Gates of the Myriad Realms Chapter 493

The young girl opened her eyes.

“Awake?”

“Mhm.”

“Are your injuries feeling any better?”

“They haven’t worsened; healing will still take time.”

“Oh, then, would you like to eat something?”

A fire burned in the cave.

A cauldron, filled with instant noodles, hung over the fire.

Shen Ye asked, unsure if she would eat.

The young girl rose from the stone platform, watched the cauldron for a moment, then looked at Shen Ye.

“How long was I asleep?”

“Just two hours.”

“…I was sleeping too soundly. Nothing happened, right?” The young girl rose and sat down beside Shen Ye, barefoot.

“Nothing happened, everything’s normal,” Shen Ye said.

He used chopsticks to pick up noodles, filled two bowls, handed one to the young girl, and kept the other for himself.

“Although I don’t know what happened to you, I suggest we go back, back to the city.”

Shen Ye said.

“Why?” The young girl looked at him.

“There are some good healers in the city who should be able to help you recover quickly,” Shen Ye said.

The young girl averted her gaze, looking at the bowl of soup in front of her, and whispered:

“They can’t cure me; I need a different method to recover.”

“Can I help?” Shen Ye asked.

“No—but thank you anyway. Have you memorized everything I told you to?” the young girl asked.

“Mhm,” Shen Ye replied, lowering his head to eat his noodles.

The young girl watched him silently.

He seemed ravenously hungry, devouring the noodles and even drinking all the soup in the bowl.

“What are you looking at me for?”

Shen Ye put down his bowl and asked curiously.

The young girl then lowered her eyes to look at her hands.

Hands.

With just a slight movement, she could harvest the life of this young man.

Her injuries were now under control.

It wouldn’t be a problem even if the dragon race came looking for her again.

—There was no need for a mortal to know that ultimate secret.

Kill him.

One breath.

Two breaths.

The young girl raised her hand, picked up the soup bowl, used her chopsticks to take a few noodles, and slowly ate them.

She ate faster and faster, and in a moment, the noodles were gone.

She, too, drank all the soup.

However, the intake of energy was too little.

Almost imperceptible.

“I didn’t expect… you would stand up.”

The young girl put down her bowl and sighed.

To be honest, when she first started screening humans, she hadn’t held out much hope.

Given human nature, she would never gain their trust, no matter what.

The stronger the human, the less trustworthy.

Now, though—

This human, in her most vulnerable moment, had not betrayed her.

This was an invaluable point.

As for strength, she could think of other ways to improve quickly.

From both a time and efficiency perspective, there was no need to go through the lengthy process of screening again.

He was the one.

“I need to find a way to heal my injuries; you should return to the city first.”

The young girl said.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to call a healer?” Shen Ye asked.

“No, I have special secret arts,” the young girl shook her head and said.

Shen Ye immediately sensed her meaning and stopped asking questions.

The young girl cast him one last glance, then her form swiftly shot out of the cave, instantly transforming into a tiny black speck fading into the distant horizon of the wilderness.

She left.

Su Rong’s voice immediately sounded:

“Her injuries are quite severe. She’ll need to go on a rampage in the wilderness to absorb enough energy to fully heal her body.”

“So, she won’t be back for a while,” Shen Ye said.

“Correct,” Su Rong said.

“Then I should also seize the moment.”

Shen Ye left the cave and flew towards the city.

—In fact, the cave was located on a mountain dozens of miles south of the city, not far and quite safe.

He flew straight back to his home.

His parents were still at work.

Given their strength and status, they had no contact with things like arena matches, so they wouldn’t worry about Shen Ye.

Shen Ye returned to his room, locked the door, drew the curtains, and then raised his hand, low chanting—

“Door.”

The Gate to Heaven silently appeared.

“Where is she?” Shen Ye asked.

“In the wilderness—she’s going deeper and deeper, seemingly enraged by the assassination and seeking serious revenge.”

Su Rong’s voice sounded again.

Shen Ye nodded, temporarily relieved, pushed open the door, and in an instant, appeared in the nightmare world.

