[I consumed 1N.]
The world rewound again.
Yu Yusheng appeared in a forest of jagged rocks. A monster lunged at him, but the next moment, the man vanished from the spot. The monster stared blankly at its palm striking the ground, kicking up rings of dust.
After three teleports, Yu Yusheng quickly reached the foot of the slope.
At that moment, with the help of the Red Sage, Wang Dingshan was locked in combat with another rubber man. In the pool, two more rubber men were gradually taking shape.
Yang Zicang felt his body bob up and down several times before he landed at the foot of the mountain.
–Where are you trying to take me?–
Suddenly, a white streak of light spun in and shot at high speed.
Bang! It instantly pierced the rotating energy shield that had blocked several spear strikes, and easily blasted a large hole through the rubber man’s body that was grabbing Yang Zicang.
Around the wound, fine, intricate zigzag lines, like sparks, burned densely at the gelatinous water stains surrounding the hole.
The rubber monster, mostly composed of sewage, controlled the body part at the wound, which quickly turned into water droplets falling to the ground. The droplets were then –burned– by the fire conjured by the dense zigzag lines, turning into energy that flew up like grains of sand.
Pfft! The receding starlight reappeared in an instant and pierced through its body again.
{Damn, the Illusion Company’s reaction speed is this fast?}
Light flashed again, and another tattered hole appeared in that rubber-like body. If this kept up, just a few more hits would turn it into shredded humanoid trash.
Boom!
At that moment, countless rocks on the ground rolled together and abruptly formed a humanoid shape, blocking the cross-shaped starlight that burst forth again. However, the rock figure itself exploded into dust under that strike.
{Right here, attach the device onto him.}
From within the rock man that had only existed for about a second, Han Mingxiao’s voice sounded.
{Yes, Lord!}
A haggard figure extracted itself from the rubber man and floated before Yang Zicang, removing a wooden pomegranate pendant from its own neck.
A figure in red armor charged down the hillside. He halted, gazing down at the phantom below with majestic grandeur.
Wang Dingshan held the Scratch Card high!
–A new day! The prize I scratched for you is—Thanks for playing. You unlucky sod! You won’t succeed at anything you do today!–
The man turned his head and smirked, raising a corner of his mouth.
{Curses have no effect on me, because I’ve been assuming someone else’s identity all along, including their appearance.}
Lele’s diamond-shaped eyes flicked a glance backwards.
{Then there’s no choice.}
Paleshade Wyrm appeared in the quivering air behind Yang Zicang. The man merely glanced at it, and with a crack, it split into countless fragments.
The psychic figure grabbed with its hand, pulling out another slightly dazed, translucent figure of Yang Zicang from his body.
Whoosh! The cross-shaped starlight slammed in at high speed, piercing through his body, punching a large hole in the psychic figure, causing his movements to pause. Energy swirled around the hole to repair it, and as his body recovered, it also rapidly dimmed.
Then, the necklace held up by this man continued to be placed around the neck of the dazed Yang Zicang phantom.
[This is…]
The psychic Yang Zicang struggled to lift his head.
[What… is this…]
Bang! Bang!
The man’s figure grew even more insubstantial again. Seeing the starlight about to charge in, another rock golem rose from the ground to block this attack.
{A kind of ancient psychic construct, belonging to a branch of alchemy.}
The man’s twice-stalled movements were finally able to continue, and the pendant landed on Yang Zicang’s neck.
The starlight shot toward his head again like a spinning shuriken. This time, without making any attempt to block it, he smiled at the psychic form leaning forward from Yang Zicang’s body.
{Go to sleep. Sleep and you’ll be fine.}
The already faint phantom of the man was shattered by the cross-shaped light, dispersing like mist.
Yang Zicang fell to the ground.
–It’s over.- Wang Dingshan sighed in regret.
From afar came the whimper of wind and the sound of waves, and the vast silhouette of a ship appeared on the dark land, blotting out the sky.
A tall, straight-backed woman leaped down from the deck, some sixty to seventy meters high, and caught the falling Yang Zicang in her arms. Her face was like carved jade, and every movement carried a solemn, noble air.
With a whoosh, two figures landed behind her.
Wang Dingshan, trailing a cloud of dust, stumbled down the slope as if both running and falling.
–Executive Director Yin?-
–Mm.- Yao Shuling swept his gaze across the surroundings.
That streak of starlight descended beside them, carrying the figure of Yu Yusheng.
Yu Yusheng looked up at the luxury cruise liner suspended above the ground. Around it, illusory waves even rose and fell, as though it were carrying a fragment of ocean energy a few meters high, making the earth shimmer with a rippling, brilliant blue light.
The black cube flickered and expanded as Fu Qiyong and two other figures stepped out with grim expressions.
Everyone turned their eyes to the young man lying on the ground, his eyes tightly shut.
–Executive Officer Yao, what’s wrong with him?-
Yao Shuling closed his eyes. The skin on his body began to writhe, and a different, white skin seemed to grow on his palm, forming a glove that wrapped around his hand.
He grabbed Yang Zicang’s body and pulled out another Yang Zicang.
