Chapter 165 Dreaming
The curtains cast long shadows across the floor, and the lights dimmed as we left the hall. The rustling of rain on leaves and the clatter of footsteps on the mahogany flooring blended together, creating an unsettling feeling.
They walked along the corridor and stopped in front of the aisle on the side of the courtyard.
Chen Xiao'er grabbed the edge of a narrow door and whispered, "The bathroom is behind it. There's no anti-slip mat inside, so be careful not to slip."
Squeak.
The door paper printed with maple leaves slowly opened, and the bathroom inside was more spacious than expected, and its actual area was even larger than the guest room.
She changed into plastic slippers at the door. There were no toilets, shower stalls, or washing machines, which would have taken up space. A winding gravel path ran through the center, leading directly to the large oval bath at the back.
Although it is called an oval, the areas near the water outlet on both sides of the pool actually taper inward like eyeliner. If you look down from above, you will be reminded of the angular eyes in cartoons.
Most of the bathroom space is given over to the bathtub and the decorative narrow groove around its edge. Bathrobes, towels, and a change of clothes are quietly placed on the raised ceramic platform on the wall surface.
Chen Xiao'er took off her skirt, folded it and put it aside. She gently tested the water temperature with her toes, then put it down with peace of mind.
"Huh~" She let out a comfortable sigh as her legs dipped into the hot water.
Ling stood by the bathroom and half-knelt down, his hands ready to pick up Xiao'er who was sinking into the water at any time.
The bathroom she saw was filled with bloody mist, its radiation reaching a level powerful enough to melt a human being before they approached. But as Chen Xiao'er dipped her toes into the boiling liquid, the corrosive feeling of the abyss suddenly vanished.
The girl's white calves were immersed in the suspended solution, and the solidified water droplets in the ritual field automatically dispersed, as if they had some kind of intelligence and were actively avoiding her skin.
The water droplets gradually faded, from red to black and then to white, finally transforming into clear, transparent pool water. As Chen Xiao'er lowered her waist, the water level slowly receded and poured into the dried-up "eyeball."
Rustle, rustle.
The surrounding ducts representing the tear glands and the connection to the ritual withered and transformed into marble-textured grooves under the suppression of zero.
The offerings placed by the Devouring Snake melted simultaneously with the energy core that maintained the ritual field, slowly taking on the forms of soap, shower gel, and shampoo.
Zero blinked his eyes, transmitting the scenes before his eyes to the monitoring center synchronously, helping it to polish the images.
[0: Can we determine that this ritual site is invalid?]
The expert group did not respond immediately; they looked at the big screen nervously.
Judging from common sense, a ritual site will become indestructible after being activated, because most ritual sites will have a solid outer layer of rituals acting as a protective shell.
However, the interior of the ritual site is often very fragile, because the maintenance of the ritual requires an energy core, a "chain" that maintains the connection between the ritual site, and sacrifices that draw strength from the abyss.
The scene just now clearly showed Chen Xiao'er breaking into the core area and transforming the chains and offerings into ordinary items. Even the surrounding radiation values dropped synchronously, making it difficult to maintain the normal operation of any ritual site.
Even if this ritual site is only a small part of the power ritual, and there are power cores elsewhere that can provide charging, this ritual site should still be ineffective.
It seems to have failed.
Chen Xiao'er's pixelated figurine was soaked in water. Even though one couldn't see clearly what was happening below her neck, one could still see that the ritual venue had been transformed into a completely clean bathroom, without any abnormalities at all.
But the intuition was wrong, and not just the intuition.
Experienced experts quickly discovered something unusual: Chen Xiao'er's erosion of the bathroom was limited to the interior of the bathroom, while other parts outside the wall were still in an environment with extremely high Pasteur values.
The hall where they had just dined had completely transformed into the inner wall of a snake's belly. Except for the chair where Chen Xiao'er had sat, which still barely maintained its shape, the rest of the room had turned back into flesh and bones.
This suggests that there's a well-functioning ritual field inside the "villa," and the alienation capabilities it exhibits are on par with those of Zero! How is this possible? Zero is suspected to be a power. Could it be that the power the Devouring Snake is preparing to nurture is on the same side as it?
"Could this bathroom be the sealing box used by the Devouring Snake to trap Chen Xiao'er?" someone discussed in a low voice.
"Wait a little longer." The old expert's eyes were serious. She had a hunch that the Devouring Snake Cult had deliberately let Chen Xiao'ai in. Their attitude toward Chen Xiao'ai wasn't fear or caution, but... exploitation.
"Oh no, the screen went black!"
"What?" The old expert looked closely and saw that the screen facing the bathroom suddenly turned pure black.
Could it be that the Devouring Snake has finally taken action?
She stood up by supporting herself on the table and shouted, "Quick, expedite the inspection of other areas, and quickly ask the Zero present!"
