607: Chapter 607 What is Divinity?

This tower was layered and stacked; at times there were spiraling ramps, at other times stairs shooting straight into the tower, and as he walked, there were even upward-moving elevators and escalators—it was simply a motley collection.

Fortunately, this tower wasn't too tall, and with the Heart Demon giving him a lift, he was already nearing the top without having wandered too far.

Otherwise, given the chaotic nature of this patchwork tower, Zhou Yan would have surely gotten himself turned around.

Walking through a space resembling a school hallway, he was now not far from the tower's peak; all he had to do was climb the stairs ahead.

Yet it was here that Zhou Yan discovered his target ahead of time. As for why he was so certain,

The person in front of him was wearing a black mask, yet he could vaguely discern from his features that it was supposed to be himself, only...

"If you want to laugh, go ahead. That Heart Demon should have already prepared you for this."

A youth, similar in age and appearance to Zhou Yan, was currently wearing a black hood and a black mask.

But most of his body was stuffed into a handheld snake-skin bag, with only his head left outside. There were even two pairs of slippers around the bag—a perfect image of a Sphinx-Jiahao.

He really almost couldn't hold it in. He had thought he would be facing a boss upon reaching the peak, but who would have expected to encounter the boss before reaching the top, and for that boss to be Jiahao from the next class?

Zhou Yan's eyebrows twitched wildly, and he pressed his lips together tightly.

"Do you want me to let you out first?"

The Jiahao in the bag just looked at him coldly, which sent a chill through Zhou Yan's heart.

He had seen this look before, right in the two-dimensional mini-theater staged by the Heart Demon; this was Xiao Zhi's gaze.

"If you are willing to trust me, you can take off the mask on my face; I don't really like it."

"As for completely liberating me, that won't be necessary."

"Whether it is you or that Heart Demon, as long as you want to act against me, I will be manifested. Once I have a physical form, this thing naturally won't be able to trap me."

"And without a physical form, this won't affect me either."

Zhou Yan didn't say anything, just stepped forward and took off his mask.

Through the materialization mentioned by the person in front of him and the actions of the Heart Demon, he had roughly sorted out the situation.

If Zhou Yan hadn't guessed wrong, this guy should be his so-called Divinity. It's just that here, the other party was like a boss that needed to be activated.

His Heart Demon had likely encountered him and, knowing it was no match, took advantage of the fact that he hadn't activated yet to prank him, stuffing his model into a plastic bag.

If there had been a chance to win after exchanging a few moves, it would have only chosen to set traps, rather than these flashy but impractical things.

Watching Jiahao, who stopped speaking after having his mask removed, Zhou Yan felt a bit restless.

Previously, he had found the other party's state somewhat funny, but now he didn't know how to communicate.

Rubbing his hands, Zhou Yan spoke first.

"The Heart Demon told me to come find you, so what exactly are you?"

"Are you Divinity, and is he my Animality?"

"Stop."

"What?"

"I said stop."

Jiahao tilted his head, his eyes full of wisdom.

"The moment you opened your mouth, I already discovered three mistakes."

"First, you believe whatever the Heart Demon says; is it still a Heart Demon then?"

"Although you being able to come here shows that the Heart Demon didn't lie to you for the most part, it is a Heart Demon after all. Between truth and falsehood, guiding you is its forte."

Before Zhou Yan could speak, Jiahao spoke first.

"Next, you will say, 'What do you mean?'"

"What do you mean?"

"Holy crap?"

Seeing Zhou Yan shocked by being interrupted, Jiahao curled his lips into a wicked smile and continued with a look of wisdom.

"This is your second mistake; here, you are too easy to understand."

"You have always thought of yourself as the master, but you are wrong; here, you are the outsider."

"You can leave at any time, or even never come back like a coward, and it wouldn't matter, but we will always be here."

Zhou Yan kept his mouth open the whole time, feeling more and more that this was the real Jiahao; it was no wonder the Heart Demon had paired him up like this.

Jiahao was not the Heart Demon, so of course he didn't know what Zhou Yan was thinking, and just continued on his own.

"The last question: what is Divinity."

"Divinity, you can call me that, but Divinity is not singular. It is bound to the other two natures, and the three often travel together, inseparable from one another."

"Therefore, the me before you is inherently the manifestation of all three natures together. It's just that I am currently dominant, so Humanity and Animality have been tucked away."

"That Heart Demon probably told you something, deliberately guiding you to believe that it is Animality or something."

"In reality, it is nothing; it is just a passerby."

After finishing, Divinity didn't forget to tease him a couple of times.

"Did you not even understand me before coming here? Truly foolish. If I were a foe and not a friend, what would you do then?"

"I think my words have already touched your soul. If you still want to understand something, then fight me; otherwise, leave."

"Wait, aren't you Divinity?"

"How did you change your face in a second and want to fight? Shouldn't we be discussing the Dao?"

"Either fight or leave, otherwise you will only be taken advantage of by the Heart Demon."

"Think about what I said; are you sure you want to discuss the Dao with me here?"

Divinity seemed like a different person, becoming aggressive overall; no matter what, he was unwilling to say more and only sought a battle.

Helpless, Zhou Yan could only agree, then picked up the snake-skin bag and went upstairs.

If the other party became a boss, fighting at the top of the tower was better than in this narrow place. If he were blocked by the other party, challenging him again would be a hassle.

Five minutes later.

Zhou Yan landed in a perfect parabola, looking incredibly disheveled.

"Ahhh!"

"Alright, stop howling."

Hearing the familiar voice, Zhou Yan opened his eyes and realized he had been caught by the Heart Demon, feeling a bit awkward.

"Ahem, isn't it like this when you step into thin air in a dream? You should be able to understand."

The Heart Demon didn't say much, just set Zhou Yan down and patted his shoulder.

"How was it?" The voice suddenly became ethereal, and the scene in front of Zhou Yan changed, returning to the moment when Xiao Ai was pointing her finger at his brow.

Zhou Yan looked at Xiao Ai, then pinched his own face.

"No need to doubt it, you have truly returned."

"Usually, when a Cultivator probes their own inner heart, the time is typically not long. You are the first to stay for so long on the first try. Now, do you understand where your ailment lies?"

Xiao Ai withdrew its hand, waiting for Zhou Yan to describe it himself, and Zhou Yan, like a patient, gave a rough account of the situation he had encountered.

Of course, a patient's words are not trustworthy; Zhou Yan didn't say the vast majority of it, only summarizing it in his own words, but Xiao Ai seemed to have been prepared.

"The summary regarding the three natures was something I pre-loaded into the depths of your heart, so everything you saw and heard was shaped by the truest version of you."

"Even I only know that your three natures are unbalanced, but I don't understand how specifically they are unbalanced; after all, different people have different understandings of the three natures."

"Are you going to help me treat it?"

Hearing Zhou Yan's words, Xiao Ai put on a smiling face.

"Treating this kind of ailment comes at a great cost, and the consequences are not small. You should still have many things to do right now, right?"

"When you want to be treated, just come and see me again; you know how to see me."

Zhou Yan had been a bit confused just a moment ago, but now he had become clear-headed, and he looked at Xiao Ai with a bashful expression.

"Isn't there any dignified way? Do I have to find a member of the opposite sex to... you know."

"Huh?" Xiao Ai was rare in being stunned, and said, "What 'you know'? Isn't it enough to call for me in your heart?"

After speaking, Xiao Ai witnessed the birth of a hot chili pepper.