Chapter 678: The Emergence of the Mental Sanctuary

Creak…

Unlike Qinggang, it was now the Flame that was different. When the strange clatter of iron chains and wild, brutal mental power suddenly filled the city, every Flame resident – including the Flame Armed force around the Stadium and members of the Red Moon Club – felt an existential terror and despair, as if fate’s tide had swept them away.

At that moment, they no longer even possessed the ability to resist.

In their eyes, even the enemy’s form was unclear; only a mass of bizarre mental power, rapidly spreading like a tidal wave, tainted every living creature in the city…

These were pollution sources with self-awareness.

Each pollution source required extensive investigation, analysis, and preparation to be cleaned up.

Now, with so many appearing at once, how could they possibly be cleared?

…

At that very moment, as panic overwhelmed them, a deep, heavy sound suddenly reached their ears.

It was as if steel bars groaned under enormous strain, mixed with the thunderous crash of a massive object falling from above and the fierce howl of air bursting out in every direction.

Dust filled the air as wild winds roared.

Instinctively, they scattered and shielded their eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, when the wind had died down and they opened their eyes, an astonishing scene unfolded before them.

Beside the Stadium lay a neat stretch of asphalt road, now marred by a brutal clash among ability users. Broken pavement, deep fissures, and scars left by plasma bullets were everywhere, with twisted vehicle wreckage strewn along the roadside.

Yet now, all those traces had vanished.

In the middle of the road, a solitary, aged building had abruptly appeared, with dust still drifting around it.

The old building had seven floors in all, modest in height.

Its facade was dilapidated, adorned with withered ivy and chalk graffiti scrawled by an unknown child.

Every window in each room was intact yet tightly closed and unlit.

From the outside, it appeared completely dark and silent, as if it were empty.

This bizarre scene left everyone dumbfounded.

They even forgot the surging mental power rolling in from afar, fixated instead on the old building.

What was happening?

Why had an old building suddenly appeared here?

A profound sense of unreality overwhelmed them, as if their entire understanding was being torn apart…

In the next moment, amid their shock, mental monsters rolling in from afar drew near – even if unseen, their slimy touch against the skin and the chilling swipe of sharp claws could be felt.

At that instant, the old building suddenly changed.

“Snap!”

A light turned on, illuminating this desperate night.

Soon after, another light followed.

Behind each dark window, lights flickered on one by one.

Neat rows of warm, bright illumination.

Along with the lights, the windows were pushed open, revealing hollow apertures resembling gaping mouths.

There was no sign of anyone inside, yet the simultaneous opening of all windows exuded a sense of urgency and tension.

It was as if an enthusiastic host within eagerly welcomed guests…

Then, as they sensed it, the surging mental power seemed to be torn apart by overwhelming force – or passion – as it struggled and contorted, being sucked into this abruptly appeared old building.

Finally, from inside the building came clear, chilling chewing sounds.

Everyone in Flame City was gripped by a wild, bizarre hallucination. They felt trapped between two relentless tides, as fine currents crashed, bit, and devoured everything. Invisible mental monsters clashed all around them, as if they were caught within layers of endless nightmares, powerless to escape.

…

…

“Ouch…”

Lu Xin was startled by the scene.

At first, he had never imagined he could actually pull an old building over.

Only when the old building materialized beside the Stadium did he look at his right hand in astonishment.

The prick of a nail no longer even hurt.

Immediately, another important thought struck him…

If he could literally drag the old building to another city, then given how expensive housing was in Central City, well…

…In a moment of resignation, he shook his head – after all, who even owned the rights to this building?

…

Although the incident briefly pulled his focus, when he looked closer, the old building shocked him yet again.

He clearly saw countless mental monsters surging like a flood toward the Stadium, only to be halted by the building. Then, as lights turned on and windows were pushed open, bizarre hands and tentacles reached out from within.

Dense and overwhelming, the old building seemed to exert an all-encompassing presence.

It reminded him vividly of a scene from his memory when he first encountered the Memory Hourglass – eerily similar.

Mental monsters charging at him were warmly invited inside, never to emerge again.

Only screams of terror, nearly tearing through the rooftop, made the entire building tremble, followed by a cacophony of chopping and slicing sounds.

