Painting No. 85: Star Level, Fourth Tier

“I still don’t really know you. Are you thinking of Little Gold? Worried about the exam? For you, Little Gold is a part of yourself—would you really spend time worrying about yourself? As for the exam, you’d avoid it if you could. You’re definitely just looking for an opponent to test your star-level strength.” With those words, Sang Sang fell silent and didn’t speak again until they entered Cain’s cavern. Only then did she release the Heavenly Emperor. When there were just the two of them, Sang Sang pointed to her heart, her eyes as dark as ink: “I hate the Holy Maiden of a Hundred Flowers too. Everything she’s done to me, I remember here. When the chance comes, I’ll make sure she knows that even a barbarian from the wastelands can make her wish she were dead.”

The Heavenly Emperor shivered.

Sang Sang glanced at him, then sat cross-legged. “Inside the temple, the central mind is everywhere, and there are countless powerful beings. If your strength isn’t enough, you’d best behave and remain as insignificant as an ant in their eyes.” She closed her eyes. “The Holy Maiden won’t stay in the temple forever. As long as she leaves her stronghold—aside from her ability to bear children, she’s useless—the kind of resolve she has, if I can’t kill her, I can at least drive her insane.”

Her calm tone sent a chill straight up one’s spine.

The Heavenly Emperor recalled Sang Sang’s methods with her enemies in the past and felt a twinge of pain. He retreated to a corner, facing the wall in silence. He’d been too naïve to think Sang Sang was intimidated into submission by the might of an advanced civilization. As someone who never forgave a slight, holding grudges was essential for her. It wasn’t that there would be no revenge—just that the time had not yet come.

Ah, I just used several idioms in a row! My studies have really progressed!

How I long to test out my Space-Time Devouring skill.

Forget it, I’ll develop a new skill first and try them both together when the time comes.

While the Heavenly Emperor’s thoughts ran wild, Sang Sang had already begun her breakthrough.

Just as she’d once said, as long as she wished, breaking through was a matter of minutes. Ever since she’d absorbed the experiences of the Primordial Demon Lord, the King of Myriad Worlds, and the Lord of the Bitter Realm in the God-Tomb, she’d been more than confident—especially after personally witnessing the Heavenly Emperor’s breakthrough and the process of condensing a space-time star core. Her certainty had grown even greater.

She chose her main law, infused her mental power, compressed and condensed it, fusing the law with her mind, and formed the star core.

Confident as she was, Sang Sang proceeded with utmost caution during the condensation of the star core. Fortunately, she didn’t grow arrogant or complacent. The space-time star core was much harder to form than a single-attribute star core, and it required far more energy than she’d anticipated—forming it consumed nearly half the energy stored in the cave.

As Sang Sang advanced, the space-time phenomena were even more pronounced than with the Heavenly Emperor’s breakthrough. Not only did space-time fluctuations appear, but visions of fire, earth, water, and wind gathering—the scene of a world’s creation—manifested. Sang Sang wasn’t surprised; after all, the King of Myriad Worlds and the Lord of the Bitter Realm were both tied to the creation of worlds. Moreover, she’d chosen the Universal Space-Time Law, which encompassed all the material, energy, space, and time required for a world to form.

Now at star-level, Sang Sang once again saw the world of the Source Laws—a realm woven from countless matrix-like strings, some simple, some complex, all radiating various waves. Multicolored lines intertwined to form a flowing river, and if she magnified them infinitely, she could see that each line was made up of symbolic arrays.

Sang Sang didn’t make a move immediately; instead, she traveled upstream along the river of the Source. She wanted to know what lay at the end of the Source.

It was familiar.

The deeper Sang Sang went, the more familiar it felt, like returning to a place she’d once known well.

Was it when she’d broken through to the Heavenly rank and connected with the Source? Or was it an illusion brought on by the runes?

No, it was neither.

This was the origin of her soul, the final destination at the end of life.

