Chapter 29 – The Twenty-Ninth Ray of Light

If humans are three-dimensional creatures, then ghostly beings are creatures of a higher dimension.

When beings from higher dimensions enter the three-dimensional world, they can freely shift between being a phantom or a physical entity. If they wish to be seen by humans, humans will see them; if they don’t want to be discovered, no matter how hard humans search, they will remain invisible.

Just as humans can construct a two-dimensional world on paper, these beings can slip in when they wish and participate when they choose. In a way, they are incredibly powerful.

But, immense power doesn’t mean “invincible.”

After humans created the two-dimensional world, they often felt as if it had “come to life,” becoming self-contained and beyond their control. It’s like when ghostly creatures attack humans, their strong spiritual power can interfere, causing the hunt to fail.

Take now, for example. The “half-blood handsome guy” with the terrible luck, the ghostly being had to start “dancing” in his territory. That was simply intolerable! As a member of a battle-hardened nation, the half-blood’s anger surged, and his words condensed into spiritual force.

“Get lost! Go on, get lost!”

In an instant, the black hair rapidly retreated, and the female ghost, who was supposed to get into the car, was forced to cling to the windshield instead. In one moment of surprise, followed by another moment of horror, the female ghost let out a shrill scream. Her long, terrifying wail echoed throughout the night sky.

With a loud “crash,” the windshield shattered, and the flying shards cut into the skin of the two inside the car, the smell of blood driving the ghost almost to madness.

It smelled it. It smelled the two clean, yang powers. No, it smelled countless delicious things—inside the car, outside the car, floating in the nearby park, sinking into the noisy city—

It turned its head, eyes devoid of white, blood vessels covering its face. It licked its lips, its long tongue extending as it let out a creepy laugh.

Just tens of meters away from this battered car, a brand-new off-road vehicle was parked. Two men sat in it, one more delicious than the other. They were completely unaware, stepping out of the car and walking forward, closer, closer.

So fragrant, so fragrant…

The ghost twisted its limbs, crawling up the roof of the car. Its torso expanded into an indescribable geometric shape. This shape cracked open like a mirror and then quickly reassembled like a Rubik’s cube, inch by inch stretching into a tall, thin skeleton body.

It had two spiraling horns on top of its head, a face shaped like a goat’s skull, a neck long like a snake’s, a chest containing the head of a woman. Below that were metallic-colored passages and coiled limbs, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden.

Ji Si chuckled lightly, “You saw it this time, how does it feel?”

Si Nuocheng nodded. Not only did he feel no fear, but he also asked, “With its body structure, everything seems all tangled together. So, when it eats a person, where does it excrete? Or does it not need to? Or is the place of entrance and exit the same?”

Ji Si: …

Ghost: …

Silence. Silence on the outskirts of the road. Neither Ji Si nor the ghost knew how to explain the concept of “excretion” to a human.

They knew humans couldn’t understand higher-dimensional creatures, but they didn’t expect humans to bring them to the same level and defeat them with rich three-dimensional knowledge.

When the ghost’s goat skull “looked” at Si Nuocheng, Ji Si realized that the three consecutive questions had sealed the ghost’s hatred.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, a flash of black sharpness appeared, and the space tore apart with a sharp wind. Si Nuocheng couldn’t react in time. A powerful force struck him, and he was swept off his feet.

When he looked up again, he was already by the half-blood’s car, while Ji Si reached out in the direction where he had just been standing, leaving a red mark on his hand.

With a crisp “crack,” Si Nuocheng saw his newly bought off-road vehicle split in two, the cut so clean it looked like it had been sliced with a knife!

The smell of gasoline spread, and Si Nuocheng’s expression turned cold. In the blink of an eye, an attack and defense had occurred, and he hadn’t even had time to react. If Ji Si had been just a little slower, it would have been him split in half.

The feeling of being on the brink of death yet unable to fight back completely ignited his rebellious nature!

Unknowingly, Si Nuocheng’s hand clenched into a fist.

“I underestimated you. No wonder you’re able to summon things with the triple-word spell.” Ji Si lowered his hand, looked at the ghost, “To launch attacks and defenses with the mind, to let life and death be in your hands—now you’ve earned my full attention.”

Using mental power for attacks, defenses, and changing forms was the true level of a “Great Demon.” Ordinary chosen ones would only meet death if they encountered it, not to mention Earthlings.

Then, the ghost’s cannon shifted, locking its gaze firmly on Ji Si!

