Spellcasting Gods

As he said this, Zhang Cheng turned his head and looked out the window at the gloomy sky, as if he could see through the atmosphere and into the deep space.

He could sense that ever since the Initiators came, something had been circling the planet—perhaps some kind of probe, or perhaps another Overlord was nearby.

In short, this inexplicable pressure made the crazy side deep inside him eager to try.

"Don't worry, I guarantee no one will dare to attack you right now, otherwise it would be like starting a war against the entire Chaos faction. The Order wouldn't dare, and the Neutrality even less so, because you've already begun to demonstrate the power and wisdom a Overlord should possess. Perhaps you're not quite mature yet, but one day you will catch up with everyone, and even surpass everyone," Gru casually reassured him.

He seemed completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere in the air around him, and walked onto the balcony, tossing several small golden metal beetles into the sky.

In no time, these tiny insects transformed into streaks of golden light, breaking through the barrier of gravity and disappearing into the vast expanse of space.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Cheng asked with great interest.

“I’m sending a message, in a way that no one can decipher. Also, I want you to attend the next meeting of the Chaos faction. You should know that many Overminds are eager to meet you and discuss the motives behind your incredibly insane actions. You may not be aware that your indescribable plan actually has only a 0.0003% success rate. From any perspective, you should have been torn to shreds by the power of the Strings, not survived to become an Overmind. To this day, no one can figure out whether you were just incredibly lucky or for some other reason.” Gru calmly turned around and explained.

"So... my success is not replicable?" Zhang Cheng narrowed his eyes, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"That's right! It's impossible to replicate! After all, there are so many main threads in the universe, but only thirty-two intelligent life forms that can be called rulers. If there were a possibility of replication, do you think the rulers wouldn't try it? On the contrary, the other you who joined the Order faction has a very high success rate in his method, so much so that many rulers are secretly conducting experiments."

"Hahahaha! I guarantee that all those guys who try to replicate the success of the Initiators will ultimately fail without exception. You don't know him, and you don't know how much he likes to keep his true abilities hidden. Sometimes I even feel that the reason he joined the Order is not because he agrees with the Order itself, but for some other purpose."

Chapter 1080 The Secret of the Soul

Motivation is the psychological tendency or internal drive that arouses and sustains the action of an organism and directs the action toward a certain goal.

Generally speaking, it strictly belongs to the field of psychology. It is the inevitable result of the interaction between the behavior of intelligent life individuals and the outside world. Almost every behavior has a certain motivation hidden behind it. Some of these motivations are particularly strong and are easily detected, while others are particularly hidden and are even subconsciously ignored by the person themselves.

Without a doubt, Zhang Cheng had no idea what profound meaning lay behind the seemingly illogical actions of the Initialists.

Based on his understanding, such a person would never do anything meaningless, much less wholeheartedly join a powerful organization, unless the founder believes that he can become the supreme leader of the entire organization at some point in the future.

That's right!

Their shared personality traits include an unwillingness to be subordinate to others and a strong ambition, which are not easily changed.

While Zhang Cheng was alone on the upper level of the tower, analyzing the experimental data he had just obtained and pondering what the Initiators were planning, Gru also quietly left the desolate planet located in a remote corner of the universe and came to a special space completely constructed by four special fulcrums.

Looking around, both the sky and the ground are gray and hazy, like a rolled-up flat surface that keeps curving and rotating, as if there is no end to it no matter how you walk, and no matter where you are, the ground under your feet is always hard.

Such bizarre space compression and folding technology is probably beyond the comprehension of even the most advanced space civilizations.

But now, it has appeared in the form of a physical object in such an unknown corner.

Sensing the terrifying pressure permeating the surrounding air, Gru gently waved his tentacle-like signal receiver and asked in a slightly deep voice, "My dear old friend, why haven't you shown up yet? Do you have to play this boring game of hide-and-seek with me every time we meet?"

"Why not? After all, you praised me, saying that my mastery of spatial rules has reached its peak, and no other ruler in the entire universe can compare with me in this regard." A slightly cynical voice echoed in the air.

Whether it was due to the convoluted space or the other party's use of a special vocal technique, the sound did not reveal his location; instead, it echoed continuously, creating a continuous reverberation.

“I did praise you. But you must understand, no matter how amazing a skill or knowledge is, it will eventually become commonplace with repeated exposure. I saw through your little trick long ago, so come out, I have something interesting to share with you.” As he spoke, Gru turned his gaze to a uniquely shaped plant not far away.

Without any hesitation!

Without the slightest hesitation!

Those two rows of small eyes clearly told the other person, "I know you're hiding inside."

