Chapter 126: The Forbidden Zone of Truth

Chapter 126: The Forbidden Zone of Truth

Xia Zheng, Luo Bing, Liu Chuxing, Sam, Alfred, and over a dozen commissioned officers arrived at the base of the city walls, gazing up at the defenders stationed above.

Standing there was a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache named Xue Chengli, whom some in the military recognized. He had previously been nothing more than a minor instructor, but now he had been elevated to the role of City Defense Officer. He spoke with a rigid tone, claiming that he was acting under orders from his superiors to strictly guard the gates. He refused entry to anyone from outside the city, including the troops previously dispatched, until the situation improved.

"You bastard! Old Man Xue, there are no 'superiors' left to give orders! We can’t even reach General Song or the General Staff. Whose orders are you actually following?" roared Cairns, a Colonel and the highest-ranking officer present.

Xue Chengli’s face darkened. He pointed a finger at Cairns and retorted bluntly, "Cairns, don't think your higher rank gives you the right to be unruly. These are extraordinary times. The Eternal District has indeed been cut off from communications for unknown reasons, but that doesn't mean there are no superiors. I, Xue the Savage, am loyal to my country and sworn to defend the City of Eternal Night to the death. In any case, until formal orders signed by General Song or the General Staff are produced, none of you may enter. You must remain outside and await further instructions. There are still many of those annoying monsters out there, and that is exactly where your service is needed. The fact that you are trying to return makes me suspect your motives."

The audacity of Xue Chengli’s counter-accusation nearly made Cairns’s lungs explode with rage. Had it not been for Xia Zheng and Luo Bing holding him back, he likely would have ordered his troops to open fire.

The City of Eternal Night possessed formidable defenses, reinforced by energy fields heavily invested in by the Federation and the military. Xia Zheng dared not foolishly challenge such a defense, as a frontal assault was virtually impossible.

Consequently, the group led their troops to clear the surrounding area once more. Taking advantage of the remaining daylight, Xia Zheng directed the soldiers to construct a sturdy defensive encampment to ensure the group could stabilize, knowing that things would become dire once night fell.

Inside a tent, Xia Zheng met with Luo Bing and several communications officers.

"How is it? Are you still unable to reach the Eternal District?" Xia Zheng asked.

Luo Bing shook her head. "It might be the work of the Vampires. Much like the methods they used to blockade the satellite cities, the Eternal District has likely suffered a similar fate. That is why we have lost contact. They are probably trying to restore communications from their side as well, but we have no way of knowing the true situation."

After another hour of waiting with no results, Xia Zheng felt helpless. He was a layman in this field and could only place his hopes in the experts.

Returning to his own tent, he sat cross-legged to cultivate. Even within this simulation, the effects of his cultivation were surprisingly good; the combination of intense combat and mental training had led to significant progress.

The only high-level skill he had yet to practice in a real scenario was "Flying Stone," as it required a long preparation time and its power remained unpredictable. In the current environment, Xia Zheng did not feel it was the right time to train that technique.

He had already fully mastered the "Divine Thunder" and "Divine Eye" skills, though he did not use them frequently. Conversely, his "Divine Thought" was used often. He had originally worried about excessive depletion, but as his consciousness sea expanded, his mental capacity had grown beyond what it once was. Combined with his Moon-Essence wristband and mental beads, he could withstand the standard drain of his psychic powers.

His "Blazing Flame Arrow" and "Dripping Water Sword" skills were highly refined, while his "Blazing Ice Sword" was at an intermediate level and still needed improvement, though that was not a major concern.

"The combat power of the Vampires in this simulation is already putting me under pressure, and this is even after dynamic adjustments. I must further improve my strength." With that thought, Xia Zheng closed his eyes and entered a state of meditation.

Outside his sea of consciousness, Xia Zheng’s mental projection sat above, feeling the restless waves of mental energy surging within like silvery, luminous dragons.

Since opening his sea of consciousness, the speed at which he absorbed mental energy and converted it into divine intent had increased dramatically. He could now easily break down a single thread of consciousness into hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of mental filaments. At the same time, he could fuse these filaments back into a single thread in an instant. This back-and-forth conversion allowed him to control his mental energy with terrifying precision—much like a spider understanding its web, able to sense the tremor of the entire network by tugging on a single strand.

"My thoughts manifest my will, allowing my attacks to be as supple or as rigid as I desire. Because I can materialize them, my offensive and defensive means are endless and inexhaustible. However, due to the limits of my own experience, some of my imagination remains superficial; I cannot grasp the essence, and in the end, it is only an appearance." Xia Zheng understood that he could not demand too much of himself. After all, a person’s cognition of the world is a progressive process, and one might spend a lifetime without ever truly grasping the nature of the world. What the fundamental will of the world is remains a subject of endless debate.

Some say it is space, others time, spirit, or matter. The source of the world remains a mystery worth exploring, perhaps one that will never be answered.

For the first time, Xia Zheng felt a curiosity about the origin of the world. This was a great step forward; it was only when humanity realized such things that countless technological breakthroughs followed. Mentalists were a unique existence among super-powered individuals; they were interested not only in power but also in the origins of existence.

Human history is but a flicker compared to the history of a planet. A planet’s history is but a passing cloud compared to the history of the universe. And compared to the history of the origin of all things? Perhaps it is merely an evolution of the fundamental power, not the origin itself.

Immersed in this vast worldview, Xia Zheng entered a marvelous state. He felt as if his entire being were drifting upward, his consciousness detaching from his physical body, soaring beyond the constraints of matter into a sacred level—a higher-dimensional world.

In this high-dimensional world, he witnessed the evolution of countless life forms, the annihilation and rebirth of countless stars, and the interweaving of countless forces. Mental power was merely the most unique strand among them.

A voice, sounding like a devil’s whisper, echoed in his ears: "You have touched the forbidden zone of truth. It is still too early for you."

Soon, the voice transformed into an astonishing force that pushed him back rapidly. It felt as if he were traversing billions of light-years, passing by countless galaxies and planets, spanning the history of countless civilizations. Finally, at a certain moment, he opened his eyes. If anyone were to look into them, they would surely fall into an inescapable vertigo.

His pupils were like two rotating galaxies, his eyes deep and unfathomable, like the vast expanse of the deep cosmos.

Fortunately, the sound of familiar footsteps drew near. Xia Zheng immediately pulled himself out of this profound state and saw that the person approaching was Luo Bing.