Chapter 426 - 320: Awakening
"To know what cannot be helped and to accept it as a matter of course..."
For Chen Changsheng, beneath these seemingly optimistic words lay a heart full of sorrow and bitterness—the helplessness of one who had fought against life, only to be forced into compromise.
But when these words reached Yu Changsheng’s ears, they resonated with him in a completely different way.
Almost instinctively, Yu Changsheng blurted out:
"When the heart has a destination, what is there to fear in a long and treacherous path?"
"Huh?" Chen Changsheng looked at Yu Changsheng in confusion.
But Yu Changsheng could no longer pay any mind to his reaction. Chen Changsheng’s words were like a bolt of lightning, tearing through his dust-covered Sea of Consciousness.
Scene after scene of past memories, like clips from a movie, replayed in his mind. They grew clearer and clearer, until they eventually replaced the world before his eyes.
And so, his Divine Sense erupted from his body. Upon his golden Sea of Consciousness, boundless waves churned. Streaks of black thunderbolts thundered and tore across the sky, throwing the world between sea and heavens into turmoil.
By the riverside, the water suddenly began to rage. Then, amid the crowd’s shocked cries, it swallowed the cruise ship and crashed toward the shore.
Before the look of shock on Chen Changsheng’s face could even change, it froze in place. At that very instant, the world fell into absolute silence. The wind died, and time itself ceased to flow.
The only one unaffected was Yu Changsheng.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, his Divine Sense transformed into thunderous waves, crashing again and again. Yu Changsheng’s face grew pale, but his spirit was clearer than ever before. He panted slightly, a smile touching his eyes.
At this moment, the world had become a still painting. With a fierce slash of his hand through the void, Yu Changsheng instantly tore it open at the edge.
’What a terrifying Illusion Technique. It’s even double-layered. I was so close to being completely lost in it.’
A bright light flashed in Yu Changsheng’s eyes. He glanced back at the slowly tearing scroll, feeling a touch of wistfulness.
’Still, being able to see that world again like this wasn’t so bad.’
Yu Changsheng muttered to himself and chuckled. Then, he looked up at the surrounding darkness and spoke, his voice becoming a boundless storm that reverberated in all directions.
"Elder Gui, thank you."
Yu Changsheng understood in his heart that at the final moment, it was the Profound Turtle who had intervened. It had provoked Chen Changsheng to say those words, thereby stimulating Yu Changsheng and, through that interference, allowing him to break free from this Illusion Realm ahead of time.
"Mm."
From within the darkness came a slow, muffled grunt, and the Profound Turtle’s phantom flickered before vanishing.
To the Profound Turtle, this Chi Mei’s Illusion Technique was a profound and unpredictable art. Of course, had it been at its peak, it could have shattered the illusion with a mere flick.
But now, with not even one ten-thousandth of its former power, it could only use a few special Techniques to indirectly influence Yu Changsheng. Moreover, the Chi Mei Illusion Realm was unique; it manifested only within Yu Changsheng’s mind, and outsiders could not peer into it. As a result, even the Profound Turtle had no idea what the illusion’s specific contents were.
Even if it had known, it would have been surprised at most, and nothing more.
The surrounding darkness suddenly receded like ice meeting sunlight. A blinding glare shone through, forcing Yu Changsheng to squint.
The light dissipated, and the world spun. When Yu Changsheng opened his eyes again, he was still at the bottom of the ravine. The wind howled around him, carrying the thick stench of blood, and a flickering, seven-colored light enveloped everyone.
Everyone but Yu Changsheng, including Zhang Tianwen and the others, was trapped in a daze. Their gazes were vacant, their eyes unfocused.
Zhang Tianwen’s brows were tightly furrowed, while Shen Xingchen wore a conflicted expression. Li Minghan had a dopey grin on his face, a drop of crystal-clear drool slowly trickling from the corner of his mouth.
’What kind of sweet dream is this guy having?’
Yu Changsheng shook his head and made a wisecrack.
The members of the Dark Stream were in the same state, each lost in their own illusion with varying expressions. Only the two Golden Core Cultivators showed signs of a struggle, as if they were trying to forcibly wake up.
’If not now, when?!’
Yu Changsheng’s eyes lit up, and he slowly exhaled. He certainly wasn’t going to miss an opportunity like this. His gaze sharpened, and in the next instant, the full aura of his Cultivation erupted from his body.
With a wave of his sleeve, the Red Purgatory Dragon and the Profound Turtle materialized on either side of him. Their majestic auras, comparable to the Golden Core realm, surged forth, suppressing everything in all directions.
BOOM!
"Purgatory Fiery Fire!"
A vast sea of fire erupted with incomparable momentum, instantly spreading in all directions and filling the surrounding void.
The terrifying heat quickly enveloped everything. The flames were a blackish-red, and aside from their light, they also emanated streams of black Evil Qi that assaulted the mind.
The dense Blood Evil Qi in the area became the perfect fuel!
The sea of fire surged, immense and all-encompassing. Its eruption scorched the earth, transforming the ravine into a vision of Purgatory itself. The Red Purgatory Dragon’s figure rose and fell within this boundless inferno. With its every breath, searing fireballs condensed, its terrifying might steadily building.
In a mere instant, Yu Changsheng’s face turned pale; half of the Magical Power in his body was gone. At the same time, the Profound Turtle also unleashed its power.
"Water Country, Immeasurable Calamity!"
A wailing sound, like clouds spreading across the horizon, resounded with a wondrous power. As it echoed, fine wisps of water vapor began to rise all around, eventually coalescing into waves that spread out in slow ripples.
The surrounding temperature instantly plummeted to freezing, and a bone-deep chill set in. Within the affected area, the water vapor grew ever thicker, churning and condensing until it carried the weight of an immeasurable calamity, coalescing into a massive sphere of water—a Water Realm.