This was the border between the human and undead territories.

Previously, human legions were stationed here.

Now, the legions had withdrawn.

Only one or two patrol teams remained.

Shen Ye stood atop a large tree, surveyed the surroundings, then spoke:

“Su Rong, keep an eye on the Parasitic Empress.”

“From now on, you don’t need to follow me.”

“What about you?” Su Rong asked.

“I need to verify a secret, a secret that is not suitable for anyone to know about for now,” Shen Ye said.

“Then wear this,” Su Rong said.

The void flickered, and an amber pendant appeared before Shen Ye.

“??? A pendant.”

“From a girl you know; she has a unique perspective on premonition and the future.”

The glowing small print retracted.

“What is this?” Shen Ye asked, surprised.

“It’s from Chatelet’s alters, left to you by Pe’a Suo, who said if you ever decide to investigate any secret alone, you should wear it.”

Su Rong exhaled a sigh of relief. “She said this matter was extremely important and instructed me to give it to you upon your return, ensuring nothing went wrong.”

“At last, I can fulfill that duty.”

“I see,” Shen Ye said.

He took the pendant and hung it around his neck.

—What was Chatelet busy with?

Why hadn’t she come to see him?

Shen Ye was about to ask, but Su Rong’s presence had already vanished.

—She had gone to the other side of the world to observe the movements of the Parasitic Empress.

Shen Ye shook his head, then soared through the air, lightly landing on a position.

This was the first place he had ever been.

—There was once a secret passage in that bunker.

Back then, the Big Skeleton had hidden there.

Shen Ye, familiar with the route, easily found the bunker’s location and walked all the way to its end.

The secret passage was already sealed.

No matter.

With a few casual slashes, the path was cleared.

Shen Ye re-entered, speaking:

“Big Skeleton, do you still remember this place?”

No response.

In his Dharma Aspect, the soul fire on the tombstone had completely withdrawn.

It seemed to be in a death-like slumber, accumulating power intensely, preparing for rebirth.

So be it.

At this moment, he was alone here.

It was a good opportunity.

“Door.”

He whispered.

A Gate to Heaven appeared silently.

A faint light then emerged:

“You have set the obstacle between reality and nightmare.”

“Entering the Gate to Heaven now will allow you to cross this obstacle.”

Shen Ye took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and tried to calm himself.

After entering the door, would he arrive at the death planet, or would he reach the true “reality”?

The moment to verify the answer had arrived.

Shen Ye pushed open the door and stepped in.

…

Ding-a-ling!

The alarm clock rang.

*Pat.*

Shen Ye subconsciously reached out and pressed the alarm.

The room returned to silence.

He, however, jumped out of bed and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

The room was only about twenty square meters.

A computer sat on the desk.

His briefcase was on the chair.

Clean clothes hung in the corner, still not dry.

Luckily, the clothes he wore yesterday were still clean and he hadn’t sweat much, so he could wear them to work today.

It was already the end of the month, and payday was coming.

People say good companies pay at the beginning of the month, average companies pay in the middle, and only the worst companies pay at the end.

He worked in sales for a terrible company.

Forget it.

Just trying to make a living.

Shen Ye yawned, scratched his head, and got up to wash.

He hadn’t slept well.

His head felt fuzzy.

It seemed like…

He had a dream.

Shen Ye turned on the faucet, cupping his hands and splashing cold water on his face.

It seemed like a very long dream.

But as soon as he woke up, it became very vague and distant.

There seemed to be many people in the dream, and many things happened.

Something about the universe.

But when he tried to think about it, he couldn’t remember.

Forget it.

He needed to get ready and go to work quickly.

He also needed to rush to buy breakfast.

It wasn’t good for his health to go hungry in the morning.

Shen Ye’s thoughts drifted aimlessly.

Ding, ding, dang—

A faint tapping sound echoed in his ears.

He turned off the faucet, looked down, and found a pendant hanging around his neck.

Pendant.

When did he buy it?

