Ice apocalypse, I hoard tens of billions of supplies

The pollution of one's spirit and will is pervasive.

Zhang Yi was all too familiar with this feeling.

I had a similar feeling back in the sealed land of Mammon.

But clearly, Samael, the Sin of Wrath, possesses a mental corrupting power that is far more disgusting than the sleeping Mammon.

Gradually, the scene before Zhang Yi's eyes began to change.

Sometimes normal, sometimes distorted, turning into all sorts of bizarre shapes.

Zhang Yi rubbed his combat suit mask, a gesture that seemed rather self-deceptive.

"I feel a bit like I'm carsick right now."

The twisted trees seemed to come alive, their branches swaying slowly like tentacles, and the liquid seeping from the ground was no longer dark red, but thick black sludge, bubbling and gurgling.

Most strangely, Zhang Yi saw that his hands, and even his whole body, began to be surrounded by a cold, black flame.

The flame had no heat, yet it made him feel a burning pain and...hunger from the depths of his soul.

The illusion suddenly intensified.

He found himself no longer in a forest, but standing on a boundless wasteland.

The sky was an eternal blood-red twilight, the earth was cracked, and not a blade of grass grew.

But when he opened his eyes again, the sky suddenly turned blue with white clouds, and he was standing on a lush mountain range, with tender green grass everywhere.

The wind blew over him, making the scene a little noisy today.

"The feeling of this illusion is so real."

Zhang Yi couldn't help but make a couple of sarcastic remarks.

Just as he was trying to memorize Wang Shouren's "The Philosophy of Mind" and calm his mind to regain his senses, a human figure appeared on the vast plain.

A handsome young man dressed in a simple linen robe was sitting leisurely on a rock, holding a shepherd's staff in his hand.

The boy's face was so perfect it seemed unreal, with a gentle smile on his lips, but his eyes were deep black vortexes that seemed capable of devouring all light.

He had a blade of grass in his mouth as he herded a flock of sheep grazing in the fields.

His appearance gave Zhang Yi a feeling of being in another world.

It's so similar, so incredibly similar!

More than half a year ago, he had a similar feeling.

That one was Li Changgong, who transformed into him and accompanied him on an adventure in a fantasy kingdom.

That person, no, that being, his title is—the sin of greed, Mammon.

"Welcome, welcome!"

The boy spoke, his voice clear and melodious, like a mountain stream, yet carrying an ancient echo that resonated directly in Zhang Yi's spiritual world.

He looked up at Zhang Yi with a gentle, harmless smile.

Zhang Yi watched him warily, his spatial energy gathering, ready to be unleashed. Although the other party showed no sign of attacking, Zhang Yi instinctively prepared himself for battle.

"Samael."

He called out the name. This was not a question, but a confirmation.

Only Drucker, the giant known for his rage and symbolizing primal desires, could exude such pure spiritual pollution.

The boy—the embodiment of Samael—smiled slightly and did not deny it.

He gently tapped a clump of green grass on the ground with his shepherd's staff. A white sheep nibbled off a few blades of grass and chewed them heartily.

"Did you see that? The grass absorbs nutrients and water from the soil and grows tenaciously."

"Then the sheep graze, which allows them to survive and reproduce."

Finally, his gaze fell on Zhang Yi, his black, swirling eyes seeming to see right through him.

"Humans eat sheep to gain strength and prolong life."

"So," the boy tilted his head, his smile unchanged, "can a person just eat grass? Or... eat the soil?"

Zhang Yi frowned, staring at Samael's avatar, carefully considering the question the other party had asked.

Either he's just bored and playing a prank on me, or there's some special meaning behind it.

But thinking about it, ancient beings that have lived for billions of years shouldn't be so bored.

This question seems simple, but it points directly to a cruel rule.

The conversion and transfer of energy involves levels and efficiencies. Directly absorbing the lowest level of energy sources is often inefficient or even harmful to higher life forms.

“Look,” Samael’s voice carried a hint of seduction, “Sheep eat grass, humans eat sheep. This is the law of nature, the ladder of evolution. Devouring is the most primal and powerful force in the universe. Why resist it? Isn’t the instinct to devour also flowing within you?”

The black flames surrounding Zhang Yi burned even more intensely in the illusion.

He felt a strong urge to devour everything in front of him—the land, the withered grass, and even the handsome shepherd boy.

This instinct stemmed from the primal power of the mad owl he absorbed, from the shared origin of the Druk god race's power, and was now being amplified infinitely by Samael.

"Devour...evolve..."

Zhang Yi's thoughts began to become chaotic, and the black flames seemed to be burning away his last shred of reason.

He felt himself sliding into an endless abyss, where only the most primal hunger and satisfaction existed.

Just as his consciousness was about to be completely swallowed by darkness—

A cold, clear voice, like an absolute rule, resounded directly from the depths of his soul, severing all chaos:

[Rule Determination: The level of external mental pollution is too high, triggering the underlying defense protocol.]

[Execute the purification procedure.]

It's Yang Xinxin's voice!

No, it's more like some kind of "antivirus software" that she had pre-programmed and imprinted in his consciousness was activated!

The [Herrscher Arrow] that had been prematurely inserted into Zhang Yi's body was activated.

In an instant, Zhang Yi "saw" countless fine, precise blue lights, like circuit boards, illuminating the inside of his body, which was burning with black flames.

These rays of light spread rapidly, and wherever they passed, the black flames were extinguished and dissipated as if they had encountered their nemesis.

The alluring image of the shepherd boy began to distort and blur, emitting a silent roar, and finally collapsed completely like a shattered mirror.

The illusion faded.

Zhang Yi suddenly opened his eyes, a look of confusion in them, but it vanished in an instant.

Before he knew it, cold sweat had soaked his back.

He remained standing in the dark forest, with Yang Xinxin beside him and Brian warily guarding the front, his dog-like eyes watching him nervously.

"Dude, what were you spacing out for? I'd have thought you secretly rewarded yourself and entered a state of sagehood!"

The stinky dog ​​grinned cheekily, "We're good bros, I understand. How about we duo queue next time?"

Zhang Yi glared at him fiercely: "I still prefer the fully automatic mode, I don't like manual. You know, I don't even drink hand-drip coffee."

"You were just trapped in a deep mental illusion."

Yang Xinxin calmly stated, "My pre-set 'cognitive anchoring' rule took effect. When your consciousness is severely polluted, it will forcibly reset your perception and return you to the baseline of reality."