From the end of the world

Chapter 726: Turning against guests
The fortune teller once told me that Liu Shuying had a similar temperament to me, and advised me not to let Liu Shuying see Ma Zao.

Although I didn't get that impression during our actual interactions, there were many other suspicious aspects to Liu Shuying's behavior. For example, Liu Shuying had spent a considerable amount of time in the Arctic, seemingly searching for something. However, based on our conversations, it seemed he hadn't been able to fully achieve his goals in the Arctic and had encountered some insurmountable difficulties.

For example, Liu Shuying and I are both newly promoted Great Impermanence figures who have risen to prominence in recent years. If my ability to become a Great Impermanence figure so quickly is the reason why I am a suspect in the position of the Seal Bearer, then Liu Shuying is no less capable than me in this regard. In fact, judging from the fact that he became a Great Impermanence figure earlier than me, his talent may even be greater than mine.

He was once known as the "Prophet," capable of predicting things that even diviners couldn't foresee. This incredible prophetic power may not necessarily mean he truly possesses prophetic abilities; the truth might be that the world we live in today was created by him using the power of his divine seal according to his own desires, and therefore, the world inherently possesses the quality of "continuing to develop according to his expectations."

In other words, his prophetic power might essentially be a matter of shooting the arrow first and then drawing the target. The reason he gradually lost this power to foresee the future, just like the fortune teller, is because the world is becoming increasingly flawed and malfunctioning, gradually losing its original inherent properties.

Xiao Wan also listed the aforementioned suspicious materials, but I still feel that something is not right.

Assuming that Willow Shadow and I truly share remarkably similar desires and feelings... doesn't that seem a bit far-fetched? Simply attributing it to coincidence feels too contrived.

From the moment I met Asaho, every coincidence that occurred on my adventure could be seen as an arrangement of the jinx power. However, my potential to become the Great Impermanence predates my encounter with Asaho, and this time it cannot be explained by the jinx power. If the origin of this potential is not evidence of my status as the Seal Bearer, or even if there is no arrangement at all, but merely a coincidence... how low are the probabilities of a character born in the modern world, innately possessing the Great Impermanence power, and having a personality that makes one suspect they are the Seal Bearer?

While it's not to say that such a probability is absolutely nonexistent, it does leave one with a feeling that's hard to accept with a clear conscience.

But if I am the one who holds the seal, how can I explain the abnormality of Liu Shuying?
Xiao Wan seemed to have noticed this glaring problem as well. After pondering for a while, she said, "It is normal for Da Wuchang to have special abilities innately. Liu Shuying's precognitive power may also be innate."

"This kind of innate knowledge of the future was not uncommon in the mythological era. Although it is unrealistic to surpass the divination ability of the Divination Master simply by relying on innate supernatural powers, the divination ability of the Divination Master after the Fan Tian Incident was not in a normal state. It is entirely possible that Liu Shuying's precognitive power is more adapted to the present era."

"There is a reason why he has been active in the Arctic for a long time. Even Tai Sui, a mortal scientist in the primitive world, was able to use his wisdom to perceive the possibility of the existence of an ancient civilization from various clues. It is entirely possible that Da Wuchang in this world could also track down clues of an ancient civilization through research and investigation and lock his target in the Arctic Circle."

"In fact, the Divination Master also has some clues about the ancient civilization, and the Lord of the Gospel Institute, Yama, has had knowledge of the divine seal from the very beginning."

While this speculation is entirely reasonable, it feels somewhat unconvincing as a defense to clear Liu Shuying of suspicion.

If they could meet Liu Shuying again, perhaps they would have a chance to verify his true identity. Meng Zhang, the lord of Taoyuan Township, who had actually clashed fiercely with Liu Shuying, also seemed to have discovered some issues about him that were worthy of special attention, even comparing him to Shan Liangyi, the super strongman who had opened the third door. Unfortunately, Liu Shuying's whereabouts were currently unknown, just like the Old Fist God.

We ultimately decided to focus our suspicions on Liu Shuying and then shifted the topic to Tai Sui.

“Although Brother Zhuang Cheng didn’t agree to hand over all the fragments of the Divine Seal to Tai Sui, the Lord of the Divine Seals, mainly because of his own wishes, even disregarding that, the judgment that ‘Tai Sui will not keep his promise’ is still correct,” Xiao Wan said.

I said, puzzled, "No, I only have a suspicion... but you seem to think that Tai Sui will definitely break its promise?"

"When Brother Zhuangcheng was talking to Tai Sui, I also inquired about Tai Sui's behavior from Ms. Seven," Xiao Wan said.

