"Wake up."
Ren Suo blinked. His body, under the influence of gravity, was falling naturally, yet thick Purple Light Ropes bound him tightly. Only his head drooped, his neck aching with fatigue.
He turned his head and saw Sony's cold, arrogant face. Sony, too, was bound by Purple Light Ropes. Just monts ago, Sony had used the Mind Link to call out gently to Ren Suo in his thoughts.
Because Luoyin City was a city where the sun and moon shone together, the Night Moon Warrior's Attribute of 'becoming wiser at night' had naturally triggered. The clone could now act autonomously without Ren Suo's orders. If Ren Suo did issue an order, the clone would react according to his own character traits. For example, since the clone currently had Sony's form, even if he wanted to wake Ren Suo, he wouldn't shout. Instead, he would call out secretly and arrogantly in his mind.
Ren Suo straightened his body and raised his head to look around. He found himself inside a tall, white tower, its walls reflecting the cold sheen of alloy. When he lifted his head, he couldn't see the tower's spire, only a rainbow-like warm light spilling down from its tip.
Behind him, naturally, was Lanaya, who had bound them both with the Great Shadow thod. In front of him, an emperor sat on the alloy Throne, which was favored by the light from the tower spire. The emperor wore fla robes and possessed golden, divine eyes—
"Vermin, who allowed you to look directly at ?"
Xides's eyes burst with divine light. Terrifying ntal Energy struck Ren Suo's mind like a Pile Driver, instantly turning his consciousness into jam. He completely lost his ability to think and was implanted with commands and obedience programs, transforming him into a slave under soone else's control!
Lanaya, seeing this, had no reaction. She didn't actually need to control the Different Dinsion Coordinate that much; she just needed it as a bargaining chip. Even if the Different Dinsion Coordinate was controlled by Xides, it ant nothing to her—Lanaya just needed the person, not their heart.
In fact, if Sony hadn't constantly protected the Different Dinsion Coordinate, it would have long been destroyed by a ntal storm. Its will would have been broken, and it would have been turned into an obedient tool.
Furthermore, Grand Duke i Nielusi excelled in ntal Energy, and Xides's Bloodline Aura also appeared to be related to ntal influence. It was normal for him to make the first move and transform the Different Dinsion Coordinate into his own possession. Otherwise, Lanaya would have doubted whether the Different Dinsion Coordinate she held was even real.
Although the Different Dinsion Coordinate would obey Xides under such circumstances, it didn't really matter. Since it was bound by Lanaya, its will was irrelevant.
However, Lanaya wasn't the only one who knew this.
Sony knew it too.
Therefore, Ren Suo also knew.
One of the important reasons Ren Suo didn't dare let Dong Chengling or Ren Xingi take risks was Xides's brutal brainwashing.
From the beginning, Ren Suo knew Xides could turn him into a complete slave, devoid of personal will, unable to resist, and at others' beck and call!
But he had also long ago prepared a way to avoid Xides's violent brainwashing!
That was—the Sony Clone!
Apart from Xides, who could command the brainwashed, Sony, as the Imperial Prince and a master of the Bloodline Great Law, also possessed such authority!
Until now, Xides's power still stemd from Grand Duke i Nielusi. Sony, a master of the Bloodline Great Law recognized by Grand Duke i Nielusi, had nearly the sa operational authority as Xides. To the slave Ren Suo, controlled by the Great Lord's power, Sony could naturally issue direct commands!
Looking at Ren Suo's vacant eyes, now a plaything of the Great Lord, Sony's expression remained unchanged as he secretly commanded in his mind, "Do you obey my orders?"
Ren Suo obediently answered, "Yes."
Everything, just as Ren Suo had anticipated!
Now, all Sony needed to do was instruct Ren Suo to restart Ren Xingi's soul thought program. Then, the Record Body's archive would overwrite the current one, directly restoring Ren Suo to his previous state!
Yes, Ren Suo found that if he made good use of "A Different Life," he was almost immune to all ntal damage, but only when using the Record Body.
The Record Body's archive was constant, while his True Form's automatic archive was continuously updated. Therefore, all ntal damage to the Record Body could be overridden by restarting the thought program.
