Chapter 32: 31、That Grasping Heaven

31、That Grasping Heaven

Previously, when ordinary thought-silks turned into blood thought-silks, Zhou Chang had entertained the thought: “Could I directly extract delusion-nourishment from the zhen corpse using thought-silks?”

In this way, he could suppress Zhou Chang’s corpse with thought-silks while using the delusion-nourishment within it to strengthen his spirit.

With such a cycle, how could he fail to fully bring the zhen corpse under control?

Now that the blood thought-silks had transformed into iron thought-silks, his earlier idea seemed to have gained potential for realization.

He manipulated that single iron thought-silk; as his mind shifted, the end embedded in the zhen corpse’s flesh instantly hollowed out, like a needle’s eye, and as he urged his intent, it violently began to draw in the corpse’s delusion-nourishment!

“Ah—”

Zhou Chang’s corpse immediately twisted into a grotesque grimace, mouth opening to scream!

But another strand of blood thought-silk slithered back, swiftly piercing through the corpse’s lips and sewing its mouth and nose shut!

The zhen corpse thrashed violently within the coffin chamber, yet emitted not a single sound!

That iron thought-silk embedded within it began to suck out the delusion-nourishment stored in its corpse!

The iron-black strand of thought-silk, as it absorbed the delusion-nourishment, momentarily became ethereal and variegated!

At the same time, Zhou Chang suddenly felt his vision grow chaotic; hallucinatory, indescribable scenes began unfolding before his eyes.

His eyes were no longer eyes; in that instant, they seemed to have become ears.

His ears were no longer ears; at this moment, they seemed to have become his navel.

Hallucinations more terrifying than the “wind of nourishment” that had swept through the wine cellar clung to Zhou Chang’s spirit!

These hallucinations could not be described in words!

He constantly reminded himself in his mind: “If I don’t stop drawing in the zhen corpse’s delusions, my spirit will shatter under this terror!”

But he could no longer control the thought-silks; he could not react effectively!

Those bizarre, surreal images flashed through his mind like slides.

From among these images, he caught one scene—

He saw this morning, himself, his grandfather, Shi Danshi, and Yang Rui gathered around the dining table, flipping through the book Yang Rui had bought for five copper coins: The Great Mind Elixir Scripture.

The mere two or three pages, which he could never have understood before, now in this state, began to make sense to him!

Each incomplete Chinese character instantly transformed into a limb-deformed little figure, searching the pages for limbs—suitable or unsuitable—to attach to its own missing parts.

These little figures grew increasingly twisted and monstrous.

As Zhou Chang “read” these deformed figures, he heard voices:

“Egg-sheath prototype That Grasping Heaven…”

“The demon seed has fallen, but the divine essence has not yet been bestowed…”

“Chant the spell: Om Ma Na Tza, embryo transforms, my form changes, grant me your essence…”

Every single word in those voices, Zhou Chang understood.

Yet when he tried to combine them, he could not grasp their meaning at all!

If he did not stop drawing in the zhen corpse’s delusion-nourishment now, his own spirit-soul would perish before the zhen corpse, becoming a gui—and perhaps, by some twist of fate, transform into a demon!

The “delusion-mycelium” growing on the rice mound were in fact pure thoughts stripped of delusion!

Absorbing them could strengthen one’s spirit.

But the delusion-nourishment within the zhen corpse, and the wind of nourishment that occasionally swept through the wine cellar, brought nothing but harm to ordinary people.

Through personal trial and error, Zhou Chang now understood the difference more deeply—

“Awake! Awake! Awake!” That thought, once dominant in Zhou Chang’s mind, was now merely one insignificant thought among many.

Every one of his thoughts screamed wildly!

Each sought to seize dominance!

This caused his mind to grow ever more chaotic, sinking deeper into the vortex of delusion!

Until Zhou Chang used that single clear thought to link with a strand of thought-silk, probing it into the thumb-bone ring, the hole named “Aoduojie”—

“Aoduojie!”

