Chapter 480: What It Means to Be Me

Fourth Tier...

Bai Cangshu sat in the hall, savoring alone that power radiating from within to without.

Judging from Li Qingzi's reaction and description, it was a peculiar power that forbade all abilities and even reduced enhanced attributes to zero; she said that in that instant, she felt her physical body was on the verge of collapse, and before her eyes, in the illusory space, countless pitch-black spirits were lunging toward her.

Without a doubt, that scene must have been the image within his own sea of consciousness.

In other words, in that instant, Li Qingzi saw the situation within his sea of consciousness and was simultaneously stripped of almost all abilities, Specialties, Attribute Points, Chao-fan Te-zheng, and tier Tese...

Under the influence of that power defined by the space as 【Fourth Tier · Heart Light】, she had regressed into a Mortal.

Was that his essence, his 【Heart】?

Bai Cangshu felt that was likely not the case, because that was a trait revealed when he used the Super Limit Spiral to mimic Li Qingzi's performance in that Instant.

At this very moment, Bai Cangshu could no longer grasp that feeling.

This 【Fourth Tier · Heart Light】 was completely different from the flesh-and-blood attributes of the First Tier or the energy of the Second Tier; it did not possess the convenience granted by the space.

Using that power could not be triggered by a mere thought.

On the contrary, it was a special power that moved from within to without.

【Heart Light】, in Bai Cangshu's current understanding, should be a power that points directly to the human heart; it is the light that bursts forth when the self is fully revealed and the sense of existence named 【I】 is stimulated to the extreme.

Bai Cangshu leaned back, his body naturally floating and flying backward; his Heart Net completely controlled the movements of all the servants in the manor, so he did not worry about being seen.

He drifted out through the window just like that.

His thoughts continued to drift.

Bai Cangshu had already obtained Gantz; judging from the technology of the Multi-faceted Alien, the existence of 【Human】 possessed no special qualities in the eyes of high-dimensional beings.

Flesh, appearance—such things could be replicated with a flip of the hand; even in the ordinary human world, there existed technology to change one's appearance or even clone.

Soul—this was what most humans considered the most noble and special aspect of why a human is a human.

Humans believe they possess noble souls; some people uphold various faiths, believing that even after death, the human soul can continue to reincarnate, and that is the root of why you are you beneath the shell of the flesh.

But the Multi-faceted Alien said that the soul is merely a piece of special information weighing 21 grams.

They had already transcended the soul level and could completely shatter, replicate, and create souls using technology.

The soul is not special, nor is it noble.

Bai Cangshu drifted under the night sky, the stars in the sky flashing; this place was some distance from the city, and after moving away from the various lights of the city, the stars under the night sky could be seen more clearly.

Bai Cangshu rested his hands behind his head, like a floater drifting in the ocean, moving with the wind in the night sky.

He could not help but think: if there appeared someone who looked exactly like him, with the exact same voice, and even the soul was identical, and furthermore, the other party also possessed all his memories and was granted the exact same abilities as him by the space or some other existence.

Then, that existence could also be called 【Bai Cangshu】.

But he was clearly not him, and he was not him.

Where exactly was the decisive place that distinguished 【I】 from 【He】...

This was likely where the 【Heart】 truly existed.

Although Bai Cangshu often appeared cruel and brutal, seeming more inclined to solve problems directly through slaughter rather than thinking.

But his brain actually processed information quite quickly; even beyond those books on law, he had read quite a lot of the thoughts and philosophies of various human sages.

He understood very well that the question of 【Who am I】 had long since been answered.

But this thing called 【I】, in the world of extraordinary power, or rather, in the so-called 【God's Ladder】, held a unique meaning.

It was a true self, deeply hidden within the soul and the depths of the heart.

It was the primordial state above nature.

Bai Cangshu felt as if he had grasped something in the dark, but he could not reproduce that profound feeling no matter what; his memory was surprisingly good—even during that scene just now, he could remember the extent of Li Qingzi's pupil dilation, the frequency of her heartbeat, the number of pulse contractions, the protrusion of her skin pores, and even the secretion of hormones in her body.

Yet he could not reproduce it.

Simply making the body exhibit the same characteristics as Li Qingzi could not reproduce that thing.

The invisible spiral within Bai Cangshu's body spun faster and faster, and the ends of his long black hair behind his head had already begun to turn white.

