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Initially, it simply observed these bubble-like illusions like an ant observing R'lyeh's boredom. However, as the dream deepened, it found itself becoming hopelessly addicted to it.
Compared to the things it was familiar with: the monotonous "performance" day after day, the chaotic and ignorant beliefs of the blind followers, and the endless madness of the fools, the "drama" performed by these extremely small yet exceptionally interesting creatures deeply attracted it... to the point that it began to forget its own nature.
As far as external objects are concerned, their existence cannot be recorded, described, or even observed. But isn't it the same on another level?
For the "blind," this is a scene that it could never observe or pay attention to in its entire life, but it has seen things that should not and should not be seen.
For the "foolish" one, these are things that it can neither understand nor comprehend, yet it still grasps the meaning and significance of those things and feels joy and sorrow for them.
Thus, the "blind" are no longer blind, and the "foolish" are confused by various chaotic emotions.
When the "blind" are no longer blind, and the "foolish" are no longer foolish, its meaning of existence is eliminated—along with all the ancient powers born from the "gods of blindness and foolishness." If there is no intervening party, all the outer gods, including it, will gradually be annihilated and disintegrated in this long, endless dream...
However, someone awakened it.
"It's time to wake up, Azathoth."
When the "voice" rang out, all the beautiful "dreams" in R'lyeh shattered one after another, and no amount of anger or sorrow could change that.
A person in a deep sleep can freely immerse themselves in beautiful dreams, but when they wake up, the world will no longer be governed by anything.
It only reveals indifference and cruelty.
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“(@＃*＆（@￥……)(@！！！！”
—Incomprehensible.
Before it could even make a sound, Lin Yi had destroyed his own hearing—at the genetic level.
This is not difficult. After all, there are more than one or two gene fragments that have been burned in the "Forbidden Zone of Life". Lin Yi cannot control the burning of the "Forbidden Zone" when it is activated, but it is easy to make some of them burn when it is not activated.
Therefore, Lin Yi's thoughts were not corrupted when its "sound" rang out.
This situation indirectly confirms Lin Yi's conjecture: a system based on "fragments" can never break through the limits of fragments no matter how it is extended. If one tries to capture its sound with one's own senses, one may lose all rationality the moment one hears it and become a member of "blindness and folly," instead of the current situation where one can "hear" its sound through "fragments" while maintaining sufficient rationality, and even pass on one's own "voice."
"Like a dream, no matter how beautiful it is, it can only be an illusion."
In the illusion, vague outlines are swaying.
—It is not to be looked at directly.
Following hearing, vision also dims... There's no difference; it's just a process of discarding what was already gone.
"Just like reality, no matter how ugly it may be—"
Extend your right hand and point it forward.
"You have no choice but to accept it."
While making this move, a tremendous sense of absurdity arose in my heart.
Everything I gave up on my journey to this point seems to have existed for this very moment.
Without hearing, its sound cannot be heard—truly fulfilling the concept of "incomprehensible".
Without sight, one cannot directly perceive its existence—truly fulfilling the concept of "unbearable to look at directly."
Even this right hand, which no longer belongs to the biological concept, satisfies the concept of "immeasurable".
……
For anything, an attack is predicated on observability—either you see it, you know it, or you have touched its existence. However, for things that are "incomprehensible," "invisible," and "immeasurable," you will inevitably be "contaminated" by them while observing them.
Therefore, when facing such an "opponent," one must be prepared to abandon it in every attack, regardless of the means employed.
If you listen with your ears, then you're abandoning your hearing.
If you use your eyes to see, then you should abandon sight.
If you use your palm to touch the attack, then abandon that arm.
The problem is, these things were already abandoned a long time ago...
With this sense of absurdity, I clenched my overloaded right hand tightly.
For the first time since it emerged from chaos, this space was filled with a concept called "light".
Centered on the slowly collapsing right hand, endless light and heat spread wildly as if trying to escape from it, like a "sun" blooming in the darkness. Those who are "blind" and face this "light" cannot help but look away—wait, does it have vision?
The moment it began to question its own existence, the last layer of defense surrounding it shattered instantly.
Light streamed through the torn gap, illuminating the "third party" who had been guarding the outside.
At this point, the "actors" on the "stage" are all ready.
By severing the connection between the right hand and the collapse, the space level is directly jumped to the area behind, placing the battlefield that originally belonged to the two sides in front of a broader "three sides".
