Starting as a prodigy wanting milk? A world-destroying deception in the opposite direction.

Shen Zhen pressed his hands down, unleashing all the spatial power he had just acquired without reservation, aiming directly at the space about a foot square around the green lamp!

"restrain!"

A low shout—this was the manifestation of his will.

hum! ! !

An invisible yet clearly perceptible "spatial barrier" instantly formed, like a transparent bubble, wrapping and isolating the blue lamp and the emanating threads of its rules.

This "spatial cage" is not sturdy; in fact, it can be said to be very fragile, because it traps the "rules" themselves.

But Shen Zhen's goal was not to trap it forever, but to "deceive" it.

The essence of "eternal peace" may be a deep longing for tranquility.

Shen Zhen combined this insight with the energy he drew from "Echoing Obsession" and poured it into this tiny spatial cage.

Inside the cage, the flow of time became extremely slow, almost stagnant, due to the distortion of spatial forces.

For the "echo" within, driven only by instinct and obsession, this moment is the "eternity" it yearns for.

A miracle happened.

The frantic throbbing of the blue lamp subsided at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The distorted face in the lamplight, its madness replaced by confusion, then emerged a kind of "peace" that was almost serene and satisfied.

Its "sleep-inducing" will, though still powerful, flowed back docilely, confined within that small "eternal cage."

The suffocating sense of grief that enveloped the entire town quietly dissipated like the receding tide.

Thump, thump...

One after another, thuds and weak groans echoed from beneath the clock tower.

Shen Zhen looked down, panting.

The people who had been standing frozen in place were now slumped to the ground, their chests heaving violently, their consciousness breaking free from its deep confinement.

Su Mingyuan struggled to sit up first, rubbing his temples hard. His face was as pale as paper. He looked at the clock tower with a bitter smile, his eyes filled with fear and inquiry.

Ye Zhi Qiu collapsed to the ground, panting heavily without any regard for his image. He didn't even bother to pick up his folding fan, which had fallen to the side, and muttered to himself:

"Thank goodness... I almost really would have been buried here forever..."

With Yan Feng's support, Feng Yu managed to stand upright, his face drained of color. He tried to maintain his imperial dignity, but couldn't hide the lingering fear in his eyes. He looked around, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly:

"What...what's going on in this godforsaken place?"

Qiu Zhengnan and Gu Chengye also forced themselves to sit up, closed their eyes and focused their minds, trying to calm their turbulent blood and qi. In addition to the lingering fear in their eyes, there was also a deep sense of dread about that strange power.

Li Qingyan, Chen Xi, Wu Xian, Zhou Shi and other members of the Jingxie Division also woke up one after another, all looking listless and needing to support each other to stand up.

"Did...you succeed?" Zhao Huaijin leaned on his sword, barely managing to stand up, and looked at Shen Zhen on the clock tower, his voice hoarse.

"Captain Shen!" Qi Xue exclaimed, her voice filled with surprise but also weak, upon seeing Shen Zhen.

Shen Zhen did not answer immediately; his entire focus remained on maintaining that fragile balance.

He sensed that he had established an extremely subtle and dangerous connection with that lamp and with that "echoing obsession" that had been temporarily "deceived".

The instant he deeply connected with the core of that rule, a vague perception flooded his mind:

The old man sitting cross-legged had long since exhausted his life force. His body was more like a "container" or "beacon" that had been soaked in and reshaped countless times by the power of rules, used to anchor this cycle.

His "slumber" is a kind of eternal imprisonment.

Just then, another unexpected event occurred!

Perhaps it was the "echoing obsession" that resonated with the other party after it was "soothed";

Perhaps it was Shen Zhen's repeated "stealing" of fragments of the rules and ultimately "imprisoning" his obsession that touched upon the most fundamental core of the rules...

Whoosh—!

A surge of primordial energy, far purer and more ancient than before, containing the true mysteries of "space," burst forth like a flood from the nearly extinguished green lamp, rushing wildly into Shen Zhen's body along that connection.

"Ugh!"

Shen Zhen let out a suppressed growl, feeling as if his body and soul were about to be burst by this violent energy.

The spatial power he had newly acquired, under the infusion of this primordial energy, grew and solidified at an unprecedented speed.

A fragmented, preliminary method for utilizing spatial power.

—"Space Restriction. Chapter One" appeared in his mind like a brand.

