In the quiet stone chamber, Lin Lei lay there peacefully, the elements of all four systems clinging lovingly around his body. In the entire chamber, aside from Lin Lei himself, only Bei Bei was present. Bluefire, Lei Sijing, and the others hadn't come to disturb Bei Bei. They all understood just how deep the bond between Lin Lei and Bei Bei truly was.
Bei Bei stood silently at Lin Lei's side, faint tear traces still visible on his small face.
"Boss." Bei Bei forced out a thin smile. "It's been over two thousand years now. In my heart, the one I've admired most has always been you. Really! When we were young, I'd sleep and play, but you, Boss—you were always training diligently, never once slacking off. I know part of it was because of your father, and part because of Grandpa Derin. But you never gave up, did you?"
"And along the way, we've faced obstacles that seemed insurmountable. The King of Fenlei was formidable, wasn't he? You were just a youth back then, but didn't you end up killing him in the end?"
"Even the Church of Light, which seemed so incredibly powerful in our eyes—didn't you tear it out by the roots and destroy it?"
"In the Tomb of the Gods, we encountered countless life-threatening dangers, situations that seemed absolutely hopeless. And yet we made it through every single one."
"In the Infernal Realm, we fought our way forward without ever falling. And now we've pushed all the way to this Planar Battlefield—the most dangerous and terrifying place of all! Didn't we even manage to obtain four commander badges?"
Bei Bei bit his lip, staring at the sleeping Lin Lei. "Boss, you're not going to fall! So what if it's a soul mutation? You've overcome so many impossible odds—you're not going to be beaten by this. I believe you'll definitely succeed, because... you're my Boss. The one I trust most, the one I admire most."
As Bei Bei spoke, tears began to well up in his eyes. He fought with all his might to keep them from falling.
The more confident his words sounded, the more panic churned in his heart.
Bei Bei had no confidence at all—not a shred of certainty! Because Lin Lei possessed four great divine clones, and a soul mutation would be influenced by all four elements at once. This kind of simultaneous influence was terrifyingly severe. If he could survive it... Lin Lei would be the first being across countless planes, throughout all of history, to possess four divine clones and still undergo a soul mutation.
Could he possibly survive it?
No one in history had ever done it!
"Boss, you can do it. You can definitely do it." Bei Bei murmured silently in his heart.
Anyone who knew about Lin Lei's condition had no confidence that he would pull through. Not even a ten percent chance. Even Lei Sijing, Bluefire, and the others—their hearts had sunk the moment they discovered Lin Lei had begun his soul mutation. All they could do now was pray to the heavens, and hope that Lin Lei himself would fight hard enough.
In the Yulan Continent plane, in the Dark Forest, inside the Metal Castle.
Two figures sat facing each other—one in a black robe, the other in a white robe. The first had a long beard drooping down and small eyes: Belutti. The other had crimson eyebrows: Bluefire! At this moment, whether it was Belutti or Bluefire, neither looked well.
"How's the situation? Is there any hope for a turnaround?" Belutti asked with a frown.
"The situation is dire." Bluefire let out a long sigh. "I truly have no confidence in a successful soul mutation. If Lin Lei manages to pull it off, that would be an extraordinary surprise. But if he fails... then Lin Lei will never reach the peak again."
Belutti shook his head and sighed. "I was too hasty. Too eager for results."
"This has nothing to do with you," Bluefire said, shaking his head. "After my true body entered the Planar Battlefield, I was relatively close to Lin Lei at first. But once he broke through, I relaxed my guard. Who could have predicted that Magnus would appear? It was my mistake—I simply wasn't there in time to save him."
A bitter smile crossed Belutti's face. "It's rare to find such a suitable candidate. If Bei Bei ever learns the truth, he'll probably hate me!"
"You can't blame yourself either," Bluefire shook his head. "Who could have predicted this?"
"If my plan had succeeded, Lin Lei and Bei Bei would have had reason to be grateful to me down the road. But now it's turned out like this..." Belutti shook his head. "If Lin Lei's true body and three clones both die, he'll have no future to speak of. My plan will be completely ruined, and I'll have to find someone else."
Bluefire sat there, a trace of unwillingness flickering in his eyes.
"Don't jump to conclusions too quickly, Belutti," Bluefire said with a frown. "The result isn't decided yet. Lin Lei might still pull through."
"If he really does pull through and the soul mutation succeeds, that would be an even greater surprise." Belutti raised an eyebrow. "If this Lin Lei truly succeeds in his soul mutation, then I'll need to revise my entire plan."
"What do you mean?" Bluefire was startled.
Belutti nodded firmly. "Right!"
"Can... can that really work?" Bluefire asked in shock. "It seems that throughout all of history, no one has ever succeeded."
"Why not?" Belutti's eyes gleamed with sharp light. "To be honest, once Lin Lei's soul mutation succeeds, my plan will have a very high chance of succeeding as well. Once it does... just thinking about it excites me. If the experiment fails, it won't affect Lin Lei further. The impact on us wouldn't be significant either. But if it succeeds..."
A look of anticipation couldn't help but appear in Bluefire's eyes as well.
"Of course, right now we're just daydreaming in broad daylight," Belutti said with a bitter smile. "It's far too early for all of that. Lin Lei still needs to survive this current trial first."
"Right. We still have to see whether he can make it through!" Bluefire nodded as well. "If he succeeds, this Lin Lei's future will be limitless! If he fails, the two of us can only ensure that he lives out the rest of his days in peace. He'll never again be able to stand at the pinnacle and command the winds and rain."
"No one can help him right now." Belutti nodded slightly. "He can only rely on himself!"
"Regretting it is useless now. All we can do is face reality!" Belutti's gaze turned firm and cold. "If he succeeds, his achievements will be limitless. If he fails... well, he can't blame me."
Time passed. The Planar Battlefield had grown quiet as well—great battles were now rare. Almost everyone was waiting for the final showdown to arrive.
On the thirty-second day of Lin Lei's unconsciousness, in the cavern where Lei Sijing and the others were staying.
Bluefire walked out from Lin Lei's stone chamber. Lei Sijing, Lei Hong, and Bei Bei all hurried forward to meet him. "What happened, Mr. Lei Lin?" Bei Bei was the first to ask. Bluefire looked at the three of them and shook his head. "Although after the power of the Fate Sovereign from Magnus's attack was fully consumed, the soul stone's energy depletion slowed considerably. But as of today, the soul stone has been completely exhausted!"
"What are you saying?" Bei Bei was horrified.
"From today onward, no external force can help Lin Lei," Bluefire sighed. "In the past, with the soul stone's assistance, he could hold on. Now, without the soul stone... facing the soul mutation, he can only rely on his own willpower to endure."
"Boss's soul is already so weak—can he even hold on?" Bei Bei was on the verge of tears.
Bluefire, Lei Sijing, and Lei Hong all fell silent.