Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 297 - 276 Fatian Xiangdi

Chapter 297: 276 Fatian Xiangdi

"Mount Moon Concealing City? Isn’t it..."

Zhu Shi was not yet as accustomed to the Mazao’s "misfortune vortex" as I was. For me, the phenomenon of strange-related matters converging was a natural occurrence. Although Zhu Shi wasn’t entirely unaware of Mazao’s circumstances, he couldn’t help but express his surprise.

Mr. Zhu had not heard our previous conversation. Seeing Zhu Shi’s reaction, he inquired about the whole story, while I took the opportunity of Zhu Shi’s explanation to ponder the deeper implications of the information revealed.

Even though it was very likely Mazao’s Broom Star Physique that attracted the Water Navy Xuanwu to Mount Moon Concealing City, it would be wrong to attribute it all to "luck". The attraction of strange events to Mazao often accompanies deeper clues.

For instance, during our past investigation of the Shadow Swapping Monster, our coincidental encounter with Changan and Jinyu was not because Changan suddenly lost reason to seek out Jinyu, accidentally bumping into us. At that time, Changan had a clear motive, and we also had reasons to head to the nightclub where Jinyu was present. The real-life meeting was based on the collision of motives.

The case with the Water Navy Xuanwu this time should be similar; he likely wasn’t just blindly driven by some mysterious force to set the meeting place at Mount Moon Concealing City, but rather he had his own reasons to go there. From his perspective, he probably just wanted to handle his business there coincidentally with the matter concerning me.

So, what exactly was his purpose for going to Mount Moon Concealing City?

Not only did he specify the meeting place, but also the meeting time. By tomorrow night... tomorrow is also the date the Master of Divine Seal specified for me to find Changan’s spirit in Mount Moon, and the one holding Changan’s spirit hostage is Yinyue... Does the Water Navy Xuanwu’s purpose relate to Yinyue?

I really cannot pinpoint any connection between these two names. If I had to say, the last time I heard the names Yinyue and Water Navy Xuanwu together was from Fu Feng’s mouth. According to Fu Feng, these two shared one thing in common: "They cannot be defeated except by Impermanence."

"Zhuang Cheng, have you already arrived in Mount Moon Concealing City?" Mr. Zhu asked with a tense expression.

"Correct." I said, "Did Xuanwu specify more details about the meeting location?"

Mount Moon Concealing City isn’t very large, but if the Water Navy Xuanwu doesn’t voluntarily come forward from the crowd, it would indeed be difficult to find him.

"He didn’t mention it, but he said once you’re there, he will actively seek you out tomorrow," Mr. Zhu said.

Unlike me, who doesn’t know what the Water Navy Xuanwu looks like, they already know my name, and probably my face as well; finding me wouldn’t be difficult.

I wonder if he would still be able to find me if I alter my appearance to that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old tomorrow? While it piques my curiosity, it’s ultimately unnecessary to make it harder for someone to find me, especially since I’m the one asking for favors.

However, considering his inexplicable hostility towards Flame Ability Users, if he discovers me first, he might preemptively strike with his legendary move "capable of injuring Impermanence". After all, he’s supposed to deliver the Spirit Pill not to me but to Mazao. Attacking me first wouldn’t hinder his commitment. Perhaps, I should find a way to locate him first.

"If my judgment is not wrong, Xuanwu has likely already arrived in Mount Moon Concealing City tonight," Mr. Zhu said.

"On what basis?" I asked.

"I did some research online, and your area suddenly had a heavy rain not forecasted by the weather report, right?" he said, "That explains why not only was there a torrential downpour in Mount Moon Concealing City but also a sudden anomalous rise in temperature. Since it’s you who arrived there, everything makes sense.

"The changes in weather that defy natural principles sometimes signify the passing of Impermanence, or those qualified as Impermanence. The high temperature and rainfall are phenomena caused by your ’Fatian Xiangdi’."

Fatian Xiangdi—This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this term.

Yinyue and Dong Che have both mentioned Fatian Xiangdi, especially Yinyue, who initially linked the terms "Fatian Xiangdi" and "candidate for Impermanence" together, thus suggesting that Fatian Xiangdi may be a characteristic of a candidate for Impermanence.

According to my knowledge, Fatian Xiangdi has two interpretations. One, as primarily described in "Journey to the West," is about transforming oneself into a tremendously large form, a kind of Divine Skill; the other is an ancient philosophy, which posits that there is great wisdom within the operation of heaven and earth, and thus humans should emulate heaven and imitate earth, using the natural laws of heaven and earth as a model to correct their own behavior and spirit.