Sensing the presence of two "kindred spirits" beside him through the "fragments," Lin Yi's lips curled into a smile: "Let's start the war."
The Great Old Ones: Chapter 946 Equivalent Exchange (Part 1)
"Equivalent exchange"—let's call this the entity that created the Marvel Universe for now.
Throughout the entire process from Lin Yi's proactive approach to guiding Azathoth out of that meaningless dream, it neither interfered nor hindered, but maintained a completely "observant" attitude.
This remains unchanged even now, even after Lin Yi has brought the "Old Ones," who should have been lost in illusion, before it...
Or perhaps, this situation was its original purpose?
Even with the biggest home advantage of the "Marvel Universe", under the influence of the resonance of multiple "fragments", its existence of "equivalent exchange" cannot be avoided from the top, which is beyond the reach of perception, to the current world of equality.
Like the chaotic "Outer Gods," they themselves did not possess the "equivalent exchange" that directly perceived the outside world. They were not corrupted by Azathoth's blind and foolish concepts. Instead, they directly achieved "communication" between different conceptual beings by granting each holder "language proficiency" through the "fragments."
However, the content of the exchange far exceeded Lin Yi's expectations.
Your 'path' has narrowed, for those who have gone before you.
The sphere of light at the center of the "Marvel Universe" slowly rotates on its own, continuously radiating a pure white light that has never changed since time immemorial.
Enraged by its existence, Azathoth let out a twisted and piercing roar, but filtered by the "fragments," it had lost the power to corrupt and pollute "equivalent exchange" and Lin Yi, among others... Or perhaps, even it itself had lost the concept of blindness and folly?
The sphere of light at the center of the "universe" slowly rotated on its own, radiating an ancient, pure white light outwards.
All blind and foolish instincts will eventually be replaced by reason and thought. This is the value and meaning of our existence. Your 'path' is not meaningless; at least it proves a possible failure, a direction destined to be cut off.
“（＆@（@……￥！”
In my perception, the battle—or rather, the "collision"—began. Wielding increasingly distorted limbs, the "Old Ones" relentlessly approached the pure white sphere of "equivalent exchange." However, the closer they got, the more "distant" the distance between them became. This immense contradiction made it impossible to apply the concept.
After isolating the "Old Ones" through this simple and effective means, it will turn its attention back to Lin Yi.
Your 'path' is too fast, for those who follow.
This time, the "voice" resounded directly from the depths of his mind—as if the "fragments" in his mind were speaking on their own. But Lin Yi, standing here, knew very well that it was just his illusion. The only one who truly "spoke" these words was the "equivalent exchange" in front of him.
Reaching this level in such a short time means your accumulated knowledge and experience are insufficient to make correct judgments.
"……so what?"
I will give you a chance.
From the pure white "sphere," the originally gentle white light instantly expanded and intensified to tens or even hundreds of thousands of times its original intensity. The intense light directly engulfed the outlines of everything in front of us, and only the deafening "sound" echoed in our minds.
Just like the 'blind ones,' this is an opportunity to prove your own 'path.'
Surrounded by this vast expanse of white, blazing light, one's own consciousness begins to succumb and descend.
It was like being pushed down from the clouds and falling to the ground; all the "concepts" that one should have possessed began to peel away from the body one by one.
In such circumstances, only thinking can continue.
Each fragment has "attributes".
From the "spiritual energy" of the Zhuxian Sword to the "metal" of Cybertron, to the "multiverse" of the World Tree, and even the "information" of the Information Integration Thought Entity... apart from the "fragments" he possessed, Lin Yi could clearly perceive this core in all the "fragments" he encountered and defeated.
These "attributes" may be inherent in the "fragments" themselves, or they may be derived after they are acquired. But what is undeniable is that each "fragment" is trying to move in a completely different direction, which is what "equivalent exchange" considers the "path".
This "path" is not unique. It could be a reversal of spiritual energy, a mechanical deity, or the Three Thousand Great Worlds. It could even be a matter of simplifying everything into pure informational operations. However, in contrast to this not-so-unique "path," there is only one "path" that leads to the "end."
This is what the "equivalent exchange" theory refers to as "fragmentation warfare".
It doesn't collide with simple numbers, but with "possibilities," forging a unique, correct "path" that leads to the end, at the cost of brutally destroying all other "possibilities."
