Chapter 54: Help Me? Are You Worthy?

A moment later, the dark shadow slowly raised its slender, withered hand, and then... reached past Su Mu, extending toward Yang Dongqing and the others.

The smile faded from Su Mu's face. Expressionless, he pushed up his Tinted Glasses. "That's a bit impolite."

With that, he grabbed the dark shadow's hand and stated firmly, "Today, you can only invite me."

Truth be told, Su Mu didn't want the dark shadow inviting anyone else because it was too risky. Yang Dongqing was a reckless fool. Once inside the Dark Illusion Realm, there wouldn't even be a need to trick him; the moment Jasmine's voice sounded, that idiot would definitely open his eyes.

Zhao Chaoyao and the others wouldn't do either. He could hypnotize them and command them never to open their eyes, but there was a drawback: once his own voice appeared in the illusion, those men would undoubtedly obey it.

The dark shadow's scarlet eyes stared at its captured hand. It fell silent for a moment before choosing to pull Su Mu slowly into the darkness.

"Wait outside, you guys. When I find Tingting, I'll set fire to the nearest house." Su Mu's calm voice vanished into the darkness.

Darkness. Deathly, absolute darkness.

Eyes closed, Su Mu allowed his good friend to pull him along, walking through the dark like a guide dog leading a blind man.

Gradually, various voices began echoing in his ears: Ye Fanyu, Yang Dongqing, Zhao Chaoyao, Tingting...

It was the same idiotic illusion as always. Su Mu was already too tired to even mock it. His attention wasn't focused on the illusion at all, but rather on himself.

This time, in order to hypnotize Tingting, he had refrained from expending his overflowing mental energy. That placed a massive burden on his physical body. With every step he took, he could hear his bones creaking under the overwhelming strain.

He began to bleed. Eyes, nose, ears, mouth—blood trickled uncontrollably from all seven orifices, yet he kept walking forward, even if it meant he might die.

A stray thought crossed his mind: he hadn't died at the hands of nightmare monsters, nor at the hands of Ye Fanyu, so he had better not end up dying just from walking.

But none of that mattered now. Even if he didn't die here, he would still die upon returning to reality, because he still hadn't become a transcendent.

"Su Mu, do you want to become a transcendent?" an unfamiliar voice rang out in the darkness.

A mocking smirk curled on Su Mu's lips. He knew the illusion had sensed his stray thoughts and was trying out a new trick.

"Su Mu, I am the only one who can help you. Deep within this darkness hides the source of the dark shadow's power. As long as you seize it, you can become a transcendent, and I can escape as well.

"You don't have to believe me, but you know your own physical condition perfectly well. You're going to die no matter what, so why not take a gamble?

"If you win, you secure a lifeline. If you lose, it costs you nothing anyway, since you're about to die."

Hearing this, Su Mu smiled faintly. "A very tempting proposal."

In the darkness, a hint of joy bled into that unfamiliar voice. "You are a smart person. You will definitely make the right choice."

The smile on Su Mu's lips deepened. "It's just... what right does a piece of trash like you, who can't even walk out of a Dark Illusion Realm, have to help me? Are you worthy?"

The voice in the darkness fell silent.

Only after a long while did it speak again. "I was merely caught off guard for a moment and got trapped here. If..."

"Hahaha... Trash always has excuses, while a winner simply stands there and becomes the sole truth!

"Get lost. No matter what you are, don't come out and embarrass yourself."

With that, the voice in the darkness went completely silent.

A long time passed before Su Mu felt the dark shadow's hand dissipate, and only then did he open his eyes.

And just as he expected, when he opened his eyes again, he saw Tingting. He used a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face and walked toward her.

It was a graveyard. Many tombstones stood crookedly, and Tingting's tiny body crouched in front of one, crying.

"Grandmother... do you not want Tingting anymore?"

"Tingting brought your favorite dumplings."

The tender, childish voice carried a sorrow that even adults couldn't bear.

As she cried, Tingting suddenly felt a large hand stroking her head.

She looked back and saw a gentle, smiling face.

"Big brother!" Tingting gasped in surprise, her eyes rimmed with red.

"Be a good girl, Tingting. Grandmother hasn't abandoned you," Su Mu said gently.

"Big brother, do you know where Grandmother went?" Tingting's large, clear eyes looked at Su Mu, brimming with anticipation.

Su Mu offered a warm smile. "Of course I do. Not only do I know where Grandmother went, but I also know where your mom and dad, and your little sister are."

"Really? Big brother! That's wonderful!" Tingting jumped up happily, her face glowing with joy. That smile was incredibly pure and clean. It was the first time Su Mu had seen Tingting smile so happily.

"Of course it's true. Big brother never lies." Su Mu rubbed Tingting's small head.

"Then tell Tingting quickly, big brother. Where are they?"

"They... are playing hide-and-seek with Tingting. They'll appear once the time is up."

"How long do I have to wait?" Tingting tilted her small head and asked.

Su Mu smiled faintly and pulled a dark gold Pocket Watch from his pocket. The mysterious Ouroboros symbol caught Tingting's eye.

"See these hands? When the hands point to twelve, they will all appear."

Tingting clapped her small hands excitedly. "Yay! Yay! Tingting is going to see Mom and Dad, Grandmother, and little sister!"

"Tingting, hold onto this Pocket Watch. Big brother has something he needs to do."

"Okay, big brother." Tingting smiled sweetly.

Afterward, Su Mu walked over to a nearby tree and took out some cigarettes and a lighter. He lit all the cigarettes, then tossed them onto the dry leaves beneath. Little by little, he guided the flames until the entire large tree caught fire, sending light and thick black smoke soaring into the sky.

"Tingting, let's play a game, okay?"

Hearing the word "game," Tingting was visibly frightened and subconsciously curled her body inward.

Su Mu smiled gently and took the Pocket Watch back from her hands. "This game is called time acceleration."

"Time acceleration?" Tingting had a child's temperament after all, and she found herself involuntarily drawn in.

"Yes. Big brother is actually a magician who can accelerate time."

"Really, big brother? Then after time accelerates, will Tingting be able to see Mom and Dad soon?"

"Of course it's true. Have you forgotten? Big brother never lies. Alright, now big brother is going to start his performance."

Su Mu released the Pocket Watch in his hand, letting it hang naturally. With the end of the chain wedged between his fingers, he exerted a slight force, and the dark gold Pocket Watch began to swing like a pendulum.