Chapter 1223 Black Sun Liam shuddered as the horrific process did not stop. He kept getting pushed into one scenario after another without any end in sight. After the life and death cycle, it was a taste of utter corruption and plague. He was a beast and all the beasts including him were withering away slowly from disease and corruption. He got a clear and vivid experience of slow and painful death, something that he wouldn't have minded not experiencing in his lifetime. Without giving him a chance to catch a break, he was again thrown into another scenario. Liam's consciousness struggled to keep afloat amidst this deluge of nether and fragmented memories, each image and sensation colliding with the next in a chaotic symphony. It was never-ending. Though at first Liam was able to hold on to his sense of self and somehow make do, he felt himself slipping a little with each scenario. The pain he was feeling at the moment was nothing when compared to some of the excruciating moments in his own life and yet he found himself slipping away. It was as if he was living a new life and dying with each cycle. As the experiences continued to wash over him, he felt his identity beginning to fray at the edges, the constant barrage of lives and deaths blurring the lines of his self. Finally, the onslaught began to ebb, the last vision leaving him right back where he was. Liam gasped for breath, feeling as if he had been submerged underwater for an eternity. He was back in his own body, his reality, but it took a few minutes for him to come back to his senses. Liam stared dumbfoundedly at his own hands and body in a state of shock. He remained motionless, his mind reeling from the myriad of experiences he had just lived through. As he slowly regained his bearings, he became acutely aware of the profound change within him. The barrage of lives and emotions had not just been a torment; they had been a crucible, forging him anew. They had given him plentiful insights. He felt an enhanced connection to the nether, a deeper understanding of the energy. His breath steadied, and he closed his eyes, focusing inward. Earlier when he had formed the multitude of dao seeds relating to the nether, he could sense each of the dao seeds dangling in his mental space as if they were wisps of black smoke. But now they were completely different. No, the difference was subtle but Liam could sense the huge change between the two times. While both times the dao seeds merely lingered as wisps of smoke, this time it felt as if he only needed to focus a little to combine them. Liam shuddered a little. What would happen if he combined them? Could he combine them? Liam had a feeling that he could. A wave of excitement arose in his heart. The insights that the torment had given him were not one or two. He needed to capture and solidify them all in his heart before they slipped out of his hand. Liam immediately got back into his meditative stance again. With Luna staring him at the side with her eyes wide, he closed his eyes and tried to recollect each and every dreadful experience he had just lived through. He sank deeper into his meditative stance, his consciousness delving into the labyrinth of the torments. The experiences, though harrowing, were not just random flashes of pain and confusion. Each carried a thread of understanding, a piece of the intricate puzzle of nether energy and its multifaceted nature. As he focused, the fragmented memories began to coalesce, forming a clearer picture in his mind. The life-and-death cycles, the corruption, the plagues – they all painted a vivid portrait of the nether's raw and unbridled essence. This was not a punishment. This was a gift that was given to imbue him with a profound understanding of the nether's capabilities and limits. Liam was sure of it, but how did he receive such a gift? He did not think about that right now. He took each memory, each sensation, and began to examine it with a detached curiosity. The feelings of despair, the sensations of decay, and the moments of fleeting joy – he dissected them, seeking the underlying principles that governed these experiences. Luna watched silently, her eyes reflecting a mix of concern and awe. She could sense the tumultuous energy swirling around Liam, but also the steely determination that underpinned his efforts. She hummed in admiration. As Liam continued his introspection, the dao seeds in his mind's eye began to respond. They no longer floated aimlessly; instead, they started to orbit around each other, drawn by an invisible force. The dao seeds of nether that he had formed – each a distinct aspect of nether energy – began to interact, their energies mingling and fusing. Soon Liam's breath became rhythmic, matching the pulsations of the dao seeds. With each breath, he felt his control over the nether growing, his understanding deepening. Hours passed, and the fusion of the dao seeds reached a critical point. They converged into a singular, more potent form, a new dao seed that encapsulated all the aspects of nether energy he had experienced but it was also so much more. As this new dao seed took root in his soul, Liam felt a surge of power, an unshakable sense of completeness. Opening his eyes, they sparkled with a clarity born from enduring the storm. He had faced the nether's abyss and emerged not just unscathed, but empowered. The small black wisps of smoke had already disappeared from his mental space. Instead of them, now a small black sun was floating in the same space, radiating potent and powerful energy. Liam grinned a few notifications popped up in front of him. [Ding! You have obtained the Dao seed of Nether] [Ding! You have leveled up!] [Ding! You have leveled up!] [Ding! You have leveled up!] … … … *** Mass Release Chapter 3~ Please thank Felaros for sponsoring this mass release!