Chapter 589 - 582: Inquiry
"You’re capable of doing things on this scale now?"
The Master of Desolation asked in astonishment, watching the scene on the screen as the crowds of protestors slowly calmed down and dispersed.
"No. For now, the reach of my power is limited to this nation. Besides, such a strong influence is only temporary. Human emotions are like a mountain range, full of peaks and valleys. With the right stimulus, they can easily soar to a high point or plummet to rock bottom. In those moments, they tend to do irrational things."
"But that state is only temporary. Once their emotions settle and reason takes over again, people will naturally reflect on what they did in that extreme state and arrive at the right conclusions on their own."
"My influence is most effective at those ’peaks,’ but I still can’t fully control their ’reason’."
"In other words, this is just a temporary lull. When they calm down, the emotions I’ve suppressed will likely erupt with even greater ferocity."
Doctor Nightmare said calmly, like a devil who manipulates the hearts of men.
"However, with a little guidance, I can maximize this subtle influence and even gain complete control over a nation’s will and popular sentiment."
"This guidance comes from the media, the government, and the culture. And all of it is under my control, because the key figures in charge of them are my subjects."
"Humanity is blind and prone to herd behavior. The collective unconscious is the easiest thing to exploit and guide. As for the one or two troublemakers with strong convictions, I just need to silence them permanently."
"It’s laughable, really. This is a path humanity discovered for itself over thousands of years of civilization. Their own leaders are constantly trying to manipulate the will of the people. I’m just better at it—stronger and more thorough."
Doctor Nightmare said with a smile, "Next, I’ll use this power to move forward with breaking the Seals on all the Primordial Ancestors across the world."
...
...
「Shangjing Prefecture, Secret Inspection Bureau Headquarters.」
Zhou Yuanjue seemed to sense something and looked in the direction of the Starry Sky Country.
He could feel a vast and terrifying power gathering in the skies above that region.
The intensity of that power was unlike anything he had ever felt before.
It was even more terrifying than a natural disaster, an existence on par with powerful natural magnetic field clusters like the Three Rivers Return Path.
’Starry Sky Country... Doctor Nightmare?’
’That land has long been under his control. He’s even secretly purged the Spirit Guardian bloodlines. If he weren’t wary of the world’s will, he probably would have escaped long ago. Now that I’ve broken the world’s restrictions and our peace talks have failed... he’s finally decided to make his move?’
Zhou Yuanjue narrowed his eyes.
Even he felt a sense of dread from that immense power.
’It seems I need to speed things up as well. First, I have to figure out what this "cataclysmic disaster" Doctor Nightmare mentioned really is.’
Zhou Yuanjue muttered to himself.
HUMMM!
Suddenly, his entire body shifted into a magnetized state, bathing his surroundings in a soft light.
He slowly closed his eyes, appearing to search through his memories and senses.
Abruptly, he snapped his eyes open and muttered, "Found it..."
He then extended his shimmering, light-filled hand and made a grasping motion in front of him, as if seizing something from the void.
「Meanwhile.」
WHOOSH!
On a soft, snow-white bed, Li Qingxuan’s consciousness withdrew from the Pure White Dream Realm and returned to her body. She opened her eyes and sat up.
’The Master of Nightmares has mostly reawakened. He might have gained even greater power. I have to get this information out as soon as possible. Mmm, I’ll rest for a bit first, then try to reconnect with Zhou Yuanjue. I wonder just how powerful that guy has become since he broke through the limit...’
Li Qingxuan muttered to herself.
However, before she could rest, an intense wave of drowsiness washed over her, and her eyelids grew heavy.
’This is... something’s wrong...’
She immediately sensed something was amiss and tried to fight it using the method the mysterious will had taught her, but to no avail.
In less than three seconds, her eyes were forced shut. Her consciousness plunged into darkness as she fell asleep. Within that sleep, a light suddenly pierced through the endless black.
She clearly saw a gigantic palm emerge from behind that ray of light!
It looked as vast as the sky itself, pressing down upon her.
The sight of this unknown arm in such an unprecedented situation filled her with a bone-deep terror. Her body trembled like a leaf, but no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t escape this Dream Realm.
’What... in the hell is this thing?!’
She watched in despair as the giant palm swooped down, closed around her, and dragged her toward some unknown, distant place.
’After all her recent training, she thought her control over the Dream Realm and her own consciousness had become quite strong. But now, she was more helpless than an ant.’
After a blinding flash of light, her consciousness reeled violently. She tried to open her eyes and saw a familiar figure standing before her, watching her silently with a blank expression.
WHOOSH!
She was so startled she leaped to her feet. Staring at Zhou Yuanjue’s face, she stammered, "Are you human or a ghost?"
"Cut the crap. I have some questions for the entity behind you."
’He knows about the mysterious entity... so it really is Zhou Yuanjue?’
Li Qingxuan focused her senses. The feeling she got from him was real, unmistakable.
"It really is you! How did you do that?"
Li Qingxuan asked in astonishment.
"I’m not entirely sure. There wasn’t much time. All I know is that ever since I broke through, I seem to be constantly perceiving strange new abilities. I can do a lot of things I couldn’t before. But that’s not important right now,"
Zhou Yuanjue said.
"The first person to break this planet’s layered restrictions will, in the unseen world, obtain certain ’permissions’ on a magnetic field level," the voice of the mysterious entity chimed in Li Qingxuan’s ear. "Ask him what he wants to know."
’It’s as if he’s become a Divine Spirit...’
Before, Li Qingxuan could at least comprehend Zhou Yuanjue’s methods, powerful as they were. But now, she was completely in the dark.
"He asks what you want to know," Li Qingxuan said to Zhou Yuanjue.
"A short while ago, I had a conversation with Doctor Nightmare. He mentioned that an unstoppable disaster will soon befall Earth—something even the Primordial Ancestors fear. They seem to be trying to flee this planet. Do you know what this ’disaster’ he spoke of actually is?"
Zhou Yuanjue asked.