Chapter 550 - 506: "I Will Give You Chastisement—
"A Numbered Skill, Corrode?!!"
His body pale from overexertion, Bertutan relied on his wisdom and insight to accurately analyze the essence of the skill.
Had he actually obtained the Numbered Skill that just appeared not long ago, ranked 39th?
The elder felt a threat he had never experienced before.
Not since the fall of the gods had he felt this way.
’No!’
’I must kill him completely. Otherwise, with his [Heir of the Gods] title, his Numbered Nirvana Skill, and his current level of resonance with the will of this newborn Cosmic Country, our status as the most ancient of the [New Gods] will be in jeopardy once he’s fully grown!’
’This child cannot be allowed to live.’
Authority!
Light of Enlightenment!
Due to his immense exhaustion, Bertutan’s casting speed couldn’t match the young man’s, and his thoughts were ultimately half a beat too slow.
Before the divine authority [Light of Enlightenment] could take effect, the borer from Shi Ming’s Nirvana Skill, [Corrode], had already found a loophole with a nimble flick of its tail. It burrowed into the lifeless constructs. Simultaneously, he activated [Destiny Fixation], a skill from his Eye of Destiny. From among hundreds of tributaries of the River of Destiny, all of varying sizes, Shi Ming instantly found one and locked it in place.
Destiny Fixation!
[Tributary 192: The Old Wood Rots]
[Even the sturdiest Pillar Stone, even one gilded with divine authority that proclaims itself a New God, will one day face decay! The borer precisely located the weaknesses in the seven lifeless constructs. With less than two bites, it completely crushed these decrepit bodies, and the Abyss of the End returned to silence.]
[Probability: 1.21%]
In terms of status, a skill from the Eye of Destiny could rival the authority of a pseudo-god.
The River of Destiny was now set on a fixed course. The borer that had burrowed into the seven bodies opened its maw and took a vicious first bite.
A Li, the woman in the Star Skirt, contorted in agony, her form almost twisting apart.
’This kid really doesn’t hold back!’
She felt every part of this body beginning to decay. The piercing pain transmitted from her will all the way to her true body hidden on New God Star. She silently cursed him for his lack of gratitude. Then, she turned to look at the other six. Their forms were on the verge of dissipating, especially Ron, the weakest among them. The lifeless construct he possessed flickered unstably, about to collapse at any moment.
Hmph.
’So he does know to go easy on some of us.’
Just as the borer was about to take a second bite and double the damage again, Candela, the Time Giant, who was in the best condition, finally made his move.
Like Bertutan’s [Light of Enlightenment], Candela also possessed a divine authority, one named [Sand of Destiny].
Shi Ming felt the tributary of destiny freeze as if a pause button had been hit. Then it transformed into fine sand. It no longer flowed but began to fall heavily, like a sand-fall cut off mid-cascade or a sand painting dropping vertically, descending abruptly with an unstoppable force.
This was one way to use the Sand of Destiny.
It could transform a fixed tributary in the River of Destiny into fine, flowing sand. This sand would no longer follow its original path but would plummet straight down, bringing with it an unbearable weight of destiny. For a short time, all things related to destiny would become chaotic, unpredictable, and uncontrollable. Anything could happen.
"Flipping the table, are we?"
"A pretty good skill."
Shi Ming watched with great interest as the Sand of Destiny fell from the sky. He activated the Time Rune of his [Four-Dimensional Sanctuary] and paused time for one second.
After fusing into [Zero], his eight Holy Hall Skills could also be used separately. Each of their effects had been upgraded, to the point where they wouldn’t lose out to a Nirvana Skill in terms of status.
The [Heir of the Gods] title glittered brilliantly.
’These spent forces... it’s time for them to make their exit.’
"As the Heir of the Gods, I should fulfill my duties. The Heir of the Gods has four authorities, and the fourth is the authority of judgment. The sin index on each of you has now been revealed."
"I shall grant you your punishment—"
"Banishment!"
While wearing the [Heir of the Gods] title, Shi Ming possessed the heir’s authority of judgment. He could see the sin index on a target creature. When the sin index reached a certain threshold, he could represent the gods and pass judgment, sentencing them to "Imprisonment," "Expulsion," "Banishment," "Execution," and other such outcomes.
The sin indices of the five ancient pseudo-gods among the seven were all very high.
As for Ron and A Li, they became active after the annihilation of the First Civilization Cosmic Country and were not members of it, nor were they Pillar Stones of Truth. The [Heir of the Gods] title couldn’t directly see their sins within the Cosmic Country’s borders, and thus couldn’t directly punish them.
Besides, these two were the weakest of the group, so punishing them wouldn’t have a major impact on the battle.
"Banishment" was like a divine oracle.
The minds of Amonev, Huang Ji, Candela, Uncle Tian, and Bertutan, weighed down by the aura of death, were completely unable to resist. As the command for banishment was given, the five pseudo-gods felt their bodies and wills being utterly rejected by the Cosmic Country. With no chance to fight back, the lifeless constructs they possessed were twisted and repelled. They, along with their wills, were forcibly banished from the Tomb Star Realm. In the process, the lifeless constructs finally turned to dust.
Of the group of seven, only two remained.
Ron knew that in his current state, he was no match for Shi Ming. He took a step back, shielding A Li behind him, and prepared for his consciousness to abandon the body and forcibly return.
Shi Ming smiled at him.
’Trying to escape?’
’Everyone else is a pseudo-god, and you’re just a Pillar Stone.’
’Hoping to pick up some scraps? Hoping to get the [Divine Rune]?’
’If I gave you the chance, could you even take it?’
As he was about to leave, this Pillar Stone of a country just had to run his mouth:
"Shi Ming, the judgment of fate will come for you eventually."
"Is that so?"
Using his powerful Spiritual Power, Shi Ming activated the [Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary] within his Numbered Nirvana Skill [Zero]. A tiny Kun, visible only to Shi Ming, swam out of his eye and instantly slipped into Ron’s. Then, Ron’s vessel was torn apart from the inside out, and his consciousness returned to his main body.
Heh.
’I’ve inserted a little virus.’
’If this "brilliant and ambitious" Sovereign could truly perceive destiny and choose to cut his losses by abandoning this piece of his consciousness, then the Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary, even upgraded by [Zero], would be unable to affect his true body or have any follow-up consequences.’
’But if Ron allows the consciousness tainted by the Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary to return to his true body, well, he’s in for a big surprise.’
Six of the seven had been dealt with.
Shi Ming continued to resonate with the will of the Cosmic Country as he looked at the last remaining person, the woman in the Star Skirt.
’You must have a lot of questions, don’t you?’
Even though Shi Ming had gone easy on her, the woman in the Star Skirt had to return within five seconds. Her strength was second to last in the squad, and there was no way she could last much longer under the current circumstances. If she returned too late, she would surely arouse the suspicion of the other pseudo-gods.