For Shawell, her path had always been to seize control of and devour the complete World
The plan had been detailed and thorough, and Shawell had even harnessed the entire Shadow Empire to accelerate the Life Tree — a scheme designed to plunder the thoughts of ordinary beings and seize control of the World Will!
Unfortunately, one final flaw had still remained in the plan — and that was the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes!
When she had departed, she had taken with her a portion of the World Will's authority that belonged to her. It was the fundamental right of the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes as a native being of the Shadow World, and because she was so powerful as an individual, she held at least a one-percent share!
As long as her share was missing, the Shadow World's World Will could never be complete. For Shawell, this was a fatal problem...
After all, she couldn't very well march into the Purgatory World to drag the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes back. And without even that small share in the Mother's possession, the World Will could never be made whole! Ascending to the eighth-tier limit would forever remain nothing more than a fool's dream!
And now the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' return was not only an opportunity for the Mother herself — it was equally an opportunity for Shawell!
All Shawell had to do was seize the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' share of the authority, and the Shadow World's World Will would be made complete. After devouring her, Shawell could instantly reach the eighth-tier limit!
To bring this plan to fruition, Shawell had not hesitated to have the Empire launch ahead of schedule, to let both Project X and the Life Tree scheme be exposed, and even to take the initiative and strike, sweeping away three unstable variables including the Eye of Judgment.
And now... the season of harvest had arrived!
"Your target... is me?"
A rare look of bewilderment flickered across the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' face.
"Ignorant creature... your very existence as a native of the Shadow World is a crucial component in the makeup of the World Will!"
Shawell stepped forward until she stood before the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes, meeting her gaze without a trace of fear.
"And now... all of the World Will shall be reassembled, forming an entirely new entity!"
A colossal, terrifying net that blotted out the sky suddenly materialized from every corner of the world, shimmering with a purple-gold luster as the Primordial World Force surged and roared across its surface.
This was the core form of the Shadow
"Grudges, rivalries... it's time all of this was settled once and for all..."
The Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes bit her lower lip. The serene composure on her face was the sort that could break any man's heart.
"Ten Thousand Snakes — Devour!"
A massive torrent of crimson bloodline power unfurled from the stellar snake sphere — the accumulated vengeance of ten thousand years, gathering into a single devastating strike.
And behind the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes, scene after scene materialized: titanic serpents surviving, reproducing, and warring, weaving together into an epic chronicle of the giant snake bloodline's civilization!
Within that brilliant and magnificent tapestry of civilization, horrifying giant snake souls roared and shrieked, launching a devastating assault toward the girl at the heart of the shadow!
This was the accumulation of an entire civilization, carrying the power of bloodlines passed down through countless generations!
The entire shadow world trembled beneath the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' savage might. The earth cracked apart, revealing the bones and corpses of countless titanic serpents. Phosphorescent flames flickered in hollow serpent eyes, and the massive remains began to stir — as if the world had been hurled back in time to that primeval age when giant snakes ruled all.
"A civilization long dead... you dare entertain the delusion of resurrection?"
Yet even before an assault of epic proportions, a cold, contemptuous smirk appeared on Shawell's face.
"Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes... your era has passed. Now... everything here is mine to claim!"
"Shadow Weave — implant!!!"
The instant Shawell issued her command, every living mutant infected with the X-gene across the entire shadow world began to convulse.
Tendrils of mysterious, arcane power began pouring into them from their backs. Like an invading host ruthlessly seizing dominion over everything, their veins bulged and their bodies trembled violently.
Originally, after the Tree of Life had stripped away their minds and souls, these beings had been reduced to nothing more than walking corpses. But now their eyes suddenly blazed with light, as though reason had returned to them.
A layer of dark, shimmering luminescence now enveloped their entire bodies, and with it came terrifying spell-like abilities.
"Daughter of Shadow... you are our master, the sovereign of all!"
The throngs of mind-controlled intelligent beings knelt and murmured in unison. Then, as one, they turned upon the revived serpent corpses and began their extermination.
"Umbral energy environment optimal! Shadow spells ready!"
Taking humans alone as an example — whether frail elders or delicate young maidens — every one of them had become a cold, efficient machine. Under the precise direction of the neural intelligence, they had transformed into an orderly army, unleashing devastating shadow spells from their hands. The revived giant snake corpses stood no chance whatsoever.
And that was only humans — what more could be said of the armies of beetles, cheetahs, eagles, and even sharks, all capable of wielding shadow spells?
Under the shadow army's overwhelming might on land, at sea, and in the sky — in numbers beyond counting and power beyond measure — the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' primal savagery was swiftly and decisively crushed.
"I am... the sovereign of the entire Shadow World!"
