Nine Sun form a circle in the sky, with one at the center and the other eight surrounding it in an octagonal shape.
Nobody has ever seen so many Sun in the sky. Even in the Three-Body Problem universe of the novel, there are only three Sun!
Huang Liang had long seen many Sun on the smooth mirror surface of the Soul of Ice, but he thought they were just time frozen by the Soul of Ice, traces of the passing years in an ancient corner of the Milky Way.
He looked at the Soul of Ice again, but what he saw were three figures, all dressed in black cloaks and trench coats.
"Stop looking! Give me the thing, little guy!" said the man in black in the middle.
His voice was dry and hoarse, as unpleasant as a saw cutting through a piece of rotten wood.
Huang Liang and Hong Kui turned around at the same time and saw a horrifying, withered face under the cloak, like that of the Mummy. The skin on the face was translucent, and beneath it were densely packed red capillaries like spider silk. When the person spoke, the taut muscle fibers on the sunken cheeks twisted rhythmically, as if they were crawling with a swarm of leeches.
"Who are you?" Huang Liang asked in surprise.
He was now certain that his earlier intuition was correct: the man in black was Selina's killer, and he had been following them all along.
"Your Huang Liang, right? I know you, child. You've done very well," said the man in black.
Huang Liang was taken aback. "You know me? Who exactly are you?"
The other man in black standing to his left took two steps forward and lifted his cloak.
" Howard?" Huang Liang exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the familiar face.
Howard chuckled, "Huang, long time no see. This is the Lost Ancestor I told you about before, the great Children of Gaia, the organization's former and current supreme leader— Itjenetjer Ay." He glanced at the Soul of Ice in Huang Liang's hand. "You did very well, Huang, better than I expected."
Huang Liang began to ponder the whole story. He felt he had fallen into a trap. He recalled his days in Amsterdam, when he joined the organization but did nothing, and was suddenly transferred to North America. Ostensibly, it was the Second Leader's decision to transfer him, which he found unreasonable at the time. How could the Second Leader suddenly call him to North America by name? Now, he realized that someone was playing a game, and he had become the most important pawn in it.
Howard seemed to see through his thoughts and explained, "Actually, the organization had long suspected Selina, but due to her position as the second leader, they couldn't verify it. Mr. Ronald devised the whole plan before he left, and you just happened to be the person we needed."
"So you didn't tell me anything and just used me like that? You said there were no secrets in the organization?" Huang Liang questioned.
"Secrets? Hahahaha..." Howard laughed. "Indeed, for our race, consciousness is transparent; there are no secrets. But since parasitizing humans, secrets have naturally existed, because humans are inherently creatures adept at intrigue. We've known each other for so many years, haven't you also kept many secrets? Including your meeting with Qingmu in Wuzhong and Selina in Amsterdam."
"So you all knew! Hmph..." Huang Liang gave a self-deprecating sneer, "I was the only one kept in the dark, I've been treated like a fool!"
"No, that's not it," Howard said. "I didn't know either until Mr. Ronald returned from beyond Earth, and I learned the whole truth. Come back, Huang, you've done a superb job. Although you were bewitched by Selina and your pure consciousness was corrupted by the filthy souls of humanity, the Organization and Itjenetjer Ay will save you, the great Gaia will save you."
Hong Kui sat on the ground, squinting as he observed the current situation. He didn't know who the newcomers were, but he clearly sensed that they meant no harm. He was still very weak; retrieving the Soul of Ice had almost exhausted all his Mental Power. He tried his best to regulate his breathing, hoping to recover his abilities as soon as possible.
Huang Liang sensed Hong Kui's unease. To allay Hong Kui's concerns, he returned the Soul of Ice to Hong Kui and explained, "I might have been used."
Hong Kui accepted the Soul of Ice without hesitation, as it greatly helped him recover his spirit.
He smiled and said, "It's okay, everyone gets taken advantage of sometimes. It's not your fault. Besides, I believe you."
Huang Liang nodded vigorously and said, "Don't worry, it's for Martha!"
Hearing this, Hong Kui was completely relieved.
"Huang, don't be so stubborn." Howard wanted to persuade Huang Liang again, after all, he was the most promising person among those he had personally developed.
Huang Liang firmly stated, "I just want to be a free person."
A decaying voice rang out from Itjenetjer Ay: "Hmm... that woman has corrupted your mind! Your consciousness is no longer pure; the resentment of the cunning Itza has taken over your soul and is entrenched in your heart. You stubborn fools, you will not be saved by Gaia and will ultimately perish in the end times!"
As Itjenetjer spoke, an invisible gale swept across the ice field. The temperature and air pressure dropped rapidly at the same time, and Huang Liang suddenly felt unable to breathe.
He knew this wasn't real wind; it was the Mental Power emanating from that the Mummy- like monster. He quickly mobilized all his mental strength to resist, but to no avail.
This was the most powerful Mental Power he had ever seen in his life. It was as majestic as a mountain, as surging as the sea, and as vast and boundless as the heavens and earth, omnipresent.
He felt his consciousness was about to disappear. The invisible scalpel that had long been gathered in his palm, even though it contained all the sharpness in the world, could not tear apart the mental pressure in front of him.
Hong Kui suddenly shoved the Soul of Ice into Huang Liang's hand, and a thought transmitted to him said, "My spirit is too weak, I can't use the Soul of Ice right now. Use your consciousness to explore its internal structure, feel its texture and inner world, and let your spirit merge with it as much as possible, and use it to protect us."
Following Hong Kui's advice, Huang Liang tightly grasped the Soul of Ice, his consciousness penetrating deep into its interior, sensing the ancient power contained within the Soul of Ice time from that bone-chilling cold.
As his consciousness deepened, the external spiritual realm he could perceive expanded. Some distant, unknown forces were gathering towards the Soul of Ice in his hand. Though faint, they were inexhaustible.
Huang Liang was astonished to discover that this thing could connect to a spiritual world of unknown origin outside the ice plains and draw Mental Power from it. He controlled this sliver of power, little by little, pressing down on it along with Itjenetjer to resist the power of the _book_.
"Not bad, little guy, you know how to use the Soul of Ice!" he heard Itjenetjer say. "But it's useless, don't bother. You're not a successor of the Itza Wizard, nor a descendant of the Chayak Family; you can't control the power of the Holy Land."
Huang Liang felt the wind outside had picked up a bit more. Some wind blades broke through the barrier, piercing in and cutting his face and hands like knives. He could even feel himself bleeding.
Itjenetjer slowly took a few steps forward, came to Huang Liang, and stretched out his withered hand to take the Soul of Ice from Huang Liang's hand.