Chapter 295 - 291: Spirit and Shadow

Chapter 295: Chapter 291: Spirit and Shadow

As the flesh and blood of his face and body gradually crumbled away, Zhang Yi’s agonized howls didn’t stop. With his physical medium gone, they only grew sharper and more piercing.

"AHHH..."

Another sharp howl rang out, no longer sounding like Zhang Yi’s original voice at all.

Even inside the Secret Realm, the wind began to blow wildly. The flowing seawater in the sky splashed about, and the many fish within it fled frantically toward other areas. Those that reacted too slowly convulsed in the water, unable to move.

Ding Yi and Uncle Qiao couldn’t help but plug their ears, but they found the sound was all-pervasive, making their efforts useless.

The Magic Power in their arms began to circulate on its own, a growing warmth that brought the two of them considerable relief.

Doudou, completely unfazed, simply hid behind his big cousin, where he was totally unaffected. He then glanced at the river in the sky, and then back at the Red Demoness.

He gave his ears a quirky wiggle, so vigorous that it made the hat he wore year-round—changing only with the seasons—bob twice.

’The Red Demoness lost a lot of her ornamental fish. We can have an extra dish!’

Everyone present had been through their share of storms, but they still broke out in a cold sweat for Zhang Yi, watching him endure such agony while consciously witnessing his own body disintegrate bit by bit.

Within the Secret Realm, the free-floating energy emanating from the Magic Energy Crystal Ore converged with the wind toward Zhang Yi’s position. The surrounding mystical power also gathered in waves like a tide, making the transformation of his fleshless soul into light even more pronounced.

But Zhang Yi’s tortured screams grew more intense. Just from the sound, it was clear his soul had reached its absolute limit.

Bright, powdery substances constantly melted away from the edges of his form, and the power of the tri-colored Magic Potion couldn’t fully cover him.

His physical body had completely disintegrated. The Magic Potion’s power hadn’t fully integrated into his soul; a small portion had still perished along with his flesh and blood.

With a flick of his fingers, Qin Xiaoxia brought the suppressive force of the Secret Realm to bear from all directions, helping to restrain Zhang Yi’s soul, which was beginning to chain-react and collapse as the situation worsened.

"Even with the help of the Demon Spirit Potion, his evolution this time is too violent. If he hadn’t run into us, there’s no way he could have succeeded."

Aside from Ding Yi and Uncle Qiao, both the Red Demoness Su Su and Doudou nodded subconsciously.

The outside world certainly lacked the potent energetic substances of the Secret Realm. This meant Zhang Yi’s soul wouldn’t have become so exaggeratedly powerful, which might seem more stable, but he also would have had no one to help him.

And without the "high-pressure environment" here and the aid of the Magic Potion, a soul that had lost its physical body would have most likely disintegrated along with it. In other words, death would have been the most probable outcome after his body broke down.

"Outside, Zhang Yi could only rely on his own willpower. But he’s just an ordinary person..."

Su Su added, her tone puzzled, then shifting as if she’d just figured out a key point.

"So you mean evolution actually has a fatality rate? It’s not like anyone who can evolve is guaranteed to get stronger."

She saw her Mentor nod gently.

"The theory of a fatality rate for evolution has always existed—within the research projects of major world powers, of course. The Fire Power Evolvers in the United States are a classic example. Because of this limitation, the idea of death by evolution was mostly thought to exist in the second category, passive specific erosion. But now, it seems that the third category, and even the first, may not have a one-hundred-percent success rate either,"

Qin Xiaoxia added.

"However, Evolvers are still far too rare right now. Besides, any Evolver whose transformation is truly fatal must have their own unique characteristics, like Zhang Yi."

There was one more thing Qin Xiaoxia kept to himself.

’The fact that Su Su could suddenly perceive Zhang Yi on the level of her Divination Spiritual Sense naturally spoke to his uniqueness. But was Su Su’s "passive" triggering this time really a sign of Zhang Yi’s good fortune?’

