Chapter 361: 361

“What should I do?” Hiram was caught in a dilemma.

“You don’t want to come out? Very well then, I’m coming in!”

At that moment, a voice rang out, followed by footsteps. Hiram’s hearing told him that there was only one person on the other side!

Who is it? Who the hell is out there?’

As the question darted across Hiram’s mind, his body tensed, and he got ready to attack.

Once his opponent entered the cave, he would launch a thunder attack, killing his opponent swiftly.

He had done it before, and he was going to do it today!

Creak, creak, creak…

Creak, creak, creak…

The footsteps were getting closer and closer. They were about to reach him! As Hiram was about to launch a strike, he saw how the person looked.

He could not help but be stunned at the next moment.

Weird outfit…

Odd appearance…

Strange looks.

However, that was not the point.

The point was, the person’s clothes were too clean!

It was unbelievable!

There was no water on Prison VIII. Every single person on the planet was sloppy and dirty!

“Could he be… a newcomer?” A thought immediately crossed Hiram’s mind. “Yes! Only newcomers would rush into a cave occupied by others. Only newcomers are this bold!”

Hiram became even more bloodthirsty while the thought passed through his mind. He leaped out and turned into a lightning burst to strike his opponent.

“You’re gonna attack me?”

Ling Jiu smiled and did not bother to dodge or avoid the attack. He launched a mental attack only when Hiram’s strike was about to hit him.

Boom!

The mental attack was also a soul attack.

The stronger Ling Jiu’s soul was, the more terrifyingly powerful the mental attack!

The greater the gap between the target and Ling Jiu, the more significant the effect of his mental attack!

Ling Jiu had reached the pinnacle of a super-clustered being, and his soul had attained the same level. Therefore, no other super-clustered life forms could withstand his current mental attack.

Boom!

Hiram fell to the ground holding his head as if he had been struck by lightning. He then screamed in agony.

Although the blow did not crush Hiram’s soul, it was not far off.

“It’s a pity that my soul isn’t strong enough. If I had entered the second stage of Eight Laws of Black Hole Evolution, my soul would have been stronger, and this blow would have been powerful enough to shake and break this fellow’s soul apart!” Ling Jiu shook his head. With a wave of his hand, he brought Hiram into the Inner World of his body (the Flame Astral Behemoth). Hiram then got swallowed alive.

“Leoux, let’s continue ‘rescuing’ the rest!”

“Roger!”

Thus, Ling Jiu followed the fluctuations of life he had picked up, searching for every single life form on the planet.

The situation was the same as he had gauged earlier. All life forms on the planet were extremely powerful even though the planet was sparsely populated. Even the weakest had grown to become a Level 1 super-clustered beings.

“Having to live on such a planet, all of you need salvation!”

There were two ways to relieve them from their sufferings, either kill them or make them gardeners!

As for how that was decided, it all depended on Ling Jiu’s mood. If they were not pleasing to his eyes, like Hiram, he would just slay them.

If they were pleasing to his eyes, he would just directly take them to the battleship, the Leoux to brainwash and reform them. Eventually, they would be sent to the Floating Island.

It all depended on Ling Jiu’s mood!

…

In less than one year of his “rescue mission”, he had managed to capture all life forms on the planet, including the Evogod’s last clone.

However, the clone was Ling Jiu’s last catch.

“You mean, it has been manipulating everything on this planet?” Ling Jiu looked at Leoux. He was flabbergasted.

“Yes!” Leoux nodded slightly. “The last clone is the Uncrowned King of this planet. It manipulates everything behind the curtains!”

“Its ultimate goal is to devour souls that are powerful enough. It would secretly offer protection for the weak and small ones, as well as save them from being killed! However, once the weak have grown up with successful attainment in cultivation training, it would harvest them by killing them so that it could be stronger!

“It is precisely because of its covert manipulation that the life forms on this planet have been able to multiply and increase their descendants from generation to generation. Otherwise, they would have gone extinct!”

