Chapter 579 - 533: Huang Ji’s Legacy Treasure
After using a few of his alternate identities to subtly guide the conversation in the [Lost Kingdom] community, Shi Ming finally had a rare moment of leisure. He began to explore the two treasures left behind after Huang Ji’s fall.
One was a piece of a candle.
The other, a seed.
When Shi Ming had first obtained them, the piece of candle was still lit. Now, it had been extinguished. Its material had a waxy feel, but it clearly wasn’t ordinary star-wax. Instead, it seemed to be a hard mineral formed from biological grease fused with hundreds of unidentifiable objects, all tangled and solidified together.
Brain of Order, activate!
[Everlit Candle]
[Level: 40]
[The Withered Queen used the umbilical cords of her 100 children and the grease secreted during their gestation, combined with the ley lines of a planet, to create this ten-centimeter-long candle. It possesses a portion of the authority of "Life." It resisted the corrosion of the Tomb Star Realm’s annihilation for 120,000 years, achieving a delicate balance between life and stillness deep within its wick.]
[Upgraded to maximum level. Cannot be upgraded further.]
[Can be downgraded.]
[Can be infinitely upgraded. Infinite Upgrade Requirement: Umbilical cord blood from 100 different types of the Withered Queen’s offspring.]
’Level 40?’
’A treasure that’s level 40 right off the bat? You don’t see that every day!’
This Everlit Candle was truly remarkable. The mere fact that it could survive the onslaught of the Sword in the Stone unscathed was enough to prove how extraordinary it was. An initial level of 40 meant it was far superior to ordinary ultimate treasures, placing it in the same tier as items like the [Knowledge Trap].
’Time for a deeper scan. Let’s see how to use this thing!’
"Eye of Destiny, acquire intel!"
[BEEP.]
[Gathering information... Information generated.]
[Everlit Candle]
[A mutated secret treasure. Under the influence of the authority of "Life" and the corrosion of "Stillness," the wick has absorbed remnants of a fallen Cosmic Country’s will, giving birth to new abilities and greatly enhancing this secret treasure. If blood is used as a catalyst to make the wick burn completely, it can unleash two abilities with power rivaling that of a numbered Nirvana skill!]
[Aberrant Birth of Blood]
[From within the bloody light, a divine abomination that should not exist is born. The abomination possesses a station just below that of a Divine Being and can perfectly fuse and utilize the powers of both Life and Stillness. After 30 seconds, it will voluntarily unleash the Stillness of Blood.]
[Stillness of Blood]
[Within the bloody light, the divine abomination offers itself as a sacrifice. The abomination’s sacrifice will create a cycle of rebirth and annihilation, trapping all creatures within a certain area in a loop of death and new life, from which they cannot escape unless the balance is broken from the outside.]
[...]
[After the Stillness of Blood ends, the Everlit Candle will turn to ash. This is a one-time-use treasure; even with infinite upgrades, it cannot be used sustainably.]
’A divine abomination?’
Shi Ming recalled how, before slaying Huang Ji, he had used Destiny Calibration to view countless tributaries of fate. Among them was [Tributary 4: Blood-Stained Red Candle], which had a mere 0.03% chance of occurring. It represented a tributary where an unexpected snag could lead to utter disaster.
[Tributary 4: Blood-Stained Red Candle]
[Probability: 0.03%]
In the description of this fate-line, on the brink of peril, Huang Ji had used a powerful secret treasure, triggering an unexpected mutation—
The red candlelight flowed like blood. Huang Ji’s abdomen swelled, and within the candlelight, she gave birth to a bizarre infant. For seven days and seven nights, death and new life were entangled, until the nascent will of the Cosmic Country managed to purify it with great difficulty.
Naturally, Shi Ming couldn’t let such a tributary come to pass.
But this tributary, which never became reality, also served as an indirect testament to the power of this mutated treasure.
’It would be a decent tool to use against that Creator Uncle, the one who wields the power of [Stillness].’
’However, this divine abomination seems to be born from the user’s abdomen. After the Stillness of Blood ends, it even drags its host into annihilation. Truly twisted.’
’Instead of keeping it as a trump card, the best way to use this is to give it to someone else and let them fall into its trap.’
Huang Ji left behind two treasures. The other was named [Desolation Seed].
It was also quite extraordinary. It hadn’t belonged to Huang Ji herself, but was a relic left behind after her Divine Country, the [Procreation Uterus], was shattered. It was, in fact, a real seed that could sprout and grow. If planted in energy-rich soil and fertilized with the corpse of a Nirvana Powerhouse, the [Desolation Seed] would take root and sprout again. The fruit it bore would contain a small, independent world, comparable in size to a Cave of the Stars.
Each fruit was equivalent to a priceless spatial treasure, capable of holding at least a continent or a normal-sized planet.
Shi Ming put away the two treasures.
He began to ponder other matters.
’According to my recent conversations with the nascent will of the Cosmic Country, the fall of the Divine Being has been confirmed to be directly related to the council members of the [Pillar Stones of Truth]. No wonder the Divine Being, even when split into four divine bodies, included mandatory quests like [Slay the False God] and [Kill the Usurper] in the fusion mission. The hatred must run incredibly deep.’
The awakening quest for the Eye of the Divine included [Slay the False God], and the awakening quest for the Heart of Chaos had a similar condition, [Kill the Usurper].
The strange thing was, Amonef, who currently knew the whereabouts of the Heart of Chaos, was also a member of the [Pillar Stones of Truth]... What role did she play in the fall of the Divine Being 120,000 years ago?
’I can hide Huang Ji’s death from those false gods for a few days, but not forever. Whether for my own self-preservation or to prevent them from corrupting the nascent will of the Cosmic Country, I need to divide and conquer them before they unite and reach the Primordial Star. And according to the information from A’li, the woman in the Star Skirt, Bertutan, Herakrode, and Amonef are currently gathered together. They are expected to reach the Primordial Star in seven to eight days.’
’Amonef is someone I can maintain a suitable level of cooperation with;’
’Herakrode, who possesses the power of [Stillness], is Amonef’s target,’
’As for the old man named Bertutan... putting aside the warning from the Divine Being’s will within the Creation Star Core, we are already sworn enemies simply because of what happened in the Endless Ocean.’
’Then there’s the lone Time Giant, Candela.’
In any conflict, you must understand who your potential allies are and who your implacable enemies are.
With friends, one can be tolerant and accommodating.
Against enemies, one must be decisive and ruthless.
’Oh, right. There’s another old acquaintance.’
’Ron.’
The last time he’d used the will of the Cosmic Country to banish Ron from what was then the Tomb Star Realm, Shi Ming had left a seed of the Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary on him. While this seed wouldn’t allow Shi Ming to immediately possess the Sovereign and add a Six-armed Giant "form" to his collection, it could influence Ron’s destiny, allowing Shi Ming to achieve a decisive objective at a critical moment for a minimal price.
Now, the time was right.