In a mysterious realm, within a massive crater, a divine serpent was struggling in its death throes.
Above it, Wu Ming sat motionless, as streams of pure light continuously descended, gently and gracefully, yet carrying an irresistible force that gradually dismantled the serpent’s divinity and true form.
“Hiss!”
As the pure light grew denser, the golden divinity on the serpent’s body weakened further, and it let out a sharp hiss.
“So… it has already become a mere beast?”
Wu Ming sighed, and a blessed cloud appeared above his head, unleashing a tremendous pressure that accelerated the serpent’s loss of divinity.
“Your original body is already dead; your existence as a manifestation is a great distortion and mistake! Now, it’s time to correct this…”
Boom!
After his words, the pure light finally broke through the defense of the divinity, slowly dissolving the serpent’s physical body.
“My blood’s blood shall never perish…”
In its final moments, the serpent’s eyes, once filled with madness and beastly instinct, gradually calmed as its blood-related divinity dissipated. The serpent raised its gaze and spoke loudly in an ancient language.
The more ancient a language is, the closer it is to the sounds of laws and great truths, making its meaning instantly understandable to those who hear it.
“Never perish?”
Wu Ming’s expression turned solemn, but his eyes remained emotionless. With a wave of his hand, he reduced the serpent’s final remains to ashes.
“Besides eternity, what in this world can truly last forever?”
He sighed softly, then looked toward where the black serpent had turned to dust: “The power of a ninth-level being is truly inconceivable?”
This manifestation of the Infinite Serpent had only been grazed by the residual energy of the battle, yet it had suffered such a pitiful fate. Even the wounds it sustained then had never healed, giving Wu Ming a deeply unsettling feeling.
“This manifestation should originally have still possessed some rationality, but due to its severe injuries that never recovered and its imprisonment within this realm, it could only await death…”
Wu Ming slowly deduced the serpent’s journey.
As a manifestation of an eighth-level being, after the battle that led to the Infinite Serpent’s demise, it had been gravely wounded and fallen into this barren realm, unable to escape.
In an attempt to recover quickly, the Ouroboros serpent had turned to the idea of rituals, barely managing to contact the ancestors of people like the Black Serpent in the main world, hoping to gain faith and worship through the path of divinity to escape its predicament.
Unfortunately, it had overestimated itself.
The severe injuries from a ninth-level being, combined with absorbing too much negative energy filled with bloodlust and cruelty, caused the divinity it gathered to be full of chaos. Eventually, this chaotic divinity completely overwhelmed its inner rationality, transforming it into a malevolent creature that only sought blood sacrifices.
“Even at the eighth level, it still ended up like this. Truly tragic…”
This incident served as a great awakening for Wu Ming, making him feel no room for complacency: “If even the Infinite Serpent has perished, what qualifications do I have to be arrogant in this world?”
Not to mention the serpent’s ancient enemies or its ancestral bloodline reappearing, Wu Ming currently had no confidence at all in dealing with such threats.
“Even an eighth-level Da Luo is not a ninth-level Hun Yuan, which is nearly omniscient and omnipotent.”
Wu Ming descended to the bottom of the crater.
At this point, the Ouroboros serpent had completely vanished, and everything had been utterly erased from this realm, leaving no trace behind.
“For example… the secret of this realm, I still don’t fully understand…”
Wu Ming looked at the dark red sky, the dry, cracked earth devoid of any sign of life, and sighed.
“Why does such a realm still exist, attached to the main world?”
Wu Ming pondered, as a layer of pure light spread outward, seeping into the void, as if attempting to trace the origin of this realm.
Ordinary half-realms wouldn’t exhibit such characteristics; something must have influenced it.
Soon, a vast and ancient stream of information reached Wu Ming, causing his mind to tremble violently: “This feeling…”
“If my guess is correct, this main world might have a ‘dark side,’ or perhaps a ‘hidden world.’ After all, where there is light, there is darkness—this is the natural order of the world!”
In fact, even the Sear Continent he had previously controlled had inner realms.
Some extremely powerful supernaturals, especially newly emerged deities, would be completely exiled into the hidden world, effectively imprisoned.
In the past, Wu Ming had once ventured into the hidden world after mastering his divine techniques and eliminated a new god who had stolen the church’s faith.
What kind of beings might be sealed in the dark side of this main world?
“True gods can manifest in the physical world, so they can be excluded. Perhaps it’s divine abominations or ancient surviving malevolent creatures?”
Wu Ming speculated: “This realm must have once been influenced by the hidden world, which is why it developed these peculiar characteristics!”
He gazed at the void, his eyes gleaming with eagerness, but soon he gave up on the idea.
