Chapter 577 - 531: Candela and Ron
Since Amonev’s [Concealment] was hiding things nearby, the two new gods, Bertutan and Herakrode, paid little heed even when they sensed some unusual omens.
In the Star Sea, civilizations were as numerous as the stars in the sky.
The fall of one was nothing out of the ordinary.
But the Time Giant Candela, who was exploring alone, received a revelation from destiny in his Divine Country, the [Gold and Silver Island].
All 1,003 of Huang Ji’s offspring were annihilated.
Her Divine Country, the [Womb of Propagation], had vanished.
Such a revelation was largely identical to the process of a god’s fall. Without a doubt, this meant the new god Huang Ji was dead. Yet, Candela could not glimpse the cause of her death from either the River of Time or the River of Destiny.
The Time Giant frowned.
The mystic gold and silver patterns on his body grew even more brilliant as he pushed his power to its limits. His legs dissolved into fine streams of gold and silver sand that flowed slowly across the island. But even so, his eyes still could not perceive any further intelligence.
A moment later, he gave up the attempt and left his Divine Country.
The inability to obtain intelligence was itself a piece of intelligence.
In terms of power, Huang Ji was a notch below him.
This wasn’t because Huang Ji’s numbered Nirvana skill, [Life], was inferior to his [Time], nor was her divine authority, the [Gift of Proliferation], weaker than his [Sand of Destiny]. It was simply because Candela was the one and only Time Giant in the Star Sea, born on a higher plane from the very beginning. It was a disparity on a genetic level, a favor granted to him by destiny itself.
But even so, the ability to kill Huang Ji meant the enemy possessed the means to make a veteran new god fall.
’Was it Shi Ming?’
’The nascent will of the Cosmic Country?’
’Or some other hidden danger within the First Civilization Cosmic Country?’
First, the will of the Cosmic Country could be ruled out. The ancient will from before the fall of the gods, however powerful, had been unable to kill a single Councilor. What could the nascent will of today possibly do? Banishment was probably its absolute limit.
’As for Shi Ming?’
The last time they had a fleeting encounter, through one of Uncle Tian’s inanimate constructs, Candela had already gauged the range of his power. At best, he was a King-Level Nirvana. Even with the authority of the [Heir of the Gods] and some ultimate treasures, he could at most match a Pillar Stone. To kill Huang Ji, who had 1,003 offspring, was simply too difficult—so difficult it would violate the fundamental laws of the universe!
’The most likely possibility was some other hidden danger in the First Civilization Cosmic Country.’
’But that conclusion was too broad.’
Although Candela had the appearance of a man in his prime, he had lived for an immensely long time. He naturally understood the principle that a wise man does not stand beneath a collapsing wall, especially not before discovering why Huang Ji had fallen.
’I must be extremely cautious.’
As for the previous revelation from destiny—
[Abandon the body of the Time Giant]
[Seize the lost Eye of the Divine]
He would set these plans aside for now.
This didn’t mean he was abandoning the goal.
The allure of the [Eye of the Divine] was simply too strong. Candela was willing to pay any price, even abandoning the Time Giant body that had been with him for over a hundred thousand years.
But great deeds required great caution.
He considered his options for a moment, then came up with a plan to mitigate the risk.
The Sand of Destiny swirled in his palm, and a multitude of silver threads seeped out from it, spreading into the starry sky like branching leaves. This was a method of communication through destiny, capable of establishing a connection with other powerful beings who shared his affinity, using the power of destiny to transmit messages or images. It was called the [Voice of Entanglement] and, like Candela’s teleportation skill [Time Leap], it was one of the Time Giant’s innate abilities.
The target of the [Voice of Entanglement] was Ron, who was also in the First Civilization Cosmic Country.
"Little Ron."
"Rendezvous with me immediately at Glacier Star in the First Civilization Cosmic Country."
"I have sensed the aura of divine blood here. As a prodigy of the destiny lineage, this may be the key for you to ascend from a Pillar Stone to a new god."
...
...
...
Ron, the Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country, had been feeling mentally fatigued lately.
He had to lead his subordinate Nirvana Powerhouses in exploring the First Civilization Cosmic Country, and on top of that, he would occasionally fall into a daze and hear a strange sound echoing through this stretch of sky. The sound was like that of a Kun beast; it seemed to originate from the depths of the universe, yet also from within his own Sea of Spirit.
It didn’t cause much harm.
Yet it seemed to be faintly but steadily eroding his destiny.
’Is it one of Shi Ming’s skills?’
’A Pillar Stone, troubled by the skill of a Sealed King... If word got out, his dignity as a Sovereign would be completely gone.’
’Ah, well.’
’Next time I see Mr. Candela, I’ll ask him for some help.’
’He and this senior were both prodigies of the destiny path. Their collaborative relationship went back tens of thousands of years; Candela had even once gifted him an ultimate treasure, the [Ten Thousand Flowers Jade]. If Mr. Candela took action, any disharmony in my destiny would surely be eliminated.’
HUMMM.
Ron sensed a new message arrive via the entangled threads of destiny.
’What a coincidence.’
’It’s from Mr. Candela.’
[Rendezvous at Glacier Star in the First Civilization Cosmic Country.]
[I have sensed the aura of divine blood here. This may be the key for you to ascend from a Pillar Stone to a new god.]
’Oh?’
Ron’s spirit surged.
For a Pillar Stone to ascend to the level of a new god, they needed to devour the remains of a god that still possessed divinity, seizing the authority within. These divine remains could be a segment of spinal cord or well-preserved blood.
’120,000 years after the fall of the gods, such remains were becoming increasingly rare. The most recent was that segment of spinal cord the Fisherman discovered deep within the Cave of the Stars. It was just a pity my foolish uncle couldn’t hold onto his good fortune, and ended up handing it over to Shi Ming for nothing.’
’And now there’s a new discovery on Glacier Star?’
’That’s to be expected.’
’The Tomb Star Realm has been sealed for a long time. The probability of undiscovered divine remains existing here is far greater than in other Cosmic Countries.’
’But... what’s the catch?’
’My relationship with Candela is certainly good, but there’s no way I’d get such a huge opportunity for free. Mr. Candela must need my help with something, and this divine blood, the key to my ascension from a Pillar Stone to a new god, is the supposed reward.’
As a sovereign, he was perfectly clear on this point.
’An exchange of favors. It was perfectly normal.’
"Clan Uncle, Star Queen,"
"We are approaching the central region of the First Civilization Cosmic Country. You two will lead the other Nirvana Powerhouses and explore on your own. Remember to be extremely cautious. Your top priority is to acquire Civilization Stone and redeem resources from the Treasure Vault. Do not be rash or aggressive if you aren’t confident of success, and avoid creating conflict with other factions."
The Fisherman and the Star Queen naturally understood the reason for this command.
’The Sovereign is going to explore on his own.’
"Yes, Sovereign."
Ron entered the Teleportation Vortex alone and headed towards Glacier Star.
The First Civilization Cosmic Country had countless planets, but Ron had long since had his subordinates use his Civilization Stones to redeem a map from the Divine Treasure Vault. With this map in his possession, he naturally knew the most efficient way to get to Glacier Star.
’Hopefully, I’ll finally get what I’ve been wishing for.’
’I’ll ascend to become a new god, and then I’ll fulfill the destiny set by [Fate] and become the one and only [Heir of the Gods]!’