Chapter 521: A Meng's Scheme

Lei Keton stepped back two paces, steadied his body, and raised his hand to create dim starlight specks tinged with tranquility, swirling around him, tracing strange symbols, simply isolating himself from this information world.

At the same time, the palace complex abruptly rose from the ground, leaned together, its doors and windows opening and closing, forming the facial features of a human face.

Coming to his senses, Lei Keton suddenly realized that A Meng, who had been standing beside him, had vanished at some point; a foreboding flash crossed his mind, and he disregarded the limits on using extraordinary abilities here, his figure instantly becoming transparent, turning into a statue formed of countless gathered starlights.

The ground around rose rapidly, the houses on both sides of the street leaned toward the center, as if something were about to burst up from beneath the earth.

The transparent statue fell into a crevice of stone and soil, shattered instantly, turning into dazzling star‑light specks that surged out through tiny gaps, flowing like a tide among the constantly rising and collapsing buildings.

During this process, the surging starlight grew ever more vast, like a brilliant stellar river enveloping the ground.

In his starlight form, Lei Keton felt his consciousness continuously disintegrating, drawing toward a grander consciousness and becoming part of it.

The raging stellar river alternated between stasis and surge, as if caught in self‑contradiction.

The expansive, raging stellar river grew ever wider; feeling unable to coalesce his body, Lei Keton simply gave up further attempts.

The surging stellar river ceased stalling, began continuously spreading and flowing outward, forming a closed loop.

Within the massive stellar ring, each star converged and linked with others, forming countless tiny three‑dimensional symbols that interlinked, creating a complex, precise gear mechanism.

As the starlight flickered, it seemed countless cold, indifferent eyes sprouted from within.

Amid the crackling shatter, the brilliant stellar river rapidly collapsed, strands of "light" invisible to most extraordinary beings separating from it.

These lights had no substance, seeming to be composed of wave after wave of massive information, moving in an illusory, torrent‑like flow.

High above this Information World they reconvened, reconstituting Lei Keton's body from tangled, pure knowledge.

He wore a jet‑black robe whose hem was torn into ragged strips, a spacious hood covering half his face; beneath the hood remained only a mass of all‑consuming darkness entwined with a halo of pure light, like a cold, indifferent eye.

Around this "eye" swirled dim starlight specks tinged with various colors and a hint of warmth, resembling his sanity, now on the brink of collapse under the onslaught of madness and chaos.

Beneath the black robe, his exposed limbs were black and withered, lacking any sheen or vitality, bearing no trace of a living being.

On the black robe, amid drifting wisps of black mist and even on the black, withered limbs, a single cold, indifferent eye had grown.

These eyes were tinged with madness, flaunting unabashed malice, imparting an oddly sacred, intelligent impression while remaining markedly cold and emotionless.

"Indeed." A Meng's figure suddenly appeared behind Lei Keton, curled his lip corner in a meaningful sigh, then vanished again.

Where he disappeared, a single eye tinged with madness, flaunting malice and birthing destruction, sprouted.

At the instant those eyes appeared, all information in that space was instantly erased, reverting to primordial void, leaving only an indistinct, indescribable void.

Beneath the hood, the halo of pure light and the surrounding dim starlight specks contracted slightly, then quickly expanded, as if attentively observing and recording something.

In this state, Lei Keton could see the essence of the Information World more clearly, perceive the already activated knowledge, and discern the delicate, wondrous balance among various contaminations and auras.

He stood there quietly, like an observer in a higher dimension, untouched by anything occurring in this Information World.

Until every street and building on the ground collapsed, an exaggeratedly huge palm emerged, followed by another hand and a pair of legs.

An exaggerated giant the size of a mountain rose from the city's ruins; its body was formed from the city's streets, buildings, and soil, revealing traces of Steel and gray stone throughout, and it dragged layered wings assembled from rusted Steel behind it.

The moment it appeared, various mad auras in the city stirred; shadows writhed, annihilating darkness spread silently, lifeless stones and wood sprouted flesh, the air grew scorching, and flames constantly flared around.

Like a towering mountain, the giant's body rapidly disintegrated, scattering into fragments on the ground.

The fragments were devoured by the surrounding writhing shadows, darkness, and flesh, and soon smaller humanoid figures emerged.