To be honest, it had finally endured long enough to wait for the pressure of Hulu Port to dissipate. Then it received a powerful infusion of spiritual power and thought it had found its “living sacrifice.” However, it didn’t expect to meet an opponent so soon.

The brutal attack only left a red mark on the opponent, and Ji Si’s threat surpassed the ghost’s understanding. It decided to kill him, no matter the cost!

“Wooo—” A real ghostly wail echoed through the entire city.

Silent terror followed, as thick fog rose from the ground at Hulu Port, forming hands that grabbed at the legs of living people and clung to the wheels of cars.

“What… what is this?”

“Ahh! Ghost! Ghost!”

Screams erupted, chaos filled the city. The thick fog reduced visibility to near zero, and vehicles crashed into each other in a chain reaction. Alarms blared, and the coastal troops rushed to the city center. But after losing their righteous human defense, the ghostly realm grew even more chaotic.

The ocean surged in giant waves, each wave higher than the last. They pushed from the distant seas toward Hulu Port, as if determined to tear down the port and release the trapped monsters.

The ghost cackled with pleasure, clearly pleased with itself.

“Naive…” Ji Si smiled at the ghost, “What made you think I would turn around to save anyone?”

The woman’s head in the ghost’s chest opened her eyes and made strange sounds. Hearing this, Ji Si laughed even harder, “Coexistence? You’re really funny. I’ve never worked with monsters, it would mess up my plans.”

The consequence of a failed negotiation was a fight!

Furious, the ghost moved its mind, and the sense of space tearing hit like a wave. Ji Si casually flicked his sleeve to avoid it, his wide robe swirling as he swiftly dodged, his movements graceful even while defending.

Out of the corner of his eye, Si Nuocheng was tearing the car door off and pulling out the two immobilized men. As his hand fell on them, the chains that had bound them loosened…

Another force?

The ghost turned abruptly, and Ji Si swung his staff, driving it heavily into the ground beneath Si Nuocheng’s feet. The concrete cracked open suddenly, and a white barrier appeared in the blink of an eye! At the same time, a fierce gust of wind slammed into the barrier, making a sound that could shatter the heart!

Si Nuocheng’s pupils shrank.

The second time! The second time this happened!

“Brother Cheng, aahhh!” Jiang Qining had just regained his freedom and cried while running to hug Si Nuocheng’s leg, “There’s a ghost! What is that?”

The white barrier blocked all danger, while the winds outside split the mountain road in half. If the ghost reacted and stopped focusing on Ji Si, the city would be in danger.

Si Nuocheng remembered Ji Si’s words: [What made you think I would turn around to save anyone?]

Although Ji Si was rather contradictory, giving them the staff, Si Nuocheng knew Ji Si truly wouldn’t turn around to save anyone, nor did he have an obligation to.

“Stop shouting, save yourselves!” At that moment, Si Nuocheng completely threw away his scientific worldview, “He’s been using the staff to fight, I need to return the big staff to him, the rest is up to us.”

He crouched in front of the half-blood and Jiang Qining, drawing circles in the air beside the three of them, “Come here, draw with me!”

“Listen up! Draw the circle from start to finish and close it. Believe that it will protect us, believe we can build it. This is the protection circle, got it?”

Imagination, focus, faith, support!

Si Nuocheng’s expression shifted.

In their confusion, the two followed suit and drew. They were filled with questions and doubts, feeling this method made no sense at all. But seeing the ghost floating above them and… the man who was fighting it so confidently, their worldview was falling apart!

Ah! How do you explain this science? Tell them, what the heck is this?

Holographic projection? A film set? Or just pressure? Might as well say they were dreaming!

Forget it. As long as the circle can save their lives, they’d draw a hundred of them! The three of them swung their arms, completing the circle. Si Nuocheng calmly placed his hand on the big staff and pulled it out.

And the moment the staff was pulled out, the white barrier dissolved, and a faint golden light circle enveloped the three of them, leaving Si Nuocheng utterly stunned.

So, if one opened their mind to believe and embrace it, could humans really reach this level? The belief to survive and the will to protect oneself—that was the warmth the protection circle gave him.

So magical… Is this the feeling of barely surviving?

“Brother Cheng! What is this? Who is Ji Si really? How do you know this stuff?” Jiang Qining was losing it, “Tell me, am I dreaming? Please, tell me!”

Without saying a word, the half-blood punched himself in the face, knocking his head sideways, “It hurts, it’s not a dream.”

Jiang Qining: … I really am losing it!

The wind howled outside, and the thick fog covered the entire city.

