Embers Ad Infinitum

As sunlight flooded into the Sea of Origin that represented Shang Jianyao, the expression of the Shang Jianyao blocking the golden elevator changed. Although he didn’t know what the outcome would be if an Awakened who had explored the Mind Corridor’s depths located his mind world and attempted to invade it, anyone with normal intelligence knew that it wouldn’t be a good thing.

In fact, when the nine Shang Jianyaos came to a unanimous agreement, this Shang Jianyao’s expression was already rather ugly. He wanted to stop them, but there were nine of them. Furthermore, they knew each other well. No matter what, it would only be a draw.

The result of a draw meant that he wouldn’t be able to affect the other areas if the other party failed to enter the golden elevator. He could only ‘watch’ the nine of them tear open the sunlight-filled gap and ‘invite’ the Awakened opposite in as a ‘guest.’

“Are all of you sick of living?” The Shang Jianyao roared into the air.

The Shang Jianyao that was first to suggest the plan to perish together laughed. “We wish to live, but isn’t that up to you?”

Another Shang Jianyao stroked his chin. “I remember that you are the representative of our inner cowardliness. You avoid anything that causes you pain and suffering. You would rather become emotionless, cold, and rather selfish because of this. So, will you be cold to yourself?”

The Shang Jianyao holding the small speaker nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, that’s right.”

The Shang Jianyao spinning the Six Senses Beads sighed and said, “Patron, let go of your obsession, and you’ll be able to meet Gautama Buddha.”

The Shang Jianyao holding the silver angel necklace laughed. “Selfish bastard, it’s time for you to make a decision for your survival. Everyone will die together if you refuse to take a step back, or will you choose reconciliation and make way? The former spells definite death, and there’s still a chance of survival for the latter!”

Another Shang Jianyao smiled. “You have no other choice but to join us! Hurry up; stop wasting time. Do you want to die?”

Upon hearing the nine of them respond one after another, the blood vessels on the forehead of the Shang Jianyao by the golden elevator door throbbed. He wished he could deny these fellows and watch them die. Look at them! Those looks on their faces? Although they are me as well, they all look disgusting!

After taking two deep breaths, the Shang Jianyao at the golden elevator door slowly stood up with a livid expression. He reluctantly raised his right hand and stretched it into the air.

He was indeed selfish, weak, cold, and ruthless, but he really didn’t want to die.

Upon seeing this, the nine Shang Jianyaos in midair stopped their attempts to widen the rift and laughed.

At this moment, the sunlight that shone into their Sea of Origins gathered as if it were condensing into the outline of a body. On the other side of the rift, it was deep and dark like the antithesis of light.

“I knew it!”

“It’s only effective when your life is at stake!”

“A selfish person’s weakness can only be himself!”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti. Since he has already repented, he deserves to become Buddha.”

“Seriously, if you knew this would happen, why were you in our way for so long? Isn’t this wasting everyone’s time?”

…

As the mockery entered his ears, the expression of the Shang Jianyao by the golden elevator door darkened again. He wished he could turn around and sit down again, not giving these bastards a chance! If we die, we die together!

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do it. He could only forcefully control himself and watch the nine Shang Jianyaos fly back. They each stretched out their right hands and touched him.

The ten palms immediately fused together amidst an overlapping.

The ten Shang Jianyaos were the same. They had clearly become one again, but they seemed to have ten illusory figures as they walked.

He came to the golden elevator and pressed the ‘up’ button.

The golden door opened.

Shang Jianyao ignored the changes in the rift behind him and walked in.

There was only one button in the elevator. Beside it was a label in Ashlandic and Red River language: Mind Corridor.

Shang Jianyao stretched out his hand again and pressed it.

The golden door closed, and the elevator rose at a speed that made him feel weightless.

Shang Jianyao’s entire body became ethereal, and so did his thoughts. At this moment, he saw balls of light appear around him. Different balls of light had words he could understand.

They were: Temporary Loss of Intelligence, Chaotic Thoughts, Thought Implantation, Extreme Impulsiveness, Mathematical Idiot, Dyscalculia, Traitor, Stupid Halo, Subconscious Thought, Thought Extraction, Intent Wavering, Vague Motives, Weak Heart, Literary Hipster, Corny Person, Coward, Source of Pain, Fear, Mutism, Legs Immobility, Fifth Limb Mobility, Head Immobility…

Among them, some balls of light were very close, very clear, and very easy to catch. Some were relatively far away—rather blurry and difficult to reach.

