Chapter 439 Invading "Shangri-La"
Although the "preacher" looks pitiful now, I haven't forgotten his initially arrogant demeanor. Furthermore, I don't believe he genuinely can't understand why Peach Blossom Village is considered an enemy by Luo Shan.
From my personal perspective, there's really no reason to stop others from dreaming. However, for the Luo Shan organization, it's unreasonable to expect them to sit idly by and watch "Shangri-La" be established. Firstly, within my understanding, the Divination Master is highly likely to disagree. He seems to have extremely high expectations for helping human civilization develop into the interstellar age, and a spiritual paradise that appears merely to satisfy the current desires of humanity contradicts his expectations.
Other characters I've encountered who are prone to violence don't seem like the type to entrust their lives and souls to a "paradise." Fazheng, on the other hand, might have a positive view of a "paradise," but only if he personally takes the lead. Since he hasn't made any moves that seem to be related, it means he probably doesn't intend to go down that path.
Ordinary demon hunters, unless they intend to merge with "Utopia," will mostly not stand idly by and watch it be established. This is because both social order and transcendentalism are essentially ruling ideologies. Accepting "Utopia" is tantamount to allowing a massive loss of social human resources. From this perspective, any organization or force that does not intend to merge with "Utopia," including government officials, will not allow its successful establishment.
The establishment of the Otherworld would cause unprecedented damage to the very meaning of society. Anyone who is deeply dissatisfied with their current life, believes they cannot change their living conditions in the future, or is unwilling to continue investing time and energy to change their lives, might seek to join this "Shangri-La."
While mainstream societal thought advocates for unconditional acceptance of reality and considers and defends the pursuit of virtual dreams as an absolutely wrong value system, over time, as the desire to pursue these dreams gains popularity, new values will emerge. At that point, "unconditional acceptance of reality" may actually become a flawed value system in the public consciousness.
In addition, the ultimate entity called "Shangri-La" that will appear in the final stage of the Shangri-La Project, and what kind of ideology it will develop, is currently unknown.
As someone who intends to live inside the "Shangri-La," the "Preacher" probably never thought about how that ultimate individual would operate in the outside world. However, as someone living in the outside world, one has to consider how to face that being with incomprehensible power.
That is something formed by people who are pessimistic, negative, or even desperate about the real world and choose to escape into their dreams. At least I find it hard to imagine that it would have any friendly feelings towards our world.
The "Shangri-La" I perceive already possesses at least a hundred times more magical power than I do, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, this is likely just the tip of the iceberg. It's hard to imagine the terrifying power it will unleash once it's fully completed. Seriously though, if someone were to predict to me now that the end of the world is caused by this ultimate entity called "Shangri-La," I certainly wouldn't be able to question its feasibility.
I can accept the existence of such a being, but what will others think?
The interrogation was nearing its end. After a few more questions, we had no further questions for the time being. The "preacher" pleaded with me again to spare his soul, Zhu Shi looked at me with his eyes asking what to do next, and Xiao Qiao, the junior student, kept quiet and observed the situation. As for me, I began my next move.
"Since you have a connection with 'Shangri-La,' I'll use that connection to see what this 'Shangri-La' is all about."
As I spoke, I left "fireflies" around Zhu Shi and Xiao Qiao, while taking out the fake moon reflected in the water from the flames.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Shi was immediately startled and asked, "What are you going to do?"
Of course, we need to actually invade this "Shangri-La" to see for ourselves.
The unusual "wound" on the "Shangri-La" connected to the "Preacher" is likely a mark left by Ying Lingyun when he tore off power resources from it in the past. Although it is unknown exactly how he did it, Ying Lingyun probably did not obtain the consent of the Shangri-La village chief when he requisitioned this power resource.
He may have used his cooperative relationship with the Lord of Peach Blossom Village to secretly hack into "Peach Blossom Spring" through some unknown means. Although it sounds like nonsense, Ying Lingyun is such an absurd character that he can accomplish miracles that even many great impermanences cannot.
If Ying Lingyun can do it, why can't I?