"Damn it! Okay, okay, I admit these tricks are a bit old-fashioned. Maybe we can try something different next time."

Accompanied by a series of complaints, the flower at the top of the plant suddenly bloomed at an extremely fast speed, and a smart life form with a human-like appearance, resembling a little fairy, but with a pair of transparent insect wings on its back flew out from the flower's heart.

She was so petite, less than fifteen centimeters tall, yet she exuded an astonishing aura that only top-tier life forms in the universe possess.

It goes without saying that this is a ruler. Although he looks very weak and harmless, he can actually make a star system disappear with a flick of his finger.

The little guy circled Gru twice, then snapped his fingers, creating a chair that stood in mid-air. He plopped down on it, crossed his legs, and asked, "You said you had something to share with me. What is it?"

"It's very simple! The growth trajectory of a ruler! To be precise, I discovered a secret he hasn't yet realized. You know what? That newly promoted ruler is missing a crucial part of his soul. Someone severed a portion of his soul when he was still an ordinary mortal," Gru replied meaningfully.

"Severing the soul?!" The unknown ruler was clearly taken aback. "Oh—no, no, no, this is not good news."

Gru nodded seriously in agreement, "That's right! The most incredible thing is that he himself once discovered that part of the hidden soul fragment, but for some reason he didn't retrieve it, instead discarding it like trash. If nothing unexpected happens, this soul fragment should be in the hands of another newly promoted ruler. It's hard to imagine that a madman would do something so outrageous to his parallel universe counterpart."

"Then what do you think we should do? Go help him?" The unknown ruler blinked with interest, a cold smile appearing on his delicate face.

"Help? I have no intention of getting involved in their feud. In any case, they represent limitless possibilities. Don't forget, since the birth of the universe, no ruler has ever been able to fuse more than two main strings. But now, I think the first truly exceptional case will soon appear."

When Gru said these words, his emotions were extremely turbulent, and his two insect-like forelimbs were flailing wildly.

The unknown ruler pondered for a moment, then said in a somewhat uncertain tone, "I understand what you mean. As projections of the origin of the universe in parallel worlds, their essences are very similar, even virtually identical. This means that as long as they don't reject each other, it's entirely possible for them to merge into one. At that time, the power they possess will also merge. Although it might cause changes in personality and subjective consciousness, in any case, he will become powerful and invincible."

"I have to admit, the person who came up with this plan is an absolute genius, and also a true madman. Although there is no shortage of madmen in the universe, this is definitely the first madman to be so thoroughly mad that he does not even intend to retain his own subjective consciousness."

"So what's your plan? Don't tell me you haven't even come up with a decent plan yet."

“Plan? Of course I have a plan! First, I plan to talk to the guy who joined the Order faction to try and confirm whether he is doing this consciously. But in order to avoid the eyes and ears of the other Overlords, I need your help. Only you in the entire universe can send me to the designated location without alerting anyone.”

……

Chapter 1081 Precious Fragments

The Land of Order is a special planet located at the edge of the high-dimensional universe, and one of the few planets that were forcibly created through force.

Unlike most normal planets, it truly represents the absolute power of order, just as its name suggests, whether it's the buildings that look exactly the same with almost no difference, or the symmetrical decorations that would please even the most obsessive-compulsive person.

Most importantly, plants, animals, and parasites are all evolving in a highly regular cycle.

Here, there are no accidents, and no mutations, which are often mentioned in biology; everything is controllable.

Although it may sound like this place is worse than most humans on Earth can tolerate, only intelligent life that has come here in person can truly appreciate the perfection of absolute order.

Of course, as a loser, the Initiator has had a rather bad time lately. First, he was mercilessly mocked by his enemies, and then he had to do a lot of humiliating punishment tasks.

However, after the punishment period ended, he returned to his normal status and continued to remain in the council as the ruler, waiting for an opportunity.

His partner, in particular, has won the trust and attention of many council members through his brilliant mind, and it is believed that he will soon be able to uncover the secret of the rulers' immortality.

By that time...

Before the initiator could even conjure up the beautiful vision of the entire plan's ultimate success, a slight energy vibration suddenly emanated from the room.

Although it is very slight, it will be subconsciously ignored if it is a little far away.

next second!

A tiny crack appeared out of thin air, and two creatures, one large and one small, emerged from it. One of them was Gru, who looked like an insect, and the other was his friend, the ruler who resembled a little fairy.

"You are... Chaos!" The Primordial One's pupils suddenly contracted, and he immediately became extremely vigilant.

Unlike Zhang Cheng, who was completely clueless when he entered this field, he quickly obtained a great deal of intelligence through various means, the most important of which was information on many rulers.

