Chapter 623 575: "You Are More Evil than the Aberrations!

Locked in a stalemate, Shi Ming suddenly let out a sneer. He didn't draw the Sword in the Stone, merely maintaining the abilities he had already used. Amid the standoff, he actually started to chat—

"The power of Evil Thought Heaven... As expected of one of the oldest legacies of the Ancient Evils. It's truly extraordinary."

"Hmph."

The String Beast snorted arrogantly.

'This human wants to surrender now? It's too late!'

It thought Shi Ming's words were meant to praise it. In reality, Shi Ming wasn't speaking to the beast, but to the Flower of Evil Thought behind it.

"Over the endless ages, you must have developed intelligence, and a considerable one at that."

"You are very clever,"

"but unfortunately, you're also very foolish."

"Your cleverness lies in your clear understanding that the power of pollution and evil thought needs a vessel—that it must attach to a tangible living being to spread. That's why, long ago, you chose this String Beast, hoping it could become another one of your proxies. After the Ancient Evil, Evil Thought Heaven, died, this beast became your opportunity to rise again."

"But this is precisely where your foolishness lies."

"If you want to leave the Sea of Chaos, poison the Star Sea, and conquer the universe, you should not have chosen a pseudo-lifeform activated from a Nirvana Source! That is your foolishness! The String Beast is not a creature of the Star Sea. It's merely a source that has gained sentience. Because it is connected to cosmic principles and contains astonishing power, it is also a target coveted and hunted by other creatures in the Star Sea. It is fundamentally different from normal living beings."

"Just imagine, if this String Beast actually managed to bring you out of the Sea of Chaos, how could it possibly disguise itself to deceive the powerful beings of the Endless Star Sea? How could it subtly and unknowingly spread the poison of an aberration across the endless cosmos?"

"I'm afraid it would only become the brightest star in the night sky."

"A shining target for countless Pillar Stones and pseudo-gods."

"Evil thought and pollution are meant to sprout and spread in the shadows. When they step out into the light, it either means the trumpets of charge have sounded, or that annihilation is imminent. Unfortunately, the latter seems far more likely. The String Beast cannot help you restore your former glory. It can only drag you down with it, to be jointly hunted and slaughtered, bankrupting your plans and ensuring you perish midway!"

Shi Ming analyzed methodically, and the String Beast was truly enraged!

'This damned star beast... he's sowing discord,'

'trying to drive a wedge between us!'

The most fatal part was that there was nothing wrong with Shi Ming's analysis! As the incarnation of a cosmic "String," the String Beast could likely gain the upper hand in a one-on-one, or even a one-on-two, battle against opponents of the same level. But if it truly entered the Star Sea, its advantages would become disadvantages. It would be exposed more easily than other creatures, and an aberration like it could only expand its influence in the early stages through stealth and contamination.

Once exposed, unless it truly advanced to the level of an Ancient Evil, it would inevitably be hunted down and destroyed by a joint force.

Shi Ming dodged a frenzied retaliatory strike from the String Beast, while his parasitic worms bit viciously into the beast's neck, tearing at any potential vulnerabilities.

"Getting anxious?"

"No one understands the Star Sea better than I do."

"In the Star Sea, there's a concept called 'sunk cost.' It refers to costs that have already occurred and cannot be recovered. Every being in the Star Sea knows that when making a decision, you can only consider future gains. You must ignore sunk costs as much as possible. Otherwise, those sunk costs will become a burden, dragging you down into the abyss of failure."

"Flower of Evil Thought."

"You and the String Beast have been fused for over a hundred thousand years."

"I understand that your past investment and costs are unimaginable, but no matter how much effort you put in on the wrong path, it's nothing more than futile self-congratulation."

"Why not abandon the darkness for the light and join me in conquering this universe?"

"In the past, you may have had no better option, which is why you settled for this foolish String Beast. But now, you should be able to see that I have the power and potential. Compared to this beast, I am your better choice. Moreover, I have already mastered the power of an aberration myself. This ability, called the Bicolored Celestial Calamity, evolved from 'Nightmare' to 'Celestial Calamity' entirely under my cultivation. Its power is perfectly integrated with me, just as it is perfectly integrated and in harmony with my own Nirvana Source from the Star Sea."

Shi Ming coaxed patiently.

In Shi Ming's Sea of Spirit, the suppressed Colorful Insect felt its heart clench.

'This is bad.'

'I knew this guy wasn't up to any good borrowing my Bicolored Celestial Calamity! It was never about studying and analyzing it. He was laying a trap here, trying to use a small bet to win a huge jackpot, to snag a far greater prize with empty hands!'

'If this deal really goes through, if this thing called the Flower of Evil Thought—the remnant power of an Ancient Evil—is actually convinced by him, wouldn't I become a traitor to the aberrations, a spy who let the wolf in the door?'

'Humans are all cunning! Don't agree to it!'

'Don't agree to it!'

'He's more cunning and more evil than any aberration!'

The Colorful Insect chanted silently in its heart, hoping the Flower of Evil Thought could sense its thoughts. But then, it had another idea. 'This human is powerful, but the Flower of Evil Thought is the backup and legacy of an Ancient Evil; it might not be weaker than him. This kid is constantly testing the waters, dancing on a razor's edge. If he fails and his cleverness backfires, wouldn't that be my chance?'

'Forget it.'

'I'll just leave it to fate.'

'It's not like I can interfere anyway.'

The Colorful Insect watched everything unfold silently, at once hoping the Flower would agree and hoping it wouldn't. It was utterly conflicted.

...

...

...

Shi Ming intentionally revealed a flaw in his defense, which the String Beast precisely exploited.

Several thousand of the Extremely Evil Sanctuary's wicked tentacles snapped, only to be replaced by even more.

"Impressive."

"Even I would have a hard time holding on for too long under two different kinds of attacks."

"Flower of Evil Thought, as you've seen, you can't stop me if I want to leave. The only reason I'm staying here in this pointless stalemate is because I am quite accomplished in the ways of fate, and I have seen an opportunity for cooperation that you have overlooked."

"I can still hold on for another 30 seconds."

"You have ample time to consider."

"My partnerships have always been based on voluntary principles. I never force anyone. The strange thing is, everyone I've ever partnered with has given me a 100% approval rating. They'll even partner with me a second time, a third time, again and again. They'll even bet their lives and stand with me at critical moments."

"That is the difference between me and the String Beast."

Hearing Shi Ming's declaration about partnership, the Colorful Insect, trapped beneath the Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower, felt a deep sense of unease.

'Shameless! Utterly shameless!'

'With ambition as rapacious as yours, how could any being with great wisdom fail to see it? This Flower of Evil Thought is the source-remnant of Evil Thought Heaven. How could it be persuaded by a few simple words from you to abandon a partner it's had for so long? It has spent so much time adapting to the String Beast. How could it just throw away that immense sunk cost and fall for your trap?'

SNAP.

From the Flower of Evil Thought's perspective, the "signs" of Shi Ming's impending defeat were becoming more and more obvious.

It looked as if he couldn't hold on much longer,

about to be defeated and forced to flee...