Tap, click.
The clatter of keyboards echoed, and signals like "What's the situation?" and "Do you need emergency support?" were issued one after another. Aside from the Sky Spear, which could only be activated after the power was manifested, all other weapons were ready for operation.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes... During the waiting process, special vehicles carrying a large number of students arrived at the vicinity of Changhe City. The students of Class A were only one street away from the "villa".
…
Phew~ so comfortable.
Chen Xiao'er sank into the warm hot water, her jet-black hair spread out and soaked all the way to the back of her head, letting the hot water soak into the roots of her hair, bringing a tingling sensation.
She picked up the shampoo next to her, squeezed a little into her hand, applied it on her head, and combed it towards the ends of her hair.
When the familiar mint scent filled the air, she noticed Ling was still standing by the pool. He hadn't even changed his shoes, let alone his clothes.
"Don't take off your shoes?"
Chen Xiao'er drifted along with the current, and seeing Ling half-squatting with a blank look in his eyes, she felt itchy in her heart.
Hey~
She stirred up a little water, which splashed onto the senior student's straight nose.
Zero's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her light-colored pupils regained their spirit.
She raised her knees slightly, ran her fingers over her ankles, and hooked the uppers of her shoes to take them off.
It turns out that the senior is wearing white socks...
Chen Xiao'er stared at Ling's fingers without blinking, and only when the thin socks were removed from the soles of her feet did she dive into the water, her cheeks flushed red.
"What's wrong?"
Zero took off his shoes and socks and stood barefoot on the marble steps.
While looking at Xiao'e intently, she unbuttoned her clothes and used her body to fully contact the surging energy around her.
[0: The energy activity level in the area is very high, but the Pasteur value is still hovering between 2-3. Please note.]
【Send failed】
Zero's expression froze: Signal interrupted?
The monitoring center's priority was extremely high, as it involved power, and the church might even activate the Eye of God. In this case, the link could only be interrupted by a divine spell, artifact, or power shield of the same level.
I'm afraid the ceremony has already started.
Ling let his brain analyze things rationally, and then he threw himself into the pool—splash! The water splashed, making Chen Xiao'er scream and protect her face.
"zero!"
Chen Xiao'er waved her little paws in annoyance, splashing the water: You're so petty, I only splashed you a little bit~
Pasha.
Her hand touched soft skin and was caught.
Ling hugged Xiao'er's shoulders and held her tightly in his arms, his eyes vigilantly scanning everything around him: the ceiling, the ceiling light, the marble countertop, the soap box... Where will you launch the attack from?
"Hmm, hmm."
Chen Xiao'er was hugged so tightly that her cheeks became redder and redder and she had difficulty breathing.
So, so tight... She struggled to look up, but Ling was holding her too tightly and she couldn't see anything.
Since the effect of the ritual site is not on the periphery, will it directly affect Xiao'er?
Ling withdrew his gaze from the bathroom and began to carefully examine Chen Xiao'er's body. "Wait a moment, don't move."
"?"
Chen Xiao'er was pushed away a little by her by holding her shoulders. Just as she was about to ask something, she noticed the senior sister's burning gaze.
Zero's hand slid from his shoulder to his arm, his eyes scanning from his cheek to beneath the water surface without any concealment.
Chen Xiao'er blushed and covered her chest. "Ling, um, what are you looking at... It's not that you can't look at it, but..."
Found it!
Zero's pupils contracted: a black snake-like pattern was moving along Xiao'er's thigh towards her lumbar spine.
She called up all the files about Chen Xiao'er in her mind and was sure that since the ability of [Reset to Zero] was discovered by the Devouring Snake, no experiment or strange object could have left such a strange mark on her!
There is no time to delay, she must be taken away from the ceremony area immediately.
This idea was suppressed by the command of [Power Priority]. Chen Xiao'er and the apostles came to fight for power and no temporary retreat was allowed.
Zero felt an inexplicable pain in his chest, but this level of pain would not have any effect on the apostle's actions.
Since we cannot leave the ritual area, we should destroy the ritual site itself as soon as possible.
Ling withdrew his thoughts and suddenly found that Xiao'e had an extremely uneasy expression on her face. She was huddled naked like a kitten, and her arms were being dragged so she couldn't shrink any further.
She is afraid, is she afraid of me?
It is very likely that I was too impatient and should have given a logical explanation of the cognitive filter before taking action.
Ling's expression softened, and he said softly, "You must be tired too. Let's not take a shower yet. This villa is so big, where is the bedroom?"
"It's dangerous here. Let's not take a shower yet. You should be very familiar with this villa. Where is the most important room in it?"
bedroom?
Chen Xiao'er stopped shaking immediately, because a strange thought was rising in her heart, even bringing a strange joy.