But the physical program was different. It could not be overwritten and would even directly affect the True Form. Ren Suo had discovered this when he, as Sony, had survived an assassination attempt. Perhaps because it was different from overwriting ntal mory, his body truly beca soone else's. It wasn't like ntal mory, which was plug-and-play. Even if injured while transford, that body was still his.
In theory, after he transford into a female body and then reverted, it could have been considered damage to certain parts, directly reflecting on his True Form...
But regardless, Sony could now directly modify Ren Suo's thought program and help him regain his will!
Sony pondered for a mont, then commanded in his mind, "Activate core program."
"Core program activated."
"Implant the ssage into the root will: 'Brat, your clone is your master,' repeat it 65,536 tis, Attribute settings to [read-only], [hidden]."
"Completed."
"Erase the modification traces, shut down the core program."
"Completed."
Sony let out a slight sigh and said in a barely audible whisper, "This is how I help you."
"Restart the will program."
This ti, there was no response from Ren Suo.
Ren Suo didn't look up either, standing motionless like a toy, silently awaiting the plot's developnt.
At that mont, Lanaya suddenly flicked her wrist. A burst of purple light flew out, hitting the silver-haired beauty lying to one side!
"Sony, you even brought this toy along. How much do you like this toy..." Lanaya sighed, pulling on the rope to signal Sony not to move. "Calm down. Whether it's the corpse on the ground right now or you, you are both redundant in this world."
"So, Xides, can you respond to my request now?"
Lanaya stood on the Lake of Shadows, staring coldly at Xides on the Throne. "Now that your son and the Different Dinsion Coordinate are both in my hands, all you need to do is withdraw from the Armor Cloak and leave the task of opening the Door of Annihilation to . I will let you leave with your son. That's fair, isn't it?"
Lanaya and Xides began to argue about the Armor Cloak and Sony. Xides requested to put aside the dispute and collaborate, while Lanaya strongly objected, stating that the consequences would be borne by his side. If he did not pull back from the brink, he should not say he hadn't been warned.
...If I can't beco a Great Lord before this and earn the qualification to rule over civilizations from atop the world, then even the Bloodline Great Law is nothing but a plaything of the Great Lord, let alone Nok Tu Nal's protection. I might end up as a al for Namira, or a toy for Morag...
"Therefore..." Lanaya tightened the rope. "Step into the shadows, and I'll send you and your son away from Luoyin City."
Lanaya's Shadow Domain inundated half the hall like water. However, Xides's Throne remained the only isolated island; the shadows were unable to cross the invisible Barrier to touch this true emperor of The Mortal Realm.
Sony remained silent, sighing once again.
From within the Mind Link, Ren Suo suddenly felt a wave of sorrowful emotion emanating from his clone.
At this mont, Xides smiled and said, "Do you know, i Nielusi is a very suspicious Great Lord. He is the most ambitious of the Great Lords, but at the sa ti, he despises subordinates with ambition. In the Divine System of i Nielusi, aside from myself, there are hardly any capable Divine Descendants."
"Moreover, for a hundred years now, the Great Lord has no longer been able to directly intervene in worldly affairs, and i Nielusi's paranoia has been growing worse."
"He chose for the Bloodline Great Law not only due to my decent abilities but, more importantly, because I offered him leverage that he could manipulate at will. Now that I am to beco a Great Lord, whether that leverage still exists doesn't matter anymore."
Lanaya's face changed, and she yanked the rope, pulling Sony in front of her.
"Xides, do you think you can get to release your son with such rhetoric? You're deluding yourself. I'm giving you 10 seconds, and once they're up, I will separate Sony's head from his body!"
Xides laughed. "Lanaya, your first mistake was thinking I would let you make a second one."
"You brought the Different Dinsion Coordinate along, planning to use it to force to leave and then imdiately open the Door of Annihilation, right? But now that the Spiritual Energy has completely gathered and the Different Dinsion Coordinate is here too, why shouldn't I... open the Door of Annihilation right now?"
As he spoke, Xides took out the Key of Oblivion—nelus's Razor!
"In the na of nelus's Razor, split open the darkness!"
Lanaya also imdiately pulled out a green Skeleton Key, chanting loudly, "In the na of the Skeleton Key, unlock the darkness!"
Amidst the chanting, Ren Suo heard a low echo coming from his clone:
"Even now, he is still protecting in his own way."
