novelraw Chapter 313 - 190: The Real and the Fake Sideshow! The Inscription Left by Meng Die Emperor! (Part 2)
Chapter 313 - 190: The Real and the Fake Sideshow! The Inscription Left by Meng Die Emperor! (Part 2)
...
In the roast duck restaurant.
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier.
Chen Wenquan finished eating two roast ducks, leaving the table full of bones, yet still felt muddled and not full, still able to eat more.
Chairman Chen Shu, sitting beside him, tried to console him.
"Teacher Chen, don’t be so nervous!
"It’s only after eight o’clock, it’s not time yet.
"You’ve devoured two salty roast ducks, aren’t you afraid of getting thirsty? Hahaha!"
The sound of footsteps came from the kitchen. It was the Immortal Technique Committee member who came with Chairman Chen, busy making new roast ducks.
Chen Wenquan furrowed his brows and pointed to the kitchen.
"This..."
Chairman Chen Shu chuckled.
"They’ve come to pledge loyalty, to discuss collaboration, so they can’t just talk, right? Having a roast duck together to ease the atmosphere isn’t a bad idea, is it?"
Chen Wenquan gave a wry smile.
"You’ve sent the shop owner away; can the roast duck still taste the same?"
Chairman Chen Shu curled his lips.
"The shop owner’s skills are really subpar! If we casually roast it, the taste shouldn’t be much worse."
...
In the villa.
Sun Dabao and Six Ears, at some point, had already fallen asleep, sleeping heavily as if dead.
In another room, Tie Ta slumped by the bedside, also asleep. Unaware of when he was hit, he couldn’t resist and fell unconscious.
In fact, excluding Zhang Qiren, all members of the Strange People Studio had already passed out.
They had no qualification to participate in this grand spectacle observed by the Ancient Immortals!
And the focal point of this grand performance, the center of all the audience’s attention, was Zhang Qiren, writing furiously in a pitch-black room!
He finished the last equation and finally set down his pen.
"My extrapolation is complete.
"But I don’t know if it’s true or false.
"I need Dream Origin for experimentation and exploration. I need a lot of it."
His voice carried a tremor.
Outside, the wind howled and the rain poured, striking the window panes with a crackling sound, covered densely with handprints and face-shaped watermarks, all pressing closer, as if wide-eyed!
...
Fox Mountain, Bronze Hall.
Bai Mo sat behind the desk, looking at the potted tree copying Zhang Qiren’s appearance — terrified, slightly hunched.
He grinned.
"Want to see?
"But none of you have paid the admission fee.
"Without paying, you can’t see the real thing, only the fake!"
With a move of his heart thought, the dozen flower pots placed beside the desk emitted golden light mist, releasing Dream Origin...
The real world and the dream, Fox Mountain and the villa room, a double act commenced!
The actor in the villa was Zhang Qiren.
The actor on Fox Mountain was the potted Tree-man.
...
In the storm-lashed villa, within the pitch-black environment, the white flower on Zhang Qiren’s head suddenly erupted with a large golden mist, filling the room, spreading in mid-air!
This golden mist fascinated one distant Ancient Immortal after another, their eyes wide, mesmerized, smiling, whispering in unison in different dreams, "Dream Origin!"
However, this was merely pollen given by Bai Mo, merely resembling Dream Origin, and was... fake!
In the raging wind of the Bronze Hall, under the dim lighting, the white flower on the potted Tree-man’s head gushed out a large golden powder, floating in the grand hall, permeating mid-air!
This golden mist astounded Bai Mo extravagantly!
This golden powder was indeed Dream Origin! It was... real!
...
Zhang Qiren, utilizing the art of the Array pathway, reached out his hand to the golden powder floating mid-air, lightly touching a point, as if hitting a critical spot. This was his operation as a genius Array Master, and it was... real!
The potted Tree-man, using Zhang Qiren’s same method, extended its hand to the golden powder mid-air, lightly touching a point, as if striking a crucial spot. This operation copied from Zhang Qiren was... real!
...
Zhang Qiren tapped with a finger, causing the golden mist to ripple, spreading in waves throughout the room, like water waves, exceedingly magnificent!
The reaction from the golden mist was... fake!
The potted Tree-man tapped with a finger, making the golden powder mist ripple, creating waves mid-air, as if a mysterious entity was shedding an outer layer of veil.
