could convert all of it into her own combat power, I wouldn't be surprised at all if she could open the third door like Yama Ryougi. In reality, considering that Asao isn't a true child of divinity, but merely simulates the operation of the Human God Weapon through the blessing of the small bowl, she should only be able to master a small part of it. Even so, reaching the Great Impermanence Realm shouldn't be too difficult.

Xiao Wan explained from the side: "It may be related to Ma Zao's skill level, but more importantly, it should be a matter of timing."

"Timing?" I asked.

"This power exists so that Asahi-neechan can use her power of return to clear away the strange world and restore it to a healthy state; it is the power to repair the world. Therefore, it cannot be fully transformed into a usable power during training," Kobo said.

I understood and said, "If it were a real combat situation... to be precise, if it were a situation involving extremely powerful or numerous strange creatures..."

"Sister Asaho can unleash power far exceeding what we calculate in training settings," Xiaowan nodded.

From the perspective of the planet's natural will, witchers and Great Impermanence who wield strange powers are the same as strange entities—wrong objects that need to be eliminated. Therefore, if Asahi were to encounter a hostile Great Impermanence, he should be able to unleash the power of a Great Impermanence.

This is a power that grows stronger with stronger opponents. Of course, there is always an upper limit. This depends on Ma Zao's ability to withstand it.

In Ma Zao and Xiao Wan's expectations, they would easily surpass me when I first became Da Wuchang, and they were even quite confident that they could surpass Ming Zhuo and Huang Quan, their former mentor.

Mazao looked up at me, as if seeking praise. The once wary and shy girl was now increasingly revealing a childlike innocence. I hugged her tightly and stroked her hair. She shyly let out a soft laugh.

After Asahi and I join the front lines of the afterlife, our apparent strength against Evangelion will inevitably be significantly greater.

The premise is that the two elements of the mountain are excluded.

"Zhuang Cheng, if the Mountain Ryougi attacks, I will help you too," Ma Zao said. "Although I don't know how much help I can provide... I want to fight alongside you until the very last moment."

“If we die together, there’s no way to save the world,” I said.

Asa looked into my eyes and once again firmly said that promise: "I will save the world and you."

Afterwards, Xiaowan asked Mazao to use her power of return to restore her spirit, and then she began the second half of the treatment, which was to repair all the remaining hidden injuries to my true spirit. This time, Mazao stayed by my side the whole time, and the treatment lasted for an entire night.

If the goal is simply to fight at full strength, these minor injuries won't be a hindrance. However, if the aim is to continue becoming stronger, these injuries become a significant obstacle. This is similar to the situation where Asahi couldn't continue to grow stronger until her soul was fully repaired.

The next day, as the sun rose, the hidden wounds had finally healed completely. Xiao Wan seemed a little tired. Although she had the power of Ma Zao's recovery, allowing her spirit to return to fullness time and time again, this state of "being energetic despite having done a lot of hard work" still went against her instincts to some extent. Theoretically, I could never sleep, but I still dozed off from time to time.

This instinct, like a habit, can be forcibly reversed, and even if it is, there probably won't be any heavy price to pay. However, forcing oneself excessively without reason is not good for mental health. Xiao Wan went to rest first, while Ma Zao stayed with her.

Lu Chan came to the mansion. I heard he's been coming every day lately to see if I've returned. After seeing me, he handed me the latest reports and then withdrew, saying he'd come if I had any questions. From the reports, I learned about the people I had repatriated from the southern cities.

Xiao Qiao, my junior, has recently returned to her normal life, and the other survivors are in much better shape as well. Dong Che, meanwhile, is back to his busy schedule of taking on missions and resolving various strange incidents. Those believers who defied Lu Chan's orders and went to the southern cities were punished, but because of their contributions in assisting me, they also received substantial rewards.

The local demon hunters who survived were reassigned to other posts, while the Xuanming believers, including Jiao Shu, were all imprisoned in Luoshan's jail. The specific trial they would face was still under discussion. There had been too many things happening in Luoshan lately, and news related to the Gospel House had spread throughout headquarters and various branches, so the Xuanming believers' priority had to be lowered.

After reading the report, I went to the open space of the manor. Those things were hard to grasp at the moment; what occupied my thoughts most was the unprecedentedly powerful enemy, Yama Ryougi.

He is the source of the Vermilion Bird Seed, and also the source of my power. I tried to compare him with the strange figure that appeared in my dreams on the eve of my awakening of power.

Perhaps the strange figure who asked me in my dream if I wanted power was Yama Ryougi.

Unfortunately, the strange figure that appeared in the dream was as blurry as the dream itself, making it difficult to determine whether it was real or not. I had no choice but to shift my attention elsewhere, pondering how I should improve my power next.

My first focus was on Xuanming's experience.

After the battle with Meng Zhang, I absorbed a lot of Xuan Ming's experience. In the past, Xuan Ming had used a flame on Ming Zhuo that "could not be shaken off no matter how many times the body and soul were reborn," and now I can use the same kind of power.

This should be a special flame developed by Xuanming based on his research on the power of the true spirit.

Throughout history, countless people have embarked on the path of self-proving their true spirit. Although many have failed, a very few have succeeded. Most long-lived and powerful beings have also studied the power of the true spirit, and Xuanming was one of them.

(End of this chapter)