Chapter 43: The Dark Origin Essence Imperial Lotus

Feeling alarmed, Tang Mu saw the giant peak-rank-one serpent raise its long pitch-black body from the ground and fix its glittering blue eyes straight on him.

Its petrifying and penetrating gaze ignored the darkness and the 600-meter distance and regarded him for seconds. He trembled and flinched with more panic as he continued using his spiritual sense to observe it.

This is a creature that appears to possess teleportation powers. It might also have the ability to continue tracking me.

Moreover, I can't take it on with my current abilities, and it'll be hard to escape from it if I stay in the painting world.

Tang Mu made a few conclusions in his mind.

He had already used more than 90% of his psionic energy. He couldn't teleport or use his shadow veil array to hide in the darkness. His most viable option was to escape from the painting world with the loot he had already obtained. He had to depart before the serpent could corner him into a hopeless situation.

Well, I'll be back.

He immediately contacted Little Green through their shared spiritual connection and urged her to transfer him from the painting dimension with all the haste she could muster.

By then, the giant peak rank one serpent had already grown impatient and was bounding forward like a black specter in the night.

Through his spiritual sense ability, Tang Mu could perceive it moving through the grass at a speed probably reaching 40 m/s. Its savage blue eyes were also fixed on his position as it readied itself to move in for the kill.

"Little Green faster..." He urged the small entity responsible for governing the Star God Pagoda.

He was frightened out of his wits. But he didn't want to run and escape, as that could compel the snake to use its teleportation powers to catch up to him. He stayed in place, watching the fast-approaching rank-one entity while waiting for Little Green to work her magic.

Fortunately, the snake needed more than ten seconds to cover the distance of six hundred meters. Within that window, Tang Mu eventually felt Little Green acting to transfer him out of the dimension, and his body began rising from the ground and into the air.

A wave of relief washed across his entire being, and he smiled as he faced the giant serpent, which had already shortened the distance between their positions to only three hundred meters. He even waved his hand provocatively at the creature, causing it to let out an anguished hiss as his body flickered out of existence and disappeared from the painting world.

Everything turned blurry after that, and he felt the uncomfortable sensation of shuttling through space. He closed his eyes subconsciously, and the next time he opened them, he was already standing on the first platform of the Star God Pagoda's Celestial Gallery.

He sighed and breathed out heavily to calm his still-racing heart. He then glanced around, taking in the starry crystals illuminating the place and the seemingly incorporeal floor of the diaphanous platform. Eventually, he sighed again and fixed his gaze on the stone slab with the painting of the savanna grassland and the towering mountain in the background.

The tranquility of the place gradually settled upon his entire being as he continued observing the details of the mural. His spirit eventually calmed down, and he felt himself regaining his most natural state of mind.

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It was at that point that the space before him shimmered. He turned towards the abnormality and saw the pretty and tiny Little Green, dressed in a princess gown, appearing out of thin air. Her green eyes twinkled, and she smiled at Tang Mu.

"From what I can see," she said, "You got yourself a large harvest during this adventure."

"Yes, indeed," Tang Mu said and returned her smile. Then, recalling something, he flicked his hand and sent the massive nine-petaled black lotus out of the star orb storage space with a thought. He didn't touch it but left it to slowly float to the floor of the first platform before returning his gaze to Little Green.

"Little Green! Do you know what treasure this is?" He asked with an expectant glint in his eyes.

Little Green's expression depicted her surprise as she glanced at the nine-petaled black lotus. "So, you have already gotten this treasure even while still at the primary stage of rank one! Impressive."

"What treasure is it, and what is its use?" He asked again.

"It's a Dark Origin Essence Imperial Lotus," Little Green replied. "It is a treasure that contains a trace of the profound darkness source law of the universe, and if used correctly, it will help even a domestic pig to obtain darkness manipulation powers. Aside from that, it holds other enigmatic mysteries that allow creatures to create a clone."

"Oh, it's that impressive!" Tang Mu's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, it's quite an impressive and scarce treasure, even when considering the scale of the multiverse," Little Green said affirmatively. "In your case, it's better you use it to condense a clone."

"The clone will be like another you, with the same features and a mind that shares a mysterious connection with yours. It will also allow you to do two things simultaneously, like being in the painting world while also being in your room. However, you won't experience any loss in power, durability, or intelligence, and the clone will always remain a subordinate to your primary consciousness."

"Aside from all that," Little Green continued, "The clone will possess a terrifying talent in the darkness manipulation attribute that can rival the Mentifery superpower of your body to a certain extent. This aptitude will gradually translate to your main body and allow you to train quicker while also mastering the darkness-related powers."

"Indeed, this lotus is quite a treasure," Tang Mu said, his eyes glowing excitedly. "Will the clone also possess my Mentifery powers?"

"Unfortunately, no," Little Green replied. "Fundamentally, the clone will mainly be a product of the Dark Origin Essence Imperial Lotus. The lotus is a treasure with traces of darkness source laws. So, the resultant clone can only possess darkness manipulation abilities."

"I guess that is still good enough," Tang Mu remarked, his excitement not diminishing in the slightest. A soft smile outlined his face as he could think of some ways the clone could make his life easy.

First and foremost, it would allow him to multitask and hide his movements since he could be in two places simultaneously.

For instance, he could let the clone head into the painting world or the branch of the Federal Mercenary Guild in the Hong Kong Commercial Zone while his original body stayed in his room. His alibi would be complete, and no one would be able to guess that he ever left the hostel.

Secondly, he could utilize the clone to hide his abnormal and rare Mentifery superpower. He could use it as a substitute to always pose as a psionic with normal darkness manipulation abilities while he concealed his true powers that could attract the wrong attention.

There were only advantages and no disadvantages to having such a clone.

Tang Mu's hopes soared. But he still had one concern and asked Little Green for clarification, "What happens to me if the clone dies?"

"Your soul will take a bit of damage," Little Green answered. "But you won't die."

"Oh, then that's a relief." Tang Mu smiled and turned his gaze towards the pitch-black nine-petaled lotus. He asked, "How do I use it to create a clone?"

"That needs a bit of preparation," Little Green said. "I'll now transfer a mystic art called the Star God Soul Abacus to you. It consists of a few visualization techniques to train the soul. It also includes a certain bizarre method to clone your soul. I'll aid you in using the lotus to create the clone after you finish comprehending the technique."

As Little Green voice sounded, a change happened within Tang Mu's head. A sudden sense of vertigo threatened to overwhelm him as a few wondrous techniques concerning training the consciousness flooded his mind. But he used his willpower and mental strength to hold on until he received all the information.

"Hurry up and comprehend the technique for cloning the soul," Little Green's voice sounded again. "When you finish, we can begin condensing your clone."

"Okay," Tang Mu agreed. He immediately settled down on the seemingly incorporeal floor of the diaphanous platform and started sifting through the information he had just received from Little Green.