Around ten in the morning in Ban City, after nearly six hours of fermenting, the internal forum of the ability user association was already overflowing with noise.
Once the matter was related to personal interests and dignity, the thoughts of the spectators would become a direct sense of immersion. Then it would transform into corresponding emotions. This was what was known as "the will of the people".
Of course, this sort of thing erased the warm and tender feelings of the so-called "legal principles of social order". When it came to crossing the chasm of strength, it was mostly useless.
The most obvious evidence was the progress of the registration. It was still advancing steadily, forming a densely woven net that tightened one's flesh. This sort of method completely relied on superior resources to crush them. There wasn't the slightest bit of ingenuity, yet it left people helpless.
Truthfully speaking, there was always a bit of buffer space within the crushing of society's resources alone. What truly gave the ability users in Ban City a sense of oppression and suffocation was the sunlight that sprinkled down to every corner of the city.
The sun had already risen to the top of their heads. Its heat and penetrative power continued to rise.
It didn't matter if one was outdoors or indoors. It didn't matter if one was exposed to direct sunlight or hidden in the shadows. The all-pervasive light waves could always permeate the surroundings of people. They carried the tyrannical interference imprint of the Amaterasu Order. They were like demonic eyes floating in the air, radiating a gaze filled with blazing malice.
Yin Le and Snake Tongue were on the bottom deck. For the first time, they felt resentment towards the brilliant lighting design of this area. They had already closed the light baffles of the portholes, isolating them as much as possible from the sunlight. The lights inside were also extinguished to distinguish the direction of the penetrating light.
The entire living room was dusky. The only source of light was the virtual work area.
Subconsciously, Yin Le and Snake Tongue had already stopped conversing. Their body movements grew less and less. They even stopped looking at the constantly refreshing forum messages. They each occupied a different angle, curled up their bodies, and restrained their auras. It was as if they were in a narrow and claustrophobic cage under twenty-four hour surveillance. They were like clay sculptures or wooden statues.
They didn't know whether or not they had already been exposed. In fact, it didn't matter whether they knew or not.
Right now, all responses and all pretenses would become weak and laughable in the face of the chasm that was like a heavenly moat. Frequently coming into contact with existences of that level, they had a corresponding introspection and self-awareness.
Time passed little by little. Snake Tongue's state of mind went from doubt, to disturbance, and then gradually returned to tranquility.
His rich life experience, especially in the past half a year, had already polished a persevering and tenacious heart. She temporarily couldn't understand life and death, but as long as she could survive, no matter how difficult the situation was, it didn't seem to be more torturous than the previous two hundred days.
When one's heart calmed down, one's senses would naturally arise.
The feeling did not originate from the stimulation of the sky barrier, but from the spiritual level. It was almost a natural disturbance, like air currents and water waves.
They had existed since a long time ago, but they were too common, causing people to unconsciously overlook them. Snake Tongue even felt that this wasn't an external stimulus, but rather a subtle and mysterious connection.
At this moment, all external activities were immersed in a high-risk environment, and she was under multiple constraints and restrictions. Moreover, it was not a good time to meditate and cultivate, so her attention was naturally drawn by this subtle connection.
Furthermore, she also discovered that the other end of the 'connection', or rather, a key node, was right beside her. It was on Yin Le, who had also entered a state of silence. This was the so-called "subtle mystery" — once the mind was biased, the "connection" between the two would naturally be strengthened.
On the other side, the eyelids of Yin Le, who had her eyes closed in contemplation, twitched. She opened her eyes to a slit, and her pupils turned slightly to make contact with Snake Tongue's gaze.
This allowed her to further confirm that the connection really did exist, and it was extremely sharp.
Was this a type of mutual telepathy?
It was more or less related to Luo Nan …. When was it established?
What was the point of safety in the current situation?
The thoughts in Snake Tongue's mind couldn't help but grow, but she soon came to a realization. There was no meaning in thinking about these things because she most likely wouldn't obtain an immediate answer. It was clear that although Yin Le sensed it, she was in a state of astonishment.
Just as both sides were probing, contacting, and researching, a telepathic thought suddenly interjected. It was unfamiliar beyond their imaginations, but it had the flavor of familiarity. It was like a drunken stupor and relaxation.
"A new person has entered the BOSS's territory. What's the situation right now?"
The sudden insertion of his will instantly picked up the obscure form and caused the power behind this layer of subtle "connection" to expand with a hum. The increase in energy level brought about a direct feeling, which was the change in "luminosity".
It was like a flash of light in a dark room. It flickered and died, but it was enough for people to see the outline of a scene that exceeded their expectations.
