Chapter 443 - 427: Obtaining a Supreme Treasure and Brushing Past a [Pillar Stone]
The newcomer was none other than the Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country, the strongest being in this Cosmic Country!
A true [Pillar Stone]!
The gravely injured Tower King had yet to speak a word of greeting when the Sovereign’s voice, layered with dimensional resonance, echoed through the desolate Star Sea, sending out waves of reverberations.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the past and future.
"A member of the Dark Star Race?"
...
...
...
By tearing a Shuttle Page, Dayun blinked through the Dark Cosmos, arriving near Azure Star—one of only two activated coordinates in the Wanderer’s Atlas.
He had three ways to leave.
First, he could activate the Star Lamp and return to Earth. But he didn’t know if the approaching Pillar Stone-level powerhouse could trace the trajectory of his warp. Exposing Earth to a Cosmic Sovereign would be extremely dangerous.
Second, he could use the Miniature Wormhole.
Third, he could tear one of the seven Shuttle Pages from the Wanderer’s Atlas to arrive near one of the coordinates recorded within it.
The Miniature Wormhole was more precious and could only be used twice more. Although the Wanderer’s Atlas could only return him to fixed coordinates, it still had seven uses left. Naturally, Shi Ming prioritized the latter.
WHOOSH—
Dayun emerged from the Dark Cosmos, having transformed from the cross-shaped "Nirvana" into its ship form. Shi Ming also deactivated his Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary, changing from the appearance of the Dark Star Race’s Rui Liang back to his own.
Now, he was the real Shi Ming.
’Rui Liang? Do I know him?’
The thrilling and intense challenge had also benefited him greatly.
"Tower King..."
"Utterly weak."
The Eye of Destiny was the one that had told him the Tower King’s name.
Next, he just needed to determine this Nirvana Powerhouse’s status and ranking within the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country. That would give him a rough idea of where his own strength stood in the cosmos, which in turn would help Shi Ming decide whether to adopt an "aggressive" or "cautious" approach to his future adventures.
But for now, it was time to examine his spoils of war.
The Heart of the Star Spirit.
A supreme treasure.
Shi Ming walked into Dayun’s Captain’s Space and looked at the irregular, spherical treasure in his hand, which was glowing with a faint starlight.
The Eye of Destiny’s information-gathering ability was still on cooldown. However, the active prompts it had provided during the battle had given Shi Ming a general understanding of the treasure. After the Star Spirit Race was annihilated, a great power had used the remains and skill origins of the entire race to forge this supreme treasure. The process consumed three Nirvana Tier skill origins and eleven Holy Hall Tier skill origins.
The helpful skills the Heart of the Star Spirit provided in battle also originated from these fourteen skills.
Each use provided three instances of suitable aid.
This was rather fitting for the characteristics of the Star Spirit Race.
’How did the Tower King even obtain this supreme treasure? With his insignificant strength, he couldn’t have possibly slaughtered the Star Spirit Race, right? Besides, that final skill I sensed in the battle—something like a full recovery plus a supernova explosion—was definitely more powerful than [Prison]. With such a powerful guardian protecting them, someone else must have been responsible for annihilating the Star Spirit Race.’
’Whatever, I’ll worry about that later.’
’Time to ask the Star Spirit in the Lamp of Wishes!’
A soft yellow light illuminated the space, casting a hazy glow over the Captain’s Space. The dragon’s skeleton loomed like rolling hills, a towering tree grew vigorously, and the crisp chime of a golden bell sounded as a snow-white figure filled Shi Ming’s vision in the blink of an eye.
"..."
"Big guy, thank you,"
"for letting me feel it up close again."
The Star Spirit certainly hadn’t forgotten the moment Shi Ming had stabbed a sword into her abdomen to fight against that powerful Nirvana Powerhouse. No matter how many different personalities she had split into over her long existence, at this moment, she felt nothing but gratitude.
Shi Ming nodded, not wanting to disturb her.
He could sense that the Star Spirit had a desire to unburden herself, and he was her only audience. It was far more appropriate to be a listener now than an interrogator.
The Star Spirit touched her forehead to the levitating Heart of the Star Spirit.
It was as if she wanted to merge her body and soul with them.
"In my youth, I once journeyed far and wide, transforming into the mysterious Wishing Star of the cosmos, bringing miracles to all races."
"Later, I was captured by a powerful being and imprisoned within this oil lamp."
"I went from a living being to a mere tool."
"In the Star Sea, the world changes as drastically as oceans turning into mulberry fields. Granting wish after wish, my mind was twisted by different desires, and I became lost within the confines of this small lamp. It was not until recently that I finally awoke from my descent."
"Sometimes, I lament my own misfortune."
"But them... my former kin... everything they were has now been turned into a cold, unfeeling tool. We can never be reunited..."
A single, crystalline drop of condensed starlight fell upon the Heart of the Star Spirit.
It sent out a thousand ripples, and for a moment, the Captain’s Space became like an ocean bathed in starlight, or a cold, clear dream condensed from the stars themselves.
"Big guy, use it well."
"But don’t rely on it too much. The wishes of the Star Spirits are not always free. It is now a thoughtless object. After the nine forms of assistance provided by the first three uses, every subsequent use will secretly exact a price."
"This comes from the level of fate."
"Just like the price that powerhouse paid just now was losing a supreme treasure."
The Star Spirit’s form shrank.
She retreated back into the Lamp of Wishes, and the ancient lamp went dark once more. Meanwhile, the Heart of the Star Spirit floating before Shi Ming had its cooldown reset, sending out lustrous ripples through the Captain’s Space.
"..."
’Even a race as powerful as the Star Spirit Race, with three Nirvana Tier powerhouses protecting them, could be besieged and annihilated, their remains forged into a supreme treasure.’
’In the Star Sea, it’s survival of the fittest.’
’It’s utterly cruel.’
He caught the activated Heart of the Star Spirit as his Brain of Creation scanned it.
[Heart of the Star Spirit]
[Level: 20]
[A supreme treasure of the Star Sea forged from the remains of fourteen powerful members of the Star Spirit Race. It seems capable of fulfilling your endless wishes.]
[Upgraded to maximum level. Cannot be upgraded further.]
[Requirements for Limitless Upgrade:]
[Ancient Rival’s Remains x3, Ancient Rival’s Nirvana Skill Origin x3]
’The maximum level for a supreme treasure is 20? And these upgrade requirements... I have to offer the blood of my enemies to the Heart of the Star Spirit, is that it?’
’Probably.’
For now, Shi Ming had no idea which powerhouse was responsible for slaughtering the Star Spirit Race, and neither did the Star Spirit in the lamp. But the fated encounter foretold by the Eye of Destiny might arrive unexpectedly one day.
...
...
...
Waves of reverberations echoed through the Star Sea, solemn and vast, yet only the Tower King could hear them.
"Your skills were inferior, and you lost the Cosmic Country’s supreme treasure."
"I will set that aside for now."
"You posted a false mission at the Ten Thousand Vaults Hub Tower and came here to stand guard alone. For what purpose?"
The Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country had eyes that seemed to see through past and future, yet there were still many things he could not perceive or comprehend.
He was not a god.
He could not be omniscient and omnipotent.
However, in the eyes of others, the Sovereign was all-powerful. This questioning was merely a chance for the Tower King to explain himself... He understood that things had reached a point where his plan to obtain the Divine Rune had completely fallen through. Now, the most crucial thing was to absolve himself of his failure and mitigate the Sovereign’s anger as much as possible.
"Sovereign..."
"The last Divine Rune has appeared."