Chapter 302: Third Class?

In the hall, most pirates sat frozen in place, seemingly alive but with their consciousness utterly extinguished.

Only a very few pirates—those without clones and who, like General Zuo, had principles—survived.

The next instant, the blurred figure within the warped spacetime vanished, along with all treasures inside the collapsing inner voids of the dead, disappearing without a trace.

"I… survived?"

"Does this elder only target evil pirates?"

"What technique? Soul annihilation?"

"Huh? Wait, Alars's clone and my clone are both back home—his soul was protected by the homeworld's primordial source, so how did it dissipate too?"

"Could it be… even those with clones died too?"

"Among Rain Emperor's three clones, one was beside that great Chaos Domain Primordial God—protected by a Primordial God, shouldn't he be safe?"

Among the survivors, relief was mixed with dread and awe.

…

In the Void Sea, within a mysterious island.

On the island stood an ancient, dark castle, where a man in blue robes knelt before its gate, gratitude on his face: "Great Primordial God, that unknown Ancestor seems ready to strike a fatal blow—thank you for intervening to protect me; from now on, I will surely…"

Before he finished speaking, his body stiffened, his eyes filled with terror, then went utterly blank.

His aura gradually faded into deathly silence.

"Huh?"

A voice of surprise rang out, and a black-robed figure radiating boundless Chaos Primordial energy appeared outside the castle, staring in disbelief at the blue-robed man's corpse.

"Consciousness destroyed? Ignoring my protection, directly annihilating consciousness?" The black-robed figure could hardly believe it.

The Clone Technique grants exceptional survival capability.

In theory, only two or three methods exist that can kill all clones simultaneously.

Either control the soul's thoughts, forcing other clones to commit suicide.

Or use causality or quantum techniques, destroying them via the invisible links between clones.

But mind control is easily countered—such as pre-setting safeguards within the soul, so that the moment one clone is controlled, the soul self-destructs, preventing the damage from spreading to other clones' souls.

"Consciousness-level attack?" The black-robed figure, radiating boundless Chaos energy, frowned.

As a Primordial God, even if he couldn't constantly channel boundless Destruction Primordial energy, his every ability could maintain strength at the cosmic upper limit at all times—and he was immortal.

Even remote causality or quantum techniques, unless exceeding cosmic limits, could be easily blocked by him.

Yet, just now, he felt absolutely no attack.

Thus, it could only be a consciousness-level attack.

Consciousness is the root of existence and the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe.

Between clones, even if souls and personalities differ, they share the same consciousness—no matter the distance, even across separate spacetimes, the connection remains unbroken, precisely because of consciousness.

"Could Third Ancestor possess such a technique?"

The Chaos Domain Primordial God frowned. "Impossible."

He had held the position of Chaos Domain Primordial God for too many eons—countless ages had passed; among the six Primordial Gods, only the Order Domain Primordial God and Life Domain Primordial God had lived longer than him.

To him, the Three Sacred Sites' Ancestors were mere children.

Yet he could not transcend—he had remained on the Primordial God throne for far too long.

"Who, then?"

The Chaos Domain Primordial God frowned, using his Primordial God Seal's innate spacetime domain to investigate—but found nothing.

"Indeed, spacetime techniques masked the aura…"

He was uncertain. "A Transcendent? Or a miracle whose will, genes, and body all reached the cosmic upper limit?"

With his experience, he would not assume it was one of the Three Ancestors merely because of a spacetime technique.

"Enough…"

The Chaos Domain Primordial God took a deep breath. "I'll speak with the other five."

…

…

Vast Void Sea.

Within warped spacetime, Lin Qing sped across endless seas at astonishing velocity.

"Illusionary Great Annihilation is indeed powerful."

Lin Qing silently marveled. "Rain Emperor, with such weak mental will, had no resistance at all—one strike erased his consciousness, along with all his clones."

Even a fellow powerhouse whose will had truly manifested could see their power halved by Illusionary Great Annihilation.

Those far weaker than him would have their consciousness instantly obliterated.

A powerful being need not have strong will.

For instance, the will requirement to become a Void Deity was only one-tenth of the level of truly manifested will.

Many top-tier powerhouses who roamed the Void Sea possessed willpower only a fraction of his.

"Pity—Yuan Emperor's will was just a hair's breadth from touching the cosmic upper limit; so was the Immortal Chaos Child—cannot be directly annihilated."

Lin Qing silently shook his head.

But at least he could greatly weaken these two.

Of course, even weakened, Yuan Emperor, protected by his homeworld's primordial source and his survival techniques, was beyond Lin Qing's ability to instantly kill.

—This was mainly because his Supreme Technique was a domain, not an offensive one.

If he failed to instantly kill Yuan Emperor, the Star Abyss Lord would sense it and send down power—then even if the Little Tianyuan Seat Ancestor intervened, Yuan Emperor could still escape—this had already occurred in simulated futures.