Ling Jiu was surprised.

The Caius Titans had been annihilated 5,000 years ago, and the time flow on the planet was ten thousand times that of the normal region. In other words, 50,000,000 years had passed on the planet.

Having to stay on such a resource-scarce planet for 50,000,000 years, any species could become extinct if anything went wrong. But somehow, the life forms on the planet had been able to have many descendants persistently.

Suffice to say, there was indeed someone who had been manipulating things covertly.

“In other words, the ninth clone has lived for longer than 50,000,000 years?” Ling Jiu said in disbelief.

“It’s not exactly that long, but it’s close!” Leoux nodded slightly. “Yanlong created the clones after he annihilated the Caius Titans and fully occupied the Andromeda Galaxy!

“The last clone was also the last one he housed on this planet. Calculation of time shows that it should be 39,000,000 years old!”

“Thirty-nine million years old!”

Ling Jiu could not believe it. “Wasn’t Yanlong worried that this clone will overpower him? Things could turn against him. He could have gone for wool and come home shorn.”

“You are overthinking it!” Leoux smiled. “This planet is lacking resources. In addition, the number of life forms it can devour is limited. Hence, even though the ninth clone has survived for a long time, there is no way it can get too powerful. However, there is no doubt that it is stronger than the previous eight clones. ”

“The stronger, the better!” Ling Jiu could not wait to devour it. “I hope it can make my Soul Nebula grow past the 10,000 mark. It would be even better if my Soul Nebula can break the Evogods’ record!”

“That should be a piece of cake!”

“Let’s start!”

“Aye!”

As the steady stream of soul fragments entered Ling Jiu’s body, his Soul Nebula began to expand further in his sea of consciousness.

Nine thousand three hundred and twenty soul stellar units…

Nine thousand three hundred and fifty soul stellar units…

Nine thousand four hundred soul stellar units.

…

The speed of Prison VIII’s time flow was unparalleled. Time flew rapidly on the planet. Unknowingly, three hundred years had passed.

Over the past three hundred years, Ling Jiu had been monitoring his sea of consciousness closely. The soul fragments had been exhausted, so his Soul Nebula had stopped expanding.

Now, his Soul Nebula was a massive size and seemingly endless. There was no end as far as the eye could reach.

There was only a huge spiral nebula constantly revolving around the Kindle of the Soul.

“Ling Jiu, what size has your Soul Nebula reached?”

“Ten thousand and eighty-one soul stellar units!”

“Ten thousand and eighty-one soul stellar units?! What a coincidence! It just happens to be the record achieved by the Evogods!”

“It shouldn’t be a coincidence. My Soul Nebula could no longer take in more Dark Psionic Energy once it reached 10,081 soul stellar units!” Ling Jiu sighed.

The ninth clone’s soul was very powerful, and Ling Jiu’s Soul Nebula was forcibly pushed to 10,081 soul stellar units, the same record set by the Evogods.

However, the problem was that there was still plenty of Dark Psionic Energy left in his body, but it could not enter his sea of consciousness!

No matter how he tried to transfer the remaining Dark Psionic Energy, it just could not enter his sea of consciousness.

It was as if his sea of consciousness was so full that it could not accommodate more Dark Psionic Energy!

Since the Dark Psionic Energy could not go through, his Soul Nebula could not expand further.

Ling Jiu did not know the cause. He could only conclude that a Soul Nebula had its limit!

The size of 10,081 soul stellar units was the maximum for a Soul Nebula!

Leoux’s reaction was quick as a question flashed through its mind. “Could the Soul Nebula… have a limit?”

“We are on the same page!” Ling Jiu nodded slightly.

“That’s strange! A Soul Nebula actually has a limit!” Leoux was surprised, “No wonder the Evogods’ record is 10,081 soul stellar units. It can only grow to this extent!”