From afar, the screams grew more real, human cries ringing in their ears. The roar of the waves crashing against the shore could be heard, and life in the fog was more fragile than light and shadow.

Si Nuocheng wanted to return the staff to Ji Si, but Ji Si didn’t give him the chance. Seeing that Ji Si wasn’t at a disadvantage, Si Nuocheng stopped clinging to it and lifted his eyes to look at the chaos in the distance.

Perhaps, it was time to dive deeper… he thought.

The protection circle had protected them, so if he used the circle as a boundary, reversing and spreading his belief and power outward, would it have a different effect?

Si Nuocheng was bold and quick to react. He crouched next to the circle, focused and meditated, closing his eyes as he imagined the faint golden light expanding outward from him like ripples in a pond.

“Brother Cheng?”

“Si Nuocheng?”

The voices grew distant, everything began to fade away. As he focused on one point, the battle in this multi-dimensional world reached its center, and his manifesting ability was stronger, faster, and fiercer than before! Yet, the person didn’t realize it.

The faint golden ripples spread. Though they were small, they still alerted Ji Si. He looked down and saw the fog slowly dissipating, the area of effect expanding. But because of the person’s ability, it hadn’t reached a transformative point yet.

“Gold…” It was rare, the color of stars.

The “debtor” seemed to be doing well. It seemed this battle could end soon.

Indeed, without pushing people with the situation, humans would never step out of their comfort zones. Only when the harsh reality came crashing down could they exceed their limits.

The ghost destroyed the entire road, breaking it into sections. The woman’s face emitted strange sounds again, the symbols incomprehensible to anyone, yet the emotions conveyed were very real—contempt, mockery, and a sense of triumph over the inability of the opponent to do anything!

Ji Si gathered his robes, smiling calmly in the rising black wind, “Lost your weapon? Can’t kill me?”

He turned his back to the protection circle and glanced at the ghost, “Who told you that my weapon is the staff?”

Instinctively, the ghost tried to retreat. But Ji Si raised his hand, calmly saying, “I am the strongest ‘weapon,’ why would I need one? To be honest, the greatest use of the Cosmos Heart staff is to channel my power.”

With a cold smile, he opened his five fingers and gently sent a burst toward the ghost!

“Boom—”

In an instant, the light from his palm came down like daylight, like an explosion of force, shattering everything in its path!

It blasted the demon-level ghost to ashes, sweeping away all filth from the ground like the expansion of a storm.

A nuclear-like white beam pierced the heavens and earth, the light flashing as a tsunami of waves surged outward. The light illuminated the night and made it even darker.

The lights of the city faded, taking away the ghost’s terror, erasing the traces of civilization, and directly smashing through the gates of the ghost realm!

“Bang!” The deafening sound echoed, causing the earth at Hulu Port to shake. It was a warning, a threat.

The sea tide receded hundreds of meters, exposing the shallow beach with fish and shrimp. It slowly retracted, calm and quiet. At the same time, everything fell silent, as if the world had died.

Ji Si withdrew his hand, expressionless. Without the staff, he didn’t dare use even half of his power. After all…

He lowered his gaze and looked at the strands of hair at his feet, which had turned into moonlight flowing in silver-white. His white robe, with snowflake-like patterns, transformed into the deep blue of the starry sky. The patterns turned into stars, spinning and connecting, like the mysteries of the entire cycle. A single glance, and it felt like the world was turning over a thousand years.

With silver branches for a crown, and the Cosmos Heart for a staff, he stood under the stars in the ruins, like a star-seeker at the highest point of reincarnation, distant and ethereal, cold and unapproachable.

Until—

Someone handed him the Cosmos Heart staff.

Ji Si turned his head, meeting Si Nuocheng’s gaze. The latter’s emotions were still clear, his thoughts still pure. Beyond the calmness and awe, there was a fierce desire to conquer.

[I want to stand here too!] That was the belief Si Nuocheng conveyed, his competitive spirit through the roof.

Ji Si: …

He didn’t take the Cosmos Heart staff but instead tilted his body slightly, mischievously glancing at the two little white mice behind Si Nuocheng.

At the moment their eyes met, the half-blood’s face went pale, his posture rigid as if he were a statue. Jiang Qining, true to form, shouted in fear, his mouth rambling incoherently before he passed out.

Right! Now this is the reaction a normal person should have!

Ji Si was thoroughly pleased.

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PS: Si Nuocheng set down his paper, pen, and various calculations: “Strange, why could I release superpowers earlier, but not now?”

Ji Si: … I too want to know why you picked up science again so quickly.