The power of the Secret Realm, much like how it had once kept Qin Xiaoxia’s head from splitting open, caused Zhang Yi’s screams to weaken considerably.

But in his current state, he looked completely inhuman. His body parts were just a blur. Only his head was slightly clearer. His ears were a muddled mix of the bright and dark light twisting at his edges. The spots where his eyes and mouth should be, however, were brighter than the rest, like faint windows glowing from within a dark room.

Feeling the backlash from the Secret Realm’s suppression, at a certain moment, a thought crossed Qin Xiaoxia’s mind, and he withdrew the pressure.

The now-lifeless "Zhang Yi" floated and swayed like a feather in the wind. When his blurry limbs tried to lift even slightly, it immediately siphoned the energy of his current body, causing a part of him to dissipate outward. After he stopped, that dissipated substance seemed to be drawn by a weak magnet, arduously pulling itself back to his body bit by bit.

Within his blurry form, a distortion would occasionally appear, sending ripples through his body parts to every corner before he returned to stillness again.

"Big Cousin, is he a Demon Spirit?"

"He has that feel, but not quite."

Meanwhile, Zhang Yi seemed to be trying with all his might to adapt to his new state, taking care not to move too much lest his fragile new body instantly turn to ash.

"Zhang Yi, how are you feeling?"

Hearing the question, the luminous figure seemed to take a long while to realize it was being addressed. It carefully tried to speak, the sound it produced like a vibration from within.

"I... am like a newborn baby."

His voice held no trace of the horrific pain he had just experienced. He looked down at the flesh and blood on the grass that had once been his own.

Yet he felt no sense of familiarity, no grief, not even the lingering attachment or regret that had once been the two emotions most deeply entangled in his heart.

"I feel like... ’Zhang Yi’ is the name of a stranger, Master Sage!"

He spoke slowly, a sense of caution in his voice as if he were afraid to use too much force. At the same time, the voice was not a normal sound wave; it was strangely androgynous.

Qin Xiaoxia frowned and exchanged a look with the Red Demoness.

Her gentle voice carried a power that could calm the heart.

"Then do you not remember things from before? The things from when you were still human."

It was clearly a stretch to call Zhang Yi human in his current state, so there was nothing wrong with the Red Demoness’s question. At least, the subject of her question showed no offense.

"Human? I’m not considered human anymore? That makes sense..."

There was no hint of anger in his tone. It was as if he had just found the answer to a small problem.

"Memories. I remember. I remember everything, from the beginning of Zhang Yi’s memories until his death."

When he first said he felt "Zhang Yi" was a stranger’s name, some people hadn’t quite grasped it.

But now, everyone keenly noticed that he said "I" remember "Zhang Yi." The feeling was that he now considered himself a separate person.

Doudou emerged from behind his big cousin and asked with great curiosity.

"Aren’t you Zhang Yi?"

In his current field of vision, the world was a diffraction of light and shadow, significantly different from his Visual Sense as a human. Although he felt he could still see as a naked eye would, he had no inclination to do so.

And Master Sage remained as unfathomable as a profound world. Though the Secret Realm acted as a barrier, the world he could faintly perceive through it was even wilder than what his naked eye had seen, like the unknown he had glimpsed before.

The fluorescent figure fell silent for a moment, looked at Qin Xiaoxia, and posed a question with sincere slowness.

"Master Sage, I... don’t know how to answer that question. Am I... still Zhang Yi?"

’So he’s kicking the ball back into my court?’

Qin Xiaoxia complained inwardly, though not a hint of it showed on his face.

This was practically a philosophical question.

Faced with the situation, everyone was lost in thought, unsure if their own ideas were correct, and hoping Master Sage would provide an answer.

Qin Xiaoxia didn’t answer directly. Instead, he looked up at the sky, seemingly moved.