The reaction from the Dream Origin was... real!
...
Inside the villa, in the darkness.
Zhang Qiren’s eyeballs, unbeknownst to him, had climbed up slender flower roots, connecting to his nerves, allowing him to see the real scenes of the Dream Origin on Fox Mountain, enabling him to continue operating.
Just like that, Zhang Qiren used a fake Dream Origin, along with his real manipulation, to perform for the Ancient Immortals.
Fox Mountain used the real Dream Origin, duplicating Zhang Qiren’s real manipulation, to perform for Bai Mo.
Between reality and dreams, a double-act was being played out.
...
On a rainy night in the real world, amidst the sound of torrential rain, the Ancient Immortals saw Zhang Qiren fumbling with his fingers inside a mass of golden smoke, shaping it into various forms, seemingly splendid yet without any real meaning.
On Fox Mountain, amidst the howling winds, Bai Mo saw the Tree-man imitating Zhang Qiren’s manipulation of the Dream Origin, which seemed to be unveiling layers in mid-air, with an elusive secret about to be revealed...
On a rainy night in the real world, amidst the sound of torrential rain, Zhang Qiren stopped his actions, stood there dumbfounded, looking towards the sky.
The distant Ancient Immortals witnessing the scene were all dumbfounded...
"The Dream Origin dissipated, what a waste. What exactly was he fumbling with his fingers for?"
"Messing around for so long and got nothing out of it?"
"Yeah, that’s the Dream Origin of the Meng Die Emperor, something from Sequence Eight that isn’t even much stronger than a slave, how could it possibly..."
"Ha! What a waste of emotions!"
The blood rain outside the window lost its color.
The talismans in the courtyard, soaked by rain, lost their color.
The wildly growing vegetation suddenly shed its leaves, bark cracked, withering and dying.
The water stains and face prints on the window glass gradually disappeared, eventually vanishing completely.
And on Fox Mountain, inside the Bronze Hall.
Bai Mo saw a golden light mist flowing in mid-air, converging into a resplendent golden inscription!
Zhang Qiren succeeded!
Using his Sequence Eight array knowledge and the mathematical knowledge passed down through generations in the real world, standing on the shoulders of mathematicians past and present, he managed to communicate across millennia with the Array Masters of the Ancient Immortal Dynasty!
This golden inscription in mid-air, no one knows who left it or what script it is, but the handwriting is extremely magnificent, seemingly monochrome yet appearing to be a riot of colors, intoxicating! Its flowing lines are bold and grand, every lift and drop of the pen exuding a sense of iron horses and golden spears, lively and vigorous!
Two vastly different styles are inexplicably unified within this inscription.
Moreover, this inscription, this brushwork, is not static, but alive!
It flows in mid-air, changing rapidly in an instant!
"What on earth is this?
"Only an Array Master could understand this, right?"
Bai Mo frowned, staring, relying on his terrifying memory to record every word, every stroke, every nuance, every change and flow of the inscription in mid-air into his mind!
Though he couldn’t understand it, fortunately, his memory was good enough to remember it all!
After a long while, the golden smoke in mid-air dissipated, and in the hazy mist, a butterfly appeared clad in iron armor, exuding a formidable presence like iron horses and golden spears, soaring high into the sky, then vanishing into the void.
"Huh?"
Bai Mo furrowed his brow, rubbing his temples.
"Did I see it wrong?
"How does a butterfly wear armor?
"How could a butterfly possibly have iron horses and golden spears?
"How could a butterfly possibly exude a formidable presence like a tiger swallowing thousands of miles?
"It doesn’t make any sense!"
Bai Mo pinched his forehead, memorizing everything he needed to remember.
Then, looking towards reality, he smiled.
"Zhang Qiren, now, you are truly free."
...
In the pitch-black room of the villa.
With a thud, Zhang Qiren collapsed to the ground.
His face was dazed, still recalling what he had just seen.
His vision was connected by Bai Mo’s nerves, enabling him to see the real stuff.
"Is that... the inscription left by the Meng Die Emperor?
"That...
"This..."
Tears flowed down his face.
He saw a lot, knew a lot.
He wanted to tell the flowers above his head, wanted to tell the person behind the scenes.
But he didn’t know if the Ancient Immortals were still in the villa, he didn’t know if there were also Ancient Immortals behind that person.
He dared not speak out!
...