Chapter 173 Time is an illusion of perception

 Old Xu’s eyelids jumped at the looks from Ji Xun and the others.

 This old man obviously hasn’t realized that he is completely unaffected by the strange time realm on the train.

But the hunter just now was wiped out in front of his eyes, and he didn't want to take the chance.

This guy's shrewd little eyes were full of vigilance, and he said evasively: "Hey, hey, hey, Ji Xun, boy, let me tell you, don't make any plans for me. My old bones can't stand the torture."

Ji Xun chuckled and shook his head. He had long been accustomed to the old man's rhetoric and interrupted: "Senior, you don't need to take any risks. The conductor will be here in a while. Please help us ask how to get off the train. alright."

 His tone was calm.

 The gray hairs that appeared on his head did not make him feel the urgency of his fleeting life at all.

 But in order to make Old Man Xu feel the urgency of time, he also added: "Of course, before that, if we are not dead yet."

 Katrina on the side heard this and completely understood what she was talking about.

 In areas with rule-based disasters, you usually need to break the corresponding rules to leave.

 However, in the field formed by high-level laws such as the "Law of Time", few people currently have any ideas to crack it.

 But fortunately, there is a special person in their team.

 Old man Xu seems not to be affected by the time realm, and he can also talk directly to the conductor.

There is actually a clever solution here to break the situation.

As Ji Xun said, Old Man Xu can get the answer on how to get off the train directly from the conductor.

Thinking of this, Catalina also secretly sighed that her "fate" was good, and she met this senior colleague.

 Otherwise, you might really die trapped here.

 However, the plan is wonderful.

If a certain old man doesn't lose his chain, it is most likely feasible.

But.

When Old Man Xu heard this, his eyes turned again and again, as if he was weighing the risks, but as if he thought of something, his face turned into a frown.

 Che Er reminded: "Grandpa?"

Old man Xu didn't hide it, and said truthfully with a grimace: "It's okay to ask. But how should I ask? I don't know what it said."

ˆ “.”

As soon as these words came out, it seemed as if the pause button was pressed.

 The expressions of the three people sitting together froze on the spot.

 But a moment later, Ji Xun chuckled to himself.

 I almost forgot, this old man would not be able to remember those skills if he had not encountered a certain death situation.

He had unconsciously understood the Tarungu language before, but now he couldn't speak it.

 Old man Xu himself seemed to feel that he couldn't help. He looked a little embarrassed and looked at Ji Xun with a questioning look: What should we do now?

 An almost guaranteed life-saving plan was rejected, but Ji Xun did not show much disappointment.

  After all, we haven’t reached the point of death yet, so we can figure out how to use this method later.

On the contrary, he smiled easily: "Well, no, I won't. Originally, I also felt that something was missing if I got off the car like this."

Hearing this, Catalina frowned slightly, becoming more and more confused.

 Can this guy still laugh now?

However, she thought about it and said to herself: "What are the shortcomings?"

Ji Xundao: "I have been thinking about a question, and that is the meaning of the existence of this [Netherworld Train]."

When he thought of something, he said directly: "It is a ferry vehicle that takes people to Xia Mu City. It is neutral in itself, but it has an invisible time domain for killing people. So the meaning of its existence seems more like a kind of screening." Only by screening some qualified people can we reach our destination.”

"Um."

Katrina nodded and felt it made sense.

 But what does this have to do with their current situation?

What Ji Xun saw was not the predicament on the car, but the place called Xia Mucheng, and he said: "So I think if we can't even crack the field on this car, even if we reach the end, we will encounter something more serious. A tough question. Although this secret realm is not an extra-dimensional space, it seems to have been deliberately left by some great powers in ancient times."

 If it is just a seal, just create some fatal traps.

 Since we have created this ghost car that is not destined to die, but is very special.

 Then there must be other deeper meanings.

 It's just that he hasn't figured it out yet.

Katrina asked slightly expectantly: "Do you have an idea?"

Ji Xun shook his head and said calmly: "No."

ˆ “.”

Katrina rolled her eyes at him.

No?

How can you still laugh?

 Just looking at the past moment, she realized that she had never seen any panic or despair in a desperate situation on Ji Xun's face.

