Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo

Even though I quite enjoy the power of the Unfortunate, often bringing various dangerous situations my way, not every danger is something I like to face. Enemies like Meng Zhang's avatars aren't really in my aesthetic range, especially with the strong enemy Taoyuan Village Master Meng Zhang himself present in this city, these avatars become even more tasteless.

But the power of the Unfortunate doesn't care about my aesthetic preferences, anything related to the strange and demon hunters will gather around me, and Meng Zhang's avatars certainly fall within this range. Water Master Xuanwu also seems unwilling to get too entangled with these enemies, frowning as he looks around.

"——Follow me."

I said as I grabbed Water Master Xuanwu's shoulder, simultaneously launching five large fireballs, destroying and eliminating Meng Zhang's avatars before they could attack.

While they hadn't completed reorganization, I took Water Master Xuanwu and teleported out of this place, then consecutively teleported hundreds of times. The surrounding scenes changed at a high frequency like different colored lights flickering.

While constantly teleporting, I captured every distant view with my spiritual perception, assembling them in my mind like a puzzle, trying to explore the full layout of the city center area. The scenes from when I previously moved with Water Master Xuanwu and the Alchemy Furnace were also retrieved from my memory to join the assembly.

This attempt quickly ended in failure. All the distant views couldn't be properly pieced together, none of them fitting well. Even forcefully combining them, you'd find the resulting complete terrain's area far exceeded the city center's region.

Even if I teleported a thousand, ten thousand times, I would only see disjointed scenes. Even combining more scene puzzles, it's impossible to explore the correct terrain. The map here has lost its function; the internal area of the barrier surrounding this city has likely long exceeded the city itself. The time and space we're in, in a way, is like an elephant stuffed inside a refrigerator.

It's no wonder this place can be considered "another universe," my intuition vaguely hints in my ears that the city center's time and space might currently be expanding.

Finally, the scenes around us froze at a crossroads with many abandoned vehicles piled up.

The feeling of being chased receded from my heart again, but combining past experiences, it was clear this was temporary. If we stayed in the same place, we'd inevitably be located again.

Perhaps it's also natural. This place, after all, is the enemy's territory; finding a place to rest in peace is undoubtedly a luxury.

By the way, according to Xu Gou's experiential hint, Taoyuan Village Master Meng Zhang should be in the very center of the city center region.

I've been trying to keep advancing in that direction — though "direction," in this spatial environment, it's difficult to clearly communicate the correct direction to others, as the concept of fixed directions doesn't exist here. I'm just trying to grasp the correct direction based on abstract intuition coupled with Xu Gou's experience.

The deeper we go, the more the illusory and chaotic nature of time and space intensifies. It's like walking in a maze, the path is understandable at the outer layer, but deeper inside it becomes increasingly intricate.

Never mind others, even if it were Xu Gou himself, he'd probably only rely on luck to enter where Taoyuan Village Master Meng Zhang currently is. Fortunately, I have Mazao's power of the Unfortunate and Little Bowl's blessing; such "extremely difficult problems" requiring "luck" aren't barriers of despair for me. I now have enough luck and the inspiration and analytical ability needed to solve problems. Xu Gou's experience is the last piece of my puzzle.

Water Master Xuanwu looked at me in astonishment and said, "I knew you could move relatively normally in this time and space, but I didn't expect you to temporarily shake them off..."

"Let's keep moving. Next, we go find Taoyuan Village Master." I said.

"Okay." Water Master Xuanwu nodded.

As we proceeded, I used perception to connect to the "fireflies" outside the city barrier, then sensed the ones with Little Bowl. Although not very clear, it was enough to establish a channel to send the Great Demon God Gui Spirit Pill over.

"Is there anything particular about eating this elixir?" I asked Water Master Xuanwu.

"No specifics, just eat it directly. Whether swallowing it whole or chewing it makes no difference, whether eating dry or with water is all personal preference. As long as you don't eat it and then spit it out, it doesn't matter." He said, "But as you well know, this thing refined from the bodily materials of Great Impermanence level anomalies can't be entirely digested in an instant.

"For people like you and me, it's fine to eat it, but the girl you mentioned at the Great Success Rank might take a few days to digest it fully."

That is already adequately digestible.

I sent the Great Demon God Gui Spirit Pill to Little Bowl at the Luoshan Headquarters and sent over a "firefly," inputting detailed information about my situation here, and also briefly explained what the medicine was in words.

The communication could only be one-sided, and it was very difficult for information from Little Bowl's side to get into this wide-in-narrow-out barrier. After speaking, I "hung up," focusing back here.

"Now... it's your turn, Xuanwu," I said, "Although getting a healing remedy from you and inquiring about personal intel isn't the most polite... can you explain what you mean by 'Gold Element Mana'?"

And also, how exactly Water Master Xuanwu was resurrected, I am very curious about this point as well.

He retorted, "Do I have the right not to speak?"

"The Gold Element Magical Power is the nemesis of the Taoyuan Village Master. Since we are about to fight him, shouldn't you reveal this trump card?" I asked.

"Is that so, do you suspect that the Taoyuan Village Master is the Azure Dragon's successor..." pondered Water Navy Xuanwu.

