And what would happen if this hair tree were chopped down?

There's a certain probability that the instance space it connects to would collapse;

There's also a certain probability that the instance space would be completely lost;

However, if the player is powerful and handles it properly...

Then there's a certain probability of refining the hair tree and converting the instance space it connects to into a personal exclusive instance space!

Of course, this probability is very low.

Because Qi Lin hasn't personally cleared this instance.

If it were Li Si, who has personally cleared the instance, doing the refining, then the probability of the instance converting to a personal exclusive one would be the highest.

But...

A sudden thought flashed through Jiang Ye's mind—

Who said this instance was definitely cleared by Li Si?

Just because Li Si said it was his private asset, does that make it true?

That scheming guy could very well be lying!

It's possible this Blood Pool and Forest of Flesh itself is actually the private asset of that abandoned mental hospital?

Back in the Formless Domain before the Court Session in the Court of Disorder, Jiang Ye's pseudo-main body had already experienced the benefits of a personal exclusive instance space.

That time-stop prison that trapped him for so long...

When other players entered it, they were completely at his mercy.

This is precisely the advantage of a personal exclusive instance—

The entire exclusive instance space belongs to the player privately.

It's like how, in Qiankun Land, different Sun People players can enjoy different levels of authority.

But in a personal exclusive instance space...

The owner of that exclusive instance enjoys one hundred percent authority within the entire space!

Other players who accidentally enter someone else's exclusive instance space would face the owner just like Moon People players face Sun People.

Even their own lives would be in the other's hands!

So...

If this Sun Person named Qi Lin could truly refine the Blood Pool and Forest of Flesh space...

Then all players currently within the Blood Pool and Forest of Flesh space would become slaves under Qi Lin's command!

This...

Jiang Ye suddenly thought—

Earlier, when he kept calling Li Si to come to the Blood Pool and Forest of Flesh, Li Si's attitude was clearly one of refusal.

So at that time, he must have been worried that if the Blood Pool and Forest of Flesh was refined by someone and turned into a personal exclusive instance space, he would lose his freedom by being trapped inside.

But later, Li Si agreed to go to the Blood Pool and Forest of Flesh.

He even essentially brought Chen Cang there...

Could this change in attitude mean that Li Si and Qi Lin reached some kind of agreement?

If this Qi Lin is indeed in cahoots with Li Si.

Then it makes sense that he didn't need to see the mechanical eyeballs to know that Cheng Lin's eyeballs could reflect scenes.

He might have even known from the start that this Cheng Lin had self-awareness.

While pondering this, Jiang Ye was also hesitating—

Should he stop Qi Lin from chopping down this hair tree?

Actually, deep down, he felt more that—

If the Blood Pool and Forest of Flesh space was truly that important...

Then the corresponding hair tree probably wouldn't be so easy to chop down.

And indeed, that's how it turned out—

Jiang Ye saw with his own eyes Qi Lin's sharp fingernail-scythes hacking fiercely at the roots of the hair tree.

But those strikes didn't even leave a single scratch on the hair tree, let alone chop it down.

This outcome didn't seem to surprise Qi Lin either.

He just tried for a while before reattaching his fingernail-scythes to his fingers.

However, the entire fingernail-scythes, now back on his fingers, still maintained a length of nearly half a meter.

Then...

He actually shoved that long fingernail-scythe straight down his throat, like swallowing a sword!

This action wasn't unfamiliar to Jiang Ye!

Sure enough, not long after, when Qi Lin's fingers dug out from his throat...

They pulled out a putrid toad!

That's right! It looked almost exactly like the toad Chen Cang dug out from his throat back in the ice coffin of the Reincarnation Mirror Palace!

Except, Chen Cang's toad transformed into his temporary prison watch and was worn on his wrist.

But the toad Qi Lin dug out from his throat was placed on his palm. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Then, this toad started sticking out its tongue.

Its tongue, covered in bluish-gray mucus, kept extending, quickly wrapping around the hair tree connected to the Blood Pool and Forest of Flesh like vines, coiling around it again and again!

Soon, the bluish-gray tongue of the little toad wrapping around the hair tree suddenly burst into flames!

So, to the naked eye, it looked as if the entire hair tree was being coiled by a fiery snake!

The flames on it started as just flickering fire sparks.

