Chapter 568 The Courtyard in a Dream

"The biggest obstacle to this operation is not Huang Quan himself, but that Huang Quan is very likely to urgently summon the other three gods and humans of the Gospel House after discovering your intrusion, including the Gospel House Master Yama." Number Seven said very seriously, "After the last battle, Huang Quan must have realized that he is no match for you. In addition, he is not a person who likes one-on-one duels, so he will definitely not fight you fairly."

"Before the other three gods arrive, let's not even talk about whether you have a chance to kill them in a short time. The problem is that we definitely can't turn the Yomi Gospel Institute upside down in such a short time. Therefore, we must make enough progress in the search during the infiltration phase... Is that easier to understand?"

I nodded to show my understanding, and then said, "I understand all of this. What I want to know is... why was Xiaowan's personal involvement required for the subsequent infiltration operation?"

“Because you are a god among men. When someone as enormous as you enters the territory of another god, it is extremely difficult to avoid being discovered. It’s like a burly man trying to sneak into the passenger seat of a car without being noticed by the driver,” Number Seven said. “Besides, this ‘driver’ is someone who is extremely alert and cautious in everything he does… how could he possibly miss your infiltration?”

"It's not impossible for me to sneak in alone, but I'm not confident I can infiltrate and search right under Huang Quan's nose. It would be best if Xiao Wan accompanied me. Xiao Wan's power of 'righteous position of heaven and earth' allows her to blend in with the world, which, in Taoist terms, is 'the unity of heaven and man.' Those who accompany her should also temporarily receive the same favor. Although it's not enough to completely deceive Huang Quan's eyes, at least they won't be discovered in the short term."

"And with the added power of the Divine Seal fragments, her 'camouflage' can even cover the 'surface' of your 'giant' form."

"This effect could probably be applied to you and me from a distance using the power of blessing, but it would definitely not be as significant as acting with her. If we're taking Huang Quan as our hypothetical enemy, it's safer to do everything to the best of our ability."

The "unity of heaven and man" achieved through the power of the proper alignment of heaven and earth can actually be simulated using the impermanent law of heaven and earth.

However, unlike the actions of the Son of God, the Great Impermanence's "unity of heaven and man" is not about man conforming to heaven and earth, but rather about distorting heaven and earth to conform to himself. Essentially, these are diametrically opposed actions. Because it is an active distortion of the external world, it is destined to be less effective than the power of the righteous Dharma of Heaven and Earth in deceiving the perceptions of other Great Impermanences.

In nature, lions and cheetahs, inhabiting the wilderness, have evolved camouflage to deceive their prey. However, compared to insects that can mimic leaves and chameleons, their camouflage is rather insignificant. Weaker creatures are simply more adept at concealment and stealth than stronger ones.

"Brother Zhuangcheng, let me join the operation." Xiaowan turned to me and said, "I'm prepared to do my best not to hold you back."

Seeing this, I didn't mince words and nodded, saying, "Okay, I understand."

“Speaking of which, there’s something else I want to ask.” I looked at Number Seven again. “Since you have the ability to reload your save file after death, have you ever tried to infiltrate the Yellow Springs Gospel Institute directly? Even if the technical data of ‘Dushuo Mountain’ is difficult to steal, if you try tens of thousands of times, you should be able to succeed at least once, right?”

"Even if there's absolutely no hope, you could at least figure out where the 'Dushuo Mountain' technical data is stored. Why do we need to infiltrate again to confirm it?"

Upon hearing this, Number Seven showed a helpless expression and said, "I am neither a god nor do I have a non-human mental structure. How could I possibly treat death experiences as a daily occurrence and endure them without limit like you guys? Let alone tens of thousands of times, I would be on the verge of collapse if I died a few hundred times."

"That's only because I'm a demigod. If it were an ordinary human or a witcher, after experiencing death a few times, or at most a dozen times, their soul would have withered away."

The Witcher test subjects imprisoned in the secret outpost of the Humanitarian Division in the past, I remember, died too many times, so their souls would enter an irreversible apoptosis after recalling the truth of their deaths.

Most witchers with immortality abilities are immortal at the physical level, or immortality based on the condition that their souls are not excessively damaged. This is actually closer to the realm of durability and regeneration, not a true experience of death. Even the pseudo-immortality of wandering spirits likely avoids the real experience of death through "false death." Even if an ordinary witcher truly gained the power to "start over infinitely even if their soul is scattered," their spirit could not withstand an infinite number of death experiences.

