Chapter 529 - 491: Arrival of the False God
But as mentioned before, planets are petri dishes. Any anomalous variable will be magnified and observed.
This is not something to celebrate; on the contrary, it can lead to fatal disasters.
The story of a hero must emerge when the time is right, and it must be written by their own hand.
I will slay the gods,
You will slay the kings.
...
...
...
The fissure at the altar did not stop growing. Instead, it bulged upward, forming a thirty-meter-high hill. The top of the hill, originally a black center, now resembled an unusual volcanic crater, as if one could leap in and enter a completely different world.
This was indeed the entrance to the Tomb Star Realm.
But there was also an impassable seal.
The seal was formed from the power of five different pseudo-gods; it could not be opened without all the keys. This seal isolated 99% of the aura within and also prevented all living and non-living things from the outside world from entering.
This seemed superfluous.
Once a living being entered the Tomb Star Realm, it would die instantly. Even if one’s life force was absurdly vast and could forcibly resist the corrosion of the deathly aura, they would still fall into a state of silence, entering a hibernation that could not be voluntarily ended, endlessly cycling between life and death in their dreams, unable to interfere with reality.
Pseudo-gods were no exception.
The seal was mainly to guard against "non-living things" and "Inheritors."
As everyone knew, the gods were dead. But the First Civilization Cosmic Country had twelve positions for Inheritors, each of whom possessed a [Divine Rune]. Eleven of these Inheritors had died along with the collapse of the First Civilization Cosmic Country and the fall of the gods, and their Runes had been destroyed. The final Divine Rune, however, had never acknowledged a master and had survived.
As things stood, it was the only key to enter the Tomb Star Realm.
It could appear at any moment.
The pseudo-god guarding this place would never allow the treasure he watched over—the ruins of this Divine Country—to be claimed by someone else.
They would rather let the prize rot than see it fall into another’s hands!
The moment the Divine Rune appeared in the world, it would be fought over madly. And if it already had a master, that person would become a target for all. Death or becoming a puppet would be their only fate.
Shi Ming held the [Silent Crystal] in his left hand.
His right hand was ready to mobilize the [Divine Rune] at a moment’s notice.
The timing of their use had to be perfect, absolutely precise. Only then could he rely on the [Silent Crystal] to break the seal and enter the Tomb Star Realm, while simultaneously using the [Divine Rune] to survive and obtain the authority of an Heir of the Gods.
A glint flashed in Shi Ming’s eyes.
He was searching for the perfect moment.
Suddenly, a fissure tore open in the sky. A torrent of text from countless different civilizations spilled out from the crack. Within the hazy chaos, abstract symbols that were at once barbaric and civilized, narrow and vast, manifested. They mixed together, coalescing into a thirty-meter-tall humanoid figure.
A pseudo-god!
...
[!!!]
[Because you accepted his enlightenment, you must also pay the corresponding price. This is fair.]
[The great stone tablet of thirty-three thousand characters was the enlightenment, and meeting him ahead of schedule is the price. The Firebearer does not exist to bear fire, nor the Priest to conduct sacrifices. If this pseudo-god were to learn that the fruit he has guarded for six thousand years has ripened and been stolen during a brief, two-year lapse in attention, his fury would annihilate countless civilizations!]
[Pseudo-God Authority: Light of Enlightenment]
[...]
[Skills:]
[Numbered Nirvana Skill: Space (No. 004)]
[Nirvana Skill: Perfection]
[...]
[Ultimate Treasures: Star Track Gear, Savage Ashes, Great Gravestone, Heart of Mechanical Ascension, Crystal Dawn, Divine Blood Soil...]
[Secret Treasure: Twilight Lamp of the Prosperous Age]
[...]
[Friendly Reminder 1:]
[Every pseudo-god has usurped an authority from the true gods. The one before you wields the authority of the "Light of Enlightenment." It has many applications. The simplest is to instantly make a dull-witted creature wise, or to make a wise creature instantly foolish.]
[You must be wondering, why doesn’t the Eye of the Divine have an authority?]
[What does the Eye of the Divine’s authority, or lack thereof, have to do with me, the Eye of Destiny? You haven’t fully mastered the Eye of the Divine, so of course it has no authority for you.]
