Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 502 - 472 VS Xu Gou 4

Chapter 502: 472 VS Xu Gou 4

Xu Gou launched another high-speed attack.

He erased his movement time process and instantly appeared in front of me, using two big blades to methodically search for the correct way to injure me.

In simulating the White Tiger Killing Power, he didn’t limit himself to attack and defense; there was also a bonus in hit rate. I felt he was likely fighting an opponent of the Great Impermanence level for the first time, initially showing some lack of understanding; as time went on, this "lack of understanding" gradually turned into "going straight for the vital point." This was reflected in the increasing difficulty I had in avoiding his attacks.

Moreover, the Slaughter Attribute seemed to enhance his evasion abilities, or rather, anything related to combat seemed to be strengthened by the Slaughter Attribute. I wanted to see if I could use the "Mutant Eclipse" to attack him again, but I couldn’t find an opportunity to succeed. The earlier attack was based on surprise tactics, and after alerting him, landing a second hit was like chasing a pipe dream.

The gravity of "Mutant Eclipse" that distorts time seemed to be something he quickly adapted to in terms of interference against the Power of Cutting.

Very clearly, through the injury just now, he got a grasp of my attack power. For my ordinary light beam attacks, he didn’t even bother to use his big blades to block anymore; he just directly countered and chopped toward me. The orange-red beam hit that armor, solid as a rock, like a fire hose spraying on concrete, only able to provide a polish at most.

With my current attack power and defense, I’m at an absolute disadvantage. The reason the battle is still in a standoff is only because I have an Undying Body. Xu Gou, roughly speaking, has similar characteristics as well; he obviously has a super-speed regeneration ability. With the means I’ve shown so far, the extremity I can reach is probably inflicting light injuries on him or slightly increasing the damage area on his armor.

It’s annoying enough that his main body is hard to kill, and yet there’s another tough shell outside... Although these thoughts occurred to me, I actually envy his armor a lot. Not only because it has high defensive power but also because of its aesthetic appeal. Who wouldn’t like such mechanical power armor? If I had to choose between "Mechanical Power Armor" and "Elemental Incarnation," I’d definitely still choose the latter, but Mechanical Power Armor possesses an irreplaceable beauty.

As for the body under this armor, I harbor a bit of curiosity. Is the current Xu Gou male or female? According to information previously gathered, Xu Gou was likely revived by a female scientist with whom he had formed a romantic relationship in the past, and the material necessary for revival was the female scientist’s own body.

Although it might be possible, like Ying Lingyun reviving the real Yinyue, for the revived body to reorganize into the original form of the person being revived, it’s also entirely reasonable to live on with the appearance of the revival vessel, as though borrowing a corpse to return a soul.

The voice transmitted through telepathy is a male’s voice, and the shadow Xu Gou presents in the Void Realm is also male, but these are both spiritual representations of the other party, making it difficult to determine Xu Gou’s current physical gender.

Another clash occurred, with Xu Gou’s attack speed becoming faster. This time, however, I didn’t sense familiarity but rather a bit of anxiety.

Clearly, I’m the one at a disadvantage, yet he’s the one first to fall into peculiar unease. While attacking, he asked with intense vigilance, "——What are you plotting?"

It seems he has already realized that I still have some cards hidden up my sleeve.

Indeed, if I were to take out the Furnace Slag Impermanence Divine Sword, I could probably defeat him. The problem is that in this battle, I can’t use my true strength, or else the "track the Taoyuan Village Master" line would be severed.

A primary objective on one hand, and an unattainable victory without using my full strength on the other... Such a dilemma. Both are important, both attract me greatly.

The internal balance is gradually tilting toward "victory in front of me," as sometimes, I’m indeed someone who focuses only on present matters. Perhaps Xu Gou senses that his chances of defeat are rising, as his combat movements grow more urgent, as if he’s racing against life and death with something.

Among all the Void Envoys, Xuanming and Divine Light are probably the ones who understand the Divine Seal Fragment the most deeply, but in terms of merging with the Divine Seal Fragment, no one can compare with Xu Gou. Because of this, he was able to use those previously-like-cheating killing moves. So, it seems I also have no choice but to bring out my Killing Move.

And just as I was about to summon the Furnace Slag Impermanence Divine Sword, with a booming noise, a strange change occurred in the distant space.

It was as if the scenery there turned into an image depicted on stained glass, and then the "stained glass" shattered from the other side, exploding into a big, dark hole. A figure leapt through the Shattered Void and stood in the air as if walking on flat ground.

This person was surrounded by unfamiliar mana fluctuations, but with a little discernment, I saw through that his mana fluctuations were disguised, and I quickly recognized his true identity.

The newcomer was Liu Shuying.

