Chapter 759: Journey into the Abyss of Mental Power

You should have noticed by now that you’re deeply connected to the world of Mental Power, even though you’re not an Ability User.

Mom linked her arm with Lu Xin’s as they stepped out of the base, chatting warmly. People along the way quietly made way for them; occasionally, someone smiled and nodded at Lu Xin, and he courteously returned their greeting.

With his hands tucked into his pockets and one arm slightly raised, Lu Xin stepped out through the main door of the base.

The guards didn’t stop him—his badge clearly displayed his identity and clearance.

Meanwhile, Mom strolled slowly across the wasteland, linking her arm with Lu Xin’s while softly discussing matters of ability.

They truly looked like an ordinary mother and son enjoying a moonlit walk.

“This journey of yours—the path that both resembles and diverges from that of Ability Users…”

“The advantage is that since you’ve borne immense mental pressure from the beginning, as you ascend different stages the pressure doesn’t accumulate like it would for an ordinary person. The risk of losing control has been minimized.”

“But on the downside, your understanding of Mental Power might not be as deep as that of others.”

“Of course, that also means fewer temptations.”

……

They continued walking until they reached an open area between the base and Qinggang.

On both sides, throngs of people gathered.

Some were ordinary folks seeking a peaceful life, while others were researchers chasing every secret.

There were warriors burdened with missions to resist invasions and conspiracies, as well as schemers harboring secrets and hidden ambitions.

They blended into the crowd like a complex ocean.

Mom murmured thoughtfully:

“Right now, Qinggang is diligently researching the Midnight Tribunal. They’re attempting to understand higher-level Mental Power through an ultimate mental sanctuary. And I suppose it’s time to introduce you to the lower realms of Mental Power…”

……

“Lower realms?”

Lu Xin found Mom’s words a bit odd, but a glance confirmed she was earnestly nodding at him.

So Lu Xin replied sincerely, “Alright, where do we begin?”

Mom smiled, “Let’s start with your kingdom.”

……

……

Under Mom’s guidance, Lu Xin pulled the Jack of Spades playing card from a black bag.

Unsure how to use this parasitic item at that moment, Lu Xin watched as Mom—who clearly had a plan—gently took the card, slipped it between her two fingers, and slowly dragged it downward through the air until it opened a gap.

As if emerging from a void, a blood-red vertical eye appeared.

Smiling at Lu Xin, Mom linked her arm with him and slowly stepped into the eye, softly reminding him:

“Imagination.”

……

Lu Xin understood what Mom meant. As he stepped through that gap, he unleashed the power of his imagination.

Mom was using the card to guide him into the abyss.

With the abyss’s power, the Jack of Spades allowed Lu Xin to swap places with certain objects in reality.

However, since the card only facilitates a swap, in his hand it could only briefly open the abyss before the dark forces expelled it back into the real world.

But this time, prompted by Mom’s reminder, as Lu Xin entered the abyss he simultaneously unleashed his imagination.

Unlike before, as his imaginative power surged, his distorted force field expanded rapidly—his Mental Power seemed to come alive, carving out territory, extending its reach strand by strand, and softening all mental energy within its radius.

The abyss was a world awash in blood-red.

It felt both real and illusory, as though it existed objectively while also breathing with its own life.

The moment Lu Xin entered, the world instinctively writhed, trying to expel him.

Yet the surge of his imagination suppressed that repulsion, allowing him to stand firm in this strange realm.

……

……

Looking up, he noticed that everything around him had turned a deep shade of red.

In the direction of Qinggang, the tall city walls and countless buildings appeared dilapidated and ruined.

Every element of this world seemed to be encrusted with rust.

Glancing back towards the base, he saw vague, shifting shadows occasionally flitting across its structures.

“This isn’t your first time entering the abyss,”

Mom softly asked as she turned to him, “But have you ever really observed the creatures within it?”

Lu Xin shook his head slightly and scanned the surroundings.

He had entered the abyss many times, but he was always too occupied to pay close attention to its inhabitants.

Besides, a certain inherent pride kept him from concerning himself with these details.

Those ordinary mental monsters meant nothing to him—they never truly affected him.

But prompted by Mom’s words, he finally settled down to observe.

He noticed the ground layered with black palms, some withered and some fresh.

He observed rust-covered, dilapidated office buildings where, amid layers of winding wind, monsters with unnaturally elongated necks dangled upside down, tugging at one end of a rope while gasping silently.