“Although using this realm as a stepping stone to delve deeper into the hidden world might be possible, the danger is too high… The unknown is the most terrifying. Before thoroughly investigating, it’s better not to advance recklessly… At the very least, I could send some expendable pawns ahead to test the waters gradually.”
If the main world is the ‘yang’ aspect of existence, then the hidden world is its ‘yin’ counterpart, where even the most fundamental laws of reality might change, resulting in bizarre and unpredictable phenomena.
Although Wu Ming, with his Da Luo-level power, could certainly traverse the hidden world, the dangers there were undoubtedly significant.
“The gods of this world should have some records regarding explorations of the hidden world…”
Wu Ming stroked his chin thoughtfully: “It seems I should pay a visit to some of those beings soon.”
If the hidden world were truly so easy to deal with, given the terrifying number of Golden Immortals and Da Luo experts in the main world, it would have already been eliminated long ago.
Its continued existence to this day must mean there are certain extremely difficult obstacles to overcome.
…
“Master!”
When Wu Ming returned to the main world and exited his meditation chamber, he found that Chris and Adex were already waiting for him, their faces displaying complex expressions.
“Oh? What’s the matter?”
Wu Ming raised an eyebrow.
“It’s like this, great Master…”
Adex took a deep breath. This newly appointed Earl was truly humble before Wu Ming: “Several key members of our organization can no longer sense the presence of the false god that existed before…”
The foundation of the Ouroboros Ring lay in the survival of the Ouroboros serpent. Once Wu Ming had destroyed it, the members of the organization immediately sensed something was wrong.
“Did you notice?”
Wu Ming nodded calmly: “Yes, I have located that false god and completely destroyed it. From today onward, you can devote yourselves entirely to serving me!”
“My Lord!”
Chris was overjoyed, and she and the nervous Adex immediately knelt down, praising him: “You are the source of our bloodline, the ultimate destination of all things!”
Especially Adex—if he had any lingering doubts before, he now had no way back.
After all, besides the present Lord, he had no idea where else to find another Ouroboros serpent. The continuation of their bloodline family depended entirely on this one person’s will.
If Wu Ming were willing to bestow even a single drop of his pure blood, elevating a member of the Ouroboros Ring to a second-generation divine descendant or a pure-blooded giant serpent, it would be no problem at all.
Conversely, if he deliberately suppressed the power within their bloodlines, those families deeply influenced by the Ouroboros serpent would gradually perish.
This is the absolute control that a bloodline source has over its subordinates. In Wu Ming’s eyes, it was even more effective than any slave contract.
“Very well! How is the intelligence you collected earlier, along with historical records and other materials, coming along?”
Wu Ming asked.
“Great Supreme Lord, everything you requested has already been prepared by your humble servant.”
As an Earl and the current controller of the Ouroboros Ring, Adex had access to tremendous manpower and resources, making the handling of minor tasks extremely convenient and efficient.
“I have obtained geographical data about the main world, the distribution of the eastern and western continents, and the habits and characteristics of various races… I have made copies of all available information!”
Adex continued, a faint bitter smile appearing on his face: “However, Master, compared to the entire world, the human-controlled eastern and western continents are only a small part, so there may be some omissions and inaccuracies…”
“I naturally understand. As long as it’s not too far off, that’s acceptable.”
Wu Ming waved his hand dismissively.
To be honest, these subordinates had already exceeded his expectations.
At this point, within the entire Black Forest Castle, he was like a supreme emperor. A mere nod of approval from Wu Ming was enough to make Adex visibly delighted, while Chris beside him was clearly envious.
After enjoying a sumptuous dinner aimed solely at satisfying his appetite, Wu Ming returned to his bedroom and quietly browsed through these documents under the light of a magical lamp.
Creak!
The door opened, and Chris tiptoed in.
She was clearly dressed up for the occasion, wearing only a thin veil that barely concealed her alluring figure, her silk-clad legs exposed without hesitation.
“What’s going on?”
Wu Ming glanced up casually and asked.
“That Adex character actually prepared a few simple village girls to serve the Master!”
Chris complained indignantly: “How can they possibly hope to gain the Master’s favor? Dream on! I’ve already driven them all away!”
Wu Ming listened with a slightly speechless expression.
He naturally understood the temptation his bloodline held for these descendants of the Ouroboros serpent. If he were to leave behind even a single offspring, it could potentially become a true god in the future!
Of course, he had no intention of doing so, and Adex wouldn’t dare to indulge in such fantasies. At most, he might try to offer some beautiful women to please him.
Unfortunately, even this act had stepped on a certain little cat’s tail.
“By doing this, are you planning to offer yourself as an apology?”
Wu Ming raised his chin slightly: “Come here!”
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