Chapter 423 - 414: The Eye of the Divine’s 3 New Quests
Little ones, charge!
The Clan Elders and the Wisemen gave the order!
The orderly seven concentric circles descended into chaos. The twisted beings fanatically surged toward the divine grace. The Clan Elders remained in place, directing the different squads, while the Wisemen subtly retreated, pulling their clansmen in front of them to guard against a counterattack from the unknown creature.
It had been this way for thousands of years.
The twisted beings had eyes only for the divine grace, with not an iota of reverence for the divine. They didn’t even know what a god was. They only knew the Wisemen’s prophecies, and that this great, ship-like treasure was a supreme treasure that could shake the universe!
Charge!
...
A hostile presence filled the air.
Shi Ming stood aboard his great ship, his gaze turning cold.
’A traveler just entering the Star Sea, and on my very first stop, I run into such unfriendly creatures?’
’This is the last straw.’
Discretion was a virtue. Shi Ming’s original plan, as a "native" entering an interstellar metropolis for the first time, had been to keep as low a profile as possible and avoid trouble.
But discretion didn’t mean being a doormat.
These peculiar little things were about to charge onto his ship. How could he just stand by and let that happen?
"Ah Jian, Three-Eyes, go!"
At Shi Ming’s command,
Like a Pocket Monster following orders, the Three-Eyed Golden Crow unleashed its [Great Sun Wheel] ability. A new sun rose from the ship above the cauldron. The terrifying heat and radiation scorched the limbs of the ordinary Seven-Eyed Race members at the vanguard—the grunts with relatively weak combat power—roasting them to a crisp.
Then, a dense swarm of Twelve-winged Black Insects blotted out the sky.
Endless clones of Ah Jian briefly blocked the radiation from the Great Sun Wheel, providing a sliver of shade, only for the even more terrifying [Eternal Life Law] to follow.
The twisted creatures flying through the air were seized by the Eternal Life Law and plunged to the ground. Ah Jian’s Spiritual Power easily located the core targets: the Clan Elders, who had remained in place. Without exception, they were all targeted. Their spiritual consciousness was banished to an eternity of endless rebirths. A few of them had barely reached the Holy Hall Tier, but they still couldn’t withstand the current "Eternal Life Law."
In just three seconds,
the surviving members of the Seven-Eyed Race were completely routed.
Shi Ming flickered, teleporting from his great ship onto the sacred cauldron of the Seven-Eyed Race.
"Looks like,"
"you wanted to make an enemy of me..."
He had barely gotten the word "enemy" out
when a crimson notification suddenly flashed before his eyes.
Crimson.
Vibrantly so.
[Congratulations! You have set foot in the Star Sea and, within it, made first contact with a true other civilization!]
[This is one small step for you, but one giant leap for civilization. As a reward, the "Eye of the Divine" will now initiate the Fusion Trial! After you complete three tasks, the final form of the Eye of the Divine will be revealed.]
[This is a battle of qualification, and a battle of consciousness.]
This was different from the previous intelligence prompts.
This time, the entity behind the prompt wasn’t the "Eye of Destiny," but the "Eye of the Divine."
It was more like a celebratory notification for unlocking a milestone, similar to the one from the Eye of Intelligence when he first arrived on New Island as a slave after his transmigration. Back then, the Eye of the Divine had also unlocked three tasks: awaken, kill three malicious creatures, and possess a drifter ship of his own.
Those were beginner’s tasks.
They were quite simple, and the rewards were merely some supply packs and a "Celestial Net Chip Disabler."
The difficulty of these new tasks, however, had skyrocketed by millions of times—
[Task 1: Slay a Pseudo-god!]
[There is only one God. Even in death, It shall not be blasphemed.]
[The "pseudo-gods," who have reached the apex of their power, delude themselves into assaulting the supreme realm. To this end, they have studied and blasphemed the flesh of God to a certain extent, even calling themselves "New Gods." Slay a pseudo-god and strip the Divine Blood from its veins!]
[Reward: Evolve the "Infinite Brain".]
