It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"The Pillar of Eternal Life, Clenus..."

Lord Lingwu murmured the name again.

The baby girl's face was expressionless, which was strange enough. It was difficult for any creature to control its emotions in childhood, and crying was normal, but the one in front of him didn't have any of that. Whether it was her expression or the tone of her voice, it was like cold inorganic matter.

And those eyes, just one look at them, seemed to suck you in.

The Spiritual Lord only looked at her for about half a second before looking away involuntarily. However, Clenus kept looking at her and said:

"Clenus is my name. Or rather, a name you can 'recognize'."

She was just speaking ordinary words, and Lid and Lingwu Lord could understand every word, but both of them looked like they were under great pressure. The ethereal voice was like a blunt knife cutting flesh, torturing their minds. The expressionless baby girl, the purple-black light, the wriggling tentacles, the bloody hotbed... all these things mixed together to form an extremely weird picture.

Neither of them could organize their words for a moment, their tongues, gums and lips seemed to be malfunctioning.

Fortunately, Clenus didn't need to hear the answers from either of them.

It would be more accurate to say that Clenus was talking to himself rather than having a conversation between the two parties.

From her expression and tone, it was clear that Clenus did not take the two people who came from afar seriously. Lid and Lingwu Lord had gone through so much hardship to come to her, but to her, they were just like two buzzing mosquitoes flying in through the cracks in the window. She might lament that it was the season for mosquitoes to be active again, or she might think that the windows at home should be repaired, or she might say a few words while looking for a fly swatter, but she would never seriously talk to mosquitoes.

The racial differences are there, and there is no connection between the upper three tribes and the lower nine tribes.

At most, accepting their offerings and finding a piece of straw to incite them to fight each other when you feel like it is a so-called miracle.

Although it brought great pressure to Lid and Lingwu Lord, I believe that was not her original intention. She had no ill will towards Lid and Lingwu Lord, because in her opinion, the two people standing here were too fragile, there was no need to torture them, and it was difficult to control the intensity of the torture. Just speaking to them in a normal voice would put them in danger of having their brains shaken into a paste. Even if Kleinas specially controlled the way of speaking, it was still too much for them.

People may step on ants to death when they walk, but most of the time they don't do it intentionally with the intention of "killing the ants". It's just because the size difference between the two is too great, and a simple breath may take the other's life... That's probably how it feels.

Clenus' tone was calm, cold but not sharp:

"You guys are very good. You chose to come when I was at my weakest, and used the moment when the blood soul opened the secret realm to sneak into my mansion. In the end, you overcame numerous difficulties and dangers and came before me as the following nine clans. You did a great job, and you deserve praise for doing a good job."

I'm afraid even the Lingwu Lord didn't expect the meeting to start like this.

A chill ran down my spine. The more I listened to that seemingly peaceful voice, the colder I felt inside.

She wanted to take two more steps forward, to the side of Clenus. Clenus looked so fragile now, a tiny baby, with many floating tentacles like ribbons behind him. As long as he walked forward and used the golden flame to turn into a rapier and pierce her heart, she would be able to achieve the feat of killing the three tribes.

The first person in history.

However, I have clearly deduced it countless times in my mind, the best opportunity is clearly right in front of me, and I have clearly given the order to my body to move forward... why can't I move?

Those long and straight legs had been able to keep moving forward no matter how tired they were along the way, so why were they now like they were petrified and out of control?

The Lingwu Lord's heart was beating so hard that the clothes on her chest seemed to be shaking.

Clenus continued:

"You should have seen those dead sea creatures outside. They claimed to be my followers, abandoned their royal status, and came to my tower to serve me. Although they could not do anything, they could only stay there until they died. Look, they didn't dare to push open the tower door until they died to see me and see what I really look like. You should be proud of this."

Clenus shifted his gaze from the Spiritual Warrior Lord to Reed.

He didn't know if it was Reed's illusion, but he always felt that Clenus looked at him longer than at the Lingwu Lord, and his gaze was more oppressive.

Cold sweat rolled down his cheeks, but he remained calm.

I tried my best to appear calm.

When I was reading history books before, I saw Qin Wuyang and Jing Ke go to kill Ying Zheng, but when Ying Zheng looked at them, they turned pale and frightened, which directly ruined Jing Ke's plan. He was one of the earliest bad teammates. In fact, power has always existed objectively. The same sentence said by different people may make people believe it or laugh. Everyone's words and deeds are different, and the momentum they carry is also different. This thing is not purely positively correlated with age. For example, the Lingwu lord looks only in his twenties, but the momentum accumulated over hundreds of years can shock the ministers and people in the wilderness.