"You mean... he was originally a treacherous and despicable person?" I asked. "On the contrary, Tai Sui had an extremely strong conscience and sense of morality," Xiao Wan said seriously. "In the afterlife, many monks from the Evangelical Fellowship and survivors of the apocalypse believe that Tai Sui was killed by Yama, the Lord of the Evangelical Fellowship, because he went against the mainstream of the Evangelical Fellowship and advocated protecting the survivors... Although we all know that Tai Sui's cause of death was not like that, it is enough to show his image in the eyes of others."

"Ms. Seven told me that Tai Sui always risked his life to save the survivors suffering on the apocalyptic land. Even when he could not use his powers normally, he was willing to risk exposure and death to save others. He was not a god who looked down on the world from above, but a kind person who was willing to sacrifice himself to practice his conscience."

"He likely harbors a strong sense of guilt. He may think that the world is on the verge of destruction because of him, and that those afflicted with mental illness who have fallen into the apocalypse are suffering hellish torment... Even though outsiders see it as the fault of the Seal Bearer, he may believe that everything started with him, placing all the blame on himself, and that his acts of sacrifice and salvation are acts of atonement."

I tried to ask the question: "If Tai Sui really has such a high sense of morality, shouldn't it be more likely to keep its promises?"

"Whether or not someone keeps their promises is not necessarily entirely related to their level of morality," Xiaowan said. "Some people keep their word because they have extremely high self-confidence and pride, placing their own image above all else. Such people, whether good or evil, will try their best to fulfill every word they have said."

"On the contrary, some people not only have an extremely strong moral consciousness, but also a sacred goal that is far nobler than their own existence. In ordinary times, they will do everything possible to fulfill all their promises and maintain their credibility in the eyes of others. But if it is to achieve that 'sacred goal,' they will not hesitate to give up everything, including but not limited to their wealth, life, dignity... and promises made to others."

In other words, Tai Sui is very likely this type of person.

I wonder what this kind of person, who is willing to do anything to achieve his sacred goals, might do in the future. Perhaps I should be even more vigilant against him.

Xiao Wan still seemed somewhat concerned about my connection to the fragments of the Divine Seal, but since I had already regained my Void Realm Apostle status, and there was no way to reclaim it at any time, I couldn't very well discard it again. At least until I killed Ming Zhuo, I needed to retain this status. However, Xiao Wan seemed to be truly focused on something else at the moment.

“I have carefully observed the process by which Ms. Seven transferred her Void Realm Apostle qualification to you. If we combine it with what Tai Sui said about ‘the authority to wield the Divine Seal’…” Xiao Wan said thoughtfully, “Although this is just my speculation… the essence of the ‘Void Realm Apostle’ qualification is very likely the authority to wield the seal that Tai Sui himself divided out.”

Upon hearing this, I first sensed the connection between myself and the fragment of the divine seal, and then said, "Since Tai Sui is willing to give me this, it means that this level of authority over the seal can only be used to manipulate the power of the fragment of the divine seal, and cannot manipulate the Doomsday Divine Seal or the Divine Seal of the Present World."

“Yes. If the authority to control the seal is insufficient, it’s impossible to mobilize enough divine seal power. In fact, even Tai Sui himself was once unable to use the full power of the Doomsday Divine Seal properly because his authority to control the seal was severely restricted by the seal holder.” Xiao Wan said thoughtfully, “But there should be ways to expand the authority to control the seal through other means. For example, we Void Realm Apostles can mobilize more divine seal fragments by obtaining more divine seal fragments…”

"Following this logic, if we obtain all the fragments of the Divine Seal, we can directly bypass Tai Sui and gain the authority to manipulate all the power of the Doomsday Divine Seal, right?" I asked. "But our qualifications as Void Realm Apostles are all authorized by Tai Sui. Shouldn't he have higher authority to prevent us from doing this?"

"Not necessarily. The reason why Tai Sui and the Seal Holder are the highest authorities on the Divine Seal is mostly because they came into contact with the complete Divine Seal before anyone else," Xiao Wan said. "They are neither the creators of the Divine Seal nor belong to the civilization or race that created it; they merely had a first-mover advantage. Their contact with the complete Divine Seal was only for a very short time, and it was quickly interrupted due to world changes."

"Furthermore, what they possess is clearly not 100% authority, but rather a portion of it. If the Divine Seal of the Present World and the Divine Seal of Doomsday are merely parts that emerged after the complete Divine Seal split, then the authority they possess is essentially no different from that of us Void Realm Apostles; they all possess 'the authority to manipulate fragments of the Divine Seal.' There may only be differences in size between them, but no real difference in level."

"You mean... we might be able to turn the tables and become the masters of the divine seal ourselves?" I asked.

(End of this chapter)