Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe

Ari, younger sister of the Secret Walker Amonev, had reached the realm of a New God three hundred years ago. Yet now, she was witnessing the most unbelievable sight a god could possibly encounter in their entire existence—

At the end of that abyss, the young man sitting cross-legged and resonating with the will of a nascent Cosmic Country—wasn’t that Shi Ming, the very person she had pulled from the Endless Ocean into the Mysterious Space with the legacy slates?

Yes,

It was him!

’That kid... shouldn’t he have finished studying the Civilization Prologue and returned to the Endless Ocean to be a captain by now? What is he doing here?’

...

Ron’s expression, compared to the other pseudo-gods, was considerably calmer.

He had sensed Shi Ming’s aura long ago on the outskirts of the Tomb Star Realm. He also knew that this fledgling from an unknown place, who possessed the one and only Divine Rune, was anything but simple. He, the Angler, and the Star Queen had once joined forces against him and suffered a great loss.

But he never would have imagined that this fledgling life form would be so audacious. Right under his and six other pseudo-gods’ noses, he had entered the deepest part of the nigh-unreachable Abyss of the End and was even resonating in sync with the brilliant ball of light that seemed to be the nascent will of a Cosmic Country?!

’In terms of realm, he isn’t even a Pillar Stone! He fled in disarray the first time we fought! How could he possibly have accomplished this? Just because of the Divine Rune!?’

...

"It’s you!"

With those two short words, Bertutan revealed the intense fluctuation of his emotions.

Bertutan had crossed paths with Shi Ming on New God Star. Back then, Shi Ming had escaped from under his pressure, and Bertutan had assumed Shi Ming had used some sort of false phantom created by an Illusion or Shadow ability. He never expected the guy to have actually pulled a "golden cicada shedding its shell" escape, infiltrating the Tomb Star Realm unnoticed.

And he did it in his physical body!

His physical body!

When Bertutan’s gaze focused on Shi Ming’s mortal title, Heir of the Gods, his question was answered. But this only brought about an even bigger question—a whole series of them.

To completely resolve all these questions, there was only one way—

Capture him alive!

"I never expected to find a living Heir of the Gods here. Excellent, truly excellent! You will be the most perfect research subject. Everyone, lend this old man a hand!"

"Alright!"

Amonev, Huang Ji, Candela, Uncle Tian, and Bertutan—the five of them attacked together. Five Nirvana skills connected to fundamental principles—Void, Stealth, Silence, Time, and Life—drew upon the essential forces of the universe. They layered and intertwined, sending a terrifying wave of power surging toward the seated Shi Ming.

"Sister!"

Ari sent a secret mental transmission.

Amonev didn’t reply, only giving Ari a look.

Seeing that look, Ari felt relieved.

’She wasn’t just pulling her punches; she was practically throwing the fight...’

’Who would have thought! This great disciple of mine, whom I haven’t even officially accepted yet, actually obtained the last Divine Rune. And he’s brazenly trying to pull some tricks right under the noses of these old-school New Gods. The student really has surpassed the master! That philosopher from his civilization was right after all: "When Heaven is about to place a great burden on a man, it first tests his will with hardship, labors his body, and starves his flesh..." and so on. It serves to strengthen what he lacks...’

’He’s already at the Nirvana rank. When exactly did he leave the legacy space? Six months ago? Or a year?’

The five numbered skills were each bizarre and difficult to defend against. With all five arriving at once, it was nearly impossible to block them all. Even the Arm of Conquest could only subdue one at a time, leaving one vulnerable to the other four.

’No other way. I’ll have to take it head-on!’

’I’ve got it!’

Shi Ming, who was at the final critical moment of resonating with the nascent will, showed his professional instincts. He hadn’t given up on his mission in the slightest. At the crucial moment, he tore open a rift in his Sea of Spirit. From within the Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower, the sealed Colorful Insect, still bound in chains, was used in its semi-sealed state as a sturdy shield. It helped him block the combined attack before being rapidly sealed away again!

HISS—

The insect cried out in pain.

The Colorful Insect was said to be immortal and indestructible. Using it as a temporary shield was the result of a sudden whim from Shi Ming, and it clearly didn’t disappoint him. However, the already extremely weak insect’s entire body was nearly drawn and quartered; only by relying on its tenacious willpower did it avoid being torn apart.

"You’re tough, Colorful Insect!"

Shi Ming praised it from the bottom of his heart.

He had also detected that his enemies were in an extremely weakened state, on the verge of collapse. That last attack had consumed what little power they had left. As long as he could withstand their final, desperate counterattack—the last shot from a spent crossbow—and let them completely dissipate under the erosion of the dead energy, there would be no other enemies left in the Abyss of the End, or even the entire Tomb Star Realm. The mission to resonate with the nascent will would then be completed without a hitch.

The energy fluctuations dissipated.

Shi Ming could clearly perceive the facial features of the seven people.

There were three familiar faces.

First was Ron, the Sovereign of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country, whom he was fated to meet again.

Second, the pseudo-god he’d briefly met in the Red Wood Tribe, who wielded the authority of Void and Enlightenment.

The third was the one Shi Ming least expected.

The mysterious woman wearing the Star Skirt.

It was she who had used the giant scorpion from the Scorpion King’s Pyramid in the Endless Ocean to pull him from Earth into a Mysterious Space to study the Civilization Prologue on the twelve stone slates. She was actually a bona fide pseudo-god? And judging by her position, her status among the seven seemed rather low, only a notch above Ron?

Back in the Mysterious Space, he had even fought a battle with this Star Skirt woman.

At that time, as an S-Class, he had relied solely on the three skills—Black Tortoise Shield, Death’s Door, and Titan’s Descent—to fight her to a standstill. He realized it was a sparring match meant to guide him, but he never imagined she was a pseudo-god from the very top of the Star Sea’s food chain!

The woman in the Star Skirt winked at Shi Ming.

Shi Ming understood,

His expression didn’t change.

While continuing to maintain his resonance with the nascent will, he unleashed his own numbered Nirvana skill: Borer.

’You’re already at your limit, full of openings. I took your combined attack. Now, you get to witness Borer, unleashed at full power and enhanced by the Arm of Judgment!’

HISS~

An undetectably high level of Spiritual Power condensed into nearly a hundred transparent, twelve-segmented borer insects. They shot out like high-speed springs, relying on the ubiquitous "loopholes" to instantly invade the shells of these lifeless constructs.

Shi Ming winked back at the woman in the Star Skirt.

’Whatever your purpose is, we can talk about it later. For now, please get off my turf.’