Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo

He wore clothes of cyan, with dark hair, whose tips were touched with mana, faintly glowing blue, and his entire body enveloped in azure sparks. Before me stood Taoyuan Village Master Meng Zhang, appearing as he had the last time I saw him. His gaze was indifferent, as if looking down upon the world from the clouds.

Peering closely, one could sense an unusual meaning within his eyes. It seemed there was some vast will hidden deep in his gaze, observing the world from a perspective that transcended petty humanity. This will lacked emotions that we could comprehend, nor did it seem to express any discernible attitude towards the world, only observing it aloofly. Even as I and the Water Navy Xuanwu, beings as formidable as Impermanence, were present, this extraordinary will did not regard us with special attention.

"Paradise" apparently scrutinized the outside world through Taoyuan Village Master Meng Zhang's eyes.

"Xu Gou… indeed, he has turned traitor," Meng Zhang said softly. "How foolish. He was a mere step away from his longed-for love, yet chose betrayal at this critical moment. To have had any expectations of him was truly a mistake."

"He has now reunited with his true love, not the false creation born within the illusion you spun," I said. "Now, the Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, Azure Dragon, and the White Tiger Seed are all gathered here. The living Liangyi inheritors have all assembled. I shall ask you this: are you willing to temporarily put down your scheme and join us to tackle Shan Liangyi?"

"There is no need," Meng Zhang said. "To kill Shan Liangyi, it requires nothing more than the 'Paradise' crafted from the Seed of the Cyan Dragon and myself as the Green Dragon Inheritor. Xuanwu and White Tiger are superfluous, even possibly becoming nourishment for Shan Liangyi, and you as Vermilion Bird, even more so.

"In aiding to kill Shan Liangyi, the greatest service you can provide is to be killed by me here."

He appeared disdainful of hiding his identity as the Green Dragon Inheritor, revealing it unmistakably in his speech.

With an investigative tone, I said, "If Xuanwu and I die, the three Power Seeds won't perish with us; rather, they'll automatically fly into Shan Liangyi's hands… Are you sure you wish to fight us to the death?"

"No matter how incredible Shan Liangyi's Four Symbols Seeds may be, they are ultimately scattered entities. Perhaps they possess a lofty rank, yet intrinsically lacking overwhelming mana. Hence, they can be suppressed by sufficiently powerful force," Meng Zhang again raised his head to gaze upon the azure sun. "Moreover, regarding rank, my 'Paradise' would absolutely not lose to Shan Liangyi's true self. By utilizing this force, after killing you and then subduing your Four Symbols Seeds, it's merely a matter of convenience."

Water Master Xuanwu said coldly, "Easy spoken! Though you speak as though killing us is effortless, don't forget… who your true nemesis is!"

At those words, the plaza suddenly shattered. A massive spout of black water erupted from the ground, forming a vortex trapping Meng Zhang, while Water Navy Xuanwu instantly moved to the sky, aiming a black Water Cannon with intensity at the vortex's center.

Simultaneously, seizing the moment, I entered Crown Form, sprinting at high speed, colliding into the Black Water Vortex and attacking Meng Zhang with unstoppable force.

Meng Zhang transformed instantaneously into a rapid blue lightning, swerving away from my attack path, attempting to escape from the Black Water Vortex.

Taoyuan Village Master Meng Zhang was a master in the realm of speed. Purely comparing extreme speed, I did not think he would surpass the Qilin I once faced, but the Qilin required time to reach its extreme speed; Meng Zhang, however, did not. His initial speed was notably superior to the Qilin's, making it challenging for me to capture him with my perception.

Yet this did not mean he could leverage his speed advantage to swiftly escape the Black Water Vortex.

Water Master Xuanwu held the White Tiger Seed, and the black water he wielded came with the elemental enhancement of Gold. When he had ambushed me previously, since Gold was suppressed by Fire, he likely chose to conceal his weaknesses; now facing Meng Zhang, who was inhibited by Gold, he consciously highlighted the Gold element in his mana. The Black Water Vortex shimmered with countless silver-white metallic fragments, gleaming like a galaxy within the darkness.

In a daze, I seemed to fall into an illusion. Countless silver-white gleams transformed into lines binding the freely-soaring azure lightning. This phenomenon did not physically occur, yet the azure lightning's speed authentically slowed to a pace I could pursue.

Seizing this opportunity, I aimed a Flame Light Cannon at the target, the azure lightning swiftly became human-shaped, exploding with a lightning strike akin to a swimming dragon. A grand explosion sounded, the shockwaves sweeping infinitely beyond. The two attacks were evenly matched, canceling each other out.

"…" Meng Zhang gazed at me with a severe look.

Gone was the time when I was unable to compete with Meng Zhang's embodiment, bystander to his and Liu Shuying's entangled struggle; now, however, I battled Meng Zhang evenly. Perhaps the one who understood the evolution of my journey most directly was this man before me.

