Chapter 273: The Opening of the Dimensional Portal

Reality is harsh. To become truly powerful, one needs not only extraordinary talent but also extensive knowledge. Years of monotonous training and learning are unavoidable.

The Mirror Clone, however, might aid in this learning process.

"It's normal to lack energy now, but in the future, energy certainly won't be as scarce. When three mirror clones cultivate and absorb energy simultaneously, it will actually boost my cultivation speed..."

Why is there a lack of energy currently?

Because the source is too singular!

Xu Zhi's primary cultivation energy comes from biological extinctions, gathered from the deaths of countless powerful beings and ordinary creatures.

However, this doesn't imply that energy acquisition is difficult. In fact, energy is abundant; for instance, the sun is a massive energy source.

"Ultimately, it's because Earth is so barren, inhabited mostly by mortals, with almost no incense energy and sparse stellar power... Plus, my rank is too low."

Xu Zhi mused, "If I could travel in space, or even have my mirror clones approach the sun and cultivate around this collapsing hydrogen molecular cloud, it would provide infinite energy, truly the optimal cultivation environment..."

Look at Di Qi, for example?

Isn't that precisely how he cultivates?

With countless stars surrounding him and abundant energy, his cultivation speed is not slow. It appears he will break through to the mid-stage Saint realm in just a few hundred years...

Then consider wizards Ermin and Medusa: they don't rely on external energy to gain power. They generate their own, cultivating mental strength. Didn't they also spend hundreds or thousands of years to achieve stable breakthroughs?

Ermin has even become a Middle-Rank Deity.

Well... they all spent hundreds or thousands of years slowly cultivating through their own efforts. Their progress is indeed relatively slow, not as exhilarating as absorbing energy from biological extinctions.

After all, this is the cultivation method of the Zerg Mother Queen. Other energies cannot be directly absorbed and converted into cultivation; they can only be cultivated slowly. But the energy from deceased Zerg can be instantly assimilated into one's body and converted into cultivation.

"Mirror clones currently consume a lot of energy, but they are definitely a long-term strategy. Once I become stronger, I can deploy three mirror clones to cultivate around the sun. This will yield a baseline income daily, allowing for gradual progress, much like those Saints." Xu Zhi made up his mind instantly!

This cultivation technique must be mastered!

As Xu Zhi pondered, he examined the "Mirror Clone" cultivation technique, which Di Qi had improved. It was, in fact, significantly weaker than the original version.

A Chou's method of severing clones involves cutting away three aspects—bestiality, divinity, and evil—leaving behind an emotionless main body. This transforms his true self into the strongest ancient being, utterly devoid of emotion and desire. As Di Qi put it, "This is the True Scripture of Grand Supreme Emotionlessness."

He himself is a cold, emotionless being, only becoming a complete person when his three clones return. Their combined strength is undeniable; with the three characteristic clones and the emotionless main body, all four attacking you, each possesses terrifying combat power.

In reality, his mirror clones possess only 30% of his main body's combat power, which might seem low. However, this is because his main body's power is extraordinarily high. The combat power of just one of his mirror clones is enough to sweep through most opponents of the same rank; one clone alone could even defeat Umea, who is also of the same rank, demonstrating his terrifying strength.

His current combat power is certainly far from that of the Cthulhu Evil God or the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique. However, the future holds promise, as A Chou continues to improve, potentially becoming the third heaven-defying combat technique.

Di Qi's improved "Mirror Clone" cultivation technique, however, operates in reverse: it severs out emotionless mirror images, leaving the main body with its bestiality, divinity, and evil. This technique is significantly weaker, functioning merely as a simple cloning method. While the essence of the three mirror clones is lost, it is also much more peaceful.

"If I'm going to cultivate this, it definitely has to be Di Qi's improved version."

Xu Zhi, like Di Qi, had concerns. "Dividing my personality into three parts, even if these are temporary splits that I can recall at any time, is risky. The divine aspect is overly benevolent, the bestial aspect is pure instinct, and the evil aspect is brutality. If I don't control these three clones, they will act on instinct, moving across the land and potentially causing immense disaster!"

A Chou's cultivation technique is unique to him, but it is far too extreme.

Considering this, Xu Zhi gently closed his eyes and began cultivating the weakened version.

Under time acceleration, time advanced rapidly. After some time, his head felt a jolt, his body gradually twisted, and his Ancestral Witch True Body slowly began to reveal itself...

Whoosh!

Flesh beneath his arms squirmed, violently sprouting new limbs. In the blink of an eye, Xu Zhi transformed into an eight-armed combat form, his Ancestral Witch True Body exuding an ancient, hallowed aura. If an outsider were to see this, they might instinctively exclaim, "Eight-armed Arhat Golden Body!" after all, there was indeed a resemblance.

"A Chou possesses the Ancestral Witch bloodline. Strictly speaking, his mirror clone is a type of Ancestral Witch True Body. While other Ancestral Witch True Body forms involve transformations like growing eight arms or a snake tail, he sheds a body from his own."

Gradually, his eight arms slowly writhed, as if a person was gradually separating from his body, slowly detaching. A figure slowly crawled out from his back, between his shoulders and spine, flesh writhing, an incredibly eerie and unsettling sight.

Thud!

A man dropped to the ground.

Xu Zhi looked at this naked version of himself, as if staring at a reflection in a mirror. It was indeed a mirror image... And he once again experienced the terror of the Primeval World; the Ancestral Witch True Body appearing in reality still evoked that inconceivable feeling.

"Am I truly human?" Xu Zhi suddenly had the strange sensation of transforming into an alien... An eight-armed true body, and a person detaching from himself—the impact of the Ancestral Witch True Body was simply too profound.

However, he quickly realized, "I haven't been human for a long time."