Chapter 95

As the streetlights flickered off one by one, the surroundings turned pitch black. Shang Jianyao lifted his right hand and pinched his temples.

He lay down completely, closing his eyes.

...

This time, he did not appear in the "Hall of Stars" but in the illusory sea of flowing light.

In front of him was a small island, with dark brown soil and rugged rocks, devoid of any signs of life.

This was the first island Shang Jianyao encountered after entering the "Sea of Origin."

According to the ancient scholar Du Heng, this corresponded to the hidden fears in each person's heart. The islands encountered by different Awakened Ones would never be the same, nor would their numbers.

Shang Jianyao had stayed here for many days but still could not overcome this island.

There were no monsters on the island, but there was an extremely harsh "natural condition."

Once Shang Jianyao climbed up, all the light in front of him would disappear, and he would no longer hear any sounds.

On the island, he felt as if he were in a dark, tightly sealed, and bizarre room, where he could not see his hand in front of his face and could not even hear his own voice.

This made Shang Jianyao unable to perceive the passage of time, feeling as if the darkness and silence were slowly eroding his mind.

He could never stay on the island for long, always exiting due to mental breakdown, extreme fear, and near madness.

If it weren't for the ancient scholar Du Heng's explanation of the "Sea of Origin" and the significance of different islands, Shang Jianyao would have definitely given up and sought other islands in the vast sea.

He believed that bypassing this place meant being defeated by his inner fears, and his Awakened abilities would likely not improve or change.

After gazing at the island for a while, Shang Jianyao, following his plan, lowered his head and looked at his faint reflection in the illusory water.

He hesitated for a few seconds, his eyes gradually deepening:

"They are employees of 'Pangu Bio,' and I am also an employee of 'Pangu Bio';

"They are young, and I am also young;

"Their parents are by their side, so..."

Shang Jianyao paused, then answered himself:

"So, my parents are also by my side."

A gentle, reassuring smile gradually appeared on his face.

Without wasting any more time, Shang Jianyao grabbed the edge of the island's rocks and climbed up.

Since the "Sea of Origin" was essentially illusory, his clothes did not get wet, and no water droplets fell from his hair.

As soon as Shang Jianyao's feet touched the ground, everything in front of him turned pitch black, and he could no longer see anything.

This made him feel as if he were in a narrow space, always about to touch the edges, and he was inexplicably afraid of the unknown dangers lurking in the darkness.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Shang Jianyao tried to speak loudly, but he could not hear any sound.

At that moment, he felt as if he had been abandoned by the world, left in a place of extreme terror and isolation.

Shang Jianyao took a tentative step, using his movement to alleviate the growing fear and unease in his heart.

However, no matter how he tried to comfort himself, the "darkness" continued to slowly and uncontrollably erode his mind.

Shang Jianyao huddled his body, finding a bit of support in the silent darkness.

This allowed him to last longer than usual, but eventually, the fact that he was alone in the darkness made him feel lost, his heart rate increased, and his expression wavered.

"Fake..." Shang Jianyao suddenly whispered.

Cold sweat quickly appeared on his forehead, his knees bent slowly, and he squatted down, hugging himself.

...

In Room 196, Shang Jianyao opened his eyes.

He took deep breaths and looked around.

The room was dark, and it was silent outside.

Shang Jianyao quickly took out his flashlight from under the pillow and turned it on.

A beam of light shot out, illuminating the opposite wall, the clothes hanging on the膨胀螺丝, and the adjacent sink.

Seeing the yellowish light, Shang Jianyao's breathing gradually steadied.

After about a minute, he turned off the flashlight, pulled up the blanket, and fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Shang Jianyao was awakened by a knock on the door.

The knocking repeated three times and gradually faded away.

Shang Jianyao knew that this was a member of the "Life Sacrifice" cult informing him that the gathering time was approaching.

—For members without watches and far from the street clocks, the "Life Sacrifice" cult would send someone who could keep track of time to remind them.

If one did not want to get up or participate in the gathering for various reasons, or if there were guests staying who should not know about such matters, one could erase the chalk marks on the door before the lights were turned off, and no one would knock.

Shang Jianyao quickly got out of bed, washed his face, and brushed his teeth thoroughly.

Then, he put on a dark green cotton coat, took the flashlight, and went to the nearby public toilet to relieve himself.

After doing all this, Shang Jianyao followed the familiar path to Li Zhen's house at No. 35 in Area A.

Knock, knock, knock. Shang Jianyao lightly knocked on the door three times.

Soon, a voice from the door, deliberately suppressed, said:

"Life is the most important."

