From the end of the world

Chapter 153 Suddenly
"How could there be fragments of the divine seal in a place like that?"

Ma Zao spoke beside me, her voice showing nervousness: "Zhuang Cheng... Although you are not investigating in your original form now, you still have to be careful. You don't know what kind of danger may be lurking there."

The competition for fragments had only started for a few days when we were "lucky" enough to encounter other fragments of the God Seal. It was very likely that in Ma Zao's opinion, this was a coincidence that was attracted by his unlucky physique. And since it was a coincidence of this nature, it was bound to be accompanied by disaster. There was no way that the fragments of the God Seal would wait there for us to pick up.

In my opinion, since we are tracking Ying Lingyun, who is likely to have the fragment of the God Seal, it is only a matter of time before we encounter the fragment of the God Seal. This is not accidental, but inevitable.

But I may have to admit that Ma Zao might be right.

As thermal sensing expanded on a large scale, I immediately noticed the first anomaly.

I couldn't find the exact location of the other fragment of the divine seal.

Through the reaction of the fragment of the divine seal bound to me, the other fragment of the divine seal is definitely within this one-kilometer radius. Whether it is hidden in a safe or in a compartment on the floor or ceiling, it will definitely not be able to bypass my perception. In my eyes, this area is like a palm-turning view of the pattern, and nothing can escape my perception.

Could it be hidden underground, or even in the sky? Just in case, I expanded my perception range from the plane to the three-dimensional, from the sky to the ground, all included in my perception range. This is not just digging three feet underground, but digging a thousand meters underground. My thermal perception can ignore material obstructions, even a thousand meters underground can be checked thoroughly.

The result was that this old base of the Humanitarian Division did have an underground structure, but it was only the second floor below ground, and the rest was the building foundation structure. Still no trace of the fragments of the divine seal was found. Similarly, everything was normal in the sky.

This is not out of my expectation. Since Ying Lingyun placed the fragment of the divine seal here, he must have taken extraordinary anti-theft measures. Rather than putting it in a safe where it is visible, it is better to put it in a state where no thief can find it.

I even suspect that even the Humanitarian Department has not discovered that he possesses the fragment of the Divine Seal.

Admittedly, from a personal perspective, if you want to hide something important, hiding it in a deserted place is the best option. However, this is the "best" option based on the premise that "only you know the hiding place."

If the fragment of the divine seal not only belongs to Ying Lingyun, but also belongs to the Humanitarian Department, then locking it in a place under strict defense is the reasonable option.

Now the situation seems to be going in the opposite direction.

At the same time, as I continued to perceive more deeply, I felt more and more the mysteriousness of this place.

——I seem to be being watched by something.

At first, my impression of the old base of the Humanitarian Department was that it seemed deserted, but in fact there seemed to be many people there, but I couldn't see them. This impression became even stronger as I deepened my perception. At first I thought it was a mental hallucination like entering an abandoned amusement park, but now I just feel that there really seem to be many unknown things operating in the dark here.

What's worse, these unknown creatures seemed to have discovered my "fireflies". Countless creepy eyes were focused on the "fireflies", as if they were whispering in the dark, discussing maliciously how to deal with this uninvited guest.

I temporarily shifted my focus from searching for the fragments of the divine seal to searching for these unknown objects, and just like the fragments of the divine seal, I couldn't find these unknown objects. I could only vaguely feel that there were indeed some inexplicable things.

What is this? Is it that Ying Lingyun has set up a detection device here, and I have been discovered? Or is it that Ying Lingyun has raised a group of demons and monsters here to fight back against potential thieves?
With Ma Zao's investigative ability, whether it was a fragment of the divine seal or an unknown object, she would definitely be able to expose it. But the question was not whether it could be exposed, but what kind of danger would it present when these unknown objects were exposed.

During the exploration, the most dangerous thing is not the visible monsters, but the unknown dangers. Even if I can protect myself with my strength, I can't guarantee that Ma Zao will not be hurt.

How about razing the old base of the Humanitarian Department to the ground? Doing so should not affect Ma Zao's investigation. However, I don't know if such a rough method can work on unknown things, and it will most likely burn the fragments of the divine seal hidden here. Although the fragments of the divine seal will not affect their essential existence even if they are decomposed and destroyed, I have not bound myself to the fragments of the divine seal, so I cannot be sure when and where it will appear again. It may return directly to Ying Lingyun.

There should be a more sophisticated method, like a surgical operation to remove the lesion...

While thinking, I told Ma Zao about the situation over there.

"—You mean, it would be better if I didn't go over to investigate for the time being?" she asked.

"At least until I eliminate the traps there," I said politely.

If I just said "Don't go there because it's dangerous", she would probably object. Because although she is cautious and suspicious, she is not the type who cares about her own safety. On the contrary, I vaguely feel that she has a martyr mentality that deliberately walks into danger.

