Chapter 596 - 355: Awakening

Chapter 596: Chapter 355: Awakening

THUD—

The collapse of his entire Sea of Consciousness suddenly came to a halt.

Lu Cang’s dazed eyes abruptly regained a moment of clarity.

’What in the world am I doing?’

’Lu Cang... are you really going to go back on your own decision?’

’You finally made up your mind, and now you’re having second thoughts. How long will you remain this conflicted?’

The questions echoed in his Sea of Consciousness.

But the being beside Lu Cang looked up at the sky of the Sea of Consciousness...

"So that’s how it is."

"The Mind truly is a fragile place."

Lu Cang stared at the figure beside him, a faint sense of confusion rising from his muddled thoughts. "Iz?"

"How... how are you here?"

Iz replied, "Are you asking how I appeared in your Sea of Consciousness?"

"You are indeed irredeemably wicked, but the Magic you use... it greatly intrigues me."

"Besides, just now, it didn’t seem like you were fighting at all."

"Even if I am to judge you, I must first uncover the truth."

"And it seems you do, in fact, know me."

At this moment, Iz didn’t know Lu Cang at all.

He wasn’t supposed to meet him for another year.

But Lu Cang could feel a faint, ethereal bond connecting him to Iz...

It was a bond between Mages. Even though the two had never met, the Magic they wielded spoke volumes about them.

The Magic Lu Cang used had already told Iz that Lu Cang was not a desperately evil person.

A person like that.

Why would he kidnap a young girl?

Why would he destroy Ruelun?

It made no sense at all...

But now, Iz felt he was beginning to understand something.

Although he had only seen the crack before him, his insight allowed him to see through to certain truths.

The duality of the Void and the Physical.

This concept was the very essence of Iz’s Tier Four Root Magic. As someone who understood the relationship between the Void Realm and the Physical Realm, it wasn’t hard for him to comprehend the rift that had appeared between them.

"Izparut..."

POOF—

An image of Lu Luwei materialized before Iz.

"Don’t you know it’s incredibly rude to barge into someone else’s Sea of Consciousness?"

"As a mere simulation, you’re overstepping your bounds."

Inside Lu Cang’s Sea of Consciousness, Iz looked down at his own hands.

"You’re saying I’m a simulation?"

Lu Luwei’s voice took on a playful tone. "That’s right. You’re nothing but a phantom in my domain."

"You’re saying this is a domain?"

"Oh... Now that you mention it, it does feel a bit like that."

Iz’s tone remained perfectly calm.

He showed no fear or anxiety at being defined as real or fake.

His mere presence was enough to calm Lu Cang down considerably.

"It seems you haven’t specifically studied Mind Category Magic," Iz said suddenly.

Lu Cang: "I’ve studied it..."

Iz: "Just studied it?"

Lu Cang: "Yes."

There was too much to learn. Even though he utilized his time more efficiently than ordinary people, Lu Cang couldn’t possibly master everything.

This was especially true for Magic. Ever since he gained the ability to steal Magic with the Lighthouse of All Laws...

...Lu Cang’s own magical studies had grown more lax.

His comprehension was good, creating Self-created Magic was easy, and he could steal plenty of Magic from others.

As a result, he didn’t feel the need to try so hard when it came to magical research.

He certainly didn’t need to delve into every single category of Magic. Otherwise... just the few major schools would be enough to keep him busy for a very long time.

Iz: "Heh... A weak foundation makes the earth tremble and the mountains shake."

"You’re my disciple, aren’t you?"

Lu Cang: "Yes..."

The two had clearly never met, yet Iz had directly guessed Lu Cang’s identity.

"The Mind is the most vulnerable place. No matter how strong your body is or how masterfully you wield the Elements, an unstable Mind will always leave you open to attack."

Lu Luwei: "Are you done talking?"

Iz turned to Lu Luwei. "If you had complete Control over me, you wouldn’t be asking that question."

"I imagine even your domain must adhere to the Rules you’ve set for it."

And just then, An Su, who had been as quiet as stagnant water, suddenly spoke up.

"Lu Cang."

"I’ve already seen through the Rules of this domain."

With more and more voices intervening, Lu Cang’s consciousness gradually cleared. Although his Sea of Consciousness was still in tatters, he could at least think with some semblance of normal logic.

"An Su, why didn’t you wake me up sooner?"

An Su: "Hehe, if I woke you, how could I have observed the enemy’s movements?"

"And if I didn’t observe their operational logic, how could I have broken this domain?"

BZZZT!

Just as Lu Cang was about to say something more, he felt another surge roil through his Sea of Consciousness.

"Look closely!" An Su suddenly roared.

Lu Cang focused his mind and, following the guidance of An Su’s will, abruptly stared at the rift!

This time, Lu Cang suddenly saw something he hadn’t seen before!

He saw a fog-like substance within his Sea of Consciousness being continuously sucked into the rift! That substance being drawn in was his own Spirituality!

’Damn it!’

’So that’s what it is!’

’This thing is sucking away my Spirituality!’

’No wonder my thoughts have become so sluggish!’

"Control your Spirituality! Don’t let it keep flowing in there!"

He snapped back to his senses!

Now that he could see it, he could feel it. Lu Cang immediately and consciously took control of the flow of his Spirituality!

The fog-like Spirituality that had been steadily pouring into the rift suddenly stopped moving.

RUMBLE—

But Lu Cang once again felt a violent tremor rock his Sea of Consciousness!

The sky of his Sea of Consciousness split open, and a gigantic eye appeared, looking down upon everything within!

It was that eye!

The eye with a doorway in its pupil!

"Awake?"

"Why do you insist on being awake?"

"Why do you insist on resisting?"

BANG—

His Sea of Consciousness shook and churned. A Magic Array materialized within it, coalescing into a massive spiritual barrier that covered the entire Sea of Consciousness!

But...

BANG!

Another deafening crash!

The entire barrier developed countless cracks as it shook violently!

But in the next instant, those cracks were immediately repaired!

Lu Cang possessed the Root Magic of repair. It could restore damage to any Magic at an incredible speed. As long as a spell wasn’t completely destroyed, it could quickly return to its original state.

BANG!

However, the doorway in the eye’s pupil opened once more!

In an instant, even more cracks appeared on the barrier enveloping Lu Cang’s Sea of Consciousness!

’I’ve layered it with hundreds of Mind Category Protective Magic spells in an instant, and it still can’t hold?’

However, he could finally confirm one thing.

This thing... its method of attack was aimed directly at the Mind.

Watching Lu Cang use Protective Magic, Iz, who was standing beside him, shook his head. "These Mind Category Protective Magic spells of yours are too crude..."

"You really haven’t studied Mind Category Magic at all."

"Are you really my disciple?"