Shang Jianyao responded very familiarly:

"New life is like the sun."

The door quickly opened, and the dim yellow light inside spilled out.

Li Zhen, with slightly raised eyebrows, glanced at Shang Jianyao and smiled:

"Come in."

She quickly moved aside, letting Shang Jianyao enter the room.

"Tell us about the real world outside later." Li Zhen said with a smile as she opened the door.

"Sure, Aunt Li." Shang Jianyao was very polite.

Li Zhen casually pointed to a spot:

"Sit down. The gathering is about to start, and you're a bit late."

She said this casually, without any intention of scolding him, as the actual gathering time had not yet arrived.

Shang Jianyao explained seriously:

"I brushed my teeth first."

"..." Li Zhen's smile stiffened slightly as she nodded, "Good, very good."

Only then did Shang Jianyao walk to the small stool and sit down.

The stool was quite low, and for someone of his height, he had to curl his legs to sit comfortably.

Seeing his uncomfortable posture, Shen Du, who had already arrived, stood up:

"Let's switch places."

"Thank you, Uncle Shen." Shang Jianyao did not hesitate.

After sitting down again, he looked around and greeted the other members.

He had attended similar cult gatherings several times and was familiar with all the members on his floor.

After waiting for a while, the "Guide" Ren Jie came out of the inner room and walked between the large bed and the wardrobe.

"Shang is back?" Ren Jie, wearing a polyester shirt, nodded lightly and greeted with a smile.

Shang Jianyao immediately responded:

"Praise your tolerance!"

"..." Ren Jie was stunned for a few seconds before understanding that Shang Jianyao meant to thank the Fate for his safe return.

She forced a smile:

"No need to be so formal, it's just a casual chat."

Before Shang Jianyao could respond, she became serious:

"Let's begin the sermon. Today's topic is death.

"Life will eventually pass, just like leaves will turn yellow and fall to the ground..."

Shang Jianyao suddenly raised his hand.

"What's the problem?" Ren Jie asked, somewhat worried.

She thought Shang Jianyao had noticed something abnormal.

Shang Jianyao stood up and said:

"Many trees' leaves do not turn yellow..."

Ren Jie's facial muscles twitched, and she interrupted him:

"It's just a metaphor.

"Wait until the sermon is over to ask such questions. Listen carefully and do not speak."

"Okay." Shang Jianyao sat down, slightly disappointed.

After that, he listened to Ren Jie's sermon with great focus, but his eyes seemed a bit unfocused, lacking a clear focus.

Soon, Ren Jie finished the sermon and addressed all the members:

"Next is the sharing phase. You can share your inner troubles with your brothers and sisters and draw strength from them..."

As she said this, she stared intently at Shang Jianyao, using her gaze to suppress him from speaking.

She remembered that the first time she said something similar, Shang Jianyao suddenly interjected:

"Not just brothers and sisters, but also uncles and aunts."

After saying this and confirming that Shang Jianyao could not interject, Ren Jie secretly sighed in relief.

The next moment, Shang Jianyao raised his hand and shared his inner troubles:

"I'm a bit hungry now."

"Next." Ren Jie responded without hesitation.

A woman in her twenties pursed her lips and said:

"Our 'Supply Market' supervisor, Wang Yafei, has been supporting the establishment of a 'Breeding Center,' believing it will reduce the excuses for female employees to take leave and improve the relationship between couples.

"I know it's just his opinion and doesn't represent anything, but I can't help but argue with him. And he, and he actually found an excuse to transfer me from my original position to the most arduous cleaning job..."

Ren Jie listened quietly, raised her arms, and made a motion as if rocking a baby:

"God will punish the sinners."

She didn't say more and turned to Shen Du:

"Your turn."

Shen Du scratched his head:

"My child is becoming less obedient..."

Next, the members shared their troubles, such as the death of a relative, a husband's brutality, a wife's coldness, a mischievous child, and job dissatisfaction, all receiving comfort from the others.

Finally, Ren Jie returned to her original position and addressed the members:

"Next, let's receive the sacrament."

Shang Jianyao's back straightened, and his eyes sparkled.

Soon, Ren Jie and Li Zhen came out of the inner room, one carrying a cylindrical, semi-transparent container, the other holding various utensils.

The container was filled with a white, viscous liquid.

Ren Jie came to Shang Jianyao first, scooped a spoonful of liquid into his lunch box:

"This is today's sacrament, yogurt."

Shang Jianyao took a deep breath and responded with great piety:

"Praise your tolerance!"

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