The simplest practice of Fatian Xiangdi is to rise at sunrise and rest at sunset; staying up late can lead to detrimental consequences. This is true from a health perspective, but ancient people often explained their misfortunes with superstitious beliefs.

They believed that if one’s practice of emulating heaven and earth reached a certain level, it was in accordance with the will of heaven and would benefit from various types of assistance from the universe; on the contrary, going against heaven would lead to divine punishment, and heroes would not be free to act. Little Bowl’s strong fortune, based on the ability to "communicate with all things in nature," likely stems from this ideology.

Furthermore, because ancient people believed that heaven and earth were not only standards of action but also of morality, frequent natural disasters during an Emperor’s reign were seen as punishment for the Monarch’s immorality. Conversely, it was also believed that as long as the Monarch was virtuous and wise, the state would enjoy peace and good weather. This is also a manifestation of the Fatian Xiangdi philosophy.

Whether the morality of a mortal king can influence the natural climate, I wouldn’t rashly conclude today, but Impermanence truly can dominate All Things.

Impermanence can cause floods, droughts, and earthquakes. Previously, I thought these were "active skills" of Impermanence, but based on my experience, the changes in nature due to Impermanence’s activities might just be a passive ability.

I tried consulting Mr. Zhu and shared my understanding of Fatian Xiangdi; he nodded, "Your understanding of Fatian Xiangdi is more or less accurate, just that the Impermanence’s Fatian Xiangdi differs from the traditional interpretation.

"Impermanence’s Fatian Xiangdi is not about complying with nature and waiting for favorable feedback from heaven and earth, but about invading the surrounding nature with one’s spirit, making it manifest a state that matches the soul’s form. This is not acting in accordance with heaven, but contrary to it. If the traditional interpretation of Fatian Xiangdi is to emulate heaven and imitate earth, then Impermanence’s Fatian Xiangdi is about redefining laws for heaven and redefining forms for earth.

"In some sense, this is also a form of kingship. In ancient times, a noble privately maintaining a hundred armored soldiers was seen as rebellion; but if someone maintains a million armored soldiers, that person becomes the new Emperor. When power becomes extremely strong, it turns the situation around, and the distortion of nature is no longer seen as distortion, but as the norm."

"But I didn’t use my spirit to invade nature," I said.

"Not surprising. It’s the same with human relationships; if you are strong enough, people will come to curry favor with you, like me. And others will reach out like Fa Zheng. Spiritually aware natural beings act similarly," Mr. Zhu said openly. "Even if you do nothing and just stand there, the natural environment will naturally manifest trends that match your attributes. Also, some special physical phenomena that are lethal to the soul, such as lightning, will lose their lethality to your soul.

"Although you haven’t become Impermanence yet, nature sometimes exhibits predictive characteristics. Individuals destined for great deeds show omens at birth, and divination practitioners infer the future through natural anomalies. The world has already judged that you can become Impermanence.

"And when you do become Impermanence, this impact will become even broader, enough to influence the entire state, and you can also actively intensify this influence. The super natural disasters created by Impermanence in myths and history come about in this way."

"You judged before that I was a candidate for Impermanence because you recognized my Fatian Xiangdi?" I asked.

Mr. Zhu sighed deeply, "Saltwater City hasn’t witnessed snow for several years. Initially, I didn’t consider the possibility that Saltwater City had given birth to a candidate for Impermanence, but after seeing you, I understood everything."

"But the past few years in Saltwater City haven’t turned as hot as the current climate in Moon Concealing Mountain City, right?" I asked.

To say it’s hot might be inaccurate, but the climate in Moon Concealing Mountain City now allows for wearing short sleeves outdoors without any issue.

"Probably because the land outside Saltwater City hasn’t yet adapted to your presence; this is an overreaction. Xuanwu’s rain-making also operates similarly, it doesn’t mean that if he resides in Moon Concealing Mountain City, it will rain tormentingly every day going forward, just that it might become a more rainy climate. However, if you became Impermanence and consciously exert your influence, that would be a different case."

Saying this, Mr. Zhu thought for a moment, then earnestly said, "Oh, Zhuang Cheng, almost forgot to tell you, after you become Impermanence, you might also intensify global warming. So remember never to go near Antarctica or the North Pole in the future, as that might cause the glaciers of the North and South Poles to melt faster, leading to a global rise in sea levels."

Can I mention that I’ve recently been to the North Pole?

After hearing so much about Fatian Xiangdi, and now having him suddenly say this, I genuinely can’t tell if he’s joking.