Chapter 592 - 545: What is [Friend of the Secret]?

An eight-colored lotus quietly bloomed, eight different powers cycling within it.

[Zero]!

Attribute Nullification: Death!

[Time]!

Time accelerated, fast-forwarding the flow of time around him by a factor of ten!

The Time Giant’s speed suddenly became so fast that not even a demigod could track it. Just as Amonev braced for the head-on blow, the combined assault of [Zero] and [Gold and Silver Era] abruptly changed targets, locking onto Herakrode, the serpent-like opportunist lurking nearby!

Death Nullified!

Herakrode’s [Silence] was a pure death-attribute ability!

This Creator Uncle had not yet reacted, only feeling all the power in his body vanish completely. His most powerful skill, [Silence], was forcibly interrupted. It was as if all his strength had been sucked out in an instant, deflating him like a balloon.

He didn’t even have time to think or react before the iron fist, imbued with the powers of time and fate and propelled by time acceleration, arrived.

Heaven-rank Skills: Backstab! Betrayal!

[Infest]!

[Calamity’s Echo]!

[Tenfold Power]!

It was another combination attack.

Bertutan and Herakrode’s reflexes were astonishingly fast, yet under the accelerated time, even they couldn’t react. To the three demigods’ amazement, the powers of fate and time pierced through Herakrode’s body, shredding the form this former Grand Creator had modified and reinforced countless times.

Even if Shi Ming’s full-powered backstab couldn’t kill the demigod instantly, it was more than enough to neutralize his combat abilities in a single moment!

The tide of battle turned.

’Now they both have a liability...’

But for Bertutan, more shocking than Candela’s backstab was another, utterly baffling aura!

’That was the seed he had planted on a mysterious planet, nurtured for five or six thousand years! The effort and planning he’d poured into it were on par with New God Star, and he was just waiting for the day he could reap the harvest. Yet after a mere four or five years of inattention, he was seeing the fully grown fruit on this Time Giant?’

"Zero?"

"The gods’ Zero... why do you possess it!"

"Candela?"

Even Bertutan, with his boundless wisdom, couldn’t comprehend it all in that moment. He had no time to think. The Creator Uncle had suffered a fatal injury, and he had to intervene. The secret treasure in his hand, the "Twilight Lamp of a Prosperous World," flared with a dim, yellow light. It enveloped the Creator Uncle Herakrode’s consciousness, giving his mind and soul a refuge after leaving their shattered vessel and preventing him from truly slipping into a near-death state.

The Twilight Lamp of a Prosperous World could light the way to death, but it could also light the way to life.

Furthermore, because [Zero] had nullified the power of death, erasing the very concept of it, death would not truly come for a short while. This had indirectly saved Herakrode’s life.

"Too bad, I missed the kill. Amonev, do you have the strength to run?"

"Mm."

Having shattered the stalemate with a thunderous move, Shi Ming didn’t prolong the fight. He used [Time Leap] to break through the [Void] blockade, brought the severely weakened Amonev with him, and casually tossed out 200 Civilization Stones. Then he stepped into the final Teleportation Vortex, bound for the Primordial Star.

...

...

...

That battle had been incredibly risky.

’It was one against two, and with Amonev unable to help, I was naturally at a numerical disadvantage. Not to mention, some of the trump cards I used when fighting as Candela, like the [Apocalypse Divine Artifact], were still overloading... Even at full strength, two fists can’t beat four. If I had shown any weakness, I would’ve certainly ended up like Amonev.’

’No, I would have faced an attack even more fatal than the one she did.’

’That’s why I could only pretend to be on Bertutan’s side.’

’Thankfully, the real Candela had left a good impression on Bertutan. Relying on that established trust, I avoided the two demigods’ suspicion. That’s how I was able to turn on them at the critical moment, backstabbing them and using a thunderous attack to cripple one of them and eliminate their numerical advantage.’

’Just as Amonev wasn’t overly wary of a backstab from a colleague.’

’Neither were Bertutan and Herakrode.’

’This too was a form of "fate."’

’Rescuing Amonev and heavily wounding Herakrode—that was the "gain."’

’But this battle also had a "loss."’

’Bertutan’s sensitivity to [Zero] was far greater than I’d anticipated. Still, I wasn’t worried about him leaving the First Civilization Cosmic Country to investigate the Endless Ocean. That Old Deng is completely broke at the moment, trapped deep inside the First Civilization Cosmic Country. He can’t afford to chase after distant goals and ignore what’s right in front of him. Even if he wanted to, I have a tight grip on the Civilization Stones. For the time being, I have him indirectly confined within this massive domain.’

’And the Primordial Star was right ahead.’

’The closer we get to the Primordial Star, the stronger the surveillance from the Cosmic Country’s Will becomes.’

’The five demigods were getting picked off one by one, like fools rushing in to their doom. For now, they were no longer a cohesive threat. Unless... they had an even stronger trump card.’

’But even if they did, nothing could escape the scrutiny of the Eye of Destiny.’

...

...

...

"Thank you for coming to my aid."

"I rarely believe in miracles, yet I have witnessed several from you. Mastering the Civilization Prologue in such a short time, ascending to the Nirvana Rank, slaying Huang Ji, and taking on two opponents at once to gravely wound Herakrode... Every one of these feats is beyond belief..."

Amonev rested for a moment in Ten Thousand People Square.

Her voice was ethereal and distant.

She had also recovered a good deal of her strength.

Shi Ming, likewise, was regulating his own condition.

"Don’t thank me. I agreed to cooperate with you, and my saving you just now is not only repayment for your past help. I’m also trying to find an ancient witness, and I have many questions that you might be able to answer."

"I will tell you all I know."

This was Amonev’s show of cooperation and sincerity. She could likely guess what Shi Ming was most interested in...

The god’s legacy,

The Heart of Chaos...

’I myself sealed that heart in the Sea of Fallen Stars for over a hundred thousand years, just as the god had once wished. The twelve stone slabs inscribed with the Civilization Prologue, which were formed from the twelve great arteries connected to the Heart of Chaos, are also the god’s legacy. I don’t care who inherits these things; as long as I can fulfill the god’s dying wish, I will be worthy of my title as [Friend of the Secret].’

Before the god fell, they left behind two secret requests.

The first was Will Resonance.

This was engraved on the mercenary terminals and imbued into the Sword in the Stone in Ten Thousand People Square, waiting year after year for a being who could resonate with the will of the nascent Cosmic Country.

The second was Will Inheritance.

This was entrusted to the Friend of the Secret. Whether it meant slaying the god alongside the other members of the [Pillar Stones of Truth], passing on the Civilization Prologue inscribed on the twelve legacy slabs, or finding a suitable Inheritor for the [Heart of Chaos]—it was all part of carrying on the legacy.

...

...

...

"I have many questions."

"First question. A mere wisp of a god’s bloodline can create a new god. So how did such a powerful, supreme being fall?"