Yama Reborn-Chapter 623 - 620: Mother Clone

The Octopus Monster finally showed a strange expression on his face.

He suddenly took a deep breath, and visibly, his injuries began to heal, and the previously weak aura vanished instantly.

He looked at Chen Nuo: "How did you figure it out? Hmm... No, you didn't figure it out, you guessed it.

How did you guess it?"

Chen Nuo shook his head: "Originally, I wouldn't have guessed it, but you happened to bring up a topic with me—death.

You said that our human concept and understanding of death are different from that of you spiritual life forms.

Spiritual life forms do not have death in the human sense—complete annihilation and disappearance.

For spiritual life forms, death is merely being devoured and then fused by another stronger spiritual life form.

After fusion, the original memories and consciousness can actually still be retained."

Chen Nuo couldn't help but retort here: "Actually, I can't understand your kind of statement—after all, I'm human, not a spiritual life form. I can't empathize with your so-called fusion while still preserving previous memories.

Wouldn't that cause a split personality?"

The Octopus Monster smiled and tapped his head: "The main consciousness reduces to just one, but it retains the experiences and related memories; however, the consciousness is still my own."

"No wonder you've been impersonating the Octopus Monster so well." Chen Nuo sighed and said, "I was almost deceived by you."

As he spoke, Chen Nuo picked up the Gray Cat and began retreating step by step.

"So, you pretended to be dying just now... intending for the Gray Cat to devour the Octopus Monster, and then... you actually wanted to use the opportunity to devour the Gray Cat?"

The Octopus Monster smiled: "Remember what I said before, the nutrient pack."

Chen Nuo laughed, tossed the Gray Cat behind him, and the Gray Cat immediately jumped onto Chen Nuo's back, then climbed onto his shoulder and stood there, just looking at the Octopus Monster with eyes filled with a bit of fear.

Chen Nuo applauded and cheered: "You really put on a good show!"

As he spoke, Chen Nuo squinted: "The most brilliant part was when you impersonated the Octopus Monster and created those clones.

Each time a clone was defeated, a mass of energy would fly out and plunge into the lake water.

You didn't say a word, yet you deliberately acted out such a scene.

It gave us a preconceived misdirection: The Mother hasn't awakened yet; after the Octopus Monster dies, it will release its energy into the lake water.

So naturally, we believed the Mother hasn't awakened; to prevent it, the Octopus Monster's energy mustn't enter the lake water.

It logically followed that we had to find the Gray Cat to devour the Octopus Monster.

Though I was nearly tricked by you, I have to admit: Well played! Mother Clone.

Even for a plant person who slept for three hundred years, waking up and doing such a work impresses me greatly."

The Octopus Monster smiled: "Thank you for your praise... Being able to arrange all this is thanks to the Octopus Monster you mentioned. His memories and experiences, as well as his understanding of you all, were profound enough for me to make such arrangements upon awakening."

Chen Nuo squinted at the figure before him.

Indeed, the current sensation was quite odd.

The person in front of him still had the body shell of Kamisou Ichiro; the voice was Kamisou Ichiro's, and even his understanding of himself was exactly like Kamisou Ichiro's.

Plus, the way he spoke, calm and unhurried, was just like Kamisou Ichiro.

In a trance, Chen Nuo felt he was still talking to the Octopus Monster.

"So... did the Octopus Monster really die?" Chen Nuo couldn't help but ask.

"According to your human understanding, perhaps the word 'death' is the closest.

Yet his memories and consciousness have fused with mine, so from this perspective, he's immortally preserved in another form."

Chen Nuo quickly pursued: "And what about you? Are you truly awake now? Then... what about those so-called containers, the toxins of negative emotions..."

The Octopus Monster laughed, looking at Chen Nuo, with a mocking tone: "This is where your thought process is flawed.

I don't know why you all seem to believe that I must recover completely before awakening—assuming the toxins of negative emotions are truly a 'disease' for me.

But I am also puzzled why you all took it for granted that I must recover fully before awakening."

As he spoke, his tone grew more amused: "Even for humans, after getting ill, don't they recover while taking medication?

Except for very few types of illnesses, most humans don't just fall into slumber after getting sick, then take medication and only wake when fully recovered?"

This rhetorical question made Chen Nuo pause involuntarily.

Then he nodded: "Indeed, that was a preconceived notion on our part.", He paused, then asked: "So when exactly did you awaken?"

The Mother Clone smiled: "Is there a possibility... that I was always awake?"

Chen Nuo: "..."

This time, Chen Nuo stayed silent for a full ten seconds before he let out a long sigh.

Nodding vigorously, Chen Nuo instinctively pinched the Gray Cat on his shoulder, shaking his head: "Well, now that you say it, it indeed clears up many doubts."

He pointed at the Mother Clone: "You weren't always asleep, but quietly resting here healing yourself because, for some reason, you couldn't leave this place; it was like you were trapped here, right?

But as the Mother, even as a clone, you're still part of the spiritual life of the Mother.

So you could still do many things.

For example... You chose a wild child from a tribe and groomed him to be a Controller, instilled a lot of negative emotions, the ugly sides of humanity, all injected into that guy.

As a result, it created a selfish, brutal, greedy, and arrogant bastard who considered himself a god—Pengpeng!

By exploiting Pengpeng's evil thoughts, you let this nation endure continuous turmoil for a century, allowing its people to live through generations in deep suffering, poverty, and disease.

Long-lasting suffering turned the hearts of those living on this land filled with misfortune, anger, and hostility.

These people became an endless supply of containers that allowed you to expel the toxins of negative emotions continually.

Millions of containers, generation after generation, endured for a century!

Pengpeng was just the knife in your hand, a knife specifically used to harvest these 'containers' on this land.