“Forget it. It does not matter if I cannot break the record. Now, the most important thing is to enter the second stage of the Eight Laws of Black Hole Evolution! ” Ling Jiu said slowly.

“The second stage of the Eight Laws of Black Hole Evolution, forming the Soul Primordial Stars!” Leoux further elaborated, “It is specifically to break the Soul Nebula’s existing balance to let it collapse!”

Ling Jiu responded with a slight nod.

The current mass of Ling Jiu’s Soul Nebula was amazing. It was like a huge gas cluster that maintained a delicate balance under the gravitational effect.

Once the gravitational force was removed, the balance would break. Affected by gravity, the Soul Nebula would then collapse toward the Kindle of the Soul at the center.

During the process, massive Dark Psionic Energy particles would be forced into the Kindle of the Soul and finally be assimilated with it.

That was the collapse of Soul Nebula!

Imagine a large energy cluster, the size of 10,081 stars, being forced into the Kindle of the Soul. What would happen to the Kindle of the Soul?

The Kindle of the Soul would inflate. It would expand continuously to an extent beyond imagination!

As the Kindle of the Soul expanded, Ling Jiu’s soul would naturally become stronger and stronger.

The issue was while the Soul Nebula collapsed, Ling Jiu would suffer great pain!

“The collapse can be extremely painful!” Leoux warned Ling Jiu. “The pain will be inconceivable, unparalleled to any pain that you have ever imagined!

“Moreover, the Dark Psionic Energy contained in your Soul Nebula is too massive. It is ten thousand trillion times larger than your soul. If anything goes wrong, your soul will suffer a great impact, and it can turn you into a ret*rd!

“So, you have to be mentally prepared in advance!”

“I’ve come this far. There’s no turning back.” Ling Jiu wore an unrestrained smile. “Let’s get started. I’m already hungry and thirsty!”

“You have to hang in there!”

Leoux shook its head. With a thought in his mind, it released a wave of gravitational force, which swept across Ling Jiu’s sea of consciousness.

The next moment, the Soul Nebula, which had been quietly revolving around the Kindle of the Soul, suddenly fell apart. It looked like a snowy mountain or a skyscraper that was collapsing.

Affected by gravity, Dark Psionic Energy particles rushed toward the Kindle of the Soul at the center from all directions amid the muffled sound of rumbling.

How big was the mass of 10,081 stars?

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It was unimaginable!

When a star with more than seven times the mass of the sun met its end, it would form a stellar black hole.

What would happen when a star with 10,081 times the mass of the sun suddenly collapsed?

The massive Dark Psionic Energy particles would instantly move toward the Kindle of the Soul and squeeze together. They would immediately merge with Ling Jiu’s Kindle of the Soul.

It would be a true unification!

When an atom was squeezed, an extranuclear electron would unite with an intranuclear proton to form a neutron. Similarly, Dark Psionic Energy particles would merge with the Kindle of the Soul, and they would be pressed into a sphere.

“Arghh!!!”

Right then, inconceivable, terrifying pain instantly erupted from Ling Jiu’s soul. It was as if it was crushing Ling Jiu’s body into meatloaf, squeezing his soul violently. He almost collapsed from the pain.

“This pain!!!” Ling Jiu screamed uncontrollably. He held his head in his hands and rolled on the ground.

Regardless of how remarkable his mental state was at his level of cultivation…

Regardless of how terrifying his level of pain resistance was…

At that moment, Ling Jiu felt broken. The pain that emerged from the depths of his soul was greater than any pain he had suffered in the past. It came like a huge wave, constantly hitting his soul.

It was painful!

It was painful!

It was painful!

“You have to hang in there, Ling Jiu!”

Leoux was looking at Ling Jiu, whose entire body was trembling. The pain distorted Ling Jiu’s face. At times, he would be in pain; other times, he would look mad; sometimes, he would scream in agony. Leoux’s heart could not help but tremble at the sight too.