Although she felt a little embarrassed by the subtle association, she still hugged her chest and swallowed carefully: "Bedroom? Are you really going there?"
"Well, lead the way."
Seeing that the snake-like pattern had moved from the spine to near the cervical vertebrae, Ling reached out without hesitation and picked up Xiao'er horizontally. He held up her legs with one hand and placed the other hand on her back to try to hold down the snake.
She pulled open the bathroom door and ran out holding Xiao'er.
The space in front, behind, left and right disappeared into the void, and only the area where they were located had a layer of empty light that allowed the floor to barely appear.
Chen Xiao'er raised her finger tremblingly to point the way and asked softly, "Will you sleep in the same room with me?"
Is that what I meant? But this is my home. It's better to be home than in the dorm. There are so many people in the dorm, I definitely can't do that... A mess of thoughts raced through my mind.
Zero lowered his head slightly while running, resting his chin on the furry little head in his arms. "Yes, I want to sleep with you."
"Yes, I'll go in with you."
…
Boom, rumble.
The energy of the abyss converged here, coalescing into crimson thunder that shattered the midnight night. The sky shone like glass burning in a furnace, reflecting the shadow of the Devouring Serpent.
It was the shadow of the god cast from the abyss to the earth, the highest symbol in the ritual. If the god was willing to continuously pour power into it, it could theoretically replace all cores and continuously charge them.
Rustle, rustle.
The phantom of the snake changed from one to two, and they intersected head to tail to form a circle, which then twisted in the state of a circle, like an upside-down number 8.
The empowerment ceremony begins.
The people in the monitoring center looked solemn and their hearts sank. The shoe that had been hanging in the air finally fell.
The observer rubbed his red and swollen eyes and whispered, "Too bad the picture on Chen Xiao'er's side is dark... Now it's bright, oh, the picture is there!"
At least three observers shouted in unison, and everyone's attention was immediately focused on the center of the screen.
Chen Xiao'er's figure gradually emerged. She seemed to be 1 or 2 years younger than she is now, dressed more youthfully, and wearing a very special navy blue short skirt.
"Uncle Liang, I'm going out first~" She giggled at the person outside the screen and opened the door.
Brilliant sunshine streams in, and clusters of azaleas bloom boisterously in the flowerbed. The camera gently pans along the girl's back, revealing numerous pedestrians and cars on either side.
Most people's posture was as relaxed as Chen Xiao'er's, with their faces full of the drowsy look of someone who had just woken up.
"It should be an illusion..." The observer's tone was uncertain.
The experts all frowned: Weren't they wary of something unusual in the shadows? This illusion was truly bizarre!
[The power ceremony site has been confirmed, please prepare yourself.]
A cold command flashed across the screen: "Assault begins. Enter the main ritual site in batches until the quota is filled."
[Tentative name: Dream of Illusion.]
…
Crash, crash.
The energy turned into heavy rain and poured down in all directions.
The train slowly stopped, and three drowned rats stood together, looking up at the huge snake shadow folded and twisted in the air.
The giant, forged from pure light, first raised her hand, reaching toward the sky. A rustling sound emanated from the dividing line between sky and rain. It was as if an invisible glass curtain wall blocked her path, preventing her from going any further.
"no."
The giant's deep voice echoed, "Its power is definitely related to reality and illusion."
She didn't say the second half of the sentence: The power of the Devouring Snake should come with some kind of "judgment" effect. Under the influence of this effect, she and Xiao'er will be in a Schrödinger state.
Are they two completely different individuals, or just different states of the same individual? If you barge in rashly, you'll likely be met with a wave of harsh judgments.
Even if they are not immediately "mixed" or "split", they will inevitably suffer heavy losses.
I don’t care. Love must not be hurt.
Bang, snap.
"What's that noise?" Sister Lan turned around and saw the blond idiot stepping on the train and leaping upwards. Unfortunately, her explosive power was still slightly lacking, and she was isolated by the defensive ritual field set up by the Devouring Snake Cult and the church.
Humph, I don’t know what’s going on in there, so I might as well let this guy in to muddy the waters.
Anyway, the train and I are guarding here. Once the power is materialized, it will definitely tear a hole open. We can just wait for it to show up and kill it.
"Hey, do you want to come in?"
"ha?"
Sinaya turned her head in annoyance, only to see a radiant hand approaching. She instinctively raised her hand to block it, but suddenly felt a repulsive force beyond her imagination.
You, you!
"You use the same trick on me again?!" The devil was thrown high into the air by the repulsive force, and a hint of grievance could be heard in his hoarse roar.
"ha."
Lan swung his arms vigorously and threw the ball as if it were garbage. "Who told you to be a fool who hit the target twice in a row?"
Whoosh——
A meteor streaked across the night sky and crashed into the sky with a thud, causing ripples on the surface of the barrier.
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