Hope...
Despair...
Two emotions intertwined in Lin Fan's mind.
Countless dark energies gradually condensed, and his consciousness seemed to be imprisoned within Wang Daer's body.
He could clearly see everything, yet do nothing.
He wanted to struggle, to scream...
But he could do nothing.
This body no longer belonged to him at all. His outstretched hand hung stiffly in mid-air, like a statue.
"Move, I beg you!"
"Xiao Rou, are you there? I miss you so much."
Lin Fan, in his incorporeal form, cried out hysterically. He could no longer distinguish whether his consciousness was trapped within Wang Daer's body or observing from a god's-eye view.
"I will..."
Duolming spat out azure flames. His fists could shatter the ground, but he couldn't move an inch due to Wang Daer.
He could only watch as Lord Yamon commanded his tribesmen to retreat.
"Trouble, quick, go!"
While directing his tribesmen to retreat, Lord Amon picked up the Sword of Yesteryear from the ground, his lips trembling as he uttered an incantation.
The Sword of Yesteryear began to transform, its originally dark surface purifying into a holy blade.
"Quickly seal the entire shrine before a great catastrophe occurs!"
Before the Peerless Demon Lord could fully break free from his seal, a group of people rushed to the pool at the end of the great hall. Lord Amon threw the holy sword.
The purification pool instantly erupted with radiant light!
"Duolming, the Sword of Yesteryear will surely seal the demon's power!"
"Sleep eternally!"
With these words, Amon also departed in haste.
After being purified, the Sword of Yesteryear unleashed power that gods and demons alike feared.
A towering pillar of light shot from the purification pool into the sky, and beams of light enveloped Duolming's demonic form. The azure flames in the demon's mouth immediately dimmed.
The Sword of Yesteryear, wielded by the gods to seal Duolming, was a force Duolming could not resist.
Lin Fan could clearly feel the surging demonic energy within him tremble, fearing this power.
Following this, a tearing force dragged Wang Daer, whose entire body was now covered in demonic energy, towards the purification pool at the end of the hall.
Duolming let out a furious roar, but was still powerless against the Sword of Yesteryear. His massive body was dragged towards the sacred pool by the holy light.
The holy light, powerful yet gentle, purified Wang Daer and Duolming's physical forms.
The dark energy was instantly weakened, and Duolming's body gradually shrank.
Gradually, Duolming reverted to Wang Daer's body.
The sacred pool possessed a powerful resonance with demonic souls. Endless holy light continued to surge, seemingly attempting to draw Wang Daer into the pool to be utterly destroyed.
Seemingly realizing something, Lin Fan, in Wang Daer's form, suddenly struggled with all his might, managing to break free to some extent.
But the severed holy light quickly pursued him again.
Lin Fan, who had barely taken two steps forward, was once again dragged backward by the immense suction.
Hope of rebirth...
Despair of annihilation...
No!!
Lin Fan roared desperately, his consciousness, now a black shadow, gradually regaining clarity. He looked up again towards the girl he loved.
'Xiao Rou,' Mona still lay there, peaceful and serene.
"Xiao Rou, wake up quickly!!"
Lin Fan struggled to lift his foot and walk towards the maiden, each step incredibly difficult.
With every step forward, the holy light pulled the youth back even further.
"At least let me see Xiao Rou wake up, I must wait for Xiao Rou to wake up..."
Lin Fan now understood. Wang Daer's body and soul, having liberated sixteen colossal statues, had become the vessel for Duolming's revival.
In his revival, He had also kept His promise by finding back 'Xiao Rou's' lost soul, because in a moment of clarity, he had seen a hint of vibrant luster return to the maiden's face.
This was a sign of her awakening.
But he, Wang Daer's body and soul, had been completely eroded by the demon Duolming. At this moment, the holy light purifying everything evil in the purification pool had been activated by Lord Amon.
All impurities would be purged in the purification pool, including Wang Daer, who had been corrupted by the demon.
Despair!
Endless despair enveloped Lin Fan's heart.
The youth struggled with divine power, but his body was involuntarily pulled backward.
No, don't!!
Don't!!
This, perhaps, was what the entire game was conveying—hope, despair!
Hope within sight, despair sunk to the bottom of the abyss.
Fighting with all one's might for hope, only to be met with even deeper despair.
Lin Fan no longer cared why the designer had structured the game this way.
At this moment, he had completely merged with this world, with the character of Wang Daer. His teeth were crushed, his limbs were bloody and mangled, and every cell in his body strained to move forward.
Just to see that familiar face one last time!
On the colossal statues, had he struggled and drifted like this?
On the earth, had he struggled like this?
On the brink of life and death, in every battle fought for hope, had he felt such unwillingness?
Countless thoughts flashed through Lin Fan's mind.
This time was different.
He was in despair. No matter how he struggled, how he cried for help.
It was as if the world had abandoned him.
He could no longer get any closer to his 'Xiao Rou'.
Rolling, leaping, crawling, running…
No action could resist the attraction of divine power.
The maiden's pure white figure gradually faded, receding.
During his struggle, countless solidified despair transformed into waves of resentment, collected by the system.
And the person involved, the player.
Was tormented into an inhuman form through this process!
Lin Fan, struggling desperately, moved further and further away from the altar.
Finally, he gave up struggling.
His tears had completely dried.
Forever fallen into darkness.
"Goodbye, Xiao Rou, I won't be able to see you wake up..."
"Goodbye, Xiao Rou, please live on strongly..."
"Farewell, the one I love..."
...
At the end.
Bai Zhiyuan's eye shed a single tear.
She did not possess Lin Fan's despair and unwillingness that transcended the boundaries of life and death.
However, she was equally shaken by the scene before her, rendered speechless for a long time.
And most importantly, although Wang Daer, lying on the altar, appeared as Lu Li in her eyes.
Yet, their relationship was pure.
There were no unforgettable memories between them.
But, it still could not prevent the profound despair arising from the overly realistic immersion.
As time passed.
More and more players who had mastered the techniques successfully defeated the sixteenth colossal statue and entered the great hall.
They then repeatedly experienced the brutal despair of 'Lin Fan and Xiao Rou'.
All of them were so tormented that tears streamed down their faces.
Players with a semblance of reason also discovered the game's core theme—despair!
In essence, it was about torment!
Tormenting everyone to the point of questioning their existence.
The stronger the immersion in the game's plot, the more real the feeling of being tormented, and the more painful the recollection.
The existence of VR amplified this pain and despair infinitely, having a much stronger impact than traditional PC games.
Even though the great hall had returned to tranquility.
Bai Zhiyuan couldn't help but sob.
She was still considered a relatively rational player. For those who were a bit more fragile, being hit by such sudden emotional blows... one could only imagine.
Just as Bai Zhiyuan thought the game was about to end, and she was preparing to return to reality to find a hot egg to soothe her swollen eyes.
A sudden change occurred in the game!
...
(These recent chapters are really exhilarating to write! It feels so good!!)
(Watched the World Cup all night yesterday, only woke up at 5 PM today...)
(Just a small announcement to everyone: recently, at my family's request, I need to buy a car for commuting. This will require time for purchasing, test driving, and practicing. It might slightly affect the update schedule. There's no other way. Approaching marriageable age without much accomplishment, I can only follow my family's arrangements. Buying a car to go back to my hometown for blind dates during Chinese New Year... all these things make my head spin.)
(I hope to write a bestselling book in the future, so I can control my own destiny. But until then, I can only be manipulated==,)