The old man you see with your phone is highly suspicious.

Furthermore, depending on the different convergent evolutions, the population required to produce a single fruit can range from billions to tens of billions, and even the quality of the fruit can vary.

For an ordinary apostle, this time usually ranges from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years.

Unless you explore entirely new planets, it's unlikely you'll reap the rewards in a short time.

The apostles who consumed the fruit underwent a complete transformation in their essence, because at this moment, the apostles who consumed the fruit were not much different from the mimicking king in terms of their status.

The creation of the Mimic King is a miraculous creation born from the Star Squadron's collection of countless fragments of the King scattered over the years and its practice of the King's ideal of protecting the universe. In essence, it can be seen as a clone of the King.

The apostles who consumed the fruit were monsters who extracted and absorbed the part of the spirit of the King from those races that were converging to evolve into Kings. They were also individuals evolving towards Kings, and the earlier the apostle was, the closer they were to the King.

This was originally a heretical method of cultivation, but it was through this heretical method that the apostles elevated themselves into the most terrifying natural disaster in the entire universe.

Xue Dinglu's opportunity to enter the Mist Council came from the divine tree seed he obtained from the fruit after killing Brinton, which allowed him to successfully enter the Mist Council as Brinton.

If one wants to extend their lifespan through the fruit, the first thing to consider is the forced pull of the Mist Council.

After sharing the information with the Mimic King, even the strongest being in the entire universe remained silent for a while before saying, "On you, I only discovered the subspace anchor point of your consciousness space. I can trace any other special subspace contact, but I have absolutely no way of tracing it back to the Mist Council..."

"There is only one possibility, and that is the Lord of the Mist you mentioned. His power can even deceive me!" said the large ball of light that resembled a spark.

They are now inside the body of the Mimic King in the Star Squadron. This is the Star Squadron's sanctuary and an area that the Mimic King can completely control. There is no risk of intelligence being leaked here.

Xue Dinglu then fell silent.

The worst-case scenario has occurred: even if he revealed everything, he still wouldn't have the power to overturn the table.

The Mist Council, and even the Mimic King, could not trace its origins.

Who exactly is this Lord of the Mist? And why does he possess such power?

Xue's Law does not believe that the Lord of the Mist is stronger than the Mimic King. If He were strong enough, the Mist Council would not need to hide in the Warp like rats hiding in the sewers.

They are able to openly colonize billions of civilizations in the universe, turning the entire universe into their human pasture, completely reaping all the power of the King, and transforming it into the power that allows them to reach the King level and transcend everything.

But they didn't. Instead, they hid themselves very well, like rats in a sewer, not daring to reveal any coordinates related to themselves.

The so-called global catastrophe was merely a result of their cowardice; they only dared to send their own clansmen, whose coordinates would not be revealed, to harvest the population, taking as much as they could.

“Next time you enter the council, I’ll personally examine what’s going on inside me. That might help me find some clues,” said the Mimic King, offering a solution that was hardly a solution at all.

Xue's Law could only nod; they didn't have a better method at the moment.

Xue Law had this doubt since the Mist Council had the technology to transmit information through subspace, while the Mimic King was still working on faster-than-light technology. It seemed that the Mimic King's technical level was much worse than that of the Apostles.

This is not a difference in strength, but merely a difference in technology and mindset. And now, with the Mimicry King unable to trace back to the Mist Council, Xue's Law feels this even more strongly.

At the very least, in terms of technology, the Mist Council is definitely stronger than the Mimic King, and even stronger than the entire Starfleet.

This is also a potential concern, but the Mimic King understands that technology is not something He can break through at will. Just like this inter-world chat group, it was developed based on the fact that the Star Squadron itself had a lot of other alternative communication technologies under research.

The Mimic King simply said that he would do his best, but there were too many things to consider, and He needed to consider not only one aspect of the problem, but the entire overall situation.

Xue Dinglu didn't say anything more. After all, he wasn't a member of the Starship Corps, but just a partner.

Even the identity of this partner was most likely left to him by the Great Sage.

Xue Lu finally said, "Senior Hassan is preparing to explore the deepest part of the subspace the day after tomorrow. Do you think it's necessary to make him wait a while? If we're lucky enough to find the subspace region where the Mist Council is located, we'll have another top-tier combatant."

