The Yi Wu totem was held in Xu Mu's palm. Its dry meridians, like spring rain, greedily absorbed everything they touched. The Golden Core opened its gates, and like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, the ancient trees swaying in the darkness began to fade.
The Yi Wu totem was a Rank 3 anomaly, possessing nascent consciousness. While it lacked human intelligence, it could at least perceive danger.
It knew the energy within its body was being siphoned away, destined to become a mere mortal object.
Thus, it began to resist.
Above the totem, three wolf heads of varying heights stirred the darkness, projecting an illusionary projection tens of feet high into the sky.
It was dark brown, its fur like thorns, possessing six pairs of eerie green eyes. It fixed its murderous gaze on Xu Mu, then opened its gaping maw, its six sharp fangs threatening to swallow him whole.
The giant wolf roared, a spectacle of visual impact.
"Awoooo..."
Xu Mu felt the oppressive aura, his heart pounding, but he knew it was not real.
The solution was simple: just don't look. So he closed his eyes tightly. Yet, even with prior preparation, a tidal wave of fear surged through his Sea of Consciousness.
It was like a reckless frog, without warning, leaping from the grass into a still pond.
Its not-so-small body stirred up immense waves. Like a falling stone, countless fish, startled, scattered in all directions.
Then, Xu Mu's body stiffened. He was unable to move, his pupils even widening into an almond shape in surprise. He closed his eyes, but the image of himself being devoured by the giant wolf still appeared in his mind.
He wanted to fight back, but fear rendered him unable to lift his hunting knife.
Fear was a human instinct. Even if you knew it was fake, you couldn't avoid it, just as even the most powerful anomaly user would wake up from nightmares.
But this too had a simple solution.
"The way to avoid nightmares is to sleep less."
"Weak," Charles sighed, watching Xu Mu's Golden Core gradually close amidst boundless fear, data streams flickering.
Xu Mu's Sea of Consciousness had undergone mutation. The energy in that space was denser than a forest, vaster than the ocean, and more boundless than the heavens and the cosmos.
No matter how terrifying a spiritual attack, even if it churned up monstrous waves, here it would be but a lone boat.
"The reason you feel fear is because, deep down, you accept that you are no match for this wolf," Charles said, transforming into human form. Existing as a spiritual entity himself, he floated to the head of the giant wolf.
Then, the wolf began to fear, because Charles was not bound by the rules of this world.
"Intelligent beings always impose many restrictions on themselves. This is the most foolish thing, especially for you."
"Host, you must believe in yourself, just as you have done before."
"You believe you are fearless in the darkness, and the darkness will naturally recede from you. You believe you are a Rank 2 anomaly, and you are a Rank 2 anomaly."
"Even if the darkness in this space is as abundant as a river, you are the ocean. The bright sun within your Golden Core is merely confined to a corner."
Xu Mu broke free from his state and resumed absorbing energy from the totem.
His emotions quickly calmed, with a touch of helplessness:
"Charles, I'm tired of hearing this pep talk."
The wind swept through the dark clouds, and the black luster on the Yi Wu totem began to dim. It was clear that the anomaly energy it contained was nearing depletion.
"But it's effective, isn't it?" Charles grinned smugly.
"It's alright," Xu Mu picked up his hunting knife. The surging robes on his body gradually calmed, and the darkness flowing through the space was entirely absorbed into his Golden Core.
In mere dozens of seconds, the energy within the totem was drained dry, thus the issue of the pollution source ceased to exist.
"There's really no way around it. I think I should be unafraid, after all, I'm also an anomaly user," Xu Mu confessed his recent feelings without hesitation. "But for some reason, when that wolf lunged at me, I always felt a tremor, as if encountering a natural predator. I wanted to fight back, but my whole body went limp."
Charles frowned slightly:
"A sense of powerlessness... Wu Kui mentioned that you were snatched back from a wolf's jaws. Perhaps the trauma originated from then?"
Xu Mu nodded:
"Exactly, so it's not my fault."
Charles pondered for a moment:
"But you have overcome it now. You cannot let yourself grow weak-kneed in the face of stronger enemies. You should learn from that person. The best way to deal with them is to draw your blade and cut them in half!"
Xu Mu shrugged indifferently:
"Are you kidding me, old man? I'm human, not a robot. And you're more like a robot than him. How can I compare? I only advanced to Rank 2 anomaly thanks to his influence!"
Xu Mu sighed, kicking all the strange demon corpses on the ground into the freshly dug pit and burying them simply, lest they scare the villagers.
"Humans have seven emotions and six desires. They have things they like, and naturally, they have things they fear. Why can't I be afraid? You'd wish you could be afraid!"
This logic was both shameless and true. Yet, Charles felt that Xu Mu possessed experiences and mysteries akin to a protagonist in a Blue Star novel, so he shouldn't have this kind of personality. He should be a fearless superhero, who, even when facing the entire world, would only raise his middle finger, slash down with his blade, and say, "F*ck you all!"
But Xu Mu wasn't like that. He always believed he was an ordinary person.
"Alright, I can't think of any good logical rebuttal for you right now, but one thing you're wrong about is this: I also feel fear, but I won't be so terrified by these trivial things that I freeze up."
Xu Mu refused to back down:
"That's not entirely true. If I were a Rank 3 anomaly, how could this wolf scare me?"
"And compared to its colossal body, I'm the trivial one!"
"..."
There was no more response. Charles emitted only the sound of static electricity, retreating to the Heavenly Palace, unwilling to argue further, as it would reduce his battery life.
The world fell silent. Xu Mu was satisfied with this outcome. He pocketed the Yi Wu totem and then carefully sensed his current physical condition.
Hmm... his vision seemed clearer, and night was no different from day.
Xu Mu stood still, all surrounding sounds entering his ears.
The sound of a skeleton falling after losing its darkness, the withered sound of mutated trees, the cheers of surviving ants, the ringing of a bell two hundred meters away, and beyond the mountains, the sound of the dark fog accompanying the approaching Ghastly Night. All were clearly registered by his consciousness.
"So you've advanced too." As if someone was calling him, Xu Mu instinctively looked down, only to find his shadow shaking uncontrollably.
This was the shadow anomaly ability left behind by Feng Tianzhu.
Although it couldn't speak, Xu Mu clearly understood its meaning. It had evolved into a Rank 2 anomaly, possessing a new spiritual perception ability. Everything it saw and heard could be replicated to Xu Mu's main body. Unlike before, it didn't need Xu Mu to expend his own anomaly energy to control it; it could act independently.
Xu Mu glanced at the ancient tree. Compared to its current state, the polluted one probably resembled its past more.
"Alas, we are both ill-fated. After tonight, I'll find an opportunity to revive you."
In the distance, dark white mist drifted.
The Ghastly Night was approaching, so Xu Mu scratched his head and found the lantern and brass bell placed behind the wall, ringing it gently.
"Clang!"
...