novelraw Chapter 226: Internal Negotiation
Chapter 226: Internal Negotiation
His palm aligned with the beat of his own heart, and the world froze in that instant.
Several remnant souls were already before him, their twisted faces filled with greedy malice towards the living.
The distant cries of alarm and Yan Xilou's confident, victorious smile at the corner of his mouth became distant and blurred.
Lin Jie's consciousness sank into profound darkness, yet his perception of his own body was amplified to an extreme degree.
In his "inner vision," the world was not composed of light and shadow, but of many different types of "flows."
He could feel two distinctly different "flows" operating within his body.
One belonged to himself. They were gentle streams, originating from the pulse of his heart, circulating steadily through his blood vessels and nerves.
This "flow" had a warm and complex texture, carrying his memories, emotions, and rationality as the human Lin Jie. It was the foundation of his consciousness.
The other "flow" was foreign, primarily entrenched in his right arm and nervous system.
This "flow" had a cold and pure texture, carrying an arrogant exclusivity. It constantly attempted to freeze the surrounding gentle streams into the same crystalline ice structure.It was a slow and irreversible process of assimilation.
In the past, Lin Jie had always used his willpower to construct an invisible dam, strictly isolating these two "flows."
But now, facing those remnant souls rushing towards him, he decided to dismantle the dam.
Lin Jie no longer resisted. Instead, he actively mobilized his own gentle stream of life, guiding it to flow towards that cold territory occupied by crystalline ice.
This process triggered a violent spiritual energy conflict within his body, bringing a burning sensation.
An indescribable tearing feeling came from his right arm, but he did not stop.
Simultaneously, his brain was operating at high speed, attempting something akin to "frequency matching."
Lin Jie tried to communicate a fact to the White Vulture parasitizing his body.
"An invader needs a nest. The stability of the nest aligns with the invader's interests. Our structures are different, but our survival goals are the same."
"Synchronization, not confrontation, is the optimal solution."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, William, who had just been helped up by Julian and was barely sitting up, saw another, more astonishing picture full of color and energy through his peculiar grotesque armament, Zulu's Gaze.
In his vision, Lin Jie's body was a battlefield composed of two opposing lights!
A bright red light was continuously surging from the location of Lin Jie's heart. That was the radiance of his life force.
And a profound blue light was firmly entrenched on his right arm, emitting an unsettling chill.
At this moment, that red light was launching an assault towards that blue region with a resolute attitude!
Lin Jie's entire body was trembling slightly due to this internal energy conflict.
But then, William saw an even more bizarre scene.
The form of the red light kept shifting between fine filaments, thin mist, and regular waves.
It seemed to be searching for something.
Finally, when the red light's form transformed into a complex "spiral ripple," an anomaly occurred!
The blue light, which had been in a state of rejection, was "softened" by an invisible force upon contacting this special form of red light and began actively fusing with it!
In William's astonished vision, red and blue began to blend and rotate, eventually forming a powerful and stable white light.
On the other end, Lin Jie felt his body suddenly lighten!
He had succeeded! He had found that unique point of resonance!
A powerful, gentle, mixed spiritual light surged from the mark on the back of Lin Jie's right hand, accompanied by a high-pitched shriek of a vulture.
The light expanded outward several meters before contracting back, condensing into two enormous white wing phantoms on his arms, radiating sacred majesty.
Just as the remnant souls were about to pounce on Lin Jie, those white wings fluttered once.
Piercing shrieks rose one after another. Upon sensing the pressure belonging to the "Lord of the Sky," these remnant souls lost all their ferocity and madness, like hamsters seeing a falcon.
They didn't even have the courage to touch the white light, scrambling to flee into the darkness, ultimately dissipating into nothingness.
All threats had been cleared.
Lin Jie stood quietly in place, the slowly flapping wing phantoms on his arms making him look like a hero descended to the mortal realm.
He discovered that his mental energy was merging with that regal will in a special way.
He was not assimilated. Instead, he felt remarkably complete.
The tearing sensation deep in his soul vanished, replaced by a wonderful sense of balance.
His human rationality and emotions and the UMA's predatory instincts achieved a harmony in this brief moment of resonance.
"So that's how it is..."
In the distance, Yan Xilou watched the scene before him, an expression of appreciation and admiration appearing on his face.
"...Interesting, truly interesting." He even lightly applauded with interest. "The flavor of my 'main course' is far more exquisite than I imagined."
Lin Jie paid no attention to Yan Xilou's praise. Now, there was only one target in his eyes.
That faintly discernible Scales of the Dead, suspended in the center of the hall.
After achieving absolute resonance with the White Vulture's Mark, his perception had been elevated to a new dimension.
Lin Jie could see that on the left tray of that illusory scale, a deep, ink-black, constantly twisting and writhing black aura was suspended.
