Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 355 - 330 Four Symbols Past Events

Chapter 355: 330 Four Symbols Past Events

I had just encountered clues related to Shan Liangyi at Water Navy Xuanwu, and not long after, I learned from Mr. Zhu that an ancestor of the Zhu family, Zhu Yi, was also a Liangyi Inheritor like myself. Although there were signs before, this feeling of being drawn by fate is truly marvelous. I couldn’t help but look once more at Mazao, who was conducting experiments with Zhu Shi in the distance.

"Two Liangyi give birth to Four Symbols... Xuanwu told me that there are four Liangyi Inheritors, corresponding to the Four Symbols Divine Beasts. They are Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu... Which one is Zhu Yi?" I asked.

"He is the White Tiger," replied Mr. Zhu, "It is said that ancestor Zhu Yi corresponds to the White Tiger among the Four Symbols, wielding the power of ’Gold and Slaughter.’ Therefore, he not only possessed an immensely sharp and destructive white mana, but also had an innate talent for mastering all weapons in the world.

"Sword, saber, spear, axe, hammer... any weapon that fell into his hands, he could bring its potential to an extraordinary realm. Even a plain iron weapon, once used by him, would be automatically upgraded to a high-grade Divine Artifact. Even if it was a Super Magic Treasure that required stringent conditions to use, he could disregard all prerequisites and use it directly.

"Moreover, even without any training in spells, and without utilizing any mana, he could effortlessly split steel and walls—or even mysteriously unleash Sword Qi—with just a branch picked up from the ground, easily repelling an army of a hundred thousand with just his mortal body."

Sword Qi without using Mana, is this even human?

Though this thought reflexively crossed my mind, I am now also capable of performing some miracles unimaginable to ordinary people without using any mana or even invoking Fatian Xiangdi, so it’s not entirely incomprehensible.

That Zhu Yi corresponds to the White Tiger is not surprising. If I am the Vermilion Bird and Xuanwu is ruled out, then Zhu Yi could only be the White Tiger or the Azure Dragon. Considering Zhu Yi’s past reputation in Impermanence, more likely associated with the Gold Element than the Wood Element of the Azure Dragon.

Each of the Four Symbols has its color: Red for Vermilion Bird, Black for Xuanwu, Blue for Azure Dragon, and White for the White Tiger. The mana stored in the Yama Sword is a piercing silver-white.

"Xuanwu corresponds to ’Water and Alchemy’, Vermilion Bird to ’Fire and Refining’, White Tiger to ’Gold and Slaughter’... then what does the Azure Dragon correspond to?" I asked curiously.

Mr. Zhu answered, "According to the family records, the Azure Dragon corresponds to ’Wood and Cultivation’... As for what exactly that entails, I am not very clear. There are many gaps in the family records, I only know roughly."

Wood and Cultivation... compared to Alchemy, Refining, and Slaughter, ’Cultivation’ sounds earthy. However, being a talent derived from Shan Liangyi, it definitely encompasses more than simple plowing and weeding. The more cryptic the terminology, the deeper the mystery.

Perhaps this ’Cultivation’ is the most formidable.

"You initially asked how ancestor Zhu Yi died, right? Honestly, due to various accidents causing gaps in the historical data, I’m not very clear about the complete truth, I can only share what I know." Mr. Zhu said, "Firstly, it is said that once Zhu Yi realized the immense potential dangers of his power, he wanted to resolve this issue completely. To prevent Shan Liangyi from taking his power, he decided to confront and battle Shan Liangyi first.

"Since he wielded the power of ’Gold and Slaughter’, he had the strongest offensive capability among all Liangyi inheritors. At the stage of Great Success, he already possessed the power to reverse-defeat Impermanence, and upon becoming Impermanence himself, he was invincibly powerful, capable of slaying anyone under the heavens."

This statement seemed so exaggerated that I even doubted if Mr. Zhu was surreptitiously boasting about his ancestor. Reverse-defeating Impermanence... Even considering Water Navy Xuanwu’s ultimate move that reached the realm of Impermanence combined with the advantageous attribute relationship, reversing my newly attained Impermanence is still nearly impossible. The gap between Great Success Rank and Impermanence is immense.