Of course, this was on the mental plane.
Whether it was Yin Le or Snake Tongue, they were both shocked.
In comparison, Yin Le's mental strength was a notch lower. Her habitually suppressed telepathic thought had a clear increase. It was as if a bomb had been set off in a relatively quiet space.
"Who is it!?"
"A pitiful person who works for some BOSS."
Perhaps the other party felt that this explanation was too confusing, so she added, "To put it nicely, I'm like a secretary or a maid. To put it bluntly, I'm like a leashed cat or dog …. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm called Cat Eyes."
When the other party frankly introduced herself, the latent power that had burst forth from the stimulation of their telepathic exchange returned to tranquility. It quickly settled down, just like a flash of light that had been polished and then extinguished.
It was just that after settling down, the flickering embers naturally possessed a certain law.
When Cat Eyes finished introducing herself, the result of the law's guidance had already changed from a quantitative change to a qualitative change. It had accumulated to a meaning of existence that could be sensed by the three female ability users of similar statuses.
This was a relatively meticulous structure, and it possessed an extremely distinct sense of space.
Cat Eyes, Snake Tongue, and Yin Le resided on the mental plane. Their eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and all sorts of other senses, as well as their perception of the external material world, were separated by a layer. Only the mental plane, the law and order that gradually became clear, gradually appeared in a pattern that they could understand. The feeling of the flash of light in the dark room was far too vivid, so much so that the three of them still felt that:
This was a dusky room of unknown size. They maintained a relatively close distance between each other, similar to the type where they stood side by side.
Due to the accumulation of changes in their perception, Snake Tongue and Yin Le weren't able to react in time to Cat Eyes' self-introduction. Only after a few seconds did Yin Le 'speak':
"Cat Eyes? Xia City's Cat Eyes? "
After half a year of in-depth understanding, Yin Le naturally knew that Cat Eyes was a member of Luo Nan's circle of friends. But for them to 'meet' under these circumstances, it seemed that their identities weren't as simple as just friends.
If it was a deeper layer, was she a forbidden zone?
It had to be said that Cat Eyes's attitude gave the three a good start in their interaction.
Under her good example, and of course within Luo Nan's domain, Snake Tongue and Yin Le had no meaning in hiding their identities. Their self-introductions naturally came.
There was a certain awkwardness in this period of time. After all, their identities and positions were more or less contradictory in the public social network of the inner world. However, Cat Eyes didn't nitpick. Whether it was Yin Le, who came from the Bloodflame Order, who was deeply involved in the Sun Jiayi Intermediary Case, or Yin Le, who was once her mortal enemy, Snake Tongue, who was theoretically missing or even dead, she only clicked her tongue twice. She quickly returned to a more realistic level.
"You guys are all in Ban City. What are you helping him do? Work? Daily life? Warm the bed? "
"We're just listening to Mister's arrangements." Yin Le appropriately followed up, allowing the idle chatter to have a relatively smooth relay.
"Things aren't going well now that the Divine Kingdom's Canopy has opened, right?"
"That's true. Is there any news or reaction from Xia City?"
"There's an uproar, but we're just watching the excitement. But looking at your current situation …."
Cat Eyes snorted twice, "Everyone says that the BOSS fought a battle with the Amaterasu Order on the Pacific Ocean. Now that he's overcome his calamity and broken through, he's like a flying bird and a jumping fish. But if that's the case, it doesn't seem to be the case? "
"It's a bit complicated." Yin Le's mood was indeed quite complicated.
"I understand your feelings, but it's the same as before. I really don't understand what in the world is going through someone's mind …."
"His Lordship's previous arrangements were always like this?" Snake Tongue joined in as well. Their telepathic communication was a bit more straightforward than usual.
"Yeah. It's a mess. But in the end, he's always forcefully rescuing the situation, giving people the misconception that he's unfathomable." Cat Eyes was happy to introduce her experiences to these two 'latecomers', even though she didn't really understand the current situation.
In the past, Cat Eyes often borrowed the living starry sky, the large production line, and other similar mental domain structures to launch a long-distance mental link with Luo Nan. But those were relatively abstract mediums. It was like facing the void, crossing unexplainable dimensions.
But in the current situation, it seemed that there was a solid structure that gathered the souls of the three together. It was like ….
Before they could make a clearer judgment, light and shadow appeared within the empty room. Moreover, it formed into a visual image that could be easily understood.
The first thing that appeared was the scenery of a chaotic sky filled with clouds. They could even hear astral winds blowing past, whistling through the air. The sound and color were both present and extremely vivid.
In this special stage, Cat Eyes and the other two quickly thought back to the scene from last night.
