Chapter 595 - 354: Self-Denial

Chapter 595: Chapter 354: Self-Denial

A scene suddenly flashed through Lu Cang’s mind.

He saw all the people of the world, holding hands with joyous smiles on their faces, happily walking toward a massive fissure.

[Deep Land]

"Why deny it?"

"Why resist?"

"Why struggle against it?"

"There is no hatred between you and I..."

The voice in his mind continued to echo.

CLANG!

Lu Cang’s Combat Skill clashed head-on with Chi Cheng’s. A vast shockwave radiated outward. Beneath the heavens, the Ruelun Continent was long gone.

Only the two of them remained, their battle tearing the world asunder.

But amidst the battle, Chi Cheng displayed an unusual fury and a twisted expression, while Lu Cang’s eyes were hollow and lifeless.

"Lu Cang, I don’t regret making this choice, you know." Lu Luwei’s figure had appeared directly inside his Sea of Consciousness.

An Su silently watched the woman who had abruptly appeared in the Sea of Consciousness, falling into silence.

"Being able to live according to your own desires... that’s a happy thing, isn’t it?"

After saying this, Lu Luwei also fell silent.

She looked at the eye that had split open in the sky of the Sea of Consciousness.

That terrifying pupil belonged to Lu Cang, who was looking down upon his own Sea of Consciousness.

CLANG—

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!—

Outside the Sea of Consciousness, the battle rang out with rhythmic clashes. Invincible Stream struck Invincible Stream. Lu Cang’s physical strength was constantly increasing, and yet, Chi Cheng’s power was also constantly on the rise.

At the same time, the Law of Destruction faintly permeated the surroundings,

continuously weakening Lu Cang’s Recovery Power.

However, Lu Cang’s Recovery Ability was also improving, and for a moment, a delicate balance was maintained.

In the world outside, a dozen or so more seconds passed.

But within those few seconds, the two had exchanged hundreds of moves. The aftershocks of their Combat Skills exploded across the sky!

The battle between Warriors, as ferocious as dragons!

"You haven’t been in this world for very long, have you?"

"What exactly are you holding onto so firmly?"

In the Sea of Consciousness, the form of the voice changed again. This time, however, it was not Lu Luwei.

It was the image of a slightly chubby, strong man.

Huang Minzhi.

His good brother from Earth.

But he was already dead, having perished when Earth became a Demon.

"The destruction of Earth doesn’t really matter to you, does it?"

"Even if your brother died."

"Even if your friends all became Demons, if your colleagues you saw day in and day out, if the woman you once loved all died."

"It’s all the same to you, isn’t it?"

"After all, you’re now a great expert whose power reaches the heavens. You’re not even in the same world as us anymore."

"Lu Cang."

"You must look down on everything from Earth, right? That’s why you don’t want to go back, why you don’t want to be an ordinary person."

These words felt like sharp knives, berating Lu Cang.

Faintly, Lu Cang felt his heart cracking.

A tide of sorrow began to swell in his once-tranquil heart.

BOOM!

The Heavy Sword cleaved through Lu Cang’s left shoulder!

His entire arm, shoulder and all, was lopped off...

This was an injury that should have healed in an instant, but it wasn’t healing.

Lu Cang’s mind was no longer on the battle outside.

Inside his Sea of Consciousness, Lu Cang stared at the Huang Minzhi before him.

CRACK—

The Lu Cang in the Sea of Consciousness also cracked slightly.

’I...’

’This is the enemy’s doing, a trick to attack me. I shouldn’t fall for this.’

Lu Cang thought to himself over and over.

And yet, the Huang Minzhi before him revealed a malicious smile filled with resentment.

"That’s right. You’re the only one who ascended to a vaster world. You don’t need to care whether we live or die."

"In fact, with us dead, you have no weaknesses, no worries holding you back."

CRACK—

With a single hand, Lu Cang used his War Spear to block a crimson sword strike from Chi Cheng!

As he took the blow, the muscles and bones in that arm snapped—

—but there was no recovery.

It wasn’t just that he wasn’t recovering; even many of his Divine Talents that should have been active seemed to have stopped, to have gone on strike.

’Your deaths... I couldn’t intervene.’

"Couldn’t intervene!?"

"Is that all you have to say!?"

"Aren’t you even the slightest bit sad!?"

"Have you ever cried for our deaths!? Have you ever cried for the destruction of your home!?"

Lu Cang lowered his gaze, looking away. ’This... is meaningless, isn’t it?’

’Crying and sniveling won’t bring anything back.’

Huang Minzhi was stunned. Then, his face grew even more furious. "What the hell are you talking about!?"

"Your family, your parents, Earth—they were all destroyed!"

"How can you be so cold-blooded!?"

"If you don’t care about anything, then why are you hypocritically pretending you want to save something?"

"Don’t you think you’re being contradictory!?"

BOOM!

The Heavy Sword was like a rainbow-hued beam piercing the sun!

It violently pierced through Lu Cang’s chest. Crimson light mixed with gushing blood as the blow ran through his heart.

