Chapter 442 - 210: Turning the Tables, Annihilating a Star with a Snap
Chapter 442: Chapter 210: Turning the Tables, Annihilating a Star with a Snap
That single word plunged the entire cavern into dead silence.
Zhang Daoxuan continued to explain, "Think back. When you have a nightmare, have you ever experienced falling from a great height or being on the verge of death? In that exact moment, don’t you jolt awake?"
At his words, the expressions of many people changed subtly.
Most of them had experienced something like that, more or less.
But...
"How can we believe you?"
A voice rose from the members of the Kunlun Martial Hall. The speaker stared fixedly at Zhang Daoxuan, his eyes brimming with suspicion.
"There’s no way for us to verify if this is a dream! You’re telling us to die. What if this is reality? If we die here, then we’re really dead, aren’t we? How do we know you aren’t deliberately sending us to our deaths?!"
That sentence was like a venomous seed, instantly taking root and sprouting in everyone’s mind.
’He has a point.’
’What if the one lying... is Zhang Daoxuan?’
Once the chain of suspicion was forged, it began to spread like wildfire.
The most basic trust between people seemed so fragile in the face of life and death.
Lin Ye remained silent, observing everyone’s reactions.
In the end, Lin Ye sighed inwardly.
He understood that the current stalemate was unbreakable.
From anyone else’s point of view, there was no way to replicate the dream-verification method Zhang Daoxuan had proposed.
His words were merely his own theory, backed by no substantial evidence. On the contrary, they were riddled with suspicious points.
Even Lin Ye himself couldn’t bring himself to trust Zhang Daoxuan one hundred percent at this moment.
’Betting his own life to test such a vague theory was just too insane.’
In that moment, the unity of Xinhuo began to be slowly eroded by the poison of suspicion, teetering on the verge of collapse.
Amidst the suffocating silence, Zhang Daoxuan suddenly smiled.
He let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
"No matter."
He glanced around at everyone, his gaze finally resting on Lin Ye.
"Since you don’t believe me, then I’ll be the one to try it first."
As his voice fell, he flicked his wrist, and the simple, heavy longsword, Zhenyue, appeared in his hand.
"I will wake up first. If my guess is correct, I will find a way to wake all of you in the real world."
With that said, he showed no further hesitation. In front of everyone, he slowly closed his eyes.
Then, he leveled the sword and swung it fiercely at his neck!
SLICE!
The strike was fast and vicious, without the slightest hesitation or pretense.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden scene.
No one could have imagined the courage and resolve it would take for someone to so decisively turn a blade upon themselves.
At that moment, it seemed as though the resolute flash of his blade had also sliced open a crack in the doubt that filled their hearts.
...
「Yanjing, Kunlun Sub-Palace.」
The atmosphere in the conference room had long since reached a breaking point.
On the main screen, the image was frozen on a deep, dark corridor.
Lin Ye, Zhang Daoxuan... all the members of Xinhuo who had entered the G-7 passageway were now floating silently in mid-air, their eyes shut tight, their bodies held in poses that defied the laws of physics.
They were motionless, lost in a deep sleep.
"They united their wills to find the right path, but that was just the beginning of the disaster. Who could have guessed they would fall asleep unknowingly during their descent?"
Lv Yongze’s voice was calm. He held his teacup, gently blowing away the steam.
"To make so many Gang Condensation Realm Martial Artists fall into a collective dream without them noticing... this must be the work of a chieftain-level member of the Black Nightmare Race."
Xiao Yuanshan was completely at ease, looking as if he were enjoying a good show.
This was the true trump card of the Painful Labyrinth’s designer.
To place a chieftain-level Black Nightmare as a gatekeeper on the only correct path!
"Then... can they still wake up?"
Long Bohan’s fists were clenched, his voice filled with anxiety.
Lv Yongze shook his head gently.
"It will be difficult."
"Inside a Black Nightmare’s dreamscape, the line between dream and reality is blurred, and one’s perception is distorted."
"Unless they can realize they’re dreaming and possess a will strong enough to break free from the dream’s hold, there are only two possible outcomes."
"Either they’re injured or killed in the dream, and through the Black Nightmare Race’s power, they suffer the same fate in reality."
"Or, they remain trapped in the dream forever, until their Spirit is drained dry by the Black Nightmare Race and their bodies completely shut down."
But just as he finished speaking, a completely unexpected change occurred on the screen!
Zhang Daoxuan, who was suspended among the others, suddenly trembled violently. His tightly shut eyes flew open!
A trace of confusion flashed through his eyes at first, but it was quickly replaced by clarity!
He was awake!
Long Bohan and the others all stared with wide eyes, their faces etched with disbelief.
Lv Yongze’s and Xiao Yuanshan’s eyes lit up as well.
"He must have... killed himself in the dream."
There was a hint of admiration in Lv Yongze’s voice. "To be able to accurately determine that he was in a dream under those circumstances, and have the courage to turn a sword on himself... That level of intelligence and decisiveness is far beyond his peers."
However, just when everyone thought a glimmer of hope had appeared...
Zhang Daoxuan, who had just woken up, struggled for less than two seconds before his gaze went slack once more. His body went limp, and he fell back into a deep slumber.
"..."
In the conference room, the fledgling spark of hope that had just been ignited was instantly snuffed out.
Lv Yongze watched the screen and finally let out a soft sigh.
"It seems that Black Nightmare Race’s Spiritual Power is far stronger than we imagined."