But even if the Lingwu Lord is a rare talent among men, the one who appeared in front of the two of them at close range this time was a genuine member of the upper three clans.

Clenus looked at Lid. She didn't care about the reactions of the two humans. It might be because she had seen similar reactions so many times that she was used to it. The little baby girl's eyes were calm. No matter what Lid and the Spiritual Warrior Lord thought, as long as the brains of these two people were not completely broken, she would talk to herself calmly:

"But, because you are here, you are going to die. Maybe you have many means and you think you have many cards hidden, but I will only tell you the result. The result is that you will die, it's very simple... But I think you should have come here with a prepared mind. Humans are like this, they have both emotions and reason, but they can neither break the barrier of reason with emotions nor suppress the outburst of emotions with reason. They are impulsive, and after being impulsive, they start to look ahead and behind. You see, the so-called human heart is such a simple thing."

Clenus said calmly. Compared to Lid and the Spiritual Warrior Lord who gritted their teeth and persevered, she looked calm and composed from beginning to end:

"Of course, you are all the smartest people among humans, and the most core bloodline. You will definitely not accept it, and you will definitely think about fighting. I will give you time. But before that, I want to tell you first. The reason you can come here is not just because of your ability... but because I asked you to come."

46. ​​Set up and break the game

There was not a trace of emotion in the little baby's tone.

She just looked at the two people who had walked here with difficulty, and the tentacles behind her slowly supported her. Klenus looked at Lid and Lingwu Lord. Lingwu Lord took the opportunity to lower his head and exchanged a glance with Lid. Klenus could see all of this.

But she didn't care. She didn't care what the two were doing now or what they were going to do next.

"I've already said it. It's great that you can come here. But it's not good that some people should come but didn't."

Kleinas paused, confirming that Lid and Lingwu Lord's sanity had not completely collapsed, and then continued:

"The Giants are my bloodline, a race I created with my own blood and soul. They were very competitive at first, and once invaded the territory of the old gods. But over time, they were also infected with human desires, and regarded the continuation of their race as the first priority for survival, and began to multiply and thrive in that barren land. I can understand this, but I cannot accept it... Do you understand what I mean?"

One of Clenus' sixteen tentacles stretched out, lifted the Spiritual Lord's chin, and forced her to look at him.

The Lingwu Lord's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and his power suddenly increased.

She hated being touched.

However, the thoughts in her mind are one thing, and the resistance of her body is another. She was now unable to move her whole body, and even if she tried her best, she could only lift a finger. She struggled with all her might, trying to break free from those deep eyes, but Clenus just looked at her and continued:

"They are the race I created. To put it more bluntly, they are a part of me. Now they have done something wrong, and I want to take back what I gave them. This is a simple truth. But after thousands of years of changes, the mentality of the giants is ultimately limited. The resentment at the time flowed into the world and is difficult to recover; the loyalty at the time has also been greatly reduced, so that they began to resist and began to find all kinds of hypocritical ways to refuse to return to my body."

Lingwu leader spoke first and asked vaguely:

"You intend to—"

Clenus interrupted her prematurely.

In other words, she didn't hear what the Spiritual Warrior Lord was saying. But Clenus felt that the pause was long enough to continue speaking, so she naturally added the next part:

"Like I said, the reason you are here is first of all your own ability. I have already praised you for this, but next, I have some arrangements to make. In short, after confirming that the comprehensive quality of your two bodies is up to standard, I need you to come here to meet me. I will turn you into my pawns and personally take back what belongs to me. Not only the remaining blood souls of the giants, but also the resentment of the world towards the old gods... Of course, the hatred of the giants towards the old gods has been worn away, but there is still a lot on the human side. Even if it is not enough, we can always make up for it by killing a few more."

Lord Lingwu gritted his teeth.

Kleiner continued:

"Of course, you won't be willing. The party being plundered will always want to resist, I know all this. So, what I need is not your superficial obedience, or to bind you with the exchange of benefits. I can't use those things, there are too many variables. I will take the most effective way to erase your souls, occupy your bodies, and go outside in person. Also, only one of you is qualified to be occupied by me, so the other one will soon fall from here, smashed to pieces, and then bloom more beautiful flowers than those in the courtyard, and merge into my body one day in the future, which can also be regarded as a kind of eternal life."

Her eyes lingered between Lingwu Lord and Lid, her tone unchanged:

"I originally thought that since you were wary of each other, you would definitely fight each other when you came before me. I only needed to occupy the living and stronger one, which would save me a lot of time in selection. But now it seems that I have to do it myself."

Lord Lingwu took a step forward, his bones crackling, and tears and blood from the corners of his eyes flowed down his cheeks onto his veil.

The flames gathered around her into a golden river, like a flag of resistance.

