The original Poison of the Soul had evolved countless times, and here, its presence was ubiquitous, permeating the entirety of Black Prison Star; perhaps precisely because of this, Dieter could not pinpoint its exact location.

The billions of living beings on Black Prison Star were utterly oblivious that their star was about to suffer a great calamity, continuing their lives in ease, races living in peace, and major factions locked in conflict.

Standing atop the peak of a solitary mountain on Black Prison Star, feeling the pervasive aura of the original Poison, the voice of the original Poison rang out in his mind. Almost instantaneously, he sensed the scattered essence of that poison across the heaven and earth of Black Prison Star slowly converging toward him.

He understood; the original Poison had entered the Sea of Souls. The call of the original Poison was still there... [2011-1-28 13:56 Reply [Pic]]

Zuo, waiting for the red apricot blossoms to arrive on the 4th floor, resolutely upvoted... Keep it up!

This message was posted via mobile phone, I must post a message with my phone too! [2011-1-28 14:05 Reply [Pic]]

center 35 Fans 5th Floor Sorry, had an emergency to run out to. [2011-1-28 14:18 Reply [Pic]]

center 35 Fans 6th Floor That familiar address was present too, yet Ji Changkong felt a multitude of emotions, unsure of what to say.

He understood that after everything he had been through, the original Poison was no longer the familiar entity he knew. He couldn't tell if it was influenced by the Ghost Demon King or due to its inherent nature that he struggled to grasp, but gradually, the closeness between him and the original Poison had faded.

However, the years he and the original Poison had experienced together remained vivid, etched like a brand deep within his consciousness, never to disappear.

When the original Poison’s familiar address sounded once more, in a haze, he felt as if he had returned to the past, back to those scenes where he and the original Poison fought side by side...

The slight malicious thought that had begun to stir in his heart instantly vanished; simply because of the original Poison’s familiar “Kongkong,” he could not bring himself to conceive the idea of slaying it. The original Poison clearly sensed the shift in his emotions, and in his Sea of Souls, the consciousness of the original Poison transmitted again: “Kongkong, after so many years, you still haven’t changed.”

Atop the peak, Ji Changkong managed a wry smile, murmuring, “I truly haven’t changed much, but Nǐ, you’ve changed so much I almost don’t recognize you.”

He clearly sensed, within the aura gathering beside him, a murderous intent originating from—he knew intrinsically—that same ruthless flavor of the Ghost Demon King. He realized that while the original Poison was influenced by the Ghost Demon King, the Ghost Demon King’s vicious aura of destroying everything had affected the original Poison to some degree; the very life form of the original Poison had undergone some changes. “I cannot help but change. If I don't change, I cannot survive in the Dead Star Domain. The people here detest me to the extreme, wishing to utterly destroy me. If I don't resist, what awaits me is complete annihilation,” a somewhat cold voice drifted to his ear.

Soon after, on a rock beside him, wisps of gray, ethereal mist swirled and coalesced, eventually manifesting a body that bore a seventy percent resemblance to his own appearance. The original Poison could now forge a body at will; the one manifesting now was nearly identical in height to him, containing an incredibly terrifying power, its eyes sharp as blades, the corners of its mouth curved in a chilling hint of killing intent. “You are guarding against me?” Ji Changkong frowned. “I thought you came to kill me.” Ji Du nodded, admitting frankly, “The moment I sensed you appear outside Black Prison Star, I became cautious. You still possess the Primordial Fire, which is my natural enemy. I assumed you came with the intent to completely destroy me, forcing me to take action.”

“Do you still remember what I once told you?” Ji Changkong gave a cold laugh.

“If I become evil in this world, you will personally eliminate me.” Ji Du nodded. “I have always remembered!”

“What have you done?” Ji Changkong’s face instantly chilled. He snapped, “If you haven't done wrong, why would you fear me? If you haven't committed evil, why would the experts of the Chaos Realm discover you?” [2011-1-28 14:24 Reply [Pic]]

center 35 Fans 7th Floor “Yes, I have harmed some people.” Ji Du fell silent for a moment, answering honestly.

“Why? You once promised me!”

“I... I just want to live.”

Ji Du’s tone was bleak. He paused, then said, “See for yourself.”

A strange ripple suddenly spread through the void. In front of Ji Du, a massive lake surface materialized, within which scene after scene shifted and transformed, forming patterns that briefly depicted a series of stories. The story began with Ji Du entering the Dead Star Domain. In that domain, due to his different life form compared to the various races, he found it difficult to integrate. He could only linger in desolate dead zones, rarely interacting with others. At some point, on a Planet of Life, he discovered a peculiar medicinal herb that could facilitate his evolution. The herb was ownerless. After acquiring it, he was tracked down by several high-level experts from various races who discovered him and sought to seize the herb.

