Chapter 640: Are You Gu Nie All This Generous?

‘Oh? And who said ancient evils don’t help each other?’

‘It seems this Annihilation Heaven is quite the believer in unity and mutual support!’

After receiving the prophecy from the Eye of the Divine, Shi Ming had considered every possibility and prepared a contingency plan for each. He’d planned for being exposed and forced into a direct confrontation, just as he’d considered the possibility that his disguise would succeed and the other two ancient evils would offer their support.

But he certainly hadn’t expected Annihilation Heaven to introduce himself and then immediately start bleeding himself dry.

He seemed a bit impatient.

Origin Blood was an ancient evil’s most precious asset, second only to their very Origin.

Such a generous gift made Shi Ming feel a flicker of embarrassment for a thousandth of a second. ‘Truly imperious,’ he marveled inwardly, ‘befitting this generation’s leader. Even if this power conceals some ulterior motive, the Origin Blood itself is real and can’t be faked. This is a massive investment on his part.’

Then again, Annihilation Heaven was clearly under immense pressure.

The complete eradication of the Flower of Evil Thoughts meant their side had lost a cornerstone of its high-end combat power. What was even harder for Annihilation Heaven to accept was that a new power had emerged in the Star Sea, one strong enough to rival the Flower of Evil Thoughts. If “they”—whoever they were—continued to recover and conservatively build their strength, there was no telling if this new power might not grow into another “God.”

Annihilation Heaven had to consider not only the present, but also the future.

From his perspective, ensuring Original Sin Heaven—the heir to the power and symbolism of Sinful Heaven—revived as quickly as possible and grew into another ancient evil was the most important and urgent priority.

Finding the villain who had destroyed the Flower of Evil Thoughts would have to wait.

Paradise Heaven, who stood behind Annihilation Heaven, spoke up.

She scoffed.

“What are you waiting for?”

“You could spend millennia in this ancestral land, absorbing sin and suffering, and you still might not cultivate a single drop of Origin Blood this pure on your own. If it weren’t for the fact that all ancient evils share the same origin, why would Annihilation Heaven help you?”

“Hurry up and absorb it.”

With things having come to this, Shi Ming naturally wouldn’t refuse. He could already sense Annihilation Heaven’s mark lingering within the river of Origin Blood. Once he absorbed it, he would undoubtedly be under Annihilation Heaven’s thumb in the future—a classic honey trap. But Shi Ming’s specialty was peeling off the sugar coating and throwing the cannonball right back. As one’s power grew, another’s would diminish. This wasn’t just a chance to strengthen himself, but also an opportunity to weaken his opponent.

Dark green thorns grew like tentacles from his body. Their tender tips dipped into the drops of Origin Blood, greedily siphoning the power within. The process was like using fertilizer to force growth; it could shorten an ancient evil’s recovery time a thousandfold, but it wasn’t instantaneous. It still required time to guide and digest the power.

Shi Ming didn’t use the power of his Right Arm Red Pattern, carefully controlling his own Star Sea power. He had to ensure it remained concealed under the cover of the Eye of the Divine, lest his enemies discover it.

If he were discovered, this would be a very different story.

…

…

…

Haaah~

Paradise Heaven let out a lazy yawn.

She wasn’t tired, just bored.

With nothing better to do, she began to wander through the Sinful Dream Realm. It was like visiting an art gallery, admiring the countless floating dream bubbles. Shi Ming had already taken care of Xiaobai, securing both the body and the still-recovering consciousness. Now, every flaw in the Sinful Dream Realm was perfectly concealed.

‘The creatures in this Star Sea really are fascinating.’

‘These dreams, passed down through generations… the desires within… just seeing the images makes my heart ache with longing. Mortals spend their entire lives chasing different desires. Finding them brings joy; failing to find them brings suffering. The pursuit itself is inevitably accompanied by slaughter and the natural blossoming of evil thoughts. And all of it… is so delicious.’

‘Heh heh.’

‘That bygone Sinful Heaven… backing up its Origin here was truly a wise choice.’

‘If Luxury and Lust Heaven had possessed such foresight back then, I probably could have revived successfully without Annihilation Heaven’s help. I might have even been the first ancient evil to make a full recovery.’

Paradise Heaven drifted from one dream to the next.

Sometimes she was a mere spectator, other times she immersed herself in the experience.

She saw a mermaid making a wish for love and a Prince becoming the thrall of a venomous snake for power. She saw a warrior who had sailed seven times in pursuit of adventure and wealth, and she saw both fools and sages sinking deep into their own desires…

‘How wonderful.’

‘These dreams are all so alluring. The real world in this Star Sea must be even more magnificent.’

She glanced at Annihilation Heaven and Original Sin Heaven in the distance. They were still occupied with the revival process; who knew how much longer it would take.

Annihilation Heaven had told her not to reveal herself to the Star Sea Creatures before their plan was complete.

‘But just finding a little harmless fun couldn’t be considered exposure, could it? Those lowly creatures, weaker than a common nightmare, would never perceive that the one bestowing joy upon them was a lofty Chaos King…’

With a flicker, Paradise Heaven left the Sinful Dream Realm.

…

…

…

Inside Shi Ming’s Sea of Spirit, the Colorful Insect’s senses were sealed. Even though a single drop of Origin Blood had been enough to restore its cultivation to the level of a Celestial Calamity, it still couldn’t perceive what was happening outside the Hundred-Floor Celestial Tower.

‘Damn you, Shi Ming.’

‘What scheme is he cooking up now?’

‘The one-year mark is almost here. He’s not going to go back on his word, is he? He’s not planning on keeping the Origin of the Bicolored Celestial Calamity!’

The Colorful Insect cursed in fury.

To prove its loyalty, it had once voluntarily offered its Bicolored Origin to Shi Ming, but he hadn’t accepted it.

The Colorful Insect knew that the current Shi Ming had long since grown too powerful to care about the measly Origin of the Bicolored Celestial Calamity. Unfortunately, Shi Ming had a reputation for plucking a feather from every passing goose. Whether he would actually return the Origin… the Colorful Insect truly wasn’t sure.

Its senses were sealed, cutting it off from any new information. All it could do was quietly recuperate inside the tower.

But as it was recuperating, it suddenly sensed two sublime, powerful, and strangely familiar energies. They seemed to emanate from a place that was both infinitely distant and yet right on top of it. That old feeling of “déjà vu” washed over its consciousness once more.

It was like a bolt from the blue.

‘Familiar powers…’

‘The Flower of Evil Thoughts…’

‘The abomination that called itself Three Paths Heaven…’

‘And now these two similar powers… They’re so familiar. Who do they belong to? Who am I…?’

‘I am the Bicolored Celestial Calamity…’

‘I am the sealed abomination… I am the Colorful Insect…’

‘No…’

‘I’m not.’

The Colorful Insect felt its very genes descending into chaos. Tumultuous thoughts swirled within its body, as if every cell, every sliver of its consciousness, was trying to sprout a new brain.

‘I…’

‘I am… the reviving Sinful Heaven. I am the Sinful Heaven whose ancient evil Origin was stripped away, the one sealed by the Wishing Stars of countless worlds…’

It remembered.

It remembered everything.