“This requires mind-reading? It’s not that hard to guess.”

Jiang Ye said plainly, as if it were obvious.

But he knew in his heart—

The reason he could guess so far was mainly because he was extremely sensitive to the milky-white gas.

And besides that, the gas’s effects on him were just too obvious.

One effect caused clones to lose contact;

another effect guaranteed the creation of light clones.

That let him perceive very clearly—

The disappearance of the milky-white gas after the waiting area transformed into the Formless Domain, as mentioned in the announcement.

So the idea of using the milky-white gas to alter the Formless Domain was almost a natural conclusion.

Of course, Zhou Yuling didn’t know these things, so she naturally assumed he was doing a humble-brag.

And, of course, she wouldn’t praise him for it.

Zhou Yuling fell silent for a moment, then said bluntly:

“Since you’ve already guessed it…”

“Then please, start making your outrageous demands.”

??

Jiang Ye’s face filled with question marks; he protested, indignant: “What do you mean? Do I look like the kind of person who makes outrageous demands?!”

Zhou Yuling thought: You really are!

Jiang Ye suddenly blurted, “Are you cursing me in your head? I heard it with my mind-reading, okay!”

?!!

What?

There really is mind-reading?!

Zhou Yuling was startled inwardly and instinctively looked around.

Everything was quiet, but the voice transmission bead in her hand transmitted Jiang Ye’s voice again:

“Relax, I really wasn’t planning to make outrageous demands.”

“After all, there’s probably nothing on you worth my interest anymore.”

Mainly because, even if there was something good, as soon as Zhou Yuling became a clone, wouldn’t it all become Jiang Ye’s?

So, since “what’s yours is mine,” there’s no point in making outrageous demands.

Thus…

Jiang Ye’s tone remained sincere as he continued:

“I want to achieve your ‘method to break the standoff’ in a more reasonable way.”

Zhou Yuling’s mind was sharp; an unpleasant premonition rose: “What do you mean?”

Jiang Ye said decisively:

“It means—”

“I’ll handle the snakes, you handle the clones.”

“You take my light clones to lure away the various powerful figures around the Formless Tree;”

“I’ll take your White Snake to the Formless Tree to effect the transformation from Formless Domain back to non-Formless Domain.”

Jiang Ye said it matter-of-factly.

Zhou Yuling responded just as crisply: “Absolutely not!”

Jiang Ye continued: “Listen to why this plan has advantages—”

“First, none of those big shots around the Formless Tree are people I know. I don’t understand them at all.”

“Forcing me to lead a team to lure them away is basically asking me to die.”

“But you’re different. You have more information, and you might even know some of those heavy hitters…”

“As the saying goes, know yourself and your enemy and you will win a hundred battles, so you’re better suited to draw them away.”

“Second, don’t forget I need to bind a full ninety thousand clones to the Formless Leaves.”

“If we wait for you to turn the surroundings of the Formless Tree into non-Formless Domain and only then have me bring clones to bind the Formless Leaves, the mass movement of clones could easily attract the attention of those very strong figures you drew away…”

“When they counterattack, wouldn’t we still have to compete with them for the Formless Leaves?”

Jiang Ye spoke with relish.

But Zhou Yuling suddenly cut in and pointed out a flaw in his logic:

“That’s not right, is it? Your ninety thousand clones moving would attract attention anyway.”

“Even if you bring my White Snake along, if you also bring those ninety thousand clones they’ll be noticed just the same.”

“Moreover, once the Formless Domain becomes non-Formless Domain, I should be able to forcibly pluck the Formless Leaves without being erased.”

After all, the rule that “those who damage Formless Leaves are erased” was limited to within the Formless Domain.

However, Jiang Ye had already prepared a rebuttal and deliberately argued with her:

“You can insist that you could pluck all the Formless Leaves from the tree and be fine…”

“But I think, like Zi Sang Haoyun analyzed—”

“If forcibly plucking the Formless Leaves causes erasure, then perhaps the rule expects us to bind the Formless Leaves while they’re still hanging on the tree.”

