Within his laughter, there was an air of carefree abandon. Then, the figure standing at the boundary of light and darkness moved. Instead of turning back toward the light, he took another step, fearlessly striding into the darkness.
As he took that step, the light behind him instantly collapsed. The darkness began to twist and distort, finally shattering like broken glass with a sharp *crack*.
With the explosion of darkness, soft rays of light scattered in all directions. The pitch-black night sky transformed into a beautiful starry expanse, and Chen Chen's tall, slender figure stood with his feet planted on the starlit firmament. Gradually, he felt himself awakening under some unseen summons, and slowly opened his eyes.
Before him lay the familiar landscape of Vermir Star, with a faint, massive phantom tiger head quietly hovering in the air—Hoggus.
Gazing at Hoggus's clear figure, a subtle curve slowly formed on Chen Chen's previously numb face. He knew he had successfully broken through his Heartscape World.
Chen Chen had chosen to persist in his own path, abandoning the light node that held a fatal, irresistible allure for him.
No one can imagine the allure of a single ray of light to someone who has wandered in darkness for an eternity. It's like a parched man in the desert spotting a spring of sweet water—an irresistible temptation for anyone.
Yet Chen Chen was different. He actually turned his back on the light before him and plunged back into the pitch-blackness. After all, a single misstep on this day could have condemned him to eternal damnation.
Chen Chen's actions defied comprehension. Confronting one's flaws and fears is a common piece of advice, but when the deepest, most primal fear is laid bare before you, when a long-healed wound is mercilessly ripped open again, who can truly ignore it and endure such pain?
Sensing his Divine Sense Power now even more formidable than before, Chen Chen clenched his fist. Divine Sense Power surged through his knuckles, releasing an aura that shook the very soul.
This was a transformation of the mind, a rare opportunity that cannot be sought.
For a powerhouse of Chen Chen's caliber, each mental breakthrough was an extremely rare and precious opportunity. Had he not borrowed Hoggus's power and utilized the properties of the Soul Gem to guide his Heartscape, he might have remained stuck for an unknown amount of time, unable to achieve such a significant leap forward.
Seeing Chen Chen's eyes snap open, blazing with intense light, Hoggus floated before him in shock and awe, scrutinizing the mysterious figure before him.
It was important to remember that the flow of time in the Heartscape World and the real world were vastly different. The Heartscape's temporal progression was determined by one's subjective perception. For different individuals, spending a year or even a decade within it might only result in a single second passing in the real world.
Just moments ago, Hoggus had been horrified by the terrifying nature of Chen Chen's Heartscape World. Yet in the blink of an eye, Chen Chen had already overcome the Heartscape's trials and returned his consciousness to his soul body. This dealt a devastating blow to Hoggus. After all, even as one of the Three Great Ancient Demon Gods, Hoggus himself wasn't certain he could have survived Chen Chen's Heartscape World. The fact that Chen Chen had emerged from it in such a short time, however, made the gap between them self-evident.
"Additionally, I see you've gained quite a bit from this experience, young man," Hoggus observed, circling Chen Chen several times. His soul radiated outwards, probing Chen Chen's essence. He could clearly sense an incredibly vast and terrifying soul power surging within the young man. Even though Chen Chen was desperately suppressing it, Hoggus could still perceive the latent power within him through the slightest traces of soul energy leaking outwards.
Hoggus also continued to scan for traces of dark power. After all, the mysterious sorcerer who had seemingly come for Chen Chen had a Heartscape World tied to Dormammu and the dark power. Since he was now participating in the Sorcerer Supreme selection process for Chen Chen's sake, there must be some subtle connection between Chen Chen and the Dark Dimension.
Despite being the God of Order, Hoggus never concealed his curiosity. He immediately addressed Chen Chen directly: "Your dark power must have increased significantly as well. After all, the Heartscape World you just broke through is inherently highly compatible with dark power. It would be impossible for there to be no improvement. Care to show me a demonstration?"
Hearing this, Chen Chen was momentarily stunned, clearly wondering how Hoggus knew about his mastery of dark power. After a moment's thought, he glanced at the Mirror of the Mind floating above the others' heads. After all, Hoggus was one of the Three Great Ancient Demon Gods. He shook his head slightly, then broke into a rare, triumphant smile.
Just as Hoggus had said, breaking through his Heartscape had not only greatly enhanced his Divine Sense Power, but also deepened his understanding of dark power the instant he accepted his Dark Heartscape.
With a flick of his palm, an Ancient Rune brimming with dark power materialized in his hand. From the rune, strands of light erupted, weaving together into a black sphere of energy that materialized before him.
The dark sphere floated silently, utterly still. Then, intricate black tendrils began to spread throughout its depths. Focusing his gaze, Chen Chen could see at its core an ancient rune like a Black Hole, suspended like a sleeping dragon.
As soon as he awoke, he would possess earth-shattering power. A flicker of intense heat flashed in Chen Chen's calm eyes as he stared at the black light mass before slowly extending his palm.
Chen Chen's eyes gradually closed as his mental energy surged from the Sea of Consciousness, transforming into a faint glow that shot straight toward the black light mass rising above his palm.
*Boom!* The Divine Sense Power struck the black light mass.
*Sizzle... Sizzle...*
As if sensing the assault of Chen Chen's Divine Sense Power, the previously dormant dark power began to slowly rotate. Its form rapidly expanded, and in the blink of an eye, the dark power in Chen Chen's palm visibly transformed into a Black Hole.
The Black Hole wasn't large—roughly the size of a car tire in real-world terms—but it exuded an indescribable, terrifying suction. Even the faint light filtering down from above was drawn toward it.
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