68: Chapter 68 A Negative Breeding Ground and the Newborn Lord

The thunderous boom of the third stone wall crashing down behind him was like the hammer of final judgment, completely cutting off any retreat. Zhang Hao found himself in a vast hall unlike any he had seen before.

The hall was circular, with a high dome that vanished into an indiscernible darkness. The light source did not come from the walls, but from an existence in the center of the hall that defied common logic—a massive pool of water.

The liquid in the pool presented an extremely eerie "multicolored black." Like the shimmering feathers of a crow in the sunlight, it appeared to be pure ink-black at first glance, but upon closer inspection, vivid and sinister colors like red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple constantly refracted and flowed within the deep black base, as if all the colors in the world had been swallowed and merged, ultimately settling into an ultimate darkness that encompassed all colors yet transcended them.

In the very center of this eerie pool, a giant lotus stood quietly. Its stem was submerged in the multicolored black water, and its petals were tightly closed, forming a massive, color-blurred bud. The waves of energy, pulsing like a heartbeat and drawing the energy flow of the entire Haunted House, originated from within this unopened bud, strong and rhythmic.

Just as Zhang Hao stepped into the hall and the stone door fell, a sudden change occurred!

The massive colored bud seemed to be injected with final energy and began to bloom layer by layer at a solemn and slow pace. The unfolding of each petal brought violent ripples to the surrounding energy, with colors flowing and changing across the petal surfaces, emitting a light that made one's heart and Soul sway.

Zhang Hao's muscles tensed up as the [Yin Yang Star Pivot] hovered before him. The Taiji diagram shone brilliantly as it entered a state of maximum alert. Behind him, the Black and White Clown gestured frantically, seemingly wanting to rush forward to stop it, yet fearing the lotus's power. Ultimately, it could only point anxiously at the blooming lotus, the sorrowful crying face on its mask appearing as if it were about to drip ink.

"Silver Star, full scan! Analyze the energy composition and flow!" Zhang Hao commanded urgently in his mind.

The data stream in Silver Star's eyes surged at an unprecedented speed. Combined with Zhang Hao's own integration of information through [Logical Connection] and his keen perception of energy properties via the [Origin Heart-Wall], a startling deduction quickly formed.

"Energy nature confirmed: A highly condensed aggregate of negative spiritual energy."

"Energy flow analysis: Forms a closed-loop circuit with the euphoric emotional field guided by the 'Dreamland' outside."

"Core deduction: 'Dreamland' guides Hosts to indulge in a single, extreme pleasure, causing them to unconsciously shed or making it easier to extract other 'negative' emotions (such as boredom, emptiness, unsatisfied desires, etc.). These shed and dissipated negative emotional energies are being collected and transmitted here through some unknown mechanism, serving as 'nutrients' to nurture the existence at this core!"

Zhang Hao's heart shook violently! So that was it! That seemingly beautiful paradise was actually the "incubator" and "nutrient tank" for this terrifying existence! It used extreme happiness as bait to secretly siphon the power of the other side of human nature!

Finally, the lotus fully bloomed.

In the center of the lotus platform, there were no stamens, but rather seven boiling, tumbling orbs of light, extremely condensed and symbolizing the original flaws and source of negative emotions of humanity!

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—the seven colored orbs of light shot out from the center of the lotus platform as if they were alive, hovering in mid-air.

An unimaginably vast pressure descended with a crash!

This pressure was not pure physical force, but acted directly upon the Soul and the Origin of life! It was the weight of the deepest negative emotions accumulated by humanity since ancient times, a spiritual torrent formed by countless chaotic and distorted fragments of thought, frantically battering Zhang Hao's consciousness and attempting to stir every trace of darkness deep within his heart. Even more terrifying was the life-level suppression contained within, like the vast starry sky crushing a speck of dust, making Zhang Hao feel his Soul trembling and wailing, as if it would be crushed by this absolute "existential hierarchy" in the next moment!

"Analyze... the properties of the light orbs!" Zhang Hao gritted his teeth, enduring the tearing sensation at the Soul level and the physical instinct to kneel, pushing his Talent to its limit.

Under the massive gap in status, his analysis became extremely difficult, like looking at flowers through a fog, only able to capture the most superficial and distinct characteristics:

Red light orb: Energy attribute corresponds to—[Pride].

Orange light orb: Energy attribute corresponds to—[Wrath].

Yellow light orb: Energy attribute corresponds to—[Gluttony].

Green light orb: Energy attribute corresponds to—[Lust].

Cyan light orb: Energy attribute corresponds to—[Envy].

Blue light orb: Energy attribute corresponds to—[Sloth].

Purple light orb: Energy attribute corresponds to—[Greed].

Merely identifying these seven core negative emotional attributes had nearly exhausted his spirit, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back. He understood that he was witnessing the manifestation of an extremely terrifying concept, the birth of a [Dominator] symbolizing [Chaos, Destruction, Nurturing, and Silence], condensed from pure negative human nature!

And at that moment, the [Origin Heart-Wall] core within him, which balanced the powers of order, life, and silence, seemed to be stimulated by this externally massive and pure ocean of negative energy. It began to spin violently and uncontrollably, the Taiji Yin-Yang fish pattern rotating frantically at an unprecedented speed deep within his consciousness!

It wasn't repelling; it was... passively and greedily absorbing!

It was absorbing the negative energy originating from the source of the Seven Deadly Sins that filled the entire hall! Like a container about to burst, it instinctively wanted to accommodate this surging "kindred" power!

"Not good!" Alarm bells rang in Zhang Hao's mind. He could feel his second Talent overloading. This uncontrolled absorption brought not an increase in power, but the immense risk of his own balance being completely shattered, leading toward an unknown collapse!