"Can't think about it anymore."
Shaking his head, he tossed aside the thoughts swirling in his mind. Kong Tai feared that if he continued, he would start questioning his own existence.
Just then, a flower appeared on his forehead, identical to the Red Spider Lily, but countless times smaller.
This flower seemed alive, radiating a vibrant crimson glow, becoming a brand on Kong Tai's brow. It lent him a dashing yet slightly wicked charm.
"It's done."
Both Kong Tai and the Red Spider Lily's voices echoed in each other's minds simultaneously.
Then, Kong Tai felt as if he could sense the Red Spider Lily. Previously, he could sense it, but a special energy had blocked him from reaching its deeper essence. Now, not only could he feel the Red Spider Lily's every thought, but he could also issue simple commands.
"Now I can rest easy!"
In Kong Tai's mind, there was also a flower, as colossal as the one in the void outside. This flower grew in his mental world, its roots anchoring into the void, drawing something in.
As if by innate understanding, the moment he sensed the Red Spider Lily in his mind, he had automatically condensed a spiritual body within his mental world.
This was his first time appearing in his own mental realm.
At a glance, the entire world resembled a starry sky. Even as its master, he couldn't fathom its size; it was unfathomable, beyond his senses.
"I never expected your mental world to be so vast, so expansive that it surpasses my imagination."
Just then, the Red Spider Lily's massive, translucent body gradually shrank, solidified, and finally transformed into a young boy dressed in red.
The boy was not old, at least not in appearance, looking about fifteen or sixteen.
"You..."
Looking at the boy, Kong Tai hesitantly asked, "Are you the Red Spider Lily?"
"That's right," the boy nodded. "The flower just now was actually my spiritual body, my entire mental world."
He then looked up, gazing at the endless, star-like expanse of the mental world, which was far larger than he could have imagined, and exclaimed excitedly, "Even a true god who has stepped into Reincarnation would likely not possess a mental world like this."
As his words fell, he looked down at Kong Tai and sighed, "When you used your spatial abilities, I knew your potential was immense, but I never imagined it would be beyond my wildest dreams."
"With such a vast mental world, you don't need to absorb any faith power. When the time comes, you will naturally reach the pinnacle of godhood. As for whether you can transcend Reincarnation, I haven't seen it, so I'm not entirely certain."
"However, one thing I am sure of is that your minimum attainment will be that of a Reincarnation expert."
"You must understand that the strongest beings in this universe are only at the Reincarnation stage. At that level, as long as they don't actively seek Reincarnation, they will be the true Gods of Gods, truly looking down upon the endless galaxy."
"From what I know, there are only a handful of Reincarnation stage gods in the entire universe."
"Only a few?"
Kong Tai was surprised by the scarcity of Reincarnation experts. "Does our galaxy have any Reincarnation experts?"
"No," the boy answered without hesitation, then smiled, "The strongest being in our galaxy is only at the Elderly stage, an ancient existence who has overlooked this galaxy for countless eons. I don't know if he died in the divine war, but given his power, he likely wouldn't have. After all, we won in the end."
"But now, it's perfect." The boy's eyes gleamed as he looked at Kong Tai. "With your existence, our galaxy can become a powerful entity, even within the entire universe."
If he had any reservations before, he had none now. Even if he could only depend on Kong Tai in the future, to depend on someone who would at least mature into a God of Gods at the Reincarnation stage was his honor, an opportunity countless lower gods would covet. Here, he would pass through his most difficult growth and maturation phases, quickly entering adulthood.
"That's still too early," Kong Tai waved his hand.
He hadn't even left his planet yet. The star sea, the universe, Reincarnation – these were all too distant for him. Even knowing from the Red Spider Lily that he could at least reach Reincarnation, and perhaps quickly, "quickly" was relative. For an immortal being like the Red Spider Lily, his "quickly" would be an unimaginable span of time for Kong Tai. In such a long period, he didn't know what he would become. The impact of this on his life, which totaled only a few decades across two lifetimes, was immense and far-reaching. Therefore, thinking about these things now was premature.
"You're right," the boy nodded.
Without experiencing the baptism of time, one would never understand how little beings like them cared about it. He had been through that stage as well. Although his consciousness was weak then, it was undoubtedly during his infancy that the longest epochs were experienced. Kong Tai, however, hadn't even entered his infancy, yet his thoughts were so mature. It was evident his understanding of time couldn't possibly be the same as his.
"By the way," as if recalling something, the boy's tone carried a hint of trepidation as he asked Kong Tai, "Can I, can I absorb energy from this mental world?"
Though he didn't say it, he could absorb energy. After all, they had signed an equal contract, their minds linked. But this was Kong Tai's mental world, and Kong Tai was its master. Even if he couldn't control everything, if Kong Tai didn't allow it, he couldn't absorb anything. Rather than be discovered by Kong Tai later, it was better to ask openly now. His entire being was tied to Kong Tai; he would have to follow Kong Tai's lead from now on. Such a small request, he figured Kong Tai wouldn't refuse. Especially considering that compared to this sea of consciousness, the energy he absorbed would be but a drop in the ocean.
"Will it affect me?"
"No, no, no..."
The boy shook his head hastily and then said, "Your mental world is so vast, it exceeds my comprehension. Even if I absorbed energy until I reached adulthood, it would only be, only..."
He extended his hand, his thumb and index finger apart by a small distance. "...only a tiny amount. For this mental sea, as vast as a true starry sky, it would be nothing more than a minuscule fraction."
"Moreover, as you grow, this mental world will strengthen further, and your future..."
At this point, the boy looked at Kong Tai with envy. "will surpass my understanding. Perhaps you will truly transcend Reincarnation."
"Transcending Reincarnation?" Kong Tai remained noncommittal, then nodded. "You can absorb it, as long as it doesn't affect me."
"Thank you!"
Upon hearing Kong Tai's permission, the boy thanked him excitedly.