She didn’t need a reason—she simply knew. Unlike what the Primordial Demon Lord had claimed, she was not an outsider whose soul had never touched the Source. If she hadn’t come from the Source, how could she feel she’d returned home?

She couldn’t go any further. Any more would be dangerous.

Danger. Stop.

The warning in her spiritual sense grew more urgent with each pulse.

Fine, I’ll stop here.

Sang Sang retreated along the current to a safe place, then activated her innate ability.

—Reverse Synchronization.

Her consciousness split into countless fragments, each attuned to a different law. Sang Sang didn’t absorb them herself; rather than trust her own comprehension, she trusted the wondrous effects of her innate ability.

She channeled the innate power that had never let her down into her space-time star core.

Go on, devour freely. Universal space-time—this is your first step toward growth.

Reverse Synchronization mutated. Some of the synchronized laws were cut off and repelled, but even more laws were drawn in. Eventually, her consciousness split into thirty-six thousand parts, each pulling a law with it.

Laws were truly different from living beings—Sang Sang could easily control thirty-six thousand cultivators weaker than herself, but now she found it strenuous, fearing that the synchronized pull of Reverse Synchronization would collapse at any moment.

Almost as soon as she worried about the collapse, her consciousness contracted to twenty-four thousand parts; only two-thirds of the laws remained synchronized.

Sang Sang felt a bit better, but she still couldn’t hold out for long.

Her consciousness contracted again, and this time only twelve thousand laws remained linked.

That’s enough—the pull is at its maximum.

In the next instant, the space-time star core expanded, enveloping all the synchronized laws. One by one, stars lit up, devouring the corresponding laws. The speed of absorption was not much slower than Sang Sang’s own comprehension.

Outside, in the cavern, the energy grew thinner and thinner, yet Sang Sang absorbed it like a bottomless pit. The Heavenly Emperor took out a space-time vessel and released his backup reserves. It wasn’t until nearly half the energy he’d pilfered from Archbishop Anthony’s secret realm was gone that Sang Sang’s absorption finally slowed, her sea of consciousness nearing saturation.

When Sang Sang opened her eyes, the Heavenly Emperor immediately leaned over. “You used twice as much energy for your upgrade as I did, and I have a dual star core. What exactly did you do in the Sea of Source?”

“Communicating with the Source lets you absorb laws—what else?” Sang Sang tapped her head. She’d absorbed so much her head felt heavy, just like the fatigue after overusing her brain in the past.

“Let me see.” The Heavenly Emperor pressed his forehead to hers, and his consciousness entered Sang Sang’s sea of awareness without invitation.

“Your sea of consciousness is bigger than mine.” The Heavenly Emperor smacked his lips, glanced at Sang Sang’s soul form, and reached into the water formed by star power. His own star power was black and glossy, but Sang Sang’s was clear as ordinary water, sparkling with countless colored lights. Yet when he tried to gather them, the colorful sparks disappeared.

“You’ve stored more energy than I have.” Delving deeper, the Heavenly Emperor found her space-time star core and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Sang Sang’s core was even more unique than his own; it resembled a highly translucent amber, with a nebula of tens of thousands of stars revolving inside. The Heavenly Emperor lay on top of it, eyes full of awe. “So this is Universal Space-Time. Aside from space and time, most of your secondary laws are a full realm higher than before. You gained a lot in the Sea of Source—your star core is twice the size of mine!”

Sang Sang merely snorted, her whole body lazy, like a cat too satisfied to move after a good meal.

“Sister, you just jumped straight to the fourth stage of star-level. I’ve accidentally been surpassed!” The Heavenly Emperor wailed, rubbing his face against her star core. “Let me borrow some of your luck. When I next break through to the Void level, I want to reach fourth stage in one go—third stage isn’t enough.”

Sang Sang was too lazy even to retort. She simply ejected him from her sea of consciousness. Cuddling her star core felt even better than cuddling another person—more sensitive, too. Annoying.

ps: Next chapter at 8 p.m. tonight, please, please subscribe and support ~~~ (To be continued.)