Chen Fan found himself speechless at the Overlord's frustrating lack of intelligence. It was too much effort. Instead of wasting time explaining, he decided to just get straight to the point.
"Next, I need you to agitate the entire mind-world," he said.
"Alright."
The Overlord didn't hesitate for a moment.
*Boom.*
The mighty river began to churn violently.
The Overlord mobilized all his soul power, causing the entire mind-world to shake without a blind spot.
Chen Fan didn't stand by and watch. Instead, he extended his divine sense, searching every corner he might have missed.
However... Chen Fan was disappointed.
It wasn't the disappointment of not finding anything, but disappointment in the Overlord.
Deep within the swirling river, a figure sat cross-legged, making no attempt to conceal himself. He sat openly in the river of souls.
Chen Fan looked up at the heavens in bewilderment. He looked at the Overlord and asked, "Don't you usually scan your mind-world?"
"Why would I scan my mind-world?" the Overlord retorted directly.
Chen Fan: "..."
Damn.
His teeth ached.
For cultivators, wasn't it normal to tidy up their bodies periodically, searching for potential hidden dangers and injuries?
Chen Fan did this often.
He believed others did too.
The main purpose was to avoid leaving any hidden dangers within the body.
From the Overlord's reaction, it seemed he had never done anything like it.
"So..."
Chen Fan gritted his teeth, pointing at the figure sitting cross-legged in the soul lake. "You've been letting this thing live freely in your mind-world, freely absorbing power?"
The Overlord: "..."
The figure in the river had the same appearance and soul power as him.
Logically, a person could only have one soul.
Of course, one could split their soul to create a clone. But even then, the clone was part of the main body, still a single soul, and the two could perfectly merge back together after separation.
But the Overlord in the river was different.
The main Overlord soul was unable to exert any control over the other.
"What's going on?"
The Overlord was distressed. "Is this why I can't break through?"
"Likely."
From the Overlord soul in the river, Chen Fan sensed an immense power.
The Overlord was only at the seventh tier, with a soul strength of the seventh tier.
The Overlord in the river had already reached the sixth tier.
This meant he was also cultivating.
"What should I do now?"
The Overlord asked, "If I eliminate him, will I be able to reach the eighth tier?"
"Don't rush."
Chen Fan felt there might be a better option.
One body, two souls. Such individuals were extremely rare, as rare as his own Five Venerable Dao Spirits.
The Overlord in the river was clearly in a state of slumber, cultivating his soul power. Chen Fan had been talking with the main Overlord soul for a long time, yet the other had not woken up.
"How much trust does he have in you?" Chen Fan glanced at the Overlord.
The Overlord: '...'
He felt a strong sense of sarcasm.
"Heh."
Chen Fan no longer wanted to speak. His divine sense immediately surged.
His soul was different from the Overlord's. In this situation, it was akin to an invasion by an enemy.
Therefore, as he stirred his divine sense, the Overlord in the river abruptly opened his eyes.
*Boom.*
He controlled a large portion of the immense soul power.
The Overlord's main soul had less control over the soul sea than his副身 (fùshēn - secondary body/clone).
"City Lord Chen."
The Overlord in the river had intelligent eyes.
He naturally recognized Chen Fan.
The souls were still shared between them; the clone also possessed all the memories of the main soul.
"What should I call you?" Chen Fan asked.
Chen Fan sensed no hostility from the副魂 (fùhún - secondary soul).
This meant they could negotiate.
"Overlord,"
The副魂 replied, his tone very calm.
"Hey, hey, hey."
The Overlord's main soul immediately became unhappy. "If you're the Overlord, then who am I?"
"You're a pig."
The Overlord: "???"
Damn.
That was personal.
The Overlord couldn't stand it and rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight.
"Stop."
Chen Fan rubbed his temples in pain.
Calling you a pig is an insult to pigs.
Even your副魂 looks down on you, why are you still alive, main soul?
Chen Fan spoke directly. "Shall we talk?"
"Gladly."
The副魂 stood up and walked out of the soul lake.
He showed no defense as he walked out.
Apart from the main Overlord soul still blustering indignantly, the副魂 and Chen Fan had calmed down.
"Please."
The副魂 raised his hand and manipulated the soul sea, conjuring a table and chairs.
Chen Fan glanced at the main Overlord soul. "Can you do that?"
The main soul: "..."
Never mind, it was obvious he couldn't.
To prevent the Overlord from getting angry again, Chen Fan quickly averted his gaze and sat facing the副魂, calmly asking, "Can you explain what's going on?"
"Of course."
The副魂 was very calm.
A story slowly unfolded as the副魂 narrated.
The story began when the Overlord was a child. He was an orphan from a young age. As everyone knows, prodigies who walk the path of the strong often have tragic childhoods.
The Overlord was no exception, and the story was quite melodramatic.
As a child, the Overlord was an orphan and was bullied.
When he reached his limit, a powerful Overlord appeared.
This was the current main soul.
Ironically, the weaker Overlord was the main soul, but he automatically gave up his position. He had intended to sleep forever, never to wake again.
However, the Overlord's cultivation was too high, and slowly, he managed to reawaken him.
That was the story.
The weaker Overlord had tried his best to suppress himself, wanting only to remain asleep. But even so, he continued to absorb the Overlord's power.
This was the beginning and end of the story.
"Isn't this just schizophrenia?" Chen Fan shook his head.
He finally understood.
The weaker Overlord had no intention of regaining control of the body. He was growing uncontrollably.
This was quite awkward.
"Heh."
After hearing the副魂's account, the main soul immediately puffed up with pride.
He said arrogantly, "So you're just a coward."
"Yes."
The副魂 readily accepted the title, showing no sign of anger. "That's why you appeared. You are the main soul now, and this body is yours. I only wish to remain in eternal slumber."
"If death didn't cause irreparable soul damage to me, I would have committed suicide long ago."
This was his most genuine thought.
The main soul: "..."
The副魂's words left him speechless.
In the end, it was all because he was too powerful?
The副魂 spoke again. "City Lord Chen, you must have a way to make me sleep forever, or perhaps trap me somewhere and suppress me. I don't want to come out."
He expressed his desire.
He simply wanted to stay in the mind-world forever.
Chen Fan gave a wry smile. He hadn't expected such a situation.
Others who split off avatars wanted to usurp the host.
The Overlord was different. The original main body not only gave up control of the physical body but also wanted to leave forever.
This was truly peculiar.