With the riffraff dealt with, Shi Ming looked up, his gaze meeting Ron’s.
Destiny had arrived. The Sovereign’s eyes appeared first, followed by his solidifying form. His six arms each held a treasure, and six more floated within the halo of light behind him. He had truly arrived, radiating the brilliant might of his full power.
A Pillar Stone-grade powerhouse, he brought with him a pressure sufficient to shatter an asteroid.
But that brilliant body did not attack immediately. Instead, he lowered his head to look at Shi Ming, and a low, authoritative voice emanated from his throat:
"Interesting."
"This is the first time I have seen such an interesting life form."
"Is it because you think you possess some unknown means of traversal, allowing you to leave at any time, that you act so brazenly before a Sovereign?"
"Before Destiny, the same methods are doomed to fail."
Ron had two major Nirvana Skills.
One was Destiny,
The other was Hollow Shell, which contained ’Heart Control’.
He had used both skills on Shi Ming during their last battle. However, ’Heart Control’ had failed, and Destiny had anchored a hypothetical fate that had yet to come to pass. Ron suspected the skill hadn’t failed, but that the time was simply not yet right.
Perhaps today,
was the time for Destiny to arrive.
The Sovereign’s profound power had already locked down the surrounding battlefield. A violent Destiny Power covered and disrupted all spatial fluctuations, throwing the Dark Cosmos into chaos.
Compared to an ordinary spatial blockade, this method of disrupting the Dark Cosmos was far more thorough. It directly destroyed the very foundation of traversal. No matter how bizarre one’s methods were, as long as traversal relied on the Dark Cosmos, there was no escape from this place!
’He refused to believe an escape was still possible with space in such turmoil.’
In his eyes,
this young man in his twenties was already a fish on the chopping block in the River of Destiny.
Shi Ming showed no fear, his voice resonating powerfully.
"A Pillar Stone of a nation, repeatedly descending to target a mere adventurer like myself. To what do I owe the honor?"
One of the ultimate treasures behind Ron had already erected a seal around the battlefield’s perimeter, preventing his prey from escaping via some other high-speed method. It was safe to say that in order to capture Shi Ming, he had made every possible preparation this time.
"Destiny is fickle, yet extremely merciful."
His voice was low and impassive, echoing throughout the Star Sea.
The Assassination Star guards, frozen by Shi Ming but still alive, suddenly exploded into a mist of blood. Even the net of shadows they had brought with them disintegrated into dust.
"Even for the weakest of fish, Destiny leaves a chance at survival. As Destiny’s agent, so shall I."
"Hand over what does not belong to you."
"Today, you may become the fish that escapes Destiny’s net."
Shi Ming couldn’t help but laugh at the Sovereign’s shamelessness. The last time they met, Ron had claimed Shi Ming stole his clan uncle’s great opportunity. This time, he spoke of leaving the weak a chance to live, yet his actions didn’t even spare his own subordinates. He had annihilated those frozen guards merely to protect a secret.
’So ruthless and decisive!’
"What a joke!"
"My Dark Star Race has never feared tyranny! Since wandering from our homeland, I have never seen such a shameless creature! Today, I will face you, a so-called Pillar Stone, in a proper battle!"
Power surged within Shi Ming’s body.
Four more arms sprouted above and below his original two.
His three-headed body stood opposite Ron.
Having obtained the new power, Zero, he had never once used it in a real battle!
’Today’s the day to test it out!’
He extended his right hand. In his palm, eight types of power swirled and merged, forming a lotus flower. The lotus petals peeled away layer by layer, spreading throughout every inch of space his eyes could perceive.
From eight to one,
From one to zero!
This was the Nirvana Skill designated as Number 1!
Zero!
Lock onto a target and select one of its powers—be it affiliated with life, death, spacetime, destruction, corruption, purification, eternity, or destiny—and reduce it to a state of zero for 1024 seconds!
Shi Ming chose: Life.
’I’d like to see what kind of trouble a Pillar Stone of a nation can stir up when his Life Power is completely reduced to zero for the next 1024 seconds. Can he still act as the backbone of a Cosmic Country then?’
Seeing this fledgling still putting up a futile resistance, Ron was about to deliver his judgment.
The last petal of the lotus in Shi Ming’s palm fell away, signifying the completion from eight to zero. Suddenly, the Pillar Stone of the nation felt his body lose all its power and vitality, as if he were a corpse. The Life Power within the Pillar Stone-grade Nirvana Powerhouse had been completely wiped out, and he seemed to be on the verge of perishing.