After all, since the birth of the universe, only thirty-two rulers have been born. Excluding the two new ones, many of the rest are so ancient that they can rival the lifespan of stars.

Maintaining an air of mystery within such a small circle is no easy feat.

Through constant probing and switching allegiances, the appearance and strengths of most of the Overlords have become known to the other Overlords.

“Ah! Yes, I am Gru from the Chaos faction. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Gru took the initiative to step forward and gave a friendly self-introduction.

In contrast, the other little vixen was much more aggressive, grinning maliciously and threatening, "Newbie! I advise you to hand over what we want, or else..."

"What else do you want to do?" the Initiator asked meaningfully. "Do you dare to make a move here? You should know that this is the Council of Order, a world controlled by the power of absolute order, where there is not a single chaotic rule. Not to mention, there are two members in the council right now. I may not be able to defeat you in a head-on fight, but I can hold out until the rescue arrives."

“Very good! I’m starting to admire your courage now. In that case, then…”

"Shut up! Let me do it! If you don't want to mess things up!"

Before the little fairy could finish speaking, Gru stepped forward and reprimanded her in a low voice.

Although the former was a little unwilling, it ultimately did not choose to cause trouble. With a whoosh, it disappeared into the spatial rift and vanished without a trace.

"Hmph! Bluffing!"

Staring at the gradually disappearing and closing crack, the Initiator smiled disdainfully, then asked the worm-like Gru, "So, esteemed Lord of Chaos, what is your purpose in infiltrating the Land of Order in this way?"

“As I said before, I just wanted to talk to you about the soul. I’m curious, are you really planning to merge with your other self? Otherwise, why did you choose to sever a part of your soul in the very beginning?” Gru blurted out all the questions he most wanted answered.

Upon hearing this, the Initiator frowned and asked in a low voice, "What do you know?"

“A lot, almost everything. I even saw you remove the fragment of the soul hidden in the young girl’s body. It looked so beautiful, deep, dark, and pure that it was hard not to notice it.” Gru didn’t try to hide anything and openly told what he knew.

"You went to that point in time?" The Initiator wasn't stupid; he immediately figured out how the other party had seen through his secret.

He simply couldn't believe that his other self would tell such a thing to an outsider.

If the other party has malicious intent, it could cause incredible shocks and even affect one's current situation.

As if sensing the Initialist's thoughts, Gru casually explained, "Timeline? No! I traversed his entire growth process. I must say, you raised him exceptionally well, even awakening the dormant dark side within him, turning a harmless ordinary person into a monster embodying madness, darkness, evil, and many other traits."

"Hahaha! You also think he's a monster? It seems we've reached a consensus. But unfortunately, I won't take out that soul fragment," the Initiator said bluntly.

Hand over Zhang Cheng's soul fragments?

joke!

He would rather hand over that vast amount of valuable knowledge and skills than give up the fragments of his soul.

Because of this fragment of the soul, he was able to carry out his grand plan; otherwise, it would all be just wishful thinking.

"Don't rush to refuse! You need to understand, we are not your enemies, nor are we spying on or trying to stop you from doing anything. On the contrary, we are willing to lend you a helping hand in secret." Gru calmly stated his terms.

Now, this overlord, who resembles a giant beetle, is filled with intense curiosity. He just wants to take another look at the fragment of Zhang Cheng's soul to confirm whether his insane plan has any chance of success.

"Sorry, I don't need your help, and I certainly won't give you my soul fragments. Give up on that idea now. Also, if it's convenient, please pass on a message to my other self. Tell him that I will appear before him in another life form in the near future, and I hope he's prepared..."

Chapter 1082 The Two Sides of a Coin

“Another form!” Gru’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he questioned sharply, “You’re actually researching that forbidden thing?”

"Taboo? No! That's not taboo! It's the highest truth of the universe! It's the truth hidden behind the fog! Since the birth of the universe, no intelligent being has ever touched this realm, and I will be the first and only one."

As he spoke these words, the Initiator slightly raised his chin, a stark contrast to his usual low-key and gentle demeanor, exuding a chilling fervor.

At this moment, he looked exactly like Zhang Cheng when he was in a frenzy; both were the kind of madmen who didn't care about the consequences at all in order to achieve their goals.

Gazing at this familiar scene, Gru finally realized why these two people had transcended themselves and become masters at almost the same time, and why they maintained such a strange and awkward relationship.

The answer is very simple!

They are like two sides of the same coin. Although they give the illusion of having very different personalities, they both harbor a strong will that cannot be described in words.

Nothing can stop this consciousness from advancing; otherwise, it will be crushed alive.