My setting is above yours!

Chapter 135 The Experiment That Destroyed the World, the Power of the "Psionic Beacon" (5k5)

To be honest, Ron's movements weren't slow.

The moment he saw the sky shatter and the two colossal figures begin their battle, he immediately made the only choice he could make at that moment—

Open the Dimensional Update Manual, select to enter the "Superpower Era", and immediately change the settings, activate the [Potion Sequence], and try to use [Spirit Transformation] by exhausting all the magic power and spirituality in the body at all costs.

Faced with this danger, this was the only way he could respond.

With his abilities, he might be able to do something in minor skirmishes, using various plot devices to escape...

But if things are like this now, facing this incomprehensible and terrifying crisis that could annihilate the world and overturn everything, then Ron's little tricks will be no match for him.

He could only try to return to Ideal City first to see if he had a chance to escape this place of crisis. He was even afraid that he might be too slow and suffer some injuries before returning, so he activated [Spirit Transformation]...

However... the Dimensional Update Manual, unusually, failed to perfectly achieve Ron's goal.

Or rather, it wasn't because of the Dimensional Update Manual... but because Ron simply failed to make all of the above choices!

He did react quickly, but what is the significance of a mortal's reaction in the face of the power of a god?
The moment the black hole opened, Ron's fingers, which hadn't even touched the Dimensional Update Manual, turned to dust. His entire being instantly transformed into a speck of dust on the accretion disk, utterly indistinguishable from the rest, and was completely crushed.

At the moment of shattering, he heard Ronald softly muttering:

"The 3,647,761st time..."

"That's almost enough."

Then, his consciousness went into darkness.

It's hard to describe this feeling.

Ron's consciousness dissipated and collapsed in the void where there was nowhere to anchor it.

He could feel his body being shattered and obliterated... but he felt no pain whatsoever.

Even his consciousness itself shouldn't be considered as affected—his consciousness fell into an extremely dark place, where everything in sight was deep black, but his consciousness itself was not damaged and could even think normally.

'What...what's going on?'

Ron surveyed the darkness and inexplicably felt a gentleness and peace emanating from it, as if he had fallen into a warm bed and had inexplicably calmed down.

Am I dead? Or alive? Where am I?

Even though he had been completely crushed by the black hole and reduced to dust, Ron remained calm and undisturbed. In fact, the tranquility of the environment even gave him the inclination to quip to himself:

'Could it be that I fell into a black hole? And then remained frozen in time forever within the black hole, eventually ceasing to think altogether...'

'Haha, what are you talking about? It's just a black hole, how could such a difficulty defeat me? Trying to walk outwards, there's bound to be a chance to leave!'

Thinking to himself, Ron inexplicably began to laugh, feeling a lighthearted mood and a sense of confidence that he could overcome even in the face of crisis.

But he's not a fool.

Reason suppressed this strange emotion, and Ron quickly realized that something was wrong with his situation.

'No… How could I be so optimistic? In the face of utterly hopeless death, even if my will doesn't break, I shouldn't be laughing like a fool, treating this crisis as some trivial problem that can be easily solved…'

Something is affecting me!

At this thought, it was as if a thin veil had shattered instantly above Ron's consciousness...

He suddenly realized that the darkness in front of him was not normal, and he also realized something—

If he really fell into a black hole, assuming he didn't completely lose consciousness... he shouldn't see complete darkness, right?

Something's definitely wrong with this darkness!
Thinking of this, Ron subconsciously looked to the lower right corner of his vision. The Dimensional Update Manual's screen was steadily lit up in the darkness, further confirming his idea:
'The Dimensional Update Manual is still here... Looks like I didn't die after all.'

Thinking of this, Ron felt less pressured for a moment. After hesitating for a moment, he did not choose to return directly to the "Superpower Era".

'Perhaps all of this is just some kind of illusion, and that feeling of everything being shattered is also false…'

Now that his life was no longer in danger, Ron wasn't in a hurry to go back.