"What is the purpose of human evolution? Is it to adapt to the environment, or is it driven by the will of the heart? From ape to homo sapiens, and now to the present, evolution has continued unabated, sometimes strong, sometimes weak. The world’s reawakening before the long night is merely a new incubator for evolution."

"It was also humans themselves who decided to use the term ’human’ instead of ’ape.’"

He looked at "Zhang Yi" again. To "Zhang Yi," Master Sage’s calm gaze was like the moon reflected in a well.

"Therefore, whether you are Zhang Yi, or even if you are human, is something only your heart knows best. And it should be for you alone to decide."

His Magic Power manifested illusions of childhood, youth, and young adulthood—some lonely, some boisterous.

"Emotions, desires, hatreds... these are all criteria by which to judge."

These words were not only an answer for Zhang Yi, but also his own contemplation on a special existence like Zhang Yi, who clearly had no human form.

"So, you tell me. Are you Zhang Yi?"

It was not just a question, but a tremor sent straight to the heart.

Within the fluorescent figure, the frequency of the distortions and the vibrations at its edges clearly accelerated at that moment, making onlookers worry that he might dissipate.

After a long time, the androgynous voice sounded again.

"Past emotions and desires... they feel so distant, like a drama series playing on a screen. They can’t get out, and I... can’t get in..."

He paused for two seconds, then continued in a softer, shallower tone.

"I am not Zhang Yi!"

It was unexpected, yet also within expectations.

Perhaps because of this recognition and consolidation of his spirit.

The figure of light flickered and transformed, stabilizing into a humanoid shape. It even manifested something akin to clothing, imitating the Witch with a hooded cloak that shrouded its head and body. Its arms were still blurry, but their shape stabilized, and now wide, long sleeves helped to define the limbs.

This was a clever trick, using "clothing" to hide most of the distorted, blurry body. The light and shadow within the hood obscured the face, but the brightness of the eyes and mouth could be seen, preventing one from assuming there was no face at all.

At this moment, he finally understood what the Witch and Master Sage had repeatedly said—that Zhang Yi would not survive.

He had thought they were only referring to his physical body...

’So Master Sage was telling me the truth all along.’

"But you are still more comfortable as a human?"

Qin Xiaoxia’s voice sounded again once the transformation was complete. The change in his appearance was the best proof.

"I may not consider myself human anymore, but at the very least, I do not wish to become a monster."

From these words, it was clear he still possessed emotional factors.

But there was still a sense of hesitation, of being unable to decide for himself. So, Qin Xiaoxia decided to give him a push.

"Heh, your appearance doesn’t bring monsters to mind. You, who exist with the aid of a Demon Spirit Potion, are not a Demon Spirit. And you do not consider yourself human."

He looked directly into the eye-shaped outlines within the fluorescence, his gaze meeting the ebbing and flowing light and dark within.

"In that case, you are a Holy Spirit of our world. We shall call you Shadow. Do you have any objections?"

In that short time, the figure of light seemed to be rapidly adapting to its new self. As Qin Xiaoxia’s voice fell, its body was already able to perform a simple bow.

"I will follow Master Sage’s arrangements!"

Although the genderless voice was flat, a hint of excitement could be discerned from the frequency of its vibrations.

Doudou looked at the fish in the sky. It seemed his big cousin hadn’t even had to do anything this time, and this cool-looking guy had already fallen at his casual slacks.

Among everyone present, only the little Doudou dared to touch Master Sage’s body, a fact which had long drawn the Holy Spirit’s attention.

However, when he followed Doudou’s gaze to the sky, he didn’t see dead fish, but stars of a peculiar color, the same as the illusion he’d had when Du Peipei dragged him out of the ramen shop.

He knew instinctively that those were not normal stars. When he tried to see them more clearly, he experienced pain for the first time in his new body and couldn’t help but close his eyes to stabilize himself.

P.S. Wednesday’s first Chapter.