Chapter 169
Instead of shutting down his self-awareness, Yan Shuo's true self became a completely empty shell without a soul.
Xie Xubai was frozen in place for a moment, a flood of ominous speculations rushing into his mind, stirring and shaking him, turning his mind upside down.
He was in a state of confusion at that moment, like someone drunk in a noisy bar, surrounded by a constant buzzing noise.
He didn't know exactly what he was thinking; many images flashed through his mind.
Xie Xubai recalled his first meeting with Yan Shuo in the Immaculate Sea during this reincarnation.
The sea was silent and dark, and he thought he would fall endlessly until he fell into the abyss.
The man's broad, powerful hand, like a rope plunging down a cliff, broke through the turbulent undercurrents, grasped his cold hand, and steadily pulled him out of the sea.
Xie Xubai recalled how Yan Shuo had dressed him up at the Jiang family altar.
The Jiang family was tainted by filth, and to the evil god, it was utterly repulsive.
The man's demeanor suppressed his pent-up anger and impatience, but when he looked at him, the surging tide subsided in an instant.
Xie Xubai recalled the first time he entered Yan Shuo's sea of consciousness. The man looked at him, and the white mist covering his face fell away, revealing wide, trembling pupils.
When Yan Shuo realized he had sensed Yan Shuo's fear, he grabbed Yan Shuo's wrist without saying a word, pinched the delicate little white flower, and personally handed his vulnerability to Yan Shuo's palm.
Then, emphasizing awkwardly, he said, word by word, "You can be afraid of me anywhere else, but not here."
Upon recalling his subsequent return to the sea of consciousness, Yan Shuo, who was sitting on the edge of the field with his knees bent, immediately turned his head away.
With just a blank glance at him, several small white flowers silently sprouted from the barren, cracked earth, swaying their petals joyfully at him.
Remembering how he returned from the timeline twenty years in the future, the gold-rimmed glasses, unable to bear the loneliness, split themselves into dozens of parts, surrounding him completely.
Under the tranquil moonlight, the man pinned him tightly against the wall, grabbed his chin, and forced him to look up at him, to see clearly the obsession, resentment, and longing in his eyes.
Then, fueled by surging male hormones, his lips and teeth were repeatedly soaked.
Under that fierce, storm-like onslaught, Xie Xubai's strength was completely drained. Pleasure struck his spine like lightning, his legs went weak, he shuddered, and he could barely stand while clinging to Yan Shuo, almost thinking he would be devoured alive.
But when he opened his eyes, panting, he found himself leaning right against Yan Shuo's chest.
The latter avoided Pei Yuheng and led him to a secluded place.
A broad, fan-like hand patted him down his back, which he was breathing heavily, again and again.
He then meticulously broke down his mental energy into smaller segments to fill the gaps in his sea of consciousness.
In the quiet office, where you could hear a pin drop, Xie Xubai murmured softly, "...I should ask a question."
He should ask the cloaked man about Yan Shuo's situation.
Even if revealing one's concerns to the enemy is a major taboo, and even if the cloaked figure is unlikely to answer, it's still better than being completely ignorant at the moment.
Xie Xubai lowered his eyelashes and slowly pried open the tentacles wrapped around his waist. The veins on his long, thin fingers bulged slightly, and his lips tightened into a sharp line.
Although the cloaked man gave him a three-day deadline, it didn't mean that things would be peaceful during those three days. He couldn't just sit and wait to die.
The tentacles were pried open by Xie Xubai, but before he could walk out, they limply wrapped around him again, hooking around the back of Xie Xubai's head and unexpectedly pressing him onto the surface of the eggshell.
Xie Xubai, who had been trying to struggle, suddenly froze.
He vaguely saw a video, which was clearly left behind by Yan Shuo before he disappeared.
This discovery immediately drew Xie Xubai's full attention.
The footage is presented from Yan Shuo's perspective.
He stood in front of the desk, facing the horribly disfigured wall.
The reason it was such a horrific sight was that countless dark, ghostly figures had been smashed into a bloody mess and plastered on the walls, with debris splattered all over the floor.
