Devouring Stars: Master of Evolution

Chapter 211 Transformation! Qin Mu's State of Mind

The Illusory Ocean Plane.

Rumble! The black sea roared, and the waves, dozens of meters high, crashed against the cliff edge again and again.

Qin Mu stood on the cliff, gazing at the endless sea of ​​illusions.

A true strong person, besides having opportunities and talent, also needs a sufficiently strong mentality!

No matter how strong one's physical strength, if one's heart is weak and lacks determination, one's ultimate achievements will be limited.

The Illusory Sea is a true test of one's character!

Over the years, Qin Mu has spent most of his time studying, except for studying genes and bloodlines.

He also frequently exchanged ideas with Hong, Lei Shen, and Luo Feng about spiritual and mental cultivation.

Qin Mu offered his help to the three without reservation, and the three of them reciprocated in kind to Qin Mu.

Hong's mental state is among the strongest in the universe.

He divided his state of mind into three major realms.

The first level of enlightenment, directly pointing to one's original mind.

The second level is the unity of heaven and man, and the heart of a child.

The third center is infinitely large and all-encompassing.

Of these three states of mind, Luo Feng belongs to the first level, "enlightenment and seeing one's true nature," which directly points to one's original heart. Therefore, his will is as firm as a rock, and he can achieve a heart as clear as a mirror, seeing everything in the world clearly. His heart is like a knife, cutting away all obstacles.

Thor belongs to the second level, the heart of a child. So when he does things that seem nonsensical and likes to play pranks, it is actually a very high state of mind! He can achieve harmony between yin and yang, and balance between strength and gentleness, achieving a state of perfect mind!

Hong is the third level, with an infinitely large heart. No matter how strong the pressure is, I can tolerate it. My heart is boundless.

According to the original timeline, when both were at the cosmic level, Luo Feng failed to reach the tenth island.

Hong judged that Thor's mental state was around the fourteenth or fifteenth level.

Hong himself passed through 20 levels, but failed on the last level of Illusion Island because his state of mind was not perfect enough.

It should be noted that the tenth island was already imbued with the pressure of an immortal god's consciousness, while the twenty-first island was even more imbued with the pressure of a cosmic venerable.

Regardless of which state of mind it is, it is extremely powerful.

According to Hong's classification, Qin Mu's state of mind, after undergoing numerous trials in the universe, should belong to the second level.

He is resolute and follows his own heart in both his conduct and his work, never shying away from anything.

But in fact, due to the will of the swarm, Qin Mu's will should belong to the third level!

The Soul Network merged the souls and wills of all Zerg units into one, and the entire Zerg swarm was Qin Mu.

The stronger the swarm, the stronger he becomes; the swarm is infinite, and so is he.

In a way, this is also a kind of infinity!

However, Qin Mu also knew that these three states of mind were actually just three different paths, and strictly speaking, there was no distinction between high and low, strong and weak.

Countless thoughts swirled in his mind. Qin Mu's eyes were cold as he transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the first island in the Illusionary Sea.

……

On Earth, in the wilderness and jungle.

Qin Mu held a long spear, and in front of him was a spotted, streamlined tiger mastiff!

"here it is?"

Looking at the familiar scene around him, Qin Mu turned his head and saw a mother nest that was in the process of hatching.

"Heh, you think you can affect me with such an illusion? I could have killed you back then, let alone now."

Qin Mu shook his head and chuckled. With his laughter, the world shattered, the illusion vanished, and the original island scene was revealed.

This is a white gravel island, with some trees and flowers growing on it. It is quiet and beautiful, and Qin Mu is standing on the gravel ground of the island.

The distant sea was shrouded in darkness.

At this moment, a white hue gradually emerges in the distance, revealing an island deeper within the illusionary world. Only by passing through the illusion of one island will the next island appear in the illusionary sea.

"Let's go check out the next floor."

Qin Mu's body transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the next island.

