Chapter 46: Will as Shield
As soon as the voice uttered, the darkness deep within the cabin seemed to come alive, surging towards Chu Yun and the other two like a tide. This was no ordinary darkness, but an energy condensed from the purest negative emotions of fear, despair, loneliness, and sorrow. The three could sense it clearly. This darkness had no fixed shape. One moment it transformed into a monstrous beast with its bloody mouth agape, the next into a web of countless faces in agony. With every step it took, the three felt their souls frozen by the icy despair. "This is... the true form of the nightmare." Li Ge's voice trembled, a tremor she herself was unaware of. "Be careful!" Mo Li shouted, and several mechanical parts in his hands instantly flew out, forming a sharp blade net in the air, enveloping the black fog. However, upon contact with the black fog, the blade net melted silently, as if splashed with strong acid, without even a sound. "Physical attacks are useless!" Mo Li immediately declared. "Hah!" Chu Yun attacked as well. Without further hesitation, he mobilized the Taiyi Qi within him, using his finger as a brush to draw a lightning and fire talisman imbued with the will to break. Golden lightning slammed fiercely into the black fog. With a roar, the attack was effective, the lightning blasting a vast gap in the fog. But before they could rejoice, the surrounding black fog surged in like a tide, instantly closing the gap. "No," Chu Yun's face paled. "Its energy is practically limitless. As long as someone's nightmare remains in this dream world, it will never be destroyed." "Then what should we do?" Mo Li asked. "It was just... talking to me," Zhilan, who had been shielding them, suddenly whispered. "What did it say to you?" Chu Yun demanded immediately. "It asked me... why I wasn't afraid of it," Zhilan replied. At that moment, the vast black fog suddenly stopped. It ceased to be a single entity, but abruptly split into three streams, each charging towards Chu Yun, Li Ge, and Mo Li. Before Chu Yun's eyes, the black fog quickly transformed into the form of his "father." But this time, it was no longer that gentle or majestic illusion, but a charred corpse engulfed in black flames, emitting a continuous scream of agony. "Why... won't you accept your fate... Why... do you want me to die with my eyes wide open..." The charred corpse reached out and grasped Chu Yun. Before Li Ge, the black mist took on the appearance of her sister. But it was no longer a perfect "replica," but the most authentic version of her memory...
As soon as the voice fell, the darkness deep within the cabin seemed to come alive, surging towards Chu Yun and the other two like a tide. It was no ordinary darkness, but an energy body formed by the purest negative emotions of fear, despair, loneliness, and sadness. The three of them could clearly feel it.
This mass of darkness had no fixed shape. One moment it transformed into a giant beast with its bloody mouth agape, ready to devour people, and the next it transformed into a vast net composed of countless faces in agony. With each step it took, the three of them felt their souls being frozen by the icy despair.
"This is... the true form of the nightmare." There was a slight tremor in Li Ge's voice that she herself didn't even notice.
"Be careful!" Mo Li shouted, and several mechanical parts in his hands instantly flew out, forming a sharp blade net in the air, covering the black fog. However, as soon as the blade net touched the black fog, it melted silently as if it had been splashed with strong acid, without even causing a stir.
"Physical attacks are useless!" Mo Li immediately judged.
"Hah!" Chu Yun also attacked. Without hesitation, he mobilized the Taiyi Qi within his body and, using his finger as a brush, drew a lightning and fire talisman in the air, imbued with the will to "break." Golden lightning fiercely struck the black fog. With a loud "boom!", the attack was successful, the lightning blasting a huge gap in the black fog. But before they could rejoice, the surrounding black fog surged in like a tide, instantly filling the gap.
"No." Chu Yun's face turned pale. "Its energy is almost infinite. As long as there is still one person's nightmare in this dream world, it will never be destroyed."
"Then what should we do?" Mo Li asked.
"It was just... talking to me." Zhilan, who had been protected in the middle, suddenly said in a low voice.
"What did it say to you?" Chu Yun asked immediately.
"It asked me...why I wasn't afraid of it." Zhilan replied.
At this moment, the huge black fog suddenly stopped. It was no longer a whole, but suddenly split into three parts, rushing towards Chu Yun, Li Ge and Mo Li respectively.
Before Chu Yun, the black mist quickly transformed into the form of his "father." But this time, it was no longer the gentle or majestic illusion. Instead, it was a charred corpse engulfed in black flames, continuously emitting painful roars. "Why... won't you accept your fate... Why... do you want me to die with my eyes wide open..." The charred corpse reached out and grabbed Chu Yun.
In front of Li Ge, the black fog transformed into her sister's appearance. But it was no longer a perfect "copy," but the most real image in her memory, the one with empty eyes, like a living dead. "Ali... I'm so cold... I'm so lonely... Why... did you leave me alone..."
Before Mo Li, the black mist transformed into countless severed heads of her people. The heads formed a small mountain, each face bearing the despair and resentment of death. "Loser... You're a loser... You can't even save us... You can't do anything..."
The nightmare instantly captured the deepest fear in each of their hearts and magnified it. It no longer used illusions to "cheat" them, but used the most direct and cruel "truth" to destroy their psychological defenses.
