Chapter 172 – Persuasion
When in doubt, take a nap first.
Who cares how hard breaking through to immortality will be later? Better to enjoy a good sleep today.
"Hibernating Dragon Technique, activate!"
After all, he had just experienced a profound transformation of his will. Whether to strengthen the effect or to check for any hidden issues, running the Hibernating Dragon Technique now was ideal.
He settled into a comfortable sleeping posture, visualized the slumbering azure dragon, and soon his consciousness drifted away.
The dreams created by the Hibernating Dragon Technique weren't fully under his control, but after practicing it many times, Jiang Zhe had discovered certain patterns.
At the very least, most dreams inevitably turned out to be helpful for his development.
Maybe… it was the subconscious desires he hadn't noticed being picked up and projected into these dreams.
Like how the main characters of these dreams were always cultivators focused on thunder and time origin laws.
Of course, their talents varied greatly — none as outstanding as his own.
Years ago, there was even a dream where the protagonist was a pure-blooded Hellfire Thunder Dragon, letting Jiang Zhe thoroughly experience the chaotic will of demons.
When he woke up, his mental attacks became much smoother.
This time was no different.
The First Dream
Perhaps it was the influence of fusing with the "Seed of Original Sin," but the protagonist of this dream was once again a demon from the depths of the Abyss.
Not a pure-blood demon born of source blood, just an ordinary, lowly demon scion.
He was born into the third layer of the Abyss, among the six-armed serpent demons.
At birth he was already planetary level — enough for citizenship in the primitive universe.
But in the Abyssal world, he wasn't even worthy of a title. Just the lowest of slaves and blood food.
Fortunately, this dream's protagonist inherited a hint of Jiang Zhe's intelligence. From his weak beginnings, he rose by hunting his own kind, devouring hearts, refining his domain…
Though he possessed talents similar to Prince Uka of Manka Star, he had no luck or great opportunities, living an ordinary life in the universe.
Over 600 years, he reached the ninth tier of Earl (Domain Lord) level, only to catch the eye of a Marquis (World Lord), becoming a delightful snack.
Waking Up
Inside the quiet chamber of the machine race spaceship, Jiang Zhe suddenly jolted awake.
He quickly shook off the dream's remnants and turned to Orianna, who stood waiting by his side.
"How long was I asleep, Anna?"
"A little over half a month, exactly 17 days and 9 hours," Orianna replied with concern. "Master, was this dream not very fruitful?"
"Well…" Jiang Zhe smacked his lips, as if savoring the memory. "That serpentine nature… cough, cough. It was still worthwhile. Gained quite a deep understanding of the original sin of Lust."
The dream's protagonist had balanced cultivation and indulgence for six centuries, even daring to covet a Marquis's concubine… Jiang Zhe's evaluation was:
"Died well!"
He had absolutely no desire to admit any connection.
"Cut it off! Righteous severing!"
Sensing slight shifts in his will, Jiang Zhe narrowed his eyes. "I'll sleep some more. It's rare to have such good momentum with the Hibernating Dragon Technique."
The Second Dream
This time he was born into the fourth layer of the Abyss, among the Flame Demons.
Again the lowest tier of demon scion, but driven by a "wrath"-centered nature inherited from Jiang Zhe, he embarked on another mundane life.
He experienced the innate secret technique [Fervor], which he rated as:
"Addictively thrilling!"
As battles dragged on, his simmering rage only grew stronger — like being constantly pumped with adrenaline, his power kept skyrocketing.
He pushed his strength from 10x to 20x, 30x… up to a perfect 100x force output, then 2x bodily amplification, 3x bodily amplification…
The more he fought, the greater the surges — until he was mindless, consumed by fury, fighting like a madman.
Ultimately, after just over 200 years, he reached the peak of Viscount (Universe Level) strength. When challenging a famous Earl (Domain Lord) above his tier, he was killed — ending his short, frenzied life.
"Cut it off! More cutting!"
"How could this brainless brute full of molten rock possibly be me?"
Jiang Zhe flipped over angrily and went back to sleep.
The Third Dream
This time he was born among the Void Predators of the second layer of the Abyss.
Only after experiencing the nature of Void Predators did Jiang Zhe fully understand why the one that ambushed him near the ninth layer's exit had died so pathetically.
This lineage embodied the original sin of Greed.
His Mixed Primordial Umbrella and Blood-Melting Divine Blade were so irresistibly enticing that the Void Predator charged in like a moth to flame.
Jiang Zhe himself already had a rather greedy streak. Combined with the inherent nature of Void Predators, it birthed the most avaricious one in the entire second layer.
Sadly, he wasn't the chosen protagonist of that era. So greed led to ruin.
