Chapter 485 Entering the Apocalyptic Era

Memories of the past are like photographs soaked in acid—faded, blurred, and distorted, making one wonder if they were ever a resident of this darkness, and that everything they experienced in the real world was nothing more than a beautiful dream in the darkness to alleviate loneliness.

It seems that similar things have happened in the past.

When I was trapped in the basement on the fifteenth floor, completely cut off from the outside world, I also had similar delusions in the embrace of despair. Unable to prove what I had experienced in the real world, I could only quietly wait for my personality to be eroded and dissolved by darkness.

Even this tranquil darkness seemed familiar, evoking a sense of déjà vu. To maintain my sense of self, I diligently dug into my memories, ruminating on my feelings. Yes, it was something that happened while I was trapped in the basement on the fifteenth floor. When I first came into contact with the fragments of the divine seal and was pulled into the illusory realm, I also briefly entered a dark zone where I couldn't feel myself.

In addition, this place also seems to be somewhat like the vast, boundless dark void where the fifteenth-floor basement itself is located.

Was that the same darkness I faced now? My memories were too hazy to be entirely sure. After a moment's struggle, I could only rummage through other memories to maintain a sense of self.

I wonder how the battle between Liu Shuying and the Lord of Taoyuan is going.

Before being banished to the edge of the world, I defeated the Dog of the Dog and dealt with the Yellow Springs. Although I was unwilling to participate in the battle against the Lord of Peach Blossom Village, I could say that I exceeded my expectations in that battle. Even if I could return to the battlefield now, the battle there would probably already be over.

Moreover, at the same time as being banished, the conflict between Liu Shuying and Taoyuan Village Lord's magical fluctuations seemed to disappear, which was probably a signal that the battle on the other side had ended.

Did Liu Shuying win? Or did she perish together with the Lord of Peach Blossom Village?

On one hand, the possibility of the Peach Blossom Village Lord's defeat and death cannot be ignored; on the other hand, I find it hard to believe that I haven't even had time to delve into the details of the Peach Blossom Village Lord's background before he was killed by someone else. As the way my conflict with the Peach Blossom Village Lord ended, it felt far too hasty. In a fantasy story, it would be like having just encountered the leader of the villainous forces, embarking on a challenge, only to be defeated by a master of the righteous forces.

However, no matter how miraculous Asaho's jinx power may be, it's unlikely to completely control the fate of those at the Great Impermanence level. The possibility that the Peach Blossom Village Lord was truly defeated by the mysterious willow tree shadow shrouded in enigma cannot be ruled out.

Let's focus on figuring out how to break through this void of darkness and return to the real world. Huang Quan said this is the void outside the world, and there's no possibility of returning. Although I can't be completely sure whether those were Huang Quan's words or just an echo from my own heart, since we were able to enter, there's no reason why we can't leave.

At least, I must firmly believe this myself. I have a premonition that once my will falters even slightly in this regard, the rate of self-dissolution will accelerate further. Perhaps my current efforts are as ridiculous as an ordinary person thrown into the middle of the Pacific Ocean trying to swim back to land on their hands and feet, but at least it's better than doing nothing and drowning in despair.

What's frustrating is that simply believing isn't enough; I need a direction to strive for.

While I certainly love adventure and life-or-death situations, this place is completely out of my league. There's nothing exciting about it, just monotonous emptiness. No stories unfold here; it's a graveyard for everything. Even the most fervent passions are chilled and extinguished by the darkness here.

Direction, direction... To escape from this deep sea of ​​despair, we need at least one direction.

It truly lives up to its name as the void beyond this world. No matter how hard I try to observe, I can't find any clues that could serve as hints. Because there is absolutely nothing here. Even the darkness itself, if stared at for too long, makes one doubt whether it is truly darkness. In fact, the concept of "darkness" doesn't even exist here. I only defined it as darkness in my mind for the sake of convenience.

I don't know how long I wandered in the void of darkness—perhaps a moment, perhaps eternity, perhaps nothing at all. I felt my consciousness growing increasingly blurred, about to burst like a bubble. Perhaps, it was precisely because of this extreme fragility of consciousness that it possessed a strange sensitivity. As if hallucinating, I sensed something appearing in the distance.

