Chapter 1015: Copying

The King of Silver frowned slightly, gazing into Chen Ling's calm eyes. He found himself unable to guess what the other was thinking; Chen Ling's tranquility and indifference always gave the King of Silver a strange feeling.

"You'd best maintain this mindset," the King of Silver said, turning to leave. "For the next three days, you will stay here... and await death."

*Bang—*

The door of the confessional closed.

On the blood-red cross, Chen Ling's eyes slowly closed.

After leaving the confessional, the King of Silver went directly into another room.

On a dim bench, a figure in a dishevelled black robe sat weakly, clutching his head in agony. His hair looked like a bird's nest, messy and dishevelled.

"What have I... done..."

Lou Yu's eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept for days and nights. He stared fiercely at his own hands.

The King of Silver glanced at him, then casually sat beside him, watching his struggle and pain, and sighed deeply. "So, you haven't slept a wink since I left?"

"I can't sleep..." Lou Yu's voice trembled. "As soon as I close my eyes, the souls imprisoned in the Philosopher's Stone flood my dreams... I can see how each of them died, and I can feel their gaze upon me... I don't know why this is happening... I didn't want to kill them... I was just a researcher who shut myself in the lab every day. I don't like dealing with people... After gaining power, I only wanted to save as many people as possible... I had no ill intentions, truly... I don't know why things turned out this way... My sins are too heavy. I think I... no longer recognize myself... I've tried to kill myself these past few days, but no matter what I do, I can't die... Hanging myself, slitting my wrists, even self-immolation – the flames wouldn't ignite on me... This body fills me with dread... My soul is housed in a non-carbon-based shell; I don't know if I'm even human anymore..."

As Lou Yu spoke, he frantically scratched at his skin, as if trying to tear open his chest to free his soul, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't leave a single mark on his skin.

Watching the nearly insane Lou Yu, the King of Silver smiled faintly. A white light flashed before him.

The next moment, "Reason" and "Courage," which he had stolen, returned to Lou Yu's mind.

Before leaving the Boundless Realm, the King of Silver had specifically stolen Lou Yu's "Reason" and "Courage." He knew that Lou Yu, in a state of absolute calm, was not easily controlled, and without preparation, no one could predict what Lou Yu might do during that time. But without "Reason" and "Courage," Lou Yu was merely a harmless coward.

As the two returned to his mind, Lou Yu's distorted, pained expression gradually calmed. As if transformed, he slowly pushed his dishevelled hair back into place.

He sat down beside the King of Silver, expressionless.

One elbow rested on the back of the bench, and with a swipe of his other hand on the armrest, a cigarette appeared between his fingers, which he then placed in his mouth, where it lit itself.

As he took a deep drag, an orange glow ignited the tip of the cigarette, and hazy smoke drifted in the dimness. A faint weariness and exhaustion emanated from Lou Yu's brows.

"You didn't have to do this to control me," he said slowly. "You could have stolen my abilities, or put me into a deep sleep or something... Stealing 'Reason' and 'Courage' is just too twisted."

"The abilities of the Nine Monarchs are not divine paths; I cannot steal them, nor do I have a way to put a demigod into absolute slumber," the King of Silver replied, a strange smile playing on his lips as he caught a glimpse of Lou Yu. "Besides, I was curious to see... what the real you would be like... without the support of absolute reason."

Lou Yu didn't respond. He took a deep drag from his cigarette; even though nicotine no longer affected his body, his expression did relax slightly.

"How far along are things now?"

"The final step."

"What do you need me to do?"

The King of Silver reached into his embrace, and a black USB drive materialized between his fingers. He casually tossed the USB drive to Lou Yu, who caught it, examined it carefully for a few moments, and frowned slightly.

"What is this?"

"An era archive from the Twilight Society. This one was held by the Gray King, codenamed 'Morality'."

"The Gray King?" Lou Yu raised an eyebrow. "You went out just for this? Since it's in your hands, then the Gray King..."

The King of Silver smiled faintly. With a casual wave of his hand, a head rolled out from the void behind him, coming to a stop on the floor. It was a woman's head, with ink-black hair like a waterfall cascading onto the floor. Her pale face had closed eyes, as if she were in a deep slumber, but there was no trace of life left.

"Years ago, this woman pursued me across several realms. She thought she had the upper hand, but she never imagined it was all part of my scheme," a hint of recollection appeared in the King of Silver's eyes. "I seized her 'Dao Fruit'—her self-proven divine path—and ascended to demigod status in one step, seizing all heavenly secrets. She was severely weakened; had the Red King not intervened to save her back then, the Gray King of the Twilight Society might have been replaced... Over the years, she recuperated well in the Ancient Prostitute's Repository, almost threatening my life. What a pity... she could never become a demigod in this life, and thus, she could never be my opponent."

Lou Yu wasn't interested in the King of Silver's past. He merely glanced at the Gray King's head before looking away.

Lou Yu held the USB drive seriously before his eyes. His pupils, like shifting spectra, emitted a mysterious glow as if analyzing its composition... Then, as if he discovered something, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Could this be..."

"Indeed," the King of Silver said slowly. "The Twilight Society only possesses three of these... If there are no surprises, the 'Primal Beginning' should be with the Red King, and the whereabouts of the 'Spiritual Treasure' are still unknown. The only one I could obtain was 'Morality'. But you should know what it does. If we had more, we'd have a greater advantage... I'm giving this to you because I want you to see if it's possible to replicate it."

"...Difficult. Very difficult," Lou Yu paused. "But I can try."

A smile played on the King of Silver's lips. "Excellent."

He slowly rose and began to walk out.

"Where are you going now?" Lou Yu asked, narrowing his eyes.

The King of Silver looked back at him. "To the vicinity of the Mortal Realm. There's another 'great gift' hidden there... isn't there?"