Ren Suo was slightly taken aback. He glanced at the Sony Clone, noticing a faint smile at the corners of his mouth as the light in his eyes slowly dimd.
Ren Suo suddenly realized sothing.
Although the Sony Clone was his clone, unlike himself, the clone's highest-priority core program wasn't personal will but Ren Suo's commands.
Therefore, when Ren Suo issued commands to him, those commands beca his core program. But this core program did not add any personal will. It wouldn't transform him into a 'Sony version of Ren Suo' or a 'sister version of Ren Suo.' Ren Suo, no matter how he changed, would always clearly know he was Ren Suo.
So the clone now had literally beco—Sony!
With Sony's mories, thought processes, worldview, and cognitive abilities, devoid of any contamination from another subjective will, this was entirely Sony reborn!
As the Sony Clone looked at Xides chanting loudly before him, he felt a sorrow as thick and undilutable as ink.
I am the precarious wall he carefully protects.
He is a pest I cannot detest.
We share grand ambitions, yet our differences are vast.
He tries to dominate the world from above, with war and death as his compass for the future.
I yearn to rebuild the world from below, to obtain peace through blood and revolution.
The greedy man dies for money, the martyr for fa.
Each sees the other as the greedy man, and themselves as the martyr.
The world's greatest sorrow is none other than this.
Father, what I owed you, I paid in full that night with your cartridge.
Now, let ...
At that mont, the incantation reached its end. The Spiritual Energy inside the tower began to quiver, and its pinnacle started to radiate light. The silvery-azure Radiance of space-ti energy had already descended upon Ren Suo.
Ren Suo stared blankly at Sony, listening to Sony's last words.
"With my own will, I launch a glorious rebellion against you!"
Terrifying Spiritual Energy burst from a corner within the tower, and the silver-haired beauty instantly transford into a rough Great Han! With the Black Pearl in hand, he turned into a Dark Current, surging past shadows, and lunged straight toward Ren Suo!
The raging surge of Spiritual Energy nearly twisted the very air, and Los's speed outpaced even Sprinting Thunder. At the mont he unleashed the Bloodline Cartridge's power, his strike packed enough power to breach all matter, dealing 2,664% True Damage!
Ren Suo had anticipated many things, but he hadn't expected Los's attack to be so swift that he almost couldn't react in ti!
Fortunately, the Sony Clone, already instructed, slightly shifted to shield Ren Suo from the strike, buying him a mont to react!
Before Los's sword, charged with Spiritual Energy, could touch him, Ren Suo activated "Ti Roaming" first!
Instantly, 1 second stretched into 16 minutes and 40 seconds. Ren Suo bowed his head, able to see Los's sword inching slowly toward his chest.
In this tiscale, Ren Suo's ability to move was also severely limited. He couldn't evade Los's attack.
However, due to "Ti Roaming," he wouldn't suffer any damage within this second of roaming ti!
But at this mont, Ren Suo wasn't concerned with Los's lethal attack but was instead focusing all his attention on the Mind Link. "You... Sony..."
In this tiscale, the only one who could still communicate with Ren Suo was naturally the Sony Clone, who could also activate "Ti Roaming."
But the clone had activated "Ti Roaming" after being impaled, and its injuries were irreversible. Moreover, the purpose of the Sony Clone was specifically to be killed by Los, to be crushed to dust by Xides.
"If possible, can you switch back to your True Form's will?" Sony asked in his mind with a smile, showing no sign of pain from being pierced. "Thanks to Lorifes, I especially detest talking to anyone with a brother-complex right now."
Ren Suo's face darkened. Still in Ren Xingi's state, he was naturally furious at this comnt. "What's wrong with a brother-complex? Is it any of your business? Besides, I don't even know if the Different Dinsion Coordinate Attribute is bound to the soul. If I switch back, Xides might detect sothing is off!"
"I never imagined the last conversation of my life would be with soone who has a brother-complex," Sony sighed.
Ren Suo composed himself and asked seriously, "Are you... really Sony right now?"
"The real Sony died a long ti ago," Sony replied. "I'm just a clone who thinks he's Sony. Frankly, I'm not pleased about this, and I don't want to chat with soone who has a brother-complex. Can you please skip this part so I can rest in peace?"
Ren Suo fell silent for a mont. By then Los's sword had already destroyed the clothing on his stomach.
