Chapter 358: Chapter 261: Before You, the Abyss...

"You should be able to guess, Junior Brother, shouldn’t you?"

Fu Ming didn’t answer directly. He added more wood to the bonfire and countered with a smile.

He was the only one who could converse with Yang An, the only normal one among the five of them.

"Is it because Life Crane holds all of your souls in his hands? Is that why you’ve come here?"

"Junior Brother, do you know what this place is called?"

Fu Ming didn’t answer Yang An’s question.

"This place is called the Gray Scale."

"We all cultivated the *Mystic Path Decoded*. We can perceive True Illusion and see Cang Zhuo, as well as the ’mirror self’ and Lower Hu. We can see far too much, and the Gray Scale is merely the shallowest layer."

Yang An frowned.

"What about You Hong’Er? Her cultivation is different from ours."

"They were Master’s experiments. Now that they’re in the Gray Scale, they’re no different from us."

Fu Ming let out a disdainful laugh.

He was no longer the Fu Ming who would cough up blood after speaking a few sentences. All of that had just been an act.

"The *Mystic Path Decoded* is the core of the Earth Spirit Stele, but only one person can master the stele. Everything we cultivated was just to become a part of the Xian Origin.

We can live, but we can also die at any moment. We no longer have control over our own lives."

"Are you seeking liberation?"

Yang An suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for them.

’They were all pawns raised by Old Life Crane, but in the end, I was the only one who overthrew him. That means everyone else is a failure.

Failures truly cannot control their own destinies.’

But in response to Yang An’s question, Fu Ming shook his head.

"Liberation? Why would we seek liberation? Why can’t we continue to search for hope?"

He looked at Yang An, the light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"We’ve been waiting for you here for a very long time."

"Me?"

Yang An knew he didn’t belong here. He was the only spot of color in this entire gray world.

But aside from Fu Ming, his gaze toward the others was filled with disgust and loathing.

"Why should I be *their* hope?"

With that question, he deliberately excluded Fu Ming, referring only to "them."

"We can help you. After you become a Zombie God, you will need a great deal of the Power of Rules. We can become your strength."

"I’ve already mastered the Earth Spirit Stele..."

Yang An said.

What he meant was that the Earth Spirit Stele was now his to command, so he didn’t necessarily have to rely on them.

These people had all become part of the Xian Origin, something akin to Forbidden Artifact Fragments. They had perhaps become part of this world’s Power of Rules.

But before he could finish, Fu Ming interrupted him.

"But you’ve only mastered the Earth Spirit Stele. Someone as powerful as Master was still affected by the Xian Origin. Even he never gained control over it."

"..."

Fu Ming’s meaning was simple. A figure as mighty as Elder Life Crane had been influenced by it. The Xian Origin’s will had manifested He Tou, and they could only fight each other as equals.

He didn’t believe Yang An’s will could overpower the will of the Xian Origin and seize absolute control.

Yang An didn’t speak, falling silent.

He really wanted to tell Fu Ming that he had already erased the price of merging with the Earth Spirit Stele. He wouldn’t generate a fusion-will, so naturally, he wouldn’t be affected by one. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He had already obtained absolute control over the Xian Origin.

’But I can’t say that. It’s my secret.’

He still didn’t know what he could do with complete mastery over the Xian Origin.

"I’m not Life Crane..."

Yang An shook his head. He didn’t agree, but he didn’t refuse either.

The gray bonfire gradually quieted down, its wild flickering ceasing.

Fu Ming sighed softly. Perhaps thinking that Yang An wouldn’t agree right away, he said no more.

The entire world fell silent.

Yang An decided to leave. He wanted to get out of here, return to the Earth Spirit Stele, and go back to reality.

Today was just for merging with the Earth Spirit Stele and getting a preliminary understanding of this place. There would be plenty of time later; he could come back whenever he wanted.

He lifted his foot and walked toward the barrier in the distance. It wasn’t far.

"We’ll be waiting for you in the Gray Scale."

Fu Ming’s voice came from behind him.

Yang An remained noncommittal and didn’t stop walking, quickly approaching the barrier.

Just then, a thought occurred to him. He turned his head to look at Fu Ming, who had walked out from the woods and was also looking at him.

"Can you people pass through this barrier?"

Fu Ming chuckled lightly.

"Junior Brother, what you see with your eyes is not the same as what we see.

Do you know what lies just a few steps ahead of you?"

"What is it?"

Yang An was suddenly curious.

The reason he asked was because he had entered the Earth Spirit Stele once when he was still very weak, only to be attacked by an unknown existence.

It made him wonder if the people from the Gray Scale were responsible for that attack.

"Before you lies the abyss..."

"..."

Yang An was speechless.

’What rotten luck!’

He then turned his head, about to step through the barrier and back into the Earth Spirit Stele.

But just as one of his feet passed through the barrier and he was about to enter...

BOOM—

An explosive sound erupted from Yang An’s body. As if struck by lightning, he was instantly sent flying backward.

Yang An’s body tumbled across the ground. He had been on the verge of passing through the barrier, but in an instant, he was thrown back several dozen meters.

He crashed into the woods, sending trees snapping and collapsing as dirt and rocks flew into the air.

However, the blow didn’t cause him much harm, aside from leaving a large, sunken pit in his chest.

By the time Yang An stood up, the injury had already healed. His gaze was icy as he stared at the spot where he had just been standing.

There, a monster had appeared at some unknown point.