In addition to them, there were two other balls of light hanging above Shang Jianyao’s head. One was Quantity Multiplication, and the other was Increased Range.

Shang Jianyao was just about to think when his brain spasmed. He directly stretched out his right hand, split off ten shadows, and grabbed at ten targets.

If not for the lack of Shang Jianyaos, he would’ve wanted all of them.

Ten balls of light were touched at the same time, but only three fused into Shang Jianyao’s body through his palm.

The first was Thought Implantation, the second was Literary Hipster, and the third was Legs Immobility.

They flew toward Shang Jianyao’s original three. Thought Implantation fused with Inference Clowning and became Thought Guidance. Literary Hipster fused with Corny Person and became Literary Youth-Corny Person. Legs Immobility fused with Hands Immobility and became Limbs Immobility.

Just as he completed the fusion, the golden elevator stopped.

The door opened. What appeared in front of Shang Jianyao was an empty room.

Opposite the room was a vermilion door with a brass handle.

Shang Jianyao had just walked into the room when the golden elevator behind him disappeared, leaving behind a dense gas.

In the gas was a shimmering sea, islands, and a large rift that shone sunlight in.

Sea of Origins!

At this moment, the Sea of Origins was like a large, three-dimensional drawing to Shang Jianyao.

Shang Jianyao immediately turned around and stretched his hand into the gas, touching the gap where the sunlight was about to condense into a figure. He suddenly shouted, “Use Blind if you dare!”

Corny Person at the Mind Corridor level.

The person opposite the gap fell ‘silent’ for a moment before the entire Sea of Origins suddenly turned dark. No, it wasn’t that the Sea of Origins had darkened, but that Shang Jianyao couldn’t see.

However, he could sense that the aura that had created this Blind effect was still surging in.

In the real world.

Shang Jianyao removed the flashlight from his belt with his right hand.

The flashlight’s smooth and transparent glass suddenly turned pitch-black as if it were dyed with ink.

Shang Jianyao raised the flashlight, flicked the switch, and released the borrowed aura without reservation.

What the flashlight shot out wasn’t light but darkness. This darkness was like the nemesis of Virtual World, allowing reality to return.

Right on the heels of that, it penetrated the ceiling and fused with dusk, silently enveloping the helicopter in midair.

Amidst the whirring rotors, an extremely terrified scream sounded from the helicopter.

The price of that person was claustrophobia!

After a few seconds, the helicopter door opened, and a figure jumped down in a panic.

A thud sounded from the distance, making one’s scalp tingle.

At such a height, even an Awakened that was capable of Matter Interference would be seriously injured from the fall, much less a person in the Shattered Mirror domain.

Shang Jianyao quickly turned his head and smiled at the stunned Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen again. “It’s been resolved.”

During this process, the other him in the mind room used Corny Person again at the gigantic rift in the Sea of Origins. “Give me a few minutes if you dare!”

In the real world, Shang Jianyao added without waiting for Jiang Baimian’s response, “You need to stuff your ears now.”

Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen chose to believe him and ‘covered’ their ears like clockwork.

Shang Jianyao did the same. He then took out the portable recording device and turned it to the lowest volume before setting Wu Meng’s recording to ‘play on loop.’

After the music repeated over and over again, the mysterious power in Wu Meng’s recording completely disappeared.

Shang Jianyao estimated the time and ‘recovered’ his hearing to confirm that the corresponding situation was fine. The next second, he held the portable recording device and transferred the remnants of Xiaochong’s mysterious power to his mind room.

At this moment, the sunlight at the rift had escaped Corny Person’s influence and condensed into a figure in preparation to invade.

Shang Jianyao didn’t hesitate to throw Xiaochong’s whistling into his Sea of Origins.

“Shh, shh, shh.”

The figure formed by the sunlight paused. After a while, it quickly burrowed back into the rift as if it had recalled something and closed the rift behind it!

After a while, the whistling sound weakened and completely disappeared. However, new rifts appeared in the Sea of Origins.

On another side, a faint glow flickered as countless shadows overlapped.

Shang Jianyao shouted happily at the crack, “Xiaochong! Xiaochong!”

Nobody replied.

“It seems like he’s not here…” Shang Jianyao sighed and returned to the real world. He was in a rush to relieve himself.

In the real world, Jiang Baimian watched Shang Jianyao’s series of actions and roughly understood his thought process. Therefore, she lowered her hands and probed, “You’ve entered the Mind Corridor?”

That easily?

Shang Jianyao nodded. “Yes.”

As Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen’s expressions changed, the fellow anxiously asked, “Where’s the bathroom?”