Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 356 - 331 Fa Zheng’s Letter

Chapter 356: 331 Fa Zheng’s Letter

Zhu Shi slowly opened her eyes.

Although not in a battle state, her eyes had turned lake blue. Different from the cold eyes she had when facing enemies in the past, her eyes now exhibited a gentle and transcendent clear blue.

She stood on a mountain strewn with rubble, seemingly blending wonderfully with the desolate scenery, like a flower blossoming in a wasteland. Though still dressed in an ordinary white blouse and black skirt, she emanated a natural and sacred aura like that of a priestess from ancient religions.

This aura did not evoke a sense of awe that kept people at bay; on the contrary, I inexplicably felt a desire to trust her and be close to her. Although I already trust and am close to Zhu Shi, that was a matter on another level. Even if I were meeting Zhu Shi for the first time now, I would probably find myself irresistibly lowering my guard and choosing to trust and be close to her.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of Little Bowl.

Soon, this immensely affable aura disappeared from Zhu Shi, and her eyes returned to their normal black color. Mazao then slowly withdrew her hand.

Mr. Zhu and I walked over, and then I asked, "How is the progress?"

"I just... truly regained the power of Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena?" Zhu Shi looked incredulously at her hands.

Mazao gave a more definite answer: "My Power of Return can indeed reset Zhu Shi’s ’Buzhou Mountain’ to ’Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena’.

"Or... it can also bring back out the ’Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena’ while retaining ’Buzhou Mountain’."

Buzhou Mountain is much more useful in battle than Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena, and it was a pleasant surprise that Mazao could even help Zhu Shi to retain Buzhou Mountain!

Mr. Zhu seemed to have never expected Mazao to help Zhu Shi reset her talent. Now seeing and hearing this result, he showed an incredulous expression and could not help saying, "Although Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena is different from Great Impermanence’s Heavenly Phenomena, it essentially inherits from Great Impermanence’s talent, and in terms of rank, it is on the same level.

"Even though Buzhou Mountain is a changed product, it is essentially another form of expression of Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena... Your power can affect that level?"

"Yes, it can, but it’s not that easy. Just like you said, my power influencing Divine Power is still too strenuous. So I can only restore Zhu Shi’s Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena temporarily for a short while." Mazao explained, "To be safe, I just helped Zhu Shi restore it for three seconds. But if pushing the limits, based on the tactile feeling just now, I think it could last, um... at least ten..."

Mazao seemed to be doing some calculations, while Mr. Zhu tentatively interjected: "...ten seconds?"

"—Fifteen minutes," Mazao corrected.

Mr. Zhu gasped.

The gap between these two times is too great.

However, fifteen minutes... considering the effects of Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena, it’s hard to say whether it’s impressive or underwhelming.

I don’t really have any thoughts regarding the roles and levels Mr. Zhu cares about; after all, Zhu Shi isn’t really a Great Impermanence, influencing her Divine Power shouldn’t be as difficult as influencing a real Great Impermanence. Besides, Mazao has previously overcome Fatian Xiangdi of Yinyue Great Success Rank during her achieved level period using the Power of Return. Now, I’m not overly shocked that she can do this.

I’m more focused on another matter at the moment.

"During the period when you can use Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena, can you unleash the power of Great Impermanence using the Yama Sword?" I asked Zhu Shi.

But Zhu Shi showed a helpless expression.

"I just sensed the connection between myself and the Yama Sword, and indeed felt an immeasurable amount of Mana within, which could only be defined as the ’Power of Great Impermanence’. But to fully utilize it, I must first complete the meditative practice of communication with the Yama Sword," she answered. "If I could use Right Positioning Heavenly Phenomena 24 hours a day, I would only need three days to complete that communication. But with only fifteen minutes...

"I’ll first ask, how long is the cooldown between two ’fifteen-minute’ periods?"

She first asked Mazao, who seriously replied: "A maximum of fifteen minutes per day."

"Then I would need about nine to ten months to fully master the power of Great Impermanence," Zhu Shi concluded.

"Just nine to ten months to master the power of Great Impermanence Level..."

Mr. Zhu’s expression might have looked like his beliefs were being compressed and deformed. Zhu Shi herself seemed to resonate, her face complex after speaking.

I had to admit that was a shockingly rapid pace of progress. Unfortunately, nine to ten months sounded brief, yet it was still too long for the tasks I had looming. I was going to confront Ming Zhuo in a few days and didn’t have the patience to wait that long to strengthen my fighting force.

That was probably for the best, as I had intended to go after Ming Zhuo alone anyway. Pulling Zhu Shi in, who had mastered the power of Great Impermanence to help deal with a Great Impermanence with whom she had no grievances, seemed somewhat selfish. Since it was a challenge I had issued myself, then I should face it alone.