……

At the deepest part of the Illusionary Sea, on the edge of the 21st island, sits an old man in black scale armor shrouded in a golden robe. He is the manager of the entire Illusionary Sea.

"Hmm?" The old man, whose face was covered with black scales, opened his aged eyes, looked into the distance, and exclaimed in a low voice.

"The eighth island already, and he got through it so easily? He's only at the ninth level of the Universe Realm, many World Lords' wills can't even reach that level, right?"

"As expected of the personal disciple of the Chaos City Lord, but no matter how strong the Chaos City Lord is, he cannot teach consciousness and will."

The old man in black scales looked surprised.

It's not surprising that the Chaos City Lord's personal disciple has a strong will, but it's astonishing that he's this strong at the cosmic level.

"Let me see if you possess the same unparalleled talent you had in comprehending the laws, conquering the Trial Tower, and crossing the Bridge to Heaven!"

Qin Mu's information had already spread among the human elites. How could this genius, whom the Chaos City Lord believed had the potential to become the Lord of the Universe, not attract attention?

Although some people believe that Qin Mu has an extremely low chance of becoming the Lord of the Universe, becoming a Universe Venerable is not a problem.

This lower limit is frighteningly high.

moment.

"Passed the ninth island? So easily?" A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the old man in black scales.

The 21 islands in the Mirage Sea are actually quite similar to the 21 floors of the Sky Bridge.

but--

Consciousness and will are elusive and unfathomable. A mere apprentice-level individual, in terms of willpower alone, might not be inferior to a realm lord-level expert!

Of course, the 'intensity of consciousness' is far inferior to that of a World Lord, but it's hard to say about sheer willpower!

The Illusionary Sea tests not only willpower but also consciousness.

"His consciousness strength is only at the ninth level of the universe level, far inferior to that of a peak world lord."

The old man in black scales looked shocked.

"The difference in strength is a huge disadvantage in the illusion, but clearly his will made up for the lack of 'consciousness'."

"Such unwavering willpower! No wonder he can carve bloodline patterns onto his body with just a small sword; it's terrifying!"

"But the next level is equivalent to the oppressive will of an immortal powerhouse. Can he overcome it?"

……

The tenth island.

Qin Mu stood upright, and an incomparably terrifying pressure descended, along with an illusion of pressure that silently seeped into Qin Mu's consciousness.

"boom!"

Qin Mu felt as if a huge mountain had crashed down on his consciousness. This was a pure contest of consciousness strength. Even a World Lord or an Immortal would fall into a coma and dizziness if struck by a powerful consciousness.

But Qin Mu's eyes were clear, as if he hadn't been affected at all.

His consciousness was as vast as the ocean; even a mountain falling into the ocean would only cause a few ripples.

His will was unwavering, completely unaffected by the pressure.

Willpower is the essence of a general!

Consciousness is the soldier!

The strength of one's consciousness depends on factors such as mental strength and brain capacity; the higher one's strength, the stronger one's consciousness.

For example, a realm lord can easily kill a planetary or celestial being by emanating his soul pressure. After all, even if this realm lord's will is only average, his consciousness is extremely strong.

Qin Mu's consciousness strength may seem to be only at the ninth level of the universe level, but in reality, the level of the swarm's mother hive has already reached the seventh level of the domain lord level.

There are tens of millions of Tier 7 Domain Lord-level units in the swarm! And hundreds of billions of worker insects in hundreds of star systems across China!

Not to mention, there is also a peak World Lord level iceberg behemoth in the swarm, and in the past two years, the number of World Lord level beings who have been transformed into iceberg insects in the Blood Luo World has reached nearly a hundred.

Nearly a hundred realm lords!

Judging solely from the strength of his consciousness, Qin Mu is terrifyingly powerful, even surpassing immortals!

Impacted by the immortal consciousness, Qin Mu only felt a slight tremor, but he was unable to truly shake his own consciousness.