Xie Xubai thought to himself, it seems that Yan Shuo has also experienced the same attack that he did.
However, this level of attack obviously could not threaten the evil god. Xie Xubai, standing from Yan Shuo's perspective, noticed that Yan Shuo's breathing did not change at all.
Until one of the thin, ghostly figures, on the verge of death, was controlled and spoke in a hoarse, rough voice, like a broken bellows being forcibly pulled open, in fits and starts.
"You refuse to submit to the void, and will forever be excluded from the rules of the game..."
"You can only watch as the thing you fear happens again..."
"Just like the first time, the second time, the countless times. You can only watch helplessly..."
"You are powerless and utterly weak."
As the lanky ghost spoke, eerie, subtle ripples appeared in the air.
It used some kind of seductive trick, but its power was very weak. In Xie Xubai's opinion, it was not even as tempting as the little tentacle's pitiful pleas for him to play with it.
But Xie Xubai heard Yan Shuo's increasingly heavy breathing, and his knuckles clenched tightly, making a violent grinding sound.
In an instant, a storm suddenly arose in the air, overturning tables and chairs and slamming the ghostly figure to the ground! The ghostly figure seemed to be crushed by an invisible weight, its muscles and bones shattering inch by inch with a chilling sound…
The image began to become unstable and shaky.
Xie Xubai hastily attempted to shift the perspective.
Like the little tentacles, Yan Shuo has eyes, but these are not their primary means of vision. They observe the world through spiritual perception, and their perspective can shift in multiple directions, spreading outwards.
Xie Xubai's spiritual body floated into the air and caught a glimpse of Yan Shuo's pupils turning into the color of molten iron.
It trembled violently, its vertical pupils converging like those of a ferocious beast, as if one could glimpse Yan Shuo's precarious sanity from the depths of his golden-red eyes.
Yan Shuo finally spoke: "Okay."
His voice was flat and ordinary, yet it carried a chilling madness.
“But you are not qualified to make me submit to you.”
The shadow beneath Yan Shuo's feet writhed, spreading like a tide towards the thin, ghostly figure.
The air became thick and cold, like a monster slowly opening its blood-red maw.
Then, Xie Xubai could see nothing at all.
The following scene might be a bit gruesome, so Yan Shuo deliberately cut it off, not letting him see it.
The power of darkness gently enveloped Xie Xubai, wiping away the cold beads of sweat.
"Thank you, Xubai."
A deep, magnetic voice echoed in Xie Xubai's mind, like a man clinging to him, lingering and caressing him.
"If you come and only see my physical form, don't panic. I have already withdrawn my consciousness to deal with a fool who doesn't know his own limitations."
Yan Shuo: "That guy is the mastermind behind this game, and also represents the system and the forces behind it. I have a guess about their identities, but when the world was distorted, this part of the truth was also restricted, and you need to wait until you become a god before you can try to understand it."
I know it will be hard for you to resist the urge to investigate, but just bear with it, okay?
With calloused fingertips, she gently stroked Xie Xubai's nape twice, as if to soothe him.
Yan Shuo continued, "The system's power seems to be superior to that of humans, but in reality, it is subject to many limitations. Games are the only means they can use to deal with humans and the supernatural. As long as you don't participate, there is no danger."
After a slight pause, Yan Shuo suddenly let out a faint laugh: "But you can't possibly not participate."
Xie Xubai's five fingers slowly curled up as he recalled Yan Shuo's furious roar filled with resentment in his dream.
That was actually a misunderstanding.
Yan Shuo believed that Xie Xubai decided to make Him forget the past so that He could continue to protect millions of people without any resentment after His death.
But Xie Xubai just didn't want Yan Shuo to be trapped in pain.
At the moment, Yan Shuo probably hasn't thought about this yet.
If Xie Xubai was truly afraid of the evil god's retribution before his death, he should have pretended not to know anything and stayed far away.
Without a doubt, he, being almost godlike, already possessed this ability.
After about half a second of silence, Xie Xubai fluttered his eyelashes and replied gently but firmly, "Yes, you know that."
You can't help but participate.
—Yeah, you know that.
