Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1968: Chapter 1963: Mathematical Euphoria (24)

Is it really that magical? No wonder they say to stand on the shoulders of giants.

At such a critical moment, Fu Qian was quite certain that it was not his illusion.

It was like catching a lifeline while sliding into the abyss, taking a breather.

And the more profound this experience, the more it stimulated his aversion to falling into the abyss—fortunately, this straw seemed to be sturdy enough.

Soon, he was breathing more than just a sigh, and Fu Qian could clearly feel his state stabilizing, his mind no longer becoming abstract.

But then again, even though the predecessors summed up such useful experiences, did none of them manage to persist till the end?

This question is still somewhat difficult to answer because, under the current circumstances, Fu Qian’s perception of time has been severely diminished, making it hard to determine how long he has to hold on.

Especially when no one is making a sound.

"Thanks for the reminder."

But it doesn’t matter; I can initiate a conversation myself.

"If the time is up and I am still asleep... what will happen then?"

The next moment, he first expressed gratitude, then Fu Qian asked a question as calmly as possible.

"Don’t worry, that won’t happen. I’ll announce the result and lead you out when you start crawling like livestock on the ground."

And the old man’s response was full of confidence.

It even seemed to make sense why they call this the heart punishment.

Apparently, even before me, the Brotherhood had already compared the experience to non-human reincarnation.

"Of course, the Brotherhood will not continue to keep you; you can gain the freedom you’ve always desired."

And it’s no surprise that this punishment was indeed only meant for torment; having killed someone, I still have to be decisively severed.

Lastly, there’s a minor detail, the old man and Brother Thick Eyebrow are still alive and kicking, and it seems there’s none of them in the incense burner I’ve ravaged—so where are theirs?

At a certain moment, Fu Qian glanced at the grand hall with the corner of his eye and realized his vision seemed to become clearer.

...

Not only did it not continue to deteriorate, it was even recovering?

Maintaining a calm facade, Fu Qian confirmed that it was not an illusion.

The most compelling reason was that the illusory image where the smoke gathered even had a bit of outline in his vision.

It’s really recovering, is this the power of believing in the light?

But if that’s the case, why did those brothers at the beginning fail to make it to the end?

No matter how one looks at it, in a situation that’s getting better, Fu Qian, who always likes to ask questions, wasn’t easily optimistic.

Moreover, the next moment he even made a daring move—he stopped imagining the Luminous Glass in his consciousness.

The feeling of falling into the abyss almost immediately hit, though it didn’t seem as intense for the time being.

So is this your method? What does this world look like in your eyes? What is the purpose of such an arrangement?

Feeling it out, Fu Qian muttered to himself in his heart.

...

Please begin your performance; it has always been the true purpose of this series of actions.

So for Fu Qian, throughout the entire process of combating darkness just now, there was always another perspective scrutinizing his process of resistance.

He was facing a higher-dimensional adversary that was difficult to fathom; such a method could subtly help deduce Its real intentions.

Even now, no one has come to kill him again, even when Brother Thick Eyebrow was infuriated earlier. In the end, he chickened out—but Fu Qian didn’t think the other party temporarily let him go.

On the contrary, he even always assumed that the current situation is the result of deliberate guidance.

From such a basis, what purpose can be derived for the other party?

What effect does It want to achieve?

This is not an easy question, as I’m lacking information about the Eighth Layer Heaven for reference.

But it’s not necessarily impossible to employ some straightforward reasoning to try to deduce.

For example, why hasn’t It tried to continue killing me?

Even if I’ve shown skill earlier, I’m ultimately still within the realm of a mortal. If more assailants come, I’ll eventually be hacked to death—unless being guided to this result is worse than being hacked to death.

Is there such a possibility? It cannot be ruled out.

After all, from previous experiences, after death, the task won’t restart, but I won’t die either, instead, it’s highly likely I’ll enter a period of non-human reincarnation.

And I have already proven the ability to escape from it entirely, though the process isn’t easy.

Then here’s the next question, what’s a more severe consequence than being hacked to death, or even falling into non-human reincarnation—misguidance, rendering me blind to further paths.

Unable to destroy the body, then lock the progress of the mind—like forming thought traps through inducement, thus creating obstacles to exploring the next layer of heaven.

Specifically, it seems that by learning the methods of the predecessors, I’ve successfully stabilized my state, without continuing the slide into the "abyss."

And that’s something everyone in Paradise is striving to avoid.

Even subsequent similar discomforts are likely to be alleviated by referring to this "experience."

Like when I was observing the performance of Mrs. Scarf and her companion, I also had similar feelings.

So is this the misguided intention directed at me?

Instead, by going against the grain, abandoning the resistance and no longer yearning for the light, thus really sliding into the abyss, could that be the key to entering the next layer of heaven?

It’s a thought, but combined with my experiences in the non-human reincarnation, it seems the endpoint of this fallen path truly has no exit—unless that’s not the endpoint.

Feeling the increasingly strong sense of withering will, Fu Qian not only did not resist but even completely let himself go, letting his will fall freely, and everything in front quickly faded away.

Moreover, he even did an extra thing, which was recalling the actions of Mrs. Scarf and her companion, and the briefly appearing "shaped will loss," attempting to recreate that incomprehensible symbol.

The incense hall doesn’t exist, the City of Bliss doesn’t exist, not even the self exists...

Eventually, under the tearing of the abstract vortex, everything fell apart and sank into darkness.

Even in the end, the concept of darkness seemed difficult to define...

...

Hoo——

At a certain moment, Fu Qian took a deep breath, and in the process, step by step activated the awareness of concepts about breathing, self, task... etc., like being thawed from a freezer.

So this is?

And when the visual concept also recovered, Fu Qian struggled to try opening his eyes, only to find that the front was still all black.

Reaching out his hand, he easily touched an obstruction, but the texture was...

Feeling around in another direction, Fu Qian quickly came to a possible conclusion—was he lying in a coffin again?

And still with the lid closed.