When facing an enemy, if an army's soldiers are too strong, they will naturally crush the enemy without the general having to lift a finger.

As consciousness was jolted, the surrounding scenery shifted.

This is an office building, surrounded by a constant flow of people.

"Qin Mu, what are you daydreaming about? We're going to be late!"

Beside him, a tall, thin man patted Qin Mu on the shoulder and urged him on.

"work?"

Looking at the surrounding scene, long-forgotten memories were awakened from the depths of my mind.

Qin Mu remained silent, the coldness in his eyes vanishing, replaced by a lingering memory.

This is where he worked before he traveled through time.

At that time, he was just an ordinary person, working hard to make a living.

"Unfortunately, it's all in the past now."

This scene was something he once didn't want to recall.

When he first transmigrated to the world of Swallowed Star, he was filled with fear, afraid that he would die in some crisis.

As his strength grew and that initial worry disappeared, he developed another concern.

He worried that this was just a pipe dream, and that he would still be just an office worker.

At this moment, this scene seemed to have truly occurred.

He felt calmer instead.

The fact has already happened; he has accepted the reality of this world and does not deny his past.

Whether in his past life or this one, he has been striving relentlessly, never giving up on his descent into depravity.

"Disperse!"

Qin Mu's voice was solemn, yet it also carried a hint of relaxation and relief.

As the voice spoke, an incredibly ferocious and enormous crack appeared in this illusory world, causing skyscrapers to collapse and bustling traffic to disappear.

Then the entire illusion collapsed with a crash, revealing the scene of the tenth island. In the distant black sea, a white figure emerged—the eleventh island.

……

At the edge of the 21st island in the deepest part of the Illusionary Sea, the old man in black scales, the administrator, showed a look of shock.

"What terrifying willpower! A ninth-level cosmic-level being actually able to withstand the pressure of an immortal!"

He actually passed! Is his willpower comparable to his understanding of the laws?

How terrifying! Is this the seed of the Lord of the Universe?!

Seed of the Lord of the Universe – this is the highest recognition of a person's talent.

"How many epochs have passed! Yet another genius capable of clearing the tenth level at the cosmic level has appeared."

"This news must be communicated to the Lord of Chaos City and the company's senior management."

The old man in black scales had a solemn expression.

The more valuable something is, the more attention the Virtual Universe company will pay to it.

The "Bridge to Heaven," "Illusory Sea," and "Immortal Altar" were set up to select and test the most outstanding among the geniuses!

The Immortal Altar is the least valued of the three, because almost every peak Realm Lord can achieve perfect control over their body, while the Bridge to Heaven and the Illusionary Sea are places that even many Immortals and even Universe Lords would venture into.

Therefore, the Sky Bridge and the Illusionary Sea are given more attention!

……

The tenth island.

Qin Mu did not fly to the next island, but stood silently.

Although the illusion he just experienced could not truly impact him, it actually served as a kind of cleansing for his soul, allowing him to let go of the past, achieve true inner peace, and undergo a transformation.

"I can't go any further. I haven't felt any pressure at all. If I keep going, I might end up like Hong, who just cleared the level directly."

The fact that the consciousness of trillions of insect swarms was connected by the soul network made Qin Mu fearless. He wanted to use the same consciousness impact to stun others as he did with others.

Totally impossible!

Not to mention his strong will to begin with.

The combination of the two is terrifyingly powerful.

But Qin Mu had no intention of continuing. If he were to actually complete the level, just like in the original timeline, it would attract the attention of the giant axe and cause trouble if it ended up on Earth.

Although he is now the personal disciple of the Chaos City Lord, and it is unlikely that Giant Axe would do such a thing, he still does not want to take the risk.

The reason is simple: he doesn't want to give the Earth to someone else!

I just don't want to, there's no reason why.

If the unique nature of Earth were truly exposed, I certainly wouldn't be able to protect myself.

Even the Lord of Chaos's personal disciples are not acceptable.

