"Hongmeng does not reject Linley becoming the Hongmeng Controller. Based on the details in the original work and the information we have so far, Hongmeng supports Linley."
"However, Hongmeng never intended to create its own Hongmeng Controller, nor did it want anyone to take shortcuts and become a Four-Element Soul Mutation Four Overgods."
"Even if it doesn't belong to the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, and even if it lacks the potential to transcend this world, Hongmeng doesn't want such a creature to exist."
"Hongmeng doesn't seem to like time travelers—at least not those who rely on the memories of the original story to gain excessive power."
Like dark Dark Cloud, the Deity-level and Saint-level covered the sky above Jason, turning the already dim prison plane into complete darkness.
Jason's mind raced, but instead of launching a direct attack, he attempted a final negotiation.
"Everyone, the weak points in my spatial defenses have been sealed off. There's no need for us to fight!"
A fierce hostility erupted from the dense shadows. "This guy's magic array is exquisite; he must have treasures on him. Let's kill him and divide the loot!"
It's just a very weak reason.
First came the ranged attacks from the Saint-level, then the Lowgod, the Midgod, the Highgod, and finally, the four strongest Highgod joined the attack without hesitation.
Despite the impressive display of force, the combined attacks of everyone present were actually less than those of Linley alone, and even less than Bebe's full-force burst. However, Jason would not sit idly by and wait to be killed.
A surge of powerful Wind Sovereign’s Might erupted, and Jason's Water Clone launched a counterattack, relying on the defensive array.
Jason's main body, his Lightning Element, and his Earth Element clone are on the Yulan Continent. After the other clones went on a trip, these clones came here.
"Those guys in the prison dimension seem to be under some kind of mental suggestion, rather than being forced to attack. There's almost no possibility of communication in the Saint-level, and the stronger they are, the more effective my early negotiations become— Hongmeng can't attack me directly, but rather incites the surrounding beings to hate me and attack me?"
As Jason pondered this, he arrived at Dragonblood Castle.
Currently, only Linley's Fire Clone on the Yulan Continent; the others have returned to the Infernal Realm.
"Linley." "Uncle Jason, is something the matter?"
Jason looked into Linley's eyes and asked, "Linley, were you feeling dissatisfied with me just now?"
"Uncle Jason, you're too kind. I'm so lucky to be where I am today because of you."
"As expected, Linley's fate is not directly affected by Hongmeng." Jason's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was relieved. "Linley, I admit that I had some selfish motives in protecting you all these years, but I have never tried to put you in danger, and my goals have been beneficial to you."
"Uncle Jason?" Linley, somewhat confused.
"I am now in danger. I possess a treasure, a treasure that even the Sovereign crave, and many are now vying for it."
"Where are your other clones now? I'm coming to rescue you." Linley and Jason's bond was genuine.
"Linley, now you and Bebe, Olivier, Monica, Delia, Wharton all tell each other that I'm in trouble and need rescue. Observe their reactions carefully."
Linley was somewhat confused, but his other incarnations in the Infernal Realm still told the five people traveling together that "Jason had met with misfortune."
With a puzzled expression, Linley said, "Uncle Jason, Olivier said she's going to rescue you, but the others are hesitant. They're a bit weak and might be a burden to you."
Linley felt ashamed, not for any other reason than that Bebe was unwilling to risk her life to save Jason! Even more strangely, Monica also seemed somewhat reluctant!
"I understand, it's not their fault."
It now appears that the Soul Mutation is unaffected.
Jason couldn't immediately determine what else Hongmeng's influence might have besides affecting his Soul Mutation and strength. In any case, he should try to minimize contact with others, and Linley's words were enough to handle that.
"Linley, now have your main body Wind Clone immediately go to the ' Silver Ring Plane ' Material Plane and guard the teleportation array, using your Will temporarily seal the teleportation array; the earth and water clones should not make any moves for the time being."
During this time, no matter who tries to stop or persuade you not to go, ignore them—even if it's the Sovereign, try your best to ignore him. Once this matter has settled down, I will explain everything to you, okay?"
Linley hesitated for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "I'll be right there."
Ten years later, in the Silver Ring Plane, in the Planar Prison.
Now all living beings here have died out, the blood river has dried up, and the corpses of gods are scattered all over the place.
Jason had used two drops of the Sovereign’s Might to wipe out all the living beings in this prison plane.
The influence of Hongmeng exceeded Jason's expectations. Even the Seven Star Fiend seemed to have gone mad, attacking Jason obsessively, making negotiation impossible. Apart from Linley, an "unpredictable one" unaffected by Hongmeng, Jason dared not let anyone know his exact location.
Now Jason can only hope that the Sovereign and the Paragon will not appear before him!
Jason guessed that people like Orloff and Uhtred should be unaffected, just like Linley. As for how many other Sovereign would be unaffected by the Hongmeng, that was unknown, and he dared not risk trying.
