Infinite Terror: Infinite Reversal

Chapter 564 Shock

Thunder rumbled through this data space, something the deep network itself couldn't simulate... at least it didn't have the corresponding logic for it. This deep roar, a voice that contained both ferocity and a touch of righteous indignation, emanated from Zhang Jie's data body.

The veterans of the Central Continent Team had all heard this sound before... It was the same kind of imposing voice that Zhang Jie emitted when he was cultivating a soul-cultivating technique in the basement.

This was the first time Zhang Jie had shown his newly acquired combat abilities in front of the Zhongzhou team. Before this, many people thought that the rolling thunder was just a mental tribulation caused by a cultivation-like soul technique.

But now it seems that this is not the case... because Zhang Jie's data is churning, and within that terrifying distortion, streaks of lightning are emerging!

shock!
This is the first rune Zhang Jie obtained after practicing the core technique of "I am attached to my heart" and anchoring his own soul.

Within the cultivation-like system, very few possess runes, since cultivation-like systems are not actually cultivation, being even further removed from unorthodox cultivation. However, the creator of this type of cultivation-like soul system was clearly a powerful being deeply versed in both cultivation and the soul, and it was he who allowed this system, as a cultivation-like system, to still be able to control runes!

These runes, in the terms of cultivation, are the core runes of a cultivator... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are the foundation for achieving enlightenment.

Zhang Jie had heard Mu Xiang say that "attachment to self" is what Buddhism calls a root of trouble... It is the clinging to the concept of the existence of the "self" as a physical entity, also known as attachment to self or self-view, and is regarded as the root of troubles and cognitive obstacles. However, to anchor the soul, to allow the soul to exist independently of the body, and even to cultivate itself, one cannot do without the so-called attachment to self.

As one of the core cultivation techniques, I believe that only when one cultivates to a certain level can the practitioner possibly achieve the initial stage of becoming a Ghost Immortal... and then the core runes will manifest from the Bagua runes.

Zhang Jie roughly understood that runes originating from ego must concern themselves with certain qualities deep within the soul, and these qualities would differ from person to person. The core rune he obtained was Zhen (震).

Mu Xiang's explanation is that Zhen represents thunder, dragon, and black and yellow, etc. Although there are many interpretations of the Zhen hexagram, and they are contradictory, when it comes to human beings, it can generally be summarized as "movement".

Zhang Jie didn't quite understand much of what he heard, but he figured it resonated with him quite a bit... after all, that was indeed his style, so he was quite satisfied with obtaining the rune. As for the deeper philosophical implications behind the shock, he wasn't interested in understanding them, and Mu Xiang wasn't willing to talk about it either... according to Mu Xiang, some things are more likely to come true once spoken.

"This is also the first time it has been officially used... I just didn't expect that it would be done by splitting my soul to fight such a low-level battle." Zhang Jie sighed softly, then raised his hand upwards.

The enormous mass that had been pressing down was frozen in place. It wasn't an obstruction of energy, but rather layers of psychic power erupting upwards, blocking its path. And within this invisible barrier that permeated the entire space, slivers of light began to emerge.

These were the same electric lights surrounding Zhang Jie. They appeared out of thin air, first like wisps of light floating in the air, and then they surged and intertwined wildly!
To be honest, Zhang Jie didn't really want to have another ability that required him to put in so much effort... The saying goes, "a jack of all trades, master of none." As a fourth-tier mental power controller with telekinesis, Zhang Jie had spent countless hours mastering these abilities. If a new ability conflicted with his role as a mental power controller, then Zhang Jie definitely wouldn't want it. After all, to bring such a non-interoperable ability to his level would require an immense amount of effort, and that time would be enough for him to develop more of his own methods... That's how it is for fourth-tier powerhouses to progress.

However, the abilities of the cultivation-like soul system, which seem to be all-encompassing and can produce the power of borrowing the power of heaven and earth and forming the Eight Trigrams, actually still rely on the power of the soul... This is Zhang Jie's specialty.

Using the power of his soul to activate the simulated obsession, he then sketched runes... A rune that seemed simple yet complex, with an unclear meaning, yet appeared above Zhang Jie's head at a glance.

Only now could others understand that the previous lightning was not Zhang Jie's attack method at all... they were just the prelude to the appearance of this rune!

Zhang Jie sighed inwardly. He didn't know how orthodox cultivation methods analyzed runes, but the cultivation-like soul system differed from orthodox methods... Orthodox cultivation emphasized understanding both the "what" and the "why," and different levels of rune analysis resulted in different effects. In other words, for orthodox cultivators without blessed lands or powerful weapons, it was better to use internal energy than to analyze runes.

After all, true energy is a condensed form of internal energy, isn't it?
The cultivation-like soul system, however, doesn't require a deep understanding of the underlying principles. Once a soul recognizes a rune, sketching out its general outline is enough for it to function. But when Zhang Jie sank into his sea of ​​consciousness and examined the runes closely, he could see more microscopic structures within them, and each part was a completely different rune! Looking further in, it seemed the same…

There's definitely something wrong with this... Zhang Jie was certain that if he could see the runes inside the runes more clearly and outline them, the power of the spell would increase. But Mu Xiang didn't recommend that he do this, because Zhang Jie didn't know rune analysis or rune calculation methods. Apart from the core runes being generated by his ego, the rest mainly relied on his magical intent.

This is both a method to obtain other runes and an essential technique to overcome the final inner demon.

If Zhang Jie were to forcibly explore the derivative runes and third-level runes related to the core rune, it would be somewhat counterproductive. Even though he could now rely on his powerful mental strength to forcefully and clearly understand many runes, it would still be a waste of time... and not worth it if it wasn't exchanged for horror movie time.

Fortunately, the operation of the Law-Controlling Mind also seems to be somewhat inclined... Most of the runes that Zhang Jie recognizes are related to lightning and the like, while the others can communicate with spiritual power and the soul.

As the somewhat rudimentary shock rune appeared, the thunder around Zhang Jie became even more violent, and the data affected by his power began to collapse. Then, it was forcibly carried by telekinesis and lightning, soaring into the sky and sweeping towards the falling behemoth.

The amorphous entity outside the gray square, seemingly part of that thing, actually reacted to the turbulent currents sweeping in from below. Its ethereal appearance began to writhe, then expanded outwards, penetrating even more gray squares beyond the data partition.

In the dim light, a huge human figure appeared, striking down with its palm towards Zhang Jie.

(End of this chapter)