Breaking through the darkness to see what had happened was what he wanted to do most right now.

Although neither [Vector Manipulation] nor [Potion Sequence] had any effect on this darkness, and it seemed Ron couldn't escape its influence, he knew it all originated from the two giant shadows in the sky above—

And coincidentally, Ron knew exactly what they were.

That door is the Gate of Myriad Threads, the gate of the gods who hold the power of mystery...

As for that slender, dark figure with a pointed hat on its head, Ron didn't know who it was, but he had looked up and seen it before when he was in Area A of Ideal City.

At that time, He had no conflict with the Gate of Ten Thousand Threads, and His power was equally formidable...

Clearly, He is also a deity who controls a certain [potion sequence].

So, the problem is quite simple—

Since this darkness comes from them, it must be some kind of "mystical influence"!
With that thought in mind, Ron opened the Dimensional Update Manual and activated [Illusion Dissolution] without hesitation.

[The "Setting: Fantasy Dissolution" is being eroded by an extreme and excessive "occult influence"!]

[Performance impairment: 100%!]

The next moment, the darkness before him melted like hot chocolate, vanishing into nothingness and revealing everything that lay beneath—

He didn't actually go anywhere.

Ron was still standing where he had just been, in front of the Sky Eye Tower in the "Hollow Age" [Old Ideal City]. Everyone around him was now completely enveloped by a black curtain.

Originally, this curtain was also wrapped around Ron... but Ron used [Illusion Dissolve] to dissolve it and leave the curtain's embrace.

'What is this... a kind of concealment ability used worldwide, preventing everyone from peeping?'

'This is used by that shadowy deity… Is He preventing others from seeing something?'

Ron frowned, first snapping his fingers to activate [Unknowable Domain - Pseudo], completely concealing himself, then draping the somewhat tattered black curtain, which had just been partially dissolved by [Illusion Dissolved], over himself...

Although I don't know if it will be useful, it should at least be able to create some kind of disguise.

With that thought in mind, and after confirming that there was absolutely nothing more he could do, Ron finally raised his head and looked up at the starry sky above the shattered heavens…

However, the scene above this shattered starry sky is not what Ron saw before his consciousness was destroyed; everything has been swallowed by the black hole summoned by the slender shadow waving its wand—

Countless threads, flowing with sticky paint, had completely bound the slender shadow, and the enormous crimson door had moved closer to Him...

But as the crimson doors drew near, endless images of disaster began to emerge above them.

Frost, lava, rockfalls, hurricanes...

It appears to be nothing more than some natural phenomenon, a simple disaster that any ordinary person could endure, but it has clearly had a tremendous impact on the door.

The once completely open "Gate of Ten Thousand Threads" gradually began to close due to these influences. The half-melted wax figure within it inexplicably began to solidify, and the colorful, tangible reflections within the melting wax gradually turned pure white and blurred...

Seeing this scene, Ron suddenly understood:
'[7] I was injured because I got close to that shadow...'

He clearly remembered that back in the "Superpower Era," even the [7] who controlled the [Unique Rule Segment "▆"] could only open a crack in the door, but even so, it almost overturned the [Anti-Mystic Equation] and returned completely from that era.

But now, [7] has opened more than just a crack... The [Gate of Ten Thousand Threads] has been completely opened, and the power of the [mysterious] has reached the limit that its [Potion Sequence] can bear!
However, even under these circumstances, He had to pay the price of the door gradually closing in as He approached that shadow...

Unfortunately, although [7], as the god of mystery, was indeed injured, the damage he suffered was significantly less than that of the shadow.

The shadow had clearly lost in this battle between gods—the Gate of Myriad Threads had finally approached close enough, and the wax figure inside, almost completely solidified into pure white, tremblingly extended its finger, stabbing at the shadow…

A drop of bright red blood dripped onto the shadowy figure. That drop of blood was small, but its impact on the world was vast…

It quickly turned pitch black, transforming into a crystal that felt extremely cold to the eye. It was flung out and struck down by a thread flowing with sticky oil paint, landing precisely on the Sky Island that Ron had seen when he first arrived in the "Hollow Age".

