Chapter 195: Destroy the Wisdom Star Group!

Inside the dim labyrinth, the only light source was the firelight on the walls on both sides.

"The last one."

Lin Qing's figure moved, instantly appearing before the five-meter-tall black metal guard, while casually slapping it.

"Boom!"

The neck of the final labyrinth guard snapped directly, its head flying out like a cannonball and shattering against the incredibly hard wall.

Lin Qing walked into the room at the end of the labyrinth; inside the bright and spacious room, only two human-shaped crystal statues of similar size stood.

He stepped forward and began to accept the inheritance of the Fusion Technique.

The labyrinth trial of Sky Island No. 288 was naturally no difficulty for him; he didn't even need to deploy World God, relying solely on his current body to easily defeat the labyrinth guards one by one.

With his body embodying the four divine skill characteristics of World God, even bare-handed, he was sufficient to defeat ordinary Yu Xingyuan Level Six cultivators.

"The Fusion Technique... truly defies heaven."

After accepting the inheritance of this secret technique, Lin Qing couldn't help but reveal a slight smile. "Although it requires mutual understanding and familiarity, almost no psychological defenses to succeed, it is still outrageous enough..."

If he could obtain a human clone with sufficiently powerful genes, his own genes could continuously rise and approach that level through repeated fusion.

"The next one."

Lin Qing did not waste time and immediately left this sky island.

As a Primitive Divine Officer, one can explore five sky islands in the middle-tier sky islands.

Besides the divine skills of the Army Commander and the Starry Sky Demon series, and the Fusion Technique, Lin Qing chose another special secret technique and a set of two groups of Holy Words for the other two sky islands.

The special secret technique is the "Hidden Eye," which can accurately observe the opponent's remaining lifespan, gene index, attributes, fatal points of the life form, and so on based on the enemy's life aura, and this observation cannot be detected.

And these two groups of Holy Words, "Gravity Perception" and "Overlooking the Microscopic," allow one's sensing ability to delve into a transcendent degree.

These two groups of Holy Words are helpful not only for cultivation but also for combat and enemy detection.

Gravity is the manifestation of spacetime curvature; the "Gravity Perception" group of Holy Words can sense minute changes in gravity, and combined with "Overlooking the Microscopic," it can pinpoint changes down to microscopic particles; it is said this group of Holy Words is also helpful for the transformation of Void Creatures.

Currently, in terms of direct combat power, with World God by his side, he is already strong enough; what he lacks is in other aspects.

The Star God assessment does not look only at direct combat power.

Moreover, the Hidden Eye can be combined with the Life Token left by Kadoan; once the opponent's lifespan and gene index are confirmed, one can directly reduce the opponent's lifespan.

"It's over."

After leaving the fifth sky island, Lin Qing also understood that this was the last opportunity to learn and receive inheritances in the Sky Islands before Earth opened.

Therefore, he chose inheritances most beneficial to himself as much as possible to complete himself as much as possible.

"There are still a few techniques I want to learn, but... I can only wait until next time."

Lin Qing hovered in mid-air, took one last look at this cluster of sky islands floating above Earth, and then exited the Second Universe Network.

Consciousness returned to reality.

"The Sky Islands have only been open for five hours."

Lin Qing glanced at the time. "Dean Chu and the others haven't come out yet; let's ponder the newly learned Holy Words and secret techniques... The entry difficulty of the Hidden Eye seems quite low, but modifying oneself is quite troublesome..."

The detection secret technique for the Divine Son trial learning had long been repaid.

Inside the desolate, cold, purely dark alien space.

Councilor Yan Qingqing floated in this vast dark space; relying on the Tier Four Starry Sky Battle Suit, even in a complete vacuum where the temperature was only 2.725K of the cosmic microwave background radiation, she could still live easily.

"This alien space..."

Councilor Yan Qingqing frowned tightly: "It is actually Lin Qing's doing?"

She had already asked the Nine-Star Civilization my lord in the Second Universe Network.

That my lord had clearly told her that given her current situation, if the opponent never opens this alien space, only the Ancestor of the Nine-Star Civilization could save her.