“No, the day after tomorrow will be the most stable time in the entire warp in tens of thousands of years. If we miss this opportunity, neither Hassan nor I will be able to wait for the next one. The exploration of the warp is also of great importance to us. Our current understanding of the warp is only superficial. In this respect, we are more important than those Apostles who are like a stubborn pest.”

"Imitation King said with absolute certainty."

Xue Dinglu fell silent again. Perhaps he was really narrow-minded. For the Mimic King, the development and exploration of the subspace might be more important than the combined Apostles and Cataclysms.

He stopped being stubborn, simply said goodbye one last time, and left the interstellar column.

Perhaps, the idea of ​​mimicking the king is correct.

Xue Dinglu thought to himself.

I got home late at night, and then the sound of the television came from the living room again.

Xue looked around and saw that his aunt was asleep on the sofa in the living room. She seemed to have woken up from her coma and come to the living room to watch TV, but for some reason, she seemed to fall asleep right there.

The feedback from the cursed blood indicates that my aunt has only six months left to live...

This is a limitation on lifespan, not a physical limitation.

"Is that Ah Xue?" Aunt's voice suddenly came.

She seems to be a very light sleeper, so light that the slightest noise can wake her up, but she likes to sleep with the TV on. Even if there is no TV, she will turn on the radio or an automatically updating video, and just like that, she is half asleep and half awake, accompanied by the sound.

“Hmm…” Xue replied.

“Auntie is fine. It’s just a normal phenomenon as people get older. It’ll be alright, and it won’t happen again in the future. You don’t need to worry about me…” she said, as if afraid that Xue Dinglu would worry about her.

"Um……"

Their communication had always been like this: the aunt would say something, and Xue would respond.

"Get some rest, and don't worry about housework anymore. I'll have my daughter help out," Xue Dinglu said.

“Hmm…” Aunt Hui responded.

……

The next day, Xue Dinglu left early. He was supposed to catch up on the classes he missed during the school holiday, but he still took the day off and went to the masquerade ball.

The place was as lively as ever, filled with people indulging in revelry. Men and women alike were laughing and playing around. As soon as Xue arrived, he was immediately spotted by several groups of people who were looking to have some fun with him.

There was also a hanging man who kept saying "Smailo, Smailo" to Xue's Law.

However, these pranksters quickly became part of the fun, and were tricked by Xue Dinglu into buying a share of the magic academy. Although the magic academy only has a building now, and only Su Su lives in the dormitory, spending all her time scrolling on her phone and sleeping, she has already become a college student with lung cancer.

But this doesn't stop Xue from selling concepts; quite a few fools actually come to him hoping for stock appreciation.

If Xue Dinglu comes without experience the first time and gets tricked the second time, then his trip was truly in vain.

Soon, he arrived at Hassan's office again. A small, shadowy figure, now completely isolated, said, "You've arrived. Tomorrow I will explore the deepest part of the warp, at least to scout the way for others. This may be our last formal meeting."

Xue Dinglu discovered that the void within him was overflowing uncontrollably, so he had to use a seal to control this overflowing power, otherwise the void power within him could corrupt anyone in an instant.

Is this what happens in the later stages of being affected by nothingness...?

Perhaps Hassan's claim that he could hold on for another year was an optimistic estimate. Right now, he has no control over the overflowing void, which is like a super bomb that could explode at any moment.

So he might have thought that if he was going to live such an ugly and miserable life, he might as well pave the way for future generations in the last moments of his life.

Even if this path is only paved with a few bricks, it's better than doing nothing and waiting to die in an unknown subspace, waiting for the cosmic void to automatically become a natural disaster. It's better to explore it and then hand over this intelligence to the interstellar fleet.

"Is there anything I can help with, senior?" Xue Dinglu asked.

“It’s nothing. I’ve already spoken to Singal. Now, I want to hand over this masquerade ball entirely to you,” Hassan said, then waved his hand and took out his meager inheritance.

"Me...me?" Xue Dinglu pointed to himself. He leaned out of the window and looked out. These people tormented by nothingness used laughter to cover up their pain. They laughed day after day to keep themselves in a good mood and minimize the impact of nothingness.

Can I really manage these people?

Even, do I really have the ability to make these people submit?

“After all, Singal is not like us, but you are different. You are like us, so you can better understand the feelings among us, our joy, our pain, everything,” Hassan said calmly.