As if he could hear Xie Xubai's reply, Yan Shuo chuckled again: "If there are no unforeseen circumstances, we will meet again in the next game."
After that, Yan Shuo remained silent, and the dark power receded from Xie Xubai's surroundings like a receding tide.
Xie Xubai thought this was Yan Shuo's last message and let out a long sigh.
As soon as I looked up, I met a pair of scarlet and golden pupils.
The last vestige of Yan Shuo's consciousness was focused intently on Xie Xubai, his gaze burning with a fervor as intense as magma, almost scorching.
"You really came..." He let out a satisfied sigh, "Because you were worried about me?"
The fact that Yan Shuo could say "You really came" shows that he was unsure whether Xie Xubai would actually come looking for him.
Or perhaps, He was unsure whether Xie Xubai would come to Him immediately.
For a long time, a question has been stuck in Yan Shuo's mind like a fishbone.
If Xie Xubai didn't feel guilty about leaving his clone behind for the past twenty years, and if he didn't have those memories from reincarnation, would he have liked Him even a little?
Arrogant as He is, He doesn’t even have the confidence to ask.
Xie Xubai's fingers trembled.
Before he could react, Yan Shuo grabbed his chin, choking him back down.
The thrill of their intertwined lips and tongues surged through Xie Xubai's body like an electric shock, and his breathing gradually became disordered.
Under the intense, relentless sucking and extraction, her long, narrow eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, and her eyes gradually became hazy.
Finally forced into a corner with nowhere to retreat, Xie Xubai let out a very soft sob, and a pitiful, breathtaking crimson tinge spread across the corners of his moist eyes, like a red plum blossom adorning a vast snowfield.
After an unknown period of time, their lips and teeth separated.
Xie Xubai was finally able to catch his breath.
Suddenly, she closed her eyes, and without warning, grabbed Yan Shuo's dissipating consciousness and kissed him again, trembling.
...
Outside the realm of consciousness, in the CEO's office.
The tentacles, which had been still for a long time, finally began to move slowly.
A tentacle lifted the sheet, revealing a golden bed neatly constructed of gold underneath.
The other tentacles worked together to forcefully press a depression in the middle of the golden bed, creating a space large enough for a person to lie down, without alerting Xie Xubai.
They then rushed toward the wardrobe.
Blankets, clothes, spare pillows...
Without hesitation, I take out everything that is soft and fluffy and fill the nest completely. It's so soft and fluffy, and looks like it would be a very comfortable place to lie down.
The true strength of the evil god is terrifying, making it arguably the hardest thing in the world.
The mere touch of the tentacle as it landed on the ground caused several deep grooves to be scratched into the marble tiles, with stone chips flying everywhere and the floor covered in marks.
Working together, they carefully encircled Xie Xubai's knees and back, with one tentacle gently supporting the back of his head, placing the fragile human in their nest without touching a single patch of his skin.
What appeared to be a chaotic dance of demons actually completed all of this in an orderly fashion, their thick, long, and slippery tentacles eager to move, trying every means to stuff themselves into the gaps in the pillow.
The seven tentacles fiercely pushed and shoved each other in order to get closer to Xie Xubai.
After nearly crashing through the wall and waking Xie Xubai, they suddenly froze, and finally reluctantly reached an agreement. Several tentacles came together, turning into a large, spread-out black blanket, which completely covered Xie Xubai's head.
Like a cat that has finally gotten its fill of catnip, it lazily stretches out its suction cups in a satisfied state.
They have no self-awareness; all their behavior is based on instinct.
Feeling too comfortable, Xie Xubai felt a deep drowsiness.
Realizing the urgency of having only three days left, he tried to struggle.
Whether it was influenced by Yan Shuo's lingering consciousness or not, the gold-rimmed glasses also reacted, suddenly turning into a hand and resting on Xie Xubai's sideburns.
The seemingly stern-faced man leaned against the bed, becoming a protective barrier against the wind and rain, gently stroking his face.
Go to sleep.
His tone was calm and reliable.
Just as He once promised.
Sleep soundly. I promise that when you open your eyes, nothing unexpected will happen, and everything will be as usual.
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