Even the Sun and Moon Dual Core within his Sea of Spirit halted their rotation.
A voice thundered directly in the depths of his Soul.
"I am Belviss. You insignificant Wizard, you dare enslave my children..."
The voice was ethereal, seeming to come from the depths of the endless Void, yet also whispering right beside his ear.
Every syllable was like a Rule itself, assaulting Ian’s very Soul structure.
The next moment, the awakened Will transformed into a giant, invisible hand and began to close gently around his soul core.
There was no killing intent, no anger—only absolute indifference.
Death had never been so close.
Ian couldn’t even muster fear, for his mind had been frozen solid.
The invisible hand was an instant away from his soul core.
HUMMMMM!!!!
In the deepest reaches of his Sea of Spirit, the mysterious panel began to tremble violently, the vibration far more intense than ever before.
At the periphery of his vision, there were no longer faint golden characters, but a blinding, pure white light that cascaded down like a waterfall.
[High-dimensional Will intrusion detected. Initiating highest-level Purification protocol...]
The panel’s text remained as mechanical and steady as ever.
An invisible, intangible ripple, containing the supreme Order Rule, emanated from the depths of the panel.
The ripple swept over Ian’s frozen Consciousness Body, over the Dream Space, and over the dark gold sigil.
"AHHH!!!"
A short, guttural scream filled with endless agony echoed in the depths of Ian’s Soul.
The ripple forcibly sliced this wisp of Will from the depths of the Mother Insect’s Soul.
The hive sigil flickered and struggled frantically, attempting to resist, but in the face of the supreme wave of Order, all its resistance was as fragile as paper.
In the span of a single breath.
The dark gold sigil dimmed and dissipated, completely erased from the depths of the Mother Insect’s Soul.
A pure gold diamond shard, the size of a grain of rice, appeared in Ian’s Sea of Spirit.
The panel’s vibration slowly subsided, the pure white light receded, and a line of faint golden characters appeared at the periphery of his vision.
[Purification Complete]
[Acquired: True Spirit Fragments of Void Empress Belviss (Minuscule Amount)]
[Warning: This fragment contains high-dimensional Rule information. Current Soul strength is insufficient to handle it. Sealing is advised.]
The stasis lifted.
Ian’s Consciousness Body shuddered violently as he broke free from the mental freeze.
He looked down at his own hands, the golden light in his eyes fluctuating wildly, betraying the tempest raging within him.
’Just now... what was that...?’
Even with his Level Four Morning Star mind, he now felt a pang of lingering fear.
He had been so close, just a hair’s breadth away, from being casually erased from existence by the Will of that Void Empress, Belviss, from across infinite worlds.
He couldn’t even form the thought of resisting.
"So this is the power of a Level Seven True Spirit or higher?"
Ian muttered to himself, his voice, tinged with lingering terror, echoing through the Dream Space.
Even an infinitesimally faint imprint of her Will possessed such terrifying power.
’Then what kind of being must the true body of the Void Empress be?’
’Before such beings, a Level Four Morning Star Wizard is like an ant facing a Celestial God, utterly powerless to resist.’
Ian took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
He looked at the pure gold diamond shard in his Sea of Spirit, and a fervent glint flashed in his eyes.
’Forcibly stripped away by the panel... a True Spirit Fragment.’
He knew that the Void Empress, Belviss, was definitely suffering right now.
A True Spirit is a high-dimensional existence born from a sublimated Soul. Once damaged, the injury is permanent and extremely difficult to heal.
The loss of this minuscule fragment might have been a mere drop in the ocean for her true self.
But the pain and humiliation of having it forcibly torn away was likely an experience this supreme being had rarely, if ever, encountered in her long existence.
’A bit reckless, but the payoff was enormous!’ A look of relief flashed in Ian’s eyes.
He didn’t immediately study the diamond shard. The panel’s warning was clear: his current Soul strength was insufficient to handle it.
Trying to force it would be playing with fire.
With a thought, a golden radiance surged from the Sun and Moon Dual Core in his Sea of Spirit. It formed a golden-red film of light that wrapped around the pure gold shard, sealing it in layers before it sank into the deepest part of his Sea of Spirit.
After finishing all this, Ian’s gaze returned to the Mother Insect’s orb of consciousness.
At this moment, deep within the Mother Insect’s orb of consciousness, the dark gold sigil had vanished, leaving a void in its place.
The absolute control of the hive mind had been forcibly stripped away.
The Mother Insect’s faint self-awareness, like a wild horse breaking its reins, instinctively began to expand and fill the void.
Fear, confusion, helplessness... all sorts of emotions emanated from it.
’Now is the time.’
Ian’s gaze hardened. His Consciousness Body extended a finger, gently tapping the core of the Mother Insect’s orb of consciousness.
He began to chant an obscure, ancient Spell that acted directly upon the Soul.
This was the "Soul Branding Technique," a method he had derived by combining a slave contract from the Wizard World with the principles of Soul Resonance from the Dream Rule.
Using the Dream Realm as a bridge and his own Soul Origin as the seal, he would drive his brand deep into the other party’s Soul.
"With My Dream... as Thy Realm..."
"With My Soul... as Thy Anchor..."
"The Brand is set!"
From Ian’s fingertip, a golden thread of light condensed from his Soul Origin gently sank into the Mother Insect’s orb of consciousness.
Like a swimming fish, the thread of light passed through layers of conscious structure, finally reaching the blank space and taking deep root.
The instant it took root, Ian felt a clear, stable, and one-way Soul channel form between himself and the Mother Insect.
He could now perceive all the Mother Insect’s emotions, thoughts, and memories, while the creature could only passively accept his commands, unable to resist or disobey.