Chapter 615 - 567: "Is Gu Nie Really Dead?

The warning from the Eye of Destiny came in the form of an image—

A succulent, vibrant green fruit had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, which formed a smiling face. It was cackling maniacally in a sea of chaos. Behind it, a blurry, sinister shadow lurked, motionless, as if gathering its power.

The composition of the entire image had a clear primary and secondary subject.

The fruit was in the center, undoubtedly the main focus, but Shi Ming had a nagging feeling that the sinister shadow was the fruit’s true form.

...

The information in the vision was too vague. With so many details obscured by the chaos, Shi Ming couldn’t glean anything more from it.

...

Meanwhile, the Colorful Insect’s agitation was the same as during his final battle with Bertutan—a joyful, instinctual response from its body. This time, however, it was more restrained, as if the Xenogene was struggling to suppress this instinct at a genetic level.

But unfortunately, it still let its true intentions slip under the surveillance of Shi Ming’s Spiritual Power.

Right now, the insect was extremely wary of Shi Ming, making it difficult for him to extract any more information from it.

However, in situations like this, the Colorful Insect’s mere existence passively provided a warning. A Xenogene that had fallen from the Calamity level was completely incapable of detecting Shi Ming’s probing. Its mental fluctuations and instinctual reactions, however, were crystal clear to Shi Ming. As long as the Colorful Insect remained suppressed by him, this early warning system would remain active, and it could be decisive at a critical moment.

"..."

’I’m getting close to the edge of the chaos. Based on the warnings from the Eye of Destiny and the Colorful Insect’s agitation, there are definitely traces of Xenogenes nearby.’

’That creature that looks like a fruit with a massive shadow behind it... is it a Misfortune, or a higher-level Calamity?’

Different levels of Xenogenes posed different threats.

They were a species fundamentally opposed to the creatures of the Star Sea. Even a weak Nightmare, if left unchecked, could easily spawn a catastrophe capable of wiping out a civilization. The gods of the past had stumbled against them as well. Even though all four Ancient Evils were now dead and Shi Ming possessed the power to easily suppress a Calamity, he would not underestimate these Xenogenes.

Primary objective: find "String."

Secondary objective: suppress any Xenogenes encountered along the way.

If he could seal one to give the Colorful Insect a companion and create a prisoner’s dilemma to force them to submit, that would be even better.

"..."

’Something seems off...’

Shi Ming furrowed his brow.

The location of the numbered Nirvana Origin, "String," was no secret. Many of the old-timers in the Star Sea knew its area of activity, yet few ever tried to claim it.

The reasons for this were complex.

But they boiled down to a few key factors.

First, this numbered Nirvana skill had already gained sentience. It was defiant and untamable, capable of perfectly unleashing its own power, making it difficult to subdue.

Second, "String’s" operational coordinates were in the chaotic region at the edge of the Star Sea—a place fraught with danger and utterly desolate.

Third, even if one exhausted their strength to subdue "String," it could easily revert to its initial state and leave at will if it didn’t approve of its new master. All previous efforts would be for nothing.

These three reasons caused it to fade from the view of "most" Pillar Stones and pseudo-gods.

But where there’s a "most," there’s also a "some."

The Star Sea had existed for a vast amount of time. In every past era, there was no shortage of confident individuals. They paid no heed to rumors or the so-called experience of their predecessors, stubbornly refusing to give up until they hit a wall. They would travel across endless light-years to the chaotic edge of the Star Sea, attempting to find this numbered Nirvana Origin. In the end, however, the results were always unsatisfactory.

The number who perished was unknown.

According to Amonif, a young Bertutan had also traveled to the edge of the chaos in search of "String."

He, too, had come back empty-handed.

’This is definitely not right.’

’Bertutan was tainted by the Evil Thought Heaven. Even before the god’s fall, he was hiding the power of an Ancient Evil. That power became the key to backstabbing the god.’

’He came here once, looking for "String."’

’Is there some necessary connection between these two events?’

’The Star Sea is so vast. "String" was born within it, a Nirvana Origin connected to fundamental principles. Why would it choose to linger in a place like this? If it didn’t want to be subdued by those Pillar Stones and pseudo-gods, the best way would be to hide somewhere in the Star Sea, not let its coordinates become common knowledge and refuse to move. If it truly wanted to find a suitable successor, why not pick one from a developed civilization? Why stay in this godforsaken chaotic zone?’

’Could it be?’

’Is it a trap?’

Those who are good at setting traps can always smell their own kind. Although this was just a preliminary and baseless guess, Shi Ming didn’t rule out the possibility—

"String" had become a willing lure for the Xenogenes.

If that were true, it would be an almost impossible trap to guard against. A being from the Star Sea would go through great pains to find "String," unaware that a source of an Ancient Evil’s corruption was hidden behind it. They would be subtly corrupted without realizing it, and then "String" would simply leave on its own. The creature from the Star Sea would have gained nothing from the trip except for the taint.

Wasn’t that exactly the scene the Eye of Destiny had shown him?

The fruit cackling maniacally in the chaos,

The brazen shadow behind it...

Putting the pieces together like this made a lot more sense: the fruit represented the numbered Nirvana skill Origin, "String." The shadow behind it represented the power of the Xenogenes. And hundreds of thousands of years ago, Bertutan was corrupted during his search for "String," which foreshadowed the god’s fall.

Each part was interlinked.

Impossible to guard against.

’This god’s eye really isn’t easy to obtain... No wonder Amonif treated the Heart of Chaos as if it were worthless. After toiling like a beast of burden for over a hundred thousand years, she probably just wants some peace and quiet now, right?’

Shi Ming’s eyes lit up.

[The Eye of Destiny, through its deductions, has determined the probability of your guess to be 70.12%.]

[It seems you are indeed skilled at finding the truth within the fog. While peaceful times are precious, someone must always bear the burden and press forward. The Ascension Ladder is not easy to climb. Fusing with "String" is indeed the final test.]

[The Ancient Evils are dead.]

[The residual power of the Xenogenes is not to be feared. As you can see, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.]

"Are the Ancient Evils really dead?"

Shi Ming was skeptical of this conclusion.

It was a well-known fact that a single, minor Calamity-level Colorful Insect born in the ancestral home of the Star Spirit Race could not be truly killed even with Shi Ming’s forty million-plus points of Spiritual Power; it could only be suppressed. The four Ancient Evils, whose poison spread without end, were all conceptual-level existences. Even if they had been slain by the god, had 120,000 years really been enough to completely eliminate the possibility of their revival? Or to ensure they had left behind no legacy?

If the Xenogenes were truly leaderless, then what were Bertutan and the other Misfortunes and Calamities plotting?