He knew exactly what Ling Jiu was going through right then. Why was the Eight Laws of Black Hole Evolution regarded as the supreme secret book of the soul?

On one hand, it was a powerful teaching!

On the other, it was difficult to practice!

The first stage, forming the Soul Nebula, was actually the simplest. It only required the cultivator to accumulate Dark Psionic Energy for many years and keep expanding the Soul Nebula.

It did not involve much pain!

The real pain took place only when the cultivator entered the second stage. In the history of the Evogods, many Evogods had fallen alive because they could not bear the suffering from the collapse of their Soul Nebula.

That just showed how much pain a cultivator would feel when their Soul Nebula collapsed!

Moreover, Ling Jiu’s Soul Nebula was even larger. It was the size of 10,081 soul stellar units, which had far surpassed the Soul Nebula of countless Evogods!

Therefore, the pain he felt was more intense!

“Hang in there!”

Leoux prayed silently. As an intelligent life form, he did not believe in praying, but at that moment, praying was all he could do.

Boom!

Endless Dark Psionic Energy continued to collapse and merge with the Kindle of the Soul. Meanwhile, the Kindle of the Soul continued to expand further and further.

As a result of merging with too many Dark Psionic Energy particles, the Kindle of the Soul was no longer in the form of a flame. It was spherical.

Yes, spherical!

Plus, the Kindle of the Soul, which was now spherical, was inflating and growing continuously. Not only did it look crystal clear, it was also very sturdy!

As the compression and hitting continued without stopping, the spherical Kindle of the Soul became increasingly concentrated, tougher, and denser…

Time flew rapidly.

One hundred years…

Four hundred years…

Nine hundred years…

In a blink of an eye, 1,000 years had passed!

The spherical Kindle of the Soul had expanded to the size of a stellar star. It was now glowing like a dazzling star.

Nevertheless, the Soul Nebula had only shrunk a little!

It was still collapsing!

It was still collapsing!

It kept collapsing!

Two thousand years…

Three thousand years…

Four thousand years…

Unknowingly, 10,000 years had passed. At that point, the Kindle of the Soul sphere had expanded to a size equivalent to 10 suns.

“Hopefully, Ling Jiu can survive!” Leoux sighed.

Ling Jiu was still in pain at this time, but he had seemingly become numb to it. He was lying still on the ground with no expression as if he was asleep.

Such numbness to pain made Leoux worry. It was because the unbearable pain had put many Evogods into a vegetative state as a result of the massive Dark Psionic Energy!

Although their souls had become extremely powerful, their minds, consciousness, and memories had all been washed away. Thus, they had become the walking dead!

Leoux did not wish to see Ling Jiu in such a state!

Eleven thousand years…

Twelve thousand years…

Thirteen thousand years…

His Soul Nebula continued to collapse.

The Kindle of the Soul sphere continued to expand.

The squeezing pain continued to persist.

“It’s been 20,000 years!”

“Twenty thousand years!

“When will it end?” Leoux sighed.

Right then, blood was pouring out of Ling Jiu’s broken skin and flesh like a stream. However, since a super-clustered life form’s body came with powerful resilience, his body kept healing itself.

His skin and flesh were broken repeatedly.

His blood poured out endlessly.

His body healed itself constantly.

His body had been in a state of collapse since the beginning.

It was just a reaction to the severe pain when the soul was being torn apart. It just showed how severe the pain from a torn soul was.

“Ling Jiu, please hang in there!” Leoux continued, “I don’t want to end up seeing a brainless r*tard with no consciousness, who only possesses an extremely powerful soul after all our effort!”

Leoux sighed. “Perhaps, I shouldn’t have let him practice the Eight Laws of Black Hole Evolution back then. With his capability and the Golden Saiyan Ape avatar, even if he didn’t cultivate his soul, he could have stood steadily at the pinnacle of the universe…”