Cosmic Demon

Chapter 273 One Shot to the Head, Pinnacle of the Stars!

All martial arts skills, this is the trajectory of a ballistic missile!
Qin Shi used a grappling technique to lock Rengar firmly in place.

That golden bullet moved as slowly as an old lady crossing the street, swaying precariously as if it might fall at any moment.

It flew from the sky and took a full seven minutes to reach Rengar's head!
Even people with disabilities who use wheelchairs can run far away and "nimbly" dodge!

"Young man! You're cheating!"

Rengar initially dismissed it, but as the golden bullet slowly pierced the atmosphere and drew closer, a sense of alarm suddenly rose in his heart.

It's going to happen!

Then, the withered old man roared, his mortal body swelled several times, and his veins bulged instantly!
Inch by inch, his skin looked like it was crawling with earthworms, swollen, twisted, and extremely horrifying!

"Old Deng, times have changed! You're going to die!"

Qin Shi did not intend to confront Rengar head-on, as Rengar's turtle-like strategy was indeed a counter to his stats, preventing him from utilizing his strengths.

Besides, he didn't need to do that.

In the age of the vast universe, is physical training the only way to achieve this?

I have no fewer than ninety-nine ways to kill you!

The Body Cultivation Furnace is activated to its fullest extent!
Qin Shi's gaze focused, and the pure life force of the crystalline stage seemed to spray out high-temperature flames, enveloping Rengar and making him unable to break free!
"Even the toughest tortoise shell will be skinned alive if hit by a six-star source energy weapon!"

Qin Shi pressed down heavily on Rengar's shoulders with both hands, the two wrestling like dragons and elephants, each radiating their life force.

The earth, like a baking biscuit, was ravaged by external forces, bursting out with "crunching" sounds as pieces flipped and broke apart.

"Let go of my hand!"

Rengar's eyes widened in fury as he roared and unleashed his power.

He never expected that young people would be so uncivilized, resorting to energy weapons when they couldn't win with fists!

That's utterly shameless!

"Old Deng! You've lived for so many years, but you haven't shown any signs of improvement! What a waste of your life! Even if you lived for ten thousand years, do you think you could become a Martial God?"

Qin Shi pressed down hard with both palms, gripping Rengar's shoulders tightly, preventing him from escaping and dodging.

"If I were your age, I would have already completed the seven major limits of martial arts, and at the very least, I would have reached the half-step Sainthood stage in spiritual energy cultivation."

Not a son of man!

Rengar, humiliated by the close face-to-face contact, had veins throbbing on his forehead, his face flushed red, and his blood and qi surged through his body!

The thick, oily dark energy within his body surged wave after wave, breaking through the upper limit of the third energy level in less than a few seconds!

"Young man..."

Rengar's murky eyes were a dark red, like those of a rabid lion ready to devour its prey.

"You damned mother! I've come to take you away!"

Qin Shi abruptly interrupted, unleashing his twenty-fold amplification ability, and activated [Ultimate Skill]!
His life force condensed into a tangible "qi," releasing strands of platinum-gold radiance that caused each strand of his hair to float upwards.

A surge of power erupted from his palm, pressing Rengar down once more!
The two clashed fiercely, causing a surge of energy to crash against each other. Their well-trained mortal bodies acted as if they were drilling through the earth, causing large areas of scorched earth to collapse!
"That bullet came from a source-energy weapon?"

Despite his broken sternum, Fu Lei struggled to breathe, but thanks to his exceptional physical strength, he managed to stay active and hold on.

"The six-star 'Blood Queen'".

Ye Xiaotang replied.

The glance the boss gave me just now was a secret "private chat" via our mental link.

Ask the last member of the Bull and Horse Squad, the mysterious sniper who has never appeared, whether he can kill Rengar, who is crossing the two paths.

Both Ye Xiaotang and the sniper gave an affirmative answer to this.

If a bullet can hit, it will inevitably cause fatal damage.

Because the six-star weapon "Blood Queen" has a complete source energy array, and each part is imprinted with the [Divine Machine] emblem.

His abilities are extraordinary!
"Blood Queen? That strange gun whose range increases, its rate of fire decreases, but its power increases?"

Fu Lei was surprised.

Of the three main pathways in Dongxia, martial arts and psionic energy have a very strong presence, but mechanical energy is relatively weaker.

Mechanical approaches are usually closely associated with things like "divine machines" and "armor," but the energy-based firearms that few people pay attention to are actually their main battleground.

In the history of Dongxia, there have even been several ten-star source energy firearms that killed martial gods, known as "legendary weapons".

Energy-powered firearms require the design of arrays, which are composed of thousands, or even millions, of parts to form a complete capability.

This is a "massive project" that even professional-level mechanical engineers would hesitate to undertake.

If it weren't for the development of active consciousness entities and the widespread implementation of the laboratory system, the difficulty of manufacturing source energy firearms would have been greatly reduced—at least those below five stars would no longer be considered rare products.