“Even if you transform the Formless Domain and pluck them without being erased…”

“What if forcefully plucking damages the Formless Leaves, making them impossible to bind?”

“Have you thought about how severe the consequences would be in that case?”

“As for your question about how my ninety thousand clones would bind them…”

Jiang Ye paused deliberately there.

It looked like he was hesitating about something.

But deep down he had already made his decision.

From what he could tell—

The Court of Disorder was isolated from the outside world.

His known messages couldn’t reach his external clones;

so whatever Zhou Yuling learned here couldn’t be passed back outside either.

And Jiang Ye was almost certain—

He planned to silence everyone before the Court of Disorder ended.

Yes, everyone.

Including Zhou Yuling, including those followers…

No one would be allowed to return with their self-awareness intact!

With such conviction in mind, he didn’t mind revealing some of his cards.

So, after the feigned hesitation, he lowered his voice and continued:

“You might have already guessed that my clones have a displacement method between them.”

“So as long as I reach the vicinity of the Formless Tree, I can instantly transfer all my clones to that area.”

“And this displacement method is restricted by the milky-white gas.”

“That means, if you release the milky-white gas first to change the Formless Domain…”

“My clones won’t be able to use the displacement method to move there.”

“If I’m the one to take the White Snake to alter the surroundings of the Formless Tree…”

“I can first use the displacement method to move all my clones there, and then turn the White Snake into milky-white gas afterwards.”

This reason was very concrete and crucial.

Of course, it wasn’t the true reason in Jiang Ye’s mind.

The real reason he wanted Zhou Yuling to lure the strong figures away wasn’t only that it was risky to bait them.

More importantly, he wanted to study the Formless Tree by himself.

If the milky-white gas formed by the White Snake could truly change the Formless Domain…

Jiang Ye wanted to witness that transformation with his own eyes.

He also had a Little Red Snake with him…

It might—if it cooperated with the White Snake—play some role at the Formless Tree.

In short, he was the best candidate to operate the Formless Tree.

If Zhou Yuling absolutely refused…

Jiang Ye was thinking this when the voice transmission bead transmitted Zhou Yuling’s voice again:

“To be honest, I still don’t really agree.”

“However, we can meet once. Let me see if you can actually control my White Snake.”

Jiang Ye thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement: “Fine, tell me how we should meet.”

From his perception of his clones, the Formless Domain was unimaginably vast.

Ninety thousand clones scattered across that Formless Domain were like grains of sand in the sea.

The trouble was that in such a boundless “sea,” without reference points it was hard to judge direction.

The only landmark was probably that towering Formless Tree.

But it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to meet at the Formless Tree.

Jiang Ye actually had a very good way to meet quickly.

But since Zhou Yuling suggested meeting, she should also have a displacement method to bring them together fast…

Jiang Ye guessed this.

Then the voice transmission bead relayed Zhou Yuling’s low voice:

“If I let Xiao Bai’s mirrored clone take on your appearance…”

“Could that mirrored clone perform a clone swap with you?”

The tone was obviously loaded with meaning.

Jiang Ye’s heart jumped.

He wasn’t afraid that Zhou Yuling could guess this.

The problem was—could Lin Ling outside also have guessed it?

To be honest, when the full information about the Clone Replica Mirror was given to Lin Ling, that woman surely thought a lot!

She likely guessed most of his cloning methods!

And Zhou Yuling’s speculations probably stemmed from that time…

Now Jiang Ye had voluntarily disclosed the “displacement method” between clones.

No doubt Zhou Yuling had realized that his so-called displacement method was clone swapping.

Jiang Ye sighed lightly, not wanting to waste time arguing, and said directly:

“All right. If you don’t mind letting Xiao Bai’s mirrored clone be given to me, then let that mirrored clone disguise itself as my appearance.”

This straightforward response actually caused a storm inside Zhou Yuling!

Her earlier loaded remark had been mostly speculation.

Jiang Ye’s reply now confirmed beyond doubt—

He could really perform a clone swap between a clone and a mirrored clone!

Then what about Clone Fusion?

Could he fuse a mirrored clone into a real clone?

Most likely yes!

Hiss…

All told, the Clone Replica Mirror seemed almost custom-made for him!

