Chapter 967: Alliance Secret, Second Clone (Part Two)

"If I just had another century, I could complete the Great Demon Splitting Technique… Unfortunately, the Demonic Consciousness I split off now is far too little. With my Main Body consumed, this wisp of Demonic Consciousness is like rootless wood, liable to dissipate at any moment… Yunyao Prefecture has collapsed, the Demon Pagoda is gone, and I cannot stay! I dare not easily enter other prefectures to absorb Demonic Power…"

This wisp of Demonic Consciousness, acting cautiously, flew carefully toward the distance. However, he was currently too weak, liable to have his entire existence wiped away at any moment.

Flying in the sky constantly consumed his already weak Demonic Consciousness. By the end, he was on the verge of collapse, his memories becoming blurry, and under this confusion, he gradually entered a state of dissipation.

Just as he was about to permanently vanish between heaven and earth, he vaguely sensed a wave of Demonic Power spreading across the ground. Below him was the Soul Refining Tribe!

At that time, the members of the Soul Refining Tribe were not numerous, only a few hundred thousand. Most of them were scattered, each searching for places rich in souls, leaving fewer than tens of thousands remaining in the tribe.

These people wore fanatical expressions as they worshipped a crude Black Stone Statue placed directly in the center. Waves of faint Demonic Qi emanated from their Crown Chakras, spreading throughout the area.

That wisp of Demonic Consciousness belonging to the Cloud Demon, its memory already blurred and too much of its essence dissipated, almost subconsciously rushed straight toward the Black Stone Statue. The moment it merged inside, the statue instantly seemed to gain sentience, becoming lifelike, and the surrounding faint Demonic Qi immediately condensed toward it.

As time passed, the Cloud Demon gradually settled within the Black Stone Statue. His memories had been lost too heavily during his escape years ago, causing them to be blurred.

He was never the Main Body, but only a weak wisp of Demonic Consciousness. Under this confused state, and being worshipped daily by the Soul Refining Tribe members, the Demonic Power he absorbed was mostly filled with the image of a person named Wang Lin.

Initially, he still felt some resistance, but as the population of the Soul Refining Tribe grew, reaching over a million, and with these people worshipping daily, he gradually began to feel that his name was Wang Lin, and that he was their Old Ancestor.

Carrying this thought, centuries passed. The members of the Soul Refining Tribe also reached several million. Consequently, through this day-after-day, year-after-year process, he had completely abandoned his past and truly believed that he was Wang Lin.

As he was subtly changed, the appearance of the stone statue also gradually transformed, taking on Wang Lin's likeness. And he, too, inside the statue, became Wang Lin.

Wang Lin raised his right hand, looking at the Ancient Demon in front of him who looked exactly like himself. The strange look in his eyes intensified. The scene he had just witnessed was unbelievable, even to himself.

Combining this with his earlier speculation, Wang Lin now had a detailed understanding of the entire matter.

After a moment of silence, Wang Lin's eyes flashed as he stared at the Ancient Demon, muttering, "It would be too much of a pity to reject an Ancient Demon who delivered himself right to my doorstep… Now that even he believes he is me, then… I shall let him become my Second Clone!"

"My Main Body is an Ancient God, my First Clone is a Cultivator, and my Second Clone is an Ancient Demon. If I get the chance, I wonder if I can create a Third Clone, an Ancient Devil! If they all undergo Fusion into one… I wonder if I can Return to Ancestral Form and become a true Ancient!" Wang Lin's heart thumped. He smiled as he looked at the Ancient Demon who had delivered himself to his doorstep.

He swayed, immediately leaving the location. His Divine Sense and cultivation entered his body. Opening his eyes, he looked at the Black Stone Statue before him, his smile growing wider.

He took a deep breath, sat cross-legged on the ground, placed his hands doing Hand Seals on his knees, and opened his mouth to exhale Primordial Spirit Qi, which instantly enveloped the Black Stone Statue. He also struck out Mark after Mark, constantly landing them upon the statue.

To make this object his Second Clone, he had to refine it until its mind and spirit were unified with his own, allowing him to control it freely with a single thought. Furthermore, the object had to not reject his Primordial Spirit, allowing his Primordial Spirit to merge into it and replace its original consciousness.

This sounded simple, but in reality, it was extremely difficult. If done forcefully, it could succeed, but only on Puppets far weaker than oneself. If the Clone was weaker, even if successful, it would be of little use.

But if it was not weaker than oneself, it could not be forcefully controlled.

Thus, this became the first choice and major hurdle in refining a Clone.

Since force could not be used, the only option was refinement day after day, which required a massive expenditure of time for even a slight chance of success. Even this success would have flaws, and the possibility of the Clone rebelling would still exist.

However, none of this was difficult for Wang Lin. This Ancient Demon had completely accepted that he was Wang Lin, so there was no need for excessive refinement. The only requirement was to integrate his Divine Sense and make the Ancient Demon understand who was the master and who was the subordinate!

This point was not difficult for Wang Lin. His cultivation was already higher than that of the Ancient Demon, and his Main Body was an Ancient God, so there was absolutely no chance of confusion regarding the hierarchy.

