Chapter 241: Chapter 170: Dead Universe At the moment Ron locked eyes with the gigantic "eye," an invisible force surged into his consciousness like a tide, instantly filling his Spiritual World. Countless unfamiliar and complex pieces of information poured into his consciousness like floodwaters, each weighing enough to destroy a normal person’s sanity. The first whisper of the universe’s birth, the folding rules between dimensions, the fundamental causes of time’s flow rate, the metamorphic process of galaxy sublimation... These concepts, far beyond what human thinking could bear, were forcibly injected into Ron’s Spiritual World at that moment. Each concept carried the weight of a mountain, oppressing his spiritual structure. "True knowledge is a heavy burden," now he truly understood the meaning of this phrase. Ron felt a severe headache, as if someone was drilling into his skull. The Magic Potion’s Spiritual Shield effect was triggered, and a silver-blue Energy Barrier unfolded around his consciousness, blocking some of the information’s impact. The barrier only held for a moment, but it was enough to slow the initial impact, giving Ron precious time to react. "Too much... must... stabilize the Spiritual Force Field..." Ron struggled to maintain the integrity of his thoughts, but the tidal wave of knowledge was too overwhelming, like a flood breaking through a dam, sweeping away the defenses of his consciousness space he had meticulously constructed. Just as his spirit was about to collapse at the Critical Point, his consciousness was abruptly torn away. The sensation was like being seized by an unimaginable giant hand, traversing dark tunnels that crisscross through the endless void, only to be casually discarded into a strange Starry Sky. This Starry Sky was completely different from what he usually saw in Meditation. Gone were the living stars flickering with the light of life, and the subtle order and beauty; there was only the deep dark background, nearly devouring everything. Occasionally, a few flickers of light, like the weak heartbeat of a dying person. The feeling this Starry Sky gave was like it was about to die... Ron tried to sense the surroundings, only to find his Spiritual Power seemed trapped in some viscous substance, each extension becoming extraordinarily difficult. "Where is this place, exactly?" As soon as the question rose in his heart, he heard a strange vibration sound from above: It was a sound belonging to no known creature, like countless metal plates rubbing against each other, piercing and evoking fear. He alertly looked up, and an icy chill swept through every part of his body. A tentacle so enormous it filled his entire field of vision gently trembled. Its surface was covered with countless tiny suckers and scales, each flashing a sinister dark purple light. Its vast size made it unimaginable who or what the main body of such an existence could be. The tentacle trembled lightly, like shaking off an excess hair, shedding an object. The object warped and twisted continually during its fall, like a perpetually reversing hourglass. Ultimately, it landed not far in front of Ron, turning into a sea urchin-like creature covered entirely in spikes. This creature was about three meters tall, jet black with spines emitting a ghostly blue light. Surrounded by dozens of muscled, knotted tentacles constantly flailing, emitting an unpleasant moist sound. It lacked obvious facial features, but Ron could feel a sense of pressure from being watched, as if every inch of the creature’s surface hid an invisible eye. This was far from an ordinary Spiritual Contamination entity... Common Spiritual Contamination often manifests as hallucinations or nightmares, but the aura emanating from this creature carried a tangible threat. Ron’s heart sank, realizing the severity of the situation before him. This was not a mere illusion or regular Spiritual Contamination but a real trial triggered by the "overmind" Trait. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖 "It seems this is the ’Insight is Curse’ that Lady Allen warned about..." Ron analyzed calmly, his brows furrowed: "Each burst of inspiration is a mix of opportunity and risk." Instinct warned him: If he couldn’t defeat this creature, he might be trapped forever in this Consciousness Space. The creature seemed able to sense his thoughts, emitting a sound between a howl and a whisper. The sound did not transmit through the air but directly echoed in Ron’s mind, carrying an indescribable decay. In the next moment, dozens of tentacles attacked him simultaneously, their speed nearly leaving afterimages, clearly not intending to give him any time to think. Ron’s combat intuition triggered instantly. He did not panic; his expression hardly changed. In such a life-or-death moment, he instead entered a nearly transcendental rational state. Constructing the Magic Model was already merging into his instincts, and Spiritual Power flowed like water into every node with precision. The model formed rapidly, nearly twice as fast as before, the result of long-term high-intensity training. "Ring of Brilliance!" A brilliant golden-red ring burst forth, like a miniature sun, driving the attacking tentacles back a few steps. The heat radiating from the ring slightly warped the air, and the touch of light even caused minor scorch marks on the surfaces of those directly illuminated tentacles. The creature emitted a piercing shriek, tentacles instinctively recoiling slightly but soon returning to an aggressive stance. "The effect is minimal..." Ron’s sharp eyes tracked the creature’s reactions, quickly calculating various possibilities in his mind: "It has certain fears of Light and Heat Magic but is not entirely restrained."