Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 318: Bifang 2

Chapter 318: Bifang 2

What did Gua Tianshi just say?

"Inviting Yinyue?" I felt as though I had heard some absurd exaggeration, "Luo Mountain is the stronghold of the demon hunters, even if it’s Impermanence, it should be the demon hunters, right? You want to persuade a Demon, a man-eater like Yinyue, to join Luo Mountain?"

"The identity of demon hunters is merely a history prior to the Fantian incident, somehow engraved into our hearts by the power of the Divine Seal, like a stamp of thought. What we truly should be are not ’demon hunters,’ but ’monks’—I presume these words are not unfamiliar to you?" Gua Tianshi replied in a tone as if he was proclaiming the truth, "As for the distinction between races, it is even less appropriate for you to mention that.

"Do you really think that you are more human than Yinyue now? Outer Path Impermanence Zhuang Cheng, or should I say... Flame Demon Zhuang Cheng?"

As power increases, it is an inevitable trend for demon hunters to become less and less human in essence.

Even a freak would be regarded by Luo Mountain as a Fallen Demon Hunter. And even when Fu Feng noticed that Dong Che had the nature of a strange entity during the past period, he simply assumed an unsurprised attitude.

I, whose human body is completely a flame mimicry, am even less human-like as a supernatural power user, yet I am still treated as a human. The Gua Tianshi in front of me, for some unknown reason, appeared before me in the image of a strange bird, if an ordinary person saw him for the first time, how could they consider him human?

What exactly is the definition of "human"?

Is it the soul? But the concept of race distinction, like gender, seems to be based on the physical body. As far as I know, souls do not have the concept of gender, and seem to lack racial distinction. If anything, the way of thinking changes the nature of the soul, and Yinyue, being a weird entity, has a way of thinking on a different dimension from humans.

But now, the way I view the world is also becoming increasingly distant from humans. At least, the humans I know cannot directly observe and affect causality itself on a metaphysical level like I can. The closer I get to the realm of Impermanence, the more difficult it becomes for me to vividly express what I see and the insights I have accumulated; I can only use some crude metaphors to weakly describe the causes and effects of events. I am entering realms beyond human perception and thought.

The only thing that can categorize me as human is the fact that I was once human. But if we just consider "now," from the perspective of the average person, I may have already become as much a strange entity as Yinyue.

Although I judged Gua Tianshi to be human from the impression of his kind he emanated, if even I am not considered human, then naturally Gua Tianshi wouldn’t be either.

Could it be that he appeared in the form of a strange bird precisely because he foresaw this conversation?

"Yinyue has a human appearance, can be compatible with the human sensory system, and can use human language; therefore, she can certainly be defined as human," Gua Tianshi said slowly, "Admittedly, she has an evil personality and a habit of eating humans, but at the same time, she also possesses a rare sense of rationality and order among the weird entities.

"Her mental inclination can also be described as ’civilization.’ Considering her unique abilities and enormous potential, I have decided to bring her into Luo Mountain for utilization.

"At the same time, she is a valuable subject for observation. In the future development path of Luo Mountain, we will encounter more powerful creatures capable of communicating through language. It might be a waste to unthinkingly annihilate them all, as in the past several thousand years. In the future, we might need to consider ’Absorption’ as an option. Yinyue represents an important trial.

"What’s even more valuable is that she is not entirely a weird entity now, right? She is Yinyue manifested using Zhu Changan, a human, as a vessel; it is very likely that she retains a human perspective while being a weird entity. As a point of reference for seeking common ground while reserving differences, she couldn’t be more suitable."

Gua Tianshi seemed to value not only the superpower and potential of Yinyue but also looked to a more distant horizon.

As for him knowing Changan’s name and the truth of Yinyue’s ’resurrection,’ that’s not much of a surprise at all. He is, after all, the legendary Gua Tianshi who can calculate all kinds of information past and future—to surrender on such a trivial issue and say "I don’t know," would be a disservice to his great reputation.

He might not be able to know every secret in the world, but knowing most things in the world should still come easily to him. Thinking of this, he seemed to me somewhat like the Master of Divine Seal.

"What if I say I want to eradicate Yinyue? Are you planning to stop me?" I asked.

"No, this time I’m just a spectator," he shook his head, "I won’t stop Yinyue from restoring her power, nor will I stop you from destroying her. If she indeed dies at your hands, it only means she couldn’t seize this opportunity, and that would simply be her fate.

