Chapter 584 - 343: Deep Land

Chapter 584: Chapter 343: Deep Land

Lu Cang sidestepped to the right.

However, even after moving, the left half of his body didn’t reappear. He couldn’t see it at all.

’The left half... is it in the Void Realm?’

’How interesting...’

’Lu Luwei... the things inside your Sea of Consciousness are far more abundant than I imagined.’

Lu Cang couldn’t help but feel shocked.

’Just how many things are hidden in this Sea of Consciousness?’

Lu Cang didn’t make any rash moves. Instead, he carefully considered everything that had happened up to this point.

The whispers he’d heard just now had revealed quite a bit of information.

Between the plane of illusion and the plane of reality, a third kingdom could be seen.

He was currently in a "preview," where most things couldn’t harm him.

Lu Cang wanted to figure out what exactly was inside this Sea of Consciousness.

’If I don’t get to the bottom of this now, how should I treat Lu Luwei? Imprison her? Seal her away?’

’If everything remains unclear, Lu Luwei will be an unknown danger to me.’

’There’s no telling what kind of disaster she might cause.’

’Ignoring her doesn’t seem like an option either.’

’But if I do something about her, what should it be?’

’Should I kill Lu Luwei?’

His relationship with Lu Luwei wasn’t as deep as his bond with Kumironi or Iz.

But to kill her with his own hands just based on a suspicion that she was "unsafe" would be too extreme.

’I have to get to the bottom of this.’

A Magic Staff materialized in Lu Cang’s right hand.

He lifted it with one hand.

「Tier Five Root Magic—Duality of Illusion and Reality」

This was the Root Magic Izparut had taught him, which he learned while conversing with Lorren and An Zheng.

The present world is the Physical Realm.

The Physical Realm is the material world where people exist. Beyond this material world, there is another world known as the Void Realm.

It was because he had learned this Root Magic from Iz that Lu Cang knew of the Void Realm’s existence.

The Void Realm was not a true void of nothingness.

It was an abstract world he couldn’t yet see—one that even Iz was currently unable to perceive.

However, that didn’t stop Iz’s Root Magic from allowing Magic to transition between the states of illusion and reality.

SWISH—

Lu Cang’s body was restored.

’It worked... My body is also made of Magic, so I can also transform into an "illusory phase."’

According to Izparut’s theory.

Every Magic has two phases, illusory and real, and the corresponding illusory phase is different for each Magic.

But... illusory-phase Magic couldn’t produce any Effect in the real world.

This made Lu Cang feel that this Root Magic was...

...somehow strange. A Root Magic that was completely useless in the real world? How did Iz even develop something like this?

After regaining control of the left side of his body,

Lu Cang found that his left eye was seeing something different.

The left side of his body was still in that vanished half of the sea.

But now, his left eye saw a vast, azure sea...

Lu Cang felt he was seeing the normal Sea of Consciousness.

And at the boundary line between his left and right sides, Lu Cang saw a golden fissure.

The sensation was very strange.

It was as if a narrow fissure had opened up between the left and right halves of his body.

Without a second thought, Lu Cang walked toward this fissure.

The fissure was clearly tiny, no thicker than a strand of hair, yet Lu Cang passed right through it.

When he came to his senses...

Lu Cang found himself floating amidst a mass of gray, soul-like matter.

"Kid... what did you do."

An Su’s voice echoed in his mind.

Floating amid the gray motes, Lu Cang steadied himself. "An Su? Why are you here?"

"Heh, I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Just a second ago, I was watching you, getting all cozy and intimate in that little room. I even saw you leave that girl in a daze."

"And the next thing I know, you’re here."

"So I should be asking you, what did you do?"

Lu Cang replied, "What I did... I’m not sure if you’ll understand. To put it simply, I saw a fissure between illusion and reality. I passed through it, and now I’m here."

’What is he babbling about?’

’The boundary between illusion and reality?’

’Is that something you should be able to access at your level?’

’And a fissure?’

"Wait... you said there’s a fissure between illusion and reality?" An Su’s tone suddenly turned grave.

Lu Cang: "Yeah."

An Su: "Heh, now that’s interesting... You might have just fallen into the Deep Land."

Lu Cang: "What kind of place is that?"

In truth, as he asked, Lu Cang already knew what An Su was thinking. But he wanted to know more, so he pressed on with the question, hoping it would prompt An Su to recall more details.

"It’s..."

WHOOSH—

Before An Su could answer, the scene before Lu Cang’s eyes cleared, as if a thick fog had been parted.

"Attention passengers traveling to Qingdao. Shandong Airlines flight HO1279 is now boarding. Please proceed to gate 88."

There was a crowd, but it wasn’t overly congested.

This was clearly an airport.

The scene before him was both familiar and strange...

’Earth?’

’Is this an illusion?’

However, An Su’s voice sounded in his mind.

"Heh... This is no illusion."