After over a thousand years in the dream, this Void Predator, at ninth-tier Earl (Domain Lord) level, coveted the blood-gold mines that could enhance his life gene layer. The savage chaotic will there shattered his sea of consciousness, causing Jiang Zhe's true self to awaken within the dream.
In that instant, the dream collapsed.
Back in the Real World
Jiang Zhe, awake again in the spaceship chamber, rubbed his forehead.
He temporarily sealed off the memories of insights into the wood origin laws gained in the dream, then lay back down to sleep.
The dreams crafted by the Hibernating Dragon Technique were showing clear patterns now.
Naturally, Jiang Zhe intended to strike while the iron was hot and harvest every possible benefit.
Moreover, after three dreams, he was certain the content wasn't entirely random or uncontrollable.
He speculated it was linked to his subconscious inclinations during sleep.
For instance, since he had just fused the "Seed of Original Sin," his subconscious naturally favored dreams aligned with the original sins.
It was the same as how, after merging the duke's heart and incorporating chaotic will into his own, he dreamt of being a Hellfire Thunder Dragon.
Jiang Zhe deeply understood the advantages of tempering his will.
How could he pass up this once-in-a-millennium opportunity? A little more effort now would pay off handsomely later.
More Dreams
The fourth dream placed him among the Toad Gods of the seventh layer of the Abyss.
This was the longest and dullest dream yet. Their lazy nature was so dominant that not even Jiang Zhe's sliver of intellect could change it. It simply liked to lounge around in one spot.
Eventually, Jiang Zhe's true self suspected he might literally sleep himself to death in this dream, triggering a self-rescue mechanism. He awakened inside the dream and shattered it.
Upon waking, he was dazed for quite a while, mind blank except for one question:
"Why was I sleeping inside a dream?"
So many bizarre scenarios cropping up together was a first in all his years cultivating the Hibernating Dragon Technique.
"To think the Seed of Original Sin could give the technique so many twists… that's a kind of validation in itself."
The fifth dream took him among the Ghost Clan of the first layer of the Abyss.
The sixth dream…
And on and on.
The Aftermath
When the dreams finally returned to normal — with the protagonist born in the primitive universe and having no ties to the Abyss — Jiang Zhe stopped cultivating the Hibernating Dragon Technique.
The windfall from merging the "Seed of Original Sin" was exhausted.
His gains were: slightly strengthened willpower, a much deeper understanding of the original sins, and an easier time unleashing will assaults and twisting minds.
**"To master 'Original Sin,' control the mind, and warp the will…
This bizarre cultivation system is most likely content at the God King level, tied to one of the supreme [Ultimate Paths] of the higher laws.
As for me, I've probably just met the prerequisites to start down this road, gaining the ability to trigger 'Original Sin.'
It's like a foundational talent. Later there'll surely be secret techniques to develop it more deeply…"**
With that framework in mind, Jiang Zhe no longer dug deeper.
Once he had a demon clone, perhaps he'd see things more clearly.
Preparing to Move
"Anna, call back Mary and Chiying from their training. We need to wrap up our business in the Abyss."
"Yes, master. The message has been sent."
Orianna then added, "Master, Luo Feng wishes to speak with you. He requests a meeting once you're awake."
Jiang Zhe raised an eyebrow, then seemed to recall something.
"Anna, what's the current time?"
"Master, it's now February of Year 2279 by the Hanxia calendar. You've slept nearly 10 years and been in the Abyss for close to 20."
"Ah, just as I thought…"
Jiang Zhe frowned.
"I've already pushed Hong into Chaos City, cleared Earth's hidden threats ahead of time… could the timeline be converging, and Luo Feng's stirring up trouble again?"
He instructed Orianna:
"I'll meet Luo Feng in the virtual universe. Once those two return, have Chiying guide us — we'll take the ship to the Hellfire Dragon lineage's source blood pool."
"Understood, master."
Meeting Luo Feng
Jiang Zhe sent Luo Feng an email requesting a visit, then connected to the virtual universe and logged in.
At Rainmountain in the primal zone, inside Luo Feng's estate, the two brothers saw each other again after more than a decade.
Jiang Zhe made himself right at home. Before Luo Feng could even offer, he went to the wine cabinet, picked the most expensive bottle, poured himself a glass, and savored it.
"Senior brother, the gap between us just keeps growing. The moment you walked in, I didn't even dare meet your eyes — felt like being stared at by a top predator," Luo Feng sighed with a wry smile, pouring himself a drink too.
Jiang Zhe laughed.
"Ha! I've just made some breakthroughs in will cultivation. Once your mental training gets to a certain level, you'll also touch this layer. Don't envy me. Our whole Earth lineage has this talent — I'm just a few steps ahead."
Luo Feng chuckled, taking it as a joke.