As for Xu Gou, as if realizing the visitor wasn’t friendly, he immediately took on a defensive stance, shouting, "Who are you!?"

Though it’s uncertain if Xu Gou has ever investigated the appearance of all Lushan Great Impermanences, it’s understandable that he doesn’t recognize Liu Shuying now. Maybe to somewhat conceal his identity, Liu Shuying had altered his appearance, becoming more severe and old-looking than usual. For this Great Impermanence, who seems to be versatile according to intelligence, such things are undoubtedly a piece of cake.

However, the problem isn’t here. To forcibly invade from external space, breaking through the Shattered Void, undoubtedly requires Great Impermanence-level mana, and now seeming to join the battlefield, this mana fluctuation might be caught by the Taoyuan Village Master, whose whereabouts are unknown, somewhere in the shadows.

Did Liu Shuying consider this point, or did he spend time dealing with that aspect, hence only now invading?

Upon entering the battlefield, he further erupted with mana, flying swiftly toward Xu Gou in an aggressive posture.

Seeing the opposing Great Impermanences suddenly become two, Xu Gou fled without hesitation toward the distance. At the same time, the space within a hundred-kilometer radius underwent drastic changes.

As if all space turned to glass, at that moment, all the "glass," along with the scenery, shattered. The land transformed into an abyss by Xu Gou and the resulting cloud of dust disappeared; they were replaced by the scorched earth appearance of the real world, burned to a crisp by me.

Xu Gou’s figure also vanished, seemingly having used the Power of Cutting to erase the "reality of appearing here." I immediately tried to sense Xu Gou’s location, as some of my heat from the previous confrontation had attached to him, which could be used as a thermal energy marker.

However, this sense failed. It was as if Xu Gou could sense I might track him, and the connection between me and the thermal energy marker seemed to be severed by the Power of Cutting, as if all ties between us were temporarily cut, making it impossible to be pursued.

What’s more concerning is that if Xu Gou escapes, the appearance of Liu Shuying, this "interfering Great Impermanence," might be relayed to the Taoyuan Village Master, highly likely related to Xu Gou, triggering the Taoyuan Village Master’s heightened alertness.

Fortunately, things hadn’t ended there. Liu Shuying swiftly reined in his mana fluctuations as he disappeared into the Different Space, then landed on the ground. His eyes seemed to flicker with countless tiny symbols, after which he closed them and whispered, "Have deduced it... is it there!"

After speaking, even he disappeared on the spot, as if pursuing Xu Gou.

Did he use Divination Technique? Given that he was once famed for being a Prophet, in certain aspects exceeding Gua Tianshi as an oracle, it would be unbelievable if he didn’t know Divination Technique. However, I hadn’t left a thermal energy marker on him, so I also didn’t know specifically where he had gone.

It seems I can only wait here for Liu Shuying’s response.

However, I do have other things to do during this time.

I looked around. The terrifying high temperatures created by mana still ravaged this scorched earth, akin to an alien planet’s surface. There was still a vast amount of dust and smoke hanging in the air nearby, not as massive as within an independent reality space, but enough to block out the sky, almost like after a nuclear weapon baptism. All thanks to Xu Gou’s initial landing like a celestial weapon.

The Great Success Rank Impermanence I left alive was not yet dead. Though hastily achieved, it still was Great Success, not easily killed by the shockwave just now. The ordinary human victims tortured beyond recognition also hadn’t died from Xu Gou’s appearance’s aftermath, as I still harbored the thought of keeping them alive temporarily, and Xu Gou seemed not particularly intent on killing them, so they miraculously survived.

However, the two or three ordinary demon hunters I left behind randomly did not survive; Xu Gou seemed to have murderous intent toward them and the Great Success Rank. I managed to save the latter with my will, but didn’t pay much attention to the former, only now realizing they were dead.

Oh well, the important one is the Great Success Rank Impermanence; the others don’t matter... I thought so, giving a command to the dust and smoke surrounding the area.

"Disperse."

A gust strong enough to blow away a human body suddenly appeared, sweeping away the dust and smoke around.

I approached the Great Success Rank Impermanence. He was severely injured, lying face down on the ground like the "Preacher" previously. So I kicked him to flip him over, and then I issued a command to him: "Wake up."

In his current soul-damaged state, he couldn’t sustain consciousness, but under the Power of Word Spirit’s influence, he miraculously awakened, forcing his eyes open with great difficulty and then saw me.

His mental state was visibly dire, and after five or six seconds, he seemed to realize his predicament and the person before him, revealing a look of despair.

From all over his wounds, a green light began to bloom; he was about to explode.

"Stop," I said.

And so, his self-destruction process abruptly ceased.

His expression froze completely.

"Now... next, it will be troublesome for you to tell me some things," I said.