They were pure madness, twisted monsters, flaunting unabashed malice, eroding and destroying each other.

Floating in midair, Lei Keton seemed also affected by this madness, his aura gradually shifting from cold indifference to frenzy. He calmly extended his right hand forward; the black, withered arm, sprouting snarling eyes, lightly grasped in midair, causing the wandering starlight of this Information World to surface, swiftly converging onto his hand, reassembling into a lantern of brass‑colored metal and transparent glass.

"What a pity." he murmured, his voice cold and indifferent, tinged with suppressed madness.

As the words faded, his body instantly became ethereal, breaking into clouds of tangled knowledge that surged like a torrent, departing from this Information World.

After he left, A Meng, clad in a black classical robe, suddenly appeared at his former spot.

He pinched the monocle over his right eye, his deep gaze sweeping the surroundings, and muttered to himself, "Interesting, in that state his stature already surpassed the 'Knowledge Emperor'; if I hadn't kept a contingency, he would have just expelled me from this Information World."

"I only collected the information here, didn't choose to take any traits. Very cautious, huh."

While muttering, he gently adjusted the monocle; a cacophony of frantic, decadent ramblings suddenly emerged, manifesting a thick, oppressive shadow curtain within this Information World.

Behind the shadow curtain, an eye of extreme madness and extreme suppression projected from the unknown.

An incomparably grand, mad will descended, causing the foundational data of this Information World to stall, making the entire world seem as if a pause button had been pressed—motionless and silent.

The ruins and the monsters' surfaces gradually became coated with a layer of viscous black liquid, increasing in amount and thickness, eventually merging into a black, viscous, decadence‑laden "ocean."

Black became the dominant hue here, the entire Information World quaked violently, as if an unspeakably terrifying entity were gestating within this decadence‑filled "ocean."

A wailing gale whipped up a dark storm, carrying the madness‑laden will to this place.

A Meng's robe hem fluttered in the wailing wind; a faint smile lingered at his mouth, his eyes holding deep, restrained emotion.

"Then let me see what you're like after you've shed the madness."

Mid‑sentence, he removed the monocle, pinching its rim with his right thumb and forefinger, giving it a slight shake.

A pale, faint glow appeared on the lens surface, an illusory chime rang above his head, swiftly echoing throughout the Information World.

The ancient, mottled stone wall clock above his head swayed gently; its two ancient, mottled hands spun counter‑clockwise at extreme speed, stirring an indescribable invisible torrent that drove this Information World backward along the river of time.

Beneath the black, viscous, decadence‑laden "ocean," the split monsters rapidly coalesced then collapsed again, sinking back underground, and the ruined city restored itself to its original state.

The black, viscous, decadence‑laden liquid seeped down through the gaps between the city's buildings, soon revealing the city's original appearance; the only difference was an exaggerated cross erected among the central palace complex.

A Meng, while repositioning the monocle over his right eye and stepping forward, instantly appeared beneath that exaggerated cross.

He quietly stared at the massive cross before him for a moment, then calmly spoke:

"Your projected consciousness should be partially lucid, right? Can't you see me?"

As his words faded, the shadow beneath the massive cross suddenly turned black and viscous, stretching backward, becoming slender, then abruptly expanding, like layer upon layer of void‑black wings descending, revealing a figure behind.

His black hair reached his shoulders, slightly curled, and he had a pair of eyes that seemed to cover the shadows.

He wore a black robe entwined with silver threads, etched with complex symbols and adorned with ornate accessories; he wielded a jet‑black staff, with most of his body submerged in the black, viscous shadow.

His gaze was utterly calm, showing no trace of madness; after A Meng examined him for a while, he slowly spoke:

"Before I completely pollute this place, what do you wish to discuss with me?"

A Meng paused briefly, then asked an unrelated question: "Why Sasilier?"

Sasilier, who emerged from the shadows, placed his clasped hands on the black staff and spoke in a voice devoid of emotion:

"I am the extreme emotion at the time of my main body's downfall, plus the birth from reclaiming Sasilier's authority; after the mad part fell asleep due to this place's peculiarity, the remaining 'I' has become even closer to Sasilier."

"Whether you acknowledge my existence or not, I will eventually return."

(End of chapter)