116: Chapter 116 The Truth Behind the Crack in the Door

No, it was spherical.

It was no more than ten zhang in diameter, resembling a giant, hollowed-out eyeball.

The walls were not rock, but some kind of dark silver material with a texture between metal and glaze, eerily smooth, without even a speck of dust or a drop of water stain.

Clean.

Too clean.

The disheveled figures of Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai were perfectly reflected by the walls; their clothes were tattered, stained with blood, and their hair was as messy as if they had just crawled out of a garbage dump.

Shen Xiao glanced at his reflection, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

It was pathetic, but at least they were still alive.

Survival is victory.

His Silver Pattern perception spread out almost the moment he landed, like countless invisible tentacles, frantically licking every inch of this spherical space.

The result made his heart sink.

There was no exit.

No doors, no windows, no secret passages, nothing resembling a "mechanism" or "passage."

This space was like a completely sealed container; the only opening was the stone door behind them that had already slammed shut.

And on the other side of the stone door were over thirty three-zhang-tall metal Puppets.

"Damn it..."

Shen Xiao cursed in a low voice, his voice echoing eerily in the spherical space. "Trapped like rats in a jar."

He was no turtle.

But the current situation was not much different.

"Hum..."

A faint, almost imperceptible light lit up from the very center of the spherical space.

Shen Xiao looked up abruptly.

His Silver Pattern perception locked onto that position at the same moment; a ball of light was floating there.

It was not a Light Cocoon.

Or rather, it had once been a Light Cocoon, but it was shattered now.

That ball of light was a size larger than the cunning "guide" outside, but its light was dim to the extreme, like a dying candle running out of oil.

The surface of the light mass was covered in fine cracks, like a piece of porcelain that had been shattered and barely pieced back together, ready to disintegrate completely at any moment.

And inside that shattered ball of light.

Shen Xiao's pupils contracted sharply.

A phantom image.

A nearly transparent, curled-up phantom.

Its face and outline were unclear; one could only barely distinguish that it was a "humanoid" existence, arms wrapped around its knees, head buried deep in the crook of its arms, in a posture like a child who had been cowering in endless darkness for too long.

"This is..."

Xia Lengbai's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling.

She had seen it too.

The shattered ball of light, the transparent phantom, and...

"Hum!"

The Light Cocoon that had been "leading the way" in the hall earlier was now hovering beside the shattered light mass.

Its light no longer pulsed or flickered, but instead presented a dull, oppressive stability.

His Silver Pattern perception captured the emotions being transmitted from that Light Cocoon.

Sorrow.

Anger.

And a kind of... bone-deep powerlessness.

"Bang!"

Behind them, a dull, loud thud came from the stone door.

The impact of the Puppets.

But after the sound was blocked by the heavy stone door, it became distant and dull, like an unreal roar from another world.

Following that was the second, then the third... The rhythmic thuds became increasingly regular, like some ancient, cruel drumbeat.

Shen Xiao did not turn back.

His attention was entirely focused on that shattered ball of light.

His Silver Pattern perception approached cautiously, as if testing a wounded beast; he dared not be too aggressive, but he could not abandon the investigation either.

The moment the tactile feedback returned, Shen Xiao's heart skipped a beat.

That shattered ball of light... was "speaking."

It was not the fragmented, intermittent thought shards of the Light Cocoon, but a complete, albeit weak, yet exceptionally clear information stream.

"You... have finally arrived."

The "voice" of the consciousness was very light, carrying a hoarseness and exhaustion after ten thousand years of silence, like a prisoner trapped at the bottom of an abyss, finally waiting for the first glimmer of light that might bring hope.

"We... have waited too long... too long..."

Shen Xiao's Silver Pattern trembled slightly.

He did not respond, but instead processed it rapidly in his mind; the quality of this consciousness was far superior to any information transmitted by the Light Cocoon before.