Then, the [Gate of Ten Thousand Threads] immediately withdrew all the threads, slammed the door shut, and the huge phantom of the door completely disappeared.

Only the slender shadow, dripping with blood, remained standing above the red moon, before wearily shrinking back, hugging its knees and curling into a ball.

Seeing this, Ron frowned, deep in thought:
'[7] Cutting flesh with a dull knife, bleeding this god, and then sending the blood to that sky island...[7] And sending this god's blood to [Ronald]!'

Thinking of this, Ron looked up in astonishment, recalling the words he had heard from Ronald before being enveloped in darkness.

'The 3,647,761st... Is this his experiment? Bleeding a god?'

'But that doesn't make sense. What makes this person think he can persuade [7]? What qualifications does a Level 5 have...?'

But the thought had barely surfaced in his mind when Ron suddenly realized what was happening and felt a chill run down his spine:
'It's the [Unknowable Realm]! The only bargaining chip that can tempt [7] is, of course, this thing that rightfully belongs to Him and is of immense value to Him!'

Ron immediately thought of the midnight hour that the [Ronald] doll had mentioned, which was clearly of great significance—

'This [Ronald] has collaborated with [7]... to bleed that god 3,647,761 times. If this were done every day at midnight, it would have been going on for almost 10,000 years!'

'How can Ronald have lived for ten thousand years? The Hollow Age couldn't possibly be so far removed from the Superpowered Age… What kind of experiments are they conducting together?!'

Ron was filled with doubts, but he quickly stopped thinking about them—

He saw the humanity in Ronald's eyes, who had originally been a puppet, completely vanish, and then a figure shrouded in a thin gray mist stepped out from the sky island.

Ron's pupils contracted slightly as he immediately realized that the gray mist figure was in the same state as him, using the [Unknowable Domain] ability...

Clearly, the figure shrouded in mist was none other than the so-called "Ronald"!
However, looking at his true form, Ron felt a little strange:
'Why is this guy's [Unknowable Domain] as weak as mine?'

'The same thin mist, the same ability effect, and even because of clumsy use, the character 【▆】 could be seen faintly appearing in the mist…'

'I'm just a Level 3, so it's one thing to be used like this... But this guy has already reached the [Void Age], and even has a cooperative relationship with [7], yet he still hasn't managed to improve the [Unknowable Domain]?'

Remembering the poorly made fake dolls of Ronald and Hui'an that he had just seen, Ron suddenly felt a little uneasy:

'This guy not only copied me... but he even copied my ability strength? He's controlled the entire Ideal City for so long, with the support of the [Central AI], he should be at Lv.5 by now, right?'

'It might even surpass Lv.5...'

However, despite all this... it does not diminish Ronald's power.

He strode through the air, just as Ron had guessed, and caught the divine blood that had turned into a cold crystal with his hand shrouded in mist.

Then, he calmly announced:
"The 3,647,762nd experiment continues."

The calm voice echoed throughout the world, and the next moment, Ron suddenly felt the earth shake violently—

Just like the imagery that had just appeared on the Gate of a Thousand Threads, all of this suddenly appeared across the entire Old Ideal City...

Watching everything suddenly begin to crumble before him, and witnessing the endless calamities that were about to strike, Ron clearly felt a strong fluctuation in his personal reality, and a sense of bewilderment washed over him:
'What's going on...? This is all achieved through personal reality?! This guy's personal reality can even distort an entire world?!'

But there was no time for him to think about anything more.

Endless images of disaster assailed the entire world. Although the dark curtains shielded them from many of these images, the catastrophe of the world's collapse could not be mitigated by such things.

