Chapter 556 - 512: Apocalypse Divine Artifact
The colorless curtain was the treasure known as the Reflected Sky.
If placed in the Star Sea, its value would be enough to trigger wars between entire races, causing even Sealed King-level experts to fall. But now, under the immense oppressive power of the Apocalypse Divine Artifact, it seemed like nothing more than a common curtain—an insignificant leaf serving as a backdrop.
It wasn’t that it was weak.
It was that the Apocalypse Divine Artifact was just too strong!
Any being with even slightly insufficient Spiritual Power would be completely overwhelmed by the immense pressure and knocked unconscious the moment they laid eyes on it. Any other miraculous items or ultimate treasures in the same space were reduced to mere supporting roles.
Its form was also captivating.
It was enough to fulfill the fantasy of any mecha enthusiast.
A twelve-meter-tall mechanical body. Its broad shoulder armor cast a suffocating shadow in the natural light, creating a stark contrast with its relatively slender waist. The head was a cold, sharply angled mechanical visage, and twelve pure black wing segments floated behind its back. Even while standing perfectly still, its very edges caused the surrounding void to tremble almost imperceptibly!
Shi Ming gazed at it, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
’Such a colossal treasure... I wonder if it can be infinitely upgraded to increase its power even further? If so, what kind of auxiliary materials would it need? What realm could it reach?’
Infinite Brain,
Activate!
Above the divine artifact, faint golden text appeared before Shi Ming’s eyes. This was the simple information the Infinite Brain had produced after analyzing the Apocalypse Divine Artifact.
[Apocalypse Divine Artifact]
[Level: 50+]
[A creation from a divine being. Since its inception, it has never been activated, yet it is heralded as a walking divine punishment, a living apocalypse, the embodiment of the end, and the future annihilated.]
[Upgraded to maximum level. Cannot be upgraded further.]
[Infinite Upgrade complete.]
[Cannot undergo Infinite Upgrade again.]
’Level 50+, and it’s already undergone an Infinite Upgrade?’
It seemed the previous owner of the Infinite Brain—the divine being who created it—had already performed the Infinite Upgrade on it at the time of its creation. That must be why it was hailed as a "walking divine punishment, a living apocalypse, the embodiment of the end, and the future annihilated," and why it was ranked second on the Divine Treasure Vault’s leaderboard with an original price of 10 million Civilization Stones.
This was a treasure with maxed-out attack power and formidable defensive attributes.
Merge with the Machine!
Control with a Thought!
Shi Ming floated to the heart of the Apocalypse Divine Artifact and extended his right hand. He used his Spiritual Power to probe into the core of the giant mecha and begin the bonding process. The moment it came into contact with Shi Ming’s Spiritual Power, the Apocalypse Divine Artifact seemed to gain a soul. It instantly shifted from a relaxed standby posture to a ready stance, poised for action. As the bond completed and the mecha activated, Shi Ming willed it, and his entire body passed through the thick armor, phasing completely into the divine artifact and entering the control room located at its heart.
Without even needing the Eye of the Divine, every man possesses an innate talent for piloting a mecha.
Besides, there was an ineffable joy in exploring such a complex divine artifact.
Shi Ming studied and tested all its mysteries. Once it had a pilot, the Apocalypse Divine Artifact moved with the flexibility of a true living being. Right now, Shi Ming was its heart and brain, giving the mecha a soul. Every minute detail of every joint could be perfectly synchronized with his own body. Whether it was walking or performing minute maneuvers, there wasn’t the slightest bit of obstruction.
It was like an extension of Shi Ming’s own body.
In addition to its standard attacks and defenses, its interior was also engraved with nine complex secret patterns.
Activating these secret patterns allowed the Apocalypse Divine Artifact to unleash nine terrifying secret techniques, erupting with fearsome might. Of course, this placed harsh demands on the pilot’s stamina and Spiritual Power. The higher the Spiritual Power, the more precise and rapid the activation of the patterns. The greater the stamina, the more times they could be unleashed.
The nine secret patterns were progressively advanced.
Take the first and relatively weakest secret pattern, "Final Proclamation," for example. If precisely controlled and unleashed, the Apocalypse Divine Artifact could deliver a full-power blow comparable to that of a Pillar Stone-level expert. The second secret pattern, "Hand of Condemnation," could unleash a fatal strike on par with a Pillar Stone-level expert. The third, "Divine Might Resonance," could instantly put a Pillar Stone expert to sleep or even kill them. The fourth, "Wings of the Apocalypse," could fill the space with turbulence, with the twelve wing segments acting like executioner’s guillotines to utterly annihilate everything within range!
And the grand finale, the ninth and final secret pattern, "Apocalypse’s Arrival," was the treasure’s ultimate move.
It was immensely powerful, but unfortunately, it could only be used once.
Just as its name suggested, "Apocalypse’s Arrival" was a self-destructive attack. Once unleashed, the true end would arrive. First, the twelve wings on its back would completely shatter, creating a destructive turbulence that would temporarily nullify most universal laws, including space and time, making any form of teleportation impossible. Then, the twelve-meter-tall divine artifact, along with its cockpit and pilot, would compress into a singularity embodying the concept of the end, collapsing into a true Black Hole.
After appearing, the Black Hole would continuously devour all matter and energy within a one-light-year radius from its center, bringing about a terrible and inescapable cataclysm.
But that wasn’t the end.
The Black Hole would also eventually die out.
After the Black Hole created by the Apocalypse Divine Artifact died out, the wreckage of the divine artifact would re-materialize somewhere in the Star Sea. Over eons, this wreckage would slowly repair itself automatically, instinctively reassembling until it once again became a perfect mecha, awaiting its next pilot.
And regardless of whether the dead pilot had any means of resurrection, they would lose this treasure, unless they managed to find it again after it had restored itself and re-establish the bond.
’A skill that requires the pilot’s life, as well as the semi-destruction and exile of the Apocalypse Divine Artifact... If used correctly, it’s powerful enough to make even a false god fall.’
’Why does that sound like I’m jinxing myself?’
’Hmph. I’ll definitely outlast the Apocalypse Divine Artifact.’
Weren’t the once-proclaimed immortals, Ah Jian and the Colorful Insect, both conquered by Shi Ming? When it came to being tough, Shi Ming never admitted defeat.
After briefly familiarizing himself with the mecha’s controls in the skies above the Primordial Star, Shi Ming used the Eye of Destiny to fill in the gaps, acquiring more intel on the Apocalypse Divine Artifact. He learned that it was indeed personally created by a divine being and had never been activated. The divine being had placed this treasure in the Divine Treasure Vault and anchored it with a high price of 10 million Civilization Stones as a form of incentive.
"Store!"
Shi Ming leaped out of the Apocalypse Divine Artifact. Light from the Reflected Sky enveloped the divine artifact, storing it away.
With this, Shi Ming was now even more confident he could complete the [Slay the False God] mission!