This prompted students from the martial arts and psionic paths to joke that the reason the mechanical engineering department could be ranked alongside them was simply because those top mechanical masters needed an unlimited number of apprentices to handle the "assembly line work" in the laboratory.

"Yes."

Ye Xiaotang nodded, staring nervously at the golden bullet.

The Blood Queen is one of the more famous source-energy weapons.

Because of its unique array, it is severely "unbalanced".

Most energy-powered firearms rely on arrays to enhance their "rate of fire" and "range".

The Blood Queen's array components far exceed those of a six-star equivalent, reaching an astonishing 180,000. However, after adjustments and trials, the "final effect" achieved is difficult to evaluate.

This energy-powered firearm is not limited by range; even tens of thousands of meters away, as long as the user can lock onto the target, they can still fire.

Bullets not only do not lose kinetic energy, but their power also gradually increases with distance.

The only drawback is that the rate of fire will be incredibly slow.

The laboratory that produced the Blood Queen once conducted a test. When the distance exceeded three thousand meters, the Blood Queen's power was at a six-star level, but its rate of fire was only at a five-star level, or even less.

When the distance exceeds 5,000 meters, the power level is seven stars, and the rate of fire drops by half.

As for 10,000 meters, the Blood Queen is enough to shatter the mortal body of a Grandmaster, but the bullet's movement speed is measured in "months".

It's clear that the skill points for this gun are ridiculously off!
Unless your enemy is a stationary target, even a snail can dodge the Blood Queen's shots.

But in some ways, the Blood Queen is also the best weapon against Rengar!
So when Qin Shi found out, he immediately changed his approach!

He instructed Ye Xiaotang to use their mental link to tell the sniper to extend the firing range to 5,000 meters to ensure a single shot shatters Rengar's turtle shell.

As Fu Lei and Ye Xiaotang were talking, the golden bullet finally arrived on the battlefield.

Seeing that the opportunity was ripe, Qin Shi swiftly turned his hands that were capturing Rengar, and the powerful force penetrated deep into his body!

The latter tried to raise his arms to defend himself, not believing that he would lose to a mere youth in terms of accumulated skill.

"Military tactics! You're from the Fourth Battle Group?!"

But the next moment, Rengar's eyes showed astonishment. The pure and condensed dark torrent could not suppress that platinum light!

The most famous aspect of "The Art of War" is its extremely domineering vitality!
The power gained by squeezing out potential and destroying the mortal body is naturally far superior to cultivation!
"Old Deng, remember this—"

Qin Shi broke through the fifth major limit, and for the first time he fought so desperately. His muscles, bones and skin tightly interlocked and twisted, forming an indestructible whole.

His breath carried the intense heat of burning tinder, and his eyes shone with a divine light that seemed to crackle with electricity. "If you're no good, don't blame the road for being uneven! Someone like you, even if you live until a supernova explosion, you'll never become a Martial God!"

boom!
A thunderclap exploded within Qin Shi's body, violently stimulating his entire being to surge with vitality.

With a swift movement of his hands, his violent force pierced through Rengar like a thousand steel blades, crushing his shoulders and severing both arms before the "Immovable" property could take effect.

Then retreat, lower your waist, slightly bend your right arm, and strike your chin with your elbow!
Click!
Rengar's jaw was shattered, yet no blood splattered. A thick, ointment-like dark aura enveloped the wound, aiding its healing.

Despite being unharmed, Rengar, propelled by his ferocious power, leaped up like a rocket to meet the golden bullet!

"You absolutely mustn't get hit..."

The latter's heart pounded wildly, like a drumbeat, ever since he had achieved the Great Perfection of Planetary Battle Body and received the "Immovable Momentum" characteristic bestowed by Chaos.

Rengar has never been afraid of any harm inflicted upon him.

But this time is clearly different.

It was as if he had returned to decades ago, to the day when he was still human, and still a warrior of the Eastern Xia.

I tasted the fear of death once again!

"I can't die!"

Rengar's eyes were bloodshot, and his perfectly sculpted mortal body, like a black hole, instantly swallowed energy factors as wide and deep as a river.

"They all said they'd take you in."

Qin Shi's voice suddenly rang out, and his tall figure caught up with Rengar, spreading his five fingers and pressing them against the back of the other's head!

The five major resonances and shockwaves forcefully propelled the mountain-like Rengar, slamming his head into the golden bullet!
Bang!
It looks like a watermelon has burst open.

The Blood Queen, whose power reached seven stars, blasted Rengar's head apart with a single shot!

Completed in seconds!

"Within seven steps, the fist is faster. Beyond five thousand meters, the spear is still more powerful."

Qin Shi stared at the headless corpse that had crashed into the deep pit, and very carefully took out his electric shock saber to dissect it.

Like a deranged serial killer, he dismembered Rengar into eight pieces.

