Chapter 588
A Feast of Slaughter, A Strong Possessiveness
The bedroom was completely silent.
The curtains completely shut out the noise from the outside world and the dim light from the streetlights.
Fang Cheng sat cross-legged on the bed, his back straight and his eyes closed.
The rhythm of breathing seemed deep and steady, but consciousness was entering another dimension belonging to the spirit.
The familiar furniture outlines and wall textures around me, like sand sculptures scattered by the tide, quickly peeled away and disappeared.
A cool night breeze replaced it, gently brushing against his cheek.
Fang Cheng opened his eyes, his body hovering high in the sky.
At this moment, this place is also shrouded in the deep night.
In the center of the island, the magnificent golden palace stands silently, emitting a faint glow in the darkness.
In a remote corner on the west side of the island, the abandoned mental hospital, which was materialized from his memories, still lay dormant in the shadows.
The undulating mountains, winding rivers, and dense forests all around together create this vast and tranquil world.
As for the heavens above...
Fang Cheng raised his eyes and looked at the distant floating clouds.
The crimson waning moon, which he had forcibly compressed, resembled a narrow, scarlet eye, casting a dark red light upon the earth.
Since the demon mask was completely suppressed and integrated into the inner world, a completely new set of operating rules has been formed.
The originally chaotic and disordered space quietly began to show the phenomenon of alternating day and night.
Light and darkness alternate in a fixed rhythm, and halos and shadows wax and wane in a continuous cycle.
Unbeknownst to them, this inner world had formed a precise synchronization effect with the real world.
"Perhaps this perfectly aligns with the principle of yin and yang complementing each other, and the continuous cycle of life..."
Fang Cheng seemed to understand something.
My gaze slowly swept across the world, taking in this world that presented different facets.
He then landed on a lush green meadow, his brow furrowed slightly.
The moment I stepped into this place, my keen senses detected a hint of excitement.
It was a very peculiar sensation.
If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "subtle".
It was as if a very subtle undercurrent had quietly appeared beneath the originally calm and still lake surface, making it difficult to pinpoint its location.
Could it be that the consciousness of the Lord of Slaughter left behind some hidden danger before being banished?
The thought flashed through my mind, but I quickly suppressed it.
Fang Cheng was not in a hurry. He calmly started walking and strolled around the island that belonged to him.
Bare feet tread on the soft soil, dew condensed on the grass leaves dampening ankles and bringing a near-real coolness.
The night wind blew through the woods, and the leaves rubbed against each other, making a soft "rustling" sound.
Everything appeared so natural and peaceful, without a trace of the deathly stillness and decay that would be infiltrated by evil spirits.
Fang Cheng stopped, looked up, and gazed at the crimson waning moon at the edge of the night sky.
The moment our eyes met, the faint throbbing deep in my mind suddenly became clearer.
This feeling seems to be closely related to the mask.
He turned around following the direction of his senses and walked straight towards the rushing river not far away.
The river water shimmered under the red light, and the sound of flowing water was gentle.
Fang Cheng squatted down on the riverbank and got close to the water.
Two golden flames suddenly ignited deep within the pupils of his eyes.
That was the embodiment of his highly concentrated spiritual power.
Fang Cheng's gaze at that moment was like a high-powered microscope, rapidly magnifying the scene before him.
The originally clear and transparent river water gradually revealed a completely different microscopic world in his vision.
Countless translucent, gelatinous, and uniquely shaped tiny light spots are slowly wriggling and splitting in the liquid.
This is... a microorganism?
Fang Cheng stood up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
It should be understood that no matter how magical this inner world may be, it was originally just a product of his pure martial will.
At most, it can only be considered a projection of the real world into the spiritual realm.
Apart from the fixed rocks and vegetation, there are no other living organisms that can move on their own.
So, where did these suddenly appearing microorganisms come from?
Fang Cheng stood quietly by the riverbank, his mind racing.
If these were a contingency plan left behind by the Lord of Slaughter, they should have carried that nauseating smell of rust and a violent aura.
Fang Cheng shook his head slightly, directly rejecting the guess.
Because he had carefully sensed that these tiny lives emitted the purest and most primal life fluctuations.
In the blink of an eye, an idea flashed through my mind like lightning, breaking through the fog.