"If you feel sympathy for , there's no need." Sony, sensing Ren Suo's sentintal, girlish thoughts, said, "It's truly embarrassing to be pitied by soone with a brother-complex."
Ren Suo felt indignant. "You..."
Sony continued, "But people are strange, aren't they?
"If no one sympathized, you wouldn't care how much a wound hurt.
"If no one laughed, you wouldn't care how unsightly a scar was.
"If no one compared, who would know what the future holds?
"You might not have realized, but it wasn't you Earthlings who truly killed ; it was Lorifes."
"She was the only one who made realize how ridiculous a person I am. I empathize with the people yet also oppress them. I'm loath to be bound yet willingly obey. I claim to march toward the future yet go against its path... Don't listen to her nonsense about 'trying to get my attention.' She pretended not to know I was Sony, and the way she cursed felt so satisfying."
"Sony had already been killed countless tis by Lorifes by then. All that was left was a body seeking death. I couldn't shine and radiate warmth like Los. I was destined to be the foundation stone that would be reviled for ages."
"My existence is a sin. To be born human, I'm sorry for that too."
"I am very satisfied to be able to contribute this last bit of my fading warmth for the rise of the Dawn Morning Star."
"Even though my records have been overwritten by your sister, I don't know if you have other ways to resurrect ... However, right now, I just want to leave without any worries. Is that okay?"
"Please, stop ssing around. Stop keeping here."
"Last ti it didn't work, but this ti it must, right?"
"For a beast, I've lived far too long."
As Los's sword pierced through Ren Suo's roaming body, he paid it no mind at all. He just stared blankly at the smiling Sony in front of him.
"I actually really hate you and your sister; one without ambition, the other content with modest wealth. And in your heart, you harbor thoughts no less filthy than mine."
Sony said with a laugh, "But who says small goals are necessarily worse than grand ambitions? Who says going willingly to one's death is more cowardly than bravely living on?"
"Ah, perhaps it's true that a person's words turn virtuous when facing death, or maybe I'm just incredibly verbose... Ren Suo, I have one last thing to say to you."
"Don't give up on your goals. Engrave the future you envision into your mind, and let it beco the driving force that propels you forward."
The future?
An image sketched itself out in Ren Suo's mind: Qiao Muyi coming back, taking off her tactical vest and collapsing onto the sofa; Dong Chengling and Gu Yueyan coming out of the kitchen to call everyone to eat; Little Jiu, who was doing howork, cheering and rushing out; the Black Cat jumping in from the balcony and transforming back into Luna; Lin Xianyu, who was being beaten in a ga by Ren Xingi, cheering and tossing aside the ga controller; Ren Suo in the bedroom, helping a clone with a back massage while still knitting a scarf...
Wait, sothing was off about this picture. It was one thing for his sister to appear, but why were Lin Xianyu and a clone also there? And why did I look so pathetic?
Ren Suo's core program began self-checking and virus scanning.
But at that mont, he suddenly realized sothing—why was it okay for his sister to appear?
Sony smiled faintly. "It's ti to recognize who you really are, Ren Suo. May we both reach the end of our roads with no regrets."
A blazing sword roared past, penetrating them both completely.
Tumultuous thoughts surged, thoroughly contaminating Ren Suo's core program.
In reality, Ren Suo had long understood a truth, but he refused to admit it.
However, seeing Sony sacrifice everything for his ambitions, Ren Xingi contemplating the future in junior high, and the future he himself had subconsciously sketched out, Ren Suo couldn't help but feel a powerful surge of emotion.
If he continued to degenerate like this, he would certainly have regrets.
He had to beco stronger!
Stronger than anyone else!
Never had his determination been as firm as it was at this mont!
He must beco stronger than everyone. Otherwise—in that house full of Cultivators, wouldn't he have no status in the future?
Third turn at 100% Peak Cultivation! His body at the critical mont of being pierced by a powerful warrior's blade! Ambitions firr than those for college entrance or civil service exams!
Water Drop Through Stone, Battle Breakthrough, Aspiring to Touch the Clouds!
The Qi Cyclone spun violently, Spiritual Energy crazily rushing into his body. The Inner Ring Cyclone, already accumulated to its limit, once again differentiated, forming a new Qi Ring!
Ren Suo, fourth transformation!
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