The Nonexistent Person

It was not difficult to tell from what Lin Yue had said before entering meditation that she should be a cultivator who had awakened her Inspiration.

Above the Spirit Medium Realm was the Inspiration Realm.

This was another prominent characteristic that appeared after a cultivator's body evolved.

After awakening Inspiration, a cultivator could sense everything around them even with their eyes closed. They could detect the slightest disturbance in the vicinity, while their reaction speed would also undergo a qualitative improvement.

And there was one more thing.

Cultivators could now sense certain unknown existences.

One had to understand that even awakening Spirit Medium did not mean one could see the world completely. Sometimes, feeling was more important than sight.

Soon.

Lin Yue entered a meditative state.

She began sensing the surrounding Cosmic Energy.

Compared with other places, the Cosmic Energy in Li Yi's home had not increased noticeably. Practicing here had the same effect as practicing elsewhere.

Expand the range of my perception. Perhaps I haven't found the right point.

Lin Yue thought this to herself.

Her perception spread in all directions like invisible tentacles, while the outlines of the surrounding objects appeared in her mind.

She sensed the floor, the walls, and Li Yi as well.

But in her perception, Li Yi was merely a human-shaped outline. It was as if something was interfering, preventing Lin Yue from clearly making out his features.

This was a normal phenomenon.

The human body itself possessed a biological magnetic field.

And Li Yi had cultivated before, so his biological magnetic field was stronger. It could interfere with the perception of someone in the Inspiration Realm. Even stronger cultivators and Extraordinary Creatures could produce energy fields of their own. As long as the energy field existed, nothing hidden within it could be sensed.

I haven't discovered anything. Could I have judged incorrectly? Is the problem not in Li Yi's home?

This thought flashed through Lin Yue's mind.

But she still did not consider the possibility of a wondrous object.

After all, wondrous objects were far too precious and rare. Li Yi was merely an ordinary cultivator—how could he possibly possess one? That would be utterly absurd.

Yet at that very moment.

Suddenly.

Lin Yue, still in meditation, shuddered violently, and every hair on her body stood on end.

Good heavens.

What was that?

In Lin Yue's perception, besides Li Yi, another human-shaped outline had actually appeared. That figure stood motionless in a corner of the living room.

But how was that possible?

There should have been only two people in the entire house: Li Yi and her.

No, that was not right.

There seemed to be Li Yi's parents as well.

But Li Yi's parents were Silent Ones. They had been lying asleep in Medical Pods the whole time.

Could it be that Li Yi's parents had awakened?

It should be that.

Lin Yue immediately calmed down considerably. But to confirm the situation, she directly withdrew from meditation and regained consciousness.

"What happened? Did you discover anything?" Li Yi asked from the side.

"Li Yi, wait a moment." Lin Yue immediately turned her head and looked toward the direction where she had sensed the human-shaped outline.

That glance made her pupils contract sharply. The cultivator who had awakened Inspiration instantly revealed a horrified expression.

Because there was no one in that direction.

It was completely empty.

"How could this be? How could it be possible? There was clearly someone there in my perception." Lin Yue abruptly stood up and wanted to walk over and touch that spot.

But an inexplicable fear made her stop involuntarily.

"Sister Lin, are you all right?" Li Yi asked curiously. He felt that something was wrong with Lin Yue.

Lin Yue suddenly grabbed Li Yi and said, "Li Yi, your parents are both Silent Ones, right?"

"Yes, that's right. What's wrong? Isn't this something everyone knows?" Li Yi said, puzzled. "I remember telling you that last time."

"Which room are your parents in? Take me to see them, all right?" Lin Yue asked again.

"All right." Li Yi was still completely at a loss, but he nevertheless took Lin Yue to his parents' room.

The room was bright and neat, with two Medical Pods arranged side by side on the floor.

Inside the Medical Pods lay a man and a woman.

They were Li Yi's parents.

Lin Yue's expression shifted repeatedly as she stared at the two elders inside the Medical Pods. From the looks of it, Li Yi's parents had never awakened at all. It was impossible for them to have suddenly walked out of the room and appeared in her perception just now.