[Friendly Reminder 2:]
[If you don’t want to provoke his hysterical rage for the time being, and you don’t want to become his guinea pig, then do not provoke him... Provocation, in this case, would be using skills or derivative skills related to "Zero," the "Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower," "Soul-Burning Poem," and the "Eight Holy Halls" in his presence.]
[The peace is temporary, but every day you can stall is another day gained, isn’t it?]
[Friendly Reminder 3:]
[Heh heh, he’s already spotted you.]
A chill shot through Shi Ming.
His body went cold in an instant.
A heavy gaze pressed down from high above, carrying the weight of millions of years of history and making it extremely difficult for Shi Ming to breathe. This was the weight of the [Light of Enlightenment].
Not only that, but the surrounding space had completely solidified, leaving not a single crack or gap to exploit. One would have to use [Bore] to find a loophole and resist it. This was the Numbered Nirvana Skill, [Space].
Shi Ming extended his senses briefly and could only feel that the figure high above was incomparably sublime and perfect. Ordinary creatures would be compelled to prostrate themselves in worship just by glimpsing its projection. This was another of the pseudo-god’s skills, [Perfection].
This pseudo-god also carried seven Ultimate Treasures and one Secret Treasure, which were part of his vast reserves.
Possessing skill No. 004 also implied that he was one of the most ancient pseudo-gods.
This battle...
...required a strategic retreat.
Before the [Light of Enlightenment], which could turn one into an imbecile, descended, Shi Ming forcibly mobilized his Spiritual Power. He gripped the Silent Crystal tightly in his left hand. The crystal’s fractured edge sliced into his undefended palm. Crimson blood instantly seeped out, its energy uncontrollably pouring into the Silent Crystal.
CRACK...
The Silent Crystal shattered instantly.
It became a single-use item, dissolving into dust that passed through Shi Ming’s palm and body. Each mote of dust linked and resonated with the one percent of power seeping from the gap atop the nearby hill-like altar. Enveloping Shi Ming’s body, the dust used a method of assimilation outside the jurisdiction of [Space], carrying him right through the seal and shifting him laterally into the realm of death.
This lateral shift was unconventional, like a magic trick.
From the outside, it looked as if Shi Ming had shattered into a pile of dust under the immense pressure.
The dust scattered and then vanished completely.
The thirty-meter-tall old man, wreathed in the hazy light of civilization, descended directly onto the land. His eyes shone with the luster of wisdom as he meticulously analyzed the great vanishing act that had just occurred.
He looked at the seal.
The seal created by the five new gods was a one-way valve; nothing could penetrate it from the outside. Not even he himself could break through to get in.
The seal was normal.
He scanned the planet again with his Spiritual Power, but there were no traces on it either.
’An illusion that dissipated?’
’Was it the Numbered Nirvana Skill, [Shadow]?’
’Or was it [Illusion]?’
’Heh heh, to pull a fast one right under my nose... These foolish Pillar Stones are as fearless as newborn livestock!’
The Light of Enlightenment covered the entire planet.
When a life form survives for too long, existence becomes vapid. Without ambition, time is a poison, and one must constantly find things to do.
The old man had nothing but time.
He could afford to unravel this mystery thread by thread.
Time itself was uninteresting; only civilization and research could pique his interest in the slightest. The minor setback he had encountered in his previous experiment had caused only a flicker of emotion and was already forgotten.
What had just happened, however, had genuinely aroused his profound interest.
...
...
...
Cold. Silent.
All the planets were extinguished. Some were covered in layers of frost, others piled high with ash.
Shi Ming’s figure materialized here. The [Divine Rune] activated and acknowledged him as its master at the perfect moment. The twelfth—and only surviving—Inheritor of the First Civilization Cosmic Country had finally arrived in his Divine Country.
The Divine Rune transformed into a beam of light.
The light coursed through Shi Ming’s body before stopping in front of his eyes. It was as if they were staring at each other. After a brief pause, it brushed past his hair and hovered above his forehead, solidifying into a glowing title.
[Heir of the Gods]
This was a specialty of the First Civilization Cosmic Country.
A Living Title.