Swallowing the starry sky, my clones can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 119 Freedom

Boom!

The dazzling spear light crashed down like a bright star, and endless waves of extreme cold swept out, leaving a vast ice river in mid-air!

In an instant, a large hole appeared in the densely packed swarm of E-class mechanical puppets, which resembled a barrage of bullets.

The ancient and terrifying chill instantly turned all the surrounding mechanical puppets into ice sculptures, and then they collapsed.

Immediately following, Shen Mu transformed into a dazzling golden light and charged directly into the center of the battlefield, heading straight for the 10 pyramid-shaped spaceships.

"Second move of my self-created secret technique, Cold Light!"

An incredibly terrifying force of extreme cold gathered and condensed into an extremely thin stream of light, carrying a power that could tear through space and pierce through heaven and earth, shooting straight at the pyramid-shaped spaceship.

In that instant, the universe seemed as fragile as a thin sheet of paper. Before the spear's edge even arrived, its sheer sharpness left an incredibly thick, pitch-black crack in space.

call out!

The dark blue spear light was incredibly dazzling, piercing through the massive F9-class pyramid spaceship in an instant.

The terrifying defensive power of the so-called F9-grade metal was incredibly fragile in front of the treasure-level spear. It was as if an extremely cold air current from the ancient wilderness spread out and directly froze the entire spaceship.

"It represents the pinnacle of humankind's kingship!"

"A completely unfamiliar peak-level King-ranking realm, with absolutely no information whatsoever!"

"Run! Split up and run!"

The ten peak-level experts of the Mechanical Race immediately recognized the unfamiliar figure who had entered the arena. Their aura was definitely at the peak of the King level, which was incredibly terrifying.

They definitely can't win a fight; all they hope for now is to escape.

"Go and self-destruct!"

A peak-level Mech Race member directly ordered several ordinary Mech Race Immortals who had pledged allegiance to him to self-destruct.

The social structure of the Machine Race is very special because every Machine Race member is merely an intelligent life form at birth.

As intelligent life forms, they are born with the ability to recognize masters. Within the Machine Race, Machine Race members will recognize masters as those Machine Race members of a higher level than themselves, including Cosmic Venerables.

Unless the servant's strength surpasses that of the master, the higher-ups of the machine race will order the master to terminate the master-servant relationship; otherwise, the master-servant relationship will remain forever.

They have feelings; they experience a variety of emotions such as resentment, jealousy, anger, excitement, and happiness. However, "recognizing a master" is a core ability of intelligent life. Once they recognize a master, they will absolutely obey the master in essence and will not have the slightest thought of betrayal.

Apart from the pyramid spaceship that was shot down by Shen Mu in the first instant, the remaining nine pyramid spaceships began to accelerate wildly, pushing their speed to the maximum in an attempt to escape into the dark universe.

Even if the mechanical race's spaceships are a level more technologically advanced than those of the human race, it still takes a certain amount of time to accelerate from a standstill to near-light speed.

Even so, with the nine pyramid ships scattered, Shen Mu was overwhelmed and could only focus on the three pyramid ships with the strongest aura.

"My own movement technique, the Nine Steps of the Tide!"

Shen Mu directly activated the fundamental laws of the universe, and the fluctuations of the fundamental laws of water and space began to merge at this moment.

In the next instant, the space around Shen Mu seemed to transform into turbulent waves, and the changes in spatial distortion were completely integrated into his movement technique.

call out!

The entire 50-kilometer stretch of space in front of Shen Mu was distorted and compressed, transforming into a tiny wave in an instant. With a single step from Shen Mu, it directly traversed this vast distance and caught up with the pyramid-shaped spaceship.

At the same time, the Torrent Spear in Shen Mu's palm shone brightly, resonating with the power of the primordial laws of the universe, and bursting forth with an incomparably ancient and terrifying power.

hum!

Suddenly, incredibly complex runes of laws appeared on the body of the Torrent Spear.

"Raging Torrent Spear, Level 1!"

In that instant, the entire Torrent Spear seemed to transform into a wildly flowing galaxy, its power of laws condensing into an eternal, ancient, destructive chill that directly enveloped the entire pyramid spaceship.

"No!"

Inside the pyramid-shaped spaceship, a dark purple metallic life form let out a cry of alarm, immediately burning its divine power in an attempt to withstand the terrifying shot.

But none of it matters.

The spear technique that Shen Mu used this time was not his own self-created secret technique.

After Shen Mu created his spear technique, he specifically asked the Lord of Ice Peak for guidance. However, the Lord of Ice Peak only glanced at it and then exited the virtual universe without even offering any evaluation.

In fact, according to the proper classification of secret techniques, Shen Mu's self-created spear technique is already considered quite good among ordinary secret techniques, even slightly more profound than the Soul Imprint Secret Technique created by Teacher Hu Yanbo.

The "Raging Torrent Spear" that Shen Mu used this time was an ancient secret technique inherent in the Raging Torrent Spear.

To master even the first level, one needs to comprehend the complete laws of water, as well as the highest transformation of a spatial law.