Jason's clones all tried to minimize their presence, but he felt this situation would soon be over.
He sensed that the souls of his four clones inside the capsule had passed the most dangerous stage, seemingly on the verge of extinction, and were beginning to transform into stronger beings—only the final "Divine Power cleansing" stage remained before the completion of their Soul Mutation!
However, at that very moment, on the Yulan Continent, an unexpected figure appeared before Jason.
"Jason, I've treated you well, yet you've kept such an important matter from me!"
That was Beirut face was even colder than usual!
Beirut shouted, "Hand over the Overgod Token, and I will forgive and forget!"
Linley's Fire Clone, who had been by Jason's side, asked, "Grandpa Beirut, what happened?"
"Hmph, mind your own business." With that, she swung her claw at Jason.
A strong arm stopped Beirut's claws; it was Bluefire.
"Beirut, I feel there's something wrong with this."
"What problem could there be? The instructions of the Overgod cannot be false!"
Jason looked at the sober Bluefire, then at Beirut who had lost his composure, and sensed something was amiss.
He roared, "Wake up! You've been bewitched! Wake up! Think about your past behavior, how would you have handled this situation! Think about the inconsistencies in this situation! Think about what I said before the Sovereign —the will of the Overgod can influence this world!"
Beirut was somewhat annoyed, but also a little hesitant.
Linley, confused, said, "Grandpa Beirut, no matter what, Uncle Jason wouldn't harm us."
Stopped by Bluefire, and then Beirut back to reality by Jason and Linley's shouts, "What happened? What's wrong with me?"
Jason looked at Beirut and Bluefire: "How do you know about the Overgod Token?"
He had a very bad feeling.
Beirut spoke up, "Just now, a voice suddenly popped into my head: The seventh Overgod Token was descended by my Life Overgod. Currently, the Supreme God Token and the three Overgod Token have all been collected by Jason Rhein."
For some reason, I completely believed that voice, and my temper suddenly became very volatile, especially towards you, Jason; it felt like I really wanted to kill you.
Jason was taken aback by Beirut's words.
On second thought, "Since Beirut knows that the Overgod Token is in his possession, then all the Sovereign must know as well. This period of time is probably very dangerous. I didn't expect that Hongmeng would have a way to directly obtain instructions from the Overgod."
But Jason also felt a little curious—why was Hongmeng so resistant to the fact that his Four-Element Soul Mutation?
According to the original theory, only those Four-Element Soul Mutation of earth, water, fire, and wind can break through the Coiling Dragon World and achieve mastery.
Jason reassured Beirut, and three more years passed in fear.
That day, inside the Planar Prison of the Silver Ring Plane, Jason sensed a powerful force from the outside world. The layers of corpses covering the magic circle were suddenly thrown away, and light shone through. In the downpour of "corpses," a figure appeared in Jason's field of vision.
"Teresia? How could it be him?" Jason exclaimed in surprise as hundreds of powerful Wind Blade slashed down at him.
Sovereign cannot use a supreme Divine Clone to enter Material Plane that conflicts with him, but other clones, in conjunction with Projected Clone and the infinite Sovereign’s Might, can still exert strength second only to the Paragon. In particular, Sovereign who is already at the Paragon can be invincible below the Paragon level even without using a supreme Divine Clone.
The first layer of defensive array, which was already somewhat damaged, was now riddled with cracks under the attack of the Sovereign's projection. Jason had no choice but to retreat to the second layer of defensive array and use the Sovereign’s Might for limited defense.
"My Sovereign God, don't be reckless! You've been bewitched. Examine yourself and you'll see the problem!" Jason tried to rouse him.
If it weren't for the last moment, Jason wouldn't want Linley to face the Sovereign directly, at least not before he refined the Sovereign Spark; moreover, since only one Sovereign came, he would definitely try his best to keep the news secret, Jason could use this opportunity to deal with him for a while longer.
However, the Wind Blade on the other side not only didn't decrease, but actually increased!
Jason understood that the other party hadn't completely lost his mind; rather, he genuinely intended to kill and steal the treasure!
Just as the first layer of the magic circle completely shattered and Jason was about to summon Linley, a white longsword swung at him. Teresia, wielding a giant scythe, parried with her backhand, and the white longsword briefly retreated.
"Who dares to stop me? Pay homage to the Sovereign of Light!" Teresia, who had previously held the upper hand, instantly submitted.
"Since you've already realized there's something wrong with the whole thing, you still resorted to violently seizing the Overgod Token. You really have no magnanimity whatsoever as a Sovereign."
"You have the Overgod Artifact, of course you're not in a hurry!" Teresia was rebuked to her face, and although she was indignant, she dared not show it.
He had been secretly tracking Jason for centuries, trying to figure out what he was up to, but after failing to do so for several hundred years, he gave up for the time being.
Three years ago, the voice of the Life Overgod suddenly echoed in his mind, "The Seventh Overgod Mission has begun, and Jason Rhein has collected all the Overgod Token!"
