The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 736 - 410 Isn’t it Just Neurosis?_2

"Duanmu Yan wouldn’t know about this; after all, his understanding is just based on the ancient records in Yin Jiu You’s brain from ten thousand years ago, and his own experiences over the years. But after the Life Box was taken from Sky Lake, the Plague Demon went directly to Chiming City. Until Miluo devised a plan to capture him, the Life Box should have been with the Plague Demon all along. Such an important item, he wouldn’t hand it over to anyone else, yet he wouldn’t keep it on his person either, as that would forfeit his chance at reincarnation. However, it has to be placed not too far away, to facilitate his frequent check on it. Hmm, considering, within a hundred paces of Situ Qing’s residence seems a suitable distance."

"But..."

He knew what she was going to say and interrupted, "Given Miluo’s habit of leaving no stone unturned, it’s impossible for him to overlook such an important matter. Therefore, the only reason the plague is still spreading across the continent is that someone must have taken the Life Box again!"

"Has Yin Jiu You taken the lead again?"

"Not necessarily. In Duanmu Yan’s memory, aside from the avatar beside Qing Ji, the other avatars were active in the Central and Southern areas and didn’t come to the West. So, the trail ends here, and it turns into a mystery."

As far as conjectures about the Plague Demon go, that’s as far as they could go. With that wondrous Life Box gone again and all clues cut off, the dreadful plague won’t disappear from this world until it’s found. She sighed heavily, her mood somber: "Mortals are in trouble." Even with an antidote, given the vastness of Southern Continent, the major cities might respond promptly, but once the epidemic breaks out in those mountain villages and towns, who knows how many could survive until the antidote arrives, or if there will even be an antidote delivered at all.

The two of them leaned against each other, silent for a while, only Qiongqi, who tumbled down from the Fifth Floor, occasionally made an untimely jesting remark.

"Cough." Finally, she broke the silence, "The attention shifted to the Plague Demon, and we forgot about the most crucial issue—why did Yin Jiu You’s avatar rebel?"

"I’m not an expert in this field." Changtian shrugged his shoulders modestly, then said, "But Tu Jin and I deduced yesterday that perhaps Yin Jiu You’s avatar developed new changes due to being separated from the original body for too long. This change... it’s uncertain when it happened, but it led the avatar to develop an independent... independent..." He paused, unable to find a suitable word offhand.

"Personality?" She took over.

"Yes, that’s a good word." He nodded repeatedly, "The soul is the most mysterious entity in this world, even Yin Jiu You himself wouldn’t dare claim to have fully understood it, otherwise, there wouldn’t be such an embarrassing situation as an avatar rebelling. I asked Tu Jin, who had also released an avatar to occupy the body of Qishou before he was sealed in the secret realm. When he broke free a thousand years later, he wanted to reclaim this avatar but encountered slight resistance."

She noticed that he emphasized the word "slight."

"He didn’t care about it at the time, but now upon reflection, that strand of avatar sent back feelings of complaint, anger, and unwillingness to obey. However, this consciousness was too insignificant compared to his real body, he simply wiped it out with a swipe. Perhaps in another two or three thousand years, this avatar might also develop its own independent consciousness, likely because it clearly realized it was just an insignificant part of the whole. The longer it exists independently, the more likely it is to develop its own personality and seek differentiation from the original. Of course, this is just his speculation, as neither he nor Yin Jiu You had allowed an avatar to exist independently for so long before. This matter has no precedent to follow. Do you understand what I mean?" He did not expect Ning Xiaoxian to understand this discussion concerning the deep secrets of the soul.

Unexpectedly, she nodded readily: "I understand. What’s so hard to understand about this? In our Huaxia, we call such people neurotic."

"It’s like having schizophrenia, developing a second personality, quite common in Huaxia, this is an illness that needs treatment! Having two personalities in one person is like having two souls in the same body, each aware of the other’s existence, even coordinating their times to emerge, I even heard of a schizophrenic whose two personalities enjoyed playing chess against each other. Judging from the condition of Yin Jiu You’s avatar, it’s clear that the newly developed personality completely suppressed Yin Jiu You’s original personality, leading to the rebellion." She sighed softly, "I just hope this guy hides far away so that Yin Jiu You can never find him."

"...Your way of thinking is not wrong at all." He truly admired her, she just had a way of simplifying complex issues.

As they spoke, news came from the Fifth Floor: after full-fledged nurturing, the newly planted Dragon Elephant Fruit Tree had borne ripe fruits.

She rose swiftly, changed her clothes in her cabin, then brought along Qi Zai and Tu Jin. Dragon Elephant Fruits were prideful, needing immediate harvesting once ripe, and she was worried she couldn’t cope alone.

This Dragon Elephant Fruit Tree, boosted by the soil, produced over thirty fruits, an output over half more than ordinary ones of its kind, though the fruits, about the size of peaches, hadn’t changed much in appearance. She handed one to both Tu Jin and Qi Zai and suddenly felt like they resembled the fraternities of Sun Monkey who stealthily ate the ginseng fruit.

Indeed, the fruit tasted as juicy and sweet as peaches, yet upon swallowing, a warm sensation rose in the lower abdomen, swiftly spreading throughout her limbs. In a little while, she felt an overwhelming itch all over her body, irresistibly scratchy. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcomed to visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation and Monthly Ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)