No wonder this newcomer’s growth was so rapid!

The key point was…

The Nomadic Merchant had actually handed the Clone Replica Mirror to him!

What exactly was the Nomadic Merchant up to?

Was Jiang Ye a pawn for the Nomadic Merchant, or something else?

A thousand thoughts raced through Zhou Yuling’s mind.

After a brief silence, she let Xiao Bai’s mirrored clone disguise itself as Jiang Ye.

To be honest, that mirrored clone was strange even to her.

The Court of Disorder was isolated from the outside.

Normally, items tied to the outside world shouldn’t work.

Yet Xiao Bai’s mirrored clone entered the court while the Replica Mirror that generated it remained outside.

Under these conditions, the mirrored clone still functioning was quite absurd.

Even more absurd was what happened next—

Very soon, she saw with her own eyes that the mirrored clone, now disguised as Jiang Ye, was indeed quickly replaced by the Jiang Ye clone holding the voice bead!

Zhou Yuling’s gaze immediately landed on the blood-red bracelet on Jiang Ye’s wrist.

To the naked eye it did look like a slender blood-red bracelet…

But Zhou Yuling’s intuition told her this “bracelet” was strange!

That inexplicable intuition turned into strong curiosity.

As if dazed, she reached out and grabbed Jiang Ye’s hand, flipping his wrist over.

When his wrist was turned, she could clearly see—

A smooth snake head!

On the blood-red snake head were two glossy black bead-eyes, which seemed to blink at her twice?!

Zhou Yuling was stunned.

Jiang Ye snatched his hand back abruptly, frowned, and glared at her: “What are you doing??”

“What’s with that bracelet… no, that snake… where did it come from?” Zhou Yuling was in a daze and felt a creeping chill down her spine.

That chill was beyond ordinary fear.

As a Defender, she wasn’t sure how dark-type players’ fear of the Light faction felt…

But she realized with absolute clarity—

Her fear of this Little Red Snake hadn’t exploded into a massive panic, yet it felt like a thorn stuck deep in her heart, impossible to ignore and leaving her anxious.

Jiang Ye felt it too.

As Zhou Yuling spoke, her hair seemed to move without wind.

And it wasn’t the kind of movement caused by wind.

It was a kind of… trembling vibration?

Just then, the Little Red Snake on Jiang Ye’s wrist suddenly hissed.

Jiang Ye watched in horror as—

Zhou Yuling seemed struck by lightning!

Her long hair stood upright in an instant!

The trembling looked as if an electric current coursed through it!

“Hiss—hisssss—”

The Little Red Snake hissed twice more.

Then the trembling long hair directly transformed into thin white snakes that floated and danced in the air.

Judging by their posture, they seemed ready at any moment to abandon Zhou Yuling and flee!

Zhou Yuling herself looked as if electrocuted!

Her eyes widened, eyelashes trembling.

She stiffened her neck and forced out a voice that sounded like it was scraped from her throat:

“W-what the hell is happening to you—you you you…?!”

Jiang Ye looked innocent: “I don’t know!”

He stroked the Little Red Snake coiled around his wrist and asked softly:

“Can you make those little White Snakes obey me?”

“Hiss!” The Little Red Snake emitted a rapid, fine hiss, then flew out from his wrist.

The originally tiny snake-body suddenly elongated and circled around Zhou Yuling’s head several times with those white snakes.

Then, as it flew back toward Jiang Ye…

it brought that entire group of white snakes with it.

Without any command, the white snakes quickly merged into Jiang Ye’s hair.

Uh…

Jiang Ye had short hair originally.

Suddenly having long, flowing hair…

felt… extremely awkward (⊙︿⊙)

As for Zhou Yuling…

She didn’t go completely bald.

Her hair volume visibly decreased, making her look several years older.

Jiang Ye awkwardly flipped his newly long hair back…

He felt an itchy neck and very uncomfortable, totally unaccustomed.

He didn’t pay attention to how shocked and collapsing Zhou Yuling was; he simply said:

“Can I tie this up or coil it somehow? This damn thing is way too awkward!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep