Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 195: Chapter 194: Encounter with a Follower of the Crimson Realm

It was just a moment, but the entire world turned into a stretch of stark white and bitter cold, with ice and snow shrouding everything. This world seemed to be frozen, appearing before the eyes of all.

“What is this?!”

“Is this a Sealing?”

Witnessing this scene, both Aralastor and Shana couldn’t help but exclaim. They could definitely feel that this world was indeed isolated from the rest of existence, much like a Sealing, but… they had never seen this kind of Sealing before!

If in the world Sealed by Shana, all things seemed as if they had been petrified. Then in Fang Zheng’s Sealing, everything had been thoroughly frozen. It was as if it had been encased by miles of ice, with all encompassed by the icy cold and snow, and apart from the vast expanse of whiteness, there was nothing else between heaven and earth.

“Dispel the Sealing!”

...

“Ah, alright.”

Facing Aralastor’s command, Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then he quickly concentrated his spirit, and soon, that world that seemed like eternal ice vanished, replaced by the original world. Accompanied by the dazzling sunlight reappearing, the ice and snow that had covered the ground disappeared without a trace, and the pedestrians who seemed to have been frozen in place were now moving forward, talking and laughing as if nothing had happened.

“…Everything seems normal, it doesn’t look like there are any problems.”

It wasn’t until then that Aralastor let out a long breath, and Shana sighed in relief as well. Just moments before, they truly worried that something had gone wrong with Fang Zheng’s power. And it was no wonder, as for most Fire Mist Warriors, apart from perhaps a slight difference in coloration, there were no changes in other aspects of the Sealing. But Fang Zheng’s Sealing seemed more like some sort of large-scale surprise attack, with the instantaneous freezing of everything being utterly chilling to the heart.

“Aralastor?”

“It’s really strange, I have never seen this type of Sealing before.”

Confronted with Shana’s inquiry, Aralastor was also full of doubts.

“A Sealing in itself is not a difficult skill, and just now… apart from the form of expression, from other aspects, it was nearly indistinguishable from a Sealing. But why would it take on that form…”

“…Could it be because he’s human? After all, there’s never been a case of a human using Sealing before.”

“That’s true… but…”

Facing Shana’s response, Aralastor was visibly hesitant, but Fang Zheng also understood why Aralastor would say that. Because according to him, a Sealing simply temporarily extracts a portion of the world, and during this process, the world within the Sealing remains “untouched.”

But the Sealing released by Fang Zheng made the segmented world undeniably present itself in a completely different state, one of being frozen. It was for this very reason that Aralastor had immediately called a halt and asked Fang Zheng to dispel the Sealing, fearing that “the world inside the Sealing” might affect the whole world.

However, looking at it now, apart from the ice that seemed like special effects, there seemed to be no change here.

Although Aralastor and Shana had their doubts, Fang Zheng was not completely clueless.

Following Aralastor’s explanation, the “Power of Existence” displayed the essence of one’s soul. Currently having the Soulstone of the Lich King, “Arthas” inside him, perhaps that was why his Sealing took on the appearance of a land encased in ice. Then, it was conceivable that if different Soulstones were used, the Sealing that unfolded could be different?

Though Fang Zheng wanted to try it out, it obviously wasn’t a good opportunity right now. He wasn’t willing to let Shana and Aralastor discover too many of his secrets. Furthermore, verifying this wouldn’t be difficult; at least when the two weren’t paying attention, he could find a distant place to experiment with the Sealing.

In the following trials, Fang Zheng repeatedly tested the Sealing several times, and ultimately Shana and Aralastor confirmed that, apart from the form of expression being different from that of the Fire Mist Warriors and Followers of the Crimson Realm, all other functions had no issues. Whether it was repairing the world or initiating a blockade, it was the same as an ordinary Sealing.

“After all, humans are the product of this world, not outsiders like us. Perhaps that’s why the Sealing he released is different.”

In the end, Aralastor could only offer such a plausible conclusion.

But what Aralastor didn’t know was that Fang Zheng was. just like them, not an existence of this world.

Due to this sudden accident, Fang Zheng’s “Power of Existence” lessons were temporarily concluded. Of course, the reasons included not only the time wasted in verifying the Sealing but more importantly because…

“My Contractor herself has not yet mastered the Power of Catastrophic Fire, so there’s no extra information available for the time being.”