Cat Eyes snorted again, "What's going on? A fortress in the clouds, a falling sun, yesterday reappearing? "
Yin Le was probably thinking the same thing.
On the other hand, Snake Tongue's thoughts had an additional layer. Perhaps this was the cloud world that had trapped her for half a year?
As the thoughts of the three deviated, the image that appeared changed.
In the depths of the clouds, rules and laws were vaguely visible within. As the astral winds blew, the surrounding clouds dispersed. However, there were also a few strands of yarn that were entangled with the enormous creation within. Under the interaction of the two, a silhouette was gradually revealed.
"Oh, it really is …."
The scene that appeared before the eyes of the three was clearly a fortress formed from clouds. Even though the background was a vast azure sky, it still towered majestically. Especially its connection to the surrounding clouds. It was as if a cloud that covered the horizon was fluttering and fluttering. The rules were built within, causing the clouds that filled the sky to be immersed in laws even as they unfolded and flew. It was simply like a military line that could be retracted and retracted freely.
In fact, it wasn't just the outer layer. The cloud fortress that served as the base of the image was also constantly changing. Every region in the depths of the condensed, seemingly substantial clump of clouds had minute changes. This was reflected in the basic silhouette. There were also slight adjustments.
After looking at it for a long time, the scale of time became a bit blurry. It was as if they were appreciating the effects of a time-lapse photography. The endless flow of time and the changes of a macroscopic perspective were compressed into a scale that they could understand.
"The special effects are pretty good. I can't see anything deeper than that …."
Cat Eyes' evaluation was basically the consensus of the three.
From the looks of it, the image displayed was still a certain distance from the real world.
It was as if the three of them were in a movie theater, watching the image displayed on an enormous screen. If one were to lower their expectations, it could be considered more realistic. But if one were to use a harsh attitude to evaluate it, there was a barrier called 'reality' between them and the image.
"The boss called us over for the sake of letting everyone watch a movie and relax …. It's also possible that he's teaching us live."
When considering Luo Nan's temperament, as well as the fact that they couldn't relax in Ban City, Cat Eyes' second half of her judgment was quite agreeable.
The three of them were all observing and pondering.
The large screen in front of them was playing what seemed to be a large-scale production, but it still lacked an immersive experience.
It was as if the three of them were sitting in a traditional movie theater. They interacted with each other under the dusky lighting. They could only see the blurry silhouettes of each other, but they were unable to see any further details.
This sort of analogical experience made it easier for them to adapt to their current environment. It allowed their communication to become smoother.
Yin Le shared her new feeling, "It seems like there's something else inside the cloud fortress …."
"Where is it?"
"There's a bloody glow in the middle."
"Is there?"
"There isn't?"
Yin Le was very baffled. Her current mental state was also very baffled.
Her mind was naturally divided into two parts. One part was communicating with people in the movie theater that was neither real nor fake, unable to see through the bewilderment barrier. The other part was stationed in the Abyss District. It was closely connected to the structure of the Bloodsoul Temple in the Abyss District, forming a transparent high-level clairvoyance.
The two parts of her mind didn't conflict. They were both real and real.
Gradually, she could feel the structure of the Bloodsoul Temple in the Abyss District. There existed a rather rhythmic warped undulation. This caused her mind to sway, and she was quite pleasantly surprised.
It was probably because this feeling was very familiar. She would come back to it from time to time in the past half year. According to Mrs. Halder, this was someone's usual experimental method.
The foundation of the Bloodflame Order was essentially nothing more than a set of experimental products for that person.
As the Deputy First Oblatum of the Order, it was actually a bit difficult for Yin Le to adapt to this rhythm. But under the current circumstances, this distortion that affected the foundation of her extraordinary strength was like a gently swaying swing. It brought her along to leisurely sway.
Everything was out of her control, but it was inexplicably safe and secure.
"Mister …"
The thought appeared in the movie theater. Before it could completely take shape, Cat Eyes let out a "whoa" from the side. "There really is one!"
The background of the image of the blue sky and white clouds suddenly had the color of blood spread out. Moreover, it appeared at the center of the mist fortress that Yin Le spoke of.
The newly emerged elements possessed a very strong sense of space. It was as if they had entered another world through a hole in the depths of the mist. There were towering rocks and flowing bloody light. Below it was a hot lake of lava, and above it floated turbid clouds and lightning. It was malevolent and terrifying. It was similar to the demonic realm's ghost prison.
Within the movie theater, one could even hear the muffled sounds of lava boiling and flowing.
