"——Xuanming?"
Number Five blankly repeated the other person’s na.
This reaction didn’t seem to be because the na was unfamiliar; it was more like he hadn’t expected to hear it here at all. It was similar to encountering a celebrity on the subway, where the first thought upon seeing their face isn’t that you’ve t soone famous, but whether they might just look similar to soone else. He seed to be subconsciously deliberating whether the na he heard could be a homophone.
Xuanming no longer looked at Number Five but turned his gaze back to the giant.
He once again carelessly revealed his real na — while such an act could hardly be called smart, coincidentally, I have never been one to care much about being considered smart. I cared more about aesthetics than that kind of standard. His unchanging deanor and refusal to change his na were admirable to . So, should I also imitate him and carelessly reveal my own real na?
I wasn’t afraid of trouble or danger, and I liked this straightforward style, but the mysterious atmosphere of naming each other with numbers in this secret organization also made reluctant. Besides, other problems would arise if I revealed my real na — for now, I should savor the mysticism that can only be experienced in a place like this.
It seed that Number Five had finally co to his senses, taking two steps back, away from Xuanming. His reaction, similar to Number One’s and the ’Small Bowl’ Number Two, was quite wary of Xuanming. It appeared that Xuanming truly had a notorious reputation in the abnormal world.
"Is he really Xuanming?" Number Five asked .
"I think so," I said. "By the way, he is Number Four here."
Number Four Xuanming did not contradict as he had at the last eting.
"Did you also spend a long ti walking through the mist to reach these seats?" I casually asked.
"No, I woke up near here... well, ’woke up’ might not be the right term since this is a dream..." Number Five replied, clearly bewildered, and kept glancing toward Number Four Xuanming, "Anyway, I quickly found this place..."
"I arrived here quickly as well," Number Four Xuanming answered . "It seems the Mist Dream Realm has the power to unconsciously guide us here."
"I, on the other hand, took a long ti," I then said to Number Four Xuanming. "Aren’t you going to ask the newcor Number Five if he is willing to trade Divine Seal Fragnts?"
"Since the Divine Seal Fragnts are bound to us, trading them is aningless," he shook his head.
"Are you collecting Divine Seal Fragnts?" Number Five kept eyeing Number Four Xuanming, seemingly mustering courage. "——Is that what you forsake Luo Mountain for, and got, by killing Fu Hongchen and seriously injuring Ming Zhuo?"
"Oh? To connect those two incidents so quickly..." Number Four Xuanming finally seed interested in Number Five. "Who are you from Luo Mountain?"
Number Five didn’t respond; he seed to have realized that here we could not freely use our supernatural powers. Still, it was obvious he still harbored considerable fear toward Number Four Xuanming.
"Fu Hongchen" and "Ming Zhuo" are nas of Impermanence, I distinctly rembered. But according to Number Five, both Fu Hongchen and Ming Zhuo seed to have once possessed Divine Seal Fragnts, and Number Four Xuanming had attacked them to seize those fragnts?
Setting aside whether Number Four Xuanming’s actions were good or evil, what was more astounding to was the fact that "Impermanence had once possessed Divine Seal Fragnts, and not just one of them."
In Luo Mountain, "the source of the Fan Tian Incident being the divine seal" was generally considered an unreliable rumor, even Lu Youxun only used the term "divine seal" as a nonclature for the source of the Fan Tian Incident, not truly believing in the existence of the divine seal.
However, if multiple Impermanence believed in the existence of the divine seal, even possessing fragnts of it, the nature of the matter was different.
The Impermanence are collecting Divine Seal Fragnts — could I assu that much?
I thought about how to subtly inquire about the information I was curious about and decided to directly ask Number Four Xuanming: "Why are you collecting Divine Seal Fragnts?"
"To investigate certain matters," Number Four Xuanming replied.
"Does it have to do with Doomsday?" I asked.
"Hmm, speaking of which, you seem to have so information about the Doomsday Era," Number Four Xuanming assessed and then answered my question, "Yes. Our era may appear peaceful, but it is on the brink of destruction. You should know about the Doomsday prophecy circulating in Luo Mountain. Although it is unclear who authored it, most of the content is true."
"Ah, Doomsday?" Number Five was starting to lose track of our conversation.
But I focused on another part: "Mostly true — so there’s a false part?"
"It’s not exactly false. Once the world starts to be destroyed, ti will also beco fragnted. The so-called ’destruction within the next ten years’ is likely an overstatent," Number Four Xuanming patiently explained to . "In reality, for those living in the Doomsday Era, like the young girl Number Two, the process of Doomsday could be completed in a single night, or it may not end even after a century."
Mazao had also ntioned that, in the Doomsday Era, so places believed a long ti had passed since Doomsday arrived, while others felt that Doomsday had only just begun.
