Hearing Huang Tian's reminder, Huang Wuye nodded.
Then he glanced at Huang Tian. With the old man watching over him, there shouldn't be any problems.
So he descended, and with a thought, soon sat cross-legged atop the Gluttonous Golden Ape's head.
He glanced at the sleeping behemoth, then put it out of his mind and sank his consciousness into his mind.
Huang Wuye's consciousness entered the legendary sea of consciousness.
Of course, that was just what Huang Wuye called it. He was going along with the crowd!
At that moment, there were three figures in Huang Wuye's sea of consciousness. They all looked exactly like him: one large figure and two smaller ones, all sitting cross-legged.
This space in his sea of consciousness was incredibly strange. At a glance, it looked like a starry sky.
The three figures seemed to be at the center of that starry sky, with everything revolving around them.
The largest figure, several hundred zhang tall, stood at the very center.
The two smaller figures bobbed beside him, while wisps of Spiritual Force imbued with tremendous power crisscrossed the space around them.
Suddenly, the smaller Huang Wuye on the left opened his eyes, sending a slight ripple through the surrounding Spiritual Force.
He took a single step and vanished from the space.
Outside, Huang Tian was watching Huang Wuye with interest. At one moment, his eyes lit up.
A transparent little figure resembling Huang Wuye suddenly appeared in the air.
It then transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the Gluttonous Golden Ape.
When the soul clone entered the Gluttonous Golden Ape's mind, the expected resistance never came. Huang Wuye breathed a slight sigh of relief.
It seemed Huang Tian was reliable after all, but he didn't let his guard down.
Before long, he came to a mass of soul consciousness. Looking at the enormous soul before him, he couldn't help thinking that possession really was hard work.
The reason was that the Gluttonous Golden Ape's soul consciousness was actually stronger than this fragment of his soul.
It was almost a quarter as strong as his main body. But when he thought of the Gluttonous Golden Ape's powerful body, it made sense.
He put the thought aside and began using the possession secret technique he had practiced: Soul Absorption.
This secret technique had been created by a once-invincible King-level Immortal of the family.
Its greatest feature was that it could safely absorb every trait, the soul, and the inheritance of the target being possessed.
But it had one requirement: the target had to be unable to resist.
It could be said that this secret technique was created specifically for the scions of powerful forces like the Desolate God Clan.
It gave their less-gifted descendants a second chance.
At that moment, Huang Wuye activated the secret technique and began accepting everything from the Gluttonous Golden Ape, bit by bit.
"Whew! At this rate, it'll still take some time."
Seeing that the process was going smoothly, Huang Wuye breathed a long sigh of relief.
Outside, Huang Wuye's main body opened his eyes as well.
Seeing this, Huang Tian held his breath, then immediately asked how things were going.
"Little Ye, how is it?"
"Good, but it'll probably take about a month." Seeing the concern on Huang Tian's face, Huang Wuye felt a warmth in his heart and answered cheerfully.
Seeing how relaxed he looked, Huang Tian also breathed a little easier. But then he remembered something and sternly cautioned him.
"That's good. But you've seen it for yourself: the Gluttonous Golden Ape was born with incredible talent, yet once it was captured, it had no way to fight back.
"So, take this from your father: when you venture into the universe someday, always be careful—careful, and then more careful.
"If you ever encounter an enemy you can't possibly overcome, never try to capture them or enslave their soul.
"Even self-detonating would be better. Resurrection is a small matter for our family. But if you're enslaved, even the Desolate God Mountain can do nothing."
"Mm, I know that! You know me!"
Huang Wuye was deeply moved by those words. As the only Special Lifeform, the Gluttonous Golden Ape was bound to be powerful. It might even be stronger than some weaker World Lords.
He still couldn't defeat it, after all. The gap in their foundations was simply too great.
And yet, after Huang Tian unexpectedly found its whereabouts, he had taken it over without the slightest resistance.
Huang Wuye didn't feel sorry for it, but he took its fate as a warning.
He didn't want to become the next Gluttonous Golden Ape.
He had always been cautious. Even though he longed to explore the universe, he had stayed within the Desolate God Clan all this time.
Even the trial on Giant Wood Planet wasn't truly dangerous.
He had been waiting for Huang Tian to find him his first clone. Only then would he feel safe enough to go experience the wonders of the universe.
He had always believed that only the living had a future, even though he enjoyed an exciting life.
At the thought, Huang Wuye's calm heart stirred. His first clone was already within reach.
That meant he no longer had to remain cooped up here. He could go explore the vast universe too. He turned to Huang Tian and asked,
"Old man, which faction is hosting this Universe-Level Warrior Tournament?"
"The Universe-Level Warrior Tournament? It takes place once every hundred thousand years.
"If I remember correctly, this tournament is being hosted by the Virtual Universe Company.
"What, have you finally decided to venture out?"
Huang Tian was puzzled at first, but then, seeing Huang Wuye and the Gluttonous Golden Ape, he understood.
Looks like my cautious boy can't hold back any longer! Without waiting for Huang Wuye to answer, he raised an eyebrow and continued,
"But this Universe-Level Warrior Tournament is only a dozen-odd years away. Are you strong enough?
"You can't compete using this behemoth's body, you know. How many years have you even been cultivating?"
"A dozen years? I didn't realize it was so soon. But that's enough. As for my strength, I'll definitely be strong enough by then."
Huang Wuye pondered for a moment. He hadn't expected the timing to work out so neatly. As for his strength...
He might be a little lacking now, but he still had more than a decade.
Huang Wuye was very confident in his own strength, but his opponents wouldn't be ordinary.
A Universe Level being had a lifespan of ten eras. In the Swallowed Star World, one era was ten thousand and eighty-one years, so his opponents could be over a hundred thousand years old.
He might not even be a fraction of their age. He had better resources and didn't need to cultivate genetic origin energy.
He also had countless secret techniques to study, and his comprehension and talent were extraordinary. But none of that changed the fact that he had cultivated for far too little time.
Besides, the universe was full of living beings, and it was never short of those with exceptional talent. Some of them would surely have abundant resources too. They might not have as much as Huang Wuye, but they wouldn't be far behind.
Hearing his son's confident tone, Huang Tian didn't argue. He merely reminded him,
"Even if you're confident, don't underestimate anyone. The universe is full of living beings, and our human race is one of the six pinnacle races. The Virtual Universe Company is one of humanity's pinnacle forces.
"It's no surprise that the talent selection tournament it organizes will attract all kinds of extraordinary beings.
"Since you plan to enter the Universe-Level Warrior Tournament, spend the time ahead cultivating properly.
"Even if you get eliminated, it doesn't matter. Just treat it as an experience.
"Your talent has already been unanimously recognized by the Desolate God Clan's upper ranks."
"Mm, but I'll need you to make some arrangements for me in the Meteor Universe Kingdom."
Hearing his father's concern warmed Huang Wuye's heart. It would have been even better if the old man were a little more reliable.
He had complete confidence in the Universe-Level Warrior Tournament a dozen years from now. After reaching Universe Level, he had sensed that his third soul clone was about to be born.
By then, his talent would improve yet again.
Before you continue