Chapter 42

Pioneer! Knowledge! Pure Beauty!

The terrifying power of the Three-Layer Envoy tier surrounded this figure.

They did not collide, oppose, or clash—instead, they circled this figure in harmony, resonating with one another, as if nurturing something great.

“What, Black Tower, have Itachi forgotten me after all this time?”

Hermes, appearing amid the starry sky, was also startled as the boundless, immense Pure Beauty Path surged toward him.

This was not merely Path energy!

It contained something more fundamental—Authority!

The Pure Beauty Path had actually opened its Authority to him!

An endless torrent of Pure Beauty root power seemed intent on elevating his essence, upgrading his life tier?

“What exactly have Itachi done? How did Itachi change so drastically?”

Black Tower swiftly stepped out of the ship and approached Hermes, staring at him with wide, fixed eyes…

Amid her astonishment, Black Tower also felt a faint twinge of envy.

She had often said: “The great mechanical head glanced at me, and thus the world lost one Pure Beauty Envoy.”

Yet now, someone actually existed who could simultaneously serve as both Knowledge and Pure Beauty Envoy?

“What can I do? I simply walked the Path—and naturally arrived here.”

After expending considerable effort, Hermes finally temporarily stabilized his wildly surging power.

“I never expected that the path I’ve traveled farthest on would again become the Pure Beauty Path?”

Feeling this, Hermes couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.

After the flood of the Paths subsided, Hermes’s figure finally became clearly visible before Black Tower.

Looking at Hermes, who now slightly frowned, he seemed to have become the most beautiful thing in existence.

Every gesture and movement imposed immense pressure, keenly sensed by Black Tower.

It was as if the entire starry sky had begun to boil, as if welcoming the descent of some great being.

“Your life tier seems to be ascending to a higher dimension?”

“Are Itachi about to ascend to godhood?”

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Black Tower’s mind; overwhelmed with shock, she could not suppress this conclusion.

“Ascend to godhood?”

Hermes fell into brief silence. He merely contemplated the possibility—and the Pure Beauty Path itself erupted in jubilation, as if, should he wish it, he could leap directly into godhood.

He sighed and explained regretfully: “If I chose to ascend to godhood now, it would completely disrupt my plans. It’s not yet the time.”

In truth, attaining Pure Beauty Star-Godhood was purely accidental.

Yet, though he temporarily declined ascension, with nearly all Pure Beauty Authority now his, just how strong was Hermes now?

To be honest, even he himself couldn’t be certain.

“Damn! Itachi really might ascend to godhood? And as Pure Beauty?”

Black Tower was left speechless by his answer.

Is this even human speech?

What do Itachi mean it’s “not yet time” to ascend?

Are Itachi saying that if Itachi wanted to, Itachi could ascend right now?

“Huh? What day is it today? Why are all of Itachi showing up at once?”

At that moment, Hermes suddenly turned his gaze elsewhere, astonished to see a train directly teleporting toward them.

The Stellar Express!

The Train Crew also chose today to arrive?

“The Stellar Express?”

Black Tower snapped out of her shock and asked thoughtfully: “Hermes, Itachi’re Yesuanshi an Explorer Envoy now, right? Can Itachi sense whether Archivili truly perished?”

Archivili’s sudden disappearance had long been an unsolved mystery across the cosmos.

Could it be the sabotage of another Star God?

But that doesn’t make sense!

During that time, there was no great war among Star Gods.

Moreover, though the Explorer Path had lain dormant for a while, it remained intact overall—no Star God had chosen to tear it apart.

This hardly looks like the sign of an Explorer’s demise.

Yet now, there exists a genuine Explorer Envoy.

Surely he could sense something?

“Archivili?”

Hermes’s expression grew complex.

Had Archivili not vanished suddenly, he himself might still be an anonymous traveler walking the Explorer Path.

Hearing Black Tower’s question, Hermes paused, then gave a subtly nuanced answer: “If we speak within this grand universe, the Explorer Star God might be considered deceased…”

“Your answer…”

With her intellect, Black Tower could extract vast information from this nuanced reply.

At that moment, the Stellar Express arrived before the two.

“Hermes, it’s been a long time.”

The train door opened; Ji Zi, who had traveled the cosmos for so long, looked at her old friend—now transformed in aura—and sighed: “If I didn’t know Itachi’d walked far along the Explorer and Knowledge Paths, I’d swear Itachi were a true Pure Beauty Envoy!”

The mere faint smile Hermes revealed seemed to add radiance to the starry sky.

This deep, instinctive fondness he inspired surpassed even the Silver Branch—the original Pure Beauty Knights—in its authenticity as a true Pure Beauty Path practitioner!

Even she, upon seeing this Hermes, felt her heart quicken for an instant…

Leaving aside Ji Zi’s complex thoughts, their reunion once again brightened Hermes’s gaze.

Her wine-red hair remained unchanged, yet now her golden eyes seemed to hold boundless starlight, her lips curved in a smile as soothing as spring breeze, every motion exuding an indescribable poise and elegance.

“Hey! Ji Zi, why don’t Itachi believe Hermes actually became a Pure Beauty Envoy?”

Black Tower, her expression complicated, interjected, feeling deeply conflicted.

“Lady Black Tower, it has been some time. Your grace remains undiminished.”

Surprised that Black Tower here was not a puppet but her true self, Ji Zi offered rare praise, then asked curiously: “But Hermes cannot possibly be a Pure Beauty Envoy—throughout the cosmos, no Envoy has ever held two Paths simultaneously…”

“Not just two Paths?”

Black Tower, unusually patient, explained: “Itachi’re wrong—the sky has indeed seen an Envoy who held two Paths at once!”

“That is the current Lord of Annihilation, Star’s Howl—she was once the Companion Envoy, Infinite Elder, and later, in the ashes, was elevated to Lord of Annihilation by Destruction and Rebirth!”

“Yet, in truth, the Companion Blessing upon Star’s Howl was never fully reclaimed by the Companion!”

Black Tower gazed at Hermes as if he were the sole treasure in the world: “But now, the record of dual-path Envoys has been shattered!”

“In the galaxy today, a never-before-seen Three-Path Envoy has been born!”