In this comparison, I do have some similarities with her. It's just that I don't have the urge to atone for my past sins, and I don't have the idea of ​​saving the world. Everything I do is for my own selfish desires, and I firmly believe that this is my most natural form. It was in the past, it is now, and it will be in the future.

Ma Zao could only nod, and then reminded again: "Then you must be careful of danger."

As she spoke, she looked at my face, as if she had thought of other things, and her expression became a little hesitant.

"Zhuang Cheng, regarding the things you talked about with Grandfather Zhu Shi..."

On the way to the "clinic", I told Ma Zao what I had talked about with Mr. Zhu. Not only Luo Shan might be harmful to her, but also the Great Impermanence was paying attention to her affairs.

After hearing the news, she seemed to be hesitant to speak, but now she seemed to have finally decided to speak out.

I understand what she is thinking. Now she is willing to let me share some of the danger she brings, but the Great Demon - the Great Impermanence is a threat from a different dimension after all.

"If there really is a Great Impermanence who wants to attack me..."

"Don't say anything like 'abandon me when the time comes,'" I said. "I will never abandon you. I will chase you wherever you run. If you abandon me, I will go straight to the Great Impermanence who tried to persecute you to settle accounts. Don't think that you can get away from me just by staying away from me."

Ma opened her mouth but swallowed her words. She probably had expected my response and gave up quickly this time.

After a moment, she suddenly said, "...Zhuang Cheng, you are the so-called 'man-loving' person that Zhu Shi mentioned before, right?"

"Ah? Where did she say that?" I was stunned.

"In my phone." She answered honestly, "Zhu Shi installed a chat app on my phone. He has been sending me messages frequently recently, telling me a lot about you."

What on earth did Zhu Shi instill in her?

I suddenly had the urge to snoop through Ma Zao’s chat records - wait, control yourself, if I really did that kind of thing, wouldn’t I really become what Zhu Shi called a “heavy boy”?

"Don't listen to her, she's just talking nonsense." I chose to change the subject, "By the way, Ma Zao, can you reproduce the portal you just recreated in other places?"

"It can only be reproduced at the original location." Ma Zao answered, "If I gain a deeper understanding of the power of blessing, perhaps I can reproduce it in other places as well."

Her blessing power only sounds simple, but it is actually incredibly expandable. Since she can reproduce other strange powers, then maybe even my flame can be reproduced. Maybe even Zhu Shi's "Buzhou Mountain" and Lu Youxun's "Possible Clone" in the past, I suspect she may be able to reproduce them in different people in the future - for example, in herself.

So, can her power to return things to their past state be used to repair the divine seal?
This is not the first time I have thought about this question, and I have also asked her in person. The conclusion is that it is impossible. Her blessing power is limited by her own strength, and the divine seal is something far beyond her understanding.

Furthermore, the divine seal was originally a divine artifact that transcended the long river of time. Once it was broken at a certain point in time, the past and future would also be broken. It would be impossible to repair it simply by going back in time.

But I haven't completely given up on this idea because I'm aware of other possibilities.

The power of the fragments of the divine seal - the other chosen ones seem to be able to use the power of the fragments of the divine seal. If Ma Zao's own blessing power alone cannot repair the divine seal, then what about combining it with the power of the divine seal itself?
Of course, this is just a very rough idea. Because I don't know the specific manifestation of the power of the divine seal fragment, and I don't know whether it can be combined with Ma Zao's blessing power. Even if it can be used, it is hard to say how far the power of the fragment can go.

I put this idea aside for now and continued to investigate the old base of the Humanitarian Department while asking, "Ma Zao, can you do me a favor?"

Ma Zao could only stand by and watch. When she saw me say this, she immediately asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"I just tried to sense the fluctuations of mana, and I seem to have found a trick, but I don't know if it's right." I said, "Can you send out some mana fluctuations now so that I can see if I can sense it?"

If I can master the method of sensing the fluctuation of mana at the last minute, it might be useful in investigating the old base of the Humanitarian Department.

Mazao nodded, then stretched out her right hand and summoned the phantom kukri she had used before.

The phantom kukri took on a chaotic shape like a disturbance on the water surface, but seeing that Ma Zao looked normal, it seemed that this was not a reflection of her weak state, but something she did on purpose.

"I should be emitting a high-level magical fluctuation now, can you feel it?" she said.

Hearing this, I stared at the phantom kukri, then closed my eyes and imagined myself again on a small boat, surrounded by the dark and silent sea, trying to catch the ripples on the seemingly calm sea.

Yet nothing was captured.

Just when I was about to give up, suddenly, in my consciousness, an unprecedented violent ripple appeared in the distance.

It's not even a "ripple", it's a "wave".

The "waves" swept towards the "boat" I was riding from afar!

(End of this chapter)