Super God: I simulated the heavens and was broadcast live in public

Chapter 295 The Seventh Fragment

He looked up at the floating fragments and, sure enough, saw that the brightest fragment of the Tian Shu star corresponded to the one in his hand.

As Yunming embedded the fragment into the center of the Big Dipper Formation, all the skeletons suddenly sat up, their empty eye sockets staring at the crystal ball, and in unison uttered a hoarse chant: "Those who return to their positions, bear the responsibility of Heaven's Way—"

Yuan Tiangang's black mist form emitted a shriek, attempting to seize the last fragment.

But suddenly the jade pendant on Yunming's chest flew up and transformed into a wall of light that separated the black mist.

The six fragments fused together again in the light of the jade pendant, and the crystal ball returned to its original state. At that moment, the entire secret chamber began to collapse, and a blood-red barrage of comments suddenly appeared on the live stream screen:
"The seventh fragment is inside you."

The damp stone walls emanated a ghostly blue fluorescence, and moss curled up eerily at the boundary between light and shadow.

Yunming's tactical boots crushed a glowing beetle, the crisp sound echoing long in the enclosed space.

Ge Xiaolun's palm pressed on the stone door mechanism, and the metal patterns suddenly glowed with a bloody light, startling him so much that he quickly withdrew his hand.

"Don't touch it!"

Yunming grabbed Ge Xiaolun's arm, his gaze falling on the center of the stone gate—where half a charred finger joint was embedded, the fingernail still bearing the fingerprint of the red gold wrench that Yuan Tiangang had worn in his lifetime.

Rose raised her tactical flashlight, the beam sweeping across the dense engravings on the stone wall. The distorted symbols seemed to move in the light and shadow, much like the nerve network of some living thing.

"look at this."

Qi Lin's gun barrel picked up a piece of rotten cloth, the fragment embroidered with a faded yin-yang fish pattern. "Yuan Tiangang has been here at least three times. The flow of time here might be different from the outside world, judging from the last piece of clothing."

Her voice suddenly stopped because the water on the ground reflected the scene behind everyone—a charred human figure standing in a corner that should have been empty.

Lena's solar flare danced in her palm, but froze the moment she saw its outline.

It was a carbonized corpse, with half a crystal shard stuck in its chest, and black blood mixed with ice crystals slowly flowing from its empty eye sockets.

Yunming's pupils contracted sharply. The corpse's clothing was completely different from the Yuan Tiangang they had seen in the live broadcast—it was a Ming Dynasty Taoist robe embroidered with star maps.

"etc."

Ge Xiaolun suddenly pointed to the depths of the secret chamber, where twelve bronze mirrors floated, each reflecting a different scene: a burning city, frozen ruins, and the wreckage of mechs covered in vines. When Yunming's gaze swept over the seventh mirror, his heart clenched—standing in the mirror were the people he had seen at the base before he woke up, but their pupils were filled with strange golden patterns.

“The Spirit Abyss is not power, but a filter.”

Yunming's throat tightened as he recalled Yuan Tiangang's twisted spine before his death, the protruding bones perfectly matching the carvings on the stone wall. "The person who touches the crystal ball will be rewritten as a 'key,' but Yuan Tiangang failed, so he became a monster somewhere between a human and an energy being."

Suddenly, all the bronze mirrors trembled at the same time, and the charred corpse reflected in the water slowly raised its head.

A familiar voice rang in Yun Ming's ears—Yuan Tiangang's screams mingled with the wails of countless men, women, and children, finally coalescing into a muffled whisper: "...The Seventh Reincarnation...They've come."

The moment Lena's beam cleaved through the darkness, the bronze mirror shattered with a deafening crash.

Countless fragments reassembled in mid-air, piecing together a 3D projection of the Super God Academy base.

Yunming saw himself in the projection standing in the middle of the crowd, and his right hand—he had somehow grasped half of a crystal ball, the same golden patterns flowing within the crystal ball as those in the bronze mirror.

"Yunming! Your hand!"

Rose's scream was torn apart by the violent tremor.

A dark blue fluid gushed from the cracks in the ground, condensing into chains at everyone's ankles.

Ge Xiaolun swung his knife at the chain, but the blade sank into the fluid as if it were in a swamp. The liquid climbed up the blade onto his arm, instantly blooming into ice crystal-like patterns.

Yunming staggered backward, his lower back hitting the cold stone platform.

My fingertip touched a recessed line, and when I looked down, I saw that the stone platform was engraved with the same palm lines as my own.

The instant his palm touched the wall, all the bronze mirror fragments simultaneously pierced the wall, piecing together a star map—the position of the seventh star of the Big Dipper was precisely their current coordinates.

"They're waiting for us to become the 'key,' but who are 'we'?"