Having completed the World Tree plan, the tree of light now blazed across the sky, replacing the axis of the world itself. It radiated a sacred aura, and a faint sense of ripeness continuously emanated from within.
"Just a little more!"
"That is... the aura of the world's will..." The Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' expression shifted rapidly. By now, the World Tree had gathered the souls and consciousness of over ninety percent of all living beings in the Shadow World — even encompassing the sky, the ocean, and the earth. It represented the will of the entire Shadow World, and it even made her feel an impulse to submit.
"Go quickly... leave the Shadow World, and never return..."
Hai
"Mere rules of the ocean — how could they contend with the will of the world itself? Return!"
Shar didn't move a hand, but the World Tree had already thrust out massive branches of radiance, which spread across every stretch of the ocean in an instant.
Hai Kou'er's expression froze. Then a tentacle lashed through her body, extracting several glowing motes of willpower and feeding them into the World Tree.
"Now, my World Tree represents the will of the world... you cannot fight it!!!"
Shar declared the proclamation of the victor.
Under her command, the Shadow Weave sealed off every possible escape route for the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes.
Simultaneously, the World Tree unfurled its terrifying root system — tendrils capable of spreading across the entire Shadow World — plunging deep into the stellar snake sphere, binding everything the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes possessed.
"Give me... everything! All that you are!" Shar moved behind the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes, her hands gripping the serpent's arms tightly. A satisfied smile graced her delicate features, and the World Tree in the sky swelled even larger.
Mystical strands of consciousness, blended with the power of bloodline, were continuously drawn out by the World Tree's roots.
One after another, the countless snake heads shriveled helplessly, a sign of the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' steadily waning strength.
At the critical moment, a flash of ruthless resolve crossed the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' face.
Boom!
Her stellar body detonated violently. With its master's will gone, the surging bloodline power turned savage, beginning to destroy everything around it in a frenzy.
Layers of shadow weavings enveloped Shar. She then glanced down at the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' body in her hands, which had completely lost all trace of vitality, and furrowed her brow. A flicker of dark flame reduced it to ash in an instant.
Boom! Boom!
From the detonating serpent remains, a section of the head burst open, revealing the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes within.
She had now lost her stellar serpent sphere and the vast reserves of bloodline power she had accumulated. Her once-beautiful face was gaunt and deathly pale.
"You've taken away my..."
She spoke in a ragged hiss, like a gambler who had lost everything.
"A portion of your consciousness, along with the former World Will's authority! They're all mine now!"
Shar did not press her attack. Instead, she turned to gaze at the colossal World Tree behind her.
Its roots had transformed into a crimson hue. The Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes' original body and all her accumulated bloodline power, mixed with something far more profound, had been entirely drawn into the tree.
Having absorbed these, the Tree of Life seemed to have satisfied its final requirement. Its entire trunk instantly transitioned from ethereal to solid, its radiance contracting to reveal the true colors of life.
"The legendary World Tree... said to appear only when the world is first born from chaos!"
Even the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes was momentarily stunned by the sight before her.
"Yes... the origin of all life, and the very source of the World Will!"
Shar approached the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes. "The facts have proven it... you've failed again. I am the sole victor in the end!"
"Failed? Perhaps so! But I haven't surrendered completely... because my descendant will defeat you!"
The Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes murmured a few hollow words, her spirit seemingly crushed, but then confidence gradually resurfaced in her eyes.
"Oh? But your descendant hasn't made a move. He simply stood by and watched you suffer a crushing defeat..."
Shar smiled.
"That's because you don't understand him... His capacity for endurance and patience are the greatest I've ever witnessed across all the worlds I've traveled..."
The Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes stared at the enormous World Tree, a dazed, distant look in her eyes. "I didn't know what he truly wanted before, but now... I'm absolutely certain of it!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A gust of Primal Wind blew past, and the branches and leaves of the World Tree parted, revealing a peculiar fruit upon its main trunk.
"The true body of the World Will! A truly materialized World Will! Capable of merging all the scattered consciousness of an entire world into one, returning to the primal source once more! Shar, your plan is truly admirable!"
Lei Lin's figure appeared beneath the World Tree, gazing at the fruit that rippled with a captivating radiance, and he couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Lord Lei Lin… you've finally come, choosing to be my enemy!"
A look of helplessness and wistfulness crossed Shar's face, enough to break anyone's heart.
"My previous promise still stands! Once I become the sovereign of the Shadow World, everything here will be yours!"
Facing Lei Lin, whom she regarded with great wariness, Shar was still making offers.
Unfortunately, such temptations failed to move Lei Lin in the slightest. A deal with a peak Tier 8 existence was far too dangerous! Besides, the things he wanted, he had always preferred to seize with his own hands.