: Choosing a Clone

The requirements for the Dark Magic Crystal to recognize a master are not high; a Venerable-level will is sufficient. Wu Qingfeng easily recognized it as his master, and the treasure hovered in his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness. Three days later, Wu Qingfeng teleported directly to the summit of Thunder Mountain. As the core stronghold of Chaos City, Thunder Mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist, with ancient and majestic palaces vaguely visible at its summit. Each palace exuded a vast pressure, which were the residences of the top human powerhouses. The Dark Lord's palace was located at the deepest part of the summit, hidden in the endless darkness and faint light.

Upon arriving at the gates of the Dark Lord's palace, the colossal gate forged from dark divine jade slowly opened automatically, releasing a dense aura of darkness that, instead of being chilling, possessed a serene tranquility that encompassed all things. Wu Qingfeng took a deep breath, suppressing his slight excitement, and steadily stepped into the palace.

The palace was vast and empty, its floor paved with dark gold star-patterned tiles, each imbued with pure law power. Looking up, a simulated cosmic sea stretched overhead, stars shifting and faint fluctuations of law visible. In the very center of the palace, the Lord of Darkness sat atop a floating black stone platform, his aura of darkness shimmering around him. His deep eyes seemed to pierce through time and space. Upon seeing Wu Qingfeng enter, he nodded slightly, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable authority: "You've arrived. Sit."

Wu Qingfeng followed instructions and sat quietly on the futon below the stone platform, his posture upright and his expression respectful, without the slightest slackening. He knew that he had come today not only to ask questions about cultivation, but also to inform his master of his three great innate secret techniques and to request the materials for his desired clone—this was related to his future cultivation speed and survival ability, and could not be taken lightly.

"Master, besides asking about the questions related to the fusion of laws, I have two other matters to report and request from you today." Wu Qingfeng spoke first, his tone sincere. "The first matter is that I once fused with a peculiar jade stone. After my genes reached the limit of the primordial universe, the will of the primordial universe bestowed upon me three great innate secret techniques. I dare not conceal this, so I have come to explain it to you, Master."

A hint of surprise flashed in the Lord of Darkness's eyes, then he nodded slightly: "Oh? The primordial universe's will personally bestowed three great innate secret techniques? That's unheard of. Even the most elite special life forms haven't received such an honor. Tell me about it."

Wu Qingfeng no longer hesitated and slowly began to explain the three great talent techniques in detail: "The first technique is called the Clone Technique. It is a life-saving technique that can be used by those below the Immortal level to create three clones using gene fragments. The clones share insights with the main body and can cultivate independently. As long as the main body does not perish, the clones can be recreated even if they perish."

As soon as he finished speaking, a hint of approval flashed in the Lord of Darkness's eyes: "What a wonderful secret technique! The technique of creating clones is an extremely rare life-saving method in the universe, especially the ability to create three clones, which is top-notch. With this secret technique, you will have three more layers of protection in your future training, so that you won't die and lose everything."

Wu Qingfeng felt a warmth in his heart and continued, "The second secret technique, the Undying Body, is a defensive secret technique that can reduce the physical attacks one receives to one ten-thousandth."

This time, the Lord of Darkness's expression finally showed a noticeable change, and the dark aura around him surged slightly: "Heaven-defying! This kind of defensive secret technique has already surpassed the scope of ordinary talent secret techniques. You should know that the peak defensive treasures are generally only this level, and there is also an upper limit. With the Undying Body, you will be almost invincible when facing physical attacks in the future. You only need to focus on defending against soul attacks."

"The third secret technique, Controlling Space and Time, is a support-type technique. Its power is extremely strong in its early stages, capable of enhancing domain-level treasures and high-grade treasures by one level. For top-tier and peak-level treasures, it can increase their power by half a level, and at its highest, it can enhance a peak-level domain treasure to the power of a top-grade peak-level domain treasure. Even after I break through to the Universe Lord realm, though I will be able to control space and time myself, this secret technique may seem useless, but its effect on enhancing treasures will still be extremely practical." Wu Qingfeng finished speaking slowly, quietly awaiting the Dark Lord's comments.

The Lord of Darkness remained silent for a moment, his eyes filled with astonishment: "The favor shown to you by the Primal Universe Will far exceeds my expectations. These three secret techniques complement each other, offering protection, defense, and support—all at a top-tier level. The fact that you have received such favor from the Primal Universe Will is enough to demonstrate your potential; your future challenge to become the strongest being in the universe is not just empty talk."

Having received his master's approval, Wu Qingfeng felt somewhat relieved and bowed, saying, "The second reason I've come today is to request materials for my clones. I have three clone slots and already have a plan. I wish to ask for materials for one super-giant divine body clone. After you upgraded my virtual universe access last time, I found out that the largest divine body in the primordial universe is the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds, and the Blood Sea Divine Body is 12 light-years in circumference. I wonder if there are any Blood Sea Divine Body materials at the World Lord level? For the other two, I request materials for powerful main combat clones to aid me in my future adventures and battles."

Upon hearing this, the Lord of Darkness smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone, "It's good that you have this plan. The materials are crucial for the clone technique. Good clone materials can not only make the clone stronger, but also complement the main body, achieving twice the result with half the effort. You want the Blood Sea gene of the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds, but I don't know if it has gene materials at the Realm Lord level. For powerful combat clones, I have two of the most suitable special life materials here. Take a look and see if they suit your needs."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Lord of Darkness raised his hand and waved it. Two streams of light flew out from his sleeve and hovered in front of Wu Qingfeng. One stream of light was dark purple, radiating a scorching aura of soul flames, and one could vaguely see that it contained a vast power of the void; the other stream of light was pale gold, crystal clear, and flowed with rich fluctuations of the laws of time. Just by getting close, Wu Qingfeng felt that his own understanding of time had become clearer.