With Shen Mu's mastery of the laws, this first level can only be considered a barely basic entry, barely able to be used, and far from being mastered.

In terms of pure power, it might not be as strong as Shen Mu's self-created secret technique, but if it is used with the Torrent Spear, then it is not on the same level.

Driven by 10 times the power of a realm lord and the accompanying secret techniques, the true power of the treasure was finally barely restored.

In an instant, the terrifying extreme cold completely froze the surrounding space.

Inside the pyramid-shaped spaceship, the divine power burning within the peak-level Marquis of the Mechanical Race was directly frozen into an ice sculpture. The entire divine body appeared flawless, but the spirit and life imprint within it had been completely destroyed by the extreme cold.

This is the power of a treasure; annihilating a peak-level Marquis is a piece of cake.

Above the sky, Shen Mu stood holding a gun, with endless ice mist surging around him, formed from cosmic energy solidified by extreme cold.

"They're running too slowly!"

The mechanical race's spaceships were indeed extremely fast, covering millions of kilometers within the time it took Shen Mu to fire a single shot.

On Shen Mu's golden armor, the dragon-shaped carving suddenly opened its eyes, and a faint blue light spread from the dragon-shaped carving, instantly enveloping Shen Mu's entire body.

At that moment, the spatial fluctuations around Shen Mu reached their peak, and then he disappeared from the spot.

Teleportation Technique, activate!

In an instant, Shen Mu appeared directly in front of the spaceship, and then raised his hand and fired a shot.

Boom!

A blue, eerie light enveloped a vast expanse of space, freezing even the fluctuations of space itself, as if it were encased in ice.

A dazzling spear beam pierced straight through the top of the pyramid-shaped spaceship, and with a deafening roar, the entire spaceship shattered.

"Why is it teleportation?!"

Inside the pyramid-shaped spaceship, the mechanical race member, who had reached the peak of his marquisate, was filled with immense resentment.

This peak-level Marquis chose to self-destruct. Facing an existence capable of teleportation, he knew he couldn't escape, but it was too late for self-destruction now.

Shen Mu's spear light pierced directly through the divine body of the mechanical race's Marquis, which was formed based on F9-grade metal. Eternal cold air spread out, instantly freezing the entire divine body and annihilating the life force within it.

This speed at which it erodes a divine body is far superior to that of Femore Venom.

Actually, even at the peak of the Marquisate level, there might not be absolutely no hope of escape, as Shen Mu's teleportation distance isn't too far now.

Under normal circumstances, once you've mastered "teleportation," the teleportation distance will be roughly the same regardless of whether you're a realm lord or a king.

Teleportation depends more on one's understanding of the "laws of space"! In an instant, the body merges with the spatial fluctuations and is directly transmitted to a certain spatial fluctuation coordinate location in a distant place that can be sensed.

Generally speaking, the distance for teleportation starts at 1 light-year.

For someone like Shen Mu who uses a secret technique to teleport, the teleportation distance is linked to their cultivation level.

With its current ninth-level Realm Lord-level Azure Dragon clone, the maximum teleportation distance is 1 million kilometers.

If the Azure Dragon clone achieves immortality, its teleportation distance, like its energy base, will increase a hundredfold, reaching 10 billion kilometers.

Then, as the divine body improves, the teleportation distance will become farther and farther.

The distance from the initial rank of Marquis is 10 billion kilometers; the distance from the initial rank of King is 1 trillion kilometers; and the distance at the peak of Kinghood is 10 trillion kilometers, which is the distance of one light-year.

It seems that once you reach the peak of the King-level realm, the Azure Dragon clone's teleportation technique becomes useless, since the peak of the King-level realm after mastering teleportation is also at this level.

That's not actually the case. After mastering "teleportation," Shen Mu Qinglong's clone can teleport at a distance of 10 light-years, which is 10 times stronger than that of an ordinary King.

In the distance, a pyramid-shaped spaceship, after Shen Mu's swift defeat of two peak-level Marquis-level beings, which caused a slight delay, successfully accelerated to the speed of light and entered the dark universe.

"Owner!"

"A peak-level King-ranking expert from a human race appeared, but failed to capture Mad Blade Marquis!"

On the screen in front of this peak-level Marquis, a dark golden metallic life form appeared.

"The pinnacle of kingship?"

The dark gold-colored mechanical race expert shook his head slightly: "If we can't catch him, then so be it. We owed King Cangjin a favor back then, which is why we helped him catch this Mad Blade King. Just do our best."

……

From the moment Shen Mu unleashed his full power to the final end of the battle, only a minute or two had passed.

In just one or two minutes, two Mech Race Marquises and more than twenty Mech Race Immortals were killed or chose to self-destruct.

Such a victory is quite rare on the Yanji Continent, but in the grand context of inter-clan wars, it is merely an insignificant note in an epic symphony.

call out!

Amidst the scarred battlefield, golden streaks of light crashed to the ground like meteors, raising endless clouds of dust.

Shen Mu's figure slowly emerged from the smoke and dust.

"Qing, are you... alright?"

The Star God Marquis's gaze towards Shen Mu changed slightly, and his starlight pupils, unique to the Star Spirit Clan, seemed to come alive at that moment.