Following this philosophy, it did not directly attack the fragment holders who appeared in the "Marvel Universe" it controlled, but instead conducted a "test"—just as it had done to the "Old Ones" before, and also as if it were doing to Lin Yi now.
One can imagine that if he continued to "sink" like this, Lin Yi would become the second "Old One," trapped in a state where he could not distinguish between reality and illusion, until one day a second fragment holder similar to himself appeared, awakening him as he had awakened Azathoth. But is that possible?
--impossible.
Therefore, Lin Yi had no choice but to resist.
“Yi, _陾〇衫二龄!VII⑷ 覇裙聊I propose an exchange to you.”
The feeling of being overwhelmed suddenly froze, and after a moment of pause, the concepts that had been stripped away one by one returned to themselves.
Yes, every "fragment" has its own properties. This is true for spiritual energy, metal, the World Tree, and information entities. So too are the Outer Gods and the OAA.
One is blindness and folly, the other is "equivalent exchange"—from the very beginning, it has never concealed this attribute of its own.
What does "equivalent exchange" mean?
"At the cost of this 'fragment'"
From the excruciating pain of a soul being torn apart, a "fragment" filled with materialized spiritual energy floated in the void... It was neither dazzling nor powerful; before being acquired and integrated by any being, it was simply a "**", also representing a "possibility".
"—In exchange for your equivalent 'fragments'."
At the center of the eternally existing "universe," the sphere of light slowly rotates until—
The exchange was successful.
From within the sphere, a 'fragment' slowly floated out.
P.S.: As requested by readers, I will try my best to finish this volume first.
The Great Old Ones: Chapter 947 Equivalent Exchange (Part 2)
During their initial contact, Lin Yi raised a question about "equivalent exchange".
What can I get in return from you?
Its answer was, "Everything I own."
Obviously, the existence of "fragments" was also included in this. At that time, Lin Yi, with a tentative idea, also proposed a price for exchanging "fragments". The answer was "the road ahead" - a concept that was still only in the imagination and whose existence was not even known.
Unsurprisingly, Lin Yi was unable to pay the price and therefore could not obtain the nine "fragments" in the "equivalent exchange." However, Lin Yi made a mistake at that time.
If the cost of exchanging nine "fragments" at once is too high, then let's change our thinking... how about exchanging a single "fragment" for a single "fragment"?
Admittedly, as the holder of the concept of "equivalent exchange," the initiative in the exchange has always been in the hands of the other party. Therefore, whether the exchange is valid or not must be judged based on the other party's benchmark. However, the view of "equivalent exchange" on "fragment war," as well as its response to itself, which is also a fragment holder, and Azathoth, made Lin Yi notice a blind spot.
More than the "fragments" themselves, it is concerned with the "path" derived from the "fragments"—that is, the "direction of progress," and each "fragment" represents a different "path."
Based on the premise of "equivalence", Lin Yi proposed that exchanging a single "fragment" also means exchanging information on different "paths". Compared with those "paths" that it has already obtained and determined to have no possibility, will "equivalent exchange" choose to continue to hold them or exchange them for another "path" that still has "possibility" and that it has never encountered before?
The exchange was successful.
The answer has been revealed.
Staring at the floating "fragment" in front of him, in a sense, this should be the easiest "fragment" that Lin Yi has obtained since entering this "fragment war". Even so, he still did not merge it, but let it continue to float.
Similarly, the "equivalent exchange" remains unchanged... perhaps it already knows what will happen "next".
"At the cost of this 'fragment'"
From the agony of a torn soul, the second "fragment" floated in the void, its surface covered with a metallic sheen, visible through subtle traces.
"In exchange for your equivalent 'fragments'."
The exchange was successful.
The second fragment detached and remained in front of Lin Yi.
then……
"In exchange for this 'fragment,' I will give you an equivalent 'fragment.'"
As the "fragments" taken from the "World Tree" were peeled away again, an unprecedented sense of weakness struck in an instant. It was not just the body and strength, but also the "soul"... If it had not already "jumped", the fragile human soul would not have been able to withstand even the first peeling of the "fragments" and would have turned to ashes long ago.
Even so, after peeling off the "fragments," along with the two pieces in front, one could still feel that their power had been reduced by nearly half as the system collapsed.
At such a cost, "equivalent exchange" is based on the premise of "equivalence" in making the "exchange"—