–Is this his psychic body? A soul?-
Wang Dingshan and the other watched curiously; it was their first time seeing a person’s psychic body.
–It’s a form of the soul, really—a manifestation of this segment of life.-
Yao Shuling laid the young man’s body flat, but the psychic body was grabbed and pulled into a sitting position. Energy lines, like adhesive strands, appeared behind it, connecting to the real body.
Fu Qiyong knitted his brows. –Someone is communicating with him through a psychic field.-
Yao Shuling nodded. –Look at this distorted psychic topography. It seems like a rather barren place. Oh, I see, the other party is simulating the terrain around our company.-
–Damn it, this way we have no way to investigate who it is,- said a uniformed person behind the Chief Director.
That scene was too familiar to the people from the company; it could be anyone.
Fu Qiyong looked at the pendant hanging on Yang Zicang’s chest.
–What is that pendant?-
Wang Dingshan said, –The shattered apparition hung it on him. This seems to be their goal.-
Yao Shuling raised his hand and removed it; it appeared in his hand as if it were real.
The woman’s gaze was cold and intense as she stared at this object.
Another figure walked down from the boat—a young man in a red coat with a side-parted hairstyle.
–These guys, they successfully communicated psychically with Yang Zicang and then took off. Hmm… probably for that thing in Asna’s Lost Psychic Field.-
One person said, –Chief Director, and Director Li, an item from the old world has appeared so blatantly in our company. Could it be the work of the [Weijiu Society]?-
–The Weijiu Society wouldn’t be so audacious. Besides, there’s no need for them to probe the Saint’s Lost Psychic Field in this way.-
–That’s true.- The person gazed at the young man with confusion, wondering in his heart who could be doing such a thing.
Yaoshuling thought for a moment and said, –This time their hiding place was exposed—a loss and a gain, I suppose. Take him back first.-
……
Yang Zicang woke up in a gray, desolate space, with faint mist drifting all around.
Yet the occasional flickering images revealed its past beauty, only highlighting a sense of loneliness.
Yang Zicang felt another wave of dizziness, and the pendant that had been hanging around his neck was gone.
A man with slicked-back hair walked out from behind a rock; his robe trailed the ground, and a faint smile hung on his egg-shaped face.
–That thing is just a starter. Even without it, it wouldn’t hinder our meeting. Hello, I’m Han Mingxiao. I used to do the same work as you at the Lost Illusion Company.-
–How did I end up back at the company?-
As soon as he said this, Yang Zicang looked around but didn’t see the Lost Illusion Company at all.
His heart sank.
–Where is this!-
–I’ve traveled through every part of this land and recorded them in detail. It took a lot of effort to reproduce this psychic field. So, how about it? Looks just like the real thing, doesn’t it?-
–Psychic field? It does look very similar.-
With a single step, Han Mingxiao appeared right in front of Yang Zicang, his gaze warm as he looked at the young man.
–Your mail emblem hasn’t been used for the third time yet. Now, let’s go inside and take a look together. Come on.-
–Post badge? You’re doing this just for one chance to enter? What are you trying to do?-
He hadn’t yet prepared the ability sphere needed to enter. Without that thing, how could Popoli, Morri, and his subsequent plans be realized? Apart from the boosting contract, several hundred thousand Chronos were not something one could obtain just by talking.
–Maintaining a psychic field is very life-force consuming. Although I am patient, I don’t want to squander it.-
Han Mingxiao raised his hand, and Yang Zicang felt himself bound by a tremendous force, his mind growing drowsy. He turned and walked toward a relatively flat terrain ahead, and Yang Zicang’s figure floated forward following him.
–Let’s do it here. I’ll give you one more chance to consider; otherwise, I’ll have to use other means. That will cause irreversible damage to your spirit. I hope you recognize reality.-
Yang Zicang saw himself slowly lying on the ground.
This figure stood beside him, took off a pendant, and placed it on his chest.
–Come, expand your Moxel, take out that complete post badge, and enter the psychic field left behind by ‘Asna.’-
–Asna…-
A –distant- memory emerged — on the mountaintop…
— I walked with Asna.
That scene appeared in his mind.
–Are you planning to target that being?-
Yang Zicang struggled inwardly. Was this person going to enter that world and do something to that psychic field?
He vaguely felt that psychic field might be the manifestation of Asna.
Han Mingxiao shook his head. –You, really.-
He beckoned, and something materialized from the void in midair. It was wrapped in countless trembling, malevolent thought-waves; a single glance stirred waves of revulsion in the heart. Yet oddly, it made Yang Zicang sense the presence of –value.-
–Though it’s just a telekinetic replica of that creation, it’s enough for me to achieve my goal.-
Han Mingxiao said calmly:
–It’s called [Confusion Rebellion]. Since it’s merely a telekinetic copy, once it’s implanted into your spirit, you will no longer remain a conscious person. I’ll ask you one last time: will you use the post emblem or not?-
Yang Zicang gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and raised his brows:
–Ha, ever since the editor-in-chief appeared, I guessed it—those are all real human souls inside! Even if I die, I won’t let so many people be implicated because of me.-
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