Qingmu hadn't expected that the people of the Sangqi Tribe would also stand up against their entry into the altar in Huracan.
The information relayed back from the Soul of Wood told him that they were so determined, even prepared to die to stop them from entering the altar. If Duwa, or any one of him and Situ, insisted on entering the altar at this moment, these savages would surely attack them.
The scepter could have been used to control the savages' consciousness, but under the shaman's guidance, the savages unified their minds, eliminated all distractions, and established a Mental Power Field based on themselves.
The Soul of Wood can receive their consciousness information and also transmit Qingmu's consciousness to it; the spiritual channel remains open, but Qingmu knows that he can no longer control them for the time being. They can clearly distinguish which parts are their own consciousness and which are his, this "god's," consciousness.
You are not a true god!
"The true God will not break his oath!"
"You are a demon disguised as a god!"
Such fragments of consciousness kept flooding in.
Qingmu waved the Soul of Wood, but he knew very well that the savages at this moment were truly independent, not bound by any person or god. Although they were limited by the collective consciousness, becoming a whole with no freedom for the individual, they were indeed free.
Using bondage to break free from bondage is like a pair of chopsticks binding themselves together to avoid breaking; or like a silkworm that can only be reborn by spinning its own cocoon!
Is this the true price of freedom?
Qingmu began to wonder. What exactly went wrong? Why were these people rebelling? Why had they never displayed such collective power before? What prompted them to suddenly achieve such a difficult-to-unify collective will?
What if human consciousness is also manipulated— God hides above the clouds, wielding a scepter of divine power, while humanity remains oblivious, believing all thoughts are self-generated...
Qingmu now felt that it was very likely true, just like he had suddenly become a god of the Sangqi Tribe.
If these savages could create their own Mental Power Field through collective consciousness, breaking free of mental shackles and rebelling against divine rule by establishing a kind of constraint, then can't humans do the same?
Collective consciousness, Group Dream... Qingmu thought of Kitano Masatake, the man who could create Group Dream and thus influence war.
He glanced at Situ. If he could think of it, Situ must have thought of it too. He saw the expression on that handsome face changing drastically, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling knowingly, and sometimes filled with worry. He was completely different from the usually calm and collected Situ.
The collective consciousness of the three tribes is becoming more unified. Qingmu can sense that the three Mental Power Field are slowly merging and will soon form a large spiritual field composed of more than a thousand people.
This mental field expanded like a bubble, soon enveloping everyone present.
Suddenly, people could no longer see the sky and the Sun, nor could they see the surrounding mountains and forests. Only the altar in front of them became incredibly tall, with each step taller than a person, as if everyone had taken a shrinking potion and become tiny.
There was neither sky nor earth; beneath his feet lay endless void, as if he might fall at any moment.
Alice cried out, "Oh no! What's going on? Where are we?"
Boris nervously reached for his gun, only to suddenly realize that he had nothing left on him—not only was the gun gone, but his hands and arms were also missing. He screamed in panic.
Qingmu said, "Don't be afraid, everyone. We're just dreaming right now!"
"A dream?" Alice exclaimed incredulously. "How could this be!"
Situ said, " Qingmu, can you feel the power of the altar?"
Qingmu nodded. He had long sensed the Mental Power emanating from within the altar; there seemed to be a force different from the island's inherent Mental Power Field, supporting these savages. Just moments ago, he had wondered why Group Dream were so difficult to realize, while these tribes could begin so easily. Now he understood; they must have used some method to establish a connection with the interior of the altar.
The current spiritual conflict has become a struggle between the Mental Power within the altar and the inherent Mental Power here, and the three of them are fighting against the collective will of more than a thousand people from three tribes.
"This confrontation can't go on," Qingmu said. "It will only lead to mutual destruction."
Situ hesitated for a moment, then said, "We still have half of the Soul of Fire that Petru has that we can use, plus Professor Su's Mental Power and the other people's firearms..."
Qingmu knew that Situ meant that as long as they could create an opening, they could break this Group Dream Realm. But once they used firearms, a massacre would inevitably follow, which was precisely why Situ hesitated.
Duwa said, "It's not a last resort yet, and besides, we can't be sure we're doing the right thing."
Situ sighed and said, "Alright then, let's all work together to get out of this dream."
After he finished speaking, his body transformed into a mountain, towering majestically and stretching outwards, as if someone were painting a splashed-ink landscape on a blank canvas, instantly giving the originally ethereal world a sense of solidity.
Duwa clasped his hands together, muttered something, and a gust of wind suddenly arose from the ground. The wind blew in clouds, and auspicious clouds appeared, and suddenly the sky appeared, with Buddha's light shining brightly above.
The Qingmu transformed into a tree in the mountains. The tree grew taller and taller, its roots firmly planted in the ground, reaching towards the sky. Its branches and leaves stretched out into the sky, soon supporting the heavens.
With the sky, the earth, the mountains, the trees, the wind, and the clouds... sunlight filters through the leaves and falls on people, and everything seems to have returned to normal.
Su Huilan knew this was still a dream.
Suddenly, a strong wind arose, causing the large tree to bend to one side. The roots quickly spread in the direction of the wind, like countless giant snakes crawling through the mountains. As the root system moved, the entire tree seemed to move as well.
The sky darkened again; this time it wasn't nothingness, but darkness itself, and nothing could be seen.
Su Huilan shouted, " Petru, use your Soul of Fire to ignite the flames and lead the way! Let's break out!"
Petru paused for a moment, then immediately understood. His red beard trembled and suddenly transformed into flames, engulfing his body in a raging inferno. He shouted from within the fire:
Which way to go?
"Follow Qingmu!" Su Huilan's voice came through the howling wind.
Petru saw tree roots thicker than trains twisting and turning in the mountains, sometimes burrowing into the ground and sometimes emerging again. He rushed over, picked up Mrs. Larry as he passed by, and chased after the winding, crawling roots.
Mrs. Larry only saw a ball of fire rushing towards her, engulfing her and lifting her into the air. Strangely, she didn't feel the heat; instead, she felt a sense of warmth and security.
The firelight illuminated the road, and people began to run through the dark night of the raging wind and rain. From some unknown direction, they could faintly hear the chanting of wild men, their chirping Guagua like the croaking of frogs on Xia Tian night.
Suddenly, a large black bird flew out from the canopy of the tree, let out a cry, and the croaking of frogs all around stopped.