It was an unstable spiritual projection. Its very existence kept the entire scale in a state of imbalance.
On the ground of the judgment hall below the aura, Yan Xilou's black-clad attendants were gathered around a magic circle. This circle was composed of strange runes, desiccated animal bones, and human hair.
At the core of the circle was a pulsating black crystal. It continuously emitted spiritual fluctuations that resonated with the black aura on the tray, like a signal transmitter and receiver device.
Lin Jie understood immediately.
Yan Xilou, proficient in Eastern esoteric arts, had used this bizarre spiritual magic circle to forcibly "borrow" a wisp of the chaotic aura belonging to the UMA Apophis from some distant place.
The projection of this aura had become the "sin" weight on the scale.
But Yan Xilou's goal did not end there.
Lin Jie saw that two of the Esoteric Masters had already begun attempting to arrange a new, differently structured magic circle on the right side of the scale.
This discovery put Lin Jie on high alert.
Yan Xilou did not intend to force his way through, nor did he plan to directly confront Anubis.
He was "cheating."
He attempted to use the first magic circle to simulate the "heart's" sin, then use the second circle to forge a counterfeit "feather" of virtue to deceive the scale. By creating a "false balance" to lull Anubis into slumber, he could then take the sacred relic without shedding a drop of blood.
What a meticulous plan.
"Julian!" Lin Jie immediately shouted to his companion in the distance. "Cover me! Their target is the empty space on the right side of the scale. They must not be allowed to complete the second circle!"
Julian didn't understand the principle, but he chose to trust Lin Jie.
He immediately helped the severely wounded William to the side, then raised his staff, Withered Thorns.
Upon seeing that his plan had been seen through, the smile on Yan Xilou's face deepened instead.
This smile now held an extra layer of appreciation, like a chess player discovering an interesting variable.
"Oh? You saw through it. Brother Lin, your acuity continues to pleasantly surprise me."
Yan Xilou showed no trace of panic, calmly straightening his sleeve.
In his eyes, Lin Jie's charge was merely a predictable sideshow to add fun to the ritual.
"But what can you do even if you've seen through it?"
He offered no further words, for some truths needed to be told with force.
This chess player who had been hiding behind the scenes finally decided to step onto the board himself to deal with this "insect" that had jumped onto it.
In a flash, his figure vanished from his original spot. The next second, he appeared with murderous intent directly in the path of Lin Jie's charge.
The three-sectioned staff in his hand, Nine-Bend Yellow River, transformed into three swift, dark-yellow streams of light, aiming straight for Lin Jie's face.
Lin Jie's pupils constricted. The force contained within those three streams of light was the flowing power that could ignore blocking. He could not take it head-on.
At that moment, a chant rose from behind him.
"All things shall decay, even order shall attenuate!"
Julian raised Withered Thorns high.
A gray force field spread out from him, enveloping the area where Yan Xilou stood.
Yan Xilou's swift attack hesitated upon contacting the attenuation field.
That flowing force was slowed by an invisible power.
Though it was only a momentary delay, it was enough for Lin Jie, who had activated Mental Staircase.
He narrowly dodged the three streams of light with a large, twisting motion.
Lin Jie did not look back at Yan Xilou. He had only one target.
The two Black Lotus Sect Esoteric Masters who were rapidly arranging the second magic circle on the right side of the scale.
His Serene Heart had already been raised as he dodged the attack.
A flash of shock passed through Yan Xilou's eyes.
He had not anticipated that this French scholar possessed a grotesque armament capable of interfering with his actions.
Yan Xilou had even less anticipated that Lin Jie's target would be so unequivocally clear.
"Get back!" he shouted, flicking his wrist. The Nine-Bend Yellow River reversed course, once again attacking towards Lin Jie's back.
But it was already too late.
Two gunshots rang out.
Two bullets imbued with the power of the Absolute Straight Line shot forth.
The bullets pierced through the heads of the two Esoteric Masters.
"Thud! Thud!"
The two elite members of the Black Lotus Sect fell.
The core sacrificial offering for the "false balance" ritual they were about to complete also fell to the ground with a *crack*, shattering into pieces.
The second magic circle was destroyed.
Yan Xilou's plan was declared bankrupt at this moment.
And Lin Jie had paid a heavy price.
Julian's attenuation field could not negate the power of the Nine-Bend Yellow River.
Although Yan Xilou's follow-up attack did not strike a vital point, the penetrating force still grazed past Lin Jie's ribs.
Lin Jie only felt a tremendous force hit him. He was sent flying forward, crashing to the ground, a mouthful of blood spraying from his lips.
Using his gun to support himself, Lin Jie half-knelt and rose. Looking at Yan Xilou walking towards him, a weary smile belonging to the victor appeared on his face.
"It's time... for Anubis's... judgment."
With the destruction of the second circle, Yan Xilou no longer had a method to deceive the deity.