Chapter 238: Ying Ying Ming Jie

Naimi Xisi did not come to the quarry by chance.

The monster he captured was examined under his scalpel with crystal‑clear precision.

It was a monster composed of shadow.

When he released the Star Matter cocoon, the monster leapt toward the wall, and a Rift bathed in red light nearly swallowed it whole.

Naimi Xisi used telekinesis to restrain the monster, touching the wall. To his surprise, a familiar energy—shadow energy—emanated from behind the Rift.

It was power from Ying Ying Ming Jie.

Ying Ying Ming Jie, also called the Shadow Realm, is a highly unusual plane.

It is a dimensional space from which every color except black, white, and gray has been stripped from all things, a dark land that resists light.

The plane is capped by a starless black dome over a gray‑black vista, within which lie dark simulacra of the myriad things of the real world.

Ying Ying Ming Jie overlaps the Primary Material Plane; aside from its colorless scenery, it looks much like the Material Plane. Landmarks of the Material Plane can be recognized there, though they are twisted and distorted—a warped reflection of material existence.

Of course, not every part of Ying Ying Ming Jie appears so oppressive and hopeless.

For example, the Dark Earth that Fazi hails from lies within Ying Ying Ming Jie, yet aside from the monsters lurking in its shadows, it differs little from the Primary Material Plane.

Such normal worlds are few and far between within Ying Ying Ming Jie.

The world reflected in that red‑lit Rift exudes the unique shadow energy of Ying Ying Ming Jie.

Naimi Xisi did not rashly step into the Rift, for he did not know whether he could return. Subject 11's whereabouts remain unknown; if this simulacrum is wasted, the Throne may fall into eternal silence.

Nevertheless, at least Naimi Xisi has discovered the cause of his magical power's resurgence.

The place connected behind the Rift belongs to a world within Ying Ying Ming Jie. The flourishing shadow energy proves that the Magic Net is likewise active.

It seems these monsters from Ying Ying Ming Jie somehow opened a gateway linking the two realms somewhere in Hawkins Town. The magical energy of Ying Ying Ming Jie continuously activates the Magic Net on Earth, which has led to Naimi Xisi's power's revival.

"But… why does this shadow energy feel odd,"

After seeing the Rift, Naimi Xisi felt that way; he constantly sensed that the shadow energy was mixed with something strange.

He then made a swift decision, began dissecting the monster, and discovered something truly remarkable.

The monster, astonishingly, had no brain!

Naimi Xisi had assumed the monster's brain might reside elsewhere in its body, but after a thorough search he found none.

This naturally struck him as odd: why would a brainless monster possess such potent Spiritual Power?

Naimi Xisi still recalled the Psychic Domination Technique's instantaneous control power; he even doubted that even the legendary Mind Flayer Elder Brain possessed such formidable Spiritual Power.

Thus he grew suspicious, wondering whether the monster before him was merely a puppet, its body controlled by some dread creature of overwhelming Spiritual Power.

That would explain the contradictions in the monster's nature. If a powerful entity lies behind it, the one dueling Naimi Xisi would naturally be that hidden presence, so its immense Spiritual Power would no longer be surprising.

His research halted at this point.

This is also why Naimi Xisi came to the quarry.

He employed a prophecy spell to calculate two goals—locating Subject 11 and uncovering the monster's deeper secret. Both led him here, before a woman named Qiaoyisi Bairesi.

The moment he saw her, Naimi Xisi understood.

Dense shadow energy enveloped the woman; she was likely already being watched.

No, it was her son—Wei Er—who had already been targeted.

Naimi Xisi arrived not early, but he caught the final moment the corpse was carried away. Even with a single glance, he could confirm it was not a human corpse.

At any rate, it was certainly not the body of a boy named Wei Er.

The prophecy spell's result was vague, something unimaginable in Frelen. Yet in this world where the Magic Net lies dormant, spell effects are heavily suppressed, so it is not surprising. Uncertain of his next move, Naimi Xisi decided to first help the woman locate her child.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Wei Er's corpse has already been found. If you came here to play some stupid joke, get the hell out! Otherwise I'll lock you up for violating public order!" Jim shouted angrily.

Naimi Xisi chuckled softly, folding away his large black umbrella. The long shaft, planted like a cane, revealed his true visage.

His handsome, aristocratic features made Jim pause, then ease a hint of wariness. As they say, appearance reflects the heart; a person of such noble bearing could not be a vicious criminal, he thought.

!

"Your child, Wei Er, is still alive," Naimi Xisi said, raising his palm to halt the two who were about to speak.

"At least according to my prophecy, your child has not died yet."

He looked at Qiaoyisi, eyes filled with puzzlement: "How strange—you look so ordinary, yet your child is being targeted by them."

Unable to hold back any longer, Qiaoyisi hurriedly asked, "What are you saying? Who? Who has targeted Wei Er?"

Jim, standing nearby, was already impatient: "What prophecy, being targeted—this man is just a liar, isn't he?"

He was about to utter a curse when the silver‑haired man snapped his fingers crisply; the man's mouth suddenly froze, unable to move!

"Woooooo!!"

Jim covered his mouth, trying to speak, but in terror discovered he could not open his mouth, anxiously attempting to make a sound.

Naimi Xisi glanced at him and said coolly, "You're too noisy; just listen quietly. My patience is limited."

This supernatural scene terrified both Jim and Qiaoyisi; the man's words proved that everything before them was his doing.

But how could that be possible?

Snapping a finger to render someone mute? Absolutely absurd!

"What… what did you do to him?!" Qiaoyisi said nervously.

"Just a little trick, it doesn't matter."

"How can that not matter!" Qiaoyisi was on the brink of collapse, bewildered by her child's sudden disappearance, the bizarre contact, and now another seemingly sorcerous man before her!

"Your child is still in Ying Ying Ming Jie; don't you want to save him?" Naimi Xisi, losing patience, said coldly.

"Ying Ying Ming Jie? What kind of place is that?"

"A place filled with darkness and monsters."

(End of Chapter)