Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 141 - 135 Void Realm 2

Chapter 141: 135 Void Realm 2

"——Xuanming?"

Number Five blankly repeated the other person’s name.

This reaction didn’t seem to be because the name was unfamiliar; it was more like he hadn’t expected to hear it here at all. It was similar to encountering a celebrity on the subway, where the first thought upon seeing their face isn’t that you’ve met someone famous, but whether they might just look similar to someone else. He seemed to be subconsciously deliberating whether the name he heard could be a homophone.

Xuanming no longer looked at Number Five but turned his gaze back to the giant.

He once again carelessly revealed his real name — while such an act could hardly be called smart, coincidentally, I have never been one to care much about being considered smart. I cared more about aesthetics than that kind of standard. His unchanging demeanor and refusal to change his name were admirable to me. So, should I also imitate him and carelessly reveal my own real name?

I wasn’t afraid of trouble or danger, and I liked this straightforward style, but the mysterious atmosphere of naming each other with numbers in this secret organization also made me reluctant. Besides, other problems would arise if I revealed my real name — for now, I should savor the mysticism that can only be experienced in a place like this.

It seemed that Number Five had finally come to his senses, taking two steps back, away from Xuanming. His reaction, similar to Number One’s and the ’Small Bowl’ Number Two, was quite wary of Xuanming. It appeared that Xuanming truly had a notorious reputation in the abnormal world.

"Is he really Xuanming?" Number Five asked me.

"I think so," I said. "By the way, he is Number Four here."

Number Four Xuanming did not contradict me as he had at the last meeting.

"Did you also spend a long time walking through the mist to reach these seats?" I casually asked.

"No, I woke up near here... well, ’woke up’ might not be the right term since this is a dream..." Number Five replied, clearly bewildered, and kept glancing toward Number Four Xuanming, "Anyway, I quickly found this place..."

"I arrived here quickly as well," Number Four Xuanming answered me. "It seems the Mist Dream Realm has the power to unconsciously guide us here."

"I, on the other hand, took a long time," I then said to Number Four Xuanming. "Aren’t you going to ask the newcomer Number Five if he is willing to trade Divine Seal Fragments?"

"Since the Divine Seal Fragments are bound to us, trading them is meaningless," he shook his head.

"Are you collecting Divine Seal Fragments?" Number Five kept eyeing Number Four Xuanming, seemingly mustering courage. "——Is that what you forsake Luo Mountain for, and got, by killing Fu Hongchen and seriously injuring Ming Zhuo?"

"Oh? To connect those two incidents so quickly..." Number Four Xuanming finally seemed interested in Number Five. "Who are you from Luo Mountain?"

Number Five didn’t respond; he seemed to have realized that here we could not freely use our supernatural powers. Still, it was obvious he still harbored considerable fear toward Number Four Xuanming.

"Fu Hongchen" and "Ming Zhuo" are names of Impermanence, I distinctly remembered. But according to Number Five, both Fu Hongchen and Ming Zhuo seemed to have once possessed Divine Seal Fragments, and Number Four Xuanming had attacked them to seize those fragments?

Setting aside whether Number Four Xuanming’s actions were good or evil, what was more astounding to me was the fact that "Impermanence had once possessed Divine Seal Fragments, and not just one of them."

In Luo Mountain, "the source of the Fan Tian Incident being the divine seal" was generally considered an unreliable rumor, even Lu Youxun only used the term "divine seal" as a nomenclature for the source of the Fan Tian Incident, not truly believing in the existence of the divine seal.

However, if multiple Impermanence believed in the existence of the divine seal, even possessing fragments of it, the nature of the matter was different.

The Impermanence are collecting Divine Seal Fragments — could I assume that much?

I thought about how to subtly inquire about the information I was curious about and decided to directly ask Number Four Xuanming: "Why are you collecting Divine Seal Fragments?"

"To investigate certain matters," Number Four Xuanming replied.

"Does it have to do with Doomsday?" I asked.

"Hmm, speaking of which, you seem to have some information about the Doomsday Era," Number Four Xuanming assessed me and then answered my question, "Yes. Our era may appear peaceful, but it is on the brink of destruction. You should know about the Doomsday prophecy circulating in Luo Mountain. Although it is unclear who authored it, most of the content is true."

"Ah, Doomsday?" Number Five was starting to lose track of our conversation.

But I focused on another part: "Mostly true — so there’s a false part?"

"It’s not exactly false. Once the world starts to be destroyed, time will also become fragmented. The so-called ’destruction within the next ten years’ is likely an overstatement," Number Four Xuanming patiently explained to me. "In reality, for those living in the Doomsday Era, like the young girl Number Two, the process of Doomsday could be completed in a single night, or it may not end even after a century."

Mazao had also mentioned that, in the Doomsday Era, some places believed a long time had passed since Doomsday arrived, while others felt that Doomsday had only just begun.

