But what if he was wrong?
What if the necklace had nothing to do with all this?
A shadow of doubt crossed his face. He made many assumptions to piece together the events. But the overall picture was starting to get convoluted.
"The simplest explanation is usually the correct one," he murmured.
Was one of his assumptions wrong? But if so, where had the mistake begun?
He began reevaluating his most basic assumption, stripping everything back to its foundation.
Previous assumption: He had been brought to this unknown place using the necklace as a catalyst.
New assumption: The necklace is unrelated to all of this.
Question: Then how did that person bring him here?
Yang Huo's gaze darkened as his thoughts churned. No matter how he traced the sequence of events, he couldn't identify another method capable of abducting him so swiftly—let alone without alerting the Su family.
And then he paused.
Not because he had found an answer, but because he realized something was off. The problem wasn't the lack of a solution. It was the question itself. It carried an assumption he hadn't yet challenged.
Yang Huo drew in a slow breath, steadying his thoughts.
Previous assumption: He was taken away to some unknown place.
New assumption: …He never left his room.
He scanned his surroundings again. The endless void remained the same—silent, oppressive, and endless.
Question: If he was still in his room, why did this place feel so real?
A possible explanation did not come immediately, but it surfaced gradually as he dismantled each possibility one by one.
Hypothesis: His body was still in the room, Only his consciousness had been displaced.
That alone explained several inconsistencies.
The restored robe.
The absence of wounds.
None of it had ever been real to begin with.
But even with this understanding, the method still eluded him.
How could someone pull his consciousness away so effortlessly?
Yang Huo pondered further, but failed to arrive at anything concrete.
After all, what else could explain this if not requiring some kind of medium like the necklace?
If this individual wielded a technique so enigmatic that it required no medium, evading anyone's detection while executing something as invasive as displacing his consciousness, then what couldn't they do?
'Wait...'
But then—
He paused.
A new possibility surfaced, something that sounds outlandish, and yet, allowing him to expand the scope of his analysis.
What if the medium wasn't an object at all?
What if it was an action?
His breathing slowed, retracing every minute detail of his actions.
But what action could that be? All he did was sitting and cultivating...
Cultivating....
Cultivation....
Yang Huo's eyes widened as he surveyed the infinite darkness surrounding him.
He recalled the face of that person—an exact replica of this body's face. Someone who had instantly recognized the body possession. Someone who could effortlessly drag him into this realm.
An explanation began to take shape. One that accounted for every inconsistency. Even the nature of this strange realm aligned with it.
It was so perfect, so flawlessly fitting, that it would be nothing short of a cruel joke if it were wrong.
But if this was true, then this body—no, the original Yang Huo—had to be special.
And considering the System had chosen this body for him in the first place, the possibility wasn't far-fetched.
Yang Huo took a step forward, settling his gaze upon the endless void before him.
"Come out," he called, his words slow but firm. "I know you're here."
But the void remained silent, still and empty as ever. No response came.
Yang Huo narrowed his eyes but wasn't surprised.
Everywhere he looked, only the same oppressive darkness greeted him. Yet now, it felt as though he could peer through everything.
Clarity settled in his view.
Not only had he never left his room—he never got kidnapped in the first place.
In fact, this realm.... was something he could control himself.
Without another word, Yang Huo lifted his leg and slammed it down with force. The impact echoed across the void, rippling outward like a stone striking still water. The very fabric of reality trembled as if struck by a powerful force.
Gradually, the darkness began to unravel, peeling away like the remnants of an illusion. The void crumbled, giving way to a new reality.
No... it wasn't new. It was merely reverting back to its original state.
'So this is.... Yang Huo's Heart Sea.'
An endless crimson expanse stretched before him, vast and unnervingly still. The surface of the sea was opaque and heavy, swallowing light without reflection. The air felt thick—suffocating in its silence.
Above, a pale moon hung high in the sky, occupying nearly a third of the oppressive expanse. Yet its ghostly glow barely touched the surface of the crimson sea. The light wavered, as if the sea itself rejected the moon's presence, as if the two did not belong together.
It was a sight that could unnerve most. But Yang Huo felt no such reaction. His attention had already shifted elsewhere.
The crimson sea stirred.
From its depths, a figure slowly rose, emerging like a specter from bloodied waters.
"I sense a change within you," the figure said smoothly. A faint smile playing on their lips, though the sharp glint in their eyes betrayed a hidden contempt.
Yang Huo's expression remained composed, but unease stirred quietly beneath the surface.
The figure before him bore the exact appearance of the original Yang Huo.
"Inner demon…" he murmured, voice edged with calculation as his gaze narrowed.
Inner demons were reflections of one's mind—manifestations tied to the soul itself.
So this made no sense.
Though they shared the same physique, he and the original Yang Huo were entirely different individuals. They should not share the same inner demon.
It should have vanished along with him.