He saw blindfolded creatures wandering the dark red city, always sporting an eerie smile.

He saw beings alert to the slightest movement outside, clutching rusted knives and repeatedly thrusting them into their own bodies.

He saw monsters fixated on the flesh and blood of others, oblivious to their own being slowly devoured.

He saw creatures ravenously consuming everything around them, their stomachs seemingly on the verge of bursting…

He saw worms with bound legs, moving forward only by writhing their bodies…

……

……

A myriad of bizarre and eerie beings.

They lurked in every corner of the city; inconspicuous yet countless.

Some, upon catching sight of him, immediately shrank back into the shadows, trembling silently.

Others, with puzzled expressions, merely tightened the nooses around their necks and shielded their eyes even more.

“You see, the abyss teems with life,”

Mom explained softly, “It harbors the most base, the most worthless grasp of greed.”

“And there are those hanging upside down on office buildings—though the ropes choke their necks, they cling to even more until, finally, they meet a hanged end.”

“There are blindfolded creatures that only know how to smile at everything around them.”

“There are self-destructive beings, hostile to all outsiders, yet continuously inflicting wounds upon themselves…”

“And not to mention the ambition monsters that devour everything around them, nearly bursting from overindulgence…”

“……”

Mom pointed at these monsters, watching as they cowered in the decrepit city, timid and withdrawn.

In the direction of the base behind them, large shadows surged like tides—that was Father in the midst of his revelry.

Yet even Father’s presence could not compel them to flee.

“The abyss resides in the human heart,”

Mom explained softly, “Everything within the human heart lives in the abyss.”

“As long as all kinds of thoughts persist, these monsters will continue to exist. Just like in the base—though the power of fear may drive many formidable monsters away, as long as ambition lingers, they remain.”

“Fear only forces them into temporary hibernation; it cannot erase them.”

……

Lu Xin quietly asked, “So, can these monsters never be completely eliminated?”

“Of course not,”

Mom laughed and shook her head, “They’re so fragile that a single thought from you can utterly obliterate them.”

“Hmm?”

Lu Xin paused, then realized that within the reach of his imaginative power there were no mental monsters.

In fact, under the influence of his imagination, these creatures appeared so feeble that, as Mom said, a single thought could make them vanish—or even transform them at will.

He quickly understood: this was the power of a king.

In the Illusory Land, a king held the same authority.

In reality, he could alter any mental power within his radiating range.

In the abyss, he possessed absolute dominion over all mental monsters…

……

……

“You truly are unlike other Ability Users,”

Mom smiled, “If someone else did the same, it would just seem clumsy.”

“The power of the Fifth Stage is, in essence, an ultimate force in reality. You can shape your own kingdom however you like—within it, you are the sole will. You can make everyone see you as the most charismatic person in the world, willing to die for you. You can have them believe you are their one true love.”

“They would be like lovers reincarnated together through ten lifetimes.”

“You can make them remember growing up with you, willing to sacrifice their lives for one another.”

“You can even have them view your tattered clothes as the most beautiful and fashionable attire, your eccentricities as the epitome of chivalry, your clamor for song as celestial music, and your dull words as pure wit…”

“They might even consider your empty bank account as the hallmark of the richest man in the world…”

“……”

At that, she paused and smiled at Lu Xin, “Tell me, how enticing is that to ordinary people?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Xin laughed, “I just find it rather audacious.”

Mom’s eyes held a trace of helplessness at his remark.

Lu Xin looked around; beneath the dark red glow, countless bizarre and fantastical sights lurked.

He laughed, “I understand what you mean. When I first mastered my power of imagination, I realized it could truly grant me everything I desired—even reality. After all, when everyone’s memories, emotions, and desires become tangible, life within that fantasy becomes real.”

He pointed and added, “It’s as if I could actually vanquish those inner demons…”

“But if I truly wiped them all out, wouldn’t the world become too bland?”

“Once the abyss turns monotone, the real world would lose its vibrancy, wouldn’t it?”

……

Continuing, he laughed, “Even the money we earn—through imagination, I could amass a fortune, even tear a scrap of paper; but for me personally, it only has meaning when I actually hand over money and they willingly give me something in return.”

Mom listened to Lu Xin’s lofty discourse, finding it a bit odd but absorbing every word.

Finally, she smiled wryly, “I have to admit, even though your mental core might be a bit unorthodox, it’s impressively resilient…”

“And it’s precisely because of that I can trust you with all of this…”

“Come on, let me show you realms even deeper.”