Chen Jing remained on edge until they entered the city, dispersed, and agreed to rest for a day before heading to the large ship, at which point he relaxed slightly.
Li Si headed directly towards the large ship, seemingly intending to give a report.
The defenses of Ash City had become much more relaxed, as if everyone was ignoring the assassins. Chen Jing didn't know if it was outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense, or if they had truly relaxed.
After thinking for a while, Chen Jing decided to consult an expert on how to resolve the problem of being possessed by evil spirits.
Although Chen Jing suspected that the source of darkness had already resolved the possession issue, he decided to play it safe and inquire about the specifics of the possession before making any decisions.
He walked on the cobblestone streets of Ash City, where the pervasive mist still lingered, though it had thinned somewhat.
Although the city has become more relaxed, there are still not many pedestrians on the streets, just a few here and there.
Upon arriving at the expert's home, Chen Jing met with the expert as it was already close to evening.
The expert sat in a chair, a long knife resting on his knees, and nodded to Chen Jingdian.
"I wonder if the hunting party has organized any new operations..." Chen Jing thought to himself, then said to the expert, "Master, I'm back."
"Something went wrong?" The expert wiped his longsword, looking at Chen Jing who had changed into a new set of equipment, his tone calm.
Chen Jing responded and then told the expert about almost everything that had happened along the way.
"We arrived at the arena and were dispatched as a reconnaissance team. We discovered the prison, the sacrificial corpses..."
"Mei Luoliang, the senior disciple of the Meijing Taoist Temple, has turned into a monster and attacked us..."
"We were attacked by a mysterious entity in the underground prison, seemingly through a psychological attack, and the vessel carrying the attacker was a zombie..."
"We left the underground prison and came to a deeper underground location, which also seems to be a ruin. There is an obelisk inside, with carvings on it..."
Chen Jing described the style of the obelisk, recounting the pictures and inscriptions on it, as well as the various speculations and communications among the people.
“I went to the other side of the road, and there, I…” Chen Jing began, then stopped abruptly, worried about infecting his master with the possession: “I encountered some things there, which I cannot explain…”
The expert slowed down the pace of wiping the long knife.
Chen Jing continued his story, recounting the almost realistic old prison scene, the awakening of Li Si, and the possession by evil spirits.
Chen Jing then asked, "Master, is there any way to resolve possession?"
After thinking for a moment, the expert said, "I know more about the Qi of Words. Generally speaking, a Qi of Words cultivator who can create the effect of being possessed by evil spirits is at least a cultivator at the extreme level, a Qi of Words cultivator who has reached the limit of human beings."
"They create a kind of spiritual plague through special symbols, images or imprints, or texts, poems, and other carriers of information that can create a visual image."
"As long as the victim transmits similar words, it will spread to potential recipients around them, and that information will be constantly copied and played in the minds of the recipients, changing their behavior logic."
"Some call it possession, some call it hysteria, and some call it meme. I prefer the last name. Simply put, your mind will be unconsciously affected, and you will become a spreader of it. At the same time, your inner self will also be affected, and you will gradually become unlike your original self."
Chen Jing listened, his face turning pale.
Who would have thought that seeing a painting or some words could lead to such a dangerous situation!
This world is terrifying.
The expert reassured Chen Jing: "You don't need to worry too much. Since you haven't spread the news to the outside world and there haven't been any major changes in yourself, it proves that the power of that meme is limited and still under control."
"I'll help you find a solution."
Chen Jing listened and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
On the one hand, he felt that the source of darkness had resolved the meme, and on the other hand, there was a promise from an expert, and his master always kept his word.
Chen Jing asked, "That meme... was left behind by a cultivator at the pinnacle of cultivation?"
"Not necessarily," the expert said. "It could be some kind of monster, or some kind of object, either way is possible. But I suspect it's not a meme, but some other power with similar effects, but at a lower level."
Chen Jing nodded and continued talking about what happened afterward.
“...According to Li Si, the ‘Priestess’ of the Black Hand gang, she didn’t know anything about the blood sacrifice.” Chen Jing recalled the scene at the time: “I don’t know if this is a lie, but I think it should be true.”
The expert nodded, wiping his long knife, without saying anything, but he didn't seem shocked.
Chen Jing continued, talking about the strange angels, the cosmic energy of the Qi Realm, the worship of blood and angels, Mei Moke, the maggots everywhere, the evolutionary chain of cocoon people and angels, and how Mei Moke was already showing signs of turning into a monster when he left.
Upon hearing Mei Moke's story, the expert's weathered face showed a hint of sorrow.
Chen Jing noticed the expert's expression, and the expert said, "He used to be a hero."
Chen Jing didn't ask any further questions and continued talking about his return.
"...After we arrived outside the city, we divided our spoils there, and Li Si promised to help me find a way to get rid of the evil spirit. After that, we left."
The experts then inquired about the details of the two magical artifacts Chen Jing had obtained, which Chen Jing explained in detail.
Experts warn: "The energy of heaven will make you cold and ruthless. You will only gain superficial rationality, or rather, mechanical rationality, not true rationality. True rationality is doing what you know is impossible, not being self-centered, driven by greed and self-preservation, and coldly calculating gains and losses. That is the rationality of heaven, not the rationality of man."
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