This gave her a very strange feeling: Isn't this guy afraid?

Ji Xun understood the look in her complaining eyes, and joked: "Have you ever felt that time is more precious just because you are about to die? Your thoughts are now clearer?"

"I did not think."

Katrina can't experience the joy of dancing on the death scythe.

 She showed a speechless expression and fell into deep thought again.

 The current situation seems to be a dead end.

 In fact, there is a plan B, which is to ask Mr. Xu to go to other carriages to check the situation.

 Others will die, but this guy most likely won’t.

 But Ji Xun knew that Old Man Xu would definitely not be willing, so he did not speak.

 Or perhaps the time has not come yet to speak.

 Katrina also thought of this, but she knew that she was even less qualified to speak.

 The four of them just stared at each other.

  If the BUG is no longer stuck, you can only think of normal ways to break it.

 They have to find a way to find out the breakthrough in decryption of the time domain.

 Che Er reminded: "I feel like time is flowing faster."

Ji Xun was even more direct. He crossed his legs and began to meditate.

It turns out that in this field, you have to be like a tortoise, the less you move, the longer you live.

 After all, there are negative examples right in front of us.

Just when a few people were chatting, the few hunters not far away who were looking for a way to get out of the car in a panic were already very old.

 Outside the train, water waves washed over the train.

This feeling of approaching death can drive a person crazy.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, someone tried to go to another carriage.

 However, the result is exactly the same.

The man went out from the front and came back from the back.

 Then it rapidly aged, and the body turned into dust and disappeared.

Seeing that there was no hope of survival, the few remaining survivors started shooting everywhere to vent their anger, causing all kinds of hysterical destruction, trying to find a solution to the situation by trying their luck.

 These violent actions also increased the rate of death.

Not long after waiting, among the other five hunters alive, two hunters who were originally sallow and thin and looked like they would not live long, also ran out of life and died suddenly and turned into powder.

 The situation of Ji Xun and the four others is not very good either.

Ji Xun’s hair was almost completely white, and he looked like he was going to die suddenly at any moment.

 But his expression remained unchanged, as if there was a strong will.

　　Looking like I am going to die, but I can’t die no matter what.

 Katrina beside her even felt that this guy didn't seem to have the fear of a normal person.

 How can others understand Ji Xun's thoughts at this moment.

If I hadn’t come to this extraordinary world, I wouldn’t have encountered such a wonderful experience in my previous life.

 Moreover, if you don’t break the situation, you will die.

 The more clearly I feel that death is approaching step by step, the clearer the feeling of multiple thoughts in my head erupting like a volcano.

Ji Xun's face instead overflowed with a bright smile.

 Looking at Ji Xun's growing white hair, Che Er couldn't hide his worry in his eyes.

 He will not lose his memory.

 Che Er was raised by Old Man Xu since he was a child, and he even knew his strength better than Old Man Xu himself.

Although I can’t say how strong it is

 But he can always avert danger in some critical moments.

 He knows that his grandfather is very powerful.

He finally couldn't hold it back and asked, "Grandpa, have you thought of any way to get out of here?"

 Among the four, the physical appearance of Ji Xun has undergone tremendous changes.

 But only old man Xu still had the same sallow old face.

At this moment, everyone was sure that the old man had not been eroded by the time realm at all.

 At this rate, three of the four of them will most likely die here one after another.

 Only this old man can get out alive.

Ji Xun didn't feel anything was wrong. Instead, he seemed to agree with what Catalina said: Anyone who has been contaminated by this old man's big karma will die if he doesn't have great luck.

 I haven’t died before, it seems that the time has not come yet.

 Now, here we are.

The closer to death, the clearer the thoughts in Ji Xun's mind.

That persistent thought made him want to solve the mystery, which was also the biggest support for his will to hang on to his life and not die suddenly.

 And there is no longer any thought of having a BUG.

 The spiritual light burst out like a tide.

but.

 It seems like something is missing after all.

"No"

 Old man Xu himself was a little anxious.

He didn’t have any bad intentions, but he just remembered that he was just an ordinary hunter.

Now that the man is really dying, the old man feels a little guilty.

I seem to have something in my mind, but I can’t say it.

