From the end of the world

Chapter 717 Meeting the Lord of the Divine Seal
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wan's expression immediately changed.

Lord of the Divine Seal, please help me deal with the Mountain Two Elements—how? He is currently unable to intervene in the real world, and can only intervene in the Void Realm Apostles to a limited extent. His power is also limited to the Void Realm. How can he deal with the Mountain Two Elements who are in the real world and have opened the third door?

Immediately, I thought of the most likely answer: the help from the so-called Lord of the Divine Seal mentioned by Number Seven was probably not to provide power, but to provide wisdom.

The Lord of the Divine Seal knows most things that happen in this world, and he also knows the solutions to most problems. Although it's unclear how wide the exact range of this "most" is, he was even able to provide Yuchi with a method to defeat the Old Fist God, so it's highly likely that he can also provide me with a feasible solution to defeat the Mountain Two Elements.

Xiao Wan had likely considered this route before, but at the time, the Lord of the Divine Seal was more of a huge potential threat to us. Leaving aside whether he would use certain methods without warning, initiating a trade for Divine Seal fragments would only deepen my connection with the Void Realm. The trade objective of "a method to defeat the Two Elements of Mountain" was too grand, and the degree to which it would deepen the connection would far exceed any trades I had made before. That would only push me into a very disadvantageous position.

However, if the other party is approaching us with a negotiating attitude, perhaps we need to re-examine our relationship from a different perspective.

"Furthermore, I don't recommend that you delay until the eve of dealing with the Fate Turbidity before trying to become a Void Apostle again, because that attempt will definitely fail," Number Seven said.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"The previous Lord of the Divine Seal chose seven Void Realm Apostles, one of whom was originally Zhu Chang'an. You most likely greatly enhanced your affinity with the Divine Seal Fragment through Ma Zao's jinx power, which is why you unexpectedly replaced Zhu Chang'an and became a Void Realm Apostle. But now, you have lost that qualification," Number Seven said. "Without the qualification, even if you are destined to be with the Divine Seal Fragment, you cannot simply form a bond with it through contact."

I recalled the information I had received in the past. The binding effect between the Void Realm Apostles and the Divine Seal Fragments was likely a result of Tai Sui's development of the Three Lives Stone Powder. In other words, becoming a Void Realm Apostle is not something that can be achieved naturally simply by having a strong affinity with the Divine Seal Fragments.

Without the right affinity, one cannot even touch a fragment of the Divine Seal. People like Luo Shan and the Great Impermanence of the Gospel Academy, as well as figures like Ying Lingyun, are certainly connected to fragments of the Divine Seal to some extent, yet none of them have successfully formed a bond with them, not even a hint of it has appeared. No matter how actively they utilize the power of the Divine Seal fragments, what they possess remains "unowned Divine Seal fragments."

If one is a truly chosen Void Realm Apostle, perhaps they wouldn't easily lose their qualification due to being forced to unbind from the Divine Seal Fragment, but I, as a "usurper," might be a different story... As I pondered, I asked, "Can you provide this qualification?"

Number Seven extended her palm, and a black jade stone appeared in her hand—a fragment of the Divine Seal.

“I can hand over my qualifications to you,” she said, “as long as you reach out and touch this fragment of the divine seal.”

"So what will you do? Don't you plan to continue being a Void Realm Apostle?" I asked.

"The Lord of the Divine Seal can grant me back the qualifications I have lost," said Number Seven.

In that case, the Lord of the Divine Seal should be able to do the same thing to me. However, if I merely obtain the qualification without forming a bond with the Divine Seal fragment, then in the end it will only benefit me. His current goal is probably still to communicate with me face-to-face.

Should I accept this invitation? It seems unnecessary to overthink it. I need the qualification of a Void Realm Apostle, and currently I'm helpless against the Mountain Yin-Yang. Although I still want to fight back with all my might, objectively speaking, my situation is much the same as one of waiting to be slaughtered. I can't guarantee whether the Lord of the Divine Seal harbors malicious intentions, but the situation doesn't seem likely to get any worse. It's better to push things forward and see if a glimmer of hope appears.

And personally, I'm also quite interested in the long-absent Lord of the Seals.

I turned to look at Xiaowan. She had a thoughtful expression on her face, and then slowly nodded at me.

“Alright, I will meet the Lord of the Divine Seal,” I said.

Number Seven breathed a sigh of relief, then his gaze fell on the fragment of the divine seal he had displayed.

At that moment, I vaguely sensed that some connection between her and the fragment of the divine seal had been severed. Originally, this emerging fragment of the divine seal seemed like a part of her body, but now it had become a completely isolated entity. This must already be an unclaimed fragment of the divine seal.

Other Void Realm Apostles cannot easily relinquish or transfer their qualifications; even I cannot do so solely through my own power. Number Seven, as a character connected to the Lord of the Divine Seal, indeed possesses special privileges different from other Void Realm Apostles.

She held out her palm, gesturing for me to take the fragment of the divine seal from her hand.