Judging by the sounds, it seemed some were feasting on raw sashimi.

…

“What’s this?”

Lu Xin looked at Mom with a mix of surprise and delight.

After living here for so long, he’d never realized he had so many neighbors…

“Prisoners…”

In response to Lu Xin’s inquiry, Mom lowered her voice, her gaze holding a secretive meaning as she looked at him:

“Everyone in that building is a prisoner…”

“…”

“…”

“A Mental Sanctuary…”

At that moment, members of the Red Moon Club and the remaining Flame armed force finally snapped out of their panic.

Some looked toward the old building, feeling an indescribable tearing and unreality as countless mental powers were devoured inside; others suddenly realized something and cried out, “That is a Mental Sanctuary…”

Many eyes turned to the one who shouted; he had nine slender snake heads.

It was, in fact, the Nine-Headed Serpent.

Seeing everyone’s gaze, he recoiled slightly, his snake heads retracting, but he still whispered:

“Only one who truly reaches the Fifth Stage can possess a Mental Sanctuary!”

“The Illusory Land is named such because, according to that genius researcher at the Research Institute, an ability user at the Fifth Stage can shape an unreal realm with their mental power…”

“The Mental Sanctuary is the core of that realm – a castle…”

“…”

He spoke, his tone a mix of excitement and terror: “If this is real…”

“Then it means that a genuine Fifth Stage ability user has just emerged in reality…”

“…”

His words left many onlookers exchanging bewildered, strange glances.

Has a true Fifth Stage user finally appeared?

Although the old building beside the Stadium differed greatly from the envisioned sanctuary…

…

…

“Hmph!”

Elsewhere, as the old building devoured countless mental monsters, those crawling down the iron chains began to show signs of fear. Even if they charged forward, they could not escape their fate of being swallowed, trembling in terror.

Through layers of spatial barriers, the Cangzhang Sect member dragging countless black chains felt his anger surge instantly.

His will forced the mental monsters to continue their charge toward the old building, though it was futile.

He knew he had been outmaneuvered.

If someone hadn’t orchestrated every event so precisely, how could everything have unfolded as though preordained?

This realization filled him with boundless fury.

With a cold snort, he slowly stepped forward.

He was dangerously close to the Real World, which is why the sound of dragging chains could be heard.

With that step, he was almost touching the Real World.

One could even see delicate, spiderweb-like cracks forming in the thick spatial barriers as his presence drew near.

It was as if these barriers could no longer bear their own immense weight…

“Crack, crack, crack…”

One could clearly hear the sound of shattering glass.

The Cangzhang Sect member’s movement halted after that step, as he no longer pressed forward.

After all, Hell was incomplete, and Flame City couldn’t endure his pressure.

“Splash…”

In the next moment, an unprecedented volley of iron chains suddenly soared into the air. They were so numerous they resembled a dark, surging river—rivulets of chains pulsating with sharp, heavy fluctuations of mental power.

Judging by their direction, the chains were moving straight toward the old building.

One by one, the chains slithered over the old building like serpents, binding it tightly before snapping taut.

The old building was even dragged, leaving deep scratches on the ground.

…

“He wants to seize the old building…”

In that instant, Lu Xin recognized the Cangzhang Sect member’s intent; his pupils erupted with black particles.

Before he could react, a hand gently rested on his shoulder.

Spinning around, he saw Mom’s face twist into a cold, disdainful smile as she whispered, “He’s fallen into a trap…”

“What…”

Lu Xin hesitated briefly when suddenly a massive explosion roared.

Spinning around in alarm, he beheld an unimaginable scene.

He was on the east side of the old building.

While the Cangzhang Sect member’s countless chains clung to the building, a woman appeared on its west side.

Dressed in an elaborate black court dress with the pride of a queen, she held a mirror in her hands.

Then, from the south, a motorcycle dashed out from a skyscraper, ridden by a woman who, with her feet planted firmly on the bike, launched herself into mid-air while clutching a red balloon, barreling toward the chains.

Next, from the north, a beautiful woman in a white coat pushed open a window, smiling as she extended a fair hand.

In her palm lay a blank contract.