But in the blink of an eye, the fire grew bigger and bigger!

Even the surrounding mist seemed to be getting absorbed by the great fire!

Jiang Ye faintly sensed that the surrounding mist, originally still like stagnant water.

Now showed signs of surging toward the great fire!

Just as he was astonished, he saw Qi Lin suddenly kneel down on the ground.

Immediately after, he kowtowed three times toward the depths of the Forest of Oddities.

They were really loud kowtows!

Jiang Ye couldn't help but wonder if this guy's head was made of iron??

And right after these three pious, resounding kowtows...

Jiang Ye immediately sensed a familiar aura!

That putrid smell diffusing in the air.

His Guiwen clone had experienced enough of it following Chen Cang!

So...

This guy kowtowing toward the depths of the Forest of Oddities...

Seems to be bowing to that Moon-Eating Toad?!

Could it be that this hair tree he couldn't chop down was going to be offered as tribute to the Moon-Devouring Giant Toad?!

The key is, Jiang Ye hadn't forgotten—

The Moon-Devouring Giant Toad and the Moon Infant seem to be hostile toward each other!

Before the Moon Infant was born, the Giant Toad wanted to devour it.

Now, the Moon Infant has been born...

The Moon Infant is on the Cheng Lin version of Jiang Ye!

And the Cheng Lin version of Jiang Ye is on Qi Lin!

Oh damn?

Jiang Ye suddenly realized...

What Qi Lin might be offering to the Moon-Eating Toad might not just be this hair tree...

It could very well include Jiang Ye, who's parasitized by the Moon Infant!

In that instant, Jiang Ye felt even more strongly—this Moon Infant is a damn nuisance!

Can't delay any longer!

This Qi Lin obviously has no intention of wearing the Cheng Lin version Sun and Moon Person watch.

This clone isn't urgent to convert either.

And now the top priority is...

Binding the Formless Leaf!

At this point, Jiang Ye stopped pretending.

In his field of vision, the screen of the Exile City version Jiang Ye with Target Anchor appeared again.

Immediately after, another Formless Leaf was transmitted over.

Jiang Ye instantly transformed into his physical body form, his blood-stained fingers firmly grasping that human-shaped leaf.

In that instant, the prompt sound he heard back in the Formless Domain rang in his mind—

[Ding!]

[You are about to bind the Formless Leaf. Do you agree?]

[Yes/No?]

This process had already been experienced many times by other Exile City clones.

So for the Cheng Lin version Jiang Ye, it was also familiar territory.

He almost without hesitation chose—

[Yes!]

However, the next part was something other Exile City Jiang Ye clones had never experienced!

Because another prompt sounded in the Cheng Lin version Jiang Ye's mind—

[Ding!]

[Player Cheng Lin chooses to acknowledge you as Master. Do you agree?]

[Yes/No?]

??!

This...

This isn't right!

Although back in the Formless Domain, Jiang Ye's pseudo-main body also experienced the announcement sounding twice, the "I acknowledge myself as Master" scenario.

And that process made him realize the truth of "acknowledging the Formless Leaf as Master"...

But in this era of the Doomsday Prison, most Jiang Ye clones only heard one prompt when binding the Formless Leaf.

Only that Exile City Boss, the "Boss Clone," heard two prompt sounds when binding the Formless Leaf.

At the same time, every time a clone bound a Formless Leaf, the Boss Clone would also hear the second prompt.

So, in Jiang Ye's view—

Although clones share consciousness and indeed belong to the same person, the same "body."

The hierarchy among clones might also be real!

Only the pseudo-main body from the Formless Domain before, and the later Boss Clone...

Could hear the "XX acknowledges you as Master" announcement.

That's why the Boss Clone was identified by Jiang Ye as a T0-level clone.

In his view, T0-level clones, like his pseudo-main body that appeared in the Doomsday Apartment, already possessed certain characteristics other clones didn't have.

And now, this Cheng Lin version clone...

Actually heard the announcement that only T0-level clones could hear!

So perhaps, this clone originally classified as T1-level...

Should now be considered T0-level!

And that "characteristic" that other clones below T0-level lack might lie in—physical body level?!

These thoughts only flashed through Jiang Ye's mind for an instant.

Because right now, the situation was urgent, and he didn't have time to think more.

Even the pseudo-main body had made a choice back in the Formless Domain.

