Chapter 1184: Chapter 558: [Why Not Follow Us… Shrouded in Mist and Chasing Light…] (Part 2)

She greedily sucked in the extraordinary material that had nearly lost its properties, the fervor in her eyes close to delirium.

“So delicious… So delicious…”

Looking at Zhao Lingxiao’s appearance, Lin Yi had an indescribable look on his face, wordless, as Zhao Lingxiao at this moment was almost indistinguishable from the Nocturnal species, even more insane and bizarre.

But for some reason, maybe it’s because Zhao Lingxiao’s madness is somewhat related to him, he didn’t find her appearance disgusting, instead, he felt there was a small hint of… strange and eerie… “devotion” in her.

But that’s not right…

The logic isn’t right…

“The dregs that Zhao Lingxiao devoured from the ‘Burial Body Root System’ have little to do with me, don’t they?”

Lin Yi was a little confused.

“Could it be… Zhao Lingxiao essentially ‘ate the dish I made,’ rather than ‘ate the wild vegetables from the field’?”

Because after being “cooked,” this “dish” had the chef’s breath, essentially was the chef’s dish and not raw vegetables.

Can only explain it this way. Lin Yi thought to himself, yet couldn’t help but sigh.

He always thought Jin Jiuyao was the first unlucky one he contaminated, didn’t expect Zhao Lingxiao was even before Jin Jiuyao.

“Ah… why do you even bother?” He silently sighed, “Should have really written ‘Those Who Chase the Light Through the Fog End Up as Phantoms’ in the textbook…”

At this moment, he noticed a hazy radiance starting to swirl around Zhao Lingxiao, within that light mist, green, blue, and some gray, mixed and blended, merging together like a woven net.

Soon after, the light mist seemed affected by him, began twisting to form some ancient writing symbols. These symbols were initially quite blurry, somewhat with contours, but as Lin Yi gained perception, learned, and mastered the cautions, those blurry symbols became clear, and this sentence was none other than “Those Who Chase the Light Through the Fog End Up as Phantoms”—

“De som jager lyset i tåke blir til slutt fantomer.”

As this caution appeared, Zhao Lingxiao’s body trembled with excitement, raising both hands towards him, her voice vibrating madly with excitement:

“I’ve seen it… I’ve seen it…!!!”

“Starry Secret Mark…!”

“Reality!”

“The true Secret Mark!!!”

She seemed to have seen something, like a devout believer glimpsing a corner of the god, her eyes moistening.

“Teacher… I finally see… the world’s secrets…”

Following Zhao Lingxiao’s “revelation,” her dull eyes gradually recovered, initially displaying beast-like golden vertical pupils, soon after blinking a few times transforming to a normal human’s eye form.

Yet, for some reason, at this moment, Zhao Lingxiao’s vision seemed to penetrate the caution secret mark, breaking through layers, subtly seeing within the dream boundary state… Lin Yi.

“You… you are… a phantom of gods inscribing Secret Marks?”

Zhao Lingxiao opened her mouth wide.

“No… you… you’re… you are…?!”

Seeing herself almost recognized him, Lin Yi’s heart skipped a beat, hurriedly fled.

At this moment, if he still thought he hadn’t permeated dream boundary, that’s an intellectual problem, and he clearly knew, once permeated dream boundary, it must have some influence on the already occurred “past,” this influence can be big or small, but the butterfly’s wings can trigger effects, an unplanned ripple can produce a substantial impact, really too hard to control.

So he quickly escaped.

Just as he thought, Lin Yi made a decision, and with a “pop,” he vanished from the spot.

In Zhao Lingxiao’s vision, his phantom outline also vanished with a “whirr,” as if blown away by the wind.

Zhao Lingxiao stared wide-eyed, her retina seemed still lingering with Lin Yi’s “shadow,” the light emanating from her body started to grow intensely, then rapidly faded, akin to a short-lived bloom.

When all the radiance gathered over, the ripple layers faded following, beneath the layer ripple, a ferocious, dire Zhao Lingxiao disappeared, her fingers ground, nails clawed out blood, instead emerged a tranquil, somewhat helpless girl version of Zhao Lingxiao, sitting slumped on the ground.

Soon, her eyes also recovered, even carried a spirited brilliance, the whole person almost reborn.

“I… just now… what happened?”

She looked around somewhat bewilderedly, glancing at herself, surrounded by a fragmented memory at this moment, her state under layer ripple vagueness.

She just sat there, and gradually, it was as if some sound rang in her ears…

[Heeheehee… heeheehee…]

A series of ethereal, eerie laughter, unknown from where, settled into her ear.

The sound seemed to be singing some song, additionally, some “clang clang clang” noise from iron chains swaying and rubbing, seemed building rhythm for such ethereal strange laughter.

[Life is but a dream… fleeting existence…]

[Why not follow us… shrouded in mist and chasing light…]

[Heeheehee…]

[Heeheehee…]

[Come with us…]

[He will come where we go…]

[He came…]

[He’s already here…]

[You’re truly lucky…]

[Don’t have to be like us…]

[Wait for… withering… time…]

[Heeheehee…]

[Heeheehee…]

The sound didn’t provide Zhao Lingxiao any comfort, instead, only filled her with boundless fear and trepidation, she looked around but couldn’t find the source of the sound.

Her eyes were full of fear.

Suddenly, her scalp tingled, like telepathy, she lifted her head.

She saw… “Her.”

A broken sculpture chained up, hanging upside down above her, the end of the chain extended into the dark dome, obscuring its track.

While the head of the broken sculpture, although incomplete, faintly recognizable was “her” appearance.

Stunned, Zhao Lingxiao touched her face, abruptly moved her fingers like electrified when touched her cheeks.

Her face… her face transformed to faceless shape!

She turned faceless!

[Heeheehee… hahaha…]

The broken sculpture swayed the chains hanging upside down above her, emitting laughter indistinct of emotion.

Thunderstruck, Zhao Lingxiao dared not believe, retraced touch towards her face.

This time, she touched her features again.

That broken sculpture, however, disappeared.

The ethereal laughter and chain oscillation noise vanished as well, seemed to have never existed.

But cold sweat broke out on her body, once again she touched her face, confirming her appearance still present, then sighed longly.

At this moment, perhaps influenced by the broken sculpture, layer mixed-up memory emerged in her mind…

“Lin Yi… was it him…?”

She seemed to recall everything, instinctively sensed her body, surprisingly perceiving a faint trace of, from Lin Yi’s… ashes’ breath.

She strained to recall the broken starry sky and Secret Mark, in a trance, felt an intimate taste within that Secret Mark.

She removed her glasses, wiped them before placing them back on her nose bridge, behind the lenses, those deep eyes faintly surfaced a fervent color.

She licked her lips, narrowing her eyes:

“Lin Yi… Lin Yi…”

“Your taste… is truly fragrant…”