"Ah!" Mo Li was the first to scream in agony. She looked at the mountain of her loved ones' heads and felt her mental defenses about to collapse.
"Mo Li!" Li Ge was also suffering a huge mental shock, but she still endured the pain and called out to Mo Li through the "bridge of heart". Unfortunately, their wills seemed extremely fragile in the face of this fear that was magnified several times and was specifically aimed at them.
"It's useless..." Countless voices sneered maliciously from the black fog. "Your hearts are full of holes, like a sieve that will burst with a single poke. Give up, stay and become a part of me, and you will no longer suffer..."
Seeing Mo Li and Li Ge's consciousness wavering, the light of the "Heart Guarding Talisman" on their chests flickering, Chu Yun's pupils constricted. He knew he couldn't continue like this. Using the "Break" technique to attack this monster, made up of all the villagers' negative emotions, was like trying to put out a forest fire with a glass of water; it was completely useless. He had to find another way.
A thought flashed through his mind. "Daoshu..." he whispered to himself, "Does Daoshu really mean 'fill' and 'sacrifice'?" No. He thought of Zhilan, the gentle and inclusive strength she had used to soothe the nightmare wolf. He also thought of himself, the unprecedented smoothness of the Taiyi Qi within him as he used the will to "protect" to build the "bridge of the heart."
"I understand." Chu Yun's eyes snapped open. His gaze was devoid of any aggression, replaced by a sense of calm and tolerance, as profound as the earth itself. He no longer looked at the screaming, charred corpse of his father, abandoning all attack. He completely transformed the surging Taiyi Qi within him from its violent "destruction" form into a gentle, vital "birth" form. Then, he poured this power unreservedly into the "bridge of the heart" formed by the combined wills of the four.
"Li Ge! Mo Li!" His voice rang out clearly in their minds, with unquestionable determination, "Give up resistance! Do not try to fight the fear before you anymore!"
"What?" Li Ge and Mo Li were both stunned.
"Trust me!" Chu Yun continued, "Leave all your psychological defenses to me! From now on, I will be your 'shield'!"
Li Ge and Mo Li exchanged glances, each seeing hesitation and confusion in the other's consciousness. But in the end, they chose... to believe. They slowly let down the wall of fear in their hearts.
The next second, the screaming, charred corpse, the sister with the hollow eyes, and the mountain of countless skulls instantly penetrated their respective defenses, slamming into their souls with endless fear and despair. But the imagined mental breakdown did not occur.
Just as fear threatened to reach the core of their souls, a golden, immensely thick barrier imbued with a protective will appeared before them. This barrier was forged from Chu Yun's entire will and Taiyi Yuan Qi. All fear, despair, and negativity, like a flood hitting a dam, were firmly blocked by this golden barrier.
"Ugh..." Chu Yun let out a painful groan. He felt countless different, toxic negative emotions madly pouring into his consciousness through the "bridge of the heart." There was Li Ge's guilt towards his family, Mo Li's self-blame for his family, and even Zhi Lan's purest sorrow for the world. He didn't resist, nor did he reject. He opened his "heart," like a giant whirlpool, taking in all these negative emotions... completely. Using himself as the "pivot of the Dao" and his will as the "melting pot," he began to try to digest and purify this pain that didn't belong to him.
"Chu Yun! Are you crazy?" Li Ge immediately understood what Chu Yun was doing, his voice filled with horror, "You will be blown to pieces by these things!"
"I'm fine." Chu Yun's voice was trembling, but still firm. "This is... the true use of 'Daoshu'. It's not to 'fill' the gaps, but to 'carry' everything! I am the 'bridge' connecting all of you, and the 'dam' protecting all of you!"
The massive black fog seemed unprepared for Chu Yun's response. It froze for a moment, then roared even more furiously. It frantically conjured ever more terrifying illusions: one scene depicting the destruction of the Evil Suppression Division, rivers of blood; another depicting the collapse of the Mechanical City, the end of the Mohist tradition; and finally, the transformation of all the villagers of Wangyou Village into zombies, madly tearing at them. Countless forms of utter fear, like waves, relentlessly crashed against the golden barrier Chu Yun had erected.
Chu Yun's face grew paler and paler, his consciousness beginning to crack under the onslaught of negative emotions. But he gritted his teeth and didn't retreat a single step. Behind him were his companions, and he had promised to protect them.
"Mo Li!" He shouted with all his might in the "Bridge of Heart", "Analyze its energy composition! Find its 'core'!"
"Li Ge!" he shouted again, "Use your ghost doctor skills to find the 'weakness' in its mental fluctuations! Any abnormal place will do!"
"Zhilan!" He finally called out to that purest consciousness, "Don't look at those horrible things! Feel with your heart, feel the 'sorrow' deep in the heart of this big guy!"
With Chu Yun's impenetrable "shield," Li Ge, Mo Li, and Zhi Lan finally freed themselves from their passive defense. Freed from any worries, they immediately sprang into action. Countless data and runes flashed through Mo Li's vision, invisible cold energy began to gather in Li Ge's hands, and the pure, peaceful light emanating from Zhi Lan grew brighter and brighter.
The battle situation finally showed a glimmer of hope thanks to Chu Yun's decision to use himself as a shield.
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