The moment was now!
In Shi Ming’s hand, a heart-shaped treasure suffused with starlight and containing fourteen brilliant colors appeared dazzlingly. It was none other than the spoils he had obtained from the Tower King—the Heart of the Star Spirit!
The advantage of his six-armed form was the ability to conveniently handle multiple treasures at once.
The instant the Heart of the Star Spirit appeared, the Lamp of Wishes—a treasure with its own intricate ties to the Star Spirit Race—materialized as well. In a high-level battle, opportunities are fleeting. Shi Ming seized this rare moment, aimed at the Lamp of Wishes in his hand, and made his third wish:
"O pure Star Spirit from the depths of the starry sky, my third wish is—"
"For the Heart of the Star Spirit to unleash its maximum combat power, so the Star Spirit’s last will within it can exact its own revenge!"
A snow-white figure emerged from the lamp, her form standing out starkly against the crimson glow of the Crown of Slaughter. Her body was curvaceous, and the silver bells on the Star Spirit’s ankles chimed crisply. But now, her voice was serious and low, devoid of any of its past flirtatiousness or allure—
"Your wish shall be granted!"
BOOM!
The starlit Heart of the Star Spirit erupted with the most blinding light it had ever produced since its creation.
The fourteen different skill origins within it thrashed about wildly, as if they had seen their mortal enemies. However, constrained by the framework of the supreme treasure, they couldn’t all be unleashed at once. In the end, only the two most powerful Nirvana Tier skills burst forth!
Snowflakes began to drift through the Star Sea.
In an instant, the battlefield transformed into a frigid sea of snow. Each individual snowflake became a deadly blade. This was the Nirvana Tier skill, Ice and Snow Sea!
This was only the first wave.
Then, centered on the Heart of the Star Spirit, an ability comparable to a supernova eruption burst forth like a breaking dam, blanketing the entire battlefield. The army of the dead, frozen solid, was pulverized by the light. The twelve Fixed Star Guards stood resolutely before their Sovereign, buying him time to "exterminate the pests."
Nirvana Skill! Reversal!
These were the two most powerful area-of-effect Nirvana skills within the Heart of the Star Spirit.
Unlike Ice and Snow Sea, Reversal could also restore one’s condition. Shi Ming seized the opportunity to remove the Crown of Slaughter, allowing the exhaustion from his continuous fighting to recover under the effect of Reversal, thus avoiding the "fatigue" that follows a "high." Then, in peak condition, he grabbed the final node of opportunity and unleashed Pathos, a skill from Rui Liang of the Dark Star Race! He charged toward the 12 Fixed Star Guards.
The dagger was revealed at the scroll’s end!
This was the final reaping!
The target wasn’t Lord Ron, but the Fixed Star Guards!
Ron, who was focusing his energy inward to fight the parasites, never imagined the battlefield would change so drastically in just three seconds. He never thought this little bug, who had only been alive for 23 years, could pull off such a silky-smooth combo! The calm, confident expression he once wore vanished completely. Disregarding the promise he had made as a Sovereign before the battle, he was about to interfere again!
"Junior, how insolent!"
"Angler! What are you standing there for?!"
Just as the Sovereign made his move, the hovering Heart of the Star Spirit provided its third instance of aid in this battle!
Nirvana Skill, Calamity!
Calamity was a powerful control-type skill. Its effect was to forcibly interrupt all skills the target was currently casting or preparing to cast within the next second, putting them on a 24-hour cooldown. As another Nirvana Tier skill, Calamity also had a suppressive effect on Destiny. The great hand of fate had just begun to intervene when it was forcibly dispelled, unable to continue!
The cross-shaped light of Pathos didn’t slow in the slightest as it sliced through the bodies of the Fixed Star Guards.
The Fixed Star Guards were already exhausted from dealing with the dual assault of Ice and Snow Sea and Reversal. Now, this cross-shaped blade of light was the final gunshot of the hunt!
Reaping!
A river of sharp light.
The twelve Fixed Star Guards, a combination of Nirvana Tier and extremely high-level Holy Hall Tier experts, were quartered under the fatal attack stacked with multiple buffs, their lives stolen by Pathos.
Shi Ming’s Extremely Evil Sanctuary cashed in on the kills and underwent a massive evolution. The three Nirvana Tier and nine Holy Hall Tier experts caused the number of evil tendrils to surge to 11,209—nearly doubling the previous amount!
Collect!
The corpses and origins of the Fixed Star Guards were the ultimate goal of Shi Ming’s plan. He immediately collected the remains of the 12 experts, then glanced back at Lord Ron, whose skill had been forcibly interrupted, and at the Angler, who looked like he wanted to rush over but whose body remained honestly and perfectly still. Shi Ming grinned.
"Thanks for the treat!"
Shi Ming said.
"Lock down the space!"
Realizing Shi Ming was about to bolt, Lord Ron issued a space-lockdown command.
The Star Queen, who had just managed to stabilize herself after the giant pillar’s heavy blow, unleashed her skill—Space Lockdown—once again. The active Spatial Power in this region of the sky was instantly suppressed, making it impossible to traverse the Dark Cosmos or use any spatial skills!
Shi Ming stood there.
He snapped his fingers.
His body ignored the lockdown. Along with Great Luck, who had sensed things were going south and hidden away earlier, he turned from corporeal to ethereal and forced his way into the Dark Cosmos, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
And with that, Tributary 109: Triumphal Remains was now closed.
Outside Treasure Star, all that remained was a ravaged, star-strewn battlefield.
And the trembling Treasure King, the disheveled Star Queen, the indifferent Angler, and the furious Ron.
The pride—and substance—of this Pillar Stone of the nation had been pressed against a star and brutally ground down...
...
...
...
[What a thoroughly satisfying battle! You used less than 70% of your trump cards to successfully achieve your intended goal, but in doing so, you have completely offended this Pillar Stone of the nation.]
[From now on, you are not a treasure in his eyes.]
[But a mortal enemy.]
[But it doesn’t matter.]
[There are over 118 large Cosmic Countries in the entire Star Sea, as well as boundless, unclaimed territories scattered with countless experts. There are still many, many Pillar Stones and false gods left for you to offend. The path of the strong is never lonely.]
[...]
[The Destiny Ron had hypothesized has been postponed...]
’That Old Deng,’
’what kind of Destiny did he hypothesize?’
Shi Ming traveled through the Dark Cosmos, using an anchor point from the Wandering Atlas to shuttle from Treasure Star to the depths of the Cave of the Stars.
He had chosen this location because he was worried Ron might use the power of Destiny to find his destination. But even if Ron managed to find and realize where he was—in the depths of the Cave of the Stars—there would be nothing he could do. It would be impossible for him to arrive in a short amount of time.
This place was the safest secret base in the entire Star Sea, belonging to Shi Ming alone!
Unfortunately, the Shuttle Pages of the Wandering Atlas were a limited resource; each one used was one less he had.
He rested for a day in the depths of the Cave of the Stars.
The tears on Shi Ming’s body from the forced transit had fully healed. He once again took out the Heart of the Supreme Star Spirit and three Nirvana Remains he had selected from the twelve Fixed Star Guards.
The Infinite Brain activated.
The conditions and information for an infinite upgrade appeared before him.
It was time to give this supreme treasure an infinite upgrade!