Chapter 640: Illusion

When the golden lotus flowers consumed everything, two familiar voices emerged from the golden light, and the surrounding space shifted; within Ye Nan’s heart, countless long-buried memories unlocked one by one, like a flood or a ferocious beast, swallowing him instantly.

A familiar city, familiar people and objects, the sun high above, radiating a scorching heat.

“Where am I?” Ye Nan looked around the familiar city, uncertain, “Have I returned? But I didn’t want to come back!”

Here were his parents, but there were also his parents—his wife, his children, his friends; emotionally, he preferred that side, though it sounded cruel, he still chose to remain there.

Yet he had inexplicably returned, back here.

“Wait, no.” Ye Nan’s expression changed, “Wasn’t I just fighting Ai O and the Cosmic Emperor? How did I end up here?”

The Cosmic Emperor was immensely powerful, hailed as the strongest in strength and defense—but even so, in matters of space-time, he was worse than Ye Nan.

As for Ai O, though as a deity he naturally controlled space-time, Ye Nan still doubted whether he could cross the universe, transcend the boundary between illusion and reality, and send Ye Nan here.

Moreover, the final memory he retained—the blooming of the lotus flowers—was still vivid.

“If this is merely an illusion, how do I escape it?” Ye Nan waved his hand, but nothing happened; all his powers vanished—mental power, any other power, gone.

“I can’t sense the primordial force; the knowledge in my mind seems useless here. Is this a modification at the physical foundation level, or a memory-based environment?”

Ye Nan’s expression darkened. Logically, the Milky Way was matter-dominated, with technology governing the laws; such a powerful illusion shouldn’t exist. But considering Ai O’s divine power could twist reality and temporarily alter the Milky Way’s nature, Ye Nan gave this illusion the highest possible assessment.

Yet even that assessment was too low—only when he lost everything, lost his power to resist, did the environment’s true power gradually emerge.

“How should I resist?” Ye Nan lowered his head, thinking.

“Hey, Ye Nan.” A student with a backpack walked over. Long eyelashes, a pale face slightly flushed, hair styled in a cute pear-cut.

“Shi Linna, it’s you.” Ye Nan smiled faintly, “Aren’t you studying in America? How are you here?”

“I never studied in America, and I’ve never been called Shi Linna—my name is Shi Silin.” Shi Silin emphasized the three characters “Shi Silin.”

“Oh.” Ye Nan murmured, then stared in surprise at Shi Silin, Luo Chengyue’s latest chapter.

He remembered that after Shi Silin went to America, she adopted the American name Shi Linna. Many classmates teased her about it—yet now she claimed she’d never gone to America.

Wait—she never went to America? A huge question mark flashed in Ye Nan’s mind; his sluggish brain finally reacted. “You say you never went to America?”

“Yes, I never went to America. Though I wanted to, I haven’t taken the Gaokao yet.”

“Gaokao?” Ye Nan’s mind grew more confused. His sluggish thoughts began to stir. “Didn’t you already take the Gaokao? Didn’t you score 598 and get into university, then your father sent you to America? How are you taking it again?”

“Are you running a fever?” Shi Silin placed her pale fingers on Ye Nan’s forehead. Cool to the touch. “You’re not feverish.”

“Uh!” Seeing her reaction, Ye Nan realized he was confused. “Then what year is it?”

“2007.” Shi Silin gave him a reproachful look. “Are you teasing me on purpose?”

“No.” Ye Nan shook his head. 2007? I’ve gone back to the past. Interesting. Very interesting. A faint smile touched his lips. “Then tell me—what were last year’s Gaokao questions?”

“Last year’s Gaokao questions?” Shi Silin rested her chin, a deep frown forming. “I… I can’t remember.”

“I can’t remember.” Ye Nan pointed at himself. “I never bothered memorizing last year’s Gaokao questions. But you—you always look them up every year, solve them yourself to test your level. You couldn’t possibly forget. The only explanation is that I don’t remember.”

Since this illusion was built upon Ye Nan’s memories, anything he never knew wouldn’t exist. For example, if he asked Shi Silin and she answered correctly, he’d assume it was real. But since she couldn’t answer—something she should have known—it proved her memories originated from his. If he didn’t know it, neither did she. This confirmed the illusion’s nature.

