Every day, Jiang Kai would pass out like he was dead once. A few days later, when his condition recovered a little, he would wake up to see that thing beside him becoming more and more complete.
Jiang Kai had not only become the template for the willow's copy, but he also had to have his essence blood extracted again and again, to provide "materials" for this copy.
The willow perfectly controlled the strength of extracting the blood, not letting Jiang Kai die outright.
This way, even the Wheel of Fate could not be activated.
Jiang Kai had also tried to use his willpower to control the Yama Token and the Light God Token, to end himself.
However, he actually couldn't control the Main God Cards!
He thought, maybe it was because of the Soul-Locking Liquid.
In pains unbearable for normal people, Jiang Kai passed out again and again, only to be revived again and again by the willow, replenished with nutrients, and once more made into fertilizer. The cycle repeated for who knew how long, until the thing beside Jiang Kai had already grown more and more like a real human.
That thing looked exactly the same as him!
Even stranger, it would often turn its head to look at Jiang Kai, its eyes carrying a bit of confusion, as if not knowing what it was thinking.
Day after day passed, Jiang Kai no longer knew how long it had been since he was captured.
He only remembered that woman's pair of eyes.
He regretted his own rashness at the time, but was even more shocked at the terror of her strength—just looking into her eyes once, and he was controlled.
Was that person someone the Huang family had sent? What exactly was her identity? Why didn't she just capture him directly, but instead threw him into the Bewitching Fog Region?
Was it to torture him?
When he entered the fog, he had heard the woman speak of "the admiration of ten thousand" and "the contempt of ten thousand." Her goal should have been to prevent him from participating in the National War.
"That woman has been here before, in the Bewitching Fog Region!" This was the most certain answer Jiang Kai had gotten.
"Don't let me walk out of here alive, otherwise one day I'll kill you!" Jiang Kai said harshly.
At that moment of furious anger, a voice came from beside him.
"Don't let me walk out of here alive, otherwise one day I'll kill you!"
The tone was exactly the same as Jiang Kai's.
Jiang Kai turned his eyes sideways to look at the copy. When a person is extremely angry, and suddenly someone imitates his words, the feeling is indescribable.
"Don't imitate me!"
"Don't imitate me!"
Jiang Kai didn't want to waste words with this thing, so he shouted angrily at the Evil Willow, "If you have the guts then let me go!"
That thing also raised its head, shouted angrily at the Evil Willow, "If you have the guts then let me go!"
"I… damn it!" Jiang Kai was completely speechless. He really wanted to teach this copy a lesson, but right now he couldn't move at all.
When Jiang Kai calmed down, he suddenly thought—this thing might not be provoking him, but was instead learning from him.
The Evil Willow had copied his body, but couldn't copy his mind. So this thing actually didn't know anything, and now was just learning to talk from him…
"I… damn it!" Sure enough, the copy once again perfectly imitated Jiang Kai's words.
This time Jiang Kai was even more certain of his guess.
The creation of the copy had already come close to completion. Right now he happened to have some spirit, so maybe he could use this copy that knew nothing to escape.
"Hey, you… cough cough… can you help me get these willow branches off my body?"
"Hey, you… cough cough… can you help me get these willow branches off my body?" The copy's expression, tone, and pauses were exactly the same as Jiang Kai's, only it had no intention of helping.
"So, is it that you don't know what I mean, or that you just don't want to help me?"
"So, is it that you don't know what I mean, or that you just don't want to help me?"
Jiang Kai's face darkened. It seemed it was the former.
Just then, a large number of vines bound the copy, putting it in exactly the same situation as Jiang Kai.
But it wasn't flustered at all, honestly letting the vines tie it up.
Just as Jiang Kai was planning to start educating the copy from scratch, about how to be a good person, how to help others, suddenly, those thin vines connecting him and the copy pulled out from the copy and stretched to Jiang Kai's other side.
Then, a familiar scene played out again—the willow began creating a second copy.
Jiang Kai's eyes widened, watching his blood once again being extracted, fury uncontainable.
"Making one is bad enough, but now you're addicted to it! Let me go!"
Next to him, "Making one is bad enough…"
Jiang Kai was completely defeated. He couldn't run, and a new round of torment began. On top of that, there was now a copy beside him repeating his every word, making his anger boil.
......…
Luo Wen rushed into Luo Ping's office with his squad.
"Old Luo, what's so urgent? We were just about to head to the Beast God Battlefield, and then you called us over."
Luo Ping's brows were tightly furrowed. "Something's happened! Jiang Kai hasn't come back yet."
"At the time, he promised me he'd level up three grades, then come back to challenge the Endless Abyss, and then join the War God Hall's special training. But now it's already a week past the agreed time, and not even his shadow has shown up."