He couldn’t remember.

He wiped the water from his face, looked at his freshly grown stubble in the mirror, and then held the pendant in his hand for a closer look.

—It was an amber.

It was beautiful, and something seemed to be sealed inside.

It looked like…

Two blurry figures.

It was—

“It’s Lin Xi.”

“It’s Pe’a Suo.”

“It’s Annie.”

It was—

That unspoken name.

Shen Ye felt his mind explode; countless memories flashed through his mind.

The fires of purgatory could not disperse the clouds in the sky.

That girl said—

She said a lot, but he couldn’t remember what she said no matter how hard he tried.

Think.

What exactly did she say?

Think quickly—

In the mirror, the entire room vanished into nothingness.

Shen Ye and everything around him disappeared completely.

Only darkness.

In the depths of endless darkness, the girl said:

“You can always do what I tell you, can’t you?”

Shen Ye suddenly opened his eyes.

Instantly.

Faint glowing words once again struggled out of the darkness:

“The Hun Tian Art stored in the pendant has been consumed.”

“You have now overcome the machine’s hypnotic effect, forcibly activating your consciousness so you can see everything.”

Shen Ye saw himself.

It was a glass jar, over four meters tall, containing a human specimen.

Transparent liquid filled the surroundings.

Tubes were inserted all over his body, as he lay peacefully in slumber.

Scene after scene slowly flashed in his memory.

That day—

On the way home from work.

A sudden car accident.    He was rushed to a private hospital for emergency treatment.

“Have his patient details been found?”

“No family?”

“No one to contact?”

“…Send him to operating room number seven.”

“Notify the planning team, new material has arrived.”

In the operating room.

The electrocardiogram still showed a regular curve.

A row of people in black took over the surgery.

“Issue a death certificate; this person is to be considered dead. We will take him away.”

What happened next, he had no idea.

He only remembered an old face carefully examining his body, excitedly saying:

“The consciousness of these ‘materials’ is very strong.”

“Worth trying again!”

Shen Ye then realized that beside him, there were several other identical “materials.”

Scenes flashed by.

Until this moment.

The other “materials” had all failed.

Only he remained.

At night.

Those people had left, leaving only a few on-duty personnel.

It was a good opportunity.

If he could escape—

Shen Ye was thinking when he suddenly saw all the visions disappear.

Immediately after.

He returned to that rental apartment again.

Standing in front of the mirror, looking at his own reflection.

Faint glowing words appeared on the mirror:

“The stored Hun Tian Art has been completely consumed. This time, the power of the Spirit Pe’a Suo itself was used.”

“You have re-entered the hypnotic illusion.”

Shen Ye looked at himself in the mirror.

The truth was known.

Should he return to the nightmare world?

No—

His body was still in that cultivation tank.

Everything he had experienced was due to this experiment.

This experiment happened to coincide with that sliver of opportunity, allowing his consciousness to project into the body of a young man in a multi-layered universe.

If his body were disposed of, would this consciousness projection also dissipate?

—He must save his body!

Shen Ye finished washing, went to the door, picked up his briefcase, and put on his shoes.

He placed his hand on the doorknob.

The morning was tight, there wasn’t even time to eat now, he had to rush to catch the subway to work!

…Work my ass off!

A line of faint glowing text suddenly popped up:

“Will meet by the moon at Yao Lake Terrace.”

*Bang.*

In the real world.

Before the massive cultivation tank, an animal suddenly leaped out from the void.

—It looked like a kangaroo.

But it was actually a genuine Earth Devil Beast!

The Earth Devil Beast emitted a short, sharp cry and slammed its head fiercely against the ground.

In an instant.

Frost rapidly spread from the floor, covering the entire laboratory, and quickly expanding outwards.

The void stirred again.

The Four Kings jumped out, each wielding a weapon, and smashed open the cultivation tank.

The cultivation fluid immediately spilled everywhere.

The Four Kings rushed into the cultivation tank, pulled out all the tubes inserted into Shen Ye’s body, and then lifted him up.