But Wang Lin was cautious by nature. During the remaining days of refinement, he not only merged his Divine Sense completely into the Ancient Demon, but also branded it with the Clone Mark. In addition to this, he prepared a large number of seals. Should the Clone ever betray him, Wang Lin only needed a single thought to force it into immediate submission.

If that were all, it wouldn't be Wang Lin's style. Besides those measures, Wang Lin also utilized some of Immortal Emperor Qing Lin's Puppet Control Spells on this Second Clone. Only after achieving complete control without any omissions did he finally relax.

Looking at the stone statue before him, a feeling of seamless Fusion naturally arose.

"It is a pity that this Second Clone lacks a Physical Body and exists entirely within this stone statue. It cannot be separated for now. Even if it launches an attack, it relies primarily on Demonic Consciousness! Its power is also quite weak, equivalent to the Soul Transformation Late Stage.

However, this object is merely a wisp of Demonic Consciousness. If it receives enough Demonic Qi, it will grow quickly, and one day it might reach the level of an Ancient Demon…" Wang Lin's eyes flashed. He knew this matter could not be rushed and needed to proceed slowly.

After giving instructions to the Soul Refining Sect, Wang Lin did not take the Second Clone with him. Instead, he set up several powerful Restrictions around its location and instructed the members of the Soul Refining Sect to continue their daily worship before leaving the Soul Refining Sect.

"This Second Clone is a seed. It doesn't help me much now, but once it grows up…" A hint of anticipation flashed in Wang Lin's eyes, and his body flickered, disappearing between heaven and earth.

Tianyao Prefecture, despite its victory in the great war against Huoyao Prefecture centuries ago, also suffered heavy casualties. Even today, hundreds of years later, the population of Tianyao Prefecture is still far less than it was back then.

Even the most prosperous Capital City of Tianyao Prefecture, although not desolate, was nowhere near as lively as it was hundreds of years ago when Wang Lin first arrived.

The shops on the streets remained, but pedestrians were few. Those who occasionally stopped only glanced around before hurriedly leaving.

In the former Hong City, there was a Long River. This river flowed downstream, connecting with the Outer River of the Capital City, forming a self-contained loop. At this moment, on the bank beside this river, Wang Lin sat quietly, gazing at the flowing water.

If a force could reverse the flow of time by several centuries, one would find that the spot where he sat was exactly the same as it had been back then.

Now, the person was the same person from back then, the location was still the same spot, and the river was still the same river; the riverbank remained unchanged. However, while the setting was old, the river channel lacked Flower Boats, and the Zither Music was gone.

A trace of melancholy arose in his heart. Wang Lin gazed at the empty river channel, and the sound of the zither, seemingly echoing from centuries ago, continuously lingered around him. Yet, this music was very faint, as if it would dissipate with a single gust of wind, never to be heard again.

Recalling the past, if it hadn't been for the night of drinking with the Sovereign on the boat, Wang Lin and the Blind Girl playing the zither might never have even met.

Even now, regarding the appearance of the girl playing the zither, Wang Lin only remembered that solitary back view and the profoundly sorrowful Zither Music.

Sitting there, watching the sunset, Wang Lin was immersed in recollection. At this moment, he felt the presence of time. In the blink of an eye, centuries had passed like smoke, capable of washing away everything except eternal memory.

"This, perhaps, is the tragedy of life…" Wang Lin sighed softly. It was precisely because memory existed that time existed; if a person had no memory, then time itself would cease to exist.

"I wonder if Mo Lihai from back then is still around…"

Beside Wang Lin was a Wine Pot. The wine inside was purchased from the same shop as years ago. That shop had been passed down through generations, and even today, the sign was the same, but the wine… Wang Lin picked it up and took a sip.

"Even the taste has changed…" Wang Lin gave a wry smile and put down the Wine Pot.

"Of course it changed. The descendants of the Wine Shop Owner lack the skill of their ancestors and cannot reproduce the taste of time." A calm voice came from behind Wang Lin, carrying a hint of weariness.

Wang Lin did not turn around, sighing softly, "After centuries apart, the Sovereign has also lost his former carefree spirit!"

A long sigh came from behind Wang Lin. A Purple-Robed Middle-Aged Man sat down next to Wang Lin. This man was extremely handsome, his former appearance still vaguely visible, but now, white threads streaked his temples, and his face showed the vicissitudes of time.

"Try a sip of this." The middle-aged man took out a Wine Pot and handed it to Wang Lin.

Wang Lin took it, drank a mouthful, and smiled, saying, "It's the wine from back then!"

"I knew you would return, so I saved quite a bit, preparing to drink heartily with you again for a night!" The middle-aged man produced another Wine Pot, drank most of it in one gulp, his eyes regaining their luster. He laughed heartily, "Brother Wang, are you feeling melancholy because the Zither Music from back then is gone?"

A wisp of Zither Music drifted slowly from the distance like an illusion, carrying a hint of loneliness and sorrow, lingering all around. In a moment, a Large Boat, rising and falling with the splashing sound of the water, came sailing down the river channel.

At the bow of that boat, a woman was also sitting, her back facing Wang Lin, playing the zither.