His tone was less like that of a person and more like that of a machine, devoid of any inflection or emotion.

"This is my last possession. I will give it to you without any pressure. If you are willing to help me take care of these people, that would be the best outcome. If not, I will not complain."

“After all, this isn’t an easy job. These people dare to fool even me, so they’ll only go even further with you. If you don’t like someone, just beat them up, or even strip them naked and hang them on a tree. They won’t learn their lesson anyway, and they’ll definitely seize any opportunity to trick you next time.” Hassan said, standing up and walking to the window like Xue Dinglu, looking at the laughing people.

Xue's Law: "..."

His face was already covered in sweat and looked like a soybean...

"You should take a look at what I left for you first. It might be very helpful in figuring out how to deal with the apostles."

Xue Dinglu was stunned for a moment. He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he no longer hesitated.

As expected, Hassan had seen through his identity as an apostle last time. Was this a resonance between the void? Even the Mimic King couldn't detect the details, yet this person who was already preparing for death saw them.

Looking at these relics, there was a mask, a small windmill, and an hourglass.

He immediately took the hourglass that was very similar to the [Sand of Flowing Light] on his body and looked at it.

【Twisted Grail (???): It can store the pollution of nothingness, and at the same time absorb everything about others, whether it is suffering, pain, laughter or pollution of nothingness, or their souls. It can selectively absorb and devour them and store them in this hourglass.

Note: Every container will eventually fill up. When the hourglass at the top is full, it will overflow and cause greater inconvenience to the user.

Chapter 434 A Journey Through Subspace

Upon seeing this, Xue Dinglu was stunned for a moment. He looked at the [Sand of Flowing Light] embedded in the very center of his soul, as well as the [Cursed Blood] and [Golden Grail] inherited from the Great Sage…

This [Twisted Holy Grail] alone is equivalent to a combination of Xue Lude's three Noble Phantasms, or even stronger. Xue Lude felt that if the Cursed Blood were to evolve to its ultimate form, it would be this Twisted Holy Grail.

The main function of this Holy Grail is similar to that of the Blood of the Cursed, but it can absorb not only all pain and suffering, but also the pollution of nothingness.

Xue suddenly realized why Hassan had entrusted this thing to him.

"You guessed it, didn't you? I absorbed the Void Contamination from all of them to the minimum. The curse of the Void cannot be removed, but as long as I absorb it, and they continue this way of life, they won't be devoured by the Void before they die of old age," Senior Hassan said calmly.

"And rest assured, there is no ethereal contamination on this thing now, because it's all within me." Hassan stretched out his hand, and the ethereal contamination, which seemed almost tangible, roared in his hand, but he forcibly pressed it back into his body.

Xue Lude stopped speaking. At this moment, Hassan was less like a human being and more like a mindless monster. He had been completely permeated by nothingness, and if he relaxed his mind, the monster of nothingness would probably break out of its shell.

A real, human-shaped natural disaster...

A sentient, humanoid void monster...

In comparison, the ethereal monster within Xue Dinglu's body, which only eats and sleeps, appears remarkably well-behaved.

As for the remaining two treasures, Xue Dinglu also picked them up and took a look.

【Thousand Faces (EX Rank): Able to mimic any Noble Phantasm, weapon, or even item you desire, and possess the effects you wish. The cost has been paid by someone else.】

【Dream Windmill (S-rank): A soul defense item that can protect you from any soul attacks and contamination from ordinary Apostle-level beings.】

The price: Carrying it with you will always keep you in a good mood, and you'll never forget your childhood dream.

Of the three Noble Phantasms, two are designed to counteract the effects of nothingness, especially the Holy Grail and this Windmill, which explicitly state their effects against the pollution of nothingness.

Even so, Hassan inevitably sank into the abyss of nothingness.

This is the legacy he left to Xue Dinglu. Every piece of this legacy is the power that Xue Dinglu desperately needs, but it is also a promise to take responsibility. Inheriting this legacy is equivalent to inheriting the rest of the lives of countless people who have been corrupted by nothingness.

But as Hassan said, if he really wanted to kill all the Apostles, then he couldn't give up any power. Now, as long as he inherited this power, he would even be able to fight the real Apostles head-on without eating the fruit, instead of relying solely on illusory monsters and traps to gain an advantage.

The price to pay was simply to help care for fellow sufferers tormented by nothingness.