The Earth Devil Beast crashed through the door.

The Four Kings carried the slumbering Shen Ye, following behind it, and charged out together.

At this moment.

Shen Ye, still in the hypnotic illusion, did not go to work.

He just sat in his rental apartment, quietly waiting to escape the danger.

A line of faint glowing text quietly appeared:

“You are retreating from the full hypnotic illusion art.”

Shen Ye showed a thoughtful expression.

Collective hypnosis?

That is, besides himself, there were others also under hypnosis?

*Ding dong!*

The doorbell rang.

Shen Ye asked, “Who is it?”

“The landlord!”

“Come in.”

An old man wearing a vest and shorts, with slippers on his feet, walked into the room, flicked the cigarette from his mouth into the trash, and then said:

“Young man, you owe two months’ rent, do you know that?”

Shen Ye sighed helplessly, “Uncle, you’re so rich, give me a few more days, I’ll pay you when I get my salary.”

“What day do you get paid?” the old man asked.

“I get paid on the 27th of this month, which is tomorrow. Just bear with me, I’ll transfer the money as soon as it arrives tomorrow,” Shen Ye said.

“That’s more like it… By the way, aren’t you going to work today?” the old man asked again.

“Of course I’m going to work,” Shen Ye said with a wry smile, “I was just about to leave.”

“Then there’s no time to eat,” the old man shook his head.

Shen Ye got up and walked to the refrigerator.

If he recalled correctly, he had just bought a lot of food the day before the accident.

There was durian, chocolate, beef jerky, pistachios, and some fresh bread with a three-day shelf life.

He opened the refrigerator.

Indeed, those items were in the refrigerator.

They existed in reality, and also in his dream?

…No.

This was not a simple hypnotic spell.

Perhaps understanding it with the concepts of the nightmare world would lead one to believe it was hypnosis.

That’s why it was prompted this way.

But in reality, he had never heard of such a “collective” form of hypnosis!

This old man’s appearance was also very strange.

As soon as something happened outside.

He immediately appeared in his dream.

“A bag of bread and chocolate will do, and some milk.”

Shen Ye became increasingly wary, but showed no change in expression, merely efficiently packing the food, grabbing his bag, and putting on his shoes to leave.

“Aren’t you leaving, landlord?”

He turned back in surprise.

He saw the old man stand up and say with a smile:

“Young people really have drive, fine, I’ll come back tomorrow to collect the rent.”

He left the room with Shen Ye.

The two waited for the elevator together.

Outside the dream.

The Earth Devil Beast charged left and right, casting spells on anyone it saw.

Frost and flames continuously spread through the corridor, sending the approaching guards flying.

The Four Kings, carrying Shen Ye, still followed behind.

The commotion grew louder.

Heavy footsteps sounded from a distance.

*Ding—*

In the dream, the elevator door opened.

Shen Ye entered the elevator, reached out to block the door, and waited for the old man to come in.

The elevator shuddered slightly.

The lights went out.

Two lines of faint glowing text suddenly popped up:

“The power of hypnosis has completely receded from you.”

“But it has activated again.”

The lights came on again.

The elevator moved, beginning its descent.

“Why did the lights go out just now?” Shen Ye asked, surprised.

“This elevator is old and poorly maintained; it’s unstable sometimes, which is quite normal,” the old man said calmly, a cigarette in his mouth.

“Couldn’t you guys chip in some money and replace the elevator on this floor?” Shen Ye asked.

“Too expensive,” the old man waved his hands repeatedly.

Shen Ye rolled his eyes, too lazy to say anything more to him.

—Still not right.

He had clearly already left the cultivation tank, and all the tubes on him had been removed.

Why was his consciousness still in this hypnotic dream?

This dream—

“Hey.”

The old man opened his mouth.

“What?” Shen Ye responded.

“Do you think there are aliens in the world?” the old man asked.

“That’s hard to say. I’ve heard that various countries have made contact, but they won’t make it public—who knows if it’s true or false,” Shen Ye said.