Even after killing a fallen one who has sided with Chaos, one cannot be careless; one must ensure that the body is completely obliterated.

However, Rengar himself is a high-value contamination sample, worthy of being dismembered, inactivated, contained, and brought back to Aspen Bastion.

"The boss is very skilled in his work."

Ye Xiaotang looked at Qin Shi, who had a calm expression, and clicked her tongue in admiration.

"You won? You won!"

Five kilometers away, the sniper, whose vision was barely maintained thanks to the mental link, stood there stunned for a long time.

She touched the Blood Queen sword, as if in disbelief.

I have never hit a target at a distance of more than 1,000 meters.

It's not that my marksmanship is bad, it's just that my weapon is holding me back!
……

……

On the macroscopic scale of the universe, even the upheaval and destruction of a single planet is as insignificant as a grain of sand and hardly attracts much attention.

But today is different. The ripples from Hengzhou's rising star are like a gentle breeze blowing across the edge of the Milky Way, crossing the Fourth Legion's defenses, and reaching the legendary summit of the stars.

It was a colossal pillar enveloped in nebulae, so magnificent it was unimaginable, stretching out from the boundless abyss and reaching an unseen height above.

It seems to connect infinite dimensions and countless dimensions!

It is said that at the very top lies the "Eye of Creation," a fragment of wreckage hundreds of kilometers in diameter, resembling a hollowed-out sculpture with cracks all over its surface, emanating the pure white light of the primordial universe.

Those beams of pure white light are called "Primordial Light," which can enable martial gods to break through the shackles of life.

It is said that the Nine Marshals once received such a blessing, which is why they were able to withstand the test of nine thousand years.

"No matter how many times you see it, it's hard not to be amazed."

Located on the edge of the galaxy, the satellite fortresses of the Fourth Warband, like ancient beacon towers, are densely scattered across the dark universe, forming a colossal fortification that stretches as far as the eye can see.

This was not built by the entire nation of the newly established Eastern Xia; such a massive project would have taken at least several thousand years to complete.

The Ninth Marshal received the "legacy" of the ancient empire, taking away the last glory of the Eastern Xia civilization from the hands of the aging giant.

"Yes! The summit of the stars, if I could ever reach it and see it, it would be worth it!"

The two people chatting were privates serving in the satellite fortress.

They were peering through the duty room at the towering pillars of the nebula, which filled their view and were too large to take in at all.

"Stop dreaming! Since ancient times, only the most outstanding martial artists, even grandmasters, have been able to be guided onto that heavenly path leading to the pinnacle of the stars!"

One of the young privates craned his neck, trying to reach the top of the nebula pillar with his eyes:
"After seeing this thing, it's hard to believe with unwavering conviction that there are no gods among the stars."

Another private laughed:
“Atheism in the context of Dongxia culture refers to the idea that ‘all things beyond human control are determined by natural forces.’”

We do not deny the existence of something greater and more powerful, but they are merely the embodiment of certain rules and the entity of concepts, not 'creators' in the absolute sense.

"You graduated from the military academy of the ancient planet Yinghuo, how come you don't even understand this?"

The young private shook his head:
"If there is no creator, who could have created the 'Summit of the Stars'? The Supreme Institute calls it the remnant of the first singularity explosion in the universe, while the Entropy Bank believes it is the remnant of the earliest civilization."

But I feel that this is clear proof of God's existence.

Another private rummaged through his pockets and pulled out only an empty cigarette pack. According to the rules, smoking was not allowed on duty, but the Fourth Regiment was a place that the military police dared not set foot in, so they were not so strict.

He pouted in disappointment.
"Who knows? Who cares? I wonder if anyone will be able to reach the top in this year's Star Cup."

I heard there's a 'Monument to Civilization' at the very top; it's a black stone that records the scores of every participant.

The young private withdrew his gaze from the window and nodded, saying:
"That's right. According to the rules of the Star Cup, only the top 100 players in the Star Summit can qualify each time it opens."

Those who make it into the top ten will be directly guided onto the path to godhood.

Currently, Yu Li is undoubtedly still in first place in the junior group.

Another private shrugged:

"The new generation is so boring. I love watching the kind of fierce competition between Qi Wuxiang and He Lanchan. Yu Li's junior group championship is really not worth it..."

The two chatted casually while debating whose championship title was more prestigious and whose record was more impressive throughout the history of the All-Star Cup.

Their voices could not penetrate the duty room, the satellite fortress, or drift into the vacuum of space.

But the eternally unmoving summit of stars, seemingly existing since the beginning of creation, continuously receives "waves" from light-years away.

Strands of quantum-like light rose rapidly along the massive pillar atop the stars, flowing into the black stone tablet at the very top.

Like a brush tip dipped in dye, writing out a person's name.

During the Qin Dynasty.

His ranking then fluctuated until it reached ninety-seventh.

(End of this chapter)