So heavy…

Even with Anchor active, a profound sense of helplessness still overwhelmed Ashe's soul the moment he stepped into the River of Flowing Gold.

It wasn't because of the speed of the current. It wasn't even the literal weight of the water. In fact, Anchor worked exactly as intended, completely blocking all external, physical influences. In this state, Ashe could have waded through a sea of filth and emerged unstained.

However, Anchor only blocked external forces from affecting the sorcerer. It did not sever his five senses, through which he still received information.

When a soul was too weak, an excess of information became a poison.

The River of Flowing Gold erupted with countless echoes. Its waves reflected endless scenes, and Ashe could hear the collective sighs of millions of lives enduring birth, aging, sickness, and death. He saw a chaotic tapestry of existence spanning across eons, and the sheer cognitive overload nearly froze his soul.

With his current mental capacity, processing this flood of data was impossible....