Those shrouded in darkness were quickly swallowed up by the endless catastrophe. Ron, using all his might to manipulate vectors, dodged a falling rubble, hurriedly opened the dimensional update manual, and prepared to return to the "Superpower Era"—

This time it's not like before... This is a real "disaster" that will destroy everything!
In such a cataclysmic world collapse, Ron wouldn't survive more than thirty seconds inside... Although he doesn't know exactly what Ronald's experiment is, he has to get through this crisis first...

'Sigh... Perhaps we can only return to the [Void Era] when we have the strength to face such a crisis in the future...'

'But by then... I'll probably be level 5 by then, right?'

With that thought in mind, Ron sighed and prepared to click on "Add to World Save File" when he suddenly felt a chill on his chest.

'what's the situation? ’

He subconsciously looked down and discovered that the "psychic beacon" he was wearing, which served as the anchor for the "Void Age" setting, was now shining brightly—

Above, on the cold pendant resembling a Möbius strip, one half of the light suddenly dimmed, and Ron was instantly struck by a sudden inspiration, a feeling arising in his mind...

'I...stashed a beacon here?'

Ron looked down at his feet. Although there was nothing on the ground, when he held the "Psionic Beacon," he could clearly sense that there was a beacon here.

As long as he chooses to use the "Psionic Beacon," he can instantly transcend the constraints of space and, guided and guided by psionic energy, instantly return to the place where the beacon was nailed!

And... that's not all.

The next moment, Ron's "Psionic Beacon" trembled, and the other half of its light dimmed as a result...

Then, the space in front of him shattered instantly, and Ron's consciousness felt somewhat detached, revealing a sticky, illusory starry sky within—

The barriers and dividers of the Spirit Realm were easily shattered by the "Psionic Beacon," instantly sending Ron inside!

'So this is the power of the [Psionic Beacon]...? It locates a beacon as a teleportation anchor, then can shatter the void and enter the [Spirit Realm]?'

'It's a useful [Spirit Realm] key, and it can also locate and teleport, which is very useful for both survival and exploration... It truly lives up to its reputation as a designated anchor...'

Ron was filled with emotion as he let himself pass through the thin, illusory, sticky starry sky, arriving for the first time at the inner side of the world, in the [Spirit Realm].

Then he found himself in a semi-illusory hall, with a few strangely dressed people scattered around him...

Some of them were dressed in what looked like medieval knight plate armor and were carrying greatswords;

Some people have an extremely futuristic appearance, with countless technological modifications on their bodies, like some kind of mechanical madman;
Some people even wore fluffy pink bunny mascot costumes and swayed back and forth in place.

If it were just these people dressed in strange clothes, it wouldn't be so bad... but these people are all superhuman!
Some people inexplicably start spinning in circles, then various dazzling special effects pop up on their bodies, and then they start dancing some strange and bizarre dances in place.

Some people pull out a microphone from somewhere and start singing some corny, lowbrow songs as if no one else is around.

Others stood motionless, like machines, their heads pressed against the wall of the hall, seemingly doing nothing.

'This is... the Spirit Realm?'

Where have I fallen into?

Ron frowned, somewhat confused, when he heard the person beside him, dressed in a fluffy bunny mascot costume, speak in a thick, old-school Ideal City accent:

"Hey, good evening! Have you eaten yet?"

He struck up a friendly conversation with Ron:

"I see you're quite addicted... It's so late, and you're still waiting for [Old Ideal City] to open right on time?"

...?
Upon hearing this, Ron was stunned.

He subconsciously looked up and saw many billboards hanging in this illusory hall, one of which read:
"【Old Ideal City】, the most authentic Old Ideal City world view, the most perfect psionic stealth game - the latest server is about to open, the world awaits your reshaping."

Log in now and seize your starting point for glory!

"Launch celebration! Log in to receive a [Psionic Awakening Potion]! Start your adventure in [Old Ideal City] at 1 AM!"

At the very top of the hall hangs a huge, eye-catching sign with a few words neatly and clearly written on it—

"[Old Ideal City] Login Waiting Lobby"

What... is going on??

(End of this chapter)