If the Light Cocoon's consciousness was a broken "signal," then what this shattered light mass transmitted was a complete "broadcast."

"Be careful."

He whispered to Xia Lengbai, "This thing is far more 'Advanced' than the one outside."

Xia Lengbai did not reply.

She clutched her chest, staring at the shattered light, her eyes filled with a complex mix of vigilance and curiosity.

The shattered light mass seemed to sense her gaze, and the stream of consciousness turned slightly.

"You..."

It "looked" at Xia Lengbai, "You have a 'Void' inside you."

It was not a question, but a statement.

"A loophole of the Heavenly Dao."

It continued to transmit its consciousness, "A scar left behind after being... plundered. We... are too familiar with it."

Shen Xiao's heart grew cold.

This thing knew about "plundering"?

"We are 'Holders'."

In the consciousness of the shattered light mass, a trace of bitter self-mockery emerged, "In the ancient era, we were the ones who signed contracts with the 'Order Agreement.' We tried to peek at... the full picture of the threads of fate, trying to correct those... unreasonable 'settings'."

Some fragmented images flashed through the consciousness.

Blurred figures standing above the galaxy, holding some kind of glowing "contract."

Countless threads of fate unfolded before them like a giant spider web, and they tried to reach out and touch those nodes that "should not be touched."

Then... darkness. Punishment. Stripping.

"We violated the taboo."

The consciousness of the shattered light mass became heavy, "The Order Agreement... no, later it renamed itself 'Heavenly Dao'... It stripped away most of our strength and memories and imprisoned us here. We became the 'energy source' of the ruins, became 'a part' of the test."

It paused for a moment, as if gathering strength.

"Day after day... year after year... waiting for the 'qualified successor' who might never come... or... the 'liberator'."

Shen Xiao was silent for a moment.

He understood.

This shattered light was a pioneer from the ancient era who tried to oppose the "Heavenly Dao."

They failed, were imprisoned here, and became part of these ruins, being both the "energy source" and the "gatekeeper."

And those mechanical Puppets outside, as well as those "Echoes" twisted and polluted by the "Heavenly Dao"...

"You are not here to take away the power..."

The consciousness of the shattered light mass surged again, "sweeping" over Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai.

Its "gaze" lingered for a moment on the "Void" in Xia Lengbai's chest, then turned to the Silver Pattern inside Shen Xiao's body.

"You are 'variables'." In its consciousness, a trace of realization emerged, along with deeper despair, "You are the chaos outside the chessboard. An existence the Heavenly Dao did not foresee."

Shen Xiao's heart stirred, but his face remained calm.

"But you are too weak." The consciousness of the shattered light mass suddenly became sharp, "Especially you."

It "pointed" at Shen Xiao.

"The backlash of the Silver Pattern is reaching its limit, isn't it?"

Shen Xiao's Silver Pattern perception froze abruptly.

He did not speak, but his Silver Pattern quietly retracted further, withdrawing from the walls, the ground, and the air, maintaining only the minimum protective layer on his body surface.

The shattered light mass "saw" through him.

"Your 'System' is desperately overdrawing your life Origin to maintain itself."

Its consciousness carried a sense of pity, "You think it is a Golden Finger, a cheat code, the capital to defy Heaven and change your fate... but in reality, it is just a more precise cage."

"It is feeding you, and it is also devouring you."

Shen Xiao's pupils contracted slightly.

He heard it.

Deep in his Sea of Consciousness, the [Destiny Plunderer] System emitted a barely audible tremor; it was not a warning, not a prompt, but a kind of... silence after being hit in its weak spot.

"Shen Xiao."

Xia Lengbai's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of worry.

"It's fine."

Shen Xiao replied without turning his head, his gaze still fixed on the shattered light, "Continue."

A trace of admiration flashed in the consciousness of the shattered light mass, or rather, a trace of sentiment about "a dying man who remains calm."

"Those... 'Echoes' outside."