And the Immortal Chaos Child's power had reached Star Abyss Level 24.

Keep in mind…

To reach Star Abyss Level 24—the cosmic upper limit—a Void Deity must possess a Supreme Technique and cosmic-limit genes, or cultivate a Chaos Artifact Set nearly ready to transform into a cosmic treasure, plus cosmic-limit genes.

Yet the Immortal Chaos Child was not a Void Deity, yet still possessed such power—clearly, it wasn't merely a Supreme Technique, a near-cosmic-treasure artifact, and limit genes.

He must have surpassed the cosmic limit in at least one aspect.

"I'll wait until my Life-Weapon emerges."

Lin Qing didn't dwell on it, immediately heading toward his next pirate target.

"Eliminating Rain Emperor and these pirates gave me so many points—I'm almost there…"

…

…

In the blink of an eye, several millennia passed.

Eastern Pole Seas.

Amid spacetime tremors, boundless stray energy coalesced into a figure radiating transcendent energy, entirely wrapped in bandages, revealing only a pair of cold, profound eyes.

It was the Space Island Ancestor.

Simultaneously, a streak of light shot up from the depths of the sea vortex, transforming into a golden-armored youth.

"Your Highness, what urgent matter brings you to me?" The Space Island Ancestor smiled.

Over these years, he had personally helped eliminate several Star Gods hiding in the homeworld civilization—especially after killing the Chaos Child of the Ancient Wheel Civilization—causing the golden-armored youth to treat him far more favorably.

The youth had even voluntarily revealed he belonged to a royal faction of the homeworld, permitting him to address him as "Your Highness."

"Something major may have happened."

The golden-armored youth frowned deeply. "Have you heard that in recent years, over half of the Void Sea's Four Emperors and Seven Marshals have been killed by a mysterious powerhouse suspected to be a Transcendent?"

"I've heard." The Space Island Ancestor nodded. "I found it strange too, but I've detected no trace of this person. And logically, the six Primordial Gods or the other two Ancestors wouldn't target Void Sea pirates."

The golden-armored youth fell silent, then said: "I suspect it's the Lord of the Shanhai Realm."

"Lin Qing?"

The Space Island Ancestor stared in shock. "Impossible? Lin Qing's strength is decent, but only at Star Abyss Level 21. The Four Emperors and Seven Marshals include many stronger than him, and even the weaker ones aren't far behind—how could he do it? Especially since some hid within homeworld sanctuaries."

"Oh? Not necessarily."

The golden-armored youth spoke slowly. "I've long recognized Lin Qing as the most promising among you in this Void Sea—that's why I targeted him first. Do you know where he was heading when I went to kill him?"

"Where?" The Space Island Ancestor frowned.

"Misty Star Sea." The golden-armored youth spoke low. "And he actually entered it."

"Misty Star Sea?" The Space Island Ancestor frowned.

Countless eons ago, when he was still a disciple of the Little Tianyuan Seat Ancestor, he had heard the Ancestor had gained something from Misty Star Sea.

Over these years, he had explored Misty Star Sea many times—yet found nothing.

Even the six Primordial Gods had visited—also found nothing.

"Misty Star Sea has endured for countless eons without fading—it's clearly a Level-3 Civilization relic."

The golden-armored youth's face turned icy. "Perhaps it was left behind by a being as great as my master."

He frowned. "Lin Qing's mental will is already slightly above mine—if his genes also reached the cosmic upper limit, he could naturally manipulate spacetime, gaining a miniature spacetime domain."

"Miniature spacetime domain?" The Space Island Ancestor froze—he'd never heard of such a thing.

Mainly because he'd never witnessed it.

In the Void Sea, every eon produced some whose will reached the cosmic upper limit—but those whose genes reached it were vanishingly rare; even he hadn't achieved it.

Let alone both simultaneously.

"Eighty percent chance—it's Lin Qing."

The golden-armored youth's face was icy. "Though my will is still just short of reaching that level, it's only a matter of time—and in my homeworld, such geniuses aren't rare."

He glanced at the Ancestor of the Time-Space Island. "This man has been exterminating pirates everywhere—he's clearly after the Cosmic Star Patrol Alliance's points. And if he truly were a Transcendent, he could appear anywhere in the Void Sea at will; he wouldn't need to wait so long between each strike."

The Ancestor of the Time-Space Island nodded slightly. "Indeed."

"Lin Qing was already at the level of Will Manifestation. Perhaps he obtained an artifact in the Misty Star Sea that boosted his genes to the cosmic limit—so it's not surprising it's him."

The golden-armored youth said coldly, "He's definitely cultivated the Supreme Secret Art long ago. He's just far inferior to me in divine artifacts, and the secret art he inherited clearly allows him to use such artifacts effectively. If he's given enough time, it'll be troublesome."

