The golden magic circle completely closed.
Chen Mo felt everything go black before his eyes, and he lost his footing.
He fell downwards in the darkness for more than ten seconds, then stopped in mid-air. There was no wind or sound around him.
All around, there was nothingness that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Chen Mo glanced down at it.
There is no ground.
Look up again.
There was nothing there either.
" The Ancient One, did you enter the wrong coordinates?"
His voice entered the darkness, but produced no echo.
A few seconds later, the Ancient One's calm voice rang out from all directions.
"No mistake, this is the interlayer of the world."
"The newborn world is extremely fragile and cannot be directly nurtured in reality. There is no material world here, nor are there any established rules, making it perfect for building your own world."
Chen Mo looked around.
What about that land?
"No."
Good heavens!
"No."
"They won't even give us a starting area?"
The Ancient One remained silent for a moment.
Whatever you want, you have to create it yourself.
Chen Mo understood.
This place is currently just a bare shell; it has no walls, no floors, and no water or electricity.
"Okay, so how should I create it?"
"Choose a core, and then use your power to materialize it."
"That simple?"
Chen Mo looked down at his palm, where crimson-gold energy rapidly condensed, quickly forming an energy ball with a diameter of over ten meters.
A terrifying shockwave spread outwards.
The combined energy of all the exploration clones is close to that of ten million stars. Even a small fraction of that energy would be enough to destroy the world.
Chen Mo raised his hand and flicked it, sending the energy ball instantly into the darkness.
boom!
A burst of crimson-gold light erupted, and violent energy enveloped everything in sight. Countless high-temperature particles spewed outwards, and space itself trembled violently.
But after the light faded, the surroundings were still completely dark.
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow.
"Not powerful enough?"
He raised both hands at the same time, and more than a dozen energy balls appeared quickly, which he then threw in all directions.
Boom!
A series of explosions illuminated the void.
Chen Mo stood at the epicenter of the explosion, waiting patiently for a while.
Nothing happened.
Forget about a new world, there wasn't even a single stone for him to step on.
Inside the New York Sanctum.
The Ancient One raised her hand to her forehead, her expression one of utter helplessness.
A golden light screen floated in front of him, clearly displaying Chen Mo's movements within the interlayer of the world.
Odin sat beside him, his one eye also watching the scene.
What is he doing?
"Yes, theoretically speaking, it's about creating the world."
"But all I saw was him bombarding the void."
"Yes, so he hasn't succeeded yet."
The Ancient One raised a finger, and her voice entered directly into the interdimensional world.
" Chen Mo, simply unleashing your power like this is meaningless. The world wasn't created by explosions; you need to reflect on your own heart."
Chen Mo dissipated the energy in his hand.
"Didn't the universe originate from the Big Bang? That makes sense, doesn't it?"
" Chen Mo, I'm talking to you about metaphysics, not science."
Is there a difference?
"There's a big difference."
The Ancient One took a deep breath.
"This place will resonate with your spirit. What you desire most, what you fear most, and what you cannot bear to part with will all be manifested here."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mo finally became more serious.
Face your heart.
That sounds quite ceremonial.
Normally, at this point, a sea of blood should appear around him, followed by countless enemies he had already devoured. Those people would cry out for their lives, only to be beaten up by him again.
Or the Blacklight Virus could completely spiral out of control.
Countless monsters emerged from his body, attempting to seize control.
At the very least, there should be an orphanage or some tragic childhood story to prove that beneath his carefree exterior lies a deeply wounded heart.
Chen Mo closed his eyes and waited for a long time.
It was still dark around us.
" The Ancient One."
"What's wrong?"
"Did I just blow this place up?"
" Chen Mo, the interlayer of the world won't be damaged, at least not under normal circumstances."
"Then why is there nothing there?"
The Ancient One was also somewhat puzzled.
In his experience, any intelligent life that enters this place will immediately influence the surrounding environment with its spirit.
Greedy people see wealth.
People who fear death will see their own corpses.
Those who bear sin will see the mistakes they have made.
Chen Mo had been inside for several minutes, but the void had not changed at all.
Odin looked at the screen and slowly frowned.
"Could it be because his power is too great, and this space cannot read his spirit?"
"No."
The Ancient One shook her head.
"Power has nothing to do with one's inner self. Even a dimensional demon cannot completely conceal itself here."
Odin thought for a moment.
That leaves only one possibility.
"What?"
He has no heart.
The Ancient One turned to look at Odin.
You'd better not let him hear you say that.
In the interlayer of the world.
Chen Mo crossed his arms and continued to look around.
His mind could not possibly be blank.
Survive, become stronger, and eat whatever you want—these goals have always been clear.
What would it look like if all these things were turned into a world?
An endless cafeteria?
Are there powerful beings everywhere, capable of devouring everything?
Or should we create countless stars and have our clones recharge on them?
Chen Mo thought for a moment, then quickly gave up.
These things all sound pretty good, but they're missing something.
"What 'facing one's inner self'? There's not even a basic procedure."
He simply lay in mid-air, his hands behind his head.
"At least give us some entertainment value, right? No seas of blood and mountains of corpses, no tragic childhood, just a few people I've eaten would be fine."
The darkness remained unresponsive.
Chen Mo pursed his lips.
"If all else fails, we can make a dark version of myself! We can all vent our frustrations to each other first, then talk about life, and finally have a one-on-one fight. Whoever wins gets to decide, it's that simple."
Inside the Sanctum, the Ancient One's expression finally changed.
"Etc."
Odin turned to look at him.
"What's wrong?"
"This space is beginning to respond to him."
"What? Now? What is it?!"
"It wasn't a sea of blood, nor was it anyone he killed."
The Ancient One stared at the light screen, a clear look of astonishment appearing in her eyes for the first time.
"It's the last one."
In the void, a mass of blackish-red matter appeared before Chen Mo without warning.
The matter kept wriggling, quickly forming bones, flesh, and skin. Short black hair grew from the top of his head, and ordinary casual clothes covered his body.
Less than two seconds later, another Chen Mo stood there.
Whether in appearance, aura, or the enormous energy within, it is no different from the original.
Chen Mo slowly sat up.
"They actually came?"
In the Sanctum, Odin suddenly stood up.
"That's impossible!"
Even the Ancient One was unable to remain calm.
The interlayer of the world only reveals what truly exists deep within the builder's heart.
If Chen Mo hadn't longed to fight against himself, the other version of him would never have appeared.
When normal people confront their inner selves, they think about family, regrets, and fears.
This guy wants to fight me?
In the void, another Chen Mo raised his wrist and loosened his joints a couple of times.
Click.
Several thick, black tentacles pierced out from his palm, their surfaces quickly covered with crimson-gold patterns.
He looked at Chen Mo, grinning with a smug smile that was exactly the same as his original self.
"Your one-on-one duel is here, let's fight!"