"Those who imitate me shall die.
"This is my most sincere advice, not some self-serving attempt to guard my secrets."
"As for the coordinates of the First Civilization Cosmic Country, you must already know them. They are fused within these words—indescribable, something that can only be understood, not spoken."
"A false god once arrived on this planet, coveting the ’Zero’ formed by the Eight Holy Halls. But they were powerless to take it. Instead, they laid a trap, hoping to reap the final fruit in the great river of history. However, when this false god laid their plans, they never imagined that events would unfold far beyond their expectations. If they return to collect their ’fruit’ in the future, the price they pay may be entirely different."
"This is a challenge you will inevitably face."
"[Zero] is the zero of origin, representing infinite possibilities."
"Drawing on its meaning, I hope you can forge your own path. Only then, when the calamity arrives, will this Star Sea have a true fighting chance..."
"..."
The words vanished.
Shi Ming’s consciousness scattered, falling from the dream.
The shattered Crystal Stones suspended in the air followed him, merging into his consciousness and disappearing from this space. Abruptly, the parallel space deep within the Creation Star Core shattered, never to be reached by another living being again.
The roaming canoe drifted aimlessly.
Its master, after sixty-seven days, finally opened his eyes from his slumber.
This was a dream of reality.
It was also a dream of transformation.
Reviewing the elder’s final words, Shi Ming gleaned much useful information. The most important point was that the path to godhood could not be replicated; it could only be explored by oneself. If one blindly followed the path of a deceased god, they would eventually find themselves at a dead end, trapped in that realm and unable to advance, just like the other false gods.
As for the other parts of the divine body besides the Eye of the Divine, they were currently scattered across other times and spaces.
Furthermore, the elder had mentioned a "calamity."
’Calamity?’
The first thing that came to Shi Ming’s mind was the Colorful Insect.
This異類, fundamentally different from the creatures of the Star Sea, was not classified by the Star Sea’s ranks of Legendary, Holy Hall, or Nirvana. Instead, it used another, more evocative naming system: "Disaster," "Calamity," and "Celestial Calamity." Their skills lacked killing power but were extremely destructive, truly befitting the name Celestial Calamity.
’Could the calamity the elder spoke of be the same kind of thing as the Colorful Insects?’
’It seems I’ll have to find a chance to squeeze that insect for all it’s worth.’
’I’ll see if I can get more information out of it.’
After a moment’s rest on the ship, Shi Ming’s Spiritual Power finally found some relief. He realized that his fusion process had taken a full sixty-seven days. Without any more time for recuperation, he began to explore the greatest reward of his journey.
The new Nirvana-rank skill, Zero.
[Zero]
[Number: 1]
[Zero has three stages, each with different manifestations. Zero can come into contact with more powers. After witnessing the diversity of powers in the Star Sea, Zero will advance to a higher stage and gain additional possibilities.]
[Stage One: Lock onto a target and nullify one of the following powers on them for 1024 seconds: Life, Death, Spacetime, Destruction, Corruption, Purification, Eternity, or Destiny.]
[Stage Two: ???]
[Stage Three: ???]
This skill had three stages.
Currently, Shi Ming could only use Stage One. Even so, the skill was unprecedentedly powerful. Its effect was simple and brutal, domineeringly forcing one of the opponent’s powers to be nullified!
For example,
If Shi Ming were to face Lord Ron, the Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country, again.
He could use [Zero] on Ron’s "Destiny" power. If he did so, the Destiny Power on Ron would vanish, and all his abilities related to Destiny would be completely nullified for 1024 seconds! This would include his skill [Destiny] and any Destiny-attribute artifacts or treasures he used during that period.
In a battle between experts, seconds decide victory and defeat.
Unable to use the power of Destiny for 1024 seconds, the scales of victory would hardly tip in his favor.
And that was just one way to use it.
If Shi Ming locked onto [Life] instead.