The Mask of the Demon - A Feast of Slaughter.
That's right!
Fang Cheng's eyes gleamed, and a flame suddenly flickered within them.
According to the previously displayed information, the core ability of this strange object is to absorb life energy by devouring its prey.
Afterwards, the mask retains half of the energy, while the other half is fed back to the host.
The red liquid creature that had been parasitizing the clown mask and trying to burrow into his brain was completely devoured by the demon mask.
At that time, Fang Cheng did not notice any increase in the amount of true qi stored in his dantian, nor did he feel any rapid improvement in his physical strength.
It turns out that the half of the life energy that was transformed did not affect the physical body at all.
Instead, it directly transcended the physical boundaries and poured into this inner world that was deeply bound to his spirit.
Pure life energy settles and evolves in this world.
Ultimately, these most basic life forms were born in this long river.
To verify his suspicions, Fang Cheng once again turned his gaze to the blood moon high in the sky.
A faint spiritual resonance confirmed his deduction.
The notification about the "Feast of Slaughter" reappeared.
The inner world is truly evolving from a lifeless space of will into a complete world with a cycle of life.
Although it is still very weak, it is only in its embryonic stage.
This is undoubtedly a far-reaching transformation, with unimaginable potential for growth.
Fang Cheng raised his chin, a smile of excitement curving his lips.
He raised his right hand, his palm pointing towards the blood moon high in the sky.
He spread his five fingers, then clenched them tightly.
hum-
The masked will, which had been suppressed, responded instantly, obediently releasing its vast accumulated energy.
Above the island, the air currents began to surge violently, and a gale suddenly arose. The originally thin clouds quickly gathered and thickened, obscuring the starry sky like thick ink.
After a few muffled claps of thunder, a torrential downpour began.
Fang Cheng stood still, letting the rain pour down on his shoulders and face.
The rain wasn't transparent; instead, it glowed with a faint reddish light under the night sky.
Instead of the corrosive feeling of acid rain, it exudes a fresh scent mixed with the fragrance of earth.
He opened his palm and caught a few drops of rain.
Under extreme vision, one can clearly see that tiny life forms are also densely packed within the water droplets.
At this moment, they are being evenly distributed across the vast grasslands, forests, and mountains with the rain, merging into the deepest parts of the soil.
"A single yang cannot produce life, nor can a single yin grow. All things carry yin and embrace yang, and through the interaction of these two energies, harmony is achieved..."
Fang Cheng murmured a Taoist classic, and his previous insights became clearer and more profound.
He strolled casually through the blood-red rain, feeling the land beneath his feet greedily absorbing the life force from the rainwater.
At the same time, a grand picture unfolded in my mind.
Perhaps one day in the future, as the mask devours more prey, it will generate even greater energy in return.
These microorganisms will evolve into insects, then into birds and beasts, and thrive in this mountain forest.
And he is the creator who governs all of this evolution.
This is the power to control a world at will and witness the birth of life.
It is clearly far more shocking and captivating than simply punching someone to kill.
Fang Cheng had a sudden thought.
The storm subsided instantly, and the thick clouds receded like a tide.
He shook off the water droplets, turned and stepped onto the wide obsidian staircase, heading towards the magnificent golden palace.
The heavy palace doors were slowly pushed open, and footsteps echoed in the empty hall, carrying a sense of ethereal holiness.
No lights were lit inside the hall, yet a soft and bright golden light circulated throughout.
The massive load-bearing columns are carved with intricate patterns, and the dome soars into the clouds, as if connecting to the endless void.
Fang Cheng walked straight to the end of the hall and sat down on the large golden throne.
With his back pressed against the chair back, he tilted his head back and gazed at the vast dome of the palace.
A dazzling starry sky slowly rotates.
Countless starlight points are arranged in an orderly manner on the deep sky, as if the real universe has been imprinted here.
Those flickering points of light represent the coordinates of consciousness of the believers who have established a spiritual connection with him.
Fang Cheng's gaze fell on the outer region near the center of the starry sky.
There were two exceptionally bright stars there, which were the coordinates of Lin Chuqiao and the professor's consciousness.
After the last battle where everyone mobilized their spiritual power to fight against the divided spirit of the Lord of Slaughter.
