บท 63: Illusion and Reality
Step by step, Zhang Baichi continued to climb the stairs.
He was already walking for three days and nights, and his mind had turned somewhat numb.
For the longest time, he had been resisting the illusion and kept a calm head, but even with that, he was slowly losing himself in the illusion.
By the end of the third day, Zhang Baichi believed himself to be a worshipper of the Dragon God, right on his way to finally meet the Dragon God in person for the first time.
His mind was preoccupied with anticipation and curiosity, though he was still surprisingly calm and felt at ease.
He knew he was coming closer and closer to the Dragon God and would soon meet them.
However, by the fourth day, he had still not reached the top of the stairs; They were still endlessly extending upwards, with no goal in sight.
By the fifth day, Zhang Baichi's mind began to dull, and it seemed that the prior anticipation was fading. Doubts were slowly gathering in his mind.
Where had these stairs come from?
Why can the Dragon God only be met by walking these stairs?
Day after day passed with Zhang Baichi tirelessly climbing the stairs.
His expression had dulled, and it was like he was only moving on instinct, climbing and climbing without rest.
There was no hunger, no tiredness. Even at the horizon, there was only the unchanging sky, filled with clouds as white as snow.
Zhang Baichi was alone on these stairs. There was no one to talk to, and no other path to take.
For some reason, Zhang Baichi felt more restless the longer he climbed the stairs.
Where these his doubts? Was it his mind playing tricks on him?
How could he, a devout worshipped, question the Dragon God?
How come he could not meet the Dragon God?
He had been climbing the stairs for so long, yet it seemed like the Dragon God was still impossibly far away.
He could not even catch a single glimpse at the Dragon Gods majesty.
…Was the Dragon God even real?
Why would such a terrifying thought appear in his mind?
Zhang Baichi's speed slowed down considerably. Over the next few hours, his mind was preoccupied with ever-growing doubts that he himself could not explain.
A long time passed, but Zhang Baichi finally stood still on the stairs, his head held down. A conflicted expression was visible on his face.
What was the Dragon God?
Who had told him about the Dragon God in the first place?
He could not remember; Not the Dragon God, nor anyone who told him about them.
It must have been his parents.
The Dragon God was a great deity that would bring prosperity to all that worshipped it.
His family must have worshipped the Dragon God for generations.
No…
That couldn't be right.
His family was no more.
How could the Dragon God let them pass?
Were they abandoned?
Were the never as devout as they made themselves out to be, in the first place?
Was it all… a lie?
"My family… my parents… The Dragon God killed them…?", Zhang Baichi muttered to himself, his expression twisting in pain.
He held his head with one hand and held on to the railing by his side to stabilize himself. "Ji Jian…! Ji Jian killed them. But- who is that? Why do I know this person?"
His thoughts were in disarray.
There were strange memories in his head.
A child named Ji Jian. He had killed his parents, his whole family.
But, why were there so many memories about another family?
A hardworking father, who always looked tired.
A loving mother, who gave her everything to take care of him.
Accidents, that caused both of their death.
Why was he feeling so lonely all of a sudden? Why was there so much pain in his heart?
That could not be his family. His family was devoted to the Dragon God.
There was only the Dragon God in his heart.
Why did it feel like he had forgotten something so, so important to himself? So close and dear to his own heart?
Just who… had he forgotten?
The pain in Zhang Baichi's head was growing to become unbearable.
His breathing was getting rougher, and he was sweating an awful lot.
"I… have to continue. Just… just a bit further… and I'll be able to finally meet the Dragon God!", he spoke in a hoarse voice. He felt so desperate.
Why did it feel so wrong? He would finally meet the Dragon God, so why was he not happy? Why did he want to reject the Dragon God so badly?
He climbed a few more steps, painfully slow, until he finally slipped and fell down to his knees.
"Something… something is wrong…!", Zhang Baichi spoke, his voice shaking from pain and anxiety.
More strange memories filled his head. Tormenting him with feelings of pain, sorrow, loneliness.
How could he have died? That wasn't possible.
He was still alive. The Dragon God always protected him.
The kind, caring Dragon God.
The old man, who looked after him in secret.
The Dragon God, who warned him, when thugs were about to attack him.
The old man, who saved his soul, when he was run over by a truck.
Why were those two pictures always interchanging in his memory?
Who was that old man?
He could not remember, but he was certain that the old man had done him a great favour.
What was it? How could he not remember? He always remembered when the Dragon God did him a favour.
When he had injured a fellow disciple, it was the Dragon God, who helped him after he was incarcerated.
The Dragon God allowed him to take revenge.
The Dragon God protected him when the Ji family wanted to interfere and save Ji Jian. When they wanted to stop him from taking revenge.
The Dragon God would always tell him how strong an adversary was when he asked.
The Dragon God allowed him to lead the other disciples in the Sacred Realm.
It was all because the Dragon God allowed him to become strong.
Because the Dragon God allowed him to reincarnate after his death.
He owed everything to the Dragon God.
Because the Dragon God gave him the Black Heaven Scripture…!
"Black Heaven… Black Heaven Scripture… Black Heaven… Great Sage…!", the memories in Zhang Baichi's head started to get clearer.
The Black Heaven Great Sage was the old man. He had helped Zhang Baichi with the thugs. Saved his soul after his death. Gave him the system and the Black Heaven Scripture.
He owed everything he had to the Black Heaven Great Sage.
The Dragon God…
"The Dragon God… is not real!", Zhang Baichi shouted frantically while clutching his head. He groaned and cowered as the pain became even stronger.
"It's all a lie! There is no Dragon God…!", he collapsed onto the floor, and could only pick himself up and stabilize himself on his arms.
He gnashed his teeth in pain, his eyes flashing with clarity from time to time, only to glaze over again and again. "Get… out."
Zhang Baichi pushed himself up onto his knees, his hands still on the ground. His eyes flashed with clarity again and darted about.
There was no staircase.
No sky filled with snow white clouds.
Dust and bones creaked under his body. The ground was dyed black with dried blood.
"Get… out!", he growled through gnashed teeth, slamming his head against the ground. "Get out…! Get out… of my head!"
Zhang Baichi shouted and slammed his head against the ground until blood flowed from his forehead.
His thoughts were becoming clearer and clearer, and splitting headache slowly subsided.
There was only the throbbing pain from the wounds on his forehead, but those were mild in comparison.
Zhang Baichi breathed heavily and took few seconds to recover.
He pushed himself off the ground, forcing his body upright, and looked around.
His mind shook, as he sat in a field of skeletal remain and dried blood.
There were so many dead that they formed a hill in front of him.
A hill of skeletons, that he had desperately tried to climb before.
A soothing, gold-tinged crimson glow shined down from above.
Zhang Baichi could faintly make out another altar at the very top where the crimson glow came from.
"What the f*ck is that? What's going on here?", he looked around, but saw nothing but death and desolation. "System, what the f*ck is going on?!"
[Ding! Host has successfully escaped an illusion of the Spiritual Ascension Realm.]
[Ding! Host has spent a total of 17 hours, 49 minutes, and 55 seconds within the illusion.]
[Ding! Warning: The Demonic Treasure has absorbed over 40 percent of Host's vital blood essence. Host is advised to immediately leave the vicinity of the Demonic Treasure.]
Zhang Baichi stared at the familiar system interface in front of himself, dumbfounded. "Demonic… treasure…?"
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