Number Four Xuanming was not a person from the Doomsday Era, yet he had already foreseen the chaos of Doomsday.
"Are there actually future people in this place?" Number Five exclaid in surprise.
I continued to question Number Four Xuanming, "So, the purpose of your collecting Divine Seal Fragnts, is it to utilize the wishing power of a complete divine seal to stop the arrival of Doomsday?"
"You have misunderstood sothing," Number Four Xuanming shook his head, "Even if all the Divine Seal Fragnts were collected, the wishing power could not be obtained."
I imdiately understood his aning, then said, "Are you saying that a shattered divine seal cannot be restored?"
"Yes," he said, "To use a taphor from the so-called ’technology’ that is popular lately, the divine seal is like a piece of ultra-advanced high-tech equipnt. If it were smashed violently to the ground and hamred into fragnts, even if afterward you could collect all its pieces, you would not be able to make it perform its original functions.
"And repairing this equipnt is also impossible. The origin of the divine seal is unknown; it might be a relic from the ancient past, perhaps an artifact from beyond the stars, or it might even be, like certain bizarre objects, fundantally inexplicable and a thing of mystery. No matter what the truth is, the divine seal is a mystery beyond human comprehension, and we are incapable of restoring it."
I see, I had preconceived notions. Upon hearing that the Divine Seal Fragnts were pieces of a wishing machine, I assud that once they were all collected, one could naturally fulfill a wish. It was probably because I had read too many fictional stories that I unconsciously linked the divine seal with such fanciful settings. Gathering relevant items to manifest miracles—where would things be so easy?
Perhaps it is also because the Divine Seal Fragnts transcend common knowledge that I had forgotten common sense. Number Four Xuanming’s comparison to a piece of high-tech equipnt had imdiately brought my thinking back to normal.
Number Four Xuanming further stated, "Moreover, we cannot guarantee that our Divine Seal Fragnts themselves are flawless."
Since he was willing to talk, I continued the conversation: "How so?"
He glanced at the giant sitting motionless on the other side, then candidly revealed the information he knew: "According to so of my investigations... the divine seal should not have shattered."
"What?" Number Five was montarily stunned, "If the divine seal hasn’t shattered, then what are the pieces we have... Are these fake Divine Seal Fragnts? Or are there two divine seals?"
"No, the divine seal is unique, and what we have are undoubtedly real Divine Seal Fragnts," Number Four Xuanming also addressed Number Five’s doubt, "At the sa ti, the genuine divine seal indeed has not been shattered."
This was a completely contradictory claim. How could fragnts of an item that is unique and intact exist?
However, I seed to have heard sothing similar before. I quickly rembered it was Mazao who had said it. She once ntioned— the divine seal of this era should still be intact.
The fragntation of the divine seal should have occurred after the advent of Doomsday. In fact, Number Two obtained the Divine Seal Fragnt during the Doomsday Era. From this, I made an inference.
"Is it possible that the divine seal of our era is indeed intact. It shattered in the Doomsday Era, and the Divine Seal Fragnts we have co from the Doomsday Era?" I said.
"Are you suggesting that Divine Seal Fragnts from the Doomsday Era inexplicably traveled to our ti, and so fell into our hands?" Number Four Xuanming responded after so thought, "Impossible."
"Why?" I asked.
"The divine seal is a genuine Divine Artifact with the attribute of traversing the river of ti. Past, present, future—all tis are connected to the one divine seal. Therefore, it is impossible for one divine seal to be taken from the future and brought back to the present, creating two of the sa divine seal in the sa period. Even if only its fragnts were brought back from the future." Number Four Xuanming said, "However, having said that, if the future divine seal truly turned into fragnts, then the divine seal of our ti should also beco shattered."
"Could it be the ’if’ you ntioned?" I asked, "Because the divine seal of the Doomsday Era shattered, this caused the divine seal of our era to shatter."
Number Four Xuanming shook his head: "Impossible, the divine seal of our era is intact."
"How can you be sure?" I asked, "Have you witnessed the complete divine seal with your own eyes?"
He didn’t answer this ti but instead looked back at the giant.
Now this was a paradox. If we were to believe what Number Four Xuanming said, we would co back to the initial contradiction. How could fragnts exist of an item that is unique and intact? Unless one of them is a fake. But Number Four Xuanming also said both are real. It made no sense at all logically.
Perhaps, this is a "true bizarre event."
The strange events I’ve experienced lately are rely inexplicable by scientific knowledge, but might still be explainable by the knowledge of demon hunters like Zhu Shi. However, what appeared before now might be sothing even the demon hunters can’t explain, a weird phenonon that tramples over logic itself.
I felt a heat rising in my heart.
At the sa ti, a persistent shadow hung over .
Hasn’t Number Two shown up yet?
At that mont, footsteps sounded again from the depths of the fog.
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