If she had a slight chance to rush out at the instant the opponent opened the channel of this alien space.

—Provided she had that strength.

"I can't break through now..."

Councilor Yan Qingqing sensed this alien space but couldn't find even a trace of floating energy.

She had long fulfilled the duties of her Divine Office multiple times and had thoroughly realized how to transform into a Star Creature; she had only deliberately suppressed it to explore the Sky Islands.

But...

As a Level Seven Life Form, a Star Creature requires Level Seven energy.

Inside this nearly absolute vacuum alien space, how could she break through?

"I can only wait; no matter what, I must survive..."

Councilor Yan Qingqing waited silently, maintaining a state of minimum consumption, slowly providing energy to the Starry Sky Battle Suit.

Once the spatial channel opened, it would be the moment for her to unleash her full power.

Even if she was not Lin Qing's match, with the trump card left to her by that my lord, even facing a Yu Xingyuan Level Six, she had hope to escape.

Several hours later—

Suddenly, in the dark and desolate alien space, a beam of light appeared; that light was like a channel, through which the outside world could be vaguely seen.

"Now!"

Councilor Yan Qingqing's pupils contracted; she immediately unleashed all her power and rushed toward the opened channel in a nearly mad frenzy!

In this zero-gravity environment, speed easily skyrocketed; under her explosive energy recoil, she instantly covered dozens of kilometers and charged into the opened spatial channel!

As the space before her eyes shifted, Councilor Yan Qingqing found she had already appeared in a spacious reception hall.

But the instant she extended her mental force, she fell into complete despair.

Because…

In the reception room, besides Lin Qing, whose eyes mocked her, there were three others.

Yi Leina Duo, Chu Hongjun, Qi Lingxiao!

Three Star Divine Officials?

She froze instantly—how could she escape now?

"Kneel down."

Lin Qing casually extended one hand, pressing his palm downward; a giant phantom hand appeared, swatting her to the ground like a fly.

"Boom!!"

The solid floor remained unharmed, protected by invisible force; Yan Qingqing slammed into the floor, her vision darkening, spewing a mouthful of blood, feeling countless bones shattered and internal organs extensively ruptured.

Such injuries would kill an ordinary person, but she naturally wouldn't die—she was already healing rapidly.

But long, slender dark-gold chains shot out, writhing like spiritual snakes, binding her, then locking her completely in place.

She knelt helplessly on the floor, drenched in blood, flesh torn and mangled, looking utterly horrific.

"Not bad."

Qi Lingxiao praised, "Such immense power, yet so precisely controlled—you didn't kill her with one slap?"

Lin Qing said calmly, "Nothing much—just didn't want to kill her."

Kneeling on the ground, Yan Qingqing's heart instantly surged with hope.

At that moment, a powerful ethereal mental force seeped into her body, inch by inch scanning her, then shattering all her nanomachines and Second Universe Network login device.

Simultaneously, her subspace storage device and Starlight Battle Suit also detached from her.

Then Yi Leina Duo spoke softly: "Enough, Lin Qing—she can no longer contact the outside."

"Thank you," Lin Qing nodded.

Chu Hongjun watched from the side and said, "She's merely a servant of Zhi Star Group—she can't leak secrets. What use is keeping her?"

"No!" Yan Qingqing, kneeling on the ground, immediately gritted her teeth: "I still have value! I know important figures from a Level 1.9 civilization! I once saved that great figure from the Nine-Star Civilization! If you let me go, I can become a mole for you—I…"

"Again? Still lying, Yan Qingqing?"

Lin Qing's mocking voice cut her off: "You're nothing but a household servant of that Nine-Star Civilization great figure—you can't change anything."

Yan Qingqing stared at him, disbelief flooding her heart: "Impossible… how could he possibly know?"

That she was that great figure's household servant—only Lei Tong knew even within Zhi Star Group, and barely anyone in Yuan Chen Civilization knew; how could Lin Qing possibly know? "But… I can give you a chance to live."

Lin Qing looked at her and said: "I know you're secretly absorbing energy to break through. I'll give you a chance to break through—when your transformation ends, if you can defeat me, I'll spare you."

