Chapter 1780: Ancient-Corroding Tide

It still didn't seem to work.

Silently transforming into the King of the Abandoned Prison, Fu Qian carefully analyzed the resulting ripples in the dreamscape. A few seconds later, he reached a conclusion.

This genuine perspective of a higher entity allowed him to draw a few key conclusions with almost no further testing.

There were no signs whatsoever of any connection to the Mind World or the depths of the collective subconscious.

This was true even though the identity of the King of the Abandoned Prison already allowed him to hear summons in this world to a certain extent—just like in the Real World.

He had always treated this distinction as a sign of his integration into the world.

When facing the changes brought by his advancement to Tier 2, he had even been faintly curious if it would change this.

Now it seemed it was ultimately just a Skin; his essence as an outsider remained firmly unchanged.

Trying to use the dreamscape to explore the Mind World seemed like a dead end. He would have to trouble that entity a little bit after all.

The dreamscape shattered, and his Mythical Form deactivated alongside it.

Finding himself back at the top of the Tower, Fu Qian fiddled with the other red Ring on his hand and activated Homecoming.

...

The Half-Step Moon remained as quiet as ever.

He had obviously been returning here a bit too frequently lately, yet the Red Moon was the same as always, offering almost no reaction.

Fu Qian had no complaints about this. He simply offered a brief greeting before activating the dreamscape again and adjusting the scenery within it.

Plan Four was a proven, tested strategy.

Although the power bestowed upon him was firmly rooted in flesh and blood, the Red Moon clearly possessed considerable spatial authority.

Earlier, he had recreated Senior Liliana's hiding place so It could help him open a passage into what was likely the Burial Ground of the Gods.

He hadn't chosen this strategy right away because its drawbacks were incredibly obvious—

For one, a core goal of this exploration was to see if he could forge a path from the dreamscape to the Mind World. Using this opportunistic shortcut essentially meant abandoning that goal entirely.

For another, even if he wanted to take a shortcut, the Red Moon's current state meant It might not cooperate.

Therefore, Fu Qian handled the recreation with meticulous patience, striving to replicate the scene flawlessly so the Red Moon could assist him with minimal effort—and assist It did.

While he was carefully rendering the floor, doors, and windows, and was only halfway through recreating the Candlestick, a pitch-black door silently swung open.

The stability of the dreamscape immediately rose to another level.

Was this the benefit of paying respects to the local boss?

"Thanks."

Fu Qian offered his casual thanks, adjusted the Items on his person, and stepped through.

...

It was truly fast and accurate.

The transition was silky smooth. The next moment, Fu Qian found himself inside a familiar building.

Looking toward the corner of the room, he instantly recalled the image of Senior Liliana sobbing on the floor.

What a pity, the departed is already gone.

Sighing at the impermanence of the world, Fu Qian strolled around.

He had made many guesses about what this place actually was, but now, the theory that it was the remains of a Deity seemed the most likely.

One couldn't be narrow-minded. Who said remains had to take a flesh-and-blood form?

His own two Mythical Forms were perfect examples.

Perhaps this place looked more like a remnant of faith, much like the Akons, but two reasons refuted that theory.

First, there was no one here.

Judging from his previous mission, the Echo of human will was a core element within such remnants of faith. If it was completely lost, the remnant would likely collapse.

Yet this place had been completely empty for a while, and it hadn't shown any obvious changes.

Second, there used to be someone here.

Senior Liliana had carefully chosen this spot as a hiding place, hoping to escape the Warehouse's forced conscription.

And in fact, she had succeeded.

If this place had been like the domain of the Akons, the Warehouse—even in its dilapidated state—could have still interfered via assignments. How could Senior Liliana have possibly stayed hidden then?

In summary, this was an outlawed zone beyond the Warehouse's reach, a forbidden place closely monitored by the Night Watchers.

And this building in front of him was very likely the final remains of a higher entity.

Even if it looked as dead as it could possibly be.

Facing him, a fellow peer, it showed absolutely no intention of offering a greeting.

Shaking the Umbilical Cord in his hand, Fu Qian sighed regretfully. Without wasting any time, he leapt down and sprinted away from the building.

Arriving at this place in the guise of an Ancient Higher Being hadn't triggered any abnormalities so far. There wasn't even any special suppression—

His feet slammed into the ground. Silver-gray Armor instantly materialized, enveloping his entire body.

Looking down, Fu Qian tragically discovered that the clothes he had just bought were reduced to ash. Not a single thread remained.

...

The tide.

It seemed he had finally discovered the special treatment an Ancient Higher Being received in this place.

It was omnipresent, vanishing and surging unpredictably, threatening to throw his physical condition into a subtle imbalance at the slightest lapse in focus.

It was the same violent, sourceless scouring he had endured during his very first visit.

Though compared to its current intensity, that previous encounter had felt as gentle as a sauna.

Indeed, with the Umbilical Cord in hand, the devastation wrought by this so-called tide had surged by at least several dozen times.

The Armor gifted by the Red Moon was dimming at a visible rate.

And yet, it failed to provide even the slightest shred of protection to his physical body beneath it.

His flesh, which had already reached the level of a Tier 2 Transcendent, was not only withering rapidly but also trembling strangely, as if desperately fighting off a twisted mutation.

Ever since he had taken on the mantle of the King of the Abandoned Prison, this was the first time his flesh had been subjected to such immense pressure.

"Every time I come to this place, it seems to push my absolute limits."

Marveling at the sensation, Fu Qian activated the Decree of Return. He had verified last time that this skill offered some resistance against mutation.

[SAN Value -10]

As well as Pseudo-God Incarnation.

Feeling the strain on his body ease slightly, Fu Qian estimated his remaining time and continued sprinting forward.

He had finally reaped a reward.

No matter what generated it, the tide seemed exceptionally lethal to Ancient Higher Beings. The chances of this place being the burial ground of a Divine Entity were even higher now.

But it wasn't enough.

The greater the storm, the richer the catch.

Although retreating for now and returning later would be a safer choice, the sudden, violent tide—just like last time—brought a chaotic mess of debris swept up in its devastating currents.

Sprinting across the endless wilderness, Fu Qian rapidly sifted through the countless auras carried by the tide, locking onto any unique connections.

Perfect.

The next moment, he felt himself crossing a barrier. The wilderness beneath his feet vanished entirely, replaced by a bizarre expanse of overlapping, soap bubble-like phantoms.

It was the exact boundary he had visited last time.

The situation was far from optimistic. Although the time it took was roughly the same, his health was draining at a much faster rate.

"I choose you!"

Fortunately, Fu Qian didn't waste any time browsing. Following the connection he had locked onto earlier, he reached straight out toward one of the bubbles.