209: set sail

Xiang Yan seemed quite satisfied with the absolute obedience displayed by his subordinates in an instant.

"Very good." He nodded slightly, his voice regaining a touch of casualness, as if the grand proclamation he had just made regarding the fate of planets and the Reincarnation of all spirits was merely a casual remark.

"Everyone, get up. What kind of look is it to be kneeling all the time?"

Hearing this, the Believers dared not show the slightest hesitation. Their movements were uniform as they stood up, eyes downcast, waiting for the next order.

The fervent excitement had not fully subsided, and excited energy fluctuations still remained on the surface of their consciousnesses.

Xiang Yan spoke again.

"The forging of this 'furnace' takes time." Xiang Yan's voice was unhurried, as if stating an established fact. "It cannot be rushed."

He paused, and his tone shifted abruptly.

"But I, however, do not wish to wait here…"

The heartstrings of the shadows tightened again.

"I, too, should move about."

Move about?

What does that mean?

All the Believers were stunned.

"The development here is certainly interesting…" There seemed to be a hint of long-lost… restlessness in Xiang Yan's voice? "But always looking at the same scenery, it is, after all… a bit tiresome."

He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps making an announcement.

"It is time… to embark on a journey once more."

A journey!

These two words, like sparks thrown into hot oil, instantly ignited the suppressed fervor of all the Believers below!

"Hum—!"

Within the core space, the aura that had just calmed down was once again like dry wood being ignited, burning and rising violently!

"My Lord!!"

"Please allow us to follow!!"

"Willing to serve you!!"

"We would go through fire and water without hesitation!!"

...

In an instant, various roars filled with excitement, fanaticism, and absolute loyalty erupted like a mountain collapse or a tsunami!

Follow the Lord! Embark on a new journey!

This sounded… much more exciting than guarding a "nursery" and guiding a group of "ants" through Reincarnation! And much more glorious!

Blade Claw was mixed among them, feeling the near-boiling fanaticism around him, and his consciousness also received a strong impact. Follow the Lord… to war?

This seemed to fit the desires in his bones more than staying here, watching the surface world he had just escaped from.

But he was a newcomer after all, and had only just received the Lord's grace, so he was silently feeling it, not rushing to express his stance like the others.

Looking at the scene of instant boiling below, Xiang Yan did not seem surprised, even carrying a hint of… expected realization.

He raised his hand.

An invisible pressure spread out.

The clamorous roars stopped abruptly.

All Believers returned to absolute silence, but the fanaticism in those "gazes" had not diminished at all, staring fixedly at Xiang Yan.

"Calm down."

Xiang Yan's voice carried a kind of soothing quality, yet it also had an unquestionable power.

"This trip is not a descent of the true body."

Not the true body?

The Believers were stunned.

"It is merely… a Clone." Xiang Yan's tone was understated, as if he were talking about a trivial matter. "Just going to the outside world… to walk around and take a look."

The next moment, an even more surging wave erupted again!

"Even if it is a Clone, it is still an extension of the Lord!"

"Following the Lord's shadow is also supreme glory!"

"My Lord! Please must take us with you! Even if it is just to sweep the dust from the path for your Clone!"

"Willing to be the vanguard for the Lord's shadow!"

Their enthusiasm did not diminish at all because it was just a "Clone"; on the contrary, they were even more excited because they could follow the "extension of the Lord"!

In their view, whether it was the true body or a Clone, it was still the Lord! Being able to follow was the greatest glory!

Xiang Yan looked at the group of "Believers" below who were almost unable to suppress their fanaticism and wished they could be torn to pieces for him, a satisfied arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

He did not speak, his gaze just sweeping slowly over every kneeling figure below like an invisible searchlight.

The "Believers" touched by that gaze all felt their Souls tremble, a mix of awe, anticipation, and an indescribable fear, terrified of being left behind.

Blade Claw's consciousness was also slightly tense under this gaze.

He also longed to follow, but he knew in his heart that he was just a newcomer and not the best candidate. He suppressed the chaos in his heart and just lowered his "head" more piously.

Xiang Yan's gaze did not linger on any individual for too long, sliding past like flowing water.

Finally, he withdrew his gaze.

No words, no gestures.

But the next moment, about one-third of the kneeling "Believers" had a wisp of extremely faint black mist silently permeating their bodies.

That black mist, like a living creature, gently wrapped around them, marking their "good fortune."

The "Believers" who were chosen had their consciousnesses instantly erupt with irrepressible ecstasy, almost breaking through the invisible suppression set by Xiang Yan.

They tried their best to restrain it, but that excitement and glory radiated out like substance.

And those who were not chosen had their consciousnesses instantly dim. Disappointment was inevitable, but there was no resentment or questioning.

The Lord's decision was absolute truth.

They just lowered their heads even more respectfully, offering silent congratulations to their chosen companions, and waited for the Lord's next order.

Xiang Yan seemed indifferent to all of this.

He slowly raised one hand.

The black mist around him began to churn and condense.

The black mist was like a living spindle, pulling, weaving, and reshaping this energy.

Soon, a figure almost identical to Xiang Yan's main body slowly took shape.

When the Clone completely stabilized, he nodded to the main body and waved his hand casually.

The 1/3 of the Believers who were marked disappeared from where they stood.

Immediately, he turned around and took a step.

No tearing of space, no astonishing speed.

It just walked like that; one step out, the figure became blurry in the distance, and with another step, it disappeared completely.

As if it had never appeared.

Leaving behind the "Believers" still kneeling or standing in place, and the unfathomable main body still sitting high on the invisible throne.

Time lost its meaning on the scale of the Universe.

Xiang Yan's Clone, like an inconspicuous speck of dust, floated in the cold and dead Void Realm.

No goal, no direction.

It just existed, moving, like an absolutely objective observer, passing by barren or burning planets, passing through pieces of brilliant or dead nebulae.

Years, perhaps a thousand years, perhaps ten thousand years, perhaps longer.

For this Clone, there was no difference.

It was just executing the simplest order given by the main body—to walk around and take a look.

Until one day.

Without warning.

In this eternal darkness and loneliness, a trace of an extremely weak, yet incomparably unique "fluctuation," like a stone thrown into an absolutely calm lake, silently touched the edge of the Clone's perception.

That fluctuation was not energy, not matter, but more like a kind of… ripple on the level of rules? A kind of… strangeness that was incompatible with the inherent order of this Universe?

The Clone stopped for the first time.

Slowly turned toward the direction from which the fluctuation came.

The core of consciousness, which had been silent for countless years, finally rippled.

The next moment.

The Clone adjusted its direction and accelerated silently toward the source of the fluctuation.