This was a sign that his vitality was being consumed on a massive scale.

He began to feel pain.

The power was right before his eyes, yet he could not grasp it, which made Bai Cangshu feel pain and anger.

He always felt that he was missing something, which was why he could not find that feeling.

One figure after another began to appear before his eyes.

From the professor with black-rimmed glasses who first told him about the power of the 【Heart】, to the weak Mu in the Heipao Shijie, to the tall Pirate captain Orgins in the Pirate World who looked at him coldly and accused him of being completely unable to understand the thoughts of the girl Cindy, believing him to be a beast without a heart.

Previously, Bai Cangshu had always believed that he simply lacked empathy or things of that nature; he could not empathize with those weak humans.

At this moment, however, he felt as if he were locked in a cage of body and soul, unable to touch the truth.

Bai Cangshu felt extreme oppression and could not help but open his mouth to let out a violent shout.

Ha!

Boom!

It was like a thunderclap exploding in the night sky, and a terrifying explosion burst forth from the clouds.

Within a range of over a hundred miles, one could feel the terrifying vibration in the air.

A large number of Gaoli citizens even fearfully thought that the neighbor to the north had already launched a war.

Only Li Qingzi, wearing a white nightgown, stood in the courtyard watching the incandescent shockwave in the night sky spread in all directions.

That terrifying power made her deeply realize that Bai Cangshu had completely become a Monster, surpassing Elites like herself of the so-called 【Strong】 tier.

Tao Baibai's true combat power had definitely already stepped into the 【Fierce】 tier.

He was already a fierce beast in name and reality.

She hugged herself, feeling the toughness of her own body; the strength, speed, and even destructive power she had previously secretly prided herself on had now all been surpassed by Bai Cangshu.

She suddenly understood what this fierce beast wanted to tell her at that moment.

She stroked her own chest, where it felt as if the mark left by Tao Baibai's touch still remained.

Li Qingzi suddenly clutched her head and let out a bitter laugh, her voice growing louder and louder.

She had actually put the cart before the horse; so she had already become this weak...

A weakling would only be abandoned by Bai Cangshu.

She had also been influenced by the people in her family, ultimately still thinking Gaoli was some sort of remarkable thing, exhausting her mental energy to control such a place.

"Ha, haha... Hahaha!"

Li Qingzi laughed wildly, intense Demon Power beginning to radiate, Haki and Demon Power intertwining, beauty and cruelty coexisting.

The next day, the new Chairperson of the March Conglomerate, Li Qingzi, publicly announced that the March Conglomerate and Gaoli would fully support the cause of Ability Users, and would transform the group entirely into a large-scale conglomerate centered around activities for Ability Users.

Furthermore, she promised that all talent who joined the Ability User agencies under the March Conglomerate would receive the top-tier information and material support of the March Conglomerate.

At the same time, they would strike against and expose unregistered Ability Users within the borders of Gaoli.

This news directly triggered an international shock.

A conglomerate with a market value exceeding two trillion US dollars had actually transformed so abruptly, and this statement made the existence of 【Ability Users】 completely impossible to hide.

Inside the headquarters of the March Conglomerate, multiple board members and directors simultaneously sought out Lixianhou, hoping the other party would step forward to stop Li Qingzi.

But this old person only had a heavy expression, yet made no decision whatsoever.

Bang!

The office's specially-made bulletproof armored door was kicked open with a bang.

Li Qingzi stepped in wearing high heels and a scarlet trench coat, appearing before everyone with a terrifyingly sharp aura.

"This is my final decision; those who do not accept this resolution may leave on their own."

Lixianhou noticed that behind Li Qingzi, that terrifying Mr. Bai had a faint smile on his face, and was surveying the surrounding environment.

The bodyguard standing by Lixianhou, who was tall and wearing sunglasses, suddenly trembled all over, unable to control himself.

He felt a strong Killing Intent Wave lingering on the surface of his body.

Completely unable to match it; if they made a move, he would die!

This feeling lingered in his heart; he had absolutely no room to resist, his body went limp, and he took the initiative to bow his head to Li Qingzi, saying:

"Codename 【Mercury】, reporting to Chairperson Li; I will go to the agency to register in a moment."

Lixianhou also raised his head following this, saying to everyone:

"Old friends, can you not see clearly?"

He pointed at his granddaughter.

"The great upheaval has already arrived; this... is the future!"

(End of this chapter)