Chapter 625 577: Invasion of Evil Thoughts? Just Fodder

The Flower of Evil Thought waited quietly in the cave. It occasionally sent out a ripple of energy, probing the strength and progress of its new partner.

Shi Ming, for his part, put on an act of considerable trust, openly displaying whatever he was willing to reveal.

The process of absorbing [Chord] was rather complex. It had to be deconstructed into a lower-level origin first, then re-fused within his body. Only then could this additional Nirvana Origin be treated as if it were newly born, thus circumventing any rejection. This process was Shi Ming's own "patent"; the core steps were performed in secret to ensure they couldn't be easily spied upon.

Nor was he as fully engrossed in the process as before.

He had to reserve at least half of his energy to guard against the Flower of Evil Thought growing in the cave. That thing was a symbol of malice. Even with a temporary partnership, he couldn't let his guard down. Shi Ming knew full well that making a deal with a predator was like dancing on a razor's edge. He could appear nonchalant on the surface, but in reality, he had to be cautious to the extreme. Otherwise, he might very well suffer the same fate as the Chord Beast.

Because of this, the fusion was several times slower than his previous attempts...

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「Day 21.」

The Flower of Evil Thought felt no impatience.

It was a remnant of the Ancient Calamity, [Evil Thought Heaven], and its metaphysical level was exceedingly high. However, it had to rely on a tangible creature to move and spread. In the one hundred and twenty thousand years since Evil Thought Heaven's fall, even with the Chord Beast as its thrall, it had rarely shown its face. It had long since grown accustomed to the boring passage of centuries and millennia.

Twenty-one days was as short as a single breath.

It could afford to wait.

'This kid's talent is indeed several times greater than the Chord Beast's,' the Flower of Evil Thought mused. 'Star Sea creatures can seemingly only fuse two Nirvana Origins, but he's used some unknown method to harness at least three different powers. From this point alone, his talent is far superior.'

The Flower of Evil Thought rarely showed appreciation.

For an incarnation of malice, appreciation was an anti-instinctive emotion. Its true nature was evil thoughts, corruption, and negativity.

The Flower of Evil Thought extended a small rootlet, secretly probing its way out of the cave. It knew Shi Ming had reached a critical moment in his fusion—the perfect time to make a move. It seized the opportunity. Like a maggot, it slowly crawled onto Shi Ming's body, attempting to merge into the Bicolored power on his skin and lie dormant.

In the Flower of Evil Thought's eyes, Shi Ming was indeed the best candidate for a new Ancient Calamity. But such a genius was also much harder to control. If the Flower of Evil Thought lacked intelligence, it would have granted this glory and power entirely to Shi Ming; that was another kind of instinct. But now, having developed full sapience over countless ages, it was no longer willing to do all the work just for someone else to reap the benefits.

At the very least, the newly born "King" had to be under its control.

The flower born of evil thoughts understood evil thoughts better than anyone.

At the tip of this short rootlet was a speck of concentrated blackness—the "Source Blood." It was similar to the substance currently entangled with Bertutan's Origin of [Void], containing the most essential power from the Ancient Calamity.

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Shi Ming, with half his energy still dedicated to observation, quietly watched the Flower of Evil Thought's little maneuver.

He wasn't surprised.

It would have been far more terrifying if the Flower of Evil Thought *hadn't* tried anything. That would only mean Shi Ming had failed to notice its scheme, and then he would have to worry about how to eliminate an unknown threat.

Though he was confident, he made no move to counter it.

But beneath his Sea of Spirit, the Colorful Insect was the first to panic.

'Kid!'

'Don't you see it? That thing is trying to corrupt my origin! It wants to hide itself and seize this power that belongs to me in the future!'

'Stop it! Quickly!'

The Colorful Insect was the true master of the Bicolored Celestial Calamity. Positioned at the center of Shi Ming's Sea of Spirit, it was extremely sensitive to such schemes. It and the Flower of Evil Thought were both aberrant life-forms, and the Flower was, to some extent, its superior. But that didn't mean the Colorful Insect would sacrifice itself and allow its power to be corrupted, to let the guest oust the host!

At this moment, it was even more anxious than Shi Ming! If it had ten billion, it could casually promise to donate it all to an organization to show its loyalty, since it would never have to follow through. But when it only had one cow, it wanted nothing more than to hold onto that cow for dear life.

Because it really did have one cow.

Shi Ming communicated with the Colorful Insect through his consciousness.

'Corruption?'

'You and it are both high-level aberrant life-forms. Shouldn't its power be a nourishing supplement for you? How could it oust the host? Besides, we have a partnership now. I can understand its desire for a sense of security,' Shi Ming said deliberately.

'Kid, what do you know! That's a drop of Source Blood! The level of Source Blood is higher than a Celestial Calamity! If you don't want to be constrained by this damn flower at every turn in the future, stop it now!'

The Colorful Insect's voice grew even shriller.

'Its level is that high?'

'Let me think of a way to deal with this drop of Source Blood without breaking our partnership... Hmm, I'm not familiar with the powers of aberrant life-forms. If you have a better method, you can tell me. You know that compared to it, I trust you more, given our history of cooperation.'

Shi Ming was in no hurry.

The Source Blood would need at least half a year to invade his body undetected and lie dormant. The time it would take to actually have an effect was even more uncertain. But his fusion of [Chord] was already entering its final stage. As soon as it was complete, the Eye of the Divine could use its divine-level status to directly dispel the Source Blood, or even make use of it!

The same principle applied to the wisp of it on the Origin of [Void].

'Kid, you're playing with fire.'

'Be careful you don't get burned.'

Shi Ming ignored the Colorful Insect's pleas, simply fobbing it off with the excuse, 'I'm thinking of a way,' while maintaining his current state and continuing to fuse with [Chord].

The Colorful Insect was furious.

If Shi Ming's body was invaded by the power of the Flower of Evil Thought, its origin of the Bicolored Celestial Calamity would be the first victim.

At this moment, its anxiety far surpassed Shi Ming's.

'Damn human!'

'You don't cherish a borrowed origin, do you?'

'You foolish human, you have no idea how malicious and corrupting this drop of Source Blood is! In just half a year, it can become completely dormant inside your body, like a virus. In no more than thirty years, you'll slowly start to accept it, both in body and mind! In just a hundred years, your will and thoughts will be completely transformed, even if you have a will as tough as a Pillar Stone!'

'The most terrifying part is that all these changes happen without you even realizing it!'

'Damn it! At a critical moment like this, I'm the one who has to come up with a solution!'

The Colorful Insect wracked its brains, beginning to formulate a plan for this "Origin Defense War."

Just as the vague outline of a plan formed in its mind, it felt a monstrous wave surge through Shi Ming's Sea of Spirit. The Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower that suppressed it—the immovable Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower—seemed like a tiny speck of dust in this tide...

Stunned, the Colorful Insect didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

He had gotten stronger.