The demonic wings behind Beelzebub spread wide, and the bony wings lined with black membranes slammed against the walls. Blinding arcs of lightning erupted on contact, along with torrents of bloody mist and white smoke, causing the other party's expression to darken completely.
Then, from among Beelzebub's countless compound eyes, a strange glimmer of light emerged. "How could a mere mortal comprehend the thoughts of a deity?"
"A deity?!" Lei Lin's heart lurched, but a cold smirk spread across his face. "In my eyes, you're nothing but prey! That's all! Well then, Lord of Gluttony Beelzebub — farewell!"
Lei Lin placed a hand over his chest and performed an elegant noble's bow, his movements impeccable to the last detail. But as he moved, crimson lightning instantly engulfed the entire summoning chamber.
"Fifth-tier Snake Emperor talent — Devour!" The phantom of the Komoin Snake Emperor appeared behind Lei Lin, its form shrunken by several sizes but far more solid and condensed than before. Though still restrained by thorny iron chains, it showed not the slightest sign of fatigue. Instead, a terrifying black hole took shape before Lei Lin.
Crack! Crack! Blinding bolts of lightning continued to rain down, tearing apart the flesh and blood on Beelzebub's body.
Massive chunks of flesh were continuously swallowed into the black hole, ultimately forming a horrifying mass of blood-red Life Energy.
Lei Lin's face flushed slightly red, but he did not absorb all of this energy. Instead, through his Devour talent, he continuously refined Beelzebub's energy essence, ultimately producing a small half-vial of dark crimson liquid.
"Mortal! Despicable Wizard! I will not let you escape! In my name — Beelzebub swears it!"
Within the cage of crimson lightning, Beelzebub's voice and struggles grew weaker and weaker, until they vanished entirely.
However, once the demon had been thoroughly destroyed, the entire pentagram formation and the powerful binding runes on the surrounding walls collapsed instantaneously. They were left covered in deep bite marks, as though some terrifying creature had savaged them.
"The Rule of Gluttony, is it?" Lei Lin stroked his chin. "That's quite a formidable rule power! If this hadn't merely been a clone, and if I hadn't already begun to comprehend a bit of how the Rule of Fire operates, dealing with Beelzebub's clone might have still posed some trouble…"
A rule-level existence, even a single clone, was no easy opponent.
But Lei Lin was situated in the Wizard World, where he could harness the power of the entire world to suppress his foe, firmly seizing the advantage of home territory. He had further weakened the opponent's strength through formations and binding runes, and what he faced in the end was a clone of the Lord of Gluttony that had already been diminished multiple times over.
In the original history of the Central Continent, even when Beelzebub's clones ran rampant, they were ultimately suppressed — his very body shattered into fragments, which was how those Gluttony runes came to be left behind.
And with Lei Lin's current strength, even placed in the ancient era, he would have been considered a formidable powerhouse of considerable standing. Dealing with a clone that had been weakened this much was entirely within his capabilities.
Only after Beelzebub's voice had completely vanished from the secret chamber, and even the Rule of Gluttony had fully dissipated, did Lei Lin stroke his chin, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips. "A deity, you say? Now that… is a rather interesting notion…"
Having already vaguely guessed the other party's true origins, Lei Lin paid no heed to the demon's warnings or curses. Instead, he turned his gaze to the dark crimson liquid in his hand.
The thick, almost crystallizing dark crimson fluid radiated an aura of sinister Negative Energy that continuously swirled around the test tube, making for a truly terrifying sight.
【Ding! Unknown energy entity! Extremely high purity! Contains potent rule power and is saturated with corrosive energy. Subject use is not recommended!】The Chip finished its scan and immediately reported back.
"So it's as I thought. The energy from a clone like this — even after purification and extraction through my Devour talent — still contains the opponent's most fundamental genetic and energy particle information?" Lei Lin stroked his chin.
Existences above the rule level could already brand their own mark onto every facet of a soul, and even into the flesh, blood, and energy of a physical body.
Even within a projected clone, those marks were thoroughly embedded — much like the bronze giantess of the Ice World, where even a single drop of blood, after traversing between worlds, could develop sentience and give birth to an entirely new life.
And if Lei Lin were to use this energy essence, while he would certainly reap tremendous short-term benefits — perhaps even gaining insight into portions of the Rule of Gluttony — in the end, he would inevitably follow the same path as many wizards throughout history and Robin before him. Gradually, the imprint embedded within the energy would erode his will, transforming him into a puppet — or even another clone of the demon.
Fully aware of the pitfalls involved, Lei Lin would hardly be so reckless.
Layers of sealing sigils immediately materialized, encircling the test tube and locking down the original dark-red energy within. Only after completing all of this did Lei Lin carefully put the test tube away with peace of mind.
"The final preparation is done!"
Having finished everything, Lei Lin did not immediately launch into his last desperate attempt. Quite the opposite — he returned to his bedroom and enjoyed a good, solid sleep.
No meditation, no scheming, no burden of any kind weighing on his mind — this sleep allowed Lei Lin's body and spirit to relax to the fullest.
Afterward, he found a quiet chamber and began the slow process of reminiscence.