Chapter 484 The denominator is zero
While rarely seen in combat, sacrificing one's life for another is a classic tactic. When cornered, resorting to self-destruction with a "better to die than surrender" mentality is understandable. Even a normally timid coward might unleash a surprising display of willpower when faced with certain death.
However, Huang Quan was not forced into a life-or-death situation. On the contrary, he was always in a state where he could retreat unscathed at any time if he wanted to. Just as he said at the beginning, if I gave up the fight and turned to run, it would be very difficult for him to catch up and kill me; and if he made the same decision, it would be very difficult for me to actually kill him.
Therefore, even if he cannot win this battle, there is absolutely no need for him to sacrifice his life. Unless, in his view, killing me here is more important than his own survival. For the immortal and all-seeing Great Impermanence, this is utterly absurd.
To pursue my own desires, I am capable of forgoing a peaceful life of immortality and dedicating myself to situations where life and death are constantly at stake. Even I would never do anything with suicide as a pretext.
What was his purpose?
I had no time to think further; I could only desperately try to escape the approaching black sphere. However, the yellow and black magic circles surrounding me released an incredibly powerful binding force, trapping me inside like a seal. I tried to use fire teleportation, but it malfunctioned and wouldn't activate; I tried using spatial-ignoring footwork, but that was useless too. It seemed as if there were indestructible walls around me preventing me from leaving.
In my perception, the constantly expanding black sphere behind me seemed to be a "door".
While viewing a spherical object as a "door" might seem perplexing, I can deduce that once swallowed by that black sphere, one would be transported elsewhere. This reminds me of black holes, which in some science fiction stories are depicted as bridges connecting other universes.
As for what that black sphere was connected to, I had no idea; I only felt my intuition was screaming alarms.
Once swallowed up to the other side, the outcome is no different from death, or even more desperate than death.
The terrifying power that erupted from my soul, surpassing even death, forced me to squeeze out even greater strength. Even though all my potential should have been realized into my current power, I was now able to go even further, unleashing 120% of my power.
Just as the black sphere was about to touch me, I broke free from the binding force of the surrounding yellow and black magic array and was about to break out of the array's range.
Even this struggle turned out to be futile.
The grave soil that formed the yellow and black magic circle suddenly transformed into the shape of the Yellow Springs. It seemed to unleash the last of its strength, roaring as it crashed into me, pushing me into the black sphere behind it.
My vision was suddenly swallowed up by black water, and Huang Quan followed me into the darkness.
My battle with Huang Quan has come to an end here.
At the same moment, I sensed a change in the two magical energy fluctuations in the distance. The battle between Willow Shadow and Peach Blossom Village Lord, who had been locked in a fierce struggle, seemed to have come to a final close. Their magical energy fluctuations vanished simultaneously, like candles blown out.
-
Darkness, darkness, darkness—
I was surrounded by omnipresent darkness.
Darkness, in essence, is not a color. Strictly speaking, color is the reflection of light, while darkness is the absence of light. In other words, the essence of darkness is "nothingness." I am currently embraced by "nothingness."
Normally, even in darkness, I should be able to sense the space and time I'm in. However, after entering the black sphere, I seemed to have been transported out of thin air to a void where even space and time don't exist. There is truly nothing here, and nothing will happen.
I learned in books that the universe originated from a Big Bang, from which time and space began to appear. Before the Big Bang, the universe was just a point, called a "singularity." I imagine many people who have learned this have wondered where this singularity came from and what happened before it was formed.
No one can answer this question, and it is considered a "meaningless question." Because time is a quantity that describes the change of events, "time" before its own existence cannot be described. Just as there is no entity in the real world corresponding to the number "zero," trying to answer it is a waste of time and a violation of logic.
And right now, I am in this illogical darkness.
Huang Quan followed me in, and I turned to look at him. Even though all I could see was darkness, I had a feeling he was there.
In this place, even the act of "turning one's head" is meaningless. It's an action that can only be performed if one is in a certain space, but here, even the concept of "direction" doesn't exist. I can't even feel my own body, my own soul, my own superpowers, or the flames spreading in the real world. Even my consciousness is ambiguous, as if only a trace of my true spirit remains.
"Where is this place?" I asked.
Although I couldn't feel my own mouth, and there was no concept of "sound" here, I wasn't even sure if I had asked a question, but I still felt like I had.
And then I heard a response from beside me. Although I couldn't tell if it was the other person's response or just my own imagination, I still felt like I heard a reply.
“This is ‘nothingness’,” Huang Quan said.
It is said that the self is formed through interaction with others. One must establish oneself through others. In other words, once I feel that the response is not coming from someone outside myself, but rather is an echo within myself, then my self will dissolve into darkness. At least, that's what I sense.
"None?" I asked.
"To put it simply, it's a place outside the world," Huang Quan said. "I've banished you to that place. Here, there is no time, no space, and no life or death."
“You will spend time here without time. Neither a moment nor eternity, but nothingness.”
In a mathematical fraction, with the numerator remaining constant, the smaller the denominator, the larger the number. One-third is larger than one-quarter, one-half is larger than one-third, and so on. If the denominator is set to be "infinitely small," the result of the fraction will become "infinity."
Even "infinitesimal" doesn't truly return to zero, but rather is infinitely close to zero. So, when the denominator returns to zero, can we then obtain a number larger than "infinity"?
However, zero cannot be a denominator. Just as trying to find an entity in the real world that corresponds to zero is a meaningless act, violating the basic logic of mathematics.
Now I have been exiled to a realm that even mathematics cannot describe, and I will face a meaningless "time" that is longer than eternity and where even death will end.
Although I know it's unnecessary to ask, I'll ask anyway: "Is there a way back?"
"Go back?" He seemed to smile.
Then he said, "There is neither past nor future, neither before nor after, neither coming nor going..."
"No direction, no distance, no movement, no stopping..."
"You cannot go back, because you are trapped in 'nothingness.' Here, you can do nothing."
"But you don't have to despair. Why? Because here, there is neither hope nor despair..."
"Neither you nor I..."
After he finished speaking, his voice, along with his presence, faded and disappeared, and was never heard again.
He died.
Although there is no life or death here, how else can we describe his disappearance in existing language besides "death"?
It's normal for him to die. I already destroyed over 90% of his soul, and then he came with me to this place where neither matter nor soul is allowed to exist. He's like a bubble in the sea, fleeting and ephemeral. The one who spoke to me just now was probably only his last wisp of soul, and now that wisp of soul has finally given way.
Let alone a remnant soul, this void place is probably uninhabitable even for a complete Great Impermanence. Only someone like me, who can barely exist in the form of a true spirit, can exist.
No... actually, I can't either.
Although I cannot calculate how long I have existed in this nothingness, if this continues, I will be destroyed sooner or later. Because ultimately, I have not truly proven my own spirit. A temporary abandonment of body and soul may not matter, but if this continues for a long time, my self will truly fade and disappear.
This seems to be the first time I've clearly felt the limits of this state.
Furthermore, having lost my ability to perceive others, my sense of self also lost its frame of reference, seemingly becoming increasingly thinner. Gradually, I even began to doubt whether I had actually communicated with Huang Quan, whether it was all my own illusion, an inner echo, a soliloquy formed from wild thoughts.
I must maintain my sense of self through thought. Because there is nothing here worth observing and analyzing, I can only recall the past. However, having lost both my brain and soul—the two mediums for preserving memories—I, who usually have a photographic memory, find it difficult to clearly recall the past.
The past is like fleeting clouds, like lurking beneath the surface of water gazing at the scenery on the shore; everything is like a blurry, indistinct shadow, gradually losing its color.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com