The Star Spirit Race was a peculiar race.
They drew power from wishes, but were also tainted by them.
If he possessed the power of purification, Shi Ming could have taken the time to cleanse these two billion dream bubbles one by one. But the Holy Hall Origin’s purification power was still inside the Creation Star Core, and the origin of pollution from the Abyss Lord couldn’t absorb and merge with this contamination. Therefore, finding a more convenient method of purification was the most efficient and pressing matter.
Xiaobai’s eyes glistened.
A crystalline tear trickled from the corner of her eye.
As she communicated with the remnant consciousness of her kin, she viscerally experienced the negative emotions lingering in their ancestral land. Under normal circumstances, these emotions would have contaminated her own thoughts. However, Shi Ming had raised the Bodhi Tree of Suffering, which diminished the pollution within the bubbles.
One moment, her face was streaked with tears;
the next, she was muttering to herself.
Just as Shi Ming was considering whether to rouse her from this state, a faint voice reached his mind through the nearest bubble.
"My child..."
"The Star Spirit Race was wiped out, annihilated by the Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country. Our ancestral land remains unpurified, and within the twisted wishes and emotions of countless different races, a monster never before seen has been born."
"The Colorful Insect."
"They possess no corporeal bodies, yet they can travel through, reproduce within, and pollute every dream. They turn the originally pure and radiant dreams colorful. Only by eliminating their source can the ancestral land be purified of the remaining pollution. Only then can the Radiant Dream Realm become a graveyard once more, and only then can the departed Star Spirits find eternal rest."
"The Star Spirits are a people of equivalent exchange, a race that repays every kindness."
"If you are willing to help us, as a reward, you may take the true heart of this ancestral land. It once descended into this world with a god, and it is named the [Wishing Star of All Worlds]."
"..."
’Is this... a telepathic message from the remnant soul of a Star Spirit ancestor?’
While Shi Ming was still pondering this, Xiaobai the Star Spirit opened her eyes, having broken free from the torrent of emotions. Just moments before, she had used her bloodline to activate the remnant souls of her ancient ancestors within this ancestral land, obtaining information similar to what Shi Ming had just received.
"Colorful Insect..."
Shi Ming gazed at an iridescent bubble.
’The illusory colors floating on its surface are indeed the essence of the pollution. So, if I just eliminate the source of the Colorful Insects in this dreamscape, that would count as completing the quest from the ancestor’s remnant soul?’
’The Wishing Star of All Worlds.’
’For Lord Ron to have waged war over it, it must be stronger than a supreme treasure...’
As for information about the Colorful Insect, the aged voice hadn’t provided any more. It was, after all, just a wisp of a remnant soul that might not even have awakened if it hadn’t sensed its descendant’s bloodline. The Eye of Destiny also offered no information on this "Colorful Insect" of its own accord. The ancestral land was simply too vast. Perhaps he would only get more clues when he saw the so-called "Colorful Insect" with his own eyes, or drew near to it.
"Big guy, will you accept this quest?"
The Star Spirit looked at Shi Ming, her gaze filled with a glimmer of hope.
Although her ancestor had promised a reward, no one could guarantee that the [Wishing Star of All Worlds] was truly here in the ancestral land. And no one knew just how difficult the so-called "Colorful Insect" would be to resolve. Shi Ming was free to ignore the quest entirely; if the risk was too great, there was no need for him to wade into these muddy waters.
"..."
"I’m an expert at killing monsters."
Xiaobai the Star Spirit breathed a silent sigh of relief, and the detached look in her eyes sharpened, becoming focused.
"My mind is connected to my ancestral bloodline, so I was able to sense some information about the Colorful Insects. Those monsters aren’t a species that exists in the physical universe; they exist only within illusory dreamscapes. They’re very abstract—even my ancestors didn’t know what they were. They have no physical form, and it’s very hard to find their weakness. Catching and killing them might prove to be quite an ordeal."
’An abstract entity?’
’What a coincidence.’
’They’ve met their match.’
’The [Borer] can gnaw away not only physical matter but abstract concepts as well. If I encounter that monster, I’ll have to see for myself which is stronger—the "Borer" that’s ranked in the top 39, or this so-called "Colorful Insect."’
"But I don’t know how to find any trace of it," Xiaobai added regretfully.
Shi Ming thought for a moment.
"These bubbles were originally the color of radiant starlight, but now they’re a panoply of colors. From the first two bubbles, we can conclude that these variegated colors represent the pollution. The more brilliant the colors, the more severe the pollution, and the greater the chance of finding that monster."
He released his Spiritual Power to investigate.
"Next, we just need to find the most heavily polluted bubbles and purify them. Perhaps the Colorful Insect will come to us on its own!"
"Okay!"
...
...
...
WHOOOOO—
The cry of a Kun echoed through this world filled with colorful bubbles. Shi Ming transformed into a Nirvana-rank Ten Thousand Forms Kun, cruising through the fantastical, multicolored world.
Blue butterflies danced at its side.
The Ten Thousand Forms Kun was better suited for exploring this space.
It was inherently attuned to destiny, and its skill, [Southern Netherworld Phantom Dream], allowed it to travel along the border of reality and illusion. It could enter dreams with its thoughts, allowing it to multitask and explore multiple colorful bubbles at once. Meanwhile, Xiaobai was also relying on her blood connection to her kin, searching for the most heavily polluted dreams.
Wherever the Ten Thousand Forms Kun passed, bubbles would either pop or be purified.