"Didn't you use the Gold Element's power to create a hidden barrier because you knew he's the Azure Dragon's successor? Because gold restrains wood, spells cast with Gold Element power can be effective even in the heart of the Taoyuan Village Master's territory." I analyzed.

"The reason I can't be certain is that I haven't sensed the Seed of the Azure Dragon from the Taoyuan Village Master. However, the power he uses is undoubtedly the power of Wood and Cultivation, without a doubt." Water Navy Xuanwu said, frowning, "That said, the Four Symbols and Five Elements power of Shan Liangyi isn't exclusive to the Liangyi Inheritor. The Zhu family inheritor is the best example, and the artificial Great Unpredictable Dog is a similar case too.

"Therefore, I remain doubtful about the Taoyuan Village Master's identity as the Azure Dragon's successor... To be honest, I even suspect he might be Shan Liangyi. Haven't you said before? The way the Taoyuan Village Master spreads the seed of the heart everywhere is very similar to how Shan Liangyi treats us Liangyi inheritors.

"And if it's Shan Liangyi, both simulating Wood Element Magical Power and hiding his Yellow Dragon Seed are imaginable. Can't you also simulate attributes other than Fire Element? Not to mention, he originally had the history of hiding his true identity and sneaking into the ranks of Liangyi Inheritors."

Listening to him, I noticed another issue. Earlier, I displayed Earth Element Solar Eclipse Fire just to extract the Great Demon Xuanwu Flesh, so I didn't react in time, but it's a relief he didn't suspect I was Shan Liangyi then. Or is he currently suspicious, but deliberately hiding it from me?

After a short contemplation, I decided to offer him a piece of information first.

"You certainly can't sense the Seed of the Azure Dragon in the Taoyuan Village Master because the seed of the heart might be the Azure Dragon's seed divided by some means," I said, "Ying Lingyun's 'Possibility Avatar'... in Dr. Silver Mask's documents, the seed of the heart was mentioned as 'Meng Zhang's Original Seed.'

Water Navy Xuanwu clearly heard this for the first time and immediately frowned.

"You said the seed of the heart..." he said, "But... impossible. Shan Liangyi's Power Seed is the product behind the third gate. How could the Taoyuan Village Master have the capability to split it into countless seeds of the heart?

"Is it because of his 'Paradise beyond this world'? But the seed of the heart is a precursor to his 'Paradise beyond this world,' and the dream network is an artifact formed by countless linked seeds of the heart. Even if the 'Paradise beyond this world' can now bring down part of its power, it couldn't have shown such miracles at such an early stage..."

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly widened, and out of nowhere, he said, "Could it be Ying Lingyun's doing?"

"Why are you dragging Ying Lingyun into this?" I asked in confusion. "Also, don't change the subject. Even though I'm interested in what you're saying now, our initial topic was your Gold Element Magical Power. First, answer me why you have Gold Elemental power?"

Water Navy Xuanwu seemed to be sorting the storm in his mind while answering, "Because I obtained the White Tiger Seed."

Surprised, I asked, "Did you make a deal with King Zhuanlun?"

Since I'm the Vermilion Bird, and he is Xuanwu, assuming the Taoyuan Village Master must be the Azure Dragon, then the White Tiger is surely King Zhuanlun.

And King Zhuanlun is the human god from the Evangelical Institute.

Did Water Navy Xuanwu have contact with the Evangelical Institute?

Unexpectedly, Water Navy Xuanwu first gave me a peculiar look, then surprisingly said, "No, it was Ying Lingyun who transferred the White Tiger Seed to me... Ying Lingyun is the current White Tiger Inheritor."

"How is that possible?" I never imagined such an answer, "Ying Lingyun has no magical power, and Shan Liangyi's Power Seed turns all talents of a Liangyi inheritor into corresponding forms... there's no sign of it at all on him!"

More importantly, there is a counteracting relationship between fire and gold. Fire can counter gold, and if, as the Vermilion Bird inheritor, I met the White Tiger inheritor, there's no way not to have relevant perception, the White Tiger inheritor would likewise towards me.

Furthermore, even without perception, mere contact between the two sides would manifest various levels, even from the level of destiny, exhibiting an extremely clear relationship of counteraction.

Although looking retrospectively, Ying Lingyun's misfortunes started upon meeting me — first the monster maker, then Dr. Silver Mask, and finally Ying Lingyun himself... whether it was the 'Possibility Avatar' or his true self, as long as we met, he was doomed — no wisdom could predict my actions, and any seemingly perfect plan would collapse starting from the point of contact with me, which indeed matched the fate of the White Tiger inheritor meeting the Vermilion Bird inheritor...

But beyond that, what else makes Ying Lingyun fit the White Tiger inheritor?

Thinking to that point, I almost convinced myself — maybe Ying Lingyun could really be the White Tiger inheritor.

"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but he seems to have combined his research on the White Tiger Seed with some mysterious black jade to transform an experimental subject named 'Xu Gou' from the Twelve Gods Plan into a special entity with Cutting Reality power." Water Navy Xuanwu said, "After fully understanding this power, he then used the White Tiger Seed and black jade to recreate it, then cut the White Tiger Seed out from his soul and pasted it into my soul."