PTHOO—

Lu Cang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

His eyes remained vacant.

’I am... contradictory.’

’Yuna also said I was contradictory.’

’Yes... I do enjoy my current power. The ability to soar through the heavens and roam the earth, to chase the clouds and the moon, to destroy mountains and rivers at a whim. My mind is clear and sharp, and all truths are grasped within my power.’

’What’s not to enjoy?’

’Does that make me a hypocrite?’

’I enjoy this power, I’ve never denied it... Your deaths also made me sad, but do you have to cry just because you’re sad?’

’It’s true that you can’t do many things without power. That’s just how the world is. I want to become even stronger—is that my fault?’

’Is it wrong for me to want to be strong?’

Lu Luwei: "Yes, extremely contradictory."

"If you want power, why are you unwilling to accept purity?"

"If you want to pursue strength, shouldn’t you be even more willing to abandon those things that are ultimately meaningless?"

"Like me."

"And also, this dead weight." Lu Luwei’s image in the Sea of Consciousness flickered again.

It changed into the form of Leng Qingying.

The Leng Qingying in the Sea of Consciousness spoke: "Sister Lu Luwei was corrupted, and you don’t even know what to do... You’re neither decisive enough to kill her, nor are you willing to let her live a normal life."

"Lu Cang, the others around you would never be as awkward and indecisive as you."

’The people around me...’

In an instant, his thoughts flew to Kumironi, to Chi Cheng, to Obades and the others.

’They would never give up on saving Lu Luwei.’

’Even Leng Qingying would never give up.’

’If it were Iz, he might give Lu Luwei a quick end after discovering there was truly no way to save her.’

’Am I really not decisive?’

"Yes, you’re stronger than most people, so you want everything. You always want to have your cake and eat it too, unwilling to let go of anything."

"But, do you think a person like that can really have a good ending?"

"And don’t you forget, the Highest Leaf you obtained was actually bestowed upon you by another..."

Doubt in the world, doubt in himself, doubt in others.

Heavy vortexes began to stir within Lu Cang’s Sea of Consciousness.

The vortexes collided, merged with one another, and devoured each other.

Lu Cang’s Sea of Consciousness was constantly shrinking.

The entire Sea of Consciousness was disintegrating, yet Lu Cang stared at the person before him, seemingly oblivious to the collapse of his own mindscape.

Leng Qingying’s figure gradually faded.

The person appearing before him changed once again.

But this time it was not Huang Minzhi, nor Lu Luwei, but himself.

His 28-year-old self, gradually entering middle age.

He walked up and patted Little Lu Cang’s shoulder.

"Wake up."

"This is just a dream. It’s time for you to wake up..."

"If you don’t wake up, you’ll miss your flight."

"You just want to be the strongest in *a* world. Why are you so fixated on *this* world?"

"If this were on Earth, surely many people would be willing to enter a virtual world of absolute happiness to enjoy a full life, right?"

"Not to mention, our world isn’t virtual."

His middle-aged self crouched down, looking him level in the eye, his tone filled with confusion.

"Myself... why am I resisting entering the Deep Land?"

"Could it be that you truly have no fondness for Earth, that you want to escape that place so badly?"

WHOOSH—

In the dead of night, Chi Cheng held Lu Cang up by the neck with one hand. There was a gaping hole in Lu Cang’s chest.

He held Lu Cang aloft, filled with fury.

Lu Cang was no longer fighting back.

Chi Cheng could feel that he could end Lu Cang with a single blow.

And there was no reason to hesitate.

Chi Cheng raised his sword again.

He prepared to deal the final blow to Lu Cang.

But suddenly, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

Chi Cheng whipped his head around.

"Iz..."

Iz spoke. "He’s not fighting at all."

Iz looked at the Lu Cang being held by Chi Cheng.

Chi Cheng’s voice was hoarse, but filled with rage. "So what if he’s not fighting? Are you going to let him go?"

Iz shook his head, then spoke again. "The Magic on him... it has too much in common with my own. Perhaps there really is some kind of connection between us."

"If that’s the case, then perhaps I share some of the blame for what has happened today."

Chi Cheng: "Blame or not, it doesn’t matter where his power comes from. What he’s done is undeniably his fault."

Iz: "Mm... I know. It’s just his confusion... I find it a little hard to watch."

"Chi Cheng, just give me a little time."

Iz reached out and touched the top of Lu Cang’s head.

...

「Inside the Sea of Consciousness.」

Lu Cang stared at the fissure that had appeared before him.

This wasn’t the first time he had seen this fissure, but now, Lu Cang understood very clearly.

’As long as I pass through this fissure,’

’I can reach a world of happiness. In that world, I will have lost nothing, and I will never lose anything again.’

Now, Lu Cang could feel it.

’If I just go through this fissure, I can keep everything I have.’

’In that world called "Earth," my word will be law, and I can do whatever I please.’

’Yes... what’s so bad about that?’

’Why did I assume from the start that this must be some kind of malice?’

Lu Cang walked toward the fissure.

But just then, a figure laid a hand on his shoulder.