Chapter 46: Clone Forging Completed

Tang Mu didn't have to wait long before the outline of the human figure finished absorbing most of the dark energy and the runes that had formed the cocoon. He couldn't help but gasp with amazement when he saw the silhouette that was quickly becoming more distinct.

It was a buck-naked young man with delicate but handsome facial features, a fair skin complexion, a tall and thin build, and black hair meticulously fashioned into a crew-cut hairstyle. It was a figure of an individual that resembled Tang Mu, even by the strictest of standards.

A few more seconds passed, and the clone absorbed the final traces of dark energy and all the remaining runes around it. As if supported by a mysterious force, it slowly floated down and landed with its two feet on the almost incorporeal floor of the first platform of the Celestial Gallery.

Its eyebrows quivered, and soon, its eyes that seemed to contain darkness as deep as the abyss opened.

"This is my clone..." Tang Mu felt weird after glancing at the youngster before him. It was as if he was looking into a mirror. Yet, it was also as if he was looking at another him who shared a mysterious and close connection with him. He could discern that he was the other party, yet the other party was also him. The whole sensation was bizarre to him.

"Yes, this is your clone," Little Green confirmed. "It seems the forging process was beyond successful. Your clone already possesses rank-one psionic powers in the darkness manipulation domain."

"Moreover, the clone will always remain a subordinate to your primary consciousness. So, whatever it sees and hears, you will also perceive. Whatever it learns, whether runic arrays or common knowledge, you'll also learn if there isn't an abnormally powerful barrier separating you from it."

Tang Mu nodded. "I can feel that the clone also has the spiritual sense ability. However, the ability is not as powerful as the one belonging to my original body."

"That's because the clone is just a newborn," Little Green said. "If you feed it enough psionic crystals, it will grow more powerful in all aspects quickly. Of course, it won't break through to the rank two level unless your original body manages to do so first. But its darkness manipulation will grow more potent, and its spiritual sense could even strengthen to reach a perception scope of ten kilometers if you give it enough resources."

"Additionally, don't forget that the clone is mainly a product of the Dark Origin Essence Imperial Lotus, an apex darkness tressure that is rare even in the top civilizations of the multiverse. Darkness manipulation abilities like the shadow teleportation and the shadow stealth you always struggle to cast with your Mentifery are just child's play to the clone. It can perform them just by reflex."

"It's that powerful!" Tang Mu exclaimed and looked at the clone. He again felt weirded out when he saw it glance at him with a smile while still naked. He summoned a set of spare clothes from the star orb storage space and handed them to the other him, who eagerly put them on as quickly as possible.

Little Green ignored Tang Mu's actions and said, "Just give the clone enough psionic crystals, and it will surprise you with its abilities."

"How many psionic crystals are we talking about exactly? How many can we use to push it to the most powerful state it can achieve at rank one." Tang Mu asked, feeling a bit depressed. He feared that more of his recently earned wealth was about to disappear into thin air.

Little Green smiled on hearing the query. "We don't need a lot. We only require that massive psionic crystal you got from the painting world to push the clone to its strongest state at rank one."

"The massive psionic crystal!" Tang Mu felt like crying.

He thought he was about to escape poverty and become wealthy after harvesting psionic crystals that he could exchange for millions of Earth Federation dollars. But within a short period, he had spent almost all those crystals on forging the clone and was about to utilize another substantial amount to feed it. Such extravagant behavior was unacceptable to him.

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"You don't need to feel down," Little Green consoled. "Once the clone grows stronger, it will help you hunt for more resources."

"Indeed." Tang Mu's eyes lit up on hearing Little Green's reminder. If the clone became strong enough, he might be able to take on the peak rank one serpent in the snake cavern. Then, he would harvest all the psionic crystals he needed without worries.

The notion reinvigorated him. He took a few steps toward the clone and waved his hand. He sent the ten-meter-tall and two-meter-wide psionic crystal out of the star orb storage space and used his mind to place it on the almost incorporeal floor of the platform.

"I guess that's it," Tang Mu said and turned to face Little Green.

She nodded in response and floated towards the gigantic psionic crystal. She waved her tiny hand and used some sort of telekinetic powers to crash the crystal. Without causing any commotion, she disintegrated it into numerous smaller pieces that floated onto the ground and piled up before Tang Mu's clone.

Tang Mu witnessed all this with widened eyes. He was slowly starting to realize that the tiny humanoid being that looked like a pretty fairy was, in fact, a very mighty entity with powers he couldn't fathom. She was beginning to use abilities that he couldn't comprehend.

"Your clone will require about three days to consume all the crystals and achieve its strongest state at rank one," she announced. "I'll place it in the Star Orb storage space, and you can monitor the process yourself."

Tang Mu's heart throbbed with surprise. "Can the Star Orb storage space hold living beings?" He asked.

"Yes, it can," Little Green replied. "Your clone can stay in the Star Orb storage space if you're not using it in the outside world. You can also store your original body there if you're relying only on your clone to do something in the outside world."

"But remember, you're not allowed to bring in any other sentient being into the space as that would expose the secret of the Star God Pagoda. Of course, the exceptions are entities such as contracted beasts and soul slaves that are linked to you with binding soul contracts."

"I see," Tang Mu said, his excitement higher than ever. His hopes soared since he didn't have to leave his clone in the Star God Pagoda, which wasn't always accessible to him. Instead, he could stow it into the Star Orb storage space and summon it whenever he wished. He could use it as a hidden card at his convenience without contacting Little Green first.

"Okay, I guess that's everything for now," Little Green said. "I'll place your remaining loot and the clone into the Star Orb storage space. You can access them at your convenience whenever you wish..."

"Wait," Tang Mu interrupted before she could wave her hand and send him out of the Star God Pagoda. "Can I immediately absorb the source rune I just obtained to strengthen myself?"

"That's not a good idea," Little Green replied. "You should wait and absorb the rune when breaking through to rank two. At that point, your soul will be in harmony with the universe, and you'll be able to absorb most of the enigmatic knowledge contained in the rune without overexerting yourself."

"On top of that, you shouldn't use your original body for the task. Instead, it's better to rely on your clone that clearly has a terrifying darkness manipulation aptitude to engulf the rune. Then, your body can also master the knowledge the clone learns through your shared consciousness."

"Okay, that is it. You can leave now." She smiled and waved her hand.

Tang Mu immediately felt everything turn blurry as he experienced the uncomfortable feeling of shuttling through space again. He lost his sense of the surroundings for a short moment before flickering into existence within his room, which was still shrouded in darkness.

He wasn't surprised by the darkness since he'd already learned that the time in the painting world flowed five times faster than in the real world.

The fifteen hours he spent in the painting world could only translate into three hours in the real world. If he added on the three more he spent on the first platform of the Celestial Gallery while forging his clone, then only six hours should have passed since he started his adventure that night.

It should be around five in the morning.

Tang Mu sighed again at the wonders associated with the Star God Pagoda.

He took a few steps forward, expecting to fumble his way through the darkness before switching on the light. But just then, he recalled that he had already awakened his spiritual sense ability and stopped in his tracks.

"I'm really exhausted." He shook his head and immediately spread out his perception ability, expecting to use it to make his way through the dark.

But the next moment, his heart abruptly rose into his throat when his spiritual sense caught a detail of a hooded human figure hiding in his bathroom. It was as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over him, and he was instantly jolted to full vigilance after he discovered the mysterious nighttime visitor.