Negotiation

"The troublesome guy won't be here anytime soon."

Looking at the Dugu Bo in the distance, Saundin snapped his fingers.

Buzz!

Another peculiar chair rose up from beneath the platform where the seat was located. Saundin sat down, removed his helmet, and revealed a resolute face.

Unlike the faces of ordinary Abyss People, Saundin's face was angular and had a metallic quality, as if it were cast from steel, or as if he were wearing a mask. The area above his nose was completely cut off, including his eye sockets, and was inlaid with a special transparent giant in dark red, with a white, glowing spherical eye in the very center.

It's one-eyed!

Then, Saundin pressed a switch on the armrest of the seat, and black pipes extended out from the back of the seat. Some of them connected to his spine, while the rest of them had huge spikes protruding from their tips, piercing into the spine of Mithras, who was directly opposite him.

"Uh-huh!"

After the stab pierced her spine, Mithras felt unprecedented pain and couldn't help but cry out. But apart from her head, her body below the neck was completely out of her control.

"This is Soul Guidance Device discovered in the Ancient Ruins on the Sixth Layer. It can control another person's body by connecting their spines," Saundin said. "I did this so that you could steal the flame more easily."

Is this going a bit too far?

Suddenly, Zhou Qing's voice rang in Saundin's mind.

With the help of Na Si, Romantina established Spiritual Group Chat. With the assistance of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, she could completely ignore the mental resistance of others.

Using Romantina's Spiritual Detection skills, Zhou Qing saw the scene outside the base—

Riko unable to resist the Ascension Curse of the Fourth Layer, leaving Dugu Bo with no way to maneuver...

Saundin had gone mad, Riko to use that "Drop Tower"-like device to amplify the Ascension Curse imposed on him from the Fourth Layer, thus completing a further transformation...

Isn't Mithras your daughter?

"Is this the power of Soul Master?"

Saundin became very interested in this ability to connect with the minds of others, but his hands did not stop. The mechanical mechanism inside the pillar was constantly gathering power, preparing to launch them into the sky later.

"People in the outside world are really lucky to awaken their Martial Soul, become Soul Master, and unleash all sorts of magical powers."

"We Abyss People are trapped here. If we want to obtain abilities similar to Soul Master, we must first fully fuse with the unawakened Martial Soul within our bodies, and even lose our identity as humans... However, this may not be a bad thing! Your Soul Master Martial Soul cannot truly be integrated with your flesh and blood; you are only temporarily borrowing their power!"

"I, Saundin, will achieve true evolution, lead the Abyss People to awaken, and guide humanity outside to evolve together!"

[Saundin, it seems you really have gone mad.]

The Rabbit Girl also Saundin in the Spiritual Group Chat.

"Mad? Heh, who among those who enter the Abyss isn't a madman?" Saundin sneered. "I'm just trying to pursue the light!"

Based on the unique environment of the Abyss Ruins, everyone who enters it faces a choice—

"Below lie countless known and unknown dangers, but also vast living spaces. Therefore Abyss People, unable to find more living space in the outside world, can only continue exploring generation after generation..."

The darkness of this Abyss is so warm!

And the Abyss also prevents those who enter from ascending—a curse of ascent.

Whether this is due to the environment or because there is some unimaginable existence that has set it up this way, humans have always longed for light!

Even if going upwards means death, I will recreate the myth of Prometheus!

Prometheus?

Upon hearing this term again, Zhou Qing's eyes narrowed, and he became even more curious about the origins of the earliest humans on the Douluo Continent, but now was not the time to ponder these questions.

I deeply admire your conviction, but to become Prometheus, you should rely on your own strength, not gamble with other people's Life, shouldn't you?

"You also know about the Abyss People mythology?"

I don't know.

How could Zhou Qing possibly admit that he knew some stories from Greek mythology?

But--

Based on your words, one can probably guess that Prometheus, in your Abyss People mythology, is an epic figure who brought light to mankind.

But what makes an epic epic is that the heroes in an epic all act and sacrifice themselves; they never control the fate of others, nor do they live under the control of others.

Epic stories may seem to have something behind the scenes manipulating the characters' destinies, but in reality, destiny is created by the characters themselves.

You're controlling your daughter's life, yet you want to recreate a myth?

Don't you find that a little ridiculous?

Saundin was not swayed by Zhou Qing's few words, and simply said, "You and I are the same kind of people."

Perhaps.

Zhou Qing did not completely deny it.

However, I will not actively control other people's lives.

"Heh, you're a bit naive, just like the Abyss People. Sacrifice is necessary!"

Saundin Taunt, "The Abyss People will undergo a true evolution under my guidance, instead of everyone having a childlike, idiotic face!"

"You're completely stubborn, aren't you?"

Zhou Qing turned to Romantina and said, "Spiritual Interference, Spiritual Impact, and then use the third Soul Skill: Spiritual Dreamscape, to give him a real dream."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Saundin's head jolted, and Sisi of blood seeped from his nostrils, ears, mouth, and the edge of the special Soul Conductor glasses.

But he did not fall into a deep sleep.

What the heck?!

Within the Sea of Spirit, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's pair of small golden eyes widened to the size of fists.

This was because, during his Spiritual Detection, he discovered a black sphere inside Saundin's brain that could return Spiritual Power skills to the purest form of Spiritual Power.

Despite the impact of the three skills— Spiritual Interference, Spiritual Impact, and Spiritual Dreamscape— on Saundin, causing his brain to concusse, he did not faint.

"I am naturally wary of the various abilities of Soul Master."

Saundin raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and chuckled coldly, "Spiritual Power, such an unpredictable skill, is rarely used by Soul Master in the outside world, but I still considered it."

Inside my brain, there is a Mother Sphere containing Spiritual Link Soul Guidance Device obtained from the Sixth Layer. This allows me to simultaneously control people who have installed Child Sphere, thus achieving 100% human body control and sensory sharing.

This Mother Sphere can break down Spiritual Power skills targeting me into pure Spiritual Power, absorb it as energy, and even feed it back into other Child Sphere.

However, your Spiritual Power attacks were truly powerful; they almost overwhelmed the Mother Sphere ...

"Hateful!"

Romantina was furious and decided to give it a few more rounds until she burst the opponent.

But Saundin continued, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, if my Mother Sphere can't withstand the pressure, it will explode. The force will be enough to level everything within a ten-kilometer radius. At the same time, the Child Sphere installed among the combat personnel will also explode, but the force will be less, only enough to shatter a steel building..."