Qi Lin's gun barrel began to frost over. She suddenly looked at Yun Ming, her gaze falling on the red mark that had appeared on his neck at some unknown time. Its shape was very similar to a shard of a crystal ball. "Was the Yuan Tiangang you saw on the live stream really the first time he touched the crystal ball?"

The crystal ball's light swirled around Yunming's fingertips like a living thing, its coolness carrying a pulsating warmth.

The guardian phantom raised its hand and waved it lightly, and star-shaped patterns appeared around the stone platform, each pattern embedded with a dim crystal fragment.

"The power of Lingyuan was divided into seven parts and sealed in different times and spaces."

The guardian's voice suddenly became distant, "Yuan Tiangang has already taken three portions, the remaining four..."

Before the words were finished, four streams of light shot out from the illusory fingertips, which entered the brows of Zhao Xin, Qiangwei, Ge Xiaolun, and Yunming respectively.

Ge Xiaolun groaned, fragmented images flashing through his mind: on a desolate planet, a blue-glowing crystal was embedded in a huge mechanical wreckage; Zhao Xin pressed his temples and saw that in the blood-red desert, the totem worshipped by the sand people was actually a crystal engraved with runes; Rose felt a chill run down her spine as she stood in the wreckage of the space station and saw dark red light swimming in the pitch-black universe through the porthole.

"These are spacetime anchor points."

The guardian explained, "You must gather all the fragments within three days, or the Spirit Abyss Core will become completely unbalanced."

"and many more!"

Yunming suddenly grabbed the guardian's wrist—though it was just a phantom—"Why was Yuan Tiangang able to take the fragment? Is he also connected to Lingyuan?"

The phantom remained silent for a moment, and then a star map appeared in the center of the stone platform. Suddenly, a dark red star burst out with dazzling light: "Yuan Tiangang was the previous guardian... until he discovered the existence of the 'other side'."

Rose frowned: "The other side? You mean a parallel universe?"

“It’s more dangerous than that.”

The Guardian traced the star map with his fingertips, black mist seeping from the crack-like patterns. "That is the 'back side' of all worlds, filled with indescribable existences."

Yuan Tiangang wanted to use the Spirit Abyss as a gate to "invite" them into our universe.

Yunming felt a chill on the back of his neck. He suddenly remembered the jade pendant his grandfather had given him before his death—it was now burning hot in his pocket.

When he took out the jade pendant, the guardian's phantom trembled violently: "This is... the token of the first guardian! So Lingyuan's choice was never wrong..."

Before he finished speaking, the entire stone hall suddenly shook violently.

Zhao Xin pointed his spear at the dome, where black viscous liquid seeped from the cracks in the rocks, coalescing into the shape of a crow, each eye a reflection of Yuan Tiangang's face opening and closing: "You little brats, didn't the Guardians tell you? The one who collects all the fragments can also become the new hinge..."

"Come on!"

The Guardian shattered the dome with a wave of his hand, revealing a sky covered in dark clouds. "Head to your respective anchor points! Yunming, you go to the 'Mechanical Graveyard,' where the fragments are the most unstable!" Rose grabbed Yunming's wrist, a rare look of worry flashing in her eyes: "We only have three days, and we don't know where Yuan Tiangang will ambush us."

Yunming gripped the jade pendant tightly, the light from the crystal ball shattering into starlight in his pupils: "Then don't give him a chance—Zhao Xin, Ge Xiaolun, you two are in charge of the ground debris; Qiangwei and I will go to the space station."

Remember, whatever you get your hands on, don't touch it easily!

As everyone leaped off the stone platform, Yunming looked back and saw the guardian's phantom gradually dissipating. The last thing he saw was the other party's lips twitching slightly, but without uttering a sound—"Be careful."

Before the dizziness of interstellar jump hit him, Yunming heard his heart pounding like a drum.

He didn't know that when he held the fragment in the mechanical graveyard, the patterns on the jade pendant would perfectly match the fragment; nor did he know that in the shadow of the dark red star, Yuan Tiangang was revealing a cold smile through the eyes of a raven.

"It's finally starting..."

Yuan Tiangang stroked the black crystal in his palm, its surface reflecting Yun Ming's image. "The 'key' chosen by Lingyuan, will it be the one who opens the door, or the one who becomes the door?"

Inside the tent, the candlelight flickered. Zhao Xin's fingertips slowly traced the boundary line of Yunming's forces on the map, and the wax condensed into irregular amber patterns on the bronze candlesticks.

Lena suddenly slammed her hand on the table, causing the sand on the parchment scroll to scatter.

"Let me go!"

Her golden armor shimmered in the firelight, and the arch of her eyebrows resembled the soaring eagle on the blazing sun totem. "Rose is right, you are the backbone of the Anguard—but didn't that guy want to see the power of the God of Knowledge? I'd like to see how many rounds his scheming can withstand in the face of a stellar flare."

Rose lowered her eyes and fiddled with her earrings, the silver ornaments shimmering with light between her knuckles.