This is not a secret manual, but a gift of the rules, a natural stripping away of the essential nature of the rules after the will of "echoing obsession" has been "pacified".

After a few breaths, the perfusion stopped.

The flame of the blue lamp stabilized completely, turning into a quiet, burning flame emitting a soft blue light. All obsessions dissipated, as if it had returned to being a pure antique.

Almost simultaneously, the old man sitting cross-legged trembled very slightly.

The last invisible link between the old man's body and the rules suddenly snapped.

That long-withered body, like a weathered sand sculpture, transformed into countless tiny specks of light. They flickered for a moment, like breaths, arranging themselves into a fleeting ancient runic mark.

It then vanished completely into the void, as if it had never existed.

He is no longer the anchor point of the cycle.

He was completely freed, from this eternal imprisonment, and returned to nothingness.

Shen Zhen knelt on one knee, sweat pouring down his face, but the moment the runes appeared, his eyes flashed with a sharp light.

The runes contained the lingering echoes of spatial rules, instantly resonating with the "Spatial Restriction: Chapter One" in his mind.

He saw it, raised his hand, and with a slight thought, the air in front of his fingertips made a soft "crackling" sound, and two tiny ripples appeared.

This was a sign that the space was connected. He tried to pass through one of the ripples with the Mind Ruler in his hand, and surprisingly, he emerged from another ripple.

The spatial vibration transmitted through my fingertips was incredibly clear.

He watched the swiftly moving Nianjie ruler, his Adam's apple bobbing, his whole body trembling slightly with extreme joy.

A complex mix of shock, elation, and disbelief surged within me.

This was an opportunity that even high-level Divine Enchanters wouldn't dare to dream of, yet it had so easily descended upon me, a late-stage first-level Divine Enchanter.

His spatial power seems to have undergone a qualitative change.

"Shen Zhen!"

"Captain Shen!"

Su Mingyuan, Ye Zhiqi, and the others staggered up the clock tower and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Shen Zhen kneeling on the ground, panting but with bright eyes, and the peaceful blue lamp.

"Are you... are you alright?" Ye Zhi Qiu sensed that Shen Zhen's aura was somewhat different, deep and unfathomable.

Su Mingyuan looked at the green lamp with a solemn expression: "The cycle... is over?"

Shen Zhen struggled to her feet and nodded, "Yes, it should... be broken."

His gaze swept over the last glimmer of light that was about to disappear, and he murmured:

"He... is completely free now."

Everyone knew he was referring to the old man.

As if to prove his words, the thick blue mist that enveloped Qingwu Town began to fade and dissipate at a visible speed.

As dawn broke in the eastern sky, a sliver of pale light quietly appeared, dispelling the gloom of the long night.

Dawn is approaching.

Meanwhile, new changes have occurred in the square.

The sleeping townspeople stopped convulsing, their abnormal redness quickly faded, turning into a slightly tired paleness, and their breathing became steady and long.

They began to groan unconsciously, their eyelids trembling, as if they were about to awaken from a long and tiring dream.

"The townspeople...it seems like they're about to wake up!" Qiu Zhengnan, who had been observing the area below, called out to remind them.

Soon, the first town resident opened his eyes, his gaze initially blank, then replaced by immense confusion and weakness.

He looked around and saw the familiar square and his neighbors lying haphazardly beside him, and uttered a startled muttering:

"How...how did I end up sleeping here?"

Then, more and more people woke up.

Exclamations, inquiries, and the cries of frightened children filled the air, creating chaos in the square.

People struggled to their feet, looking at each other in bewilderment, completely bewildered as to why they were collectively sleeping in the square in the dead of night. They felt weak all over, had splitting headaches, and their memories seemed to have stopped at the moment before they fell asleep some night.

"Fellow villagers, please calm down!"

Su Mingyuan mustered his strength, channeled a wisp of his mental power, and his voice clearly echoed throughout the square, carrying a comforting power.

"We are a delegation from the temple and the royal family, passing through this place."

There seemed to be miasma in the town just now, causing people to fall asleep, but it has now dissipated, and everyone is fine, only weak and needing to rest!

This explanation is half true and half false, but it's the most suitable excuse for the moment.

Revealing the truth about the "eternal cycle" would likely trigger even greater panic.

The townspeople were skeptical, but seeing the temple attire worn by Shen Zhen and the others, Su Mingyuan's composed demeanor, and the fact that he was otherwise unharmed except for weakness, they gradually calmed down.