Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1969: Chapter 1964: Mathematical Euphoria (25)

Whether in size or touch, everything felt remarkably consistent; lying straight, without even space to sit up.

In a moment, Fu Qian had already explored all around, concluding that except for the lack of windows, this situation was somewhat similar to his initial encounter upon waking in Paradise.

The question is why?

Died in the incense hall and was buried?

Of course not, not to mention it doesn’t fit the pattern of previous experiences, and just now both knees felt completely intact.

And this wasn’t the only change; the style of clothing had changed from a long robe to a sophisticated coat.

Not to mention, from the feel of his facial features, he could almost imagine his current appearance.

So is he turning back into Old Master Lu again?

That’s right, not only in location, Fu Qian could almost confirm that he had reverted to the state at the beginning of the mission in every respect—except the mission hadn’t restarted.

And if that were the case, based on the feeling of "waking up," it seemed to some extent to prove that his reverse operation in the incense hall was indeed the correct answer.

With thoughts spinning, Fu Qian quickly arrived at a somewhat optimistic conclusion: that he might have progressed further.

In the depths of darkness lies a real way out, a place more profound than non-human reincarnation leading to a higher realm.

Although the relationship between these realms above and below appears rather subtle.

It seems you need to "wake up" from the lower realm, almost as if differentiating between fantasy and reality.

...

There was no noise outside; it sounded quite peaceful.

Even after adapting for a moment, glimpses of light leaking in could be faintly seen in the darkness.

Insufficient to illuminate anything, but it indicated that the coffin wasn’t too airtight.

After confirming there was nothing usable as a weapon, Fu Qian applied more force, attempting to push the coffin lid before him.

It was heavy, but not to the point of being buried alive, meaning there seemed to be no earth covering it.

Combining the not too tight gaps, it seemed like he hadn’t been dug out, but rather dug up and then covered again.

Marvelous.

Marveling momentarily, Fu Qian chose a point to exert force, steadily and firmly pushing outwards, and soon more light seeped through.

There was even sound.

A long and rhythmic bell sound, not piercing, almost evoking the image of someone walking away step by step to its rhythm.

After a few seconds of listening and reaching a conclusion, Fu Qian did not break the peaceful atmosphere, controlling himself not to make noise, finally pushing aside a section of his coffin lid.

It really is the same.

And in the next moment, looking up at the sky’s glazed clearness, Fu Qian gave a heartfelt compliment to the familiar hue and rose from the coffin.

...

Aside from the fewer welcoming people.

Sitting in the coffin, he didn’t rush to jump out; as Fu Qian glanced around, he saw more than one familiar scene.

Grave, tombstone, cemetery... everything was so similar to how the mission started.

But this time waking up, there was no one around applauding to celebrate.

And glancing into the distance, he could vaguely see a figure dressed in a white robe walking away along the gaps between graves, reminiscent of the legendary Tomb Guardian.

The bell sound came from him, and the footsteps, too, had a rhythmic sense as imagined.

Could he possibly have just come to cover the coffin lid?

As a thought naturally surfaced, Fu Qian was sure it wasn’t a familiar silhouette.

He didn’t rush to ask about it, instead, he continued to gaze further away.

The terrain was still very flat, so much so that a line of connected buildings could be vaguely seen.

And the styles of those buildings looked very familiar.

To enter the next higher realm, do you wake up in a place extremely similar to the City of Bliss?

Was his previous experience in a "sleeping" state, a mass hallucination akin to a Clear Dream Ring?

If that were the case, then the differences between these realms are of a dimensional magnitude.

And the operations deduced purely through logical reasoning earlier now had theoretical support—

The deeper one immerses, the more vividly real the dream feels, and the harder it becomes to wake from it.

The abyss and darkness that isolate observation precisely indicate the weakening of the dream’s connection.

But that special feeling during the women’s exchange, and the vortex he realized from it, were undoubtedly subtle issues.

It played a crucial role in the final operation.

If not for that special feeling and trying to use it to deepen the Fall, Fu Qian would seriously doubt if he could succeed.

Given previous experiences, the mere degree of Fall in a non-human reincarnation wasn’t enough to awaken oneself.

It not only serves as a wake-up prompt but an excellent tool.

Though he believes Kako and Brother Thick Eyebrow would avoid it if encountered, just as they abhor falling into non-human reincarnation.

Meanwhile, their constant pursuits of various causes and effects seem contrary, only deepening their connection to the dream, making waking up harder—apparently not waking up.

In contemplation, Fu Qian had already gotten out of the pit and was wandering around.

And at some moment, he stopped in his tracks, eyes landing to one side.

It was another dug-up grave, the coffin lid open, with a person lying inside.

Actually, such scenes were seen more than once around, but now the focus was on the somewhat familiar person lying inside.

...

Couldn’t recall the name, but certainly one of the Brotherhood members involved in capturing him.

Different in attire and demeanor from before, with an even gentler expression.

Eyes tightly closed, appearing to be in deep sleep.

With kind intention jumping down to check the body, Fu Qian confirmed that this person still had signs of life.

So in the City of Bliss, were those he met also asleep in other graves?

This matched the earlier speculation, but ensuing was a question: why was his coffin lid the one closed?

"...What are you doing?"

Just as Fu Qian reflected, a voice came from behind, and the melodious bell sound halted.

"Too stuffy, came out for some fresh air."

Once running a hall, Fu Qian didn’t continue disturbing the person in the coffin, stepping out and casually lied to the approaching figure.

Undoubtedly, it was the Tomb Guardian walking away earlier.

Since he hadn’t deliberately concealed his actions, being discovered was too simple.

And evidently, he found Fu Qian’s standing there quite unbelievable.