I was sluggish for a moment, as if I hadn't fully woken up, but I quickly snapped out of it. How could anything exist outside of myself in this boundless darkness? Yet, it wasn't a hallucination. I would have ignored it if I wasn't aware of it, but now I was. After trying to lock onto it again with my senses, I seemed to guess what it was.

That thing... how could it be... it looks like a firefly?

Yes, although the signal was extremely weak, there seemed to be a firefly in the distance—I don’t know if “the distance” is the right word for this void—in the distance.

Unfortunately, I couldn't see the "firefly," nor could I connect to it telepathically. And because the signal was so weak, I couldn't help but wonder if it was just a hallucination before I dissolved. Ultimately, why would my "firefly" appear inexplicably in such an empty space?

I don't recall ever releasing fireflies into a place like this, and fireflies shouldn't be allowed to exist in such a place.

However, this is the only variable I've discovered in this void. Regardless of whether the other side is a "firefly" or an unknown "deception," I need to find out for myself.

I tried to move toward that place, or rather, I tried to construct an image of myself moving in my mind.

Originally, the concept of "direction" did not exist in the void outside the world. It was like drawing a dot in the center of a circular piece of paper with a pen; no matter how the paper was rotated, it was indistinguishable from the initial angle. However, due to the appearance of the unknown "fireflies," new black dots appeared on the circular paper, seemingly outside the center. Different angles revealed differences, and thus, "direction" was born.

I moved with all my might, for an immeasurable amount of time, yet I could never close the distance between myself and the "firefly." Was it because I wasn't truly moving? Or was it because the "firefly" was so far away that my journey was less than a fraction of a billionth of its distance?

Or perhaps it's because the concept of movement doesn't exist in such a place, so all one's efforts are in vain?

I tried my best to convince myself not to give up easily, while continuing to build up the image of movement in my mind.

Again, I don't know how much time has passed, and the distance still shows no sign of shortening; again, I don't know how much time has passed, and I feel my will becoming numb, sometimes even losing my senses of that "firefly" that I don't know if it even exists.

Again, I don't know how much time has passed, the "firefly" is still far away, and I can't tell if the distance between us has shortened; again, I don't know how much time has passed, I feel like a machine that automatically constructs moving images; again, I don't know how much time has passed...

I don't know how much time has passed again...

At one point, I felt as if I were being captured by a strange gravitational force.

The will to perform repetitive, mechanical labor was awakened by the novelty of the change. I snapped back to reality and reflexively sensed the distance between myself and the "fireflies." Lacking a frame of reference in the void, I still couldn't determine whether I had truly approached the "fireflies."

So, what is this strange gravitational pull? Completely blind in the void, I couldn't discern its true nature, only feeling my body being pulled—my body? I shouldn't be feeling my body here, yet I didn't know why I was experiencing this sensation. The surrounding darkness seemed to transform into eerie currents of water, and my body was being swept up, moving involuntarily.

Again, I don't know how much time has passed—no, this time it's different. Although it feels somewhat unfamiliar and blurry, I seem to have regained my sense of time. About two or three minutes have passed, and then I feel like a fish that has been thrown out of the water by a great force, splashing and landing on the ground.

I felt the long-lost gravity. It was like floating in water for too long and then suddenly returning to land, where gravity felt stronger than usual. Now, I seemed to have regained the real feeling of being in contact with solid ground.

Then, slowly, I felt the air moving, smelled a strange stench, and heard rustling sounds. After a while, I realized that my eyes seemed to be closed, so I opened them.

A sudden burst of light entered my field of vision, causing me to squint slightly. As a fire user capable of manipulating light and heat, it was impossible for me to actually be blinded by light. However, having spent an unknown amount of time in the void of darkness, the very appearance of "light" caught me somewhat off guard.

Soon, I realized exactly where I had been transferred to.

I feel like I've entered an extremely dirty and messy bedroom.

The light source was a small table lamp that was carelessly tossed on the bed not far away. The warm light illuminated the room, but it seemed to be running out of power, flickering like a ghost, as if it was about to go out.

(End of this chapter)