"Are you serious?" Yan Qingqing stared at him.

She had indeed been doing exactly that.

For some reason, she found the energy in this reception room extraordinarily stable and pure—easy to absorb and refine, a hundred times simpler than her normal cultivation!

So she frantically absorbed the ambient seventh-tier energy, hastening her transformation.

If she could transform into a Star Being, seventh-tier energy wouldn't just optimize her genes by several times—it would also engrave seventh-tier Sacred Glyphs, allowing her power to reach Yu Xingyuan Level Six!

Moreover, as a Star Being's consciousness, she could control seventh-tier energy and manifest the Star Origin Domain on her homeworld.

With that, she'd have absolute confidence to counter Lin Qing's Divine Technique—she might even win!

"Whether true or false, this is your only path."

Lin Qing stared at her, speaking calmly: "You have no choice—either I kill you now, or you decide for yourself."

Not a single word, not a single mistake, not a single flaw in content!

Though Yan Qingqing said nothing, her full-force absorption of energy for transformation already revealed her choice.

Moments passed.

Under the pure, stable ambient energy, Yan Qingqing's life tier had fully transformed, her genes completely optimized.

Yet her Divine Office power and Sacred Glyphs remained at sixth-tier—she still needed to absorb more energy to transform further; she remained silent, continuing to silently absorb energy with all her strength.

Lin Qing observed nearby, his eyes shimmering with faint ripples, never leaving Yan Qingqing.

The Hidden Eye he had previously borrowed now saw her completely clear.

His goal had been achieved—he no longer cared to wait for her to continue transforming.

"Enough."

In an instant, a dark-gold stream of light in Lin Qing's hand solidified into a sharp long blade.

"Huh?" Yan Qingqing's expression changed.

Though her power had more than doubled, she was still only at Yu Xingyuan Level Five—she had no chance of blocking Lin Qing's Divine Technique.

"Wait! I haven't…"

Before Yan Qingqing finished speaking, Lin Qing flashed before her eyes—a slash of blade-light swept across her neck.

Hair and a beautiful head fell together, blood gushing forth.

Lin Qing looked at the long blade in his hand, sensing the faint life essence of a Star Being within, then turned to Yan Qingqing and mocked: "Star Beings really are different—just one more kill, and the Soldier Lord Divine Office will have enough to trigger a life transformation experience…"

He'd only ever intended to use her as fuel to advance the Soldier Lord Divine Office—he never truly planned to wait for her to fully transform.

"You…"

Yan Qingqing's head rolled away, her eyes fixed fiercely on him, then gradually lost their light, sinking into deathly stillness.

Lin Qing felt no lingering emotion—he casually waved his hand, reducing her corpse to dust.

Though she was his enemy from a past life, he had long since stopped regarding Yan Qingqing as anything.

As for torturing her?

For a Star Being, consciousness is as stable as a star—pure physical suffering holds no meaning.

What she feared most was the immediate extinguishing of all hope.

Now, using her life to unleash its final warmth as fuel for his evolution, it is only karmic retribution.

He could never, like her, abandon everything just to survive.

This is merely an act of revenge.

"Enough."

Lin Qing sheathed his long blade, feeling the life essence integrated into his body, and nodded gently: "As Dean Chu Hongjun said, once the life-level transformation succeeds, killing them yields the same effect on the Warlord's divine office."

Chu Hongjun nodded slightly and said: "Next, we can begin targeting the Zhi Star Group. After dealing with Lei Tong, all the stellar beings from the extraterrestrial civilizations are yours."

"Understood." Lin Qing nodded.

Besides himself, his Black Flame avatar also needs sufficient slaughter.

Although the Black Flame avatar still needs to undergo the Primitive-Level Divine Office trial, it can be held back for now, and breakthrough can occur after passing the trial.

"The Sky Archipelago isn't over yet." Lin Qing asked: "Shall we act now?"

"We've already tried." Chu Hongjun said. "Star Office holders on the upper levels of the Sky Archipelago get only one chance to explore."

Yi Leina Duo nodded slightly.

"Did either of you find anything?" Lin Qing couldn't help asking.