"However, I do need to prevent the major disaster caused by Yinyue’s Fatian Xiangdi, so I will stay in Moon Concealing Mountain City temporarily before the conflict between you two ends."

Gua Tianshi not being my enemy was extremely good news indeed; I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief internally, then I asked: "How did Yinyue acquire Fatian Xiangdi? Did she simulate it with her own abilities? And what are its specific effects?"

Upon hearing this, he glanced at me and suddenly said, "Even though I just mentioned I won’t stop you, that doesn’t mean I would provide you with information related to Yinyue, right?"

It seemed that he was determined to maintain a stance of impartiality.

That was quite normal, I never expected him to answer so many of my questions for free. Even if he did respond, it’s possible he might interject misleading information to manipulate behind the scenes. At least, if it were the Gua Tianshi I had heard of in the past, he might do such a thing.

While I was thinking this, I saw Gua Tianshi change the subject and with a mischievous smile he said, "However, you saved my important disciple, so I will answer any questions related to Yinyue."

"...Thank you very much for your guidance," I deliberately maintained a nonchalant demeanor without showing surprise at the turn of events.

He seemed to be observing my reaction; I couldn’t tell from his bird face whether he was disappointed or not, then he answered my previous question: "Impermanence’s Fatian Xiangdi is normally not something she can imitate. That’s a boost from the land itself. Moon Concealing Mountain is her origin, so it’s only here that she can perform Fatian Xiangdi, using that unique superpower.

"You’ve already experienced its specific effects—it can distort the normal order of time and space in nature, trapping prey within its web-like confines. The white fog you see is not a material mist but a special phenomenon that appears when time and space are twisted. Moreover, because she is consciously manipulating and compressing the power of Fatian Xiangdi, it forms a barrier-like area within its core that even you would find difficult to escape.

"She chose this place to restore her powers also to absorb the power of the Spirit Vein of the land, and afterwards, she intends to use the power of Fatian Xiangdi to kill and consume the souls of all the residents in Moon Concealing Mountain City.

"The reason I came here personally is to prevent her Fatian Xiangdi from affecting human settlements. Perhaps Ming Zhuo or Divine Light might not care, but I cannot allow Yinyue to kill so many humans at once."

By consuming a large number of human souls to restore her powers—the living Yinyue also did something similar, or rather, wanted to do so but failed. Ying Lingyun, who was still sane at the time, betrayed her because of this and killed her.

It should not be difficult for Gua Tianshi to contain Yinyue’s Fatian Xiangdi; my assertion is not just based on his superior strength but also on the affinative advantage. I’ve been observing him all along and have noticed some things, such as the Fatian Xiangdi he displayed.

His Fatian Xiangdi, as Dong Che mentioned, does not produce any visible atmospheric phenomena. Dong Che has said that once he reaches the Great Success Rank, he will naturally understand what Gua Tianshi’s Fatian Xiangdi is, which might be predicted based on people like Dong Che with an innate strong sense of perception. In a short period of time, I can only discern a superficial part—if nothing is unexpected, Gua Tianshi’s Fatian Xiangdi likely has the effect of containing other Fatian Xiangdis.

I can’t quite explain how I came to this conclusion. Despite not seeing anything, the answer seemed to automatically emerge in my mind. Just like how I couldn’t intuitively sense the concept of causality in the past, but could sense it when an adversary wielded a corresponding superpower; Gua Tianshi’s presence seems capable of influencing my Fatian Xiangdi, and therefore, I innately associate some of the truth.

After realizing this, I noticed another thing—even now that I have emerged from the fog, the rainfall around Moon Concealing Mountain has not reappeared. It seems that not only my and Yinyue’s Fatian Xiangdi but also Water Navy Xuanwu’s Fatian Xiangdi has been contained.

The air on the mountain began to show a trend of gradual cooling.

Containing other Fatian Xiangdis may not be the full extent of Gua Tianshi’s Fatian Xiangdi’s effects; perhaps it’s just a byproduct.

"Unable to consume souls in Moon Concealing Mountain City with Fatian Xiangdi is actually just a minor issue for Yinyue. What’s important is that she must consume the Ancient Moon God," Gua Tianshi continued, "The Ancient Moon God must have told you that she’s using a portion of the reserve power Yinyue set aside before her death, right? That’s a lie.

"The Ancient Moon God herself is the core of the reserve power meticulously prepared by the living Yinyue. Thanks to your intervention, the Ancient Moon God has already died ahead of time.

"Now, Yinyue will no longer be able to truly return to her heyday."

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