Taotie was stunned for a moment, scratching the back of his head. “Young Palace Master, did your subordinate say something just now?”
Chen Zhou said, “What we are seeing is just the memory displayed by the array.”
“You actually reminded me of something. These fragmented spaces are indeed memories, projections of fragments of the deceased souls' lives.”
“That is why, in the first palace fragment, we could only see the outer silhouette while the internal structure of the building was a blur. If the owner of that memory had never entered the palace, they naturally wouldn't have any memory of its internal layout.”
“Memories are very similar to dreams.”
“Scenes in dreams are the same way. Details only exist in the places the dreamer focused on. The distant mountains are just blurry silhouettes, and strangers have no facial features.”
“Because the dreamer didn't care about those things.”
Plague Rat came to a sudden realization. “Ah? Like when we dream normally—we dream of a place and can recognize where it is, but if someone asks you to recall what paintings were hanging on the wall, you can't remember to save your life?”
“Is that what you mean, Lord?”
“Exactly.” Chen Zhou nodded. “Dreams and memories share a fundamental commonality.”
“They are both fragmented images. Only the things the owner focused on will be clear, while the corners they didn't pay attention to remain a blur.”
“Therefore, these countless fragments of the Myriad Ghost Array should all be the residual memories of the deceased souls within the array from when they were alive.”
“And their identities are, in all likelihood, the former subjects of Southern Tang.”
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward the straw mats and clay jars in the corner that had already been covered by dry grass.
“As for the fragment we are currently in, the owner of this memory is also very obvious.”
“It is Squire Zhou's memory.”
Shen Liang's complex gaze fell back onto Squire Zhou.
So, all those things from before were real, right?
They all truly happened a hundred thousand years ago, right?
Squire Zhou was still crying.
He was curled up behind the wooden door, holding his head in both hands. Tears and snot smeared his face, making his round face look incredibly pathetic.
The straw mat covered by dry grass suddenly twitched again. The white slime crawled slowly across the rammed-earth floor, winding its way around the sacks piled on the ground, spreading inch by inch toward the spot where Squire Zhou was curled up.
Squire Zhou seemed completely oblivious, sobbing to himself until the deathly white slime touched the soles of his shoes.
The crying stopped abruptly.
The white slime climbed up his shoes, and a deathly white hue began to rapidly spread beneath his skin.
The slime bored through his pores, corroding his clothes. Meanwhile, a dense layer of fine white hair had already grown on his arms.
As the slime penetrated deeper, Squire Zhou's facial features began to distort. His eyeballs bulged outward, and his lips split wide to the sides.
Shen Liang stood up abruptly, his pale face devoid of any color.
He watched as Squire Zhou was completely swallowed by the white in pain and terror. Hair spread from his arms, covering every inch of his skin.
On all fours, with his back arched, Squire Zhou transformed completely into a beast that walked on four limbs.
Squire Zhou's form was becoming more and more familiar.
The white-furred monster, Shen Shui Yuan. He had seen it before.
“...So that was it.”
“No wonder I never sensed him approaching by the riverbank.”
“He was already no longer human.”
“If it came to controlling water, how could I, who had only recently turned into a ghost, possibly be a match for Shen Shui Yuan...”
The slime flowed off Squire Zhou's body, pooling together, and then emitted a human voice: “You have done... well.”
“These sacrifices... the Fate Officer is very pleased.”
“Heavenly Weeping... requires more sacrifices.”
“The more, the better.”
“Only in this way... can you ants... live.”
Hearing this, Squire Zhou let out a muffled, terrified cry from his throat. He lowered his head, his single eye staring at his hands which had completely turned into beast claws. His body trembled, utterly broken.
Unable to even squeeze out a coherent sentence, in his complete breakdown, Squire Zhou pushed open the door and rushed out into the pouring rain.
The granary suddenly fell silent, leaving only the pool of white slime still writhing slowly on the ground. It bulged slightly, turning in the direction of Chen Zhou and the others like a snake raising its head.
A voice came from within the slime, clearer than before, with a hint of unexpected amusement in its tone.
“Oh?”
“To think we actually have distinguished guests visiting?”
Chen Zhou instantly became alert.
He clearly felt that the moment the words fell, an unfamiliar will descended from the void along the pathways of the white slime.
It was not an illusion!
“Interesting.”
The slime slowly gathered into a humanoid shape, chuckling softly as its lips curled into a bizarre, wide grin.
“A few little flies broke into Qingzhou recently... That would be you, wouldn't it?”
“I thought it was some formidable entity since you chased those disobedient Mansions all this way. Turns out you're just a few bugs who don't know the heights of the heavens.”
The slime figure slowly raised its hand.
Water surged in its palm, transforming into a piercing white light.
“We certainly can't let little bugs ruin the Fate Officer's plans.”
With a wave of its hand, the white light exploded.
A white tide instantly swallowed the entire granary. Air, light, sound—everything was covered by that pure, deathly white.
Chen Zhou's reaction was incredibly fast. His Ghost Domain immediately surged from his body, propping up a barrier in front of him and the others, forcefully blocking the white wave.
The slime figure's brow furrowed slightly. “Hmm? You can block the pollution?”
The smile on its face faded a little.
“Somewhat interesting, but—”
Before its voice could fade, the remaining clay jars in the corners of the granary shattered simultaneously.
White slime gushed out from between the broken pottery shards, transforming in mid-air. One after another, white-furred beasts landed on the ground, crouching low on all fours.
The scenery around the granary began to dissolve.
The walls, the roof beams, and the piled sacks turned into ash-gray dust piece by piece, revealing a vast, empty space outside.
The slime figure took a few steps back, its lower limbs melting back into slime to connect with the ground. Fine white pathways extended from beneath its feet, digging into the array.
It was communicating with the array.
Chen Zhou's eyes turned cold, and he made a split-second judgment.
Knowing he could not let the opponent succeed, he made a prompt decision and waved his hand. Three figures emerged from the void.
Dou Mu Xie threw back its head and roared. Moonlight poured from its single horn, spreading like liquid silver and instantly covering the vast, white space.
Illuminated by the moonlight, the white beasts that had just lunged forward instantly lost their sense of direction.
Their orderly charging formation was instantly thrown into chaos. They spun in circles, rampaging blindly through the moonlight without finding a target.
Yi Huo She's translucent white skeletal frame shot out from the void. Transparent flames merged silently into the moonlight, accompanied by the constant sound of burning.
Nü Tu Fu flapped her wings and took to the air, spreading her silver-white bony wings. Sound waves rippled outward in a fan shape, sweeping over a large number of the white beasts.
Countless cracks appeared on the bodies of the beasts, and their white fur peeled off in sheets, exposing the equally pale muscles underneath.
They roared in pain, but their forward momentum did not decrease at all. Instead, they grew even more frenzied.
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