Clenus remained unmoved and continued:

"This is not my mausoleum, and those outside are not guards. If we really want to fight, no matter how weak I am, I can kill anyone who comes, as long as they are not from the three upper tribes. The maze is a test of patience, the living mechanism is a test of wisdom, the sandstorm is a test of physical strength, and the more powerful monsters are a test of experience in fighting, and the calamity is a test of the strength of your heart. As for the last natural disaster, it is a test of your ability to adapt to changes. It is good to have it, but it doesn't matter if you don't... Anyway, if I were to control you, I would do better than you. So I let you go in the last test, just to see where your limits are."

As Clenus spoke, he extended two more tentacles and pressed them on the shoulders of the Spiritual Lord.

In an instant, a huge force was applied to her. The Lingwu Lord could not withstand such a great force and her shoulder blade was crushed, but she still walked forward step by step.

Clenus said softly:

"You won't stop even after this? Indeed, there is a shadow of hatred in you, but it's a pity that this hatred is not directed at the old gods, but at ordinary mortals. In any case, you and I should be more compatible. Moreover, your companion was seriously injured, and you supported him all the way here, right? What I need is a strong body, and only you are qualified for it."

The Lingwu Lord finally raised her foot but couldn't put it down no matter what. Her whole body seemed to be bound by an invisible force. She looked carefully and found that it was some tentacles that bound her. She trembled in her heart, knowing that this was the ability of Clenus to materialize the soul. Its body was still weak, but its soul did not become weaker.

With the help of the tentacles, Clenus also floated in the air, and his eyes began to glow with a chaotic light.

Lingwu Lord only felt that the scenery in front of him was slowly fading away. Lide, the territory, the tragic defeat hundreds of years ago, the suffering people of the world... all of them were loosening up bit by bit. His brain seemed to be emptying, and many things were slowly loosening up, and were about to fall off. His consciousness was getting weaker and weaker.

Then, suddenly, he became extremely sober again.

It was as if something sticky had been pouring into his mind, but was now suddenly withdrawn.

At this time, Clenus seemed to sigh softly and said:

"Of course, if I really choose you, there will be some troubles... The moment my soul entered your body, I fell into the trap you set. You must have anticipated these things before you came. Regarding what I just said, what I am going to do, and your final fate, you actually anticipated them a long time ago and have been trying to find a solution, right?"

The Spiritual Lord raised her head and glared at Clenus with narrowed eyes, but Clenus's eyes passed over her and whispered:

"It's not you... You are also very smart, but you are still a little short. This situation is not yours."

Her eyes fell on Reed:

"It's you. Say something. I want to listen and see your reaction. Your injury is not as serious as you show, and you are not as uncomfortable as you look. You are trying to induce me to make this choice. For you two right now, this is the only way."

She spoke words that were difficult for ordinary people to understand, but Reed and Lord Lingwu understood what she was saying.

Clenus extended a tentacle, and the cold octopus foot scratched across Reed's chest, and suddenly stabbed into his heart.

Lid stood still at first, but when he was sure that Clenus really intended to kill him, he was forced to retreat a few steps. His agile figure did not look weak or lame at all. The next moment, his expression finally changed a little, and Clenus slowly retracted his tentacles. She looked at Lid, and a faint smile appeared on her calm little face.

"You are very smart. Although this wisdom has no effect in front of me, it is still a bit interesting to watch this kind of powerless resistance occasionally. Next, what do you want to do? Let me tell you about your plan, or do you tell it all yourself? You are free to choose, it doesn't matter. I said, you are good, I can spend more time on you, which will help me understand the current humans faster... and find a way to kill them quickly in the future."

47. That was the moment when you were closest to victory

As soon as he woke up from the secret realm, Reed began to observe everything around him coldly.

Although the Lingwu Lord had repeatedly told him that he had a way to kill Clenus and take him out, Lid never listened to such things. He would not really bet his life on this illusory "method", even if the other party was the Lingwu Lord who had always been very reliable.

So, from Reed’s perspective, let’s sort out what he does after he wakes up.

First of all, as soon as he woke up, Reed faced an important decision: whether to kill the Lingwu Lord.

This decision will continue to trouble him in his future journey. There is no false reputation under a great name. At that time, Lid did not know that the Lingwu Lord had been reincarnated many times. He only thought that she was a rare genius in his life, who could master all the world's knowledge, principles, human feelings, and tactics in just twenty years. If such a person is not killed while she is weak, it will be difficult to kill her in the future.

After repeated thinking, Lid made the first move on the chessboard to save Lord Lingwu's life.