Inside the hole, the boy’s voice calling for his dog companion had become Zhou Chang’s voice!

Zhou Chang called out for Aoduojie!

Aoduojie barked loudly in response!

Amid Aoduojie’s barking, more and more of Zhou Chang’s thoughts broke free from the hallucination, gradually regaining dominance, until finally he pulled the iron thought-silk from the zhen corpse’s flesh—his mind slowly returned to normal!

“Splash!”

At that moment, a vigorous sound of water erupted from the living spring a few steps away from the coffin chamber.

Zhou Chang had no time to rest; he immediately summoned his thought-silks scattered outside and drew them all back.

The wind of nourishment blew after the water sound.

The thought-silks Zhou Chang had reclaimed wrapped around the entire zhen corpse, preventing it from absorbing the wind of nourishment.

After an indeterminate time, the wind of nourishment gradually ceased.

The living spring once again gurgled, as if the ghostly deity that had emerged from the spring now returned, sated, to its source.

Zhou Chang waited awhile, then repeated the same steps he had taken yesterday to strengthen his thought-silks.

……

“Prepare to awaken!”

Several hours later, Qian Chaodong’s voice echoed from the farthest, highest reaches of the wine cellar.

In the silent wine cellar, various sounds gradually emerged.

Zhou Chang heard the sound of fermented grain being shoveled open outside the coffin chamber; strands of thought-silk, either dark red as blood or black as iron, retracted into his body.

He sensed the zhen corpse’s internal state, weaving blood thought-silks into its internal vessels and winding iron thought-silks around its bones.

Having spent the entire day in the wine cellar, thanks to the increased base of his thought-silks, his gains far surpassed those of previous days.

All newly formed ordinary thought-silks had turned into blood thought-silks.

And those already transformed into blood thought-silks had all become iron thought-silks.

“I must find Bai Xiue quickly.”

Zhou Chang slightly shifted his body within the narrow coffin chamber; as iron thought-silks propped up the corpse’s flesh and blood thought-silks coiled around its skin, he increasingly felt the fierce, terrifying power contained within this zhen corpse—and could now channel a portion of it through his thought-silks.

This further highlighted the importance of thought-silks.

Finding Bai Xiue and keeping her by his side had become Zhou Chang’s top priority.

His thought-robe had only recovered about one-third; the remaining majority of thought-silks needed replenishment through Bai Xiue.

“Clang!”

Outside, Wen San and Wen Si together pried open the coffin lid.

In the dim light, Zhou Chang opened his eyes and fixed them on Wen San, who had dared to glance over—

Wen San involuntarily shrank his neck; he felt as if this man in the coffin could see through his thoughts!

He dared not look at Zhou Chang again; he ordered his younger brother Wen Si to watch here, while he went elsewhere to continue working—Wen San would not stay a single moment longer beside Zhou Chang, fearing he might involuntarily respond to his words.

Zhou Chang rose, stepping out of the coffin chamber in one stride.

He stood beside Wen Si, his towering frame completely obscuring Wen Si’s figure, causing Wen Si to feel a flicker of fear.

At that moment, Qian Chaodong approached, glanced at the grain on both sides of the cellar covered in mycelium, and said to Zhou Chang: “Your madness still needs curing. Come again tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Zhou Chang nodded in agreement.

Qian Chaodong looked up at him, said nothing more, and turned away.

Watching Qian Chaodong’s fat body sway as he walked away, Zhou Chang turned his head to observe Wen Si, smiling: “Wen Si, do you want to go home? Your brother told me—he asked me to send a message to your family.”

Wen Si suddenly raised his head—

Zhou Chang’s towering figure, backlit by the dim light, became pure black in that instant.

Darkness expanded into an ocean, carrying Zhou Chang’s calm voice, repeating over and over inside Wen Si’s mind.

Wen Si’s pupils trembled; his mouth opened wide like a fish gasping on land, unable to speak.