Yin Le's mind finally became confused. She couldn't distinguish the relationship between the structure of the Bloodsoul Temple in the Clear Abyss District and the image of the Bloodsoul Temple in front of her. She subconsciously muttered to herself, "The Bloodsoul Temple?"
Before Cat Eyes and Snake Tongue could react to this, a living creature with wings suddenly emerged from the chaotic cluster of clouds. It was accompanied by a long and hoarse cry as it charged out. Its shape was similar to a prehistoric pterosaur. It had a sharp beak, a thin neck, long wings, and a thick tail. Its entire body was featherless and covered in scales.
The most astonishing thing was that these things were actually in groups. When the leader appeared, a dark mass of people followed behind, stacking upon each other. Amidst the clamorous cries, they spat out a large amount of acid. It was like a violent gale and a sudden shower of rain that rolled down.
The cloud was wrapped in acid rain. Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared.
Amidst the crackling sounds of exploding lightning, a group of beetles resembling a black cloud appeared. It was unknown how many thousands or tens of thousands of them buzzed out.
What followed was an absurd amount of meteors that were thrown down. However, halfway through, one could see that each and every one of them had their limbs bunched up. It was difficult to distinguish their stone humanoid forms as they were thrown down towards the bottomless layer of clouds …
And this was just the beginning.
In a few breaths of time, there were countless waves of marvelous creatures that appeared from within the cluster of clouds and lightning. Behind them, there were even man-made flying machines and large mechas rushing out. Occasionally, there would be a few illusory human figures whose faces could not be seen clearly.
They either spiraled in the air, dropped down at high speeds, or attacked each other. They occupied the entire screen of the image.
The three female ability users in the movie theater seemed to be watching an absurd fantasy war film. It also seemed as if they had fallen into some absurd dreamland.
A more rational way of looking at it would be like someone had taken multiple shots and spliced them together into a video work. At the same time, it was presented in this large background.
Not to mention the effects of the editing, just the logic of the shots was enough to make one feel despair.
If one had to find a common point from this mess of images, then it would probably be this: Every image of an existence manifested an Extraordinary power. Moreover, every power seemed to be rather out of the ordinary.
This was especially true for the few illusory human figures that pierced out from the back. Most of them were only wrapped in a single layer of armor. Some of them even wore unlined clothing and were unarmed. Yet, every movement they made pierced through the sky and collapsed the clouds. They roared through the wind and thunder. It was as if they were gods manifesting themselves...
Cough, it should be said that everyone was an Extraordinary.
The image of Cat Eyes in the movie theater very naturally assumed a posture of supporting her chin with her legs crossed. "Your Bloodsoul Temple is actually a summoning class?"
"That's not funny!"
Not to mention the two conversing, Snake Tongue was watching seriously to the side. She was dizzy from watching, but at the same time, she had some strange sensations.
She seemed to be able to hear some sort of noise amidst the unbearably chaotic background noise of the fantasy war film. It was extremely muffled and rather chaotic. Most importantly, she was unable to find a corresponding scene in the movie playing. She practically believed it to be a tinnitus illusion.
But where did the tinnitus come from within the framework of Luo Nan's mental domain?
Once the sensation was born, it was like maggots attached to the bones. It lingered and refused to disperse.
"Did you hear anything?" Cat Eyes suddenly changed the topic.
Snake Tongue could feel that the telepathic connection between the three of them still existed. Some strong thoughts would be sensed by the other two even earlier than the modified thoughts of communication.
The three of them still needed some time to get used to this sort of communication method. It was easier for them to reach a common understanding, realize sharing, and even form a resonance.
Correspondingly, the feeling naturally multiplied.
There was no more conversation after that, but the extra noise that was like maggots attached to the bones grew clearer.
Unknowingly, the thoughts of the three sunk downwards. In this bizarre movie theater, it was tantamount to listening attentively.
Buzz buzz buzz. Boom boom ….
The noise was mixed with Director Luo Nan's special visual effects. There seemed to be a certain rhythm to it. It was quite familiar. But probably because they were quite nervous, the three of them had a mental barrier. They were unable to distinguish it for a time.
In the end, it was Cat Eyes who laughed in spite of herself. She eased the atmosphere. "The viewing environment of this movie theater opened by the BOSS isn't too good …. Huh?"
These words were like a cold blade that had been unsealed. It streaked across the hearts of the three.
"There's someone else?"
It was very normal for there to be other people in the movie theater. But ….
The radiance on the large screen suddenly turned intense, causing the luminosity of the entire movie theater to rise by a notch. It also opened up their field of view.
And so, the three of them had a momentary feeling of confusion.
They were already close to getting used to the movie theater. It was a bit inappropriate.
