Chapter 644: The Advantage is Mine

At the same time Shi Ming and Annihilation Heaven had their falling out, Paradise Heaven, who was out looking for some fun, once again felt a long-lost pleasure.

A desire rooted in the depths of her instincts—one that could be traced back hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions of years—was once again satisfied. Paradise Heaven wallowed in joy and lust, dragging all the creatures involved down with her into an inescapable, gradual descent into depravity.

Just like her skill, [Scarlet Poppy], it was dangerous and terrifying.

Pleasure, indulgence, addiction, depravity…

It all seemed to follow a natural course, yet it was fraught with a fatal and bloody peril.

When it was over, several male creatures withered into dried bones, then crumbled into dust.

“Heh heh.”

“And here I thought the creatures of the Star Sea would be so powerful. The experience was a little unique, I suppose, but they’re still useless.”

Paradise Heaven’s perfect hand swept over the dust of what was once bone. She pulled herself out of her euphoric state; she had been out looking for fun for long enough. But this was just a small taste, not enough to truly satisfy her. She had already found her real target: the wife of the leader of the intelligence organization [Seven Day Assassination], Bai Yimo.

The “practice” just now was merely an appetizer.

Bai Yimo possessed a so-called Star Sea-cataloged Nirvana-rank skill, [Desire].

‘Even if she’s not my equal, she should at least be a satisfying opponent.’

Paradise Heaven blew gently on her palm, scattering the ashes. In an instant, her facial bones began to shift. Her long hair shortened, her fox tail retracted, and her snow-white skin darkened several shades. Her once-sweet face became resolute and handsome, like the most valiant and beautiful youth in the world.

“Mm.”

“The taste of true, ultimate pleasure.”

“I’m so looking forward to it!”

…

…

…

“I’m so looking forward to it,”

“to the moment I refine your bones into a forbidden inscription and engrave it upon my black lotus.”

Standing atop the black lotus, Annihilation Heaven also drew a Sword of Slaughter. This was the same sword he had used to sunder the Star Spirit Race’s ancestral land. It was forged from his ninth rib, the sharpest instrument of slaughter in the Sea of Chaos.

Annihilation Heaven could see it clearly.

This “Star Beast” before him, who had disguised himself as Original Sin Heaven and deceived him into giving away his power, was still only at the Nirvana rank. However, the divine artifact he was piloting instilled an instinctive dread in Annihilation Heaven. And according to that warning voice of unknown origin, this Star Beast was the very culprit who had killed the Flower of Wicked Thoughts and sealed the true Sinful Heaven’s rebirth.

He was not to be underestimated.

But for that very reason, Annihilation Heaven was all the more excited.

He was the very symbol of slaughter from the Sea of Chaos. Killing a single powerful opponent would allow him to experience the true essence of slaughter far more than killing a billion weaklings.

Annihilation Heaven brandished his Sword of Slaughter. Enveloped by the black lotus, his body split into ninety-nine afterimages. Like a stream of light, they shot toward the Apocalypse Divine Artifact controlled by Shi Ming.

Not a single one of these ninety-nine afterimages was real.

Yet every single one possessed the power to pierce through the Star Sea.

…

‘He’s strong.’

Shi Ming sensed the gap between the Ancient Evil, Calamity, and Nirvana ranks.

As a being whose single drop of source blood could corrupt Bertutan, an Ancient Evil’s status, power, and corrupting influence were beyond question. But the Apocalypse Divine Artifact was the ultimate creation of the gods, the culmination of their creativity and power, forged for the very purpose of slaying Ancient Evils.

If it were Annihilation Heaven and Paradise Heaven against him, a 2-v-1, Shi Ming might actually have been somewhat wary.

But now…

‘If I can handle two Ancient Evils, you think I can’t handle you?’

Fight!

At this moment, the Apocalypse Divine Artifact seemed to have a life of its own. Shi Ming had complete control over every joint, every detail. He unleashed the fourth secret inscription, [Wings of Apocalypse], as if it were a basic attack. The space filled with turbulent currents as twelve wing blades, like the blades of a guillotine, clashed head-on with Annihilation Heaven’s afterimages!

Immediately after, Shi Ming activated an authority of the Eye of the Divine!

Evolution!

Under the coverage of the [Evolution] authority, the Apocalypse Divine Artifact was forcibly raised another level. After Shi Ming had redeemed it, it was already in a state of being fully upgraded to its limit. But now, under the buff of a divine authority, it had gained a temporary boost.

The Apocalypse Divine Artifact brandished a thirty-million-point Spiritual Power Sword and swept it across the battlefield.

The light wave spreading from the slash cut the Star Spirit Race’s ancestral land in two. Like Pangu splitting the heavens and the earth, a fissure three thousand kilometers long opened up. A three-thousand-kilometer fissure was nothing to the vast ancestral land of the Star Spirit Race, but it was still expanding rapidly.

This time, the Sinful Dream Realm was truly like an egg cracked down the middle, split in two, and reunited with the starry sky outside.

…

…

…

Annihilation Heaven realized this attack held unimaginable power. The forbidden black lotus beneath him switched from attack mode to defense mode, closing its petals once more to envelop him in layer after layer of protection.

Not only that, but the closed black lotus generated an infinite number of new petals.

They continued to close and stack upon each other, seemingly without end.

Using the dried bones of those who had died within it as shields, it added layer upon layer of insurance for itself. It could attack or defend, whatever it willed.

Seeing his opponent choose to defend, Shi Ming imbued his attack with another authority of the Eye of the Divine.

Fate!

His eyes were devoid of malice or thought, only ripples of destruction and slaughter. From his throat came a prophecy of fate:

[I decree:]

[That which is too rigid is easily broken.]

[All sharp things have an inherent weakness. The sharper they are, the more easily they are shattered. And when they shatter, they will suffer an irreversible collapse.]

It was a spoken command.

CRACK!

As the Apocalypse Divine Artifact swung it, the thirty-million-point Spiritual Power Sword chopped vertically down upon the closed lotus. A crack was vibrated into existence. Space shattered like glass struck by a bullet, splintering into a spiderweb of fissures. The cracks also spread along the veins of the lotus. The forbidden black lotus, so tough and with such immense Defense Power, began to break apart, layer by layer.

That which is too rigid is easily broken!

In the head-on clash between the forbidden black lotus and the Sword in the Stone, the unavoidable cracks swiftly spread across the entire lotus. This was the struggle between Shi Ming and the Ancient Evil. In the end, Shi Ming, with his Apocalypse Divine Artifact and Sword in the Stone, had the upper hand. With a loud BANG, the black lotus shattered into countless fragments, its forbidden inscriptions turning to dust along with it.

Pressing his advantage, Shi Ming used the Apocalypse Divine Artifact’s sixth secret technique, Nightmare’s End!

The several-hundred-meter-tall divine artifact dissolved into individual particles. A ray of light emerged from each particle, and hundreds of millions of these rays, at the very instant the black lotus was destroyed, descended like a baptism upon Annihilation Heaven’s exposed position. The attack was stacked with ten times its normal power and the Arm of Judgment! The remaining black stamens melted into smoke and dust under the brilliant light!

He had once used this very move to instantly kill the Time Giant, Candela, who was hailed as the strongest new god in the Star Sea!