He immediately followed the previous clues again and spent three years finding Jason's location. However, he discovered that the teleportation array in the Silver Ring Plane was malfunctioning. He had no choice but to personally go to the Spatial Turbulence outside the Silver Ring Plane and then directly project his Projected Clone here.
Unexpectedly, despite his careful investigation, Augusta still managed to track him down!
The Sovereign of Light, Augusta, the ultimate boss in the original story, is now the first to stand up and protect Jason!
Jason instantly realized the reason. "He and Orloff are one, so he may be immune to the influence of the Primordial Hongmeng, just like Linley. As the Sovereign of Light, he already has a Overgod Artifact, and in fact, he and Orloff have jointly mastered three Overgod Artifact. On the one hand, he doesn't lack Overgod Artifact, and on the other hand, if he obtains another one, he might attract a siege!"
He came in place of Orloff!
"Tsk tsk tsk, what did you do to provoke the Overgod to treat you like this?" Augusta was still as annoying as in the original story.
Jason simply said, "My Sovereign, anything I say now could be distorted by the Overgod. I'm sorry, I'd better remain silent. As for the Overgod Token, it's useless to me. I'll choose to give it to a certain Sovereign after some time."
"Suit yourself. Although I have a grudge against Beirut, I don't care. Even if he gets the Overgod Artifact, he can't turn the world upside down."
With a slight ripple, Linley's figure appeared in the Planar Prison passage that Teresia had opened up, followed by Beirut and Bluefire's Projected Clone.
"Greetings, Lord Augusta." Introduced by Beirut, Linley and his companions bowed respectfully to the Sovereign of Light, but remained motionless, standing between him and Jason.
"Hmph, don't be so tense. This Overgod Mission is so bizarre; even if I were to compete, I wouldn't choose this time." Augusta gave Beirut a cold look.
Augusta is cruel, tyrannical, and competitive; almost all of her good qualities have been taken away by Orloff, but thankfully she hasn't lost her mind.
As Beirut's Projected Clone arrived, the other Sovereign naturally realized Jason's exact location. Linley also released the blockade on the teleportation array, and dozens of projections of the Sovereign arrived one after another.
"How dare a mere Highgod monopolize the Overgod Token? Beirut, you wouldn't be trying to protect him, would you?" Many Sovereign came to question him as soon as they arrived, some still under the influence of the Hongmeng, and others trying to take advantage of the situation.
However, Jason was not afraid—since Augusta wanted to protect Jason, it meant that Orloff was not affected; and Uhtred, who had fought with Orloff his whole life, should also be able to stay sober, so this ordeal could be considered over.
The Projected Clone of the Four Rules Sovereigns arrived together, and the surrounding projections of the Sovereign all paid their respects upon seeing them.
Uhtred laughed and said, "Jason, you really know how to surprise me."
"I have been reckless and have disturbed the Sovereign." Jason bowed from afar.
The Sovereign of Death appeared as a young girl, was rather impatient. "Tell me what you did that startled even the Overgod!"
The Sovereign of Life smiled and said, "The voice before was indeed that of the Life Overgod, but previous Overgod Mission didn't have such detailed descriptions, and the Life Overgod wasn't this—"—carefully chosen his words: "This "human."
Seeing this, Jason no longer concealed anything. "I'm researching the Overgod Token. I haven't participated in any previous Overgod Mission, so I don't know if the other Sovereign have done any similar research."
"What results have you achieved?" Orloff with great interest.
Jason explained in detail the functions of the three Overgod Token.
"The energy of the Overgod Token is finite; once used, it diminishes. Therefore, even if the Overgod Token is incredibly powerful and forcibly preserved, it will eventually become ineffective. So I've come up with a way to fully utilize these three relics—to shape Soul Mutation."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding Sovereign were finally moved.
Uhtred looked at Jason in surprise. "So, the Overgod Token can be used like this? And, did you succeed in the Seven-Element Soul Mutation?"
"No, only the Four-Element Soul Mutation— life, death, fate, and destruction—are affected. I've calculated that the energy of these three Overgod Token should at most support Four-Element Soul Mutation. As for the final result—it'll be soon."
Yes, Jason could already sense that the four clones inside the compartment were about to awaken.
Thirteen years is much shorter than the time it took for Linley's Soul Mutation. This is because Jason's soul was directly damaged and fell to its lowest point, unlike Linley's soul which slowly weakened under the protection of the Soul Stone.
Moreover, protected by the three Overgod Token, Jason's soul recovered extremely quickly.
A month later, the true forms of the Sovereign of Light Wind Sovereign Teresia had returned to their respective planes. The Sovereign each left behind their own Projected Clone to witness the birth of Jason, a four-star Soul Mutation.
Finally, amidst the anticipation of Jason and the many Sovereign, Jason's clone inside the pod opened its eyes.