Chapter 1427: Merging with the Nightmare Heart Chapter 1427: Merging with the Nightmare Heart There was a lot to plan for-Cain knew that better than anyone.
The demands of Lady Azure, the Night Princeâs hidden agenda, and the swirling uncertainties of the Gu Sect all gnawed at his thoughts.
Yet, for now, something else commanded his immediate focus.
His eyes grew unmistakably sharp as he turned his attention to the Nightmare Heart that was still inside the black box.
In the next breath, he addressed the Absolute Life Form System, âSystem, analyze the Nightmare Heart.
Search for any trap or alteration that might affect me in the future.â Cain felt no trust for the Night Prince.
While the man had thus far proven a source of valuable artifacts, experience told Cain that every gift from him might come loaded with hidden dangers.
True enough, the answer from the system confirmed his suspicions.
Its mechanical voice resonated with calm clarity.
[The Nightmare Heart contained a slight alteration to its original core.
There is a set of runes engraved in it that, if activated, will detonate the heart inside the Vesselâs body.] Hearing this, Cain didnât bristle with anger; instead, a faint smile curved his lips.
âThe Night Prince is truly paranoid, placing fail-safes at every turn.â Cain thought.
Indeed, such caution mirrored the manâs cunning, ensuring that anyone who dared to fuse with his artifacts would also remain under his lethal power. âSystem, can you use [Dimensional Quantum Hacking] to take care of that alteration in the Nightmare Heart?â he asked next.
The heart was undeniably useful, and he had no wish to discard it.
But if the system couldnât neutralize the rune, there was no chance heâd allow such a liability within his body.
Fortunately, the [A.I.
Chip Module] proved fully capable.
Its calm reply followed swiftly.
[The runic formation can be erased.
It can also be neutralized and left in place.] Cainâs eyes brightened with satisfaction.
He swiftly weighed his options.
If he removed the rune altogether, the Night Prince might realize that Cain had tampered with the artifact and become suspicious.
Conversely, if he neutralized but left the runic formation intact, then the Night Prince would likely believe he could still kill Cain at any time.
That sense of false security might be an advantage Cain could exploit later.
He made his choice without hesitation.
âSystem, neutralize the runic formation.â A momentâs pause stretched through his mind as the advanced hacking of the Absolute Life Form Systemâs [A.I.
Chip Module] engaged.
[Using Dimensional Quantum Hacking to neutralize the runic formation inside the Nightmare HeartâŠ
âŠ
Runic formation neutralized.
It is safe to fuse the heart into the Vesselâs body.] Cain nodded, exhaling a silent breath of relief.
Carefully, he removed the Nightmare Heart from its container and then destroyed the box with a wave of energy.
Now that the hidden explosive had been diffused, it was time for another training session.
Yet Cain refused to do so in his usual cultivation abode, especially after concluding that people could infiltrate it without his permission.
More importantly, he had a better place in mind-one promising far greater secrecy and resources.
His figure vanished from the cultivation chamber, appearing the next second inside the Second Layer of the [Samsara Arsenal Module].
Taking a deep breath, Cain floated into a meditative posture high in the sky.
The next moment, his Ego Wave surged into the Nightmare Heart, scanning it from within and forging a connection between his mind and the artifactâs dark essence.
That phase took only a few minutes-long enough to synchronize his willpower with the malevolent energies of the treasure.
Once complete, Cain placed the Nightmare Heart above his chest, allowing it to meld slowly with his flesh.
Inch by inch, it sank into his body until it settled beside his Rebirth Heart.
âTHUMP!â Suddenly, a booming heartbeat shattered the silence.
It was an overwhelmingly powerful heartbeat that echoed from deep within Cainâs chest, resounding across the Second Layer like a peal of thunder.
A trembling seized his body as veins of psychic energy sprouted from the dark heart, merging into his bloodstream and stretching all the way into his brain.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
A succession of mighty pulses followed, each one accompanied by a surge of monstrous power as the Nightmare Heart interlocked with his Soul Dimension.
Cainâs vision blurred momentarily, and then he witnessed oceanic waves of darkness flooding the spiritual home of his Alter Ego.
Leviathan gazed at the onrushing tide, its demonic eyes radiating cold light.
With a single, furious roar, the monstrous snake declared its ownership of the dimension.
âROOOOOOOOAAAARRRR!â The surging waves of darkness froze in place, halted by Leviathanâs savage outcry.
A second later, the black currents converged upon the Alter Egoâs mighty jaws, swallowed by the three-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-meter-long serpent that embody Cainâs willpower.
Slowly, Cain regained his focus.
The Nightmare Heartâs integration with his bloodstream concluded, and a sheer thrill sparked in his eyes as he observed Leviathan devour that nightmarish energy.
The demonic winged serpent began to expand, stretching beyond its previous limits, and after nearly an hour, the Alter Ego reached an astonishing four hundred thousand meters.
Its scales glowed with a dark, ephemeral physical force, exuding an aura capable of swallowing the souls of any too weak to remain standing in its presence.
âAmazing!â Cain murmured, awe in his voice.
âThe Nightmare Heart truly lives up to its reputation.
Its power is nothing short of astounding.â Not long after, a predatory light flickered across his face, hinting at his ambition.
âI wonder how exactly the Night Prince got hold of such treasures and what else he may be hidingâŠâ But that thought soon dissipated.
Cain knew it was too soon to challenge the Night Prince.
Instead, he let his attention roam over the changes granted by the Heartâs integration.
âNot only did Leviathan grow stronger, inching toward the peak of the Fourth Realm in the Ego Eternal Path of Power,â he noted, âbut I also gained access to certain nightmare-based abilities.
Plus, I can feel a wider Ego Wave pool, boosting my stamina and broadening how I can use my Concepts.â Lifting his right hand, Cain allowed a tendril of intangible blackness to swirl around his fingertips, reflecting the newly awakened synergy in his spiritual systems.