 He ​​turned to look at Che Er, who had transformed from a boy into a young man, and muttered with his mouth flat: "It's a strange feeling. You have grown so big in a blink of an eye. It's like my eyes are dim and I'm hallucinating."

 Che Er frowned as he listened. He just wanted to break the situation as soon as possible.

Katrina didn't care either.

However, as soon as these words came out, a ray of light repeatedly pierced the dark clouds of depression.

Ji Xun suddenly opened his eyes and said in surprise: "Time is a cognitive illusion!"

 Just during the moment of meditation, he had many thoughts and deduced countless plans.

 But none of them seemed feasible. At this moment, his mind was like a balloon that was about to burst.

 And Old Man Xu’s words were like the needle that popped the balloon.

Ji Xun originally had the devil's mark "Comprehension +10" entry, as well as the blessing of great enlightenment when death was imminent, and he had an epiphany in an instant!

 Close the clouds and see the sun!

Hearing Ji Xun’s soft drink, Catalina and the other three also cast doubtful and expectant glances.

Ji Xun's eyes were bright and he said excitedly: "If you want to crack the rules in this disaster realm, you have to understand the nature of this 'time realm'."

Hearing these words, the three people sitting at the table all looked startled, not knowing how serious they were.

Catalina listened and asked expectantly: "Do you understand the rules of breaking this disaster space?"

Ji Xun nodded and said bluntly: "Yes! The time on this train is a cognitive illusion! As long as you recognize this, you will no longer be affected by this disaster field."

  Che Er is very sensitive to time. When he heard this, he looked thoughtful.

Katrina’s eyes were full of doubts.

Ji Xun organized the words in his mind and tried his best to describe what he felt.

 “The time we feel is not real time!”

He said: "It's like a story in a book. Even if no one opens the book, the story is already in the book. This is the story line in the book, which is the length of time in a specific dimension. . However, when a hand turns it over, the concept of another dimension of time appears. The faster it turns, the faster the timeline in the book advances. Just like this ghost train, it accelerates, The time we perceive has also accelerated! And when we are in the carriage, we are like the characters in the book. As we turn the pages of the book, we feel that life is passing quickly. This is actually a cognitive illusion! "

 This explanation made Che Er's crystal eyes brighter and brighter, and he vaguely understood it completely.

Katrina's crystal eyes also shone brightly, as if she had caught something.

Ji Xun continued: "If we cannot see through this illusion, when the train arrives at the station, it will be like turning to the last page of the 'book', and our story will end here. If death is the ending, then the story in the book The character died on the last page! We will die too!"

After a pause, he continued: "But the fact is that if you turn it over from the first page, the characters in the story still exist! Therefore, the essence of time on the Netherworld Train is a cognitive illusion. It is not real 'time' Per se! At least not in the time of our reality!"

"I cannot accurately understand the nature of 'real time' in the world we live in. But I can confirm that the time domain on the Netherworld Train we are currently in is this kind of 'low latitude time'! The speed of time flow is only a matter of our cognition. An illusion, not the real passage of time. It's like a dream. When you wake up from the dream, everything is an illusion."

“The way to break this disaster realm is to realize that time in the disaster realm is a perceptual illusion!”

ˆ “.”

As soon as Ji Xun finished speaking, a magical scene happened.

Katrina and the others watched as Ji Xun's originally full head of white hair turned visibly black. In a matter of seconds, my appearance has changed back to the way it was when I first got in the car.

Even without looking, Ji Xun could feel the changes in his body.

 Because he clearly felt the subtle flow of time.

 There is also a brand new attribute prompt clearly on the panel: Law of Time Affinity +18.

 Seeing this magical scene, Catalina and the other two people already understood that Ji Xun had really broken through this strange realm of disaster.

 Old man Xu still looked confused and didn't understand anything.

 But this field is of no use to him, and it doesn’t matter if he understands it or not.

The eyes of Che Er on the side gradually became blurred, and he was obviously deep in thought.

 He was also thinking about what Ji Xun had just pointed out in his mind.

Just a few breaths later, the light in his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said in surprise: "I understand too!"

 In an instant, he realized that Che Er had grasped something.

