Chapter 422 - 414: The Eye of the Divine’s 3 New Missions
In a Star Domain, somewhere in the infinite distance.
A vast number of twisted, grotesque, humanoid creatures had gathered here. Each had seven eyes on its forehead, but their limbs varied greatly. Some possessed four arms and three legs, some the reverse, and some had even more...
There were nearly a million of them, packed together in a dense mass.
Despite the density, they followed their own logic and order. The creatures were arranged in seven concentric circles, resembling the rings of an archery target when viewed from above.
At the center of the concentric circles was a massive cauldron.
The creatures were prostrated, worshipping the cauldron-like "holy relic" at the center of the rings.
Just three days prior, the clan’s sage had received a prophecy, a revelation that a "super treasure capable of shaking the cosmos" would soon be "born" from the holy cauldron. If they could seize its power, crushing their sworn enemies, the Blazing Race, and unifying the Unmoored Star System would be child’s play.
"Bow!"
At the sage’s command.
The core Clan Elders of the Seven-Eyed Race at the center were the first to prostrate themselves. Like spreading ripples, the members of the Seven-Eyed Race in the outer circles bowed in succession.
"Rise."
"Bow again."
"Rise again."
This was repeated seven times.
This was a mystical ritual of the Seven-Eyed Race. By arranging themselves in seven rings and performing seven bows and seven rises, they sought to align with the cosmic rhythm of the number seven and beseech the gods for a boon.
Finally, a four-hundred-meter-long rift in spacetime appeared within the cauldron at the center of the rings.
A gleam instantly flashed in the eyes of the Clan Elders of the Seven-Eyed Race.
"By the gods’ grace, the Seven-Eyed Race is eternal!"
"By the gods’ grace, the Seven-Eyed Race is eternal!!"
"By the gods’ grace, the Seven-Eyed Race is eternal!!!"
The ragged, overlapping chants echoed throughout this unknown Star Domain.
...
...
...
「A short time earlier.」
Shi Ming glanced back at the azure planet, then activated the Miniature Wormhole.
The Miniature Wormhole, resembling a collapsing nebula, had one of its apertures expand at incredible speed, engulfing the entire Unmoored Boat in an instant. The three-hundred- to four-hundred-meter-long vessel plunged into the opening like an insect into its burrow and vanished from sight.
Wormhole transit!
At the same instant, Shi Ming’s vision plunged into darkness. Despite the intensity of his Spiritual Power, he was momentarily stunned.
’It was his first time, after all. A little awkwardness was to be expected.’
The sensation was incredible. If he had to describe it in a single phrase,
it would be:
A single glance that spanned ten thousand years.
In that one glance, he had seen countless light-years...
Activating the Miniature Wormhole took only three seconds. Overlapping phantoms filled Shi Ming’s vision, flashing by like slides in a projector. The images gradually slowed, and slowed, until they nearly ground to a halt.
WHOOSH—
The Unmoored Boat exited the Wormhole, returning to the Dark Cosmos.
A fissure split open before his eyes.
’All I have to do is pass through this fissure, and I can return to the Star Sea—back to the physical universe.’
Shi Ming looked at the Miniature Wormhole; one of its three uses was gone. As a consumable, it couldn’t be recharged. It could, however, be upgraded once for infinite use, but he had never even heard of the required material, the Heart of the Wormhole.
’There will be opportunities later.’
The fissure was drawing near.
Still in the Dark Cosmos, Shi Ming clumsily maneuvered the star-class Unmoored Boat. He heard a loud CRACK, like a giant stone pot shattering. The Unmoored Boat passed through the fissure, and his vision was suddenly flooded with light. It felt like breaking out of a cocoon as a strange, unfamiliar Endless Star Sea filled his view.
’Hmm... I seem to have arrived somewhere... strange.’
The deep, star-filled sky above looked relatively normal.
Below was a massive cauldron, now sporting a fresh crack.
All around him were nearly a million twisted creatures arranged in concentric rings, and they were all kneeling in his direction. ’Are they welcoming a guest from a distant land?’
Even Ah Jian and Three-Eyes could sense the abnormality.
’A ritual?’
The atmosphere was incredibly strange.
Even before the Unmoored Boat had fully emerged, Ah Jian had already split into over a hundred avatars. This was a new place with no available information, so it was preparing to scout the area. The Eternal Insect had lived countless lives, but it couldn’t possibly have visited every corner of the universe—still, what if it got lucky?
’But now...’
Countless twisted creatures surrounded them in layers within the broken cauldron, prostrating themselves and chanting some unintelligible slogan. Closer to the center, some of the more powerful-looking beings had an undisguised fervor in their eyes, a look mixed with greed and killing intent.
’And this massive cauldron... it looks like some kind of cooking pot.’
’Did we just teleport into someone’s cooking pot?’
"By the gods’ grace, the Seven-Eyed Race is eternal!!!"
"The gods have brought a boon!"
The sage and the Clan Elders at the center of the concentric circles stood up.
Unlike the ordinary clansmen who merely followed orders, the sage of the Seven-Eyed Race understood the cauldron’s true nature. He knew it was just the remnant of a broken Wormhole, and that the items which occasionally emerged from it were nothing more than the wreckage of starships that had met with disaster or were simply passing through.
Even that mere debris was enough to bring endless benefits to the Seven-Eyed Race.
And as the clan’s sage, he could predict the dates it would open and the likely value of the spoils.
’This time, there’s actually a living creature aboard the great ship that fell from the sky?’
’Who the hell cares about the details!’
’As long as it comes from the cauldron,’
’it’s a gift from the gods!’
’And look at all that flesh! There isn’t much on that one, but it looks exceptionally tender. And on the ship... there’s a plump, seven- or eight-meter-long bird! Hahaha, now that’s a lot more meat! Enough for the Clan Elders to have a proper feast.’