Chapter 627 579: "I have been betrayed 4 times!

The Evil Thought Flower: 'I've been betrayed three times!'

It couldn't comprehend the Power of Word, but Shi Ming's intentions were now blatantly obvious. How could the Evil Thought Flower not realize? This "Star Beast" from the Star Sea, after fusing with the String Beast's [String], was now planning to cast it aside now that its purpose was served! Their promise of cooperation had become nothing but empty words after a mere twenty days—all a ploy to trick it into lending its power to kill the String Beast!

Damn it!

But it still didn't quite understand...

'This shouldn't be happening...'

In theory, no one would refuse the invitation to become an Aberrant King, a new Ancient Abomination! This power was so immense, enough to make any creature forsake its most fundamental beliefs!

Besides, he wasn't some pure, untainted creature. The Celestial Calamity power he wielded said it all. It was precisely this fact that had made the Evil Thought Flower let down its guard... For one who stood at such heights, every small increase in power was an immense struggle. He had already mastered the power of a Celestial Calamity and multiple Nirvana abilities. How could he possibly refuse such an offer?

It had abandoned the String Beast, showing more than enough sincerity. The future it had painted for him was incredibly alluring. How could it have come to this?

'At this point, further thought is useless.'

'Fortunately, the source blood I implanted is already lying dormant. No matter how rebellious this human is, he'll eventually fall to my corruption and become a puppet far more useful than the String Beast!'

...

...

...

The prophecy born of the Power of Word became like a new rule, engraved upon this space.

'A fate-type skill?'

The Evil Thought Flower wasn't particularly concerned about this power it had never heard of. It had absolute confidence in its own station, certain that no fate-type skill could ever truly affect it.

It watched Shi Ming in silence.

It saw him as nothing more than a clown trapped in a cage. His current, desperate performance was merely a farce. In the face of absolute power and a station comparable to an Ancient Abomination, he would soon learn that all his efforts were futile.

Shi Ming's lips curved into a taunting smile.

"What are you waiting for?

"Are you waiting for this drop of an Ancient Abomination's source blood to invade? If that's the case, then there's no need to wait any longer."

He looked at the Evil Thought Flower as if it were an idiot. A drop of black ooze seeped out from the colorful patterns on his body. The slime quickly gathered in the center of his palm, where it spun ceaselessly.

This drop of source blood, the very same that even Bertutan couldn't shake off, had been expelled with ease, like a rat flushed from its hiding spot!

???

How...

'How did he do that?'

While the Evil Thought Flower was still reeling in confusion, it watched as that drop of an Ancient Abomination's source blood was forcefully broken down by the [String] into its most essential power. After purging the corruption within, it was rapidly absorbed by the crimson patterns on Shi Ming's right arm. Like a tonic, it actually improved his condition!

"Not a bad feeling."

"I really should thank you. This pure malice, while I can't absorb it directly, can be purified and converted into fundamental energy. It's a novel way to increase my strength, and far more efficient than absorbing the Origin Power of some Nirvana creature."

'Absorbing one drop of source blood hadn't changed my five core attributes in the slightest, but it's common knowledge that a qualitative change is born from quantitative accumulation. If I could completely purify and absorb the power of this entire Evil Thought Flower, the results might be quite impressive.'

Seeing the undisguised greed in his eyes, the Evil Thought Flower's rage ignited into a palpable flame. It had always been the one to cast its malice upon lesser beings. Never before had it felt like prey being stalked by a predator.

Its two flower buds bloomed simultaneously.

Instantly, malice and corruption surged forth like a dragon baring its fangs and claws, creating a pressure so dense it was nearly liquid. Beneath the cavern, its rhizomes churned. Slender rootlets rapidly grew into massive, gnarled roots resembling intertwined, horned dragons, erupting violently from the ground!

Sanctuary of Ten Thousand Filths!

Root of All Evil!

Meanwhile, Shi Ming's assault never ceased.

The moment the Power of Word took effect, he simultaneously unleashed [The String] and [Purify]. [Time] provided a slowing effect, while [Bore] relentlessly searched for an opening. And all the while, his ultimate weapon, the Sword in the Stone, was gathering power.

From the moment the fusion with [The String] was complete, from the moment the Eye of the Divine finished its evolution, the outcome of this battle had already been sealed.

...

...

...

On the battlefield, Shi Ming unleashed one Nirvana skill after another as if they cost him nothing. Although it was his first time wielding the three authorities of the Eye of the Divine in actual combat, they were not nearly as difficult to control as one might expect.

In fact, it was incredibly smooth.

As simple as opening and closing his eyes.

Meanwhile, in his Sea of Spirit, a greatsword stood plunged into the surface, gathering power in the depths for a fatal strike. Vast swaths of the 'seawater' were drained of their Spiritual Power. The Colorful Insect, suppressed beneath the Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower, was tossed about like a leaf in a storm, scared into absolute silence.

'He's too strong!'

'Too strong!'

'Right now, he could definitely slay a Celestial Calamity. The rule of being undying and indestructible—he would surely shatter it.'

The Colorful Insect's eyes darted about. It deeply regretted ever making a deal with Shi Ming. The origin of the Bicolored Celestial Calamity it had lent him had become the fulcrum to move a world, the butterfly whose wings started a hurricane. It was the very thing that had brought such a disaster upon the high-and-mighty Evil Thought Flower!

'Once Shi Ming finishes off this Evil Thought Flower,'

'...who will be his next target?'

'Will it be me?'

'The Colorful Insect and Shi Ming did indeed have a contract, one sworn on a Nirvana Origin: he would return my origin within a year and set me free. But all of that was predicated on us both surviving. If the creditor—me—dies, then of course the debt never has to be repaid... and my freedom will be nothing but an unreachable fantasy.'

The Colorful Insect watched the Evil Thought Flower, now in full retreat and suddenly powerless to fight back. For a moment, its heart filled with despair.

'I have to save myself!'

'I must save myself!'

The Colorful Insect made up its mind. Finally, from beneath the Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower, it used what little power it had left to transmit some information to Shi Ming that only high-rank aberrations could perceive.

Shi Ming was just about to draw the Sword in the Stone to cleanse this dense filth and malevolence.

"Human!"

"Its true body is not the plant and flower buds growing outside!"

"Beneath its 102nd root lies the source of its power! It should be a power reserve left behind by the legendary [Evil Thought Heaven]. Right now, the Evil Thought Flower is dispersing that power into its various roots—a clear sign it's preparing to escape! You have to stop it quickly! Otherwise, even if you destroy it today, it will use that scattered origin to sprout and be reborn ages from now!"

Shi Ming was a little surprised.

'Not bad, Colorful Insect.'

'He who understands the times is a man of wisdom. It seems you've grasped the true meaning of abandoning darkness for light. You've truly earned a precious "new life."'

The Sword in the Stone erupted from the sea!

Terrifying Spiritual Power descended from the heavens. It shot past the Evil Thought Flower's external form and plunged into the ground beneath its 102nd root. In that instant, it erupted, unleashing an all-consuming spiritual tempest. The storm was so vast that it even formed bizarre, swirling clouds above the Sea of Chaos in the world outside!