Free Web NovelChapter 404: Chapter 396: Death Is the Invader’s Only Destination
"Looks like three minutes won’t be necessary."
"You can’t even last thirty seconds."
"I’m leaving your body whole only because your corpse is more useful that way."
Shi Ming stopped the infestation.
The impossibly arrogant youth from the Dark Star Race felt his life fade away, consumed by gnawing vermin and pierced by tentacles. All that remained was a perforated corpse. In his final moments, his very fate had been usurped by the Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary.
His corpse would serve as raw material. Under the guidance of the Infinite Brain, it would be used to its fullest potential.
Nothing would go to waste.
[Congratulations!]
[The prophecy of fate unfolded as foretold, only to be reversed in the very next minute. The alien from the Star Sea was utterly crushed, and you shall obtain all his wealth and treasures.]
[...]
[You have obtained a new "Form"! You can transform into a 1:1 replica of Rui Liang of the Dark Star Race and use his abilities.]
[The tentacles of the Extremely Evil Sanctuary have increased to 5,814!]
’The Ten Thousand Forms Kun and the Abyss Lord have probably never feasted on anything this good!’
Shi Ming stored Rui Liang’s corpse away.
For now, Shi Ming wasn’t sure if the Dark Star Race counted as a type of vicious beast, or if he could transfer the source of the "Grief" ability by consuming the alien’s blood. But whether he could or not, Shi Ming had already used his formidable Spiritual Power to activate his "Ten Thousand Forms Sanctuary" and acquire the young man’s "Form." When necessary, he could transform into a perfect replica of Rui Liang and use his abilities.
But now was not the time to examine his spoils.
From his descent to his downfall,
less than thirty seconds had passed.
Big Ben’s clock read 8:24, exactly one minute after the time foretold by the Eye of Destiny.
On this day, the people aboard the tens of thousands of wandering ships had been on an emotional rollercoaster. They had watched their vessels lose control. They had seen the arrogance and brutality of the man who called himself a god. And they had also witnessed his fall from that divine pedestal, his body pierced through...
Numbly, they cast off the heavy burden.
And finally set their minds at ease.
But what truly set their minds at ease was Shi Ming’s confirmation. His voice, amplified by his Spiritual Power, spread across the entire sea, ensuring everyone on every ship gathered there could hear it:
[The invader is dead!]
[All enemies who dare to invade will pay with their lives.]
The voice was steady and solemn,
like the thunder that split the heavens.
Rong Bing’s hand, which had been tightly gripping his great axe, finally relaxed. Li Jiuyuan wiped the sweat from his brow. Idealism had been useless in this matter, but the outcome was nevertheless perfect.
Standing with his teacher, Yize’s eyes filled with tears.
Quert had gained three new scars, but they now seemed utterly insignificant.
Farther in the distance, Nia, who had inherited the ship known as the Spire, had a brilliant light in her eyes, as if she were gazing upon the sun...
Vast, passionate cheers erupted over the Pantheon’s Old Domain. The overlapping waves of sound, carried by the ocean swells and sea breeze, would soon spread across the entire Endless Ocean...
...
...
...
Shi Ming reviewed his first battle after advancing to the Nirvana stage.
In terms of raw power, "Infestation" was far superior to "Grief"—it was practically a higher-dimensional attack. However, Rui Liang was a relatively experienced Nirvana-rank expert. Shi Ming never underestimated opponents of the same rank, so at the beginning, he had cautiously tested the waters for a few rounds.
’Who knew he couldn’t even take one proper hit?’
’He just folded.’
’Of course, it might just be that the numbered Nirvana ability ’Infestation’ is too powerful.’
’I lack more opponents to use as a reference point.’
As for the final moment, Rui Liang went all-in, forcibly activating "the Net," which reminded Shi Ming of Captain Chunyi. Even if "Infestation" hadn’t gnawed through this Wondrous Item ranked number 3, he had also obtained a disruptive frequency from Ah Jian—developed by the Xirang Research Institute—that could temporarily crash "the Net" and suppress its commands.
From start to finish, this alien from the Star Sea never stood a chance.
Death was his only possible fate.
His starship, treasures, and remains would all become stepping stones on the path to greater heights.
On the Endless Ocean, countless wandering ships began an orderly departure from the waters of the Pantheon, returning to their regular courses. The damaged "Net" had fallen into Shi Ming’s hands. With the help of the Infinite Brain, it could still be repaired.
But there was really no need.
It, along with the corpse of the Dark Star youth, would become upgrade material for his King-level Wandering Ship—once a new order had been established.
Undeniably, "the Net" had played a role in civilization’s survival after the cataclysm. To destroy it before establishing a new order might snap the Sword of Damocles, causing the existing order to collapse. In this matter, Shi Ming would consult with the other King-level Wandering Ships to find a safe, gradual approach.
But that was all a matter for later.
Now, in the aftermath of the great battle, he finally had a moment of leisure.
It was time to take stock of his spoils.
The "Net" and the corpse were only a small part of the spoils. Shi Ming distinctly remembered Rui Liang’s other treasures: a "Starry Sky Specimen" and a "Wanderer’s Atlas." Their names alone suggested they were extraordinary.
Most important of all was the Shuttle Ship, the [Nirvana], which had sunk into the ocean.
It had been Rui Liang’s base of operations for his travels across the Star Sea. It might contain the Dark Star’s other collectibles gathered over many years, along with knowledge and secrets of the Star Sea. It was even possible that the last two small pieces of the Divine Revelation Stele, which had been impossible to find on Earth, were also aboard.
’Sure enough, an enemy delivering a gift is better than years of hard work.’
’The wisdom of the ancients is never wrong.’
...
On the edge of the Earth’s Lung, where the Fire Seed had sunk, countless lifeboats and floating platforms formed a makeshift rescue base.
Ordinarily, the General, Gold, Silver, and Bronze-level wandering ships would have been tasked with the rescue effort. However, Rui Liang had forcibly commandeered them after the disaster, leaving the Fire Seed isolated and helpless. Fortunately, warned by the "53-Day Prophecy," its crew had made ample preparations, with plenty of emergency equipment and subsidiary vessels.
This had prevented even more devastating losses.
But the survivors, though rescued for now, had lost the home they had known for decades—just as they had lost the land itself decades before.
Fortunately, the threat from sea beasts had diminished, making the "Floating Island Project" a viable possibility. In the past, only the Sea of Soaring Dragons had possessed such a stable environment. The success of the Wall Point now served as a new blueprint.
The Unceasing Water...
Standing on a rescue ship, Martinelli knew the crisis was far from over.
Deep within this ocean, the original threat still lingered.
...
「Sanjiang Wall.」
The artificial landmass known as the Wall Point had been operational for some time now. Simple tents and prefabricated shelters dotted the flat, floating island. It was now home to a large group of humans and wanderers from unaffiliated ships. Everything was crude, yet it awakened the most primal sense of belonging in a land-dwelling species.
Five! Four! Three! Two! One!
BANG—
Fireworks shot into the sky.
December 31st was over. It was a new year.
Zhou Huaijin stood with many others, his feet on real soil. They gathered before a blazing bonfire, watching a spectacular sight they hadn’t seen in ages, and he was reminded of things from long, long ago.
The road ahead is long and hard,
but every road has an end.
