Chapter 572 - 384: Ten Thousand Realms Projection Descent Technique (Part 2)

This was the lingering resentment from the skulls on Haina’s altar, forcibly extracted and manifested by Ian using the Purification Rule.

"To survive, you slaughter the innocent beings of other worlds? To survive, you devour their souls to strengthen yourselves?"

"A fine reason. I came to this world... for my own survival as well."

Haina’s act froze. A deep fear appeared in the depths of its vertical pupils. ’This person wasn’t here to rescue anyone.’

"What... what do you want?" Haina’s thoughts trembled.

"Tell me the true nature of your Talent," Ian said, his voice calm.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about!" Haina adamantly denied, its tentacles struggling frantically to break free from the gravitational bonds.

But in response, Ian simply squeezed his hand.

CRACK! A tentacle on Haina’s chin exploded without warning. Purple Spiritual Energy-laced blood sprayed out, only to be suspended in mid-air by the Gravity Field, unable to fall.

"AAGH!" Haina’s consciousness let out a bloodcurdling scream.

A body of Spiritual Energy has no pain receptors, but the sensation of one’s Soul being torn apart was ten times more intense than any physical agony!

"I’ll talk! I’ll talk!" Haina completely broke down.

Trembling, it haltingly relayed the principles behind the Essoke People’s "Summoner" Talent. Of course, the explanation was laced with lies and self-serving embellishments.

It described the Essoke People as victims who were "forced to develop their Talent," the sacrificial rituals as a "necessary means of survival," and the devouring of souls as "recycling."

Ian listened in silence, his expression unchanging. When Haina finished, he let out a soft sigh.

"Sigh. I gave you a chance. Why did you still lie to me?"

Haina’s core shuddered. It was about to beg for mercy, but Ian had already raised his right hand. His index finger tapped gently on Haina’s forehead, directly against the Spiritual Defense barrier surrounding its Sea of Spirit.

"Since you refuse to tell the truth, I’ll just have to see for myself."

A vast, ocean-like Spiritual Power surged from his fingertip, brutally piercing into Haina’s Sea of Spirit.

"NO!!!" Haina’s consciousness let out a desperate shriek.

It wanted to resist, to self-destruct, to take him down with it...

But it was impossible. The Domain had every inch of its Spiritual Energy locked down tight. Even self-destruction was a hopeless fantasy.

All it could do was watch helplessly as that terrifying Spiritual Power barbarically ripped through its Spiritual Defense and invaded the deepest recesses of its Soul!

Pain! An indescribable, colossal pain!

Its entire Soul felt as if it were being ground to dust on a millstone, or repeatedly pierced by countless red-hot steel needles.

Its crimson, vertical pupils began to lose focus. Its tentacles drooped limply, and the Spiritual Energy patterns on the surface of its ashen body flickered erratically.

Ian closed his eyes, his Spiritual Power rapidly sifting through Haina’s memories.

He bypassed the fabricated tales of victimhood and the embellished sacrificial rituals, going straight for the core truth.

The Essoke People were never forced. They had actively chosen the path of the Void Hunter!

Tens of thousands of years ago, the World Will of the Esok World fell into a deep slumber.

A fragment of a Rune suddenly appeared in the minds of a portion of the population, granting them the heaven-defying Talent to bypass world barriers.

From then on, they became phantoms wandering the Void, specifically seeking out weak worlds with incomplete Rules.

Through Rifts in spacetime, they projected psychic whispers to delude living beings and create Chaos. Once enough Souls were sacrificed, they would cross the Rift and perform a True Body Descent.

They would corrupt the entire world with Spiritual Energy, devouring every Soul to strengthen themselves.

As for the worlds they "visited," there was only one fate: to wither away completely and turn to dust in the Void.

’Parasites, just as I thought,’ Ian thought, opening his eyes as a cold light flashed within them.

He withdrew his finger. Haina was already limp on the ground, its crimson vertical pupils dull and lifeless, its tentacles twitching feebly.

Its Soul had been forcibly plundered. Even if it didn’t die, it was now a mindless husk.

But what Ian wanted most was still out of reach. The most critical piece of information was still hidden in the depths of Haina’s Sea of Spirit.

He once again extended his Spiritual Power. This time, his target was the flowing, mist-like Rune.

In the center of Haina’s Sea of Spirit, a silver-white crystal floated silently. It had no fixed shape, resembling a constantly shifting cloud.

A faint light flowed across its surface, and countless tiny "eyes" could be vaguely seen within. Though the eyes were closed, they emanated a strange aura of Concealment.

The moment Ian’s consciousness drew near, the Rune instantly changed color.

It turned from silver-white to transparent, melting into the background of the Sea of Spirit and disappearing from view.

If Ian hadn’t already known a Rune was there, he would never have noticed it.

’Camouflage... Concealment...’

At that thought, Ian’s Spiritual Power transformed into the finest of nets, silently enveloping the area.

At the same time, the panel vibrated silently, and golden text appeared at the edge of his vision.

[Dimensional Concealment Fragment detected. Collecting and comparing data...]

[Source: A Cosmic Subconscious Fragment, separated from the current universe]

[Tier: Cosmic Level (Fragmented)]

[Function: Shields from World Will Perception, camouflages Rule Fluctuation, bypasses world barrier restrictions]

[Note: Current world dimension has deviated from the Wizard World prime plane by approximately 37.6 standard degrees]

[Rule Discrepancy: 12.3% (Gravity Rule enhanced by 4.7%, Thermal Energy Rule weakened by 3.1%, Purification Rule unchanged, Time Rule distorted by 0.9%, other Rules slightly deviated)]

[Judgement: Still classified as a peripheral subordinate plane on the edge of the Wizard World Clusters, but its Rules have undergone regional mutation]

The stream of data refreshed like a waterfall. As Ian processed the information, his mind was thrown into turmoil.

’Cosmic Subconscious Fragments... A blind spot for the World Will...’

He finally understood how the Summoners could act with such impunity.