I powered up the cannon again and launched a series of attacks on Meng Zhang; meanwhile, Water Master Xuanwu appeared to be preparing a new technique.

Water nourishes wood, originally, Water Master Xuanwu should have been an unseen aid to Meng Zhang. Perhaps it was to prevent Meng Zhang's advantage from increasing excessively that Ying Lingyun was unwilling to let Water Master Xuanwu know about the relationship between himself and Meng Zhang, avoiding any chance of contact between the two.

But now, Water Master Xuanwu possesses attributes that can restrain Meng Zhang; he is both a lucky star and a calamity star. Whether both effects will activate simultaneously or remain silent together is still uncertain for now.

However, one thing is certain: the mutual nurturing relationship is reflected in the fact that the Xuanwu Seed, once obtained by Meng Zhang, will become a reinforcement device for the Seed of the Cyan Dragon, whereas the mutually restraining relationship is reflected in the fact that the White Tiger Seed will strongly restrain the Seed of the Cyan Dragon in battle; the former will only take effect once Meng Zhang seizes the Xuanwu Seed, while the latter takes effect immediately.

The combat power of Water Master Xuanwu is significantly lower than that of me and Meng Zhang, but the restraining relationship allows him to play a role in this battle. If there is any regret, it is that Water Master Xuanwu's mana base color is still the Water Element, with the Gold Element merely having a supportive effect; he still cannot engage Meng Zhang in direct combat, but just being able to provide flanking support is already very useful.

The hard power comparison between Meng Zhang and me is evenly matched, while the existence of Water Master Xuanwu is sufficient to become a significant factor tilting the scale.

Two against one may not align with my aesthetic, but as long as I strive for victory, I have always resorted to any means necessary.

I even feel a bit emotional. In the past, Huang Quan and Great Demon Xuanwu joined forces to attack me, like natural enemies, the black water cannon forced me into great distress; but now, it's me and Water Master Xuanwu working together, and that black water cannon, which once gave me a headache, is now being fired at the enemy alongside my flames.

"—Did you think that only you have the numerical advantage?" Meng Zhang's expression changed.

A large amount of azure mana gushed out from different directions, condensing into five giant azure luminous hands. Previously, the avatars of Meng Zhang that were always pursuing us have made their reappearance at this moment.

This did not exceed my calculations. Since Meng Zhang's avatars could appear elsewhere, why couldn't they appear on our battlefield? And for this, I also have my own plan.

Before reaching Meng Zhang, I had previously discussed a specific battle plan with Water Master Xuanwu. When five avatars of Meng Zhang appeared, I aimed and fired large fireballs in five directions. Meng Zhang seemed to seize this opportunity to control lightning assaults; however, Water Master Xuanwu manipulated the Black Water Vortex, drawing from it black water to provide me with powerful defense.

But just as I launched the attack, new changes unfolded in the battlefield. I saw the five Meng Zhang avatars transform into azure lightning immediately upon appearing and gather in one spot. In just a moment, they reassembled into a form as ferocious and majestic as a giant dragon claw.

My five large fireballs changed direction to concentrate on the suddenly altered target, the same number of azure lightning bolts swiftly followed from afar — Meng Zhang actually never intended to seize the opportunity to ambush me, but rather specifically intercepted and detonated my fireballs. The azure dragon claw incarnation erupted with mana fluctuations far exceeding before, darting rapidly toward Water Master Xuanwu.

If the previous Meng Zhang avatars were only on par with my then-newly attained level of Impermanence, they now shared the same intensity as Fa Zheng and Jian Feixian without wielding a Human Dao Divine Weapon, with power scale far above. The dragon claw was enveloped in dense, destructive azure arcs, forcing Water Master Xuanwu to dodge swiftly.

The azure dragon claw demonstrated an astonishing hit rate unique to Meng Zhang's avatars, forcefully seizing Water Master Xuanwu and then shooting him off like a bullet to a far location, temporarily distancing itself from the battlefield between Meng Zhang and me.

"Now you have no helper. Zhuang Cheng, what will you use to fight me?"

Meng Zhang said this, and the azure sun in the sky immediately became even more radiant than before. He had obviously received mana support from the "Paradise," and the mana fluctuations from his body surged even more vigorously, his terrifying speed no longer constrained by anything. He darted around me at high speed, firing lightning at different angles that seemed like divine punishment, awe-inspiring and terrifying.

Bolts of lightning shot forth like spears cast by the God, my reaction speed couldn't keep up, leaving me to simultaneously counterattack and neutralize the incoming lightning, while desperately trying to capture Meng Zhang's figure with my own power.

Having no helper suits me just fine, sharpening my spirit even further, I retorted: "Do you think only you can receive external power support?"

"Hmm?" Meng Zhang paused slightly.

An infinite sea of flames erupted like an explosion on the ground, rapidly covering the entire range of my perception, even burning towards some intangible presence —