Ye Ling saw that the black hole consciousness genuinely had a way, so he didn't dawdle, urging, "If you have something to say, spit it out. Stop babbling here. I don't want to torture you."
"You brat... I'll remember this!" the black hole consciousness retorted stubbornly, then said, "Restoring his consciousness isn't difficult. It's enough to completely repair his soul. However, he's already become a slave of the Remnant Evil Clan. Even if you restore his consciousness, you'll just be releasing an enemy."
Ye Ling then asked, "Is there a way to liberate him from the control of the Remnant Evil Clan?"
The former guardian, like Ye Ling, was a warrior fighting for this universe. Ye Ling didn't want his predecessor to remain under the control of the Remnant Evil Clan.
The black hole consciousness replied, "Kill the person controlling him."
"Is there no other way?" Ye Ling frowned.
The black hole consciousness made it sound simple, but killing a member of the Remnant Evil Clan was almost impossible for Ye Ling at the moment.
Moreover, Ye Ling didn't even know who among the Remnant Evil Clan was controlling the former guardian, making it impossible to even start searching.
The black hole consciousness transformed into a human form in Ye Ling's hand and spread its palms, saying, "This is the only way. Otherwise, why do you think Zhang Xiao Ling imprisoned him here instead of helping him break free from the Remnant Evil Clan's control?"
"Hurry up and kill him. Keeping him is just a menace."
Ye Ling, however, shook his head. "No... Since Zhang Xiao Ling only sealed him here and didn't kill him, it means he can still be saved."
The black hole consciousness scoffed at Ye Ling's words, sneering, "Saved, my foot! Even if he is saved, he'll just be a supreme realm nobody. In front of the vast Remnant Evil Clan, he's just an ant that can be crushed with a flick of a finger."
Ye Ling retorted, "That's not how you should put it. You call yourself the World-Destroying Spirit Fire, yet aren't you also held in my hand, a mere supreme, and manipulated at will?"
"You!!!"
The black hole consciousness was infuriated by Ye Ling once again, gritting its teeth and saying, "I've got you, Ye Ling! One day, I will kill you!"
"Got it, got it... I'll be waiting for you to take my head."
Ye Ling replied to the black hole consciousness with annoyance, then looked at the former guardian he had tied up. He suddenly recalled the little boy who had stopped him from entering the black hole earlier.
"That little guy seemed to know this former guardian. Perhaps he has a way!"
Ye Ling's heart stirred. He immediately dispelled the black hole, bringing the black hole consciousness and the former guardian back to the valley.
The valley had now been leveled by the black hole. As far as the eye could see, only Ye Ling's barrier remained, and the piles of rocks had disappeared.
Desolation.
The little boy was anxiously waiting on the ground. When he saw the former guardian was safe and sound, his face lit up with joy. He excitedly flew towards Ye Ling.
Seeing the little boy approach, the black hole consciousness sighed, "Oh! I didn't expect the restrictions outside the valley to have spawned an elf. Zhang Xiao Ling's methods are becoming more and more exquisite."
Ye Ling didn't respond to the black hole consciousness. He pointed to the former guardian he had tied up and asked the flying little boy, "Do you have a way to save him?"
The little boy glanced at the former guardian, then nodded at Ye Ling.
The black hole consciousness immediately said, "He's just a little kid. What method could he possibly have? I think it's more convenient to just kill that guy. He's already useless anyway, and of no use to this universe. Let him die."
"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute." Ye Ling's tone turned cold. He directly used his soul power to seal the black hole consciousness's mouth, then asked the little boy, "What is your method?"
The little boy immediately flew down and landed where the piles of rocks had been.
"Piles of rocks?" Ye Ling followed the little boy to the flat ground, scanned his surroundings, and asked, "What could be here?"
Due to the appearance of the black hole, all the rocks in this area had vanished. It was a bare expanse.
But the little boy seemed to know something. He ran to a spot, bit his finger, and dripped his blood onto the ground.
Buzz—!
As the little boy's blood dripped into the ground, a strange sound emanated from beneath the earth, and the ground began to shake.
Rumble...
A large number of stone doors broke through the soil. Each stone door was carved with different statues.
However, these statues were different from the ones on the stone doors Ye Ling had seen before. These stone doors had statues of various shapes and ferocious countenances. At a glance, it was clear they were not of the Creator God, but something else.
"Wuwuwu!" The black hole consciousness cried out upon seeing those stone doors, trying to make a sound.
Seeing this, Ye Ling asked the black hole consciousness, "Do you have something to say?"
The black hole consciousness nodded repeatedly.
Ye Ling continued, "I'll let you speak, but I have one condition: you are not allowed to utter any more disparaging remarks about guardians. Otherwise, I will seal your mouth forever."
Although the black hole consciousness was displeased, it could only be at Ye Ling's mercy now and had to agree.
"Remember, I'll only say this once." Ye Ling warned the black hole consciousness again before withdrawing his soul power.
"Oh my god, I can finally speak! I was suffocating!"
Able to speak, the black hole consciousness let out a sigh of relief. It was as if its channels had been cleared. After a series of tongue clicks, it said, "I just realized that the statues on those stone doors are all of the Remnant Evil Clan. Zhang Xiao Ling is secretly doing something big!"
"Remnant Evil Clan?"
Upon hearing the black hole consciousness's words, a flicker of surprise flashed in Ye Ling's eyes. He carefully examined the stone doors again and found that a hidden energy emanated from within each stone door, seemingly a teleportation array.
The black hole consciousness's gaze swept back and forth over the stone doors, continuing, "Each of these stone doors connects to the outer realms. I estimate they are used to locate the Remnant Evil Clan members in the outer realms. The statues on the doors represent who the Remnant Evil Clan members behind the teleportation arrays are... Opening the door will allow you to find that Remnant Evil Clan member!"
"Zhang Xiao Ling intends to use these stone doors to hunt the Remnant Evil Clan. I like this idea!" the black hole consciousness exclaimed with delight.
"Hunt the Remnant Evil Clan?" Ye Ling raised an eyebrow and looked at the black hole consciousness, "What do you mean?"
The black hole consciousness chuckled, "I estimate Zhang Xiao Ling also wants to save that useless... that guardian. But he doesn't know who is controlling him, so Zhang Xiao Ling has marked all the Remnant Evil Clan members who could possibly be controlling that guardian, for future hunting."
Hearing the black hole consciousness's words, Ye Ling looked at the stone doors, his eyelids slightly lowered, and said solemnly, "In other words, as long as all the Remnant Evil Clan members behind these stone doors are killed, the former guardian can be freed from their control?"
The black hole consciousness nodded, "That's the meaning of it. After all, he's only a supreme. After Zhang Xiao Ling suppressed him, the Remnant Evil Clan must have abandoned him and no longer attached importance to him. I estimate that the Remnant Evil Clan currently controlling him won't be too strong."
A glint of sharpness flashed in Ye Ling's eyes, "So, I have a chance to accomplish this?"
The black hole consciousness looked at Ye Ling in disbelief and exclaimed, "You brat, you're not actually thinking of doing it, are you? You don't even know him, so why would you do such things?"
Ye Ling replied, "Because..."
"I am also a guardian of this universe."