Chapter 410 - 216: Precise Prophecy
’The Churches of Light, Dark, and Cold... I feel like I’ve become a regular at these places without even realizing it.’
’I was worried I was running out of storage items, but a trip to the Cold Church took care of that problem.’
’As expected of a Church specializing in storage, their items are all first-class...’
The domain of the Lucky Church, on the other hand, was already deserted. It seemed as though everyone had migrated away.
But they did leave a few things behind.
One item, a Compass Needle, seemed to perpetually point in a single direction.
Hidden Origin’s analysis of the item explained that it always points toward the Tree of the World Center.
The War Church also still had a foothold on the Zuoyu Continent.
So Lu Cang went to help them safeguard their belongings. Every one of his actions proceeded without any deviation from his foreknowledge.
The only difference was the timing, off by a few seconds earlier or later.
Achieving perfect accuracy down to the second was truly impossible.
For one thing, his thoughts were bound to be different as he traveled.
He certainly wasn’t going to rehash thoughts in reality that he’d already had during his preview.
Besides, events in reality did indeed unfold differently.
This time, Lu Cang had first gone to deal with those Cults in the Inner World, which gave him an extra twenty-four hours for his previews and a considerable boost in power.
...
By 3:00 a.m., Lu Cang had finished cleaning out all the Churches.
Once he was finished, Lu Cang went to the coast of the Zuoyu Continent.
Looking back, he felt a faint sense of melancholy.
"Sigh..."
’It was simple enough to do, and I had plenty of reasons to justify it to myself.’
But now that it was all done, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of complex emotions.
’I knew they were going to die, so I took their treasures to keep them from being lost and going to waste.’
’But, knowing Doomsday was imminent, I did have the choice to warn more people...’
’I knew they were destined to die in the coming destruction, that their lives were about to end.’
’But I just watched with cold detachment, thinking only of how to maximize my own gains.’
’It feels so cold-hearted, acting like this.’
The sea breeze was biting and cold. A round, disc-like moon hung high in the heavens. Lu Cang gazed up at the sky, a look of bewilderment on his face.
’But what else am I supposed to do?’
"When the light of foresight reveals an abyss of despair, the scattering of loved ones, and an unstoppable calamity, the path of the seer is destined to be a lonely one."
The prayer from his class advancement, which he had chanted so long ago, surfaced in Lu Cang’s mind.
’Am I supposed to save everyone?’
Lu Cang gave a self-mocking laugh. ’I don’t even know them...’
’Besides, I’m no savior. How could I possibly save the Secret Sea?’
Lu Cang touched his chest.
Doomsday was coming. Everyone’s time was almost up.
But no one knew.
The pilgrims, tourists, and residents in the City of Peace... their faces showed only tranquility, joy, and smiles.
He recalled their awe upon first arriving, their wonder at the magnificent sight of the great city.
Within the City of Peace, the lights of countless homes twinkled.
But all this peace and joy was about to vanish in a single day.
The contrast between what he had witnessed today and what he had done created a strong sense of dissonance within Lu Cang.
"Sigh."
’Anyone who saw such peace and beauty about to be destroyed would feel a sense of pity, I should think.’
’That’s why I feel so conflicted, a whirlwind of emotions.’
’If I didn’t know all of this, I wouldn’t be so weighed down by these thoughts...’
The more one knows, the heavier the heart.
’Still, wanting to save everything you see is just a sign of arrogance.’
Lu Cang shook his head. ’I can’t do anything more right now. I should focus on ensuring my own survival first, and then think about other things.’
Lu Cang’s body vanished, and he reappeared above the surface of the Ocean...
「The Secret Sea.」
During his last preview, Lu Cang had attempted to perform a Sacrifice to this very sea.
In that preview, Lu Cang had attempted to kill Dome Night, and in the process, had learned of many of their hidden trump cards.
Afterward, he had come to the Secret Sea.
Facing the Secret Sea, he sacrificed all his souls at once.
Once the Soul Sacrifice was complete, the entire Secret Sea underwent an incredibly bizarre transformation. The water grew viscous and dark, and countless whirlpools began to form.
One and a half trillion souls was a staggering amount, no matter how you looked at it.
Even the Ritual to activate Pure White Descent only required one hundred billion souls.
The seawater gradually became so opaque that it was impossible to see through.
Even Perception was blocked from passing through it.
Fortunately, his own Perception was Special and could not be obstructed. It pierced through the seawater, and he sensed more and more Sea Demons rising up into his Perception Range.
These Demons in the Secret Sea were no longer weak like the Tier Three and Tier Four creatures from before.
Instead, Fifth and Sixth Tier Sea Demons were everywhere!
Lu Cang could even sense Tier Seven Demons moving freely in the deep, and from beneath the Abyss of the Sea, he could faintly feel an extremely profound and terrifying presence.
It was an indescribable aura that radiated an immense sense of danger.
After staring into the Abyss of the Sea for a moment, Lu Cang made his decision.
He dove directly into the deep sea with his physical body.
The instant he plunged into the depths, Lu Cang glanced upward, only to find the surface was already gone.
In every direction, only the pitch-black deep remained.
Lu Cang tried to surface, repeatedly shifting his position upward through Space and rocketing toward the top at his fastest Speed.
But it was completely different from when he’d descended.
Upward, there was no end.