Chapter 130: Delusional Thinking [Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader Jun Moran Qingcheng]

Sophia did not answer. After an unknown length of time, the vortex-like mass of energy wrapped around her gradually dissipated, then vanished without a trace, as though it had never appeared.

Yet Sophia did not awaken. She simply lay there, her breathing fairly steady as her chest rose and fell.

Zhou Yi pulled over a thin blanket and draped it over her. It was not because he feared she would catch cold, but to cover her body a little—and to spare himself the embarrassment.

Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Yi began to smoke. He did not know how Sophia had practiced her fire attribute, but judging by her appearance, she had at least not panicked. Perhaps she had spent all these years trying countless methods.

He also had no idea what level Sophia was. He had never asked in detail, but anyone capable of working for Walden—and being controlled by him—could not be too weak.

After all, first-level Chosen Ones were as common as weeds. Yet among those who reached the second level and possessed the ability to keep developing their potential, there seemed to be very few. It was much like a pyramid. As for sixth-level Chosen Ones, there was only one: the Lord of Space-Time City.

A little over ten minutes later, Sophia stirred awake.

She glanced at the furnishings in the room, then at Zhou Yi some distance away, and abruptly sat up. Throwing off the blanket, she found that the spirit stone and dragon essence had vanished without a trace.

Seeing Zhou Yi avert his gaze, she hurriedly jumped out of bed and approached him. Fortunately, she remembered that her clothes were in disarray and quickly fastened the sash of her robe.

“I absorbed that spirit stone completely too. What exactly is this dragon essence?”

Zhou Yi shook his head and looked Sophia up and down.

“Did you level up?”

Sophia slowly closed her eyes. She had been stuck at the peak of the second level for a long time, unable to advance no matter how much energy she absorbed. But with only the slightest attempt at sensing, a vast surge of energy filled her body. The sensation was entirely different from before.

Her eyes widened, and for a moment she did not know what to say. She raised a hand, and a ball of flame rose from her palm. But it was no longer orange-red. It had become a golden orange, far brighter than before, and its heat could be felt without even drawing near.

“I’m at the third level. Although I can’t confirm it with the control disc, I can feel the difference. I never imagined the dragon essence would be so powerful. It doesn’t merely allow someone to absorb the energy within a spirit stone—it seems to enhance one’s ability to control spiritual power as well.”

Zhou Yi’s face fell slightly. He waved a hand at Sophia.

“Go back to your room and rest once you’re done playing around. I only asked you to take a look at the dragon essence. I never expected you to level up. I’m tired and want to sleep!”

Sophia blinked, looking somewhat embarrassed. At first, she had only wanted to try it out. She had not expected to lose control and begin absorbing it. Still, the result was not bad. She had drained the fire spirit stone completely, and she would now be able to protect Zhou Yi properly.

“You should sleep. I’ll go out first. I suppressed your level. If I released that suppression, I think you should be able to reach the threshold of the second level.

“However, suppression is not without its benefits. If you can continue to advance while suppressed, then in the future you may become like the Lord of Space-Time City—capable of fighting across levels without being at a disadvantage.”

Zhou Yi did not argue. He had indeed been somewhat impatient before. After all, there was someone inside him who was constantly siphoning away the energy from his spirit stones.

But after hearing Sophia’s explanation, he felt relieved. Put simply, if he could continue growing while being suppressed, his abilities would become more stable, and he would not be rushing things.

“All right. I’ll sleep first and wake up naturally. Don’t call me when you eat.”

Sophia hurried away. Zhou Yi returned to the bed and lay down, but the distinctive scent of Sophia lingered in his nostrils. He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Finally, he turned over and sat up again.

Zhou Yi pulled open all the curtains and sat down on the carpet. He took out the only metal-element spirit stone he had left. It was not as large as the water-element stone, but its weight was still substantial.

Since he could not sleep, he might as well try again. If he drained it completely, he would have nothing left to worry about and could head to Yunnan in peace.

This time, he was not foolish enough to use two pieces of dragon essence. He selected the smallest white one and placed it atop the spirit stone. Then, after taking a deep breath, he gripped the metal-element stone.

In an instant, a vast tide of energy surged into Zhou Yi’s body. Fortunately, he was able to control the amount far better than before.