“They always hide things from us ordinary people, it’s really meaningless,” the old man sighed.

Shen Ye shrugged, gave him a strange look, then averted his gaze.

*Ding.*

The elevator arrived.

“Bye bye, I’ll give you the rent tomorrow!”

Shen Ye said, and then hurried out of the elevator, walking quickly towards the outside of the building.

The old man didn’t respond, just stood there, silently watching Shen Ye’s retreating figure.

Shen Ye followed the crowd into the subway station.

It was rush hour, and the subway station was bustling with people.

Shen Ye stood among the crowd, chewing loudly on bread, chugging down milk, then wiped his mouth.

Something was wrong.

Why was he still in a hypnotic dream and unable to get out?

Without an energy source, how was this technique activated?

“Four Kings, inspect my entire body.”

He silently gave the order.

The Four Kings, still running, began to search all over his body.

Suddenly, one of the Kings pressed against Shen Ye’s head and communicated mentally:

“There’s something on top of your head here.”

“What is it?” Shen Ye asked.

“A small square metal chip, with energy inside, operating.”

Shen Ye felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his mind, instantly understanding the so-called “hypnosis.”

—This was a virtual scenario presented to the human consciousness!

A chip had been implanted in his head!

The chip likely contained some energy to maintain the virtual scenario.

Now, he had another matter to worry about—

—Would the chip self-destruct?

If it exploded, wouldn’t he be blown up too?

After all, his body was still that of a regular person!

Everything that happened in the nightmare world was due to his soul traversing there!

His soul had a powerful body in the nightmare world—

That was Shen Ye’s original body!

And on this side of the barrier—

The body in the real world was his original body, and it was still at the level of an ordinary person.

His soul was here, and his body was here.

If the chip exploded—

*Boom!*

His brain would explode into an empty shell, and he would die!

Shen Ye suddenly felt a surge of fear.

The old man who appeared just now must have been testing him.

He knew nothing.

That’s why the old man let him go.

—Perhaps they thought something unusual had happened in the experiment, attracting an abnormal monster.

But this had nothing to do with the “material” Shen Ye!

The “material” Shen Ye was still dreaming, completely unaware!

Because the “material” hadn’t lost control, it proved that the experiment might have succeeded.

That’s why he wasn’t immediately disposed of!

*Tsk.*

The most urgent task—

To find a way to deal with that chip.

…His fragile body couldn’t do anything.

But.

He had other methods.

“Will meet by the moon at Yao Lake Terrace” had already taken effect.

Then—

Other abilities could also be used!

As Shen Ye willed it, a new prompt appeared:

“You have used ‘Blind Man’s Pride’ and ‘Changing BGM’.”

“Please note.”

“Under the influence of such powerful abilities, your brain is as solid as a fortress, and your five servants cannot possibly pry that chip out of your brain.”

One of the Four Kings pulled out a dagger, using it as a screwdriver, and pried at Shen Ye’s head a few times.

It was useless!

Not even a white mark!

This path was a dead end.

—Hurry up, think of a new method.

“Summon Norton.”

Shen Ye silently recited.

A line of faint glowing text immediately popped up:

“Everything in the nightmare cannot cross the ‘barrier’ and respond to your summons.”

Shen Ye was slightly taken aback.

If Norton couldn’t come, then his human legion couldn’t come either.

In other words—

Only the things hidden in his Dharma Aspect, which had always followed his soul, had returned to “reality.”

What else was in his Dharma Aspect?

Shen Ye quickly examined his Dharma Aspect.

—At this time, his Dharma Aspect had already broken free from the scope of “Yin-Yang Two Instruments, Alleviating Suffering, Delivering from Calamity, Suppressing Life, Divine Mountain” and was evolving towards a higher level.

Other than the Earth Devil Beast and the King of the Four Kings, there was nothing else.

No—

There was also a tombstone.

The Big Skeleton’s grave!

Shen Ye’s gaze lightly fell upon that tombstone.

Unbeknownst to him.

The dragon meat placed on the tombstone had disappeared.