Chapter 479: Chapter 479 Wasteland Part (41)_1 Chapter 479: Chapter 479 Wasteland Part (41)_1 “Wait a minute, I’m really not joking!”
When Fu Qian pinched Ji Yicheng’s head and lifted him up, Ji Yicheng’s fear almost became tangible.
Although he wasn’t sure why, that horrific impact had directly plunged him into a state of chaos, causing him to lose several abilities.
While this didn’t mean he had completely lost his fighting capacity, Fu Qian’s performance along the way had utterly stripped him of the courage to fight to the death. All he wanted was to grasp at the last straw that could save his life.
“Believe me, Ailina is right here in these ruins!”
“And I can feel it; her mental state is extremely unstable. If you kill me, there’ll be no one left to help her.”
“Is that so?”
Fu Qian didn’t look at him but instead cast his gaze back at the empty room behind him, contemplative.
Perhaps it was because there had been a recent outburst, but the oppressive feeling of being cleansed seemed to have weakened a bit.
But without a doubt, that one had not yet left the place.
And if his previous guess held true, to complete his task, it was highly likely he would need to deal with the hidden pregnant angel, a being of a rank sufficient to suppress a demigod.
One had to admit, it was quite troublesome.
“Then lead the way and let’s have a look!”
During his musings, Fu Qian tossed Ji Yicheng to the ground, signaling for him to lead the way ahead, appearing totally unconcerned about the possibility of his escape.
Unfortunately, having been slapped down from a state of extreme confidence into the dirt, Ji Yicheng had completely lost any courage in that regard.
Even to convince Fu Qian of his worth, he strained to keep himself in shape, hoping to make the situation seem a bit better.
Despite his efforts, his appearance was still cause for concern.
At the moment, his bloated body was constantly sprouting feathers, even on his armor.
The feathers were pure white and unblemished, but the sight of them squirming out was strangely disgusting.
And as they fell off continually after emerging, his path was marked by a trail on the ground.
“Wait here, you stand right there.”
The two of them, one in front and one behind, quickly returned to the Mirror Hall.
Looking up at the broken cocoon overhead, Fu Qian signaled for Ji Yicheng to stand in front of the huge mirror.
Although he didn’t understand what Fu Qian was trying to do, Ji Yicheng did so warily.
It was indeed stable.
Fu Qian scrutinized the reflection in the mirror attentively.
Just like before, Ji Yicheng’s image in the mirror remained clear, indicating that the recent trauma hadn’t caused any fundamental change to him.
Fu Qian turned his head and looked at himself; it was still the chaotic flesh and blood, flickering patches of color, and entangled, illusory images.
At one moment, Fu Qian seemed to grasp the important point he had just noticed.
“You mentioned before that you could see everyone’s fallen shadow, so what do I look like in your eyes?” Fu Qian asked, looking at Ji Yicheng.
“Apart from the physical body, there’s also an overlaid illusory spirit body, in a state of constant change,” Ji Yicheng replied deftly.
It resembled what he himself had seen in the mirror.
“Very well,” Fu Qian nodded and, after thinking for a while, asked another question.
“When you first came here, what did your reflection in the mirror look like?”
“Definitely different from now, because back then I had used the Ash Descending Ability,” Ji Yicheng answered promptly.
“Being in a state somewhat akin to a spirit body already, my reflection also seemed a bit ghostly and overlapped. But soon, I recognized my true self from its outline, and the confusion also disappeared.”
Outline, recognition.
A spark of insight flashed in Fu Qian’s mind, and he finally realized what he had just become aware of.
“Cognitive misalignment,” he exhaled and muttered to himself.
He thought of a possible way to forge a covenant – treating the fallen shadow as the true self while denying the original self.
Entering the mirror’s range, observing one’s reflection, was the same for everyone.
Yet only Ji Yicheng had unwittingly completed the covenant. The problem indeed seemed to lie in his unique state.
But it wasn’t the Ash Descending state that had directly granted him recognition, for he had said earlier that initially, the reflection was also somewhat chaotic.
“`
At that moment, he made a movement, completing the final step.
The movement was to ascertain which reflection in the mirror was his own.
Others, upon seeing their reflections in the mirror, would never consider a phantom their real self amidst all the fleshly chaos.
But Ji Yicheng was different; he naturally regarded his own spirit as his essence and accepted it without doubt.
Though called an “angel”, this pact really was a bit sinister!
“What do you mean?”
Ji Yicheng, standing beside him, clearly did not understand.
But if that were the case, it would make sense.
Fu Qian ignored him, his thoughts turning to Lorin, who was presumably in trouble.
Unlike transforming into a spirit, a misalignment of perception could be something anyone could experience.
As long as they were in an abnormal state.
However, why she had strengthened to such an exaggerated degree, there were no answers yet.
“Let’s go!”
Without explaining anything to Ji Yicheng, Fu Qian signaled for him to continue leading the way.
Ji Yicheng was evidently confused but ultimately did not dare to ask any questions.
…
What they didn’t expect was that the path being taken was still the same old one.
Soon, one after the other, they arrived again at the hall filled with stone columns.
And inside the hall, there were unexpectedly two people.
Ailina sat in silence, looking down at her hands.
And the long-missed Cross stood still, holding the Edge Hammer, like a statue beside her.
As Fu Qian and company entered, Ailina seemed startled and was the first to look up.
“Hello.”
Ailina stood up, greeted them impeccably, her eyes shining with an eerie exuberance.
“Mr. Fu, it is indeed you.”
“I should have thought of it earlier…”
After Fu Qian had removed his mask earlier and had not put it back on, she finally recognized him.
As she spoke, Cross beside her didn’t say a word, just gazed straight over here.
Seeing them like this, one couldn’t help but recall the first time they met.
“Did Tieer bring you here?”
“How did you know?”
Before Ailina could respond, Cross asked.
It was simple.
Fu Qian thought to himself.
After rescuing Tieer earlier, with his personality, although he most likely wouldn’t lie, he could still tell only half the truth.
He was by their side, trying to persuade the young adventurers to return; Fu Qian still believed that much.
But to say he made a special trip here, risking his life, that reason still seemed too weak.
Now, thinking back, it was probably Ailina who left here and brought Cross to find Tieer for help, asking him to bring them both in, which the weapon in Cross’s possession also somewhat affirmed.
Clearly, the previous experience here made her feel it might benefit Cross’s condition.
Indeed, the fact proved she had some reasonable judgment; Cross seemed to be in stable condition at the moment, probably due to the influence of the ancient ruins underground.
As for why they sought Tieer’s help, it was quite simple: both were in very poor condition at the moment, probably lacking even the ability to cross the swamp.
“You can see her condition,”
Finally, Ji Yicheng found an opportunity to speak.
“I can help, and I can prove it to you right now.”
Even though he still didn’t trust Mr. Fu’s credibility, he no longer had the nerve to demand payment up front.
“No need.”
Unexpectedly, even with such a sincere offer, Fu Qian still declined.
“`