第126章 "Shadow of Doubt"

**Chapter 126: The Descent into Madness**

The silence that followed was oppressive, weighing heavily on White Xiaopu's shoulders. He felt like he was drowning in a sea of uncertainty, the stranger's words echoing in his mind like a dirge. The candle flame flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls as the air grew thick with tension.

"You're saying I'm not who I think I am?" White Xiaopu's voice was low and menacing, his eyes burning with a mixture of anger and desperation.

The stranger's expression remained impassive, his gaze piercing like a dagger. "I'm saying that your memories are fake, White Xiaopu. You're not even certain of your own name."

White Xiaopu's face contorted in rage, his fists clenched as he took a step forward. "You're lying! I remember everything! My friends, my family, my cultivation... it's all real!"

The stranger's eyes seemed to bore into White Xiaopu's very soul, his voice dripping with malice. "Ah, but what if I told you that everything you've experienced is just a simulation? A carefully crafted illusion designed to keep you under control?"

White Xiaopu's mind reeled as the stranger's words struck home. He felt like he was falling into a abyss, the ground beneath him crumbling away. Panic set in as he tried to grasp the truth, his thoughts racing with the implications.

"You're insane!" White Xiaopu spat, his anger and fear bubbling over.

The stranger chuckled, the sound sending shivers down White Xiaopu's spine. "Perhaps. But what if I'm not? What if everything I've told you is true?"

The room seemed to spin as White Xiaopu's world came crashing down around him. He felt like he was drowning in a sea of madness, the stranger's words echoing in his mind like a mantra.

As the darkness closed in, White Xiaopu's eyes locked onto the stranger's, a glimmer of desperation flickering to life. "Tell me... tell me the truth. Who am I? What's real and what's not?"

The stranger's expression seemed to flicker, a hint of something lurking beneath the surface. For a moment, White Xiaopu thought he saw a glimmer of recognition, a spark of truth.

But then, the stranger's mask snapped back into place, his eyes glinting with an otherworldly intensity. "The truth is... you'll never remember. And even if you do, it won't matter. You'll just be another pawn in the game, a mere mortal trapped in a world of shadows."

As the words hung in the air, White Xiaopu felt himself being pulled down into the abyss, his mind shattering like fragile glass. The darkness closed in, and everything went black.

To be continued...