Is the White Tiger’s power of slaughter really that formidable? If this is true, then perhaps even if Shan Liangyi stands far above Impermanence, it might not be able to ignore the threat posed by Zhu Yi.

"Our ancestor Zhu Yi, without arrogance due to his power of slaughter, sought out the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu of that era before the final battle with Shan Liangyi... Combining their powers and wisdom, they waged the ultimate battle against Shan Liangyi," Mr. Zhu said slowly, "As for the outcome... regrettably, as you can surmise, since ancestor Zhu Yi perished prematurely, it indicates that they ultimately failed.

"In that final battle, only the Xuanwu of that era, who we all know, survived despite being severely injured..."

The Water Navy Xuanwu had actually taken part in battles of that scale before, truly deceiving by appearances. How did he survive? Or could it be that the Xuanwu of long ago was much stronger than he is now, only reduced to the strength of Great Success Rank due to his severe injuries?

Moreover, it turns out that aside from me, there were other Vermilion Birds in the past... It seems the Liangyi Inheritors were not just from one batch; they likely existed in different eras.

However, from Water Navy Xuanwu’s tone, he seemed quite certain that in his era, there were only four Liangyi Inheritors, and the Vermilion Bird he was seeking was also only one person. Does this mean that in the same era, there are at most four Liangyi Inheritors?

Then what about King Zhuanlun? In my memory, King Zhuanlun is an Impermanence as ancient as Xuanming, yet Water Navy Xuanwu was very certain that he was also one of the Liangyi Inheritors. This seems contradictory to the historical record that "only Water Navy Xuanwu survived among the Liangyi inheritors from two to three hundred years ago" and the speculation that "there are only four Liangyi Inheritors in the same era."

I tried to inquire with Mr. Zhu, who then showed a surprised expression: "Yes, there are only four Liangyi Inheritors in the same era, and that’s what the passed-down notes also say... But King Zhuanlun is also a Liangyi Inheritor?"

It seems he too is not very familiar with the inside story.

Water Navy Xuanwu must know the truth or possess the knowledge to explain these contradictions, unfortunately, I have already killed him.

"In fact, our ancestor Zhu Yi did not die in vain; he left behind something very important... That is the Yama Sword."

Mr. Zhu seemed to be reminiscing, then continued: "What I am about to discuss is some conjectures made by descendants of the Zhu family combined with the notes passed down. Before knowing the true power of the Yama Sword, I always thought those conjectures were just grasping at straws...

"In those conjectures, ancestor Zhu Yi had already foreseen his future defeat and death, or at least he was psychologically prepared for his demise. To prevent his painstakingly cultivated power from being completely taken by Shan Liangyi, he spent a long time transferring his Mana gradually into the weapon he carried.

"The Yama Sword was originally just an ordinary Evil Sword, the weapon he carried when he was just an ordinary demon hunter. As he had the power to temporarily transform ordinary weapons into Divine Artifacts, he saw no need to replace the weapon he was accustomed to. Not only that, the ordinary Evil Sword underwent a transformation due to his prolonged use, becoming akin to a half of his being.

"Even after his death, when Shan Liangyi took away all his power, that weapon was not included as an object designated by Shan Liangyi’s ritual and still retained his mighty power of Impermanence. And when that unknown decisive battle ended, Xuanwu escaped with the Yama Sword from the battlefield and later returned it to the Zhu family, saying it was to fulfill a promise with Zhu Yi."

Listening to this, I couldn’t help but admire the Water Navy Xuanwu’s commitment to fulfilling promises once again.

If he hadn’t been determined to kill me, perhaps there was a chance of us becoming allies.

It appeared that Mr. Zhu had finished relaying everything he knew about Shan Liangyi, and during our conversation, there was notable progress from afar between Mazao and Zhu Shi.

Currently, the two were facing each other, holding hands, their eyes closed as if communicating telepathically. I could feel the Power of Return resonating within Mazao, with the mana fluctuations largely not dispersing outward but densely entwining Zhu Shi instead.

The power of Time Reversal didn’t "rejuvenate" Zhu Shi, nor did it cause any other visible transformation. Mazao’s goal was merely to reset Zhu Shi’s innate capacity to the Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena, showing other changes would have indicated a dispersion of power.

Gradually, an unprecedented and mysterious aura emanated from Zhu Shi.