If it was not Li Yi's parents, then who was that person in her perception?

Once she realized this, the unease in Lin Yue's heart grew even stronger.

"Li Yi, are you usually the only one at home?" She suddenly withdrew her gaze and looked at Li Yi.

Through Spirit Medium vision, everything in Li Yi's home appeared normal. Lin Yue could not see anything unusual at all.

"Of course. I live alone in another room. What's wrong? Sister Lin, you've seemed a little off ever since waking from meditation. Are you feeling unwell?" Li Yi asked.

Lin Yue asked again, "Recently—no, during the time you've been living alone at home, has anything unusual happened?"

"No." Li Yi shook his head. "I used to go out to work every day and come back to sleep. What unusual thing could have happened? Sister Lin, if there's something you want to know, just ask me. I'll definitely answer you. The way you're acting has made me inexplicably nervous."

"Wait a moment. I need to enter meditation again. Stand guard beside me. If anything happens to me, wake me immediately." Lin Yue took a deep breath.

She now suspected that besides his sleeping parents, someone else was hiding in Li Yi's home.

Or perhaps it was not a person at all.

Regardless, Lin Yue had to uncover the reason. If there was danger, she would immediately take Li Yi and his parents and leave this place.

"All right. I'll guard the surroundings for you. Don't worry." Li Yi nodded.

Only then did Lin Yue take a deep breath. She sat directly on the bed beside them, closed her eyes, and began meditating to sense everything around her.

Soon.

Her Inspiration began to spread.

Lin Yue sensed the bed beneath her, Li Yi's father inside the Medical Pod, and Li Yi standing beside her. Everything was normal. This also proved that there was nothing wrong with her Inspiration. What had happened before was not an illusion. It had been real.

However, when her perception spread to the other Medical Pod—

Something strange happened.

The Medical Pod belonging to Li Yi's mother was completely empty in her perception. There was nothing inside. No one was lying within it at all.

"No... it can't be." Lin Yue froze.

She was completely bewildered now. Her own eyes had clearly seen Li Yi's mother lying asleep inside the Medical Pod just moments ago. So why—why was the Medical Pod empty in her perception?

Should she trust her eyes, or should she trust her Inspiration?

Just as she was thinking this—

Suddenly.

That unknown human-shaped outline appeared in Lin Yue's Inspiration once again.

It was in the direction of the door.

The human-shaped outline that had previously stood motionless in the corner was now slowly walking toward this room.

And the closer it came, the more terrified Lin Yue felt.

Her Inspiration was being affected, as if it had been imprisoned and could no longer spread outward. At the same time, her consciousness had been locked onto by that terrifying human-shaped outline. For a moment, she could not break free from meditation and awaken.

Moreover, that thing had already entered the room and was drawing closer and closer.

The human-shaped outline in her perception passed by Li Yi.

Their magnetic fields intersected.

Yet Li Yi seemed not to notice anything. He showed no reaction at all.

It's coming for me? Cold sweat poured down Lin Yue's body. She struggled violently, trying to break free from some kind of control and awaken from meditation.

But it was useless.

Her body had lost all sensation, and her consciousness seemed to have been captured.

Will it kill me?

This thought surfaced in Lin Yue's mind.

But at that moment, Li Yi's voice suddenly reached her ears: "Sister Lin, Sister Lin, wake up."

That voice seemed to stop the terrifying human-shaped outline.

At the same time, the seal on her consciousness was released.

In an instant.

Lin Yue jolted awake from meditation. Like a drowning person, she opened her eyes wide in terror and gulped down breath after breath. Her entire body was drenched, soaked through with sweat.

"Li Yi, hurry, leave with me!"

Even after regaining clarity, Lin Yue had not yet calmed down. She grabbed Li Yi's arm again and dragged him straight toward the door.

"Hey, Sister Lin, wait! What's going on?"

Completely unaware of what was happening, Li Yi was dragged out of the house by Lin Yue.

Even after they left the house, Lin Yue did not let go. She kept pulling Li Yi downstairs and out of the residential complex. Only after they had crossed two or three streets did she finally stop at an intersection with a relatively large crowd.