 Then a magical scene also appeared.

 It was as if the book that had been opened at an accelerated rate was turned back to the original page, and Che Er's appearance changed from a young man back to a heroic young man.

 Find the way to break the rules,

 The deadlock was resolved in an instant.

　　The atmosphere that was so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe suddenly relaxed.

However, Catalina frowned even more as she watched.

 The same sentence may be heard by different people, and they may understand it differently due to limited cognition.

Although she has a high understanding, she does not have a high affinity with the law of time, so her understanding of those words seems very slow.

 Gradually, time flows faster and faster in the carriage.

 She also showed some anxiety.

Ji Xun knew that no one else could help her after she had said everything she needed to say.

 Such a dilemma also appeared for the other four hunters who were still alive.

Those hunters who were already wrinkled and old looked at Ji Xun and the two men trying to catch up on the passing time. Even though they were so weak that they were trembling when they walked, they rushed over and said, "Help me."

Ji Xun didn't want to save these guys who shot him in the head.

 And it cannot be saved.

 I didn’t kill it before because I wanted to keep it to observe the effects of this disaster field.

 It has no value now.

Ji Xun shouted softly: "Get out!"

Those people were trembling with fear at the sight of the murder.

 Compared to die immediately or wait and die later, they chose the latter.

 After all, they also heard the method, and none of them dared to get close. They also took the time to meditate cross-legged and comprehend the previous words.

Now that all three of my colleagues have been defeated, I am the only one left.

Katrina wanted to be at peace in her heart.

 But he couldn’t calm down.

She clearly remembered every word Ji Xun said before in her mind.

 It also seems to have captured something, as if it has some enlightenment.

 But that realization was not enough for her to fully understand the concept of "time is a perceptual illusion".

It was like a cloud floating in front of her eyes. She saw it clearly. She wanted to catch it in her hand, but there was only a cloud of water mist.

Katrina clearly realizes that this is the key point in her "Hero Trial".

 If you can survive it, you will have great luck.

 If you can't survive it, you will die.

But understanding this kind of thing is something that is hard to come by.

 As time passed, she felt more and more distant from that cloud.

Katrina clearly felt that her body's vitality had reached its peak and then began to decline.

Are you going to die?

 Catalina was not afraid in her heart.

 After all, she chose the Hero Trial, and she already had the consciousness of death.

 Just a little unwilling to do so.

It seems that I have already touched the great luck, but I just can’t grasp it.

 It’s because I don’t have enough destiny.

Katrina suddenly felt resigned to her fate.

 I clearly felt that my life was coming to an end. For a moment, it seemed that all my thoughts were open-minded.

Katrina had a lot of thoughts in her mind.

My short life seems to be quite exciting.

　　But why do I feel a little ashamed when I think about those scenes where I have been competing for the first place since I was a child?

Hahaha.

 If I could do it again, keep a low profile and strive for first place again.

As I was thinking about it, something else came up.

 It has nothing to do with oneself.

That guy is really awesome. Why can he understand it?

Katrina had to admit that she really looked at Ji Xun in a different light.

 Originally, she came here for the mysterious Senior Xu.

 But gradually,

 She found that Ji Xun, whom she met by chance, became more and more prominent.

Even though I knew that I could become friends with Old Man Xu, it was probably due to some kind of luck.

 But the more I came into contact with him, the more I felt that this guy was unusual.

Oh, no wonder the [Golden Coin of Destiny] trembles.

 It turns out that this guy is also the great luck that I want to be blessed with.

An idea suddenly dawned on me.

 But it seems too late.

Katrina herself didn’t even feel that her heart was undergoing a violent transformation.

 But something is obviously missing, and this transformation from cocoon to butterfly is about to come to an abrupt end.

 She has faced death calmly.

However, at this time, an unexpected opportunity came.

She suddenly felt a cold feeling in her palms, and a round object fell into her hands.

 For a moment, that cool feeling rushed directly to my forehead.

Certain dilemmas suddenly became clear.

 “This Ji Xun boy, your friend is not going to die, is he?”

 “Oh, forget it, people are going to die, so I won’t collect the money.”

ˆ “.”

Time is flowing faster and faster, and Katarina is also aging visibly to the naked eye.

