Chapter 460 - 444: Star Grotto: Realm of Slaughter
In the True King Hall, the "Sovereign" of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country recalled his "Imperial Decrees."
Within this Cosmic Country, he was akin to a god in a sense. His will was absolute. No one dared to defy it, nor could they.
"Hmm?"
The message returned from one Imperial Decree left him quite displeased.
"Hmph!"
The Angler claimed to be in the Cave of the Stars and thus unable to assist in the search. He said he would lend the Sovereign a hand upon his return, a thousand years from now.
"A thousand years?"
The jade tablet in the Sovereign’s hand shattered into dust.
This Sovereign understood the Angler’s methods all too well.
The Angler was officially ranked third in the entire Cosmic Country, beneath even the Star Queen. His overall strength was no match for the Sovereign’s, but his experience and methods were beyond question. Traveling to the Cave of the Stars was difficult, but if he truly wanted to come back, he only needed to abandon his current body. He could have his "dominant spirit" return to his "second avatar," which was in seclusion elsewhere. After swapping their primary and secondary roles, he could cultivate a new "second avatar" at a small cost. That was all it would take to "return."
Was it difficult?
Not at all.
Using this as an excuse wasn’t a matter of inability, but of unwillingness.
Clearly, the man had prioritized his own affairs over those of his Sovereign.
He couldn’t even be bothered to come up with a decent lie.
...
...
...
Since the dawn of their existence, the depths of the Cave of the Stars had rarely been visited. The vast majority of its regions were undeveloped, primordial Star Domains that had never welcomed a single guest from afar.
CRACK!
Space tore open, revealing a rift from the Dark Cosmos.
Immediately after, Shi Ming shot out from the rift with Dayun.
Haaa...
’Three seconds!’
The deeper he went into the Cave of the Stars, the more difficult it became to traverse. This time, the journey lasted a mere three seconds before Shi Ming’s body began to give out. Covered in cracks, he returned from the Dark Cosmos to the normal Star Sea.
Fortunately, after nearly two hundred traversals, he had reached the deepest region.
After confirming his coordinates, Shi Ming halted his traversal plan and began the second phase of his mission: searching for Star Caves.
"Ah Jian, take the Drifter Ship and begin scanning the area. Keep an eye out for any strange celestial bodies. Try not to miss a single potential Star Cave. Three-Eyes, you assist her."
"Yes, Master."
With the tasks assigned, Shi Ming began to heal the wounds his body had sustained from traversing the Dark Cosmos. Once his injuries were fully healed and he was back in peak condition, he planned to join Ah Jian. Using the power of the Eye of Destiny, they would conduct a thorough grid search for the Star Caves in these depths.
’The treasures here...’
’Your master has arrived.’
...
...
...
Star Caves, as a special type of celestial body, weren’t massive like planets or stars. The smallest were only a few meters long, and many were hidden within nebulae, making them inconspicuous.
If searching by sight alone from too great a distance, even a Nirvana-rank expert could easily overlook them.
Only by supplementing one’s senses with Spiritual Power could one conduct a more meticulous search.
In less than half a day, Ah Jian made a discovery.
"Master, there’s an anomalous celestial body at coordinates 2112, 3291, 2123. It appears to be a Star Cave."
Sitting on the deck of Dayun, Shi Ming opened his eyes.
His Spiritual Power coalesced into a thread and probed the coordinates Ah Jian had reported. Sure enough, a thirty-meter-diameter Star Cave was hidden in the core of a meteorite cluster, emitting a profound luster.
"Well done!"
"It’s definitely a Star Cave."
"Star Trait: Stellar Annihilation!"
To save time, Shi Ming activated Dayun’s "Stellar Annihilation" Star Trait, charging toward the target coordinates at 24% of the speed of light. This was the highest speed Dayun could achieve in a normal Star Domain and would save a significant amount of time.
"Eye of Destiny, gather intel!"
[BEEP BEEP.]
[...]
[Star Cave - Chamber of Slaughter]
[Hundreds of millions of "Twisted Aliens" have been exiled to this stellar prison. Here, they chase the crimson crown that symbolizes the "King of Slaughter." Only the strongest among them can claim this honor, but even the strongest cannot withstand being hunted by a world of enemies... The King of Slaughter is ever-changing, never remaining the same for a single day.]
[Soaked in the blood of countless aliens, the Crown of Slaughter has long since become a "cursed object."]
[1. The more aliens you kill, the more likely you are to attract the crown’s attention.]
[2. Wear the Crown of Slaughter for one full day to claim its fated opportunity!]
[Danger Level: Three Stars]
’Chamber of Slaughter?’
Shi Ming’s eyebrows rose.
Compared to the previous "Colorless Realm," which had required puzzles and luck, he much preferred this kind of Star Cave. There was no need for convoluted schemes or battles of wit—all he had to do was kill.
’Simple method, ultimate satisfaction.’
’So that Crown of Slaughter is the fated opportunity here. And these so-called primordial aliens... they were all exiled to this place, and they all want to seize the crown that symbolizes sovereignty. But even if one of them gets it, they’re immediately swarmed and killed by their own kind... In all these years, not a single alien has managed to wear it for more than a day.’
’Is the competition that cutthroat?’
’Exiled...’
’A prison...’
’So this Star Cave is also a prison?’
Shi Ming noted those two keywords.
Previously, in the Colorless Realm, the Rainbow Centaur Race had been stripped of their intelligence and exiled to a prison. These "Twisted Aliens" had met the same fate.
’Could the Cave of the Stars actually be an exile ground for the entire Star Sea?’
As he pondered this, Dayun arrived at the destination. Its momentum dissipated, and it came to a smooth stop. The Star Cave was hidden within the Meteor Belt, its center viscous and profound. Aside from its size, it looked fundamentally similar to the "Colorless Realm."
"Ah Jian, Three-Eyes, you two guard the Drifter Ship."
"Cai Zong, you’re coming with me."
Cai Zong was a Nirvana-rank vicious beast. It lacked intelligence but could still unleash considerable combat power. Most importantly, it was extremely fast. With its help in the Chamber of Slaughter, Shi Ming could complete his mission and obtain the "Crown of Slaughter" much more quickly.
HISSS—
Cai Zong reared up on its hind legs. Shi Ming leaped onto its colorful, solid back. Man and beast then vaulted from the deck of Dayun, shooting toward the Star Cave in the center of the Meteor Belt.
The viscous, semi-liquid substance enveloped them once again.
In the blink of an eye, Shi Ming found himself in a grim, murderous space.
...
An endless expanse of reed-like plants stretched out before him.
But they were all spattered with blood-red patterns.
Everything was saturated with a mottled, bloody hue. The air was thick with the coppery, salty smell of blood. At the edge of the mottled horizon hung a magnificent celestial body that took up a third of the sky. Its color was much like a Blood Moon seen from Earth, but it was so colossal it seemed to be bearing down on the land, mere seconds from impact.
Even Shi Ming felt a sense of oppression from the sheer scale of the object.
All around was quiet, but that didn’t mean there was no danger.
SWOOSH—
Several blood-red shadows shot out from the reeds, lunging at Shi Ming. Before Cai Zong could even react, a longsword radiating a chilling aura appeared in Shi Ming’s grasp. On the ground beneath his feet, Other Shore Flowers bloomed, mingling with the reeds and seeming to answer the massive Blood Moon in the sky with their glow!
SHLICK!
With a single slash, the four blood-red shadows were split into eight pieces.