Chapter 1377: Guilt

Guilt

"Truly a wretched state... Yang Xiao."

The black-robed Chen Ling gently raised his finger, and the Bone-Stripping Knife automatically cut apart the binding straps and ropes on Yang Xiao's body. He slightly narrowed his eyes, the crescent-moon-like scarlet exceptionally distinct in the darkness.

The soaking wet Yang Xiao stood up, looking at the unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar black-robed figure, and asked in confusion:

"Director Chen... why did you become like this?"

"What? Is there anything bad about being like this?" The black-robed Chen Ling chuckled lightly. "It's just a face. I am me, why should I cater to the concepts of beauty and ugliness of you humans? I actually think it's very good like this. This way, every time I kill someone, their expressions will be even more terrified... Hahahaha!"

Yang Xiao's brows slightly furrowed. He clearly felt that the Chen Ling before him was different from before...

Just what exactly happened to his body?

As the black-robed Chen Ling laughed, a touch of struggle suddenly surfaced on his face. He supported his forehead with one hand, and his entire person suddenly began to stagger.

"Wait for me a moment..."

The black-robed Chen Ling turned around, walked out of the cabin, and backhandedly closed the door.

Yang Xiao blankly watched this scene, his face full of confusion... About ten seconds later, the cabin door was opened again. Chen Ling draped in the Great Crimson Theatrical Robe walked in from outside. The original tyranny and sharpness had disappeared, but his expression was somewhat haggard.

Yang Xiao was stunned for a moment. "Director Chen, did you go out to change clothes?"

Chen Ling: ...

In Yang Xiao's eyes, he had just changed into a Theatrical Robe. But to Chen Ling, he had suppressed his Second Personality back down with great difficulty... Previously, although he had also utilized his Second Personality in the Ghost Mockery Abyss, the duration had been very short. This time, he discovered that the longer the Second Personality occupied the dominant position, the harder it was for him to suppress it back.

During this process, he even had thoughts like "how about I just don't change back" and "this personality isn't bad as the main personality" multiple times. After all, the thrill of absolutely crushing strength, and the wild and conceited personality that always took revenge were simply too exhilarating. Anyone who experienced that feeling of not caring about consequences and being supremely arrogant would get addicted.

If Chen Ling's main personality hadn't experienced too much and his willpower hadn't been extremely strong, he probably would have found it difficult to suppress the Second Personality...

But this also reminded Chen Ling that he absolutely couldn't maintain the Second Personality for too long in the future, otherwise it would be very easy to completely lose himself.

"... Something like that." Chen Ling could only answer this way.

"But you seem different from just now."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm... Although you just changed clothes, it feels more approachable now." Yang Xiao hesitated for a moment. "How should I put it about just now... It was freakishly scary."

"Enough about me, how are you?"

Hearing Chen Ling's question, Yang Xiao opened his mouth, but couldn't say a single word.

Pain resurfaced on his face. Those bloodshot eyes were full of remorse and self-blame:

"It's all my fault... I killed them..."

"I thought I could be like at Wushan, altering the trajectory of the nuclear bomb and saving everyone..."

"Before that, I even solemnly vowed to them, telling them not to run around, to get close to my side... I had a way to save them."

"I even imitated Lu Xun, floating up from the ground. I called myself the Lord of the Aurora... They truly believed me. They desperately approached my side, even lifting their children up to me..."

"But... but this time I was too tired. It plummeted vertically towards us. Even using all my strength, I couldn't completely move it away..."

"It exploded, and everyone vanished in an instant... Only me..."

"I don't know how I survived. When I regained consciousness, I heard countless voices screaming in my mind. I couldn't hear clearly what they were saying, I only felt a headache that was about to split apart..."

"Then after that, my consciousness was sometimes clear, sometimes chaotic. I seemed to hear them saying something in my ear. Then somehow, I picked a direction and suddenly flew up... When I woke up, I was here."

Yang Xiao's fists clenched tighter and tighter. He held his head in self-blame, tears continuously overflowing from his eye sockets.

"It's all my fault... It's all my fault!! They trusted me so much, yet I... I thought I could become the next Lu Xun, but..."

"I am just a piece of trash, a piece of trash who can't do anything!!"

Yang Xiao's voice trembled. His entire person seemed to have broken down, continuously roaring in anger. Since Chen Ling knew him, it was the first time seeing him in such a state.

"This is certainly not your fault." Chen Ling spoke without hesitation. "The drop point of the nuclear bomb was right there. Even without you, they still wouldn't have survived... You already tried your absolute best to save them. Their deaths have nothing to do with you."

Yang Xiao's chest still heaved violently. His personality was too kind and introverted. To him, failing to do something he originally could do, and failing to fulfill what he promised others, was extremely painful... He was the kind of child who, when young, if he made an appointment with a friend to watch a movie, but failed to fulfill the agreement because he was suddenly rushed to the hospital with a high fever, would secretly wipe his tears on the hospital bed out of guilt.

Not to mention, what he carried on his back this time was millions of human lives.

Chen Ling just watched him like this, his mind recalling the dream Yang Xiao just had... and those pairs of scorched black palms reaching out from behind him.

"Yang Xiao, let me see your soul." Chen Ling suddenly spoke.

"... What?"

"I mean your aurora."

Yang Xiao looked hesitantly at his hands, seemingly a bit reluctant...

Before being hit by the nuclear bomb, although he could also release a little bit of aurora, it was very tiny. But he vaguely remembered that after being hit by the nuclear bomb, during that period of blurred consciousness, he had seen an extremely grand aurora.

Deep in his heart, he seemed to have already guessed something, but he didn't dare to truly verify his thoughts... He was worried that he wouldn't be able to accept the result.

"Come on." Chen Ling looked into his eyes. "You have to face them eventually, don't you?"

Hearing this sentence, a touch of decisiveness flashed in Yang Xiao's eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Immediately after, streams of magnificent and gorgeous auroras, in an almost substantial form, spread outwards with him as the center, illuminating the entire cabin!

"This is..." Yang Xiao sensed everything around him, a touch of horror surfacing on his face. "My soul... how did it become so strong??"

"It's very simple." Seeing this scene, Chen Ling's thoughts in his heart were confirmed.

"Because they didn't completely die. Their soul magnetic fields were captured by your ability and became a part of your soul... In other words, they have already merged into one with you."