Higher Existence

He raised Lifetaker, wreathed in deathly energy. Roiling black flames spread outward along the blade, their heat enough to smelt a planet scorching the surrounding air.

This guy was badly wounded. End this quickly.

The Ancient Dragon's reminder rang in his ear. After the Heart-Questioning Trial, he and Bai Heng had formed a symbiotic bond.

Now, it had become the pair of lacquered golden dragon horns atop Bai Heng's head.

Having received Nanook's blessing and formed a symbiotic bond with a Suiyang, Bai Heng was not nominally one of the Lords of Destruction under Destruction's command.

Yet as a newly born Emanator of Destruction, he had long surpassed those lowest-ranking Lords of Destruction.

Before Shuhu could retract its branches, surging deathly energy swept down from the branch where Bai Heng stood like a tidal wave.

Withering, rotting, the power of destruction twisted the flesh of Abundance.

The vines covering Shuhu's body began to tremble. The expressions on the thousands of bloody human faces growing from its branches twisted into savage grimaces.

They groaned in unison:

"Worm of Destruction, you are merely a newly born false god. Do you really think you can kill me?"

"Why don't you guess?" Bai Heng smiled and stopped wasting words on it.

In his right hand, black flames burst from the black hole formed by deathly energy compressed to its extreme, pouring down upon the golden thousand-faced monster tree.

The golden vines Shuhu extended began to shudder, instinctively fearing those black flames.

They contracted together, forming a golden spiderweb in an attempt to block—and even capture—the black flames.

But the instant the golden web touched the black flames, deathly energy seeped deep into the vines.

The surging black flames were not enough to melt away its vines, but they continued to spread.

Like a black storm, like a raging plague, they threatened to engulf the thousand-faced monster tree that reached from the earth to the vault of heaven.

Blood rain still fell from the dark brown sky, but the demonic star weeping bloody tears had already turned ashen brown.

Shuhu felt unwilling.

As a disciple who had heard the teachings beneath the Path of Abundance, it had yet to bestow the Path of Abundance's doctrine and blessings upon this universe.

Unwillingness, rage, and suppressed emotions made every head upon the thousand-faced monster tree tremble.

The golden vines shed their outer skin and transformed into enormous tentacles of flesh.

"I could clearly grant you eternal life, grant you the blessings of Abundance, free you from the suffering of flesh and blood, yet you remain so stubborn. Hahahaha..."

All the heads grinned viciously at once, staring at Bai Heng as they spoke in unison:

"Worm of Destruction, every triumph over death is supreme joy. Like theirs, your flesh is insignificant, but perhaps your pain can entertain me."

The fleshly branches that had shed their shells split into two.

One of them stretched toward the ancient waters of Scalegorge Waterscape.

The other broke through the restraints of the black flames. Its proliferating flesh continually struggled against the spreading deathly energy as it pierced toward Bai Heng.

Bai Heng raised a hand. Lifetaker floated before him, and a translucent blood-red gleam appeared upon his lacquered golden dragon horns. He looked toward the golden phantom in the distance and said, "Divine General, do not let that branch approach The Ambrosial Arbor."

The Divine General, whose form had become somewhat translucent after losing its controller, raised its golden formation blade again. With the last of its strength, it drove the enormous blade down from the heavens one final time, piercing through Shuhu's branch.

Meanwhile, Bai Heng wielded Lifetaker as though he were commanding a flying sword for the first time over a decade ago.

"We Cloud Knights swear to shelter the Xianzhou as clouds shield the sky, never touching the ground."

"Abominations of Abundance, the Xianzhou is not a place for you."

Lifetaker plunged downward, wrapped in black flames. Gradually, the phantom of a colossal dragon emerged, its body covered in black scales and as vast as a mountain. Carrying towering flames and the sharpness of countless blades, it pounced upon Shuhu.

It tried to stop it, but the fleshly branches were instantly severed by deathly energy and reduced to scraps of bloody pulp.

The dragon phantom passed through the giant tree, bit through Shuhu's fleshly branch, and tore apart the entire dark brown sky.

The blazing heat of the black flames gradually faded. Shuhu's proliferating flesh churned like evaporating liquid until it turned to ash.

The skies above the Sea of Stars Skiffs were unveiled, revealing the brightness the star sea should have possessed.

The blood rain that had corroded all the undying abominations came to a halt as well.

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From that day on, Calamity-Bringer Shuhu was successfully suppressed.

Every soldier on this battlefield witnessed the battle unfold.

No matter how deeply this war had made them suffer, at this moment, every one of them felt heartfelt joy and relief.

Yes, they had won, and they had survived.

"Protect the Xianzhou! Long live the Cloud Knights!"

No one knew who shouted it first.

Everyone present began to chant together:

"Protect the Xianzhou! Long live the Cloud Knights!"

"Protect the Xianzhou! Long live the Cloud Knights!"

"Protect the Xianzhou! Long live the Cloud Knights!"

Their voices resounded through the entire star sea, shaking heaven and earth.

At that moment, Bai Heng landed where Shuhu had been burned away.

There, a seed still remained, wrapped in deathly energy.

Bai Heng pressed a hand to his chest, blood staining the corner of his mouth as he approached the seed.

To be honest, he had not actually been certain he could defeat Shuhu.

All that composure had merely been an act to overwhelm his opponent in terms of presence.

After all, even though he possessed power beyond that of a Lord of Destruction, he could not wield it proficiently. He could not even bring out half of its true effectiveness.

That final strike had even inflicted backlash upon himself.

Just as he approached the seed Shuhu had left behind, preparing to reclaim it—

Bai Heng drove a starskiff over, carrying Dan Feng, who had fallen unconscious after she had just called him back from dragon madness, as well as the injured Jingliu. She landed not far from Bai Heng.

Leaping from the starskiff, Bai Heng supported Jingliu and ran toward him, asking, "Little Bai, are you alright?"

Hearing her voice, Bai Heng turned around and forced a reassuring smile.

"Master Jingliu, Bai Heng, I'm fine. Just a minor injury. My waist and back are aching. Once we get home, Master Jingliu can give me a massage and I'll be fine."

Hearing that, Bai Heng looked at Jingliu with a mischievous grin and said, "Jingliu, you can't beat him now. You can only let him do whatever he wants with you."

Jingliu shot Bai Heng a glare, her voice weak.

"Shut... shut up. Who says... I can't beat him?"

Seeing that the two of them were safe and sound, Bai Heng felt relieved. But just as he was about to speak, a sharp pain stabbed through his head.

Jingliu was the first to notice something was wrong. She looked at Bai Heng and moved to step forward.

"Bai Heng?"

But the moment she took a step, Bai Heng clutched his forehead and cried out hoarsely, "Don't come near me!"

The next instant, the pain on Bai Heng's face was instantly replaced by a smile.

He slowly straightened, and that careless air about him vanished without a trace.

He paid no attention to Jingliu and Bai Heng beside him, simply walking gracefully toward the seed Shuhu had left behind.

When he reached it, Bai Heng stretched out a hand, gripped Shuhu's seed, and smiled. "The blessing of Destruction, the seed of Abundance, and this body. It seems I can become a higher existence as well."

Only gifts give me the motivation to post extra chapters, boohoo.