This action always appears when she is weighing the pros and cons, much like how she used to strategize on the Time Rose back then.

"The blazing sun can indeed intimidate ants,"

She suddenly looked up, a cunning glint in her purple eyes. "But a treacherous person like Yunming might use your sharpness as bait—for example, to lure our main force deep into our territory, and then join forces with the surrounding forces to encircle us?"

Before the words were finished, a metallic clanging sound suddenly came from outside the tent. A scout stumbled in, and a secret report that rolled out of his arms was clearly marked with the Black Raven emblem.

The moment Zhao Xin picked up the parchment, his knuckles turned white from the force.

The handwriting on the paper was messy yet glaring: "Yunming invites the Goddess of the Blazing Sun to drink together, with a three-day limit. No more waiting after that."

A drop of blood-red ink spread out at the signature, resembling the mouth of a snake poised to pounce.

"It was indeed a trap."

Rose sneered, her fingertips tapping rapidly on the table. "He calculated that we wouldn't let the dignity of Lieyang Star be humiliated, and he also calculated Lena's temperament—"

"enough!"

Lena suddenly drew her sword, its blade cleaving the shadows in the tent in two. "I, Lieyangxing, never fear a challenge."

Three days later, I will return with that man's letter of surrender, proving that God's mercy is only for those who deserve forgiveness.

Zhao Xin hesitated, his gaze shifting between Lena's flushed cheeks and Rose's slightly furrowed brows.

Outside the tent, the night wind whipped sand and gravel against the canvas, and the distant howls of wolves rose and fell, sounding like the whispers of a massive conspiracy about to be laid.

"Let me arrange for hidden sentries to accompany you."

He finally pressed down on Lena's sword hilt, his voice rough and gritty, "At least... bring a space beacon unit to provide support thirty kilometers away."

The Void Engine modified bodies in Yunming's possession are no easier to deal with than the Taotie Legion from back then.

Rose suddenly chuckled and flicked a yellowed star map from her sleeve.

The map shows the meteorite belt surrounding the Yunming stronghold circled in cinnabar, with each celestial body marked with densely packed calculation formulas.

"No need to bother."

Her fingertips brushed against a blue-white dwarf star, and a confident smile curved her lips. "I've calculated the tidal forces. Tomorrow night's midnight meteor shower will be enough to plow a ten-meter-deep trench around his camp—Lena, all you need to do at the banquet is stall until then."

Lena stared at the red dot jumping on the star map, then suddenly reached out and grasped Rose's cold fingertips. The gilded armor and silver mechanical prosthetics overlapped and shone strangely in the firelight.

"Watch my back."

She grinned, revealing the sharp curve of her canines. "When I smash that guy's wine glass on his head, remember to make sure the meteor shower starts on time—consider it a farewell gift from the Sun Star to the tyrant."

Outside the tent, just as the new moon pierced through the clouds, three signal flares of different colors suddenly burst open in the sky.

Red like the blazing sun, purple like the stars, silver like a sharp blade.

The man raised his hand and stroked the long sword that gleamed coldly at his waist, a faint smile playing on his lips: "My name is Xiao Li, the commander of the secret guards under Lord Yunming."

I've heard that Commander Zhao intends to cooperate with my lord?

The black-clad guards behind him took half a step forward at the same time, their killing intent solidifying and creating visible ripples in the air.

Lena slammed her hand on the table, flames burning fiercely in her palm: "Cooperation? Who wants to cooperate with you! Stop pretending to be ignorant!"

The energy patterns behind her lit up, making the surrounding walls sizzle.

Xiao Li's gaze swept over Lena, his eyes full of contempt: "The little princess of Lieyang Star is still so impatient."

"If it weren't for Lord Yunming valuing your abilities, you wouldn't even be worthy of our attention."

Before he could finish speaking, Rose had already drawn a dagger with lightning speed and pressed it against Xiao Li's throat: "Get to the point, what did Yunming send you here for?"

The cold glint of the dagger reflected on Xiao Li's unchanging expression. He calmly said, "Lord Yunming knows that you all have doubts about him, so he specially ordered me to deliver this token of our sincerity."

He raised his hand to signal his men behind him, and the men in black immediately brought over a sandalwood box. They opened the lid and found ten dark energy crystals emitting a ghostly blue light neatly stacked inside.

Zhao Xin's pupils contracted slightly: "This is... Void-level energy? Where did you get so much of this?"

He unconsciously tightened his grip on his spear, and an electric current surged across its metal surface.

Xiao Li withdrew his gaze and stared at Zhao Xin: "Lord Yunming controls three dark matter veins; these are just a drop in the ocean."

He said that as long as the three were willing to join forces, the benefits would be plentiful.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Rose: "Especially Miss Rose, the master greatly appreciates your abilities."

(End of this chapter)