"This first material is called the Void Flame Soul Emperor, taken from a special life form with a genetic level of 5800 times," the Lord of Darkness slowly introduced. "This special life form is born with the power of the void and soul flames. It has two innate secret techniques: one is the Void Domain, which allows it to merge into the void, making it extremely difficult to detect and attack, and possessing unparalleled speed among its peers; the other is the Eternal Soul Flame, an incredibly powerful soul attack flame that can burn the soul and is difficult to extinguish. This was something I, your teacher, used when I first became a Universe Lord, and with my soul attack, I was considered a third-tier Universe Lord. But I discovered it in the secret realm..." When I named this special life form, the Void Flame Soul Emperor, during the battle, my third-tier soul attack using the Seed of the Universe could only suppress it, not seriously injure it. Moreover, only by relying on the Dark Magic Crystal I bestowed upon you and your own extremely strong soul defense could you ignore its soul attack innate secret technique. In the end, it took a great deal of effort to wear it down using mental attacks. Among the spoils of war was this tail feather, possibly left behind when it was newly born as a World Lord. It's estimated to be unique in the primordial universe; I haven't heard of such a special life form in all my endless years. You can use a little to create an avatar.”

Wu Qingfeng's gaze was fixed on the dark purple stream of light, his heart filled with elation. The Void Flame Soul Emperor, a special life material with a genetic level of 5800 times, possessed extremely powerful combat techniques, whether it was the Void Domain or the Eternal Soul Flame, making it perfectly suited as a primary combat clone. Furthermore, the power of the void resonated with his own understanding of the laws of spacetime, aiding his comprehension of spatial laws.

"Thank you, Master! I am extremely satisfied with this Void Flame Soul Emperor!" Wu Qingfeng said hurriedly, his voice filled with excitement.

The Lord of Darkness nodded slightly and continued to introduce another stream of light: "This second material is called the Essence of Time Jade. It is taken from the blood of a special life form, Shi Heng, a Realm Lord at the 9600-fold genetic level. It is a top-tier special life material of the time system. It is naturally compatible with the laws of time, and its innate secret technique can briefly accelerate, decelerate, and even stop the flow of time. It has mastered the three great mysteries of the laws of time. Therefore, although it was born as a Realm Lord, it immediately continued to break through to become a Venerable after breaking through to Immortality. It is a top-tier cosmic overlord. It was a great innate overlord born in the early days of the primordial universe. In the end, it was destroyed by your grandmaster, the Primordial Ancestor, and obtained this Realm Lord-level genetic material from its lair."

Wu Qingfeng's pupils constricted, his eyes filled with shock. A special life material at 9600 times the genetic level, approaching the limits of the primordial universe, and a time-based material at that, with an innate mastery of the heaven-defying laws of time. This was equivalent to three powerful innate techniques from other special life forms. After all, the three great mysteries of time count as three innate techniques, and the fused laws of time transcend the scope of mere innate techniques. Such material, whether used as a combat avatar or to aid cultivation, was a top-tier choice, far superior to what he had anticipated.

He just happened to be stuck on the fusion of the laws of time, and after giving birth to his clone, the laws of time may very well be perfected.

"Master, this is jade marrow... It's far too precious, I am unworthy of such a gift." Wu Qingfeng said hastily. He knew that special life materials with a gene level of 9000 times were extremely rare even for the Lord of the Universe. The fact that the Lord of Darkness could easily produce it showed how much he valued him.

The Lord of Darkness waved his hand, his tone calm yet expectant: "You are my personal disciple, with unparalleled talent. You are destined to carry the banner of humanity in the future, and you deserve it. The Essence of Time Jade is in harmony with the laws of time, complementing your own understanding of the laws of spacetime. Using it as a second combat clone will not only enhance your combat power but also assist you in comprehending the laws of time—a win-win situation."

After a pause, the Lord of Darkness continued, "As for the enormous avatar of the divine body you desire, I don't know if the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds possesses any World Lord-level genetic material. However, he has a good relationship with your Uncle Chaos and owes Chaos a favor. I will ask Chaos to try and obtain World Lord-level Blood Sea genetic material."

"Disciple thanks Master! I will never forget Master's kindness. I will definitely devote myself to cultivation and live up to Master's love!" Wu Qingfeng bowed again, his tone extremely firm.

The Lord of Darkness nodded slightly and instructed, "Your perfect genes will inevitably result in a vast World Lord within you. While this will accelerate the gestation process, it will still take considerable time. Furthermore, once the clones are successfully formed, each must cultivate its corresponding secret techniques to grow in sync with the main body. If you have any questions regarding cultivation, feel free to come to me at any time."

"Disciple will remember Master's teachings," Wu Qingfeng replied respectfully.

Afterwards, Wu Qingfeng consulted the Lord of Darkness about the fusion of the three profound mysteries of the Law of Time. The Lord of Darkness answered all his questions without reservation, sharing his own cultivation experience and guiding him through the difficulties. This enlightened Wu Qingfeng, and many of the problems that had puzzled him for a long time were instantly solved.

Before they knew it, half a day had passed. Wu Qingfeng got up to take his leave, carrying with him the precious materials for creating clones and a bountiful harvest, and departed from the Dark Lord's palace.