They really were in a sealed space, and they really were watching a video. But this space was much larger than the movie theater. It was like an enormous stadium …. It was stuffed to the brim.
The problem was that aside from the three of them, the other people were no longer silhouettes or silhouettes. Instead, they were densely packed with turbid smoke.
The smoke itself didn't seem to flow, but it really did exist. And in the deepest depths of the smoke, there seemed to be gloomy flames. They were one after another, and their boundaries could not be seen.
They were like swaying soulfire.
Cat Eyes, Snake Tongue, and Yin Le had a mental interaction once more. Their blood ran cold!
Inside the movie theater …. Even if it was a movie theater, it wasn't just the three of them. There were other people. There were many, many people. They existed in an even more chaotic and fuzzy form.
The additional noise seemed to be the whispers and discussions of these people.
In addition, there was also ….
Clatter clatter clatter!
It was unknown when, but the fine sound of trembling chains had emerged from within the Turbid Mist Soulfire. It rang in their ears, and it was also boundlessly far away.
If one were to carefully experience it, it would seem as though the chains were probing out from the depths of their souls. One end was locked, and the other end was connected. They were connected to a boundless and enormous net of chains.
Every person within the movie theater, regardless of whether they were complete or incomplete, was a tiny node in this enormous net.
"This …"
Cat Eyes clearly recalled the nightmare from a few days ago. This memory was conveniently shared with the other two, and the corresponding emotions were transmitted back.
Her willpower was trembling unconsciously.
The structure before her eyes was becoming more and more different from the movie theater. It was to the point that a more suitable name was given:
An altar. An enormous altar!
An innumerable number of believers surrounded the surroundings, attentively watching the chaotic image in the center … or perhaps it could be called a miracle.
They also offered their souls to the miracle.
The power of the sacrifice transformed into invisible flames that resonated with the miracle on the altar. It provided energy and also refined the images, allowing the gaps to be mended and naturally transition until they became one.
Within the space of the altar, there were millions and millions of souls. The chains connected, sacrificed, and smelted, forming a complete closed loop.
This was no longer a movie. The vivid and lifelike images and inconceivable scenes were merely embroidery that floated on the outer layer of true power. As the power trembled, it seemed to exist in the form of a living being.
As for what the deeper nature of this power was ….
Just below the trembling "embroidery", a ferocious shadow suddenly appeared. Although it was only half a body, one could already see the ugly appearance of a human face, an arachnid body, and six different-colored pupils.
The instant this demonic shadow appeared, the surroundings of the entire altar seemed to be burning with a layer of raging flames. The flames scorched the mind and scattered fear. It was as if all the destructive power within the chaotic image in the center was projected onto the plane of reality.
But it was only as if.
The malevolent demonic shadow arched its body halfway out when a foot stomped heavily on its back.
A complete and familiar silhouette of a human stepped on the arachnid demonic shadow, appearing within the vision of the consciousness of the three clear-headed people.
Luo Nan!
The embroidery of true power trembled even more violently. It was thanks to them that the body of power, which was originally invisible and unfathomable, had vaguely transformed into an enormous cloak.
It encircled Luo Nan's body, conforming to the marvelous rhythm of Luo Nan's existence as it trembled and tumbled. They could only see that Luo Nan was the core of the cloak, but they could not see where it extended to.
Luo Nan created all of this. He dominated all of this. He obtained all of this. He was at the center of the cloak. He was at the center of the altar. He was at the center of the entire system. He controlled and bore the weight of all of this.
Therefore, he naturally became the focal point of everything.
He did not look in any direction. He was like a statue of a god worshiped in a temple, watching over everyone.
Cat Eyes could feel that the other two had already assimilated into the scene. Although they had entered later, they were more receptive to this scene than she was. Perhaps this was how the Luo Nan in their hearts should be?
But she thought about their first meeting a few months ago. She thought about their contact in reality and compared it to the image before her eyes. She subconsciously felt an even more intense tremble.
This bit of emotional reaction was soon drowned in that damned resonance. Perhaps it was precisely because of this resonance that the rhythm of the noise that made one's scalp go numb became even more distinct. In the end, it unified into some sort of hymn. Millions and millions of people chanted in unison.
Cat Eyes chanted along, but the contents of her chant were far too vague. She chanted a bit in a muddled daze. She vaguely felt that the enormous cloak was a bit closer to her. It fluttered and brushed past her face. It flooded her mind, covering her in an unknown layer.
All of the distractions completely receded at this moment. Only the words of praise emerged from the bottom of her heart. They curled up like smoke as they rose unhurriedly:
My heart is a prison, my heart is a furnace;
My heart is a mirror, my heart is a nation;
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