Free Web NovelChapter 538: Chapter 531: Side-Jumping
Zhou Yuanjue was very familiar with this Light Sect that appeared in the darkness, because when he had charged out of the Three Rivers Return Path, he had also burst forth from this very Light Sect.
In reality, the so-called "Light Sect" was merely the most comprehensible illusion catalyzed by one’s own spirit. This gate actually represented a node between one’s personal magnetic field and the external Natural Magnetic Field.
A powerful pulling force emanated from within the Light Sect, threatening to draw a person’s will inside.
In a sense, passing through this gate was to enter the afterlife spoken of in religious legends.
Reincarnation.
Many religious legends were not merely legends. Without some basis in reality, they could never have earned such widespread belief.
"I found it, as expected... I just wonder what price I’ll have to pay to force this gate open."
Zhou Yuanjue muttered to himself in the Dark World.
Back then, while in the state of "Slaying the Self," Beichuan Xuanxin had paid the price of his own life, violently stimulating the power in every cell of his body to force this gate open and pull them both into the Three Rivers Return Path.
However, Beichuan Xuanxin had forcibly dragged the will of a powerful individual like Zhou Yuanjue into that Natural Magnetic Field. The difficulty involved was naturally immense, requiring an enormous price to achieve.
Now, however, Zhou Yuanjue had found this path on his own by seeking it out and communicating with it. The price for "breaking down the door" in these two scenarios could not be compared.
’Alright, time to test it. I can’t let myself get sucked too deep into the Three Rivers Return Path. Otherwise, the energy consumed to break out of that Natural Magnetic Field would be enormous.’
’I have to manage the depth carefully. The moment I feel my will completely detach from my body, I’ll immediately try to force my way out of the magnetic field. That should minimize the drain on my spiritual will’s magnetic field and increase my window of operation after I escape...’
’Heh, I might just be the first person on Earth to truly hop back and forth before the Ghost Gate. How interesting...’
Various thoughts flashed through Zhou Yuanjue’s mind. His plan set, he calmly stepped forward and entered the Light Sect.
VMMMM!!
An indescribable resonance and vibration washed over him. Zhou Yuanjue distinctly felt his will being tugged by some strange force, gradually separating from his body and being pulled toward an unknown, distant place.
Zhou Yuanjue did not resist the pull. Instead, he quieted his spirit and slowly observed the changes within himself.
His physical body’s "sense of presence" faded, while an unprecedented feeling of "freedom" and "lightness" grew more and more distinct. At the same time, there was an incomprehensible "comfort" that made it difficult to muster any resistance.
He knew that this sensation was what medical science called a "near-death experience."
In studies of patients who had been pulled back from the brink of death, researchers discovered an interesting phenomenon.
Most individuals who had near-death experiences reported that the sensation was not unpleasant.
Time would slow, memories would become sharp, and emotions like pain and anxiety would vanish. Their spirit would grow tranquil and light, filled with a sense of freedom. Their consciousness would feel as if it were ascending, as if about to rise into a "heaven" free of sickness and pain.
In reality, this is a phenomenon that occurs when the spiritual magnetic field temporarily detaches from the body, freed from its physical restraints.
This is why some religions believe the physical body is the root of all suffering, and that death is the only true liberation and final destination.
But they overlooked one crucial point.
Those who cannot endure suffering are not worthy of enjoying "paradise."
As the strange sensation spread through his soul, Zhou Yuanjue, in his trance, began to perceive the scenery around him changing.
Black mountain ranges turned from illusory to real. Red spider lilies swayed in the wind on both banks. The pale-red Sanzu River teemed with ghostly apparitions, and beneath his feet was a lone skiff, drifting on the surface of the pale-red river.
It was at this exact moment that Zhou Yuanjue felt the connection to his physical body sever completely. The surrounding scenery and its restraints had not yet reached their full intensity.
Now!!
Zhou Yuanjue’s eyes flew open. The Spiritual Will he had kept condensed erupted outwards, a terrifying Power sweeping madly through the still-forming Sanzu River.
Then, he once again leaped from the lone skiff, his feet slamming onto the river’s surface and sending out shockwaves as if from a cannonade.
SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH!!
Countless ghostly figures erupted from the river, lunging at him.
This time, however, Zhou Yuanjue had reacted too swiftly. The ghostly figures had not yet fully materialized, and the skiff had not traveled too deep into the Sanzu River. As a result, the resistance he faced was drastically reduced.
SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH!!
He ran across the waves, dragging countless ghostly figures with him. In less than a fifth of the time it had taken him before, he arrived before the familiar Light Sect once more.
This all seemed to take a long time, but in the real world, it was likely over in the blink of an eye.
This time, his spiritual magnetic field remained almost perfectly intact. The moment he saw the Light Sect, he plunged through without a hint of hesitation.
VMMMM!!
He felt as if he had broken through a thin membrane. After a flash of light, he re-experienced that sensation from before.
Observing himself—and the world—from a third-person perspective.
’The jump was a success...’
’And the power I have left now is far greater than before. I should be able to experiment a little.’
Zhou Yuanjue looked at the "himself" sitting cross-legged on the sand dune, feeling neither joy nor sorrow.
The experiment he was about to attempt was simple. When his spiritual will’s magnetic field returned to his body, he would not direct it back to his brain. Instead, he would have it permeate every corner of his physique, thoroughly activating every single cell.
Beichuan Xuanxin had to use the "Slaying the Self" technique to enter that state. In truth, that was only because he could not, as Zhou Yuanjue now could, allow his consciousness to temporarily escape the cage of his body.
But for Zhou Yuanjue, who had briefly freed his consciousness from its physical cage and was observing himself from a third-person perspective, entering that state was not difficult, so long as he understood the principle behind "Slaying the Self."
’To prevent my cells from rioting and fighting for dominance within my body after activation, like Beichuan Xuanxin’s did, I must allocate a certain portion of my consciousness’s magnetic field to the brain...’
’Well then, time to try it.’
Wasting no time, Zhou Yuanjue manipulated his consciousness’s magnetic field and slammed it into his physical body.
BOOM!!!
As the magnetic field of his will poured in, his body began to shudder violently. The physique that had been gradually falling into a deathly stillness was reactivated.
And what’s more...
THUMP!! THUMP!! THUMP...
A sound like a heartbeat emanated from within his body. It was not a single sound, however, but what seemed like an infinity of sounds layered one upon the other, as if millions of hearts were beating in unison.
It was as if every single cell had been granted new life.