Facing the helpless "preacher," I aimed the fake moon reflected in the water at his eyes. A surge of spiritual energy spread out, and my consciousness invaded his soul. Under my conscious control, my consciousness followed the connections within him, heading straight for the mysterious "Shangri-La."
This approach is actually dangerous. After all, "Shangri-La" is a space-time created by illusion, and it has a power scale far greater than mine. I might end up being captured by this illusion instead.
On the other hand, I can also make a clear judgment: the "Shangri-La" currently lacks any subjective will. At least at this stage, it is still something under construction, more like a building. Even after being torn apart by external forces, it has never shown any proactive or direct retaliation.
Originally, I shouldn't have found an opportunity to infiltrate it. It was thanks to the wound left by Ying Lingyun that I found a loophole to exploit, just like finding the back door of an iron fortress.
My vision quickly plunged into darkness; the "Preacher," Zhu Shi, and Junior Sister Xiao Qiao all vanished from my side. Fortunately, with just a slight sense, I could perceive the real-world scene through the "fireflies" that remained in place. My consciousness was like entering a narrow tunnel, and after a very short time, it emerged from the other end.
What reappeared in view was no longer the upper floors of the unfinished building, but a gray, dilapidated passageway. It was like the corridors inside an office building, except that there were no windows or doors on either side, giving it a maze-like feel.
—Is this the "Shangri-La"?
Something just doesn't feel right. I thought that since the name was Shangri-La, the interior of this illusionary space would be more beautiful and tranquil, or at least have a warm and inviting atmosphere. This jarring scene is completely different from my expectations. Moreover, the scene gives me a sense of déjà vu, as if I've visited this place before.
I quickly remembered that a long time ago, an immortal monster had used a secret artifact to imprison Zhu Shi and me in a labyrinthine alternate dimension. That labyrinthine alternate dimension looked very similar to the scene before me.
The secret item of the immortal monster was given to him by the monster creator, who is Ying Lingyun's "possible clone"... Could it be that I entered "Shangri-La" with Zhu Shi a long time ago? Or was the labyrinthine alternate dimension at that time just a spacetime created by Ying Lingyun based on the scene of "Shangri-La"?
Perhaps it's because I'm now a Great Impermanence, and my senses are far more acute than they were long ago, that I can perceive more information from this labyrinthine alternate dimension than before. This labyrinthine alternate dimension exudes a cold and resistant aura, reminiscent of an unfriendly town to outsiders, with every wall seemingly conveying the message "Get out of here."
A judgment gradually formed in my mind. This place might not be a true "Shangri-La." It's not that I hacked into the wrong place, but rather that my existence might be like a virus attempting to infiltrate a computer. After all, I don't possess the sophisticated skills of Ying Lingyun. The moment I brutally hacked into this place as an intruder, I was probably recognized by its inherent immune mechanism and then transferred to the "quarantine zone."
So, assuming the enemy hiding behind the scenes has discovered me through the system, what will they do next?
The moment I realized this, an extreme sense of danger washed over me. I immediately retreated, at least a kilometer away, smashing through walls in the process. Suddenly, a bolt of blue lightning appeared where I had been standing. It was probably only from a distance that one could discern that it was lightning, because it was so enormous; attacking me was like using a bridge's supporting pillar to smash an ant.
The azure lightning bolt struck the ground with earth-shattering force, transforming into countless bolts of lightning that raced wildly in all directions with lightning speed, accompanied by deafening roars powerful enough to shatter a person's body. The labyrinthine structure crumbled instantly, even affecting the area where I was standing. As far as the eye could see, all the walls and floors were shattered, and all around me were rubble and fragments cascading down like a waterfall.
At the spot where the lightning struck, I saw a giant hand composed entirely of azure light.
A gash appeared in the palm of the giant hand. It wasn't a wound; it looked more like a mouth. Then, an eyeball emerged from that mouth.
The eyeball stared at me coldly, while the mouth containing the eyeball moved up and down, making a gurgling sound.
"——Zhuang Cheng."
This thing pronounced my name.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com