“But how do I escape this illusion?” Ye Nan thought inwardly. Even knowing it was an illusion wouldn’t make it collapse. Illusions rooted in memory were even harder to break. If his powers were still here, he could shatter it effortlessly—but the problem was, his powers weren’t here.

“I can’t sense my power, so I can’t break the illusion. And without breaking the illusion, I can’t sense my power. It’s a dead end.”

A dead end could only be broken by force—but where was his force? Compared to the entire illusion, his strength was negligible.

“No, no—it can’t be a dead end. No dead end exists in this world. There must be a way. Don’t panic.” Ye Nan forced himself to calm down.

“This is an illusion—undoubtedly. It’s an illusion built upon my memories.”

“On the surface, I can’t break the illusion because I can’t sense my power; and I can’t sense my power because I can’t break the illusion. That’s a dead end—but it isn’t one.”

“By analyzing sequence, I can break it down step by step.”

“So what should I do next?”

Ye Nan walked onto the road, watching a car rush toward him—unafraid.

“What are you doing?” Shi Silin gasped, seeing Ye Nan step into the middle of the road.

“Just seeking death.”

Thud!

The car struck Ye Nan, blossoming a crimson flower. Shi Silin’s face turned deathly pale, drained of all color.

“Ye Nan… Ye Nan…” she murmured, eyes vacant, her entire body like a soulless shell, staring blankly at Ye Nan.

“Just a memory of Shi Silin.” Ye Nan closed his eyes. The world turned pitch black. The bustling, flowing streets collapsed instantly, leaving only endless darkness.

He drifted for an unknown length of time—then darkness vanished, and Ye Nan returned to the real world.

A massive shadow descended from above, a gaping maw ready to swallow Ye Nan whole.

“I have the Leader Template!” Ye Nan shouted—but the maw ignored him, still hurtling forward.

“Zhi Shen, you idiot, act now!”

“Coming.”

Zhi Shen’s voice suddenly rang out. He hurled Great Tear from his hand. The gaping maw froze instantly, powerful pulling forces ripping its body apart piece by piece.

“This guy can’t hold on.” Zhi Shen saw his Great Tear work immediately—he understood the Cosmic Emperor was already crumbling.

Then again, it made sense. So far, the Cosmic Emperor had taken heavy damage and had no time to heal. His collapse was inevitable.

“Cosmic Crusher.” Ye Nan raised his hand, aiming. Three red dots locked onto the Cosmic Emperor, their targeting range expanding continuously.

“I’ll kill you both!” The Cosmic Emperor’s maw surged forward again, immense suction dragging Ye Nan and Zhi Shen toward its mouth.

“Damn it!” Zhi Shen yelled, shouting, “Ye Nan, save me!”

“Fuck, if I could save you, I’d have done it already. Do you think I’m an omnipotent god? Wait—no, an omnipotent God.” Ye Nan cursed. Even gods weren’t omnipotent—look at Ai O. So he switched to “God.” At least God had never appeared—he could temporarily treat Him as omnipotent.

“Stop talking nonsense—if you don’t save me, we both die!”

“And we’re almost there—just a little more!”

One was being sucked into the maw, into darkness, while still babbling for Ye Nan to save him.

“We’re on the same rope now. If I die, the Cosmic Emperor wins. So you can’t let him win.”

“Shut up.” Ye Nan coldly said, “I’ll save you.”

Only Zhi Shen could harm the Cosmic Emperor. Ye Nan’s Cosmic Crusher could too—but its damage was weaker. To destroy the Cosmic Emperor’s head, the size of a planet, was no small feat.

Yet even so, Ye Nan had little confidence he could save Zhi Shen.

The two were sucked into the Cosmic Emperor’s mouth, one screaming in terror, the other silent—their difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

“Die, you two damned insects!” The Cosmic Emperor’s voice boomed around them, filled with deep hatred.

“You think you can kill us? Dream on!” Ye Nan roared. “Zhi Shen, move aside—I’ll handle it!”

Zhi Shen immediately dodged, clearing space for Ye Nan.

“Cosmic Crusher—fire!” (To be continued.)