Whenever there is even a glimmer of hope for peace and unity in this country, you would use Pengpeng's hand to snuff out that hope in the cradle.

Plunging its people into endless despair.

Generation after generation in despair makes it easier to attract and absorb negative emotions.

The more containers you have, the longer you use them, the better your "illness" heals."

The Mother Clone actually sighed: "What you say sounds simple and easy, but the process is incredibly difficult and lengthy... I lay dormant for a long time, waiting for a black child who could serve as a guard—to be the knife and tool in my hand, because without talent, lacking high growth potential, there would be no way to stir up chaos in this country."

Chen Nuo asked, "So when did the Octopus Monster collaborate with you?"

The Mother Clone chuckled: "About a few months ago, when he discovered this place and hired a construction crew to dig tunnels from the surface."

Chen Nuo slapped his forehead: "One wrong step leads to more mistakes...

On the way down, I heard the Octopus Monster say this was his first time in this Underground World space—I thought a cold and arrogant guy like the Octopus Monster wouldn't lie.

Unexpectedly, he didn't lie; he just concealed part of the truth.

He indeed came to this underground space for the first time, but he colluded with you long before that, precisely because you were never asleep but in an awakened state, and colluding or scheming with him required no actual descent here."

Shaking his head, Chen Nuo asked again: "Then what about us? Me, Lu Xixi, the Wizard, Nolan, the Son of the Sun... why are we part of this plan? Why do you need us?"

The Mother Clone smiled silently, looking at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and suddenly realized: "I see! The initial targets were me and Lu Xixi!"

Once his thoughts were sorted, Chen Nuo quickly hypothesized: "In reality, the Wizard and the Son of the Sun, even Nolan, aren't all that important.

However, inviting only me and Lu Xixi alone would make it too obvious, making us reluctant to come, fearing a trap.

So, adding the three of them, the Wizard and the Son of the Sun, could be said to be collateral damage.

Your and the Octopus Monster's real scheme was to target me and Lu Xixi!

You're the Mother Clone, after awakening, of course, you'd need nutrient packs!

For you, those nutrient packs are obviously the other Seeds.

In this world, there are only three surviving Seeds who have Chosen Ones.

The Octopus Monster and Nolan, Seed and me, and The Fourth Seed and Lu Xixi!

The Octopus Monster can't find The Fourth Seed, or even if he could, there's no way to lure it here.

He can't kidnap the Seed and bring him here either.

Thus, as a compromise, unable to get Seeds, they trick me and Lu Xixi, the two Chosen Ones, into coming here.

As soon as we're dealt with, then...

Simultaneously, the powers of Seed and The Fourth Seed would be significantly weakened.

Once you leave here, it would be much easier to hunt them down."

The Mother Clone also nodded: "No wonder, that guy's memory holds you in high regard, you're indeed very smart."

Chen Nuo paid no heed to such sinister praise, coldly saying: "However, because the Gray Cat suddenly arrived here, you temporarily altered your plans.

That was what I mentioned earlier, the act of pretending to need to devour the Octopus Monster to awaken was orchestrated.

It was a scheme to dupe the Gray Cat; once the Gray Cat was fooled and tried to devour you mistaking you for a dying Octopus Monster..."

"Then it would be devoured by me," the Mother Clone said calmly, "The Mother's Life Level is higher than that of a Seed, so swallowing it would be easier. Once a connection is established, resisting becomes difficult."

As he spoke, he dusted off the dirt and decayed leaves from his body: "Well then, everything you wanted to know, what puzzled you, what you guessed... I've answered it all. Now, let us continue this grand feast."

Chen Nuo sighed: "No wonder the Octopus Monster told me that whatever I planned, it wouldn't matter to him... because everything was destined."

Saying that, he patted the Gray Cat shivering on his shoulder: "Hey, buck up a bit!"

The Gray Cat quivered, lowering its head even more: "I can't help it... It's the Mother, the difference in Life Level makes me feel like a creature facing its natural predator. I'm inherently weaker."

"That doesn't mean you should be afraid!"

Chen Nuo lifted the Gray Cat, holding the scruff of its neck, and shouted: "Even though he seems to have everything under control, in reality... Ha! Hahaha, ha ha ha ha..."

The Mother Clone looked at Chen Nuo: "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing because you exposed a weakness."

Chen Nuo stifled his laughter, threw the Gray Cat to the ground, and, still agitated, gave it a gentle kick: "Aren't you afraid of dying? If you don't want to die, if you want to live, pull yourself together! We have to fight this guy! I even believe, in the end, it might not be us who are killed!"

The Gray Cat widened its eyes at Chen Nuo, filled with disbelief: "To, to, to confront the Mother? I..."

"You stupid cat, haven't you figured it out yet?"

Chen Nuo sneered, yet a defiant fighting spirit surged on his face.

"Why did it need to trick us? Pretending to be the Octopus Monster, playing dead, then trick you into devouring it?

Because its power is insufficient!

Its strength isn't as scary as you think!

If it were strong enough, there'd be no need for these flashy schemes!

If it were strong enough, it would've directly come out, slapped me dead, pinned you down, and swallowed you whole—simple as that?

Chen Nuo's eyes brimmed with amusement as he gazed coldly at the Mother Clone: "So, I must be right!

Esteemed Mother Clone, though you've been sick for three hundred years, though you are awake, designing many ways to heal yourself...

Yet in truth, your power must still be quite weak!

At the very least, you yourself feel your strength isn't enough to suppress me or the Gray Cat! That's why you're playing these games!"

Saying this, Chen Nuo resolutely took a step forward, clenching his fists.

"Come on! Who lives or dies, let's fight it out!

It's just a Mother Clone!

I've taken out Mother Clones before!"