Chapter 765: The Awakened 4

“These are desperate times. We need decisive action.”

The City Lord said coldly, “From this moment on, I grant you the authority to command the Molten Rock Guard. You will coordinate with them to exterminate those afflicted with the madness. I am giving you only ten days. If you fail, then even if your Artifact Refining Sect is of great use to me, I will not grant any of you the chance to live.”

The Situ Sect Leader quickly averted his gaze, cupped his hands, and said, “As you command.”

The City Lord waved his hand, saying no more.

The Situ Sect Leader took the hint and quickly left the hall.

As for the subsequent arrangements, he decided he would first visit the Molten Rock Guard and gather a group of skilled men.

Soon, the vast hall was empty save for the City Lord.

Suddenly, the City Lord clutched his head, his face a mask of savagery and conflict. ‘I will not become one of the mad! I refuse!’

‘As long as no one has the madness, then no one will know that I’m about to succumb to it! I am still the City Lord of Molten Rock City!’

A fiery red Qi enveloped the City Lord. A moment later, the look of insanity on his face gradually subsided.

The room fell silent once more.

…

Shen Bai followed the middle-aged man with the Double Hooks and the rest of the rescue party, having now escaped to a continuous mountain range.

The mountain range was vast and deep. Looking up, all one could see were lush, green mountain forests stretching as far as the eye could see.

“Brother Ke, I’m Hong Dongyi, the one you contacted before. We’ve finally rescued you.”

A look of deep emotion crossed Hong Dongyi’s face.

Shen Bai looked at their considerable losses and said, “But the cost was high.”

Hong Dongyi shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Brother Ke, you have an astonishing talent for Artifact Refining, which is of great use to us. As long as you can forge more treasures for us, we’ll have a chance to overthrow Molten Rock City and uncover the truth about the Awakened.”

‘Awakened?’

When he heard that word, Shen Bai didn’t ask, but he already understood.

In Molten Rock City, it was called the madness, but to these people, it was being Awakened.

‘Perhaps Awakened is more fitting, since they already know the truth from the lies.’

Thinking this, Shen Bai paused for a moment before saying, “I only just Awakened not long ago. Can you tell me more about what it means to be one of the Awakened?”

Since he was already here, he might as well play along. Shen Bai decided to go with the flow and find more clues about the Forbidden Land.

Hong Dongyi nodded. “It’s like this for everyone who has just Awakened. Come with me to our camp first. I’ll explain everything in detail once we get there.”

Shen Bai agreed and said no more.

Afterward, Hong Dongyi led Shen Bai into the mountain forest.

The forest was dense, and the paths within were extremely complex. Even a seasoned veteran of the mountains could easily get lost.

Hong Dongyi followed a specific route. After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they arrived before a hidden cave.

The cave was obscured by a dense thicket of trees; one would never spot it without looking closely.

“We’ve hollowed out half of this mountain. The interior is vast enough to hold tens of thousands of people.”

Hong Dongyi explained as he led Shen Bai inside.

The paths inside the cave were just as winding, like a labyrinth.

After entering, Hong Dongyi changed routes at least several dozen times before finally reaching a massive cavern.

To call it a natural cavern would be inaccurate; it was more like a Space that had been violently carved out.

Inside, there were houses and a water source. A giant sphere of light even floated at the top, serving as the sole light source.

Cultivators occupied the houses and streets. It was like a world within a cave, one that even had a sense of order.

Hong Dongyi said, “This will be your residence, Brother Ke. Let’s go inside and talk.”

He led Shen Bai to one of the houses, opened the door, and took him inside.

Hong Dongyi asked, “The conditions are simple, I hope you don’t mind, Brother Ke. After all, we Awakened are still at a disadvantage.”

Shen Bai glanced around. “It’s fine. Having a place to stay is already more than enough.”

The room’s furnishings were indeed simple, but Shen Bai didn’t mind.

“Brother Hong, please explain the details of this Awakening to me,” Shen Bai said.

Hong Dongyi nodded. “Actually, every person who Awakens discovers the same thing: the place we live in isn’t real.”

“Brother Ke, look at this.”

Hong Dongyi took out his Double Hooks and slashed his arm.

A wound appeared, and a trickle of blood flowed out.

“The blood is real, the pain is real, everything is real. But this reality feels… false.”

“We try to travel outside Molten Rock City, but we always find ourselves suddenly back in it, as if we can only exist within the city.”

“But many of our memories tell us that we’ve been to places other than Molten Rock City.”

“This also happens to those who haven’t Awakened, but their minds concoct some theory to convince them of why they can’t leave.”

As he spoke, the wound on Hong Dongyi’s arm recovered completely.

Shen Bai stroked his chin. “Now this is interesting.”

Combining what Hong Dongyi had just said with what he already knew, Shen Bai realized that those who hadn’t Awakened possessed an incredible capacity for mental gymnastics, allowing them to rationalize any absurdity into something logical.

“So, are there any clues on how to resolve this matter of being Awakened or not?” Shen Bai asked.

Hong Dongyi nodded. “Everything in Molten Rock City is centered around the Magma Core. We originally thought the Magma Core was the root of all this, but we later discovered that wasn’t the case.”

“Then where is the root cause?” Shen Bai asked.

Hong Dongyi pondered for a moment before replying, “It’s inside Molten Rock City, within the City Lord’s Mansion. The city’s operational core is located there. That is the source of everything.”

“The operational core keeps Molten Rock City at a high temperature, and it’s precisely this heat that makes it more suitable for our Cultivation. This is our only guess.”