Bab 211: Changes
Just after Zane closed the vibranium door, countless turrets and security systems on the satellite flashed with an almost imperceptible red light, indicating they had been activated.
Zane took out a throne from the treasury. He wasn't planning to cultivate in the traditional sense—sitting cross-legged for hours could lead to numb legs. The large, quiet retreat room was completely silent, so much so that Zane could hear his own heartbeat clearly. This sudden, profound loneliness struck him deeply.
Seated on the throne, Zane let out a bitter laugh. "Here I am, acting like the head of the family, yet it turns out I'm the one who can't bear to be without them."
Indeed, of all the people he cared for, it was Zane, the head of this family, who found it hardest to part. This family was something Zane had built from scratch. As an orphan in his previous life, he cherished this family more than anything.
He believed that being reborn in the Marvel universe, his greatest gain wasn't the system's assistance or his immense power, but finding his true love, Lorna, and the group of people he cared for.
Zane always played the role of the family head, feeling a deep responsibility to ensure everyone's growth and success. In the pin-drop silence of the retreat room, Zane took several deep breaths, suppressing the overwhelming feelings of longing and loneliness, and immersed his consciousness into his soul. He began to unlock the undead in the [Realm of Dead] converting the billions of undead into his devoted followers.
As the number of followers grew, a surge of pure golden faith energy flooded into the gray sea of belief within Zane's soul. The sudden increase in faith energy created massive waves, impacting Zane's soul, with some even spilling out into the external world. The retreat room, bathed in countless golden streams, transformed into a fantastical, beautiful space.
Feeling his soul on the verge of tearing apart, Zane halted the conversion process. He then began to adapt to the surging faith energy. Waves of liquefied faith energy crashed against the boundaries of his soul, expanding its capacity. Each impact made Zane's soul tremble and subjected him to excruciating pain.
After what seemed like an eternity, Zane finally adjusted to the increased faith energy. Checking the [Realm of Dead] he realized he had only converted about ten million out of the two hundred billion undead. Clearly, there was a long road ahead.
Zane closed his eyes again, repeating the process. Over time, his soul became incredibly resilient, tempered by the ceaseless impact of the faith energy. His will, forged by the soul-rending pain, became as unyielding as a rock.
Unknowingly, the sea of belief within Zane's soul expanded to an almost boundless extent, resembling a self-contained world. The faith energy that leaked out began to transform his body, including his bones, blood, and meridians.
Time flowed relentlessly, and four years passed in the blink of an eye. The same lonely planet, the same retreat room, but the person inside had changed. A figure radiating golden light from every pore sat regally on the throne. His furrowed brows indicated he was enduring immense pain.
With the last undead in the [Realm of Dead] converted into a devout follower, Zane's frown gradually eased. Suddenly, his tightly closed eyes snapped open, emitting a beam of golden light that left two shallow marks on the vibranium walls.
The process of converting all the undead in the [Realm of Dead] into his followers was far more challenging than Zane had imagined. Initially, he could convert a million at a time, but towards the end, he could only manage one at a time.
Each infusion of faith energy seemed to push Zane's soul to its limits. He felt that even one more follower might cause the boundless faith energy within his soul to tear him apart completely.
The immense pain was matched by immense gains. Over the four years of near-death experience, Zane achieved unprecedented growth. He even began to perceive the rules flowing through his soul, which he discovered were the skills he had drawn from the system.
In an unknown corner of Zane's soul, thirteen rules formed a pyramid-like structure, with the SS-level skill [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception] at the top, and lower-level skills like [Culinary Master] and the embarrassing [Eyebrow Dance] at the bottom.
Zane finally understood why the system couldn't retrieve these skills—they had become an inseparable part of his soul. Removing any skill would be akin to destroying his soul. Realizing the profound depth of his soul, Zane knew he was ready to take the final step.
He immersed his consciousness into the rule lines of the SS-level skill [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]. In an instant, the [Realm of Dead] unfolded before his mind's eye, a vast, weighty, and silent expanse that defied description. It was filled with loneliness, warmth, and even a sense of vitality that contradicted the concept of death.
At that moment, Zane comprehended that death was never the opposite of life; it was a part of it. Everything followed the cycle of birth and death, eternally repeating. Without life, death would lose its meaning, and without death, life could not exist.
As he delved deeper into the realm of death, a profound emotion surged within Zane, bringing tears to his eyes. He felt an urge to laugh wildly at the sky and to weep uncontrollably. All his thoughts culminated in a single phrase:
'Those that find the way in the morning, can gladly die in the evening.'
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