He could clearly perceive that the connection between himself and the two people had become wider and more stable.
Previously, summoning them across spatial barriers required mobilizing immense willpower to forcefully overcome the high-dimensional barrier at the source of their abilities, much like chiseling a hole in solid rock.
Now, those barriers seem to have opened a crack in the door for him.
With minimal effort, he could follow the widened passage to cross a shorter boundary and draw their consciousness into the inner world.
Fang Cheng withdrew his gaze and swept his eyes along the dome towards the edge of the starry sky.
There, a dozen or so extremely faint points of light were scattered about.
They are like the morning star about to disappear at dawn, appearing and disappearing intermittently, flashing at a strange frequency, conveying cryptic signals.
Those are the coordinates of a member who recently joined the Illuminati.
Because they haven't yet established a deep spiritual bond, their connection with Fang Cheng appears distant and extremely unstable.
Fang Cheng stared at the points of light, his gaze gradually becoming deep.
He could see through the light spots, which were all enveloped in a hazy barrier.
That is the protective shell that an extraordinary person with awakened special abilities carries in their subconscious.
Behind this protective shell lies a vast and mysterious unknown entity that grants them abilities and holds their lives in its hands.
In other words, these extraordinary beings, in a sense, are the property of those higher-dimensional consciousnesses, the spiritual nourishment they cultivate.
Upon seeing this, Fang Cheng felt a strong sense of possessiveness welling up inside him.
Since these people have sworn allegiance, joined the organization, become his subordinates, and worked for him.
Then we absolutely cannot allow the imprint of other beings to remain etched deep within their souls!
Of course, besides possessiveness and increasing their own strength, this is also to ensure their absolute loyalty.
For these newcomers whose backgrounds are unclear, it is not only extremely risky to slowly get to know and investigate them in real life, but also extremely energy-consuming.
They directly attacked the source of their consciousness, imitating the way they established a spiritual connection with Lin Chuqiao and the professor, and forcibly invaded their subconscious.
Diminish, or even erase, their original marks, integrate their consciousness into this starry sky, and imprint them with Fang Cheng's mark.
This is the most efficient and permanent solution.
With this in mind, Fang Cheng's gaze began to wander among the dozen or so faint stars.
Finally, his gaze settled on a particularly dim spot of light.
That is the consciousness coordinate of the "Fire Dragon".
Perhaps it was because he had witnessed the horrific scene of the battle at the Silver Wing Tower that he developed an extreme fear in his heart.
In addition, he had bowed his head and begged for his life at the time.
That's why the star's blinking frequency increased slightly, which Fang Cheng keenly noticed.
According to the professor, after waking up, Huolong has been recuperating at the clinic and his recovery is progressing quite well; he is already able to speak.
Fang Cheng hadn't had time to go and interrogate them these past few days because of the special search team's exams.
The original plan was to wait until after the exam, pry the password to the Masked Man's hundreds of millions of overseas deposits from the Fire Dragon, and then decide the other party's fate.
But given the current situation, this decision has become somewhat tricky.
Let him go?
The military is now searching the city like mad dogs. Releasing a survivor who participated in the battle of Silverwing Tower would be tantamount to inviting endless trouble for themselves.
Murder?
It seems that the opponent's considerable combat ability and intelligence value have been wasted once again.
Moreover, he had personally promised that he would spare his life if the other party handed over the password.
Although Fang Cheng was not exactly a saint, he did not want to break the rules he had set for himself unless absolutely necessary.
As his fingertips traced the cold armrests of the throne, a captivating glint flashed in Fang Cheng's eyes.
Now, it seems I have a completely new choice to make.
There's no need to agonize over the dilemma of killing or releasing anymore.
Just like when we linked Lin Chuqiao and the professor's consciousness, we can forcibly invade the depths of the fire dragon's subconscious.
They tore a crack in the opponent's extremely weak mental barrier and forcefully snatched the "ownership" of the fire dragon from the hands of that unknown high-dimensional being!
At that time, Fire Dragon will not only obediently reveal the password, but may also become a loyal and devoted assassin.
Fang Cheng slowly stood up, his sleeves stirring a slight breeze in the quiet hall.
Looking up at the faint star that belonged to the fire dragon, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Then, I'll use you as a test subject! (End of Chapter)