The *Da Yun* hadn’t even fully approached the star cave when characters impatiently flashed into view in Shi Ming’s eyes. This was a rare instance of the Eye of Destiny actively displaying a prompt in the Cave of the Stars region.
And whenever it issued a prompt of its own accord,
it meant the opportunity at hand was not to be missed!
Shi Ming naturally paid it greater heed.
[All living things are born to die, and die to be reborn.]
[The star caves are no different.]
[Though this star cave is not the oldest, it is perhaps the one with the highest standing in this Star Domain. It holds the key for a "Pillar Stone" to break through their power threshold and become a "Pseudo-God."]
[A portion of the Divine Spinal Marrow.]
[Unlike the Divine Remains on Earth that became the Divine Revelation Stele, this portion of spinal marrow preserves some of the god’s divinity and authority. A "Pillar Stone" who has reached the apex of their power can devour and fuse with this marrow, thereby seizing a higher authority that is not their own and ascending to become a so-called "Pseudo-God."]
[Note:]
[1. Even if the god has fallen, forcibly seizing their authority is an act of desecration.]
[2. However, if you possess one of the four Divine Remains, or are the Sovereign or successor of the First, Second, or Third Civilization’s Cosmic Country, you are, to some extent, considered a proxy for the god and are permitted to acquire some of their authority.]
[3. The power of the Divine Spinal Marrow is violent and untamable. If your physical strength has not reached its biological limit, forcibly consuming it will cause your body to shatter beyond recovery.]
[4. Rather than have it be devoured, the god would prefer you help recover their body.]
The characters this time were red.
’Divine Spinal Marrow?’
From just those few words, Shi Ming could sense the immense value of the information.
Perhaps it was because he had inherited the "Eye of the Divine" that these god-related things, whether they were Divine Runes or star caves, were always drawn to him, arranging a fortuitous "meeting."
He finished reading the notice in the blink of an eye.
This star cave also had a name: [Civilization’s Backbone]. Although the value of the divine spinal marrow hidden within was far less than that of the four Divine Remains, it still contained a portion of divine authority that had not yet dissipated.
Shi Ming knew that both [Pillar Stones] and [Pseudo-Gods/New Gods] were ancient beings whose power had long since plateaued. Barring special circumstances, a [Pseudo-God] could forcibly suppress a [Pillar Stone]. The difference between them was that [Pseudo-Gods] had usurped a portion of a god’s power and standing.
This spinal marrow was the key to becoming a [Pseudo-God]!
For the [Pillar Stones] of the various Cosmic Countries, the temptation was off the charts!
’Pseudo-Gods may be strong, but it seems they aren’t officially recognized.’
’Even one of the previous quests from the Eye of the Divine was to [Slay a Pseudo-God]. From the Eye of the Divine’s perspective, these Pseudo-Gods touched a higher power without permission. It’s an act of desecration that calls for judgment.’
’But I, who possess the Eye of the Divine and a Divine Rune, am not subject to that restriction.’
’Still, that last reminder is the most interesting part.’
Rather than have it be devoured,
the god would prefer you help recover their body.
Shi Ming couldn’t parse the deeper meaning for now. But no matter what, a great treasure lay before him. The most important thing was to secure the spinal marrow from the star cave first. Once he had it safely in his possession, he could use the Eye of Destiny to gather more information and then decide his next move.
The entrance to this star cave was enormous.
Just as he’d done before, Shi Ming cautiously activated the *Da Yun’s* stealth mode, tucking it away securely in an unremarkable nebula. Then, he leaped directly into the star cave. Passing through a viscous barrier, he arrived in a magnificent world!
Treasure awaited!
Go!
...
...
...
The world stretched out as far as the eye could see.
Yet it was also quite monotonous.
In the very center, a colossal pillar that touched the heavens and stood upon the earth supported the entire continent and the firmament. Below the pillar stretched an endless expanse of fertile soil; at its apex was a clear and profound starry sky.
’This pillar... is this the so-called [Civilization’s Backbone]?’
The moment Shi Ming arrived in this world, he felt an impatient craving emanating from his eyes, his head, and his right arm. The center of that great pillar seemed to contain some incredibly alluring substance, stirring a primal call deep within his genes.
There was no doubt.
The spinal marrow was inside that pillar.
No, not a pillar.
It was a bone.
"Eye of Destiny, how am I supposed to recover the body of a fallen god?"
Shi Ming asked, perplexed.
This pillar was colossal. Forget "recovering the body"—even if he brought the *Da Yun* in, the entire Captain’s Space couldn’t hold even one percent of it. Besides, it was propping up this world’s sky and earth; taking it was impossible.
He had a gut feeling that under these circumstances, the Eye of Destiny would be willing to provide some information for free.
Exploiting his own ability for a freebie now and then was perfectly normal.
[You are becoming more and more adept at using your power...]
[Even though it is utterly dead and its consciousness has completely dissipated, the god’s spine is not truly gone. Here, inside a star cave no one has ever reached, it props up a special firmament.]
[There is no need to take the entire spine...]
[Bore into it from the material plane.]
[Simply extract the residual divine substance.]
[Be warned: do not let your body come into contact with that divine substance. At your current level of physical strength, even with the support of the Eye of the Divine, you cannot directly touch a power so potent, high-dimensional, and violent.]
"Got it!"
Shi Ming’s body vanished.
He transformed into a borer on the material plane and rapidly burrowed into the space. Crossing a great distance in an instant, he arrived at the base of the sky-piercing pillar. Sensing a breach at its root, he gnawed open the weak point and slipped inside, navigating through the bone.
After eons of erosion, the bone had become porous.
Otherwise, it would have been difficult for his borer form to penetrate it.
Yet an inexplicable pressure remained, omnipresent.
The range of his Spiritual Power was compressed to just ten meters.
Inside the spine, the dead portions made up 99.99% of the whole. The remaining, active marrow wasn’t distributed in a linear fashion; rather, it was like deposits in a gold mine, scattered about irregularly. However, Shi Ming could judge the likely direction of the marrow by the heat of the crimson pattern on his body.
The whole process was rather like a minigame from his past life, "Gold Miner."
’This way... the crimson pattern’s reaction is stronger.’
’There must be some active matter here.’
’Burrow, burrow, burrow!’
The borer, marked with a segment of red patterns, zipped through the bone pillar—which was hundreds of meters in diameter—for about a minute. For the first time, Shi Ming felt an oppressive might so great that even his insect form struggled to breathe. He forced the borer’s body to press on. A few seconds later, he finally saw a cluster of golden spinal marrow radiating divinity, curled up within the bone!
It was only about the size of a palm.
Divine Spinal Marrow!
Shi Ming’s Spiritual Power sharpened into a blade. He hollowed out a piece of bone to use as a container, then spent a minute carefully cutting out the golden marrow along with some of its surrounding tissue before stowing it away.
’I sense similar readings in four other places.’
’On to the next!’
The borer zipped through the god’s remains, speeding toward the next target’s location.