 She failed to understand the time trap of this disaster space and fell into a very mysterious state of deep meditation.

can hear.

 But it seems that everything around him has nothing to do with him.

Ji Xun and the other three looked at her.

　Now all three of them have escaped death, except Catalina.

Ji Xun was very indifferent.

 He and Caterina were not friends, just acquaintances.

 It would be best if you don’t die.

 Even if she dies, it is her own life.

 No one else can help.

 Old man Xu felt guilty and thought that if he didn't accept the little girl's money, she wouldn't come with him.

Unable to endure the torment in his heart, the money-grubbing old man took out the gold coin from before, rubbed it with reluctance, and returned it to Catalina's hand.

　　However, this gold coin was contaminated by some cause and effect after passing through her hands. When it fell into Catalina's hand, it began to tremble slightly.

At that moment, it seemed as if some magical energy related to fate was fluctuating.

Ji Xun’s pupils narrowed slightly as he watched.

 He didn't understand what was happening.

But he saw Catalina’s old face suddenly regain its luster and become plump and rosy.

 “Has she realized it too?”

Ji Xun felt a little incredible.

 But as soon as he looked at the dimming luster on the [Golden Coin of Destiny], he suddenly understood something: "Have you won the bet on your life?"

 He suddenly understood the purpose of this woman's hero test.

What a big bet.

In just a few breaths, Catalina returned to the gorgeous girl she was before getting in the car.

 She opened her eyes and looked at the three people looking at her with joy.

As if he had been reborn, an extremely deep luster bloomed in those bright blue pupils.

Katrina held the gold coin in her hand, stood up and bowed respectfully: "Thank you, senior!"

 Old man Xu was a little confused by her behavior, "What?"

Katrina didn’t explain much.

Grandpa had already told me before he came, don’t talk nonsense, otherwise some karma will not be able to bear it.

 She turned to look at Ji Xun again, with a sincere smile she had never seen before on her pretty face: "Thank you too."

Ji Xun chuckled lightly, his eyes leisurely.

 It was no coincidence that he was able to figure out the mystery of that time before.

 It is also contaminated by Old Man Xu’s luck!

 The fact is just as Ji Xun suspected.

 Before the ghost train arrives at the station, time flows faster and faster.

The other pioneer hunters in the carriage turned into powder and disappeared completely before the carriage stopped.

 It was just like when they got into the car before, leaving no trace.

 Woo woo woo.

 The train arrived at another platform.

Ji Xun and the four of them got off the train.

 Finally, the water in front of us is no longer an endless stretch of Styx water.

 There seemed to be many ancient buildings in the dark mountain shadows in the distance.

 “Ah, we’ve finally arrived.”

“Yeah. I didn’t expect to take a train and almost died on it.”

“It’s really a wonderful experience. But what is the situation in Xiamu City?”

ˆ “.”

Ji Xun also felt relieved after getting out of the car.

 Getting to the station alive is not easy at all.

 He looked at the relic in his hand and showed doubts.

 This is a metal snake forged from bronze.

 Looking at the material, it looks a bit like the copper plate that was used to record the fifty-two magic mysteries.

 That's why Ji Xun felt strange.

 This was given to him by the conductor after they cracked the time trap in the catastrophic space.

　　also said something in Talungu that I didn’t understand.

Ji Xun thought that this might be some key thing in this secret realm.

However, without thinking much, at this moment, a figure trotted over in the darkness in the distance.

“Hey, why did you three guys come here?”

Ji Xun looked wary.

This ruins has been deserted for thousands of years, and suddenly someone appears. It’s not a monster, it’s a monster.

At the same time, I was very confused, why did that obscene running posture look familiar?

 The same is true for Catalina and Che Er beside him.

When the man ran out of the darkness, the three of them could see clearly that the guy with the gaping front teeth, who could he be if he wasn't Old Man Xu?

 However, the moment they saw it clearly, an explosive feeling of terror suddenly hit the backs of the three of them.

 Because the four of them got off the bus together.

 Old man Xu is behind them now, and he was still talking a second ago.

So, who is this person in front of you?

 Is it a human or a ghost?

 (End of this chapter)