From the end of the world

Chapter 725 Suspect in the Handprint
The Arctic and Antarctic are located at opposite poles of the Earth, yet they possess distinctly different characteristics. If Antarctica is a frozen continent, then the Arctic is a frozen ocean. Although its surrounding geographical area includes some land and islands, it is primarily ocean.

Because of the large areas of ice, icebreakers are necessary for ships to conduct long-distance operations here. Fortunately, I can fly in the air, or, if I wish, I can walk on the water thanks to the omnipotent privilege of nature, and the ice surface can also serve as a foothold.

In the past, knowing there was some potential connection between the Arctic and the Sacred Heart, I had visited this place before, but I never imagined that the destination might be beneath the sea. With so many glaciers that resemble land and islands, I, driven by a subconscious land animal mentality, simply regarded the world above the sea as the entirety of the Arctic.

Actually, I shouldn't have gone to places like the Arctic so casually. Although I can restrain my desire to follow the laws of nature, the very existence of impermanence has a subtle but profound impact on the natural environment. It might not be immediately apparent, but living in such a place for a long time will inevitably accelerate the melting of Arctic glaciers, leading to a rise in global sea levels.

It is said that if all the Arctic glaciers were to melt, global sea levels would rise by more than seven meters. This figure doesn't sound very alarming, but I have the impression that it would cause quite serious consequences. If this were to happen in Antarctica, the consequences would be even more severe, with global sea levels rising by about sixty meters. The impact on global climate and ocean currents would be incalculable, causing unbearable and devastating catastrophes for human civilization.

However, I can't really stay in the polar regions for that long. If I were to do anything to the world or human civilization, melting the Earth's poles would be an inefficient method. Right now, I just want to look around and find something.

I unleashed my senses and began a large-scale exploration beneath the frozen ocean.

The Arctic is a vast geographical area, covering approximately 20 million square kilometers, more than twice the size of China. Even with the most profound and unpredictable perception, it would be impossible to encompass the entire region. Furthermore, instead of simply conducting a general scan, the difficulty increases dramatically when trying to pinpoint a specific small, disc-shaped object within it.

The perception of the soul is often more sensitive to other beings that possess a soul, and this is also true for me. If I had to add one more point, I am also quite sensitive to heat sources. So, generally speaking, it is relatively easy for me to find objects that are warm-blooded, but it is much more difficult to find inorganic matter that has neither a soul nor emits heat.

Furthermore, unlike land, the ocean is a highly three-dimensional space with vastly different ecosystems at different altitudes. Of course, considering that the density of the divine seal in the present world is definitely higher than that of water, it is highly likely that it has sunk to the seabed after so much time has passed. However, the seabed is not a completely flat area; it contains various crevices and sediments, as well as pebbles and sponges.

It is extremely difficult to accurately sift through and identify objects of a specific shape. To put it another way, it's like searching for a tiny object in a messy bedroom. There's so little space, you could look around and see everything, but you just can't find the object you're looking for.

If even a familiar bedroom is like this, the unfamiliar and unpredictable natural world is even more daunting. It's entirely possible to scan something and then inadvertently overlook it. Moreover, the marine natural system is an extremely complex and dynamic environment. The divine seal might accidentally move into an area that was presumed to have been thoroughly searched during the search, leaving no recourse.

Even so, as long as one is willing to put in the effort, with the power of the Great Impermanence, it is only a matter of time before the target is found.

The worst-case scenario is that the Divine Seal of the Present World is not actually in the Arctic Circle. Perhaps it was carried to other seas by ocean currents, or perhaps it was accidentally ingested by marine life and taken away, or even subsequently retrieved by humans and is no longer in any sea area. In that case, the search area would have to be expanded to the entire globe, and the various dynamic factors that need to be considered would be unimaginable. Even so, I believe that the Great Impermanence can still be found through a thorough, comprehensive search; it's just a matter of time.

The Seal Bearer has about five years to search. If they put in the effort, they could thoroughly search this "small" Arctic Circle countless times, and even expand to the entire globe. Therefore, I don't really think I have a chance of finding the Divine Seal of the Present World here. Either the Divine Seal of the Present World isn't here at all, or it has already been taken back by the Seal Bearer.

Judging from Tai Sui's attitude, it should be the former. Although he does not know the whereabouts of the present world's divine seal and its holder, he seems to be able to use his almost omniscient power to judge, combined with a large number of other clues, that the present world's divine seal is not in the hands of the holder.