The concept of an immortal being that manifests falls into this latter category. Number Seven's "reload and start over" probably does as well. For me, even if my soul is scattered, as long as my true spirit isn't harmed, it's equivalent to being unharmed, so I gradually forgot the destructive nature of the death experience itself. If a normal human were to die like me, they would have collapsed countless times over.

“Furthermore, because time and space in the afterlife are now fragmented, my movement in time can often be seen as movement in space,” Number Seven continued. “In simpler terms, when I use Return of Death to reset myself and then infiltrate Yomi Gospel again, I’m not necessarily infiltrating ‘the destination before I invaded it,’ but rather ‘the destination after I last invaded it…’”

Xiao Wan sighed, "Lady Number Seven was really born at the wrong time... no, should I say 'born in the wrong place'? Such a powerful ability, and she encountered such a terrible time and space..."

“That’s how it is. So… actually, I did try to infiltrate the Yomi Gospel in the past, but I failed at a very early stage. There are now many detection and trap measures specifically designed for me there, so I really can’t carry out any more operations. But fortunately, now that I have Little Bowl with me, I can ignore all those things,” Number Seven said.

“I see…” I nodded. “Alright, I’ve almost finished treating this area. Let’s not delay, let’s start the infiltration now.”

The damage to my spirit from the previous battles was far less severe than before I received Xiaowan's healing. Furthermore, Xiaowan seemed much more skilled than the first time, so I could no longer sense anything wrong with myself.

I pushed myself up from the ground, and the little bowl left my back and took my right hand. Then I extended my left hand toward Number Seven.

Number Seven grabbed my hand. At the same time, a mysterious aura emanated from the small bowl, enveloping the three of us like an invisible camouflage.

"Operation begins," said Number Seven.

-

My perspective suddenly changed.

Number Seven's spatial teleportation ability was activated. Perhaps because the situation wasn't so urgent, this time, she didn't take out her revolver and blow her own head off, but instead teleported normally. Or perhaps, given that her ability is based on death, this method is abnormal? In any case, no normal person in this world would enjoy suicide, and Number Seven clearly possesses normal human emotions.

From an ordinary person's perspective, spatial transfer happens in an instant, but for me, it was not so. Just as someone with excellent dynamic vision can see a richer process of material movement, my consciousness can also capture processes that do not exist for ordinary people. I felt as if I was being dragged into a dark, deep sea, constantly moving forward in turbulent currents. I could still feel the touch of Xiaowan's palm on my right hand, which reassured me.

After an indescribable amount of time, I came to my senses and found myself standing in a vast, desolate courtyard.

"We've arrived." Number Seven's voice rang out from my left.

She released my left hand and looked around.

Xiaowan stood to my right. Through our still-clasped hands, I could feel her body tense instinctively, her eyes scanning the scene warily. This was no longer neutral territory, but enemy territory; no amount of caution was excessive.

I observed the courtyard as well. Around the large open space were flower beds and lawns, but the flower beds were filled with withered plants, and the lawns were overgrown with weeds, some of which were even dry. In the distance, I could see many buildings of varying sizes, some dark and others brightly lit.

This place gave me a sense of déjà vu. I felt like I had seen this place somewhere before. Soon, I retrieved the corresponding location from my memory.

—It was Asaho's dream.

I once entered this courtyard in Mazao's dream, and even had a brief encounter with Meiju there.

Asaho once said that this courtyard was a scene from Yomi Gospel. Considering that she was once Yomi's student and subordinate, the place she was referring to based on her hazy and fragmented memories should be this Yomi Gospel.

The scene from my dream appeared right before my eyes, as if something from my imagination had entered reality... Although it's a bit strange to call the afterlife, which belongs to the soul and spirit, "reality," I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

Unlike the courtyard in the dream, this place is not deserted.

Several people dressed in black, traditional-style uniforms were walking and resting in the courtyard; they appeared to be monks from the Evangelical Fellowship. In the distance, the cloister surrounding the courtyard could be seen, and some monks were also passing by.

The monks seemed completely unresponsive to our sudden appearance. It wasn't due to laxity, nor was it that they were truly unable to see us. Judging from their occasional fleeting glances, they could all see us, but they simply regarded us as "people who wouldn't seem out of place here."

This is the harmony between man and nature embodied in the small bowl.

Similar effects can be achieved not only by me, but also by Number Seven using his own soul power, yet they are all easily perceived by Huang Quan, who may exist here—no, not "may." I can conclude that Huang Quan is indeed in this place.

It was a vague yet undeniable intuition, like being locked in an iron cage, sharing a room with a wild beast. Even with your eyes closed, you could hear the heavy, menacing breathing around you.

(End of this chapter)