Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1966: Chapter 1961: Mathematical Nirvana (22)

So, it shouldn’t be just a matter of simple particulate matter exceeding the limit.

Struggling to stretch his lungs, Fu Qian quickly recalled the sensations he experienced on his way in and drew a conclusion.

Although the scene indeed felt suffocating, the sensation of breathlessness didn’t actually escalate smoothly.

It was almost right at the moment when Mr. Yin Yang smashed his incense burner that it suddenly intensified.

While it could certainly be understood as a physical endurance reaching a certain critical point, combined with this Smoke Sea Mirage before his eyes, Fu Qian leaned more toward certain magical possibilities.

For example, because he was exiled, he was being rejected by this place, and increasingly so.

Another reason supporting this hypothesis is that the heaviness of this breathing seemed almost simultaneously reflected in the spirit.

Oppression, exhaustion, thoughts becoming obscure and unclear, not smooth... this wasn’t even the first time he’d felt something similar.

When leading the Brotherhood to support the scene earlier, he had briefly experienced a similar discomfort during the performance by the Lady with the Scarf and the others.

And the ultimate form of this discomfort seemed to be that kind of darkness from the Non-human Reincarnation, forgetting one’s human identity.

Moreover, the Mirage in his vision was really disappearing, as if he had lost the qualification to see it.

"How do you feel?"

While savoring the experience, Mr. Yin Yang had already actively inquired about his feelings.

"Actually, the Brotherhood never forces anyone to stay, as long as you can endure this Heart punishment... now, a third of the time has passed, I hope you can continue to persevere."

Furthermore, there was a profound encouragement expressed.

...

In fact, if you don’t make a sound, the sense of oppression might be stronger; this only makes you seem insecure.

The second half of the old man’s words even sounded somewhat enlightened, almost contrary to the usual image of the Brotherhood.

But Fu Qian might not question its veracity, yet still thought speaking this way was somewhat humiliating.

Of course, it might also relate to the pressure he exerted.

The weaker side isn’t necessarily unable to apply cold violence.

From the old man’s words, it somewhat confirmed the earlier guess that this was not an ordinary suffocation, but a form of mental torment known as "Heart punishment."

Once you join the Brotherhood, to leave, you must endure this ordeal, and there’s even a standard time limit.

Combining the earlier deduction, the timing should have started when the incense burner was smashed.

And from that moment, he had been waiting for a reaction of pain from him.

Unfortunately, encountered with cold violence.

Even though the face belonging to Helen had been peeled away before entering this great hall, Fu Qian still precisely controlled every muscle on his face, maintaining an unchanged expression until now.

It is not that this punishment is too light; quite the contrary, Fu Qian fully understands why the Brotherhood considers it the ultimate torture.

The name is even quite fitting.

Heart punishment, transforming a person into a beast from the depths of the heart.

This feeling is absolutely unpleasant, especially for those who consider themselves lucky to step into Paradise.

Even if it is still a far cry from the Non-human Reincarnation they fear, that sense of withering without ties is still comparable to a fall in realm.

From this perspective, the Brotherhood using it as a family law might be excessively brutal.

A vivid example is right there; the original owner of this body would rather confess in a church for more than two years than exit in this ’official way,’ showing the deterrent power of this cruel punishment.

Unfortunately, from just now to now, this continuously accumulating punishment hasn’t manifested on Fu Qian at all, leading the old man finally unable to hold back, deciding to catalyze with words.

"Your performance is surprising; it seems like you’ve truly gained a lot over these past two years... hope you gain even more in the future."

And given Fu Qian still showed no reaction, the old man’s encouragement continued, his tone as gentle as a Saint’s.

...

So, did Helen die causing the incense burner to extinguish automatically?

But until it was smashed just now, his own incense burner appeared quite normal and even participated in manifesting this spectacle before him...

So, is it because this body hasn’t died? Or is it the spirit of the body’s original owner that hasn’t died?

Those from the worldly society don’t bother with trivialities, although the old man essentially was just adding pressure, Fu Qian was genuinely attempting to seek more gains.

Such as the question at the beginning, how exactly did this body come to be in front of him?

Based on the completion of the First Phase task, he indeed achieved an ascension of the primary realm, allowing him to seize this body by force.

But why this one?

The original will had long died, leaving behind a living corpse, the least difficult to possess?

Or randomly selecting an unlucky one, then directly Annihilating or suppressing his will?

No matter which explanation, it irresistibly leads to speculation; if breaking through another realm, in what form would it occur?

As of now, this Paradise may not illustrate much Extraordinary Power, but the ideal aspects are many.

Thus, speculations on how to break through inevitably become more abstract daily.

Simultaneously, the backstage manipulators’ not overly aggressive killing suggests that pure physical annihilation might not be particularly effective in this ideational realm.

As the weaker side, at first glance, it sounds like a good thing.

But for Fu Qian, a conspicuous downside lies there — he is so hard to kill, how then could that Ancient Man be extinguished when the time comes?

Remaining true to the original intention is the way to the end; the task conditions are firmly positioned there.

"Of course, I have learned a lot."

Amidst deductions, Fu Qian could feel his human component dwindling significantly, with will pushed little by little to the brink of the dark Abyss.

Yet, relying on his abundant experience in not being human, he managed, through sheer logic, to maintain fluid linguistic ability, opening his mouth to continue the cold violence — and hot violence.

"And whether you want to listen or not, I’m prepared to selflessly share it..."

The incense burner belonging to Helen was once again taken out by Fu Qian, handled like a discus.

"What are you trying to do—"

The next moment, the discus was indeed thrown out, accurately hitting Brother Thick Eyebrow on one side, stifling both his words and his advancing step.

"You—"

The old man’s experience was even brisker, uttering merely a word before several white teeth were knocked out by another conveniently seized incense burner from Fu Qian.

Amid cluttered clashes, the Brotherhood’s incense hall was instantly desecrated into a chaotic mess.

Come, let me see your profound insights on this Paradise.

Fu Qian, causing havoc in the Incense Burner Holy Hall without any emotional fluctuation over his violence, looked towards where the Mirage once was and quietly offered encouragement to an unseen entity.