[Time Limit: Three years]
’Three years to slay a pseudo-god?’
Shi Ming began to calculate in his head.
Based on the intelligence he had and his own estimations, the pseudo-gods were the highest beings in this universe since the fall of God. Each one had reached a state where they could not advance any further, and it seemed they had even usurped a portion of God’s authority.
No matter how arrogant he was or how many trump cards he held, he wouldn’t dare boast that he could kill a "pseudo-god" within three years.
’However, pseudo-gods can’t get any stronger.’
’But I still have room to grow.’
’So, by that logic, I > pseudo-god.’
He then looked at the second task.
The Seven-Eyed creatures around the cauldron were now being handled by Ah Jian, so it wasn’t worth diverting his own energy to deal with them. Besides, he could multitask now, so assessing the tasks didn’t interfere with his participation in the battle.
[Task 2: Seek Your True Self!]
[The Sea of Spirit is infinite, yet it has a shore.]
[Know yourself. Develop your own Sea of Spirit to its fullest, determine the precise value of your Spiritual Power, and master the strength you have yet to uncover.]
[Reward: Qualification to study "Nameless".]
[Time Limit: Three years]
’This second task...’
On the surface, it was about finding out his Spiritual Power value, but in reality, it was about fully developing his Sea of Spirit and mastering his latent power. This meant that only by obtaining a specific value would he be considered to have mastered that power and completed the task...
Compared to the first task, this one seemed far more abstract.
It didn’t provide any specific directions, leaving him to explore on his own.
As for the reward...
*Nameless* was the third Civilization Secret Scripture recorded on the great stone stele. Previously, Shi Ming couldn’t even begin to comprehend it.
According to the stele’s description, the entry requirement was merely to have all five-dimensional stats reach 1,000, but that wasn’t actually the case. Shi Ming had tried many times but could never grasp the knack. According to the records, however, its effect was quite simple and brutal: with just a snap of the fingers, it could initialize everything within sight, reverting it to a desired point in time.
It was said that when mastered, it could rewind time all the way back to the origin of the universe.
’Is it really that amazing?’
’I suppose I’ll only know once I get my foot in the door.’
The third task, however, could only be settled after completing the first two.
[Task 3: Ascend the Ascension Ladder!]
[Nirvana Skills are all-encompassing. The 39 numbered Nirvana Skills all incorporate the primordial principles, each with its own advantages. Nirvana Skill No. 18 is particularly special, as it is the catalyst for evolving the Eye of the Divine.]
[Complete the two tasks above and claim Nirvana Skill No. 18 through a special method.]
[In theory, Nirvana Skills are mutually exclusive, but the Eye of the Divine believes you can overcome this difficulty.]
[Reward: Evolve the Eye of the Divine to its complete form.]
[Time Limit: Five years]
Two three-year tasks, and one five-year task.
’What is this, a five-year exam prep course?’
Shi Ming grumbled to himself.
He now fully understood the descriptions of the three tasks.
In other words, only by completing these three tasks could he be considered to have truly mastered the Eye of the Divine and obtained all of its abilities. Completing the first and second tasks would also grant other, separate rewards.
’Quite the challenge.’
The words before him faded, then reformed into a new message.
[Accept?]
[Yes]
???
There was no "No" option.
If these had been ordinary, unchallenging tasks, Shi Ming honestly wouldn’t have been very interested. But the three tasks before him now each offered high returns, comparable to when he killed the evolved Active Wormhole to seize [Blight]!
Yes!
Shi Ming confirmed the only option available.
[Tasks accepted.]
[The eye and courage of God go with you.]
The crimson text vanished,
and was replaced by light blue text. This time, the tone was a bit more relaxed and cheerful:
[Ooh.]
[Slay a pseudo-god, seek your true self, ascend the Ascension Ladder...]
[Each of these tasks is harder than the last, you know.]
[The Eye of Destiny is very curious... do the Heart of Chaos, the Primordial Flow Body, and the Uncertain Shadow have similar challenges? And in which space-time, in which universe, are they now?]