Xia Lengbai suddenly spoke, "What are they?"

Her voice was very light, yet it sounded exceptionally clear in the spherical space.

"Are they also your companions?"

The shattered light mass trembled violently.

His Silver Pattern perception captured the emotion being transmitted from that ball of light, like a volcanic eruption.

Fear.

Hatred.

And a kind of bone-deep... sorrow.

"No."

Its consciousness became intermittent and painful, "Not companions... never..."

"They are failed products."

"They are 'mad dogs' released back to gnaw on us after being polluted and twisted by the 'Heavenly Dao'."

Some even more fragmented images flashed through the consciousness...

Former companions dragged into the darkness.

By the time they came out, they were unrecognizable.

There was no longer any reason in their eyes, only a frantic hunger, and... an instinctive craving for "loopholes."

"They are also... prepared for the 'Child of Destiny'."

In the consciousness of the shattered light mass, a self-mocking sneer emerged, "Whetstones... and one of the sources of nourishment."

Shen Xiao's heart shuddered.

Lin Yun.

Those "Echoes," were they also "Opportunities" prepared for Lin Yun?

"Child of Destiny" would not only harvest the emotions and lives of "supporting characters," but also devour these polluted and twisted ancient existences?

"Your 'Child of Destiny'..." the consciousness of the shattered light mass became weak, "is just a... Gu King cultivated by the Heavenly Dao. And all supporting characters, all prisoners, all forgotten Souls... are feed for him."

"In the end, he will become the most perfect 'fruit'."

"And then... be devoured by the Heavenly Dao."

Shen Xiao's fists clenched quietly.

He had long known that the "Child of Destiny" was nothing but a pawn of the Heavenly Dao, but the metaphor of the "Gu King" still sent a chill down his spine.

Lin Yun thought he was the protagonist.

Thought he was defying Heaven and changing his fate.

But in reality, he was just the fattest pig being kept in captivity.

"Listen."

The consciousness of the shattered light mass suddenly became urgent, as if burning its last strength, "I don't have time..."

"You need to get out."

"But the exit... is sealed. That door cannot be opened from the outside, and from the inside... it also requires 'permission'."

Shen Xiao's heart sank.

Trapped to death?

"No."

In the consciousness of the shattered light mass, a trace of determination emerged, "There is... one last way."

"I... still have a little bit of 'permission' left."

"I can tear open a temporary rift. A passage... not fully monitored by the 'Heavenly Dao'."

Shen Xiao narrowed his eyes, "The price?"

The shattered light mass was silent for a moment.

"The price is... me."

Its consciousness became extremely calm, "Consuming my last bit of 'permission' means... I will completely dissipate."

"And..."

It paused, "After you go out, you will be marked by the 'Heavenly Dao' as 'Highest Clearance Sequence'."

"From now on, the pursuit of the Heavenly Dao will no longer be small-scale skirmishes like 'supporting character fate,' but... all-out deployment."

Shen Xiao did not speak.

His gaze swept over the shattered light, over the Light Cocoon, over the transparent phantom curled up in the light.

"And..."

In the consciousness of the shattered light mass, a trace of bitterness emerged, "The rift is unstable."

"You might fall directly into... a 'Polluted Zone'."

"Or... an 'Echoes' nest."

Shen Xiao's Silver Pattern perception captured the last fragment of information transmitted from the shattered light mass; it was a vague coordinate fragment, intermittent, yet faintly pointing to a distant direction.

Deep in his Sea of Consciousness, the [Destiny Plunderer] System emitted a faint tremor.

Not a mission prompt.

But a kind of... resonance as if encountering "residual data of the same kind."

The analysis progress Advanced by one notch.

"Bang—bang—bang—"

On the other side of the stone door, the impact sound of the Puppets became increasingly regular and clear.

Shen Xiao looked up at the shattered light that was about to dissipate.

"Start."

He did not hesitate.