(Sure, listen to him talk. You'd actually believe it?)
Luo Feng's Real Question
Luo Feng then asked curiously, "Senior brother, the secret of the Abyss world — is it related to cultivating will?"
Jiang Zhe immediately understood Luo Feng's real purpose. He still had one quota left for a desperate-level mission.
**"For me, yes — it helped cultivate my will.
But for others, including you, Hong, and Thunder God, it'd mostly just boost your gene amplification or give you access to special lifeform tissues over 100x, to use as clone materials.
Beyond that, there's likely nothing else."**
Jiang Zhe had learned from Chiying that there were rules for selecting clone materials.
Using flesh from pure-blood demons like Chiying could only produce clones with up to 140x life gene level, no matter the original.
Only source blood could produce clones naturally born at 1260x life gene level.
Luo Feng understood the concept of gene amplification — Jiang Zhe had taught it to him. Blood Luo Crystals offered similar effects.
He frowned, torn.
"So if I go to the Abyss, it's just for that million points of reward? The secrets there aren't much use to me… kind of a pity."
Heartfelt Advice
Suddenly, Luo Feng's eyes brightened.
"Right! Are there suitable races there for a clone? I still have a slot for one at the World Lord stage."
Jiang Zhe shook his head.
"No good, junior brother. The best clone material there is the Golden-Horned Beast, with a 1260x gene level, way beyond what it can accommodate."
Luo Feng checked his inherited memories and found it was true. He sighed.
"So the Abyss would just give me the one million points? Its secrets don't fit me after all."
Then Jiang Zhe asked,
"You're still stuck in the Maze Starfield? Chasing its secrets, right?"
Luo Feng nodded, a trace of anxiety showing before he suppressed it.
He was dead set on unraveling that mystery, even if it took ten, fifty years.
The Wake-Up Call
**"Junior brother, you're overthinking it.
The moment I came in, I sensed your anxious, unstable state of mind — must be from hitting wall after wall in that starfield.
Remember how the werewolf Crove died? Know why desperate-level and dangerous missions are capped?
Sometimes, you need to take the win and walk away. Being too stubborn could cost you everything."**
Jiang Zhe's voice carried a subtle will assault, like a great bell resonating through Luo Feng's mind.
He snapped out of it, face turning pale, cold sweat pouring down his back.
Looking back on his recent state, he realized he'd been nearly possessed, driven by greed.
Without Hong to play the stern elder, Jiang Zhe had to be the one to step in with these hard words.
**"Junior brother, ever consider that the secrets of cultivation worlds aren't actually prepared for us?
They're just left open for us to try.
Even if you find a secret, can you actually claim it?
Look at the Blood Luo World — its secrets are the Blood Luo Crystals and Beast God Statue.
The first, how many can an ordinary Universe-level talent collect?
The second, I only got because I smashed into an immortal temple and robbed a group of immortals — something normal World Lords couldn't dream of.
As for the Abyss, the opportunities tied to its secrets…
To get even a small slice, you'd need to kill peak immortal commanders with 100x gene levels.
To reap the greatest rewards, you'd have to slay Marquis-level immortals at 1000x gene levels.
That's the scale of the universe's number one cultivation world!
Even your teacher True Yan King would be extremely cautious inside — wouldn't dare slack off for a moment."**
**"I'm not cursing you, Luo Feng.
Some secrets, the moment you try to forcibly seize them, Crove might become your precedent."
**"You still have a desperate-level mission slot, right?
I've said what needs saying — won't interfere with your choice.
My last suggestion: consult your teacher True Yan King. See how he views your Universe-level cultivation path."**
Jiang Zhe rubbed his chin.
"Your Golden-Horned Beast will reach World Lord in about 60 years, right? By then your law comprehension speed will explode. It'd be best to stay in Chaos City and not waste that prime period."
Notes on "Ultimate Paths"
The [Ultimate Path] (究极道) is similar to Ji Ning's [Ultimate Sword Path] from other works by I Eat Tomatoes.
A multitude of these Ultimate Paths together form the supreme laws of the Origin World.
God Kings specialize in one, and mastering it to the end becomes an Ultimate Path.
Luo Feng might one day refine his Blade Path into an Ultimate Path as a God King, using it to break all other laws.
By mastering many Paths, he'd eventually reach the second stage of God King — commanding the Origin World's supreme rules, becoming a World-Class Hunyuan Life, just below Hunyuan Lords.
---
Thanks "Ethan Epifanie" for supporting us on patreon
[A/N: Want to read more chapters in advance?
Check out my Patreon at "DigitalToons" for early access and exclusive content!
You can read 100+ chapters there in advance.
```And consistent chapter update everyday , 2 chapters every day
``` ]