"This is the Deep Land."

Lu Cang stood up.

As he did, however, a bulging bag fell to the floor.

THUD—

The sound of the backpack hitting the floor made nearby travelers glance over.

Lu Cang suddenly realized that his body had reverted to the one he’d had before his transmigration.

"This is..."

Lu Cang spoke, and his voice was no longer that of a young child.

It was the voice of a grown man.

’Earth... before I was transported?’

Hearing Lu Cang blurt this out, the corners of the mouth of the man sitting next to him couldn’t help but twitch.

’Dude, how old are you?’

’Still got that eighth-grader syndrome?’

’Wait... My powers.’

With a thought, Lu Cang tried to scan the world with his Perception, only to find he had none.

It was as if he had returned to the time before he reached Level 3, when he had no Perception Ability.

’No, it’s not just that.’

Lu Cang clenched his fist. His physical body felt so frail; it had been a long time since he’d felt this powerless.

Lu Cang looked around.

This scene... it had to be from just before he was transported.

’Is this the moment right before the airport was destroyed?’

Lu Cang was struggling to make sense of the situation.

But at least one thing was certain... An Su’s voice hadn’t disappeared from his mind. He was still there.

However, he could no longer perceive An Su’s thoughts.

Lu Cang went to the restroom, entered a stall, and closed the door.

「Azure Sky Stream—Second Form: Split」

His fist shot out, a blur of motion!

BANG!

A muffled explosion echoed out!

He felt a powerful force Rebound into his arm.

A long-forgotten sensation of pain shot through him.

’My bones ache.’

But the wall in front of him had also shattered, leaving a huge crater.

The massive impact shook the entire restroom.

Lu Cang walked out of the restroom...

No one would ever suspect that the cracked wall had been shattered by a man’s punch.

If they looked for the cause of the cracked wall, their investigation certainly wouldn’t lead them to Lu Cang, just another passenger waiting for his flight.

And so, Lu Cang calmly walked away.

’It seems I can still use the power of my Combat Skills, but I can’t unleash their full might. I can probably only bring out about one-ten-thousandth of their Power.’

Normally, that strike would have been enough to split mountains and part rivers.

To cleave the seas and sink continents.

A single punch could have shattered the entire Earth.

But now, that same punch had only managed to crack a restroom wall.

’The Power of my Combat Skill is only at one-ten-thousandth, and my Physique has been reduced to that of a normal person.’

Lu Cang silently recalled the thoughts from An Su that he’d managed to perceive just before.

’The Deep Land, a world that doesn’t exist.’

’What about Magic?’

’Can I use Magic?’

’Can I perform the advancement Ritual right here on Earth...? No, I don’t think so. My Storage Bag is gone.’

’Performing the advancement Ritual requires materials from that other world.’

’My Spirituality...’

’...is still intact. I don’t feel like my intelligence has dropped or that I’ve become stupider.’

"An Su."

Lu Cang called out to An Su again, but An Su didn’t reply, only chuckling.

He conveyed a sense of amused observation.

Lu Cang could tell that An Su was watching, but had no intention of helping.

’Thankfully, this is my "preview"...’

’But why is the Deep Land a replica of Earth?’

’Or is this some kind of Illusion Realm born from my own mind? Is Lu Luwei’s corruption related to the Deep Land?’

As he pondered these questions, Lu Cang started running toward the airport exit.

The airport in Shanghai was massive.

If the timeline proceeded as it had originally, he would be transported to the Secret Sea in a deafening explosion.

But this time, he had a chance.

Whether this was an Illusion Realm or some kind of historical reenactment,

...Lu Cang wanted to see exactly what had blown up the airport and what had happened on Earth afterward!

"Holy crap..."

"That guy is running so fast!"

「Azure Sky Stream—Eighth Move·Movement」

BANG!

With every step, Lu Cang leaped a dozen meters, a feat that should have been impossible for a human!

All anyone could see was a figure sprinting wildly, as fast as a cheetah.

"Hey, is that speed even human?"

"He’s gotta be faster than Bolt!"

"What the? No, wait, was that thing that just flew by... a person?"

The bystanders in the airport were all stunned as they watched Lu Cang zoom past.

But Lu Cang completely ignored them.

’The fact that I can still use Combat Skills proves that my experiences weren’t a dream. They were real...’

"Sir, if you leave the airport, you won’t be allowed back in."

Lu Cang: "Yeah, I know."

When the staff member at the exit saw Lu Cang run up and stop, they were taken aback for a moment.

But, out of professional duty, they still gave him the reminder.

Lu Cang left the airport without a hitch, and then... broke into an even faster sprint.

’Judging by the destruction I witnessed on Earth back then, the blast radius at the airport was huge... I have to keep running, get out of here first!’

’But... I’m so tired.’

’This body gets winded after just a little running.’

’This is pathetic, isn’t it?’