Number Four Xuanming was not a person from the Doomsday Era, yet he had already foreseen the chaos of Doomsday.

"Are there actually future people in this place?" Number Five exclaimed in surprise.

I continued to question Number Four Xuanming, "So, the purpose of your collecting Divine Seal Fragments, is it to utilize the wishing power of a complete divine seal to stop the arrival of Doomsday?"

"You have misunderstood something," Number Four Xuanming shook his head, "Even if all the Divine Seal Fragments were collected, the wishing power could not be obtained."

I immediately understood his meaning, then said, "Are you saying that a shattered divine seal cannot be restored?"

"Yes," he said, "To use a metaphor from the so-called ’technology’ that is popular lately, the divine seal is like a piece of ultra-advanced high-tech equipment. If it were smashed violently to the ground and hammered into fragments, even if afterward you could collect all its pieces, you would not be able to make it perform its original functions.

"And repairing this equipment is also impossible. The origin of the divine seal is unknown; it might be a relic from the ancient past, perhaps an artifact from beyond the stars, or it might even be, like certain bizarre objects, fundamentally inexplicable and a thing of mystery. No matter what the truth is, the divine seal is a mystery beyond human comprehension, and we are incapable of restoring it."

I see, I had preconceived notions. Upon hearing that the Divine Seal Fragments were pieces of a wishing machine, I assumed that once they were all collected, one could naturally fulfill a wish. It was probably because I had read too many fictional stories that I unconsciously linked the divine seal with such fanciful settings. Gathering relevant items to manifest miracles—where would things be so easy?

Perhaps it is also because the Divine Seal Fragments transcend common knowledge that I had forgotten common sense. Number Four Xuanming’s comparison to a piece of high-tech equipment had immediately brought my thinking back to normal.

Number Four Xuanming further stated, "Moreover, we cannot guarantee that our Divine Seal Fragments themselves are flawless."

Since he was willing to talk, I continued the conversation: "How so?"

He glanced at the giant sitting motionless on the other side, then candidly revealed the information he knew: "According to some of my investigations... the divine seal should not have shattered."

"What?" Number Five was momentarily stunned, "If the divine seal hasn’t shattered, then what are the pieces we have... Are these fake Divine Seal Fragments? Or are there two divine seals?"

"No, the divine seal is unique, and what we have are undoubtedly real Divine Seal Fragments," Number Four Xuanming also addressed Number Five’s doubt, "At the same time, the genuine divine seal indeed has not been shattered."

This was a completely contradictory claim. How could fragments of an item that is unique and intact exist?

However, I seemed to have heard something similar before. I quickly remembered it was Mazao who had said it. She once mentioned— the divine seal of this era should still be intact.

The fragmentation of the divine seal should have occurred after the advent of Doomsday. In fact, Number Two obtained the Divine Seal Fragment during the Doomsday Era. From this, I made an inference.

"Is it possible that the divine seal of our era is indeed intact. It shattered in the Doomsday Era, and the Divine Seal Fragments we have come from the Doomsday Era?" I said.

"Are you suggesting that Divine Seal Fragments from the Doomsday Era inexplicably traveled to our time, and some fell into our hands?" Number Four Xuanming responded after some thought, "Impossible."

"Why?" I asked.

"The divine seal is a genuine Divine Artifact with the attribute of traversing the river of time. Past, present, future—all times are connected to the one divine seal. Therefore, it is impossible for one divine seal to be taken from the future and brought back to the present, creating two of the same divine seal in the same period. Even if only its fragments were brought back from the future." Number Four Xuanming said, "However, having said that, if the future divine seal truly turned into fragments, then the divine seal of our time should also become shattered."

"Could it be the ’if’ you mentioned?" I asked, "Because the divine seal of the Doomsday Era shattered, this caused the divine seal of our era to shatter."

Number Four Xuanming shook his head: "Impossible, the divine seal of our era is intact."

"How can you be sure?" I asked, "Have you witnessed the complete divine seal with your own eyes?"

He didn’t answer me this time but instead looked back at the giant.

Now this was a paradox. If we were to believe what Number Four Xuanming said, we would come back to the initial contradiction. How could fragments exist of an item that is unique and intact? Unless one of them is a fake. But Number Four Xuanming also said both are real. It made no sense at all logically.

Perhaps, this is a "true bizarre event."

The strange events I’ve experienced lately are merely inexplicable by scientific knowledge, but might still be explainable by the knowledge of demon hunters like Zhu Shi. However, what appeared before me now might be something even the demon hunters can’t explain, a weird phenomenon that tramples over logic itself.

I felt a heat rising in my heart.

At the same time, a persistent shadow hung over me.

Hasn’t Number Two shown up yet?

At that moment, footsteps sounded again from the depths of the fog.

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