Luo Wen immediately frowned. "No way, that brat is this unreliable? That doesn't sound right."
Luo Ping paced back and forth. "I know Jiang Kai a little. I don't think he's the kind of careless person. It's more likely he's run into some unknown danger."
Saying this, Luo Ping slammed his fist into his palm. "That brat, I told him, just stay nearby to level up, how did it end up like this!"
Luo Wen said, "With that brat's strength, and his high agility, unless he ran into a map boss or a Lord Guardian, he should've been able to escape."
Luo Ping nodded. "Exactly. Plus, that brat's always clever. That's why I let him go level up. Besides, Zhan Mo even gave him surveillance equipment, so if he encountered danger he could notify nearby War Gods in time. But I asked the higher-ups of Zhan Mo and Wan Zhong, none of them received a signal."
Luo Wen found it even stranger.
"With that brat's strength, no matter what, he'd have time to send a signal."
In the squad, a strong, capable-looking middle-aged woman spoke. "So it's possible he's hiding on purpose."
Luo Ping shook his head. "Impossible. Wei Ying said, even though Jiang Kai never talks about lofty ideals, at a time like this, he'd never hide."
"In the Global Domination Tournament, in both ruins, we all saw his actions. Besides, he has no reason to hide. It doesn't add up!"
"So what do we do now?"
"I've already sent people searching," Luo Ping said. "Even if he misses the special training, that's fine, but the National War cannot happen without him! If we don't have a National Soul, all our advantages are gone. And if others have one, we'll never win!"
"Luo Wen, take your squad, set out from Taiping Mountain outside Zone 18, search carefully. No matter what, before the National War, bring Jiang Kai back!"
"Yes!"
Two months later.
Only forty days left before the National War began!
At this critical time, Huaxia players received a piece of terrible news.
Jiang Kai, the key figure who carried the National Soul for Huaxia, had suddenly disappeared.
The military mobilized all 24 zones, everyone searching for Jiang Kai.
Large numbers of wanderers and War God Hall members ventured into deep unknown areas, searching for Jiang Kai's whereabouts.
This news spread rapidly online.
"Hahaha, this is so satisfying! Huaxia, after all your hard work, in the end your National Soul holder ran away!"
"The Endless Abyss tribulation difficulty could boost the National Soul's maximum strength, the God of War Trial gave him a 10% blessing, and the most disgusting of all, in the attack test Jiang Kai screwed over everyone, making other countries get nothing! Now look, Huaxia has no National Soul!"
"Hope you never find him! You guys were so arrogant before. Fine, see you in the National War then!"
......…
Inside the Xuanwu Guild, Huang Jianguo met with Liu Yuanxiang.
As soon as Huang Jianguo sat down, he poured himself a cup of tea, looking high-spirited and relaxed. "Old Liu, this is getting interesting."
Liu Yuanxiang gave a small smile. "Did you send people to look for Jiang Kai?"
"Of course! With the National War coming, the National Soul bearer missing, we have to look. You guys in Xuanwu also sent people, right? I have to say, for you to set aside past grudges for the greater good, the president has broad vision."
Liu Yuanxiang laughed. "Alright, alright, enough talk. Anyway, as long as when the National War begins Jiang Kai hasn't come back, he's completely finished."
Huang Jianguo also said, "When his reputation is destroyed, that's when I'll make my move."
"Jiang Kai, oh Jiang Kai, did you really think you could bear the weight of the National Soul? The higher you were lifted, the harder you'll fall! I really can't wait for the National War to start."
———
When Jiang Kai woke up again, he saw three people beside him who looked exactly like him. All were tied to the tree trunk just like him, their bodies half buried into the huge willow's interior.
The willow tree had made three copies of him!
"Is it over… what else do you want!" Jiang Kai said weakly.
"Is it over… what else do you want!"
Three echoes came from beside him.
Jiang Kai didn't have the strength to say anything more to these copies. Now whenever he said one sentence, they said three, expressions and tones exactly the same. Jiang Kai nearly thought they were his own echoes.
Just as Jiang Kai was sinking into despair, the willow behind him spoke.
That old, deep voice said, "If you want to leave alive, do as I say."
Jiang Kai's eyes widened. This time the willow wasn't using that strange language anymore?
"What do you want!"
"What do you want!" The three copies beside him repeated with grave faces.
From within the willow came the voice again. "Complete the task I give you. Not only can you leave alive, you can also take one of the copies with you."
"If you don't complete it, then stay here forever, and become my fertilizer."
Jiang Kai sucked in a sharp breath. Stay forever?
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