The Ancestor of the Time-Space Island was secretly startled.

This Chaos Child, from a civilization he didn't know, was already the most terrifying genius he'd ever seen. In the past, he'd never imagined a Chaos Child could possess such power.

This made him suspect the other might be a genius from the Immortal Realm or the Abyssal Realm.

And yet, such a terrifying genius would still fear Lin Qing so much?

This stirred a faint trace of regret within him.

Lin Qing's origins and background were clearly far inferior to the other's, yet he'd still reached this point—his potential was clearly greater.

If he didn't break ties with Lin Qing, perhaps he could benefit even more in the future?

But it had come to this. Even though the Ancestor of the Time-Space Island could see others' future lines, he could no longer discern Lin Qing's future—he knew there was no turning back.

"Then eliminate him quickly," the Ancestor of the Time-Space Island said slowly. "But if he hides entirely within the Mountain-Sea Realm, we can't reach him. Best to kill him before he forges his Life-Weapon, stripping him of his Divine Core and severing his path to Chaos Godhood."

The golden-armored youth frowned slightly. "Severing his path to Chaos Godhood already makes him your mortal enemy. Better to kill him outright."

The Ancestor of the Time-Space Island frowned. "But he's sealed the Mountain-Sea Realm completely—even we Transcendents can't enter. This…"

"It's just an isolated spacetime," the golden-armored youth said coldly. "I have my own way to seal the world-force of the Mountain-Sea Realm. But this opportunity comes but once—we must ensure absolute success."

"Seal the world-force?" The Ancestor of the Time-Space Island's eyes flashed with shock.

He had never imagined such an artifact existed—one that could seal the world-force of even a hidden realm?

"I heard the Ancestor of the Little Tianyuan Throne might aid Lin Qing?" The golden-armored youth glanced at the Ancestor of the Time-Space Island. "Have you conveyed my message to him?"

"Of course," the Ancestor of the Time-Space Island nodded. "But that old thief Little Tianyuan still seems to be observing—he's given me no reply."

"Ask again," the golden-armored youth said. "Tell him the Mountain-Sea Realm is about to collapse, that Lin Qing is on the brink of death—will the Little Tianyuan Throne's master still help him?"

He added, "What about the one from the Sacred Hall of the Ten Thousand Gods? What's her stance?"

"Her origins are mysterious—she wasn't born from the Little Tianyuan Throne. But I can ask," the Ancestor of the Time-Space Island said.

"Find out quickly. The sooner we act, the better."

The golden-armored youth said coldly, "Delaying only gives Lin Qing more time."

The Ancestor of the Time-Space Island pondered a moment, then said, "If so, perhaps we could first sever Lin Qing's path to Chaos Godhood. Once he loses his Divine Core, we can strike the Mountain-Sea Realm?"

"Oh?" The golden-armored youth turned to the Ancestor of the Time-Space Island.

The Ancestor of the Time-Space Island said, "Lin Qing's target is the Four Emperors and Seven Marshals. Though he can kill such powerhouses instantly, even if I observe from afar, I cannot teleport in time. But if we lie in wait for one of the surviving Four Emperors or Seven Marshals, won't we be able to catch him?"

The golden-armored youth nodded slightly. "That could work. But it must be during the Star God Strife—and I must be the one to kill Lin Qing. You only need to disrupt his spacetime domain to prevent his escape."

"Agreed. Little Tianyuan's old thief still hasn't replied. Perhaps he still wants to help Lin Qing. We mustn't tell him about this plan—he might warn Lin Qing."

The Ancestor of the Time-Space Island nodded, then asked, "But, Your Highness, do you have absolute confidence?"

"Confidence?"

The golden-armored youth sneered. "Cosmic-limit genes are commonplace in my imperial clan. He's only cultivated one Supreme Secret Art. Star Gods of his caliber may be extinct in the Void Sea—but among my clan's Star Gods, he's merely third-tier."

"Third-tier?" The Ancestor of the Time-Space Island froze.

A Star God of such power could be called legendary, appearing once every countless eons in the Void Sea—and yet he was only third-tier?

What kind of imperial clan could be so terrifying?

…

…

The Void Sea, Western Extreme Seas.

"This is the last surviving one among the four Void Sea Pirate Emperors—Emperor Yue."

In the twisted spacetime, Lin Qing hovered in midair, a strange golden symbol deep in his eyes, and the path ahead displayed distributions of fortune and misfortune: "This is one of the Seven Marshals—Marshal Canghai. This is another of the Seven Marshals—Marshal Tiannan…"

"Hmm?" He suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Emperor Yue's fortune is so poor? Is someone lying in wait for me? Could it be…"

After a long pause, Lin Qing made his decision: "Time is running short. The Cosmic Star Patrol Alliance's points are already sufficient—I only need a Chaos-colored Divine Core and enough fortune…"

(End of Chapter)