So now, naturally, he didn't need any hesitation.

Jiang Ye immediately chose the second announcement as well—[Yes!]

In that instant, a mysterious and obscure black light flashed across the Formless Leaf.

Immediately after, this Formless Leaf suddenly merged into the Cheng Lin version Jiang Ye's body.

In that moment, Jiang Ye's still somewhat stiff body suddenly felt an indescribable chill.

Rather than a chill, it was more like a minty sensation that refreshed and cleared the mind.

He felt as if his body had undergone some kind of cleansing, his entire being becoming lighter.

Including his brain, it felt as if a layer of fog had been lifted.

It felt... really great!

No wonder players in Exile City also called binding the Formless Leaf the "Sacred Baptism."

This wave of sensation truly felt like undergoing a baptism!

However, Jiang Ye didn't have time to savor the feeling.

He quickly checked his current data panel after binding the Formless Leaf—

[Cheng Lin]

[Level: 0]

[Authority Level: Privileged Youth]

[Physical Strength: 9.9]

[Spirit: 10.8]

[Combat Power: 22.8]

[Talents: Infinite Clones (X), Salvation (SSS)]

[Skills: Salvation Domain (SSS), Heart Demon Materialization (SS), Pain Sharing (S), Faceless Mask (S), Self-Immolation Moment (S), Falling Leaf Returns to Roots (A), Clone Fusion (A), Clone Swapping (A) [>>Click to Expand More]]

Many of these skills were old acquaintances.

Their levels were significantly higher than previous clone skill levels.

For example, the A-grade Clone Fusion could now fuse up to 10 clones at once.

Even the duration of Clone Fusion directly reached 100 minutes!

This was more than just a slight improvement over the previous 3-minute fusion time!

100 minutes was enough time to do many things!

And besides the familiar clone skills...

Among them, Falling Leaf Returns to Roots was like a "Town Portal Scroll," allowing him to instantly return to the location of the Formless Tree.

Meaning, no matter where he was now, he could directly return to Exile City.

Even if he was inside an instance space or in combat, he could flee the battlefield and leave immediately!

You should know, a key difficulty of many instance spaces is that they block spatial teleportation abilities.

Once you enter, besides clearing it, it's hard to escape.

But Falling Leaf Returns to Roots could directly ignore those blocks on spatial teleportation abilities.

Even the mist couldn't block it!

Anytime he wanted, he could easily return to the side of the Formless Tree.

It was as if Falling Leaf Returns to Roots was no longer just a simple spatial ability.

And this Falling Leaf Returns to Roots ability was also the main reason Moon People players joining Exile City were willing to bind the Formless Leaf.

It was equivalent to binding the Formless Leaf giving those players a free Town Portal Scroll.

Their survival ability received a significant boost.

Additionally, the S-grade Self-Immolation Moment and Faceless Mask were also abilities the Formless Leaf granted to all players.

Meaning, those TX-level clones who retained self-awareness, after acknowledging the Formless Leaf as Master, wouldn't have clone skills on their panels, but they would gain the three abilities: Faceless Mask, Self-Immolation Moment, and Falling Leaf Returns to Roots.

Falling Leaf Returns to Roots was equivalent to a Town Portal Scroll.

And the Self-Immolation Moment skill was equivalent to TX clones actively initiating a "fusion request" to Jiang Ye clones.

This skill, in the eyes of those TX clone players, was actually like "inviting a god to possess them."

When TX clones used this skill, they would briefly lose self-awareness, but their combat power would greatly increase!

In the view of those TX clones, the other players who acknowledged the Formless Leaf as Master, this skill was their lifesaving divine skill in times of crisis.

However, what they didn't know was...

Once they used this skill, all Jiang Ye clones would receive a "clone fusion" invitation.

Their "loss of consciousness" and "increased combat power" were actually them being fused by Jiang Ye clones...

Of course, Jiang Ye clones themselves could also use this skill.

Inviting other clones to fuse with themselves to increase combat power.

And the Faceless Mask skill didn't turn players into featureless, bald-headed figures.

Instead, players using the skill would switch back to the "Formless Leaf" state.

Just like how Sun and Moon People have their watch-like primitive state, mechanical body state, flesh and blood body state...

Players who acknowledge the Formless Leaf as Master also have a human-shaped leaf state.