Shen Mu's casual killing of a peak-level Marquis was even more terrifying than that of a typical peak-level King.

Apart from those incredibly ancient peak-level Kings who are only one step away from fully comprehending the complete superior laws and creating super secret techniques, most peak-level Kings need to burn a little divine power to kill peak-level Marquises in one blow.

Without a doubt, this Qing, who has always been very mysterious, is actually a being who stands at the very top of the entire Yanji Continent, comparable to a powerhouse like Night King in Barracks 026.

Shen Mu smiled and shook his head: "An attack of this level wouldn't be enough to injure me."

As they were talking, the four remaining Marquis-level members of the Mad Blade Squad, who had survived the battle, approached.

"The leader of the Mad Blade Squad, Mad Blade Marquis, pays his respects to Lord Qing."

"The Mad Blade Squad, King Kong..."

The four members of the Mad Blade Squad did not know Shen Mu, so they adopted a very respectful attitude.

The four members of the Mad Blade Squad first paid their respects, and then Mad Blade Marquis spoke up, saying, "Lord Qing, we are willing to give up all our possessions to thank you for saving our lives."

"No need for that, the spoils can go to the Star God Squad."

Shen Mu really doesn't care much for hybrid units worth a few hundred million these days.

The spoils of this battle were similar; almost all of the tens of millions of F9-class mechanical golems were left behind, as there was no time to collect them while fleeing for one's life.

Although some of them were damaged by the aftershocks of Shen Mu's powerful attack, the materials for each mechanical puppet were still worth about 10 Chaos Units.

If you do the math, it's roughly a harvest of hundreds of millions of mixed units.

A look of gratitude appeared on Mad Saber Marquis's face as he said, "Thank you for your generosity, Lord Qing."

As they spoke, the four members of the Mad Blade Squad began to help Star God Marquis clean up the battlefield. The self-destruction of a Marquis-level expert was too loud, so it was necessary to move to a different location.

"Master, an email has arrived from the military system!"

Suddenly, Tuanzi's voice rang in Shen Mu's ears.

"Emails from the military system?"

Then Shen Mu saw the details of the email, which informed him that his military merits had reached the required amount by the military system, and he could choose to retire or continue fighting.

Retirement is out of the question; Master Ice Peak has yet to complete the goal of earning trillions of military merits.

"Keep fighting!"

After Shen Mu made his choice, three more options appeared in the military system.

The options are: fight alone, choose to form a squad, or choose to lead an army.

"Master Ice Peak only asked me not to act alone, not that I couldn't form a team."

Why not just create a team and adjust the entry requirements to "Peak of Kinghood"?

If all else fails, find an opportunity to enslave a few alien races and make them kings, then have your soul servants form a battle team.

"Tuanzi, help me apply to create a team. The team name can be anything, and the requirement for joining the team is that you must be at the peak of the King level."

"Yes, Master!"

……

In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed.

At Barracks Base 026, inside the same magnificent palace restaurant, the members of the Star God Squad gathered once again.

Unlike a year ago, this time Shen Mu was pushed to the top by everyone.

"Brothers, I think you all know why I invited you all to this gathering today," Shen Mu said, looking at Star God Marquis, Dark Gold Marquis, and the others.

When faced with Shen Mu's gaze, everyone seemed somewhat reserved, unlike before.

Star God Marquis spoke first: "Qing, it is our good fortune to be able to fight alongside you on the extraterrestrial battlefield."

Seeing the somewhat heavy atmosphere, the usually playful Jiaku said in a cheeky tone, "Boss, when you break through to become a Venerable, don't forget about us brothers!"

As Gaku livened up the atmosphere, everyone else showed a slight smile.

The title of "Cosmic Venerable" is not something that can be easily attained.

Shen Mu chuckled, his tone joking: "Alright, once I become a Universe Venerable, you will be my direct subordinates, the Immortals."

"Alright, alright, brother, I've got it!"

"I'll come work for you and freeload off you."

The atmosphere at the table immediately became lively, and then after several rounds of drinks and dishes, the atmosphere became lively again.

No one thought about it anymore; they simply said their final goodbyes.

From this day forward, Shen Mu acquired a new identity on the extraterritorial battlefield: Captain of the Galaxy Squad; no team members yet.

……

Meanwhile, countless light-years away, in a primordial secret realm.

"Teacher, didn't you require our junior brother to accumulate 1 quadrillion military merits before he could act independently?"

Venerable Bai Feng was puzzled. What was the difference between Shen Mu's exploitation of loopholes and acting alone?

At the summit of the iceberg, the figure shrouded in thick ice fog did not turn around, but simply gave a casual reply.

"As a teacher, I have provided the necessary guidance. As for which path to take, that is up to him."

No true strong person advances along a path paved by their clan or elders.

The Lord of Ice Peaks believed that Shen Mu needed to undergo an era of training before he could act alone, but Shen Mu intended to train alone, and the Lord of Ice Peaks would not force him to do anything.

Sometimes, you can only grow by experiencing things for yourself.

(End of this chapter)