This was a wrong move in the game between the two, but it was not just Lord Lingwu and Lid who were playing here, there was also Clenus who had never appeared and no one knew what state he was in at the time. Since Lord Lingwu dared to come down, he must have a way to deal with Clenus, and Lid needed her alive as a bargaining chip against Clenus.

Then, since he had saved this woman, Lid had to work hard to get along with her. Although it sounded like he was trying to curry favor with someone else, considering that Lingwu Lord was a proud woman, she might not be willing to join forces with Lid from the bottom of her heart. Even if Lingwu Lord made a promise, Lid still needed to further test her thoughts.

This is the second thing Lid does, releasing goodwill.

It was impossible to capture the Lingwu Lord. An old maiden who had not been in love for hundreds of years could not suddenly fall in love. She was in a high position and could kill and kill people. She could give wealth and honor to common people with just one word and bring down kings and generals with just one move. At least for now, she was basically the type who would not listen to anything and was extremely calm. But it was necessary to maintain a good relationship, at least to make the other party realize that Lid was not the type to stab someone in the back, so that once they encountered a situation where they had to join forces, both sides could quickly start further cooperation.

During this process, Reed quietly asked Lord Lingwu for a lot of information.

For example, when asked whether the giants would be completely destroyed, and whether the six middle tribes would become the five middle tribes, Lord Lingwu replied that they would not.

Because Clenus's awakening level is not enough and he cannot absorb so many blood souls, there must be many survivors of the giant tribe.

For example, to what extent Clenas has recovered now, of course Lord Lingwu is not clear about this.

These issues were interspersed in some casual conversations, one person asked and the other listened, and no one would bring it up again afterwards.

The relationship between the two people became a little closer.

The third thing Lid did was to understand ancient magic and learn living mechanisms. Although it was a bit of a last-minute effort, when he saw the mechanisms set up by Clenus, Lid realized that there was a huge gap between the two sides in their magical attainments. He could have taken the crystals in the living mechanisms back to Yuxi City and given them to Fileta and the others to study slowly, but he quickly changed his mind. In this place, he had to seize the time to become stronger, and learning the other party's technology was undoubtedly a shortcut.

Thanks to these early preparations, he was able to save the little ghost when she was about to disappear.

It would definitely be too late to learn now. If we start studying the techniques of living organs at that time, it will take several days to understand them, and then to fully understand and master them... The little ghost would have already passed away with his bastard boss Huang Hexi.

Then, the fourth thing, which is also the turning point of this adventure -

Reed realized that this was actually Clenus's trial field.

From the very beginning, Reed had a lot of questions, such as why Clenus collected so many things and put them at his doorstep, why he built a maze at his doorstep, and why these levels were arranged in order from easy to difficult... Then one day, he suddenly realized that if this was not for killing the invaders, but for testing the invaders, then everything made sense.

After understanding this, the fifth thing is to continue thinking along this line of thought.

Since this is Clenus's trial, then Clenus must have woken up by now. Otherwise, after the outsiders have finished the trial, it is still unconscious. What is the point of this trial? Choose a sharper knife to kill yourself? The upper three tribes will not be so stupid.

From this, it can be inferred that the standard for Clenus' awakening should be very low, but the subsequent process of obtaining the blood soul and the energy of heaven's disgust is relatively long.

It must be awake, waiting in the deepest part of the secret realm for the invader to overcome numerous dangers and arrive before it.

It must also be very confident in itself, feeling that it has enough room to deal with the invader's attack and can easily defeat the invader.

So what is its purpose?

At that moment, the words of Lord Lingwu rang in Lid's mind again. The core bloodline of the giants - most of the high-level giants were still alive. Lid also desperately saved Huang Yan, the son of Tianyan, in that mighty thunder catastrophe.

Everything is connected. Perhaps Clenus's road to recovery has encountered some kind of bottleneck, and it needs invaders to help it solve it. I don't know if Clenus thousands of years ago could have anticipated the current situation, but the many trials set here were undoubtedly an insurance policy it took at the time. It screened out the small fish that dared to approach it, but allowed the strong to come before it...

The thoughts were temporarily interrupted here, and a question began to bother Reid.

There is actually a conflict here. Since Clenus is confident that it can defeat the invaders, why does it need to set up a trial? Can't it just fight its way out and take everything it wants?

Reed thought about this question for a long time, until he heard the Lord of Lingwu talk about the surging soul power of Clenas, he seemed to understand.

It couldn't get out. After all, its body was still very weak, and it was just the soul that was suffocating it. But after the soul left the body, it would quickly deplete, and it was impossible for Clenus to wander around outside as a simple spirit.

Therefore, it is very likely that it will choose to take over another body.

This reasoning seems long, but after calculating step by step, Reed feels that this is the most likely thing.