Unlike the water-element stone, the metal-element stone made his entire body unbearably hot as he absorbed it. This took Zhou Yi by surprise. It was not a fire-element stone, so why was it making him feel so hot?

Whatever his complaints, he did not dare stop his hands. He forced himself to concentrate and absorb the energy as quickly as possible. Such a massive quantity of energy was pouring into his body that it had to be redirected immediately.

Zhou Yi had no idea how to do that. The books he had obtained contained only incantations and techniques; none explained how to guide the energy of a spirit stone into the body. Perhaps the process simply had a different name.

After absorbing for an unknown length of time, Zhou Yi was burning up. Anyone nearby would have seen him as red as a cooked shrimp, his entire body glowing like a piece of iron fresh from the forge.

His discomfort grew worse. He wanted to stop, but he simply could not.

The spirit stone in his hand continued to release energy, while his body had already reached its limit. He seemed to be swelling by the moment.

Soon, the temperature throughout the room began to rise. The silk curtains shriveled and contracted as if scorched, sticking to the glass. The carpet beneath Zhou Yi was charred in the same way.

At that point, Zhou Yi wanted to remedy the situation, but he could do nothing. He could not shake the spirit stone loose. The more he tried, the more tightly the stone adhered to the dragon essence, as though the two were trying to burrow into his skin.

Scorching heat, his swelling body, and his fading consciousness combined to produce an overwhelming sense of imminent death. It seemed that Zhou Yi might explode in the very next moment.

That voice had vanished as well. Perhaps it was still absorbing the stone egg he had obtained earlier.

Zhou Yi felt like cursing. It eats my food and lives in my body, but now that I need it, it disappears without a trace?

Just then, the scene of the old sect master activating the Demon-Subduing Formation flashed through Zhou Yi’s mind.

The formation had revolved, its rippling runes shimmering as they shifted constantly around it. The two outer rings had spun rapidly in opposite directions.

Could the six-pointed star rotate in the same way?

As the thought arose, the burning sensation in his chest seemed to ease. Threads of coolness flowed through him, restoring some clarity to his mind. The discovery encouraged Zhou Yi greatly.

He could not open his eyes, but he remembered the formation. More importantly, he remembered the mark on his chest. Each of the six points of the six-pointed star in the formation bore a rune, whereas only one rune had appeared on his own mark.

The lines connecting the points formed twelve triangles. Within them should have been the twelve characters representing the earthly branches.

Relying on his memory, Zhou Yi visualized the shape of the formation in his mind. Then the symbols began to rotate along with the six-pointed-star mark. The cool sensation intensified, and when he realized it was working, Zhou Yi accelerated the rotation.

With his mind free of distractions, he focused entirely on the formation, doing his utmost to make it overlap with his own mark.

The energy no longer thrashed about chaotically. It seemed to come alive. Instead of gathering in one place and scorching him, it followed the rotation of the mark, flowing along a series of lines.

After an unknown length of time, the red glow surrounding Zhou Yi faded, and the temperature dropped. Even the air around him seemed fresher. After all, the curtains and carpet had been scorched, and the smell was anything but pleasant.

Zhou Yi moved his body. Just as he was about to open his eyes, a wave of dizziness swept over him, and he collapsed directly onto the sandy beach.

Then his entire body was lifted into the air and left dangling. Something invisible constricted his neck, leaving him completely unable to speak.

He opened his eyes and looked upon this not entirely unfamiliar world.

To Zhou Yi’s surprise, the clear sky, gentle breeze, and warm sunlight were gone. Once again, it was a pitch-black night. Waves roared and crashed against the shore like a pack of wild beasts, and he could even smell their salty, fishy air. The cold wind stung his face.

Although he felt as if he were choking, his neck was not being crushed completely. Clearly, the stone egg had no intention of killing him.

Perhaps he had done something to anger it, and that was why it had dragged him here.

Zhou Yi paused. If there was only one thing he could have done to provoke it, then it must have been unconsciously converting the energy that had nearly caused his body to explode through the six-pointed-star mark. Perhaps that prevented the stone egg from obtaining it.

This time, Zhou Yi had learned his lesson. He neither struggled nor resisted excessively. He and the stone egg were on entirely different levels—what use was there in fighting back?

“Useless... With someone like you... you still think you can activate the mark... What wishful thinking...”