Chapter 1235: Everyone in the World Should Know

“Yes, time.” Time is the most obvious factor; news takes time to spread and develop. He Lingchuan mused, “But rather than time, isn’t it… people?”

“People?”

“Those who receive the news.” He Lingchuan stroked his chin. “The news of Nangong Yan’s death spread long ago; everyone who should know, knows. Perhaps this is one reason why Peng State generated more wish power?”

He had killed the Ghost King only a few days prior.

Situ’s territory is mostly mountainous and hilly with few plains. Without war, villages dozens of miles apart could live their entire lives without contact. The speed of news dissemination is thus predictable. While the joyful news of the Ghost King’s demise was explosive, it had only spread to a few towns and had yet to reach further out.

The mirror then recalled, “Do you remember what Consort Mei said?”

“Which remark?” Consort Mei had said many things.

“After you slew Nangong Yan, she said that since you had performed such a great deed, you should let everyone in the world know!”

“Everyone in the world?” He Lingchuan pondered the phrase. Thinking about it now, Consort Mei’s words were indeed not wrong.

What method would allow him to act swiftly and decisively in his dealings, even in killing, to great popular satisfaction, without bringing trouble upon himself?

There seemed to be one.

The mirror, adept at speaking from He Lingchuan’s perspective, asked, “But what exactly is the use of wish power?”

“On this new armor, besides repelling ordinary poison, miasma, and water/fire attacks, and being exceptionally sturdy…” He Lingchuan pressed his hand against the heart scale, feeling it carefully for a while. “It can also slightly increase my movement speed.”

It was similar to having a Gale Talisman attached, but this effect was long-lasting.

“Oh?” The mirror exclaimed, surprised. “When Fu Xiong wore it, it could summon many armor-slaves!”

“Not for now.” At least He Lingchuan couldn’t sense it. “At that time, this armor was driven by profound karma, which is different from now.”

The Asura Armor, now with him, had, in a way, been purified and reforged. Its former power was gone; everything had to start anew.

“Oh!” The mirror secretly rejoiced. It could still summon mirror-slaves and mirror-ghosts, while this Roaring Dragon Battle Armor, despite its grand origin and name, was temporarily inferior to it.

“As for wish power,” He Lingchuan maintained his usual optimism, “from ancient times until now, neither the extraterrestrial demons nor the immortals of this realm have ever mastered this power, or even considered it useful. The sole exception is the Black Dragon, a true native ‘heavenly deity’.”

“The Roaring Dragon Battle Armor’s ability to gather wish power is entirely due to the Black Dragon; it has nothing to do with me.” He was merely a cultivator; how could he possibly be qualified to control such a power right now? He Lingchuan said earnestly, “If wish power could be so easily understood and mastered, why have extraterrestrial demons and immortals remained helpless against it to this day?”

Extraterrestrial demons built temples and cultivated believers everywhere, but only used faith as a pretense for their ulterior motives, such as inciting wars and collecting nightmare energy. So-called “wish power” was merely their facade, not their actual goal. They couldn’t utilize it. Only the Black Dragon truly understood this power, but tragically, it could no longer speak.

Therefore, from now on, He Lingchuan had another subject to explore: wish power.

“But I have a hunch,” he said slowly, “this is a good thing. The more wish power it accumulates, the more changes the Roaring Dragon Battle Armor will undergo.”

A power that only true “deities” could touch—how could it not be a good thing?

“Moreover, being able to discern the distribution and strength of wish power will be very useful for my future development!” He Lingchuan’s eyes gleamed. “It seems I need to adjust my plans again.”

“Ah?” the mirror asked him. “What do you mean?”

He Lingchuan, however, dropped the topic and changed subjects: “This armor isn’t without its changes either.”

He tapped the heart scale on his chest: “Look.”

As soon as he spoke, the Roaring Dragon Armor covered his entire body, and black flames suddenly billowed from its dark surface. The flames were remarkably quiet, but the black smoke they emitted swirled and lingered around the Roaring Dragon Battle Armor. Upon closer inspection, it resembled silent, wailing specters trapped within a ten-foot radius of the armor. It looked ominous, evoking a profound sense of dread. If someone observed from a distance, their vision would be obscured by the black smoke, making it difficult to even discern He Lingchuan’s form.

He was currently alone in the room, with no one else to see, only the mirror letting out a “Wow! That’s impressive!”

Dark flames, black armor, spectral shadows—if the master were to step out at night and suddenly manifest like that, how many people would be terrified?

Strangely, He Lingchuan stood by the table, but the table and chairs were unharmed. Not only were there no burn marks, but their surface temperature hadn’t even risen. He walked around the room; nothing caught fire.

“Are these flames also a manifestation of wish power?” the mirror asked him. “They look rather sinister.”

“Of course not.” He Lingchuan sighed. “This is karma.”

The Roaring Dragon Battle Armor’s predecessor, the Asura Armor, had absorbed too much negative karma, transforming into a wicked armor. Though the current Roaring Dragon Armor had been cleansed of its past karma in the Great Square Vase’s chaos, its ability to collect karma had not changed. After the battle in Mian Village, He Lingchuan eliminated Ghost King Xuanlu, which, by all accounts, meant he had personally initiated or concluded a series of causal events. This entangled karma would also be manifested by the Roaring Dragon Armor, whether he wanted it or not.

Just as General Hong had said, karma cannot be avoided. It will follow you forever, like a shadow.

“Right, right, this armor also collects karma!” The mirror tutted twice. “Oh no, this isn’t good!”

“You’re mistaken. This isn’t collected by the Roaring Dragon Armor; rather, karma itself attaches to me.” He Lingchuan shook his head. “For every action, there is a consequence. Even without the Roaring Dragon Battle Armor, I would still incur this karma; there’s no escaping it.”

“The Roaring Dragon Battle Armor merely manifests them, just like wish power, giving me an intuitive perception of them. And—” this was what he found most satisfying, “these karmic flames will also burn enemies.”

Karmic flames do not harm inanimate objects, but they will burn living beings.

The mirror couldn’t help but say, “Karma will accumulate more and more, and what if one day…” It didn’t dare finish, but the thought alone sent shivers down its spine.

Alas, what good is manifesting karma? Better to remain oblivious, out of sight, out of mind.

He Lingchuan said nothing. He didn’t know what the ultimate outcome would be. The path ahead could only be walked one step at a time; overthinking was useless.

Just then, footsteps sounded from outside. With a thought, he retracted the Roaring Dragon Battle Armor. The flames and black smoke vanished, leaving the room in tranquility.

A person reported: Situ He had arrived.

Situ He brought some gifts to see He Lingchuan and then asked him to play backgammon. He Lingchuan gladly brought out the board, knowing Situ He had something to say.

“General Situ, have you not given up yet?”

“The arrow is on the string; it must be shot,” Situ He said, picking up a piece firmly with three fingers of his left hand. “If we wait any longer, our advantage will diminish while the enemy grows stronger.”

The bandages on his hand had been removed, but the missing fingernail had not yet grown back, making his finger look somewhat strange.