“I see.”

Hearing Aralastor’s forthright confession, Fang Zheng looked toward Shana with a smile that was not quite a smile, a face that said, “So you’re also a half-baked amateur.”

“You’ve really got some nerve to be negotiating terms with me.”

“Ugh———!!”

“No need to be so flustered; it’s not bad for us to learn from each other and improve together…”

“So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!!!”

After hurling those words as if in a huff, Shana turned around with a flushed face and dashed into the apartment like the wind, as if trying to hide her own embarrassment.

She’s still such a child after all.

Watching Shana’s flustered departure, Fang Zheng chuckled and shook his head. He didn’t mind that she had played a trick on him; Fang Zheng had never pinned his hopes on Shana. From her behavior, it was clear that this Fire Mist Warrior was still very immature, with little experience to speak of. Hence, her control and mastery over the Power of Existence couldn’t be all that formidable. If she insisted on forcibly teaching him, it would have actually been a bother to Fang Zheng.

After all, compared to the young Fire Mist Warrior, Aralastor was clearly the better choice.

Well then, time to prepare to buy ingredients for dinner.

For Fang Zheng, it really shouldn’t have been so much trouble. But Japanese convenience stores just didn’t sit well with him; the pre-packaged meals they sold were so small you could finish them in one bite, and even their cup noodles were only about the size of a medium coke. The Japanese took stinginess to the next level when it came to food. When dining out, ordering a bunch of dishes only resulted in a mountain of plates with barely a bite of food on each, leaving you half-full after clearing over a dozen plates without saving any money.

It was better to just go home, cook a large pot of rice, and whip up a few dishes to enjoy. Although Fang Zheng’s cooking skills were nothing spectacular, as someone who had been single for a while, he could manage to cook a few dishes just fine.

Definitely better than a certain Fire Mist Warrior who could even manage to fry an egg into a piece of charcoal.

With that thought in mind, Fang Zheng arrived at the store and then purchased the ingredients for tonight’s dinner… To be honest, when he didn’t know what to eat, he’d just go for potato beef stew; it was simple, convenient, filling, and tasty, and paired with rice, it was quite appetizing too.

By the way, after failing at cooking, a certain Fire Mist Warrior had almost been coming over for meals every day, claiming it was to avoid wasting food… Like she could resist eating it.

“That should be about it.”

Carrying the purchased ingredients, Fang Zheng yawned and left the store listlessly. Just now, he had tested again, and, as expected, the nature of his Sealed Space was determined by the Soulstone. When Fang Zheng switched his Soulstone to “Malthael,” his Sealed Space was enveloped in darkness, feeling like a grim graveyard.

So, what about Kerrigan’s?

Thinking this, Fang Zheng walked up to a crossroads, and while waiting for the traffic light, he switched his Soulstone. Then he glanced to the side and quickly saw a man dressed in a white shirt, looking like an office worker, walking past like a zombie from the other side. His eyes were lifeless, and he seemed to be moving like a puppet being controlled. Yet, the people around him completely ignored him, as if they couldn’t even see the man.

Here we go again.

As he looked at the man before him, Fang Zheng furrowed his brows. Faliagni was dead, but the nuisances he left behind in the city hadn’t been completely eradicated. That guy had left a massive number of “Torches” in the city, originally planning to use them to trigger a “City Devouring” all at once, but due to his own death, these Torches naturally lost their function. They continued to wander like lost souls, according to their original “settings,” until they completely vanished.

By the looks of the Magical Aura emanating from this man, his complete dissolution was just a matter of time.

Fang Zheng could not help but sigh at this; he had seen several Torches during this period, including students and teachers from schools, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. According to what Shana said, these people were already dead, and what remained were only their residues.

“Hmm?”

But just then, Fang Zheng suddenly noticed that the man had vanished.

He didn’t disappear slowly like a Torch going out, but rather, he was gone in an instant without a trace.

What was this…!?

He shifted his gaze, looking around, and soon enough spotted an old man dressed in vintage attire amidst the crowd. He seemed entirely harmless, but Fang Zheng still saw it—the flames of Power of Existence flickering in his palm.

Seeing this, Fang Zheng’s expression instantly turned grim.

“Seal.”

Then, the world came to a halt.