???
’What kind of skill is this?’
’It’s so uncanny!’
Ron’s Life Power had been reduced to zero, but his Spiritual Power remained. At his level, Spiritual Power could exist independently of the body for a short time. Even so, the vast majority of skills that required a physical body were now completely unusable. If his body remained devoid of life force for too long, his Spiritual Power would inevitably dissipate, and he would face true death.
A beam of light surged forth.
Skill! Healing Sanctuary!
A Nirvana Powerhouse could only possess two Nirvana Skills, but there were fewer restrictions on Holy Hall Skills. Having lived for tens of thousands of years, Ron had no shortage of powerful Holy Hall Skills besides Destiny and Hollow Shell. The Healing Sanctuary was an extremely effective healing-type skill. Even if he were gravely injured and on the brink of death, the formidable Life Power stored within it could restore him to his peak state, granting him a second chance.
But now,
the Healing Sanctuary had failed.
The formidable healing ability was like a rootless water plant, unable to find a target. The dense Life Power was like sand slipping through his fingers; with nothing to latch onto, it simply drained away uselessly...
In all his time roaming the Star Sea, Ron had never encountered such a bizarre skill.
’Could it be one of the legendary numbered skills?’
A flicker of greed appeared in his eyes.
’This fledgling who calls himself a member of the Dark Star Race and appeared out of nowhere... he’s full of secrets. If I kill him and seize his bizarre origin power, it would be an incredible gain! I could either feed it to Hollow Shell or even discard Hollow Shell entirely and replace it with this skill!’
’He’s a treasure from head to toe!’
His Spiritual Power abandoned the body, now completely devoid of Life Power. The twelve destiny treasures behind him linked into a line, then intertwined to form the shape of the Wheel of Destiny, which began to emit a dazzling light.
This set of destiny treasures, when combined with his Destiny, could unleash an ultimate move on the level of a true trump card.
It was one of his strongest hidden cards.
It was called End of the Long River.
It signified that the River of Destiny had reached its end, where all fates would face judgment and receive their final verdict.
He only used it when facing an equally matched opponent.
’Is he about to use his ultimate move?’
As the wheel of light struck, the crimson patterns on Shi Ming’s free right arm flared to life once more.
Arm of Conquest!
Give them a taste of their own medicine! The Arm of Conquest could absorb an opponent’s skill and reflect it back with ten times the power!
Before Ron’s incredulous eyes, the torrent of destiny reversed its course. The terrifying pressure was so immense that even his Spiritual Power felt suffocated. But what was even more horrifying was that an invisible parasite had taken advantage of the chaos, embedding itself within the rebellious End of the Long River as it surged toward his spiritual body!
Zero! The parasite! A tenfold End of the Long River!
Even as a Sovereign, was he finally sensing the danger of his own demise?
Before he could find a counter-strategy, caught within the torrent, he felt Shi Ming’s gaze on him. The look in those eyes was all too familiar: a mix of seven parts disdain and three parts disappointment. Together, they formed an expression that could only be called ’unimpressed’.
That guy’s expression seemed to say:
’A Pillar Stone?’
’Is that all there is to you!’
Ron felt as if he had suffered a mental insult more grievous than any harm to his body or soul. One of his twelve treasures activated at the perfect moment, bringing a sliver of calm to his frantic thoughts. But Shi Ming’s expression was seared into his psyche like a brand of shame, impossible to erase.
’Vile creature! How dare you!’
He was about to forcibly play his greatest trump card—
SPLASH!
It was the sound of a fish breaking the water’s surface.
Shi Ming, who was controlling the parasite, suddenly felt as though the space had been shrouded in a hazy curtain of mist. A fisherman from beyond the battlefield had now taken the stage. With a gentle cast, his line wrapped around Ron’s body. A light flick of the long rod, and the target was about to vanish.
’Fisherman’s Concealment?’
’Trying to escape?’
Shi Ming moved like a bolt of lightning, instantly closing in on Ron’s lifeless body. His six arms shot out to grab the two most powerful ultimate treasures, intent on seizing them!
’Taking on two opponents at once and destroying the soul of a Pillar Stone with such deep reserves in 1024 seconds might not be possible.’
’But leaving one or two ultimate treasures behind as interest...’
’That shouldn’t be a problem!’