True Origin

"The Void Realm isn't an Illusion Realm. It's just as real!"

The Traveling Merchant glanced at Chen Lin. As if he could see straight into his heart, he addressed Chen Lin's worry with his very first words.

He continued, "Originally, every Boundary operated according to its own laws. The Nightmare Realm intersected with many Boundaries because of its peculiar nature, but it wasn't as bizarre as it is now.

"Then one day, a beam of light passed through. No one knows what kind of energy it carried, but it was terrifying. Every Boundary it touched began changing from real to illusory. Worst of all, no creature sensed the change except beings of an extremely high level."

As Chen Lin listened to the merchant's unhurried account, his brow gradually furrowed.

He had never heard this explanation before, and it was far too outlandish. A single beam of light had turned every Boundary in its path insubstantial?

"What kind of beam could have such power? Even if it could do that, it should only affect the areas it passed through. Forget a vast Boundary like the Nightmare Realm—even a small Boundary couldn't be completely covered by one beam of light, could it?"

Chen Lin raised his objection.

The Traveling Merchant shook his head. "You're thinking about it the wrong way. The Boundaries we consider boundless expanses are no more than specks of dust in the eyes of beings on a higher plane.

"Take the leaves around us. To us, each is only a leaf, but to creatures living inside it, that leaf is a vast Boundary. By the same token, the Boundary we inhabit could be just a leaf in someone else's eyes."

At that, he looked around the Small Woods and asked Chen Lin, "If a beam of light passed through