I felt a sense of relief somewhere in my heart. As long as Zhu Shi couldn’t master the power of Great Impermanence soon, I wouldn’t have to worry about her insisting on joining the battle on my side, and I could go on an adventure alone as a matter of course.

Although I was not fighting for myself this time, but to protect Mazao, maybe my desire to enjoy the adventure alone is truly selfish. However, the reason I was protecting Mazao was also for my own ongoing adventures, a self-centered wish.

Suddenly, I felt a gaze; Zhu Shi was quietly staring at me.

"What’s wrong, why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

Zhu Shi confidently said: "Senior Brother Zhuang, you’re thinking about something awkward again, aren’t you?"

"Huh?" Mazao was confused.

I almost forgot, Zhu Shi is very observant, and sometimes, for some reason, she seems to be able to read my mind.

But I wasn’t thinking about anything awkward.

"Let’s go back first," I said.

Since I couldn’t achieve very precise positioning with the power of Instantaneous Movement of Fatian Xiangdi, we used Mazao’s Power of Return for the return journey. She did not even need physical contact; she enveloped us in her mana fluctuations, and then the surroundings suddenly changed to Zhu Jiu’s room.

We returned to Saltwater City.

After witnessing the marvel of the Power of Return, Mr. Zhu seemed to have more ideas. He hoped Mazao could try to help Zhu Jiu, who was suffering from soul loss, to find her soul again. Given that Mazao’s Power of Return could even affect Divine Power, it was natural for Mr. Zhu, who loved his daughter, to have such hopes.

But it was hard for me to have much expectation for this matter. Soul loss is a bizarre phenomenon closely related to Doomsday, and even the current Master of Divine Seal couldn’t solve the mystery of soul loss. Great Impermanence probably had no way with it either, let alone Mazao. This challenge was completely different from influencing Divine Power.

Sure enough, despite Mazao repeatedly using her Power of Return on Zhu Jiu, who was lying in bed, Zhu Jiu showed no movement at all, and there was no sign of her soul’s return.

Mr. Zhu’s shoulders slumped in dejection.

It’s rare for him to show such clear signs of sadness, which just goes to show how much he hoped his daughter would wake up. He quickly composed himself and thanked Mazao.

Then, he turned to me and asked, "Zhuang Cheng, what do you plan to do next? Are you going to stay in Saltwater City to rest for a while, or..."

"I plan to return to Fufeng Base first," I announced my prearranged journey, "I promised Fu Feng that I would return to Fufeng Base after settling the affairs at Moon Concealing Mountain City."

Actually, lingering in Saltwater City now wasn’t quite appropriate, a realization that came to me late. Ming Zhuo couldn’t move freely for two days, which is why we went to a densely populated area like Moon Concealing Mountain City without worry. Mazao seemed not to realize yet that those two days had already passed, and we couldn’t exclude the possibility of Ming Zhuo attacking first. Although Fa Zheng probably wouldn’t sit and watch Ming Zhuo wreak havoc in the city, we should coordinate actions from our side too.

However, upon hearing my plans, Mr. Zhu showed a strange look and then slowly said, "I see... it’s just as I thought, you really don’t know yet."

"What don’t I know?" I was puzzled.

"Fufeng Base, it’s been destroyed," Mr. Zhu said, "The Great Success Rank Impermanence ’Fu Feng’ has also been confirmed dead by Luoshan Headquarters."

"—What?" I doubted if I had heard wrong.

Mr. Zhu reached into the inner layer of his clothing, speaking simultaneously, "There’s one more thing, I almost forgot to tell you..."

Before I asked him about Zhu Yi’s cause of death, he had made a similar motion. Could it be that what he had intended to tell me back then was not related to Shan Liangyi?

He took an envelope out of the pocket in the lining of his clothes and handed it to me.

Under his gaze, I opened the envelope. Inside the envelope were two items, one was a letter, and the other was a thin glass talisman. I first glanced at the glass talisman, and then read the letter. From the letter’s signature, it was clear that the writer was Fa Zheng.

Fa Zheng briefly told me in the letter that Fufeng Base had been destroyed, thus the meeting place had to be changed from "Fufeng Base" to "Luoshan Headquarters."

And the glass talisman was his token, which stored his mana. In fact,(CType and Divinity level mana fluctuations from the glass talisman, and the mana seemed adjusted to a lower level purposely so that ordinary demon hunters could also sense it. The letter mentioned that the glass talisman could help me move freely within Luoshan Headquarters, as showing it would instantly make others recognize me as "Fa Zheng’s honored guest."

He also guaranteed in the letter that if I was willing to join his camp, he could help me deal with all troubles arising from Ming Zhuo.

But right now, more than these matters, I was more concerned about what exactly happened to the destruction of Fufeng Base and the death of Fu Feng. The letter didn’t provide a detailed explanation, so I had to look towards Mr. Zhu.