He was certainly not someone easily dealt with. Utilizing his toxicity and peculiar soul-control techniques, he killed most of his pursuers and successfully escaped the hunt. From there, his life form, similar to the Plague Demon, was fortuitously discovered by the Soul Disk. For the next hundred years, he lived under the constant threat of pursuit and annihilation from the various races. Experts from these races formed small-scale joint armies, their sole purpose being his destruction. He was always fleeing, always fighting, absorbing the souls of those who died by his hand during the battles, wandering and escaping across the major stars, searching for rare materials that could constantly purify him. Many times he nearly perished, escaping only by utilizing the technique of splitting into billions. Thus, he continually fought and evolved; his strength grew, and his life form became more advanced.

Through repeated conflicts, he gradually realized that the races’ enmity toward him was absolute and nothing he did could appease it. He stopped believing in so-called benevolence. In subsequent battles, he began to attack proactively, becoming increasingly ruthless and bloodthirsty. Anyone who showed him malice was met with annihilation; he showed mercy to none.

His wicked reputation grew, and the joint armies’ pursuit became more frequent, involving ever more powerful experts. In these battles, his evolution accelerated, and his strength increased. Until one day, he finally, completely, fully evolved, gaining the ability to absorb minerals and plant life to supplement his immense power.

At this point, he was definitively labeled the Plague Demon!

The name Plague Demon sent shockwaves through the cosmos. This development finally alerted the experts of the Chaos Realm across all races. These Grand Chaos Realm experts began to take direct action; learning of his location on Black Prison Star, they completely sealed it off, allowing no one to leave.

Scene after scene appeared in the lake, clearly displaying his story, starting from his time in the Dead Star Domain. Without a single sound, Ji Changkong intuitively grasped everything, knowing all the hardship he had endured over the years. Everything was clear now, leaving Ji Changkong unsure of what to say. Their fear of the Plague Demon meant they certainly would not relent. Had Ji Du transformed from an originally benevolent life form into the bloodthirsty being he was today, and who was to blame? Ji Changkong could not say for sure.

“When you insisted on leaving back then, I knew this day would eventually come,” Ji Changkong sighed. “Kongkong, if you truly intend to kill me, I will not just wait for death!” Ji Du suddenly roared.

“How do you plan to deal with me?” Ji Changkong smiled, shaking his head. “No one understands you better than I do. I know your soul form like the back of my hand. While others might struggle to destroy you, my Divine Soul Melody can completely dissolve your soul. Coupled with the Primordial Fire I control that can destroy your physical body, you gain nothing by opposing me.”

Ji Du was silent for a moment, then said, “Kongkong, I know you are far stronger than before, but I have also purified myself countless times. Don’t you realize my capabilities? I am not without a chance.” “What chance do you have?!” Ji Changkong coldly scoffed, shouting, “There are several Chaos Realm experts waiting outside; the entire Black Prison Star is surrounded! Do you know how they plan to deal with you?”

“There are billions of lives on Black Prison Star. I can attach myself to any one of their souls to escape this place. Give me some time, and I can recover completely. I am not afraid!” Ji Du declared proudly.

“They plan to utterly destroy Black Prison Star, including every living thing upon it!” Ji Changkong enunciated every word. “What?!” Ji Du’s expression finally changed, shocked. “Impossible! There are so many people on Black Prison Star, members of every race! Black Prison Star has the most Star Abyss energy; how dare they do this?”

“You still don’t understand human nature,” Ji Changkong shook his head. “To eradicate you, they issued an ultimatum: if I cannot deal with you, they will utterly destroy Black Prison Star. They fear you. They are terrified of you! They fear that once you manage to scatter, you will disperse across heaven and earth and destroy the entire world!”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Ji Du insisted. “But they won’t believe you.”

“Then... do you still believe me?”

“I don’t know if I can believe you yet, but I feel that despite how much you’ve changed, you still possess a human side, just like me, one that has never faded.”

“What should I do?” Ji Du looked dejected. “None of this is what I wanted. I have only accepted everything passively. I have been running, constantly fighting against fate. I only wanted to live.”

“If you live, your instincts will slowly awaken, and sooner or later you will be submerged by them, inevitably walking the path of destroying the world,” Ji Yuan’s voice suddenly interjected, persuading Ji Changkong. “Master, don’t listen to him! He will lose control of himself in the future. When he becomes powerful enough, he will even absorb you, Master. He will definitely lose control someday!”

“I will not strike him until he becomes that,” Ji Changkong said grimly. “We must find a way to leave this place. From this day forward, Ji Du, you are strictly forbidden from leaving my side! I will watch you constantly! If you harbor any treacherous thoughts, I will kill you!”