Xiao Wan said solemnly, "Brother Zhuang Cheng, I will be closely monitoring your condition from now on. If any bad signs appear, I will completely sever your connection with the Divine Seal fragment."

I nodded, then reached out a finger and touched the fragment of the divine seal in front of me.

A hard, neither hot nor cold sensation traveled from my fingertips, and then the fragment of the divine seal vanished from my sight. It then surfaced in my consciousness, like an abrupt image arising in my mind. A familiar connection arose, and once again I became an apostle of the illusory realm.

Then, the fragments of the divine seal in my mind released gray mist, which began to occupy the space of my consciousness.

If you don't actively imagine anything, but still have to depict the colors within your own consciousness, how would most people imagine it? For me, it would be a dark space. This is probably the answer for many meditators as well; darkness is like a canvas that can hold any color. That being said, I don't depict the darkness of consciousness every moment. It wasn't until the gray mist appeared that I became aware of this darkness.

When I came to my senses, the darkness had become everything around me, as vast and boundless as outer space. Little Bowl and Number Seven were no longer with me; even my own body had completely vanished. I felt like a ghost floating in this darkness, while gray mist surged from all directions, growing ever stronger until it enveloped me. It was as if I had returned to the moment I first encountered the fragments of the divine seal in the fifteenth-floor basement and entered the illusory realm—the time when my connection with the illusory realm was at its weakest. Even my body couldn't materialize, and my thoughts and emotions were somewhat sluggish.

However, I was no longer the person I was back then, and my understanding of the soul and consciousness was completely different. Soon, I was able to function normally and concentrate my attention even more, trying to depict my body in this space of consciousness.

Within seconds, I could clearly feel my hands and feet. Looking down, I could see my chest and limbs. However, unlike in the real world, my body here was still like a black silhouette, with only the basic outline of a young human male.

Sure enough, this place must be the virtual realm.

The Lord of the Divine Seal has finally restored the once-destroyed Void Realm.

How long has it been since the last Virtual Realm meeting? It's not exactly a long interval, but it feels like it happened a long time ago.

Unlike in the past, I am probably the only one invited to this new virtual realm.

I glanced at the scenery ahead; a thick gray fog blocked my way. Given my current connection to the Void Realm, while it would be extremely difficult for the Lord of the Divine Seal to interfere with me, traversing the gray fog would also be no easy feat. Like trying to listen to a radio broadcast under extremely poor signal conditions, successfully reaching that rocky seating area from the past would likely be quite a challenge.

Just as I had this thought, I saw the gray mist in front of me suddenly part in the middle, forming a clear passage.

This is clearly an invitation. The Lord of the Divine Seal has already sensed my arrival and is showing me the correct path.

I stepped into this passage and continued forward.

A short while later, I arrived at the familiar rock seating area.

The place looks quite different from before. The seven stone seats that were once neatly arranged around the area are now incomplete, askew, and covered with black marks from fire. Part of the claw marks Xuanming left in the virtual realm still appear to remain.

The largest rock throne still stands opposite, upon which sits the Lord of the Seals, resembling a divine statue. Like me, the Lord of the Seals is actually an enormous shadow, yet I can feel a tangible gaze fixed upon me.

“I have arrived, Lord of the Seal,” I said.

The Lord of the Divine Seal nodded slightly. At the same time, the rock seat at position number three was reassembled on the spot as if time had reversed, returning to its perfect state.

“Sit down,” he said.

I sat down in my familiar seat and looked at the Lord of the Divine Seal once again.

“I’m already here. You can start saying whatever you want to say now,” I said.

"I'm sure you already know why I invited you back here." The Lord of the Divine Seals stared intently at me. "I never expected that Number Four would hand over all the fragments of the Divine Seals he possessed to you. But this may have saved you a lot of trouble. If so many fragments of the Divine Seals were left to remain in that miniature void, they might end up in the void after it becomes unsustainable, which would be quite troublesome."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I suppose you're the type who likes to get straight to the point, so I'll cut to the chase and state my purpose directly."

“I want all the fragments of the Divine Seal that you possess. Not just those you personally own, but also those you entrusted to your partners for safekeeping, and those that Number Two possesses.”

"In exchange, I can personally take care of all obstacles for you, and even grant you any wish."

To personally intervene? To fulfill a wish?
If he only needs to obtain the Divine Seal Fragments possessed by my faction, can he then attack the Mountain Two Elements in the real world, or even reach the point of granting any wish?

I pondered the meaning behind his words and then said, "I don't dislike your style of putting prices down, but I can't trust someone as secretive as you. Regardless of whether I'm willing to do what you say, shouldn't you first reveal your true background?"

"The true origin...?"

The Lord of the Divine Seal seemed to be pondering my words, then fell into an inexplicable silence.

I continued, "Your true identity is that of a god in the past of the Gospel Institute, and also the former Great Impermanence of Mount Luo—the Grand Duke of Jupiter, right?"

(End of this chapter)