59: Sophistry by Celebrities: Confusing Concepts and Creating Lich Kings (Part 2)

Snik Shadowclaw was currently plunged into unprecedented panic.

He and the other team members were trapped in a pale corridor that seemed to have no end.

All around was absolute silence; he could not hear his own heartbeat, could not hear his companions' breathing, and even the sound of footsteps seemed to have been swallowed by some force.

He tried to open his mouth to shout, but could not make a sound, only seeing his mouth opening and closing in vain.

He looked at the Moon Elf Rangers and Mipo beside him; they were equally terrified, gesturing with their hands, but they were completely unable to understand each other's meaning.

Magical perception was also cut off; it was as if they had been banished to an absolute void of no sound, no breath, and no magic.

This was Lich Salazar's "Silent Corridor"!

A terrifying Domain constructed using the conceptual rule of "Silence," used to imprison and torment prey.

Despair, like a cold viper, coiled around the heart of every team member.

Just when Snik thought he would surely die here without a sound, a familiar and majestic will, like a lighthouse piercing through the fog, was forcibly injected into his consciousness!

It was the Dominator Lin Zhou!

"Snik, focus your spirit! Listen to me, and then repeat after me!" Lin Zhou's voice rang out directly in his Soul, carrying a power that brooked no doubt, temporarily dispelling his panic.

Snik immediately held his breath and focused (though the concept of breathing did not exist here).

"Now, facing this void, use all of your will to shout the following words!" Lin Zhou directly branded a passage containing the Profound Truth of the School of Names' sophistry into Snik's consciousness.

Although Snik did not fully understand the meaning of these words, he had absolute trust and loyalty toward Lin Zhou.

He gathered all his strength and released a silent roar (a roar of the mind) toward that suffocating silence:

"Since this place is a 'Corridor,' it must have an 'End'!"

"Since there is an 'End,' then it can be reached by 'Movement'!"

"Since we are 'Moving,' how can one speak of 'Silence'?"

"This 'Silence' is not silence; it is the extreme speed of 'Sound,' surpassing perception!"

"Since it is 'Sound,' how can there be 'Stillness'?"

"This is the false realm of 'Great Music makes no sound'!"

"Break!"

This passage was neither an attack nor a defense, but rather a logical challenge and conceptual distortion launched against the very concept of the "Silent Corridor," based on the School of Names' ideas of "Conjoining Differences" and "Separating Hard and White"!

Every word Snik shouted contained the power of the School of Names and Divine Power infused by Lin Zhou, transforming into invisible ripples that struck at the core of the rules of this absolute silent Domain!

Are you not "Silent"? I admit you are "Silent," but I forcibly connect your "Silence" with the "extreme speed of sound," blurring the boundary between "Silence" and "Sound" (Conjoining Differences)!

I question the contradiction of the "Corridor" having no "End," stripping away the attribute of "absolute silence" from "Silence," and defining it as a kind of "inaudible sound" (Separating Hard and White)!

This may seem logically absurd, but on the level of rules, especially for a Domain that exists by relying on specific concepts, this "sophistry" directed at the concept itself could produce unexpected effects!

At the very moment Snik shouted the final word "Break"—

Hum!

The entire "Silent Corridor" shook violently!

That absolute, seemingly eternal dead silence showed its first crack, like a mirror!

Snik suddenly heard his own heartbeat, which sounded like a beating drum!

He heard the rapid breathing of the Moon Elf beside him!

He heard the faint whimpering sound Mipo made out of excitement!

Sound! It had returned!

Although it was still weak, as if separated by a thick layer of glass, that despair-inducing absolute silence had been broken!

"It worked! Dominator! It worked!" Snik shouted in his heart with wild joy.

"Do not stop!" Lin Zhou's voice carried a trace of exhaustion, but was even firmer, "Continue! Question its 'existence'! Question the fact that you are 'trapped'!"

Snik had a flash of inspiration and immediately gathered his will again, shouting toward the space that had recovered a bit of fluctuation:

"Since this 'Corridor' exists, how can it be 'formless'?"

"Since we 'are' here, how can one speak of being 'trapped'?"

"What the eyes see is false, what the heart feels is real!"

"This 'Corridor' is no corridor, but a prison of the heart!"

"My heart is free, where can I not go?"

"Disperse!"

Another piece of sophistry! Confusing the physically existing "Corridor" with the mental concept of a "prison," emphasizing the transcendence of subjective consciousness over the objective environment!

The vibration of the corridor became even more violent! The surrounding pale walls began to become blurry and twisted, as if they would melt into the air at any moment!

The barrier that blocked magic also developed holes, and Snik could feel faint magic flowing within his body again!

"Go! Hurry! Follow the direction where you feel magic!" Snik roared at the team members who could finally hear his voice.

The Moon Elf Rangers immediately relied on their keen perception of energy and pointed in one direction.

The team members burst forth with the potential for survival and ran wildly in that direction!

The "Corridor" behind them collapsed like a sandcastle, rapidly disintegrating and dissipating, revealing once again the temple's original ancient stone walls, covered in dust and spiderwebs.

They had succeeded! Relying on the School of Names' sophistry remotely guided by Lin Zhou, they had forcibly torn open a path to survival from the Lich's rule trap!

However, before they could celebrate, they found themselves having intruded into an even more dangerous area—a circular hall filled with various flickering Arcane runes, with a huge black magic book floating in the center, and several "Arcane Guardians" (LV33) exuding powerful energy fluctuations!

This was clearly the core of the Lich's arcane laboratory!

Meanwhile, in the direction of the main hall, that suffocating dead silence also suddenly disappeared, replaced by Zhao Hao's enraged Dragon roar and Su Yueyao's cold, clear chanting; the battle seemed to have restarted, and it was even more intense!

Clearly, Lin Zhou's act of breaking the "Silent Corridor" with the School of Names' sophistry not only saved the stealth team but also greatly interfered with Lich Salazar's control over its main body, giving the coalition forces in the main hall a chance to catch their breath!

"Ants... how dare you... play with 'concepts'?!"

Lich Salazar's voice, which had originally been full of mockery and majesty, carried a mix of shock and anger for the first time!

It seemed unable to understand how a minor god with Faint Divinity had mastered and utilized this strange power that touched upon the Origin of the rules!

Its attention was instantly and firmly drawn to Lin Zhou's side!

A more terrifying, more concentrated mental pressure, like a mountain, crossed space and pressed down fiercely upon Lin Zhou, who was holding the fork in the road!

"Watch out!" Elwin exclaimed, fully unleashing Vast Righteous Qi, blocking in front of Lin Zhou.

Lin Zhou's complexion, which had just recovered slightly from casting the School of Names' sophistry, turned pale again, but there was no fear in his eyes; instead, a glimmer of light flashed, signifying that his scheme had succeeded.

This was the effect he wanted!

To draw the Lich's attention away from the phylactery and the main battlefield, and onto himself!

To create the final opportunity for the stealth team, and for Zhao Hao and Su Yueyao in the main hall!