The opponent’s life force would be completely reduced to zero for 1024 seconds... At the Nirvana rank, there might be other methods to maintain a state of "survival" even after one’s life force dissipated, but experts with such abilities were few and far between. Most beings, when faced with [Zero], would be killed instantly. 1024 seconds would become an insurmountable chasm, separating life from death. Anyone struck by it would find it nearly impossible to be revived!
This was [Zero].
As powerful as it was, this was only the first stage of [Zero]. Having just been reborn and fused within Shi Ming, [Zero] was in an initial, nascent state, having not yet witnessed the diversity of Star Sea abilities and Origins. As Shi Ming continued to fight, [Zero] would grow stronger in sync, unlocking Stage Two and Stage Three.
At the same time,
This numbered Nirvana Origin was formed by the fusion of eight Holy Hall Origins, but this did not mean Shi Ming had lost those eight Holy Hall Powers. He could still draw upon the eight Holy Hall Skills from the Origin of [Zero] and easily cast skills like [Nine-Headed Sanctuary] and [Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary]. The number of evil tendrils from the Extremely Evil Sanctuary and the "forms" from the Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary had not disappeared either.
The new skill was only his first reward.
This journey underground had yielded even more, each one an immense stroke of fortune.
1. The skill [Zero] and the skill [Purification Sanctuary].
2. The coordinates to the First Civilization Cosmic Country.
Shi Ming had learned these coordinates through the Civilization Prologue. With them, he could rapidly traverse the Dark Cosmos to the vicinity of the hidden Tomb Star Realm. Then, using the many treasures in his possession, he could force his way inside to explore its secrets.
3. His Sea of Spirit had been pushed to its limits time and again, and his Spiritual Power had increased dramatically.
Although he still didn’t know the exact value, it was clearly more than three times stronger than before! The power in his Sea of Spirit was now far more profound!
4. His Endurance had increased dramatically!
Thanks to the extended fusion process, his Endurance had also been tempered! The value had now reached 5322! His combat stamina had nearly doubled!
5. His other attribute values had also seen significant growth.
Some of this came from the birth of [Zero], and some from the constant squeezing of the Colorful Insect. That pitiful Celestial Calamity-level creature, now emaciated to the extreme, still clung to life beneath the ninety-nine-story Heaven-Reaching Tower.
6. The Creation Star Core was infinitely upgraded.
Although the [Unceasing Water] was gone, the planet’s core had undergone a massive evolution. The effects might not be apparent in the short term, but in the long run, countless humans would benefit. The progress of civilization would subtly accelerate, and the evolution of life would also be enhanced. Even without connecting to the Star Sea, it was highly possible for new Holy Halls and even Nirvana-rank beings to emerge naturally, allowing it to become an independent, advanced civilization!
After taking stock of all his gains, the Sun-Shooter set sail once more.
This canoe, which had been with Shi Ming the longest, sped away from the Creation Star Core, heading toward the Endless Ocean above. Having been out of contact with the people on the various King-level Wandering Ships for so long, Shi Ming’s star-chain and communication devices were filled with messages.
Although he would see them soon, Shi Ming replied to each one.
...
...
...
「In the distant Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country.」
Ron sat upon his throne in the True King Hall, his gaze seeming to pierce through past and present. For some time now, he had completely lost track of Shi Ming. Within his domain, the being known as Shi Ming seemed to have vanished, and even [Destiny] could find no trace of him.
For the sake of the "Divine Rune" from the First Civilization Cosmic Country, he had not hesitated to kill the Tower King, a junior of his own race, to prevent the news from leaking.
He had sworn to obtain the Divine Rune, but now he had lost the trail of his prey?
No matter how powerful the predator, if it cannot find its prey, there is no stage for it to perform.
Hmph!
Fury welled up in his heart.
A strange artifact in Ron’s palm was crushed to dust by his grip.
’I must keep searching!’
Destiny swirled as he traced origins within the River of Destiny. The river stirred, and an old friend, silent for thousands of years, sent a distant message.
[It is said there are changes in the Tomb Star Realm.]
The message was fragmented,
and it slowly dissipated before Ron’s eyes.
...