I don't currently have the energy to thoroughly search for the Divine Seal of the Present World, even within the Arctic Circle or globally. What I lack most right now is time. Since I can't use the Divine Seal of the Present World even if I find it, I can't rely on it to deal with the Mountain Yin-Yang. This is actually a problem I can only tackle after defeating the Mountain Yin-Yang.

I summoned a vast number of "fireflies," implanting pre-defined commands to search for clues related to the Divine Seal of the Present World in the Arctic Circle. This method wouldn't lead to finding the Divine Seal; not only reason, but also my intuition told me so. It wasn't a matter of high or low probability, but simply no possibility. Perhaps some unknown factor was preventing me or the Seal Holder from obtaining the Divine Seal of the Present World; stubbornly persisting would be futile.

While active in the Arctic Circle, I also relayed my entire conversation with the Lord of the Divine Seal to Xiaowan at the Luoshan headquarters. I was currently multitasking, using a different, condensed body to communicate with Xiaowan. Since it was an internal communication, I naturally avoided Number Seven and chose my room as the meeting place. I also set up a barrier to block outside prying eyes.

This barrier was created using the power of fragments of the Divine Seal, and the technique was derived from Xuanming's experience. Its effect is similar to the barrier that Shenzhao once used to prevent the Lord of the Divine Seal from secretly spying on us; Xuanming truly left me a valuable legacy. With this, Tai Sui will be unable to know what Xiaowan and I discussed. After finding out, Xiaowan even used her blessing power to strengthen the barrier's effect, and then listened attentively to my explanation.

The reason I cannot accept handing over all my Divine Seal fragments to the Lord of the Divine Seals, besides my own desires and my doubts about the Lord of the Divine Seals, is also largely due to the Little Bowl.

The primordial world is a worldview where the power of the soul cannot be outwardly manifested. This doesn't mean souls don't exist there; after all, even in such a world, products of a planet's natural will seem to exist. However, it's a completely different dimension, and I don't believe such an exception would be the norm. At the very least, it must be a world with extremely strict rules regarding the concept of the soul, to the point that human civilization has left no record of contact with souls there. Perhaps this was a specific modification undertaken by an ancient civilization to limit the development of a planet's natural will.

Dream incarnations like Little Bowl are highly likely to be destroyed when the original world returns. Even if they manage to survive after going through countless hardships and fulfilling the missions of all dream incarnations, they will be helpless once the external environment changes to that state.

Of course, if I could open the third door, perhaps I could think of another way... but I can't do it now, and whether I can do it in the future is uncertain.

"Little Bowl, who do you think will be the one to hold the seal?" I asked after I finished speaking.

"Brother Zhuang Cheng, you're asking this because you must have someone you suspect, right?" Xiao Wan looked at me carefully. "Do you think that the one who holds the seal might be yourself?"

"That's also a direction to be suspected," I said noncommittally.

The personality portrait of the person holding the seal depicted by Tai Sui is so much like me.

While adventurous individuals like myself are certainly not nearly extinct among all of humanity, at least within the Great Impermanence category, I seem to be the only one who fits this criterion. Considering the points that "even if the Seal Bearer isn't a Great Impermanence, they certainly have the potential to easily become one" and "five years have passed since the Fantian Incident," searching for Seal Bearer suspects within the Great Impermanence list is a very reasonable approach.

However, I don't think I would do anything to alter my memories or perceptions. Because I always demand my full effort from myself when it comes to adventure, even if I occasionally feel my power is affecting the adventure experience, I would never intentionally seal away my power. That would be too sentimental. And sealing memories, in my view, is also a form of self-weakening.

However, if the self before sealing the memories had slightly different principles, that would be a different story.

"And this also explains why Tai Sui would have such a sincere attitude towards someone like me," I said. "Because he may not only not hate the student he treats like his own son, but he still has deep feelings for him and wants to move him with his words, hoping that he will turn over a new leaf and return to the right path."

“…That is indeed a possibility.” Xiao Wan said after thinking for a moment, “But besides Brother Zhuang Cheng, there is actually another person…who also largely fits the criteria for being a suspect in the seal.”

"Who?" I had some idea of ​​what was going on.

"Willow shadows," said Xiaowan.

(End of this chapter)