19.Mastering The Runes Of Death And Darkness!

“Impossible to be my servant? Then go to hell!”

From Oliver’s massive snake mouth came a cold voice, his eyes like ice, brimming with a chilling intent to kill. As these words fell, Oliver’s snake tail moved. The enormous snake tail, as vast as a planet, crashed down with a boom, causing the very space to tremble, and this tail wasn’t just a physical attack—it also contained an immensely powerful force of the soul.

“Roar!”

Tartarus was struck and immediately let out continuous screams of agony; each time Oliver’s snake tail slammed down, the dark mass he resided in was hit with a deafening sound, as if the heavens and earth were shattering. That pitch-black mass was originally an incredibly sturdy object, but at this moment, under Oliver’s ferocious bombardment, cracks began to appear across it.

However, this dark substance had an extremely strong regenerative ability; though cracks emerged, it kept healing itself, yet what truly made it unbearable for Tartarus was the terrifying soul force on Oliver’s snake tail. That power was what dealt irreversible damage to Tartarus. This guy’s true form was, after all, a soul entity.

Oliver’s soul force, crashing toward him with the snake tail, was like countless sharp knives stabbing into his flesh, making him scream in wretched pain.

“No good, if this keeps up, he’s going to shatter my soul alive!”

Tartarus finally realized things were going south. He hurriedly shouted, “Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! Isn’t it enough that I become your servant? I’m willing to be your servant!” He began to cry out in desperation.

But Oliver shook his head, “Agreeing now? Too late!” Oliver had seen through it—this guy wasn’t truly submissive; even if he became a servant, he might secretly plot to harm him. Better to just kill him outright. Anyway, hadn’t he said it himself? In this boundless chaotic world, there were countless beings like him. With so many Tartaruses, killing one wouldn’t matter. Perhaps they were even destined to leave only one behind, since the underworld of later generations had just one, not countless. Their race’s evolution might very well involve devouring and merging with each other. Now, Oliver would take out one first, test the waters, and see what benefits it might bring.

“No!”

Seeing that Oliver ignored his pleas and continued his frenzied attacks, Tartarus fell into complete despair, letting out an utterly pitiful howl. He was now filled with extreme regret—why hadn’t he accepted Oliver’s terms from the start? But sadly, regret was useless now. He had thought Oliver’s words—“If you don’t become my servant, you die”—were just a threat, but as it turned out, Oliver meant it literally and was ready to wipe him out without hesitation.

Tartarus wailed miserably, at times resisting with all his might, at others frantically begging for mercy. Unfortunately, Oliver paid him no mind, remaining silent, simply letting the immense soul force cling to his snake tail, striking him again and again. Admittedly, this guy made a great practice punching bag. Through these repeated strikes, Oliver’s control over his own power grew significantly stronger!

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And finally, when a terrifying boom rang out and the howls before him gradually weakened, that dark mass was split into two by Oliver’s direct assault. The surrounding chaotic space trembled violently. This Tartarus had been thoroughly killed.

After the dark mass was shattered, countless souls flew out from within it, like a swarm of bees trying to scatter in all directions. These were all the deities Tartarus had slain, and they had even been driven by him earlier to attack Oliver. How could Oliver let them escape?

“Stop right there—all of you! Whoever runs, dies!”

Oliver’s cold voice boomed out in the form of primordial runes, spreading with force. Those soul deities were instantly terrified, trembling and not daring to move an inch. Oliver now resembled an incomparably vast king, looking down upon a group of feeble ants! Even Tartarus, who had once killed them, had been effortlessly slain by this terrifying, boundless giant snake before their eyes. No matter how foolish these soul deities were, they understood this giant snake was an existence they absolutely could not provoke!

“All of you, come in here!”

Oliver said softly, opening his snake mouth. The Chaos Gem immediately flew out from it, radiating intense light that enveloped Tartarus’s corpse and this group of soul deities, shining as blindingly and powerfully as sunlight! The next second, the chaotic world fell into utter silence, as if nothing had ever happened. Whether it was Tartarus’s corpse or those soul deities, they had all been collected into the internal space of the Chaos Gem by Oliver!

“Hmm, what’s this thing he tossed in here…”

The World Tree swayed its trunk, looking at the massive clump of dark matter Oliver had thrown in. It didn’t matter at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was startled. “Such pure death energy—this mass is practically born for the laws of death and darkness… And these souls, have they all become the master’s new servants?” The World Tree couldn’t help but marvel, “As expected of someone who comprehends so many primordial runes, the master’s strength is incredible…”

“Ygg, these soul deities are now your subordinates. You can discipline and restrain them, even enhance their group combat abilities.”

Oliver’s soul also appeared within the Chaos Gem, giving instructions to the World Tree—Ygg was the name he had given it.

“Understood, Master! I’ll definitely train these guys into a powerful soul army!”

Ygg replied excitedly. Under Tartarus’s control, these soul deities had been little more than fodder; though they’d been forced to fight Oliver, their actual combat strength was negligible. But if the World Tree could train them, it should be able to boost their power.

As for that dark matter, Oliver still didn’t know how to use it. He only knew from the Book of the Chaotic Era that it was related to constructing the underworld, but as for how to actually build it, he was completely in the dark. However, the primordial laws of darkness and death contained within this stuff were extremely important to Oliver!

He opened his massive mouth and swallowed a chunk of the dark matter whole! This dark matter, like a toxin, immediately began to wreak havoc and corrode his flesh the moment it entered his body. Even someone as powerful as Oliver still felt waves of excruciating pain! But this kind of agony was worth it.

Oliver observed how the laws of death and darkness within this dark matter operated, how they destroyed his flesh. This process deepened his understanding of the law of death! Oliver knew 144,000 kinds of primordial runes, including those of death and darkness, but knowing them didn’t mean mastering them. And now, through this dark matter, Oliver intended to comprehend and master the runes of death and darkness!