"We found something, I suppose." Yi Leina Duo sighed. "I found a glimmer of hope for evolving to the next level—but it would take countless years, even then, only a slight possibility."

Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had already helped Yi Leina Duo awaken her Ninth-Level power: 【Soul Homeland】, meaning she already possessed a spatial talent.

Yet even that yielded only a glimmer of hope?

"Earth has no Ninth-Level energy. You cannot sense, comprehend, or directly use Ninth-Level power—you must create it from nothing."

Yi Leina Duo sighed. "No wonder Level 1.9 civilizations are so rare. The difficulty of evolving into a Void being is truly unimaginable."

Lin Qing paused, then said: "Ms. Yi Leina Duo, actually… not only does Earth lack Ninth-Level energy—neither does the entire universe. The Ninth-Level is a power tier invented by individuals alone. You must walk in darkness."

"Doesn't exist?" Yi Leina Duo murmured.

"All talents beyond the Eighth-Level are spatial talents," Lin Qing said. "What you sensed were actually Void Sanctuaries formed from spatial fragments—those belong to Level 2 civilizations, not Ninth-Level power."

He paused, then added: "If Ms. Yi Leina Duo finds a Level 2 civilization and enters its Void Sanctuary, your transformation might become much easier."

"Even easier, it still couldn't be achieved in one or two years."

Yi Leina Duo sighed and shook her head. "At a time when Earth is in peril, I can make great use of my power here. I cannot leave Earth now."

She looked at Lin Qing. "But you—if Earth truly becomes hopeless, you are the one who should leave."

Lin Qing paused, then said: "Actually, the situation isn't that dire."

He paused again. "Today, I met the Sky Island Warden. He told me… if I become a Star Office holder, I may have the chance to restore lasting peace to Earth, forever freeing it from extraterrestrial threats."

Becoming a Star Office holder is only a possibility—it requires becoming the Keeper of the Void Tomb to achieve this.

"What?"

Qi Lingxiao, Chu Hongjun, and Yi Leina Duo all turned sharply toward Lin Qing.

"Lin Qing, are you serious?" Qi Lingxiao couldn't help asking.

"Just becoming a Star Office holder?" Yi Leina Duo also blurted out. "Even if you become one, your power might dominate a Level 1 civilization, but Level 2 civilizations still threaten you. Are you certain?"

Chu Hongjun murmured softly: "Do you have confidence?"

"The Sky Island Warden has no reason to lie to me," Lin Qing nodded. "He said it himself: even Level 2 civilizations cannot threaten Earth, and Level 3 civilizations don't care about Earth."

At these words, the three's expressions changed visibly—hope flickered in their eyes.

"…Alright."

Chu Hongjun slowly nodded. "Before you achieve the Star Office, I will hold back any threat, no matter the cost."

"Understood," Qi Lingxiao said. "Don't worry. Unless it's a Level 1.9 civilization, I'm not afraid. The Yuan Chen Civilization's administrator is on my level."

Hearing this, Lin Qing couldn't help shaking his head. "Speaking of Level 1.9 civilizations, I have bad news to share."

He spoke gravely: "One Level 1.9 civilization—the Nine Stars Civilization—has confirmed Earth's existence. A high-ranking figure from the Nine Stars Civilization once came to Earth and had Councilor Yan Qingqing and Grok explore Earth's ancient relics and treasures."

Qi Lingxiao froze.

Yi Leina Duo's expression shifted.

"Of course…"

Chu Hongjun, as if expecting this, nodded slightly. "Councilor Yan Qingqing holds low status in the Zhi Star Group, yet she obtained the Three-Eyed Clan's eyes. I already suspected this possibility."

He continued slowly: "Now that the threat of a Level 1.9 civilization is imminent, we must seize the Seventh-Rank Fortress of the Zhi Star Group. Without the deterrent of destroying Earth, once Earth is exposed, it will fall in an instant before a Level 1.9 civilization."

If direct confrontation is hopeless, we must threaten what the enemy values most.

Even if it is ourselves.

"Tonight… we destroy the Zhi Star Group and expel every extraterrestrial civilization from Earth!"

(End of Chapter)