Chapter 133: Possession Failed

The eyeball monster had made up its mind and was moving rapidly toward the two humans. Even though its power had dwindled to less than a fifth after its fierce battle with the demon-human, its speed remained terrifying. The two humans had not traveled far, and in less than a minute, it had caught up to them.

These two humans were none other than Luo Chen and Zhuo Yuqing. They were using a light-body technique to return to the city when they suddenly sensed something. Turning around, they were horrified to see the grotesque eyeball hovering in the air.

Luo Chen’s heart sank. Good heavens, this terrifying spirit beast had found them! What about the demon-human? Wasn’t it just fighting the demon-human moments ago?

The eyeball blinked once, and Luo Chen and Zhuo Yuqing’s feet were instantly paralyzed. They stood there like wooden statues, finding themselves bound to iron pillars, unable to break free no matter how they struggled.

This was the effect of "Nightmare." Their strength had been sapped to the level of infants. In the presence of this horrific monster, they were far too weak, possessing not even the slightest power to resist.

*As long as I temporarily possess a human, that powerful energy entity will not be able to sense my aura,* the creature thought.

The Nightmare scrutinized the pair, finally settling on Luo Chen. *Hmm, this human’s mental energy is slightly weaker; possessing him should be more certain. Although I am confident in possessing anyone, I will not miss out on a better choice.*

It was simple enough to kill the two, but possession was not easy; one's mental energy had to be over a hundred times greater than that of the host.

*How should I deal with this woman?*

*I cannot kill her. If she dies, that energy entity might detect the situation. But I cannot let her see this either. I will temporarily block her consciousness—Mental Lock!*

The Nightmare focused its intent, and Zhuo Yuqing’s consciousness went blank; she could neither see nor hear anything.

*This Mental Lock, infused with illusionary power, can last for two minutes. That should be enough.* The Nightmare then transformed into a mass of light and drilled straight into Luo Chen’s crown.

Luo Chen had been in a state of confusion, but suddenly his consciousness returned as the Nightmare’s mental control over him was lifted. Yet, the lingering trauma remained, and a violent pain began to rack his head.

"Master, you’ve finally regained consciousness!"

Just moments ago, the Nightmare’s "Nightmare" ability had severed the psychic link between Nicole and Luo Chen. No matter how much Nicole had called out, he had been unable to hear her.

Luo Chen clutched his head, groaning, "Nicole, what is happening to me? My head hurts so much, ugh!"

Nicole said urgently, "Master, an external, unknown consciousness is trying to invade your mental world!"

"Invading my mental world? How is that possible?"

"I don’t know, I cannot explain this phenomenon for the time being!" Nicole, a light-brain capable of merging with others and entering a human’s mental world, was a unique existence—the only one created by Dr. Gates in the era of ancient civilization. While such scenarios were common in science fiction films like *The Matrix* or *Inception*, even Nicole could not explain it.

Luo Chen gritted his teeth against the splitting pain. "Then, what should I do?"

Nicole said decisively, "Regardless of whether this unknown consciousness harbors hostility, such a forceful invasion of another’s mental world is extremely dangerous. Master, we must resist firmly! You can stimulate your nerves to create pain, and use the 'Mental Focus' method from the Reverse Thinking techniques to struggle to remain clear-headed!"

"Right!" Luo Chen bit his tongue hard. The sharp pain from his tongue made his head hurt slightly less. He then concentrated his mind using the focus technique. However, the respite lasted only ten seconds before his head began to ache again. Yet, after a few more seconds of agony, the pain vanished completely, replaced by numbness. Luo Chen felt dizzy, as if his feet were treading on clouds. Everything went black, and when he looked again, he found himself above an unimaginably vast ocean.

The ocean was churning with tsunamis, and towering waves crashed down upon Luo Chen. He struggled desperately to swim upward, only to be dragged back down by the waves again and again.

"Oh no, Master!" Nicole cried out. "You have entered a virtual illusion created by that consciousness. This is its mental attack! You must not sink. If you are drowned by the ocean, your mental world will be completely breached!"

Despite her words, Luo Chen felt his strength draining rapidly as he battled the waves. Just as he was about to sink into the sea, Nicole seemed to make an important decision. "Master, unleash a Super-Mental Wave! This is our last chance!"

Nicole did not know if the Super-Mental Wave would work, but she had no choice; she had to gamble. If the Super-Mental Wave failed, the unknown consciousness would invade even faster.

Luo Chen did not reply. He compressed a seed of Super-Mental Wave and detonated it. With a loud "boom" in his head, the ocean vanished, leaving only a chaotic void. In this space, Luo Chen saw the eyeball again. The eye was constantly emitting ripples—similar to the dizzying waves of the spirit beast he had seen during his internship mission, but this monster was emitting them incessantly.

Strangely, these ripples had no effect on Luo Chen this time; they passed by like a light breeze. Even he did not understand why.

"Great, Master, it really worked!" Nicole said happily. "Take this chance to destroy the invading consciousness!"

"How do I destroy it?" Luo Chen asked, worried. "This monster is very strong!"

"No, it isn't strong anymore. Its mental attack seems to have failed against you, and it is very fragile now! You just have to walk up and strike it down, just like you usually deal with spirit beasts!"

"Really?" Luo Chen approached, half-doubting. The eyeball displayed a look of terror. *How can this be? How can this be? Even after the battle with the demon-human, my mental energy is still thousands of times stronger than this human’s. Why does my mental attack have no effect on him? And why is this human’s mental energy so strange?*

Psychically spying on others was a dangerous affair, and mental invasion was far more perilous. If the invading party failed, the consequences were dire.

The eyeball began to panic. It never imagined that Luo Chen would possess a Super-Mental Wave. Mental energy had both "quality" and "quantity." While the "quantity" of the eyeball’s mental energy was thousands of times that of Luo Chen, the "quality" of Luo Chen’s Super-Mental Wave was superior.

If the eyeball’s mental energy was the ocean, then Luo Chen was a great white shark within it. No matter how the surface churned, the shark remained in the depths, baring its fangs and advancing toward its target.

*No, this cannot be. I am the Nightmare, King of Illusion Demons. My mental energy is invincible!* The eyeball could not believe the truth. Watching Luo Chen approach with a murderous gaze, it began to feel genuine fear.

*No, I will not die at the hands of this human! I must cancel the possession and escape!*

*Cancel! Cancel immediately!*

Just as Luo Chen’s palm swung down to crush the eyeball, it suddenly dissolved into thousands of light particles, vanishing into the chaotic void.

*Hmm? Where did that monster go? Did it escape?*