Didn't Hong become Giant Axe's disciple back then? What good was it!

Perhaps the giant axe itself didn't care.

But those cosmic venerables, cosmic overlords, and even cosmic masters care!

Faced with real benefits and those powerful figures, the status of a mere disciple of the Chaos City Lord is far too insignificant.

A genius is just a genius, after all!

Qin Mu's status is high, so at most he'll receive more compensation, but the outcome won't change.

That was Earth, which Luo Feng couldn't get back even with a Qijing Stone worth tens of treasure points!

Qin Mu had warned Hong, the Thunder God, but he himself was certainly not foolish enough to make that mistake.

On the tenth island, Qin Mu's figure vanished, leaving the Illusionary Sea Plane and the virtual universe.

He will never come here again.

……

"Why did you stop trying?"

The old man in black scales looked astonished. He had already informed the company's senior management, but Qin Mu left after a moment of silence.

"Did he gain some insight, or did he realize his limits and couldn't advance to the next level?"

The old man in black scales was puzzled, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't force someone to go through if they didn't want to.

……

Thunder Island, a virtual universe.

At the highest point of Thunder Island, amidst the hazy, chaotic currents, stands a temple—the highest temple on the entire island.

"You've already cleared the tenth level of Illusion Island?"

A voice came from the depths of the chaotic energy, a voice tinged with joy.

The image of Qin Mu venturing into the Illusionary Sea flashed before the Chaos City Lord's eyes. Watching Qin Mu easily pass through island after island, the smile on his face grew wider and wider.

"Has this given you some kind of insight?"

Seeing the relief on Qin Mu's face at the end, he nodded in satisfaction.

The content of the illusion is not important.

Everyone's experience on the Illusion Island is different; it's bizarre and wonderful, and nothing is surprising.

He had anticipated Qin Mu's strong will, a fact known to anyone who had witnessed Qin Mu's ascent of the Trial Tower.

However, the exact extent of its power remains unknown.

Willpower and strength are different; if you don't show it, even the Lord of Chaos City wouldn't be able to tell.

While one's understanding of laws can be enhanced with treasures, one's willpower cannot!

This is why Hong continued to rise in the original timeline, and why the five major powers that occupied Earth were unwilling to let go.

They discovered that offspring born on Earth tend to have high comprehension and are easily able to cultivate their character, resulting in a very high probability of producing strong individuals and geniuses.

One's temperament may seem ordinary and unimportant when one first begins cultivation, but it becomes increasingly important as one progresses through the stages of cultivation, from the universe level to the domain lord, the world lord, and so on.

……

In the void outside the Blood Continent, the mechanical race's spaceship was moving at an astonishing speed toward the ruins of the ancient gods.

Inside the control room of the mechanical race's spaceship, Qin Mu, having exited the virtual universe, stood up and looked at the scenery outside, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

After a long while, he sat down again to meditate and cultivate.

Strength is always the most important thing, no matter what!

As time passed, during his journey, Qin Mu either studied the "Cosmic Chaos Monument" and the "True Explanation of the Universe," or used the will of the swarm to enter the hive and adjust the genes of the swarm units.

For Qin Mu, the best way to comprehend and utilize the laws is to integrate his own insights into the Zerg units.

Or perhaps one can occasionally log into the virtual universe to listen to lectures by immortals and venerable ones, leading a fulfilling and carefree life.

"Master, we have arrived at the target area!"

The mechanical race's spaceship, infused with metallic life forms, emitted a notification sound.

Qin Mu, who was meditating cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"It's been over two months, and we've finally arrived."

His body transformed into a streak of light and flew out of the hatch, while the mechanical race's spaceship beside him vanished instantly.

Dressed in black armor and wielding a long spear, Qin Mu flew downwards through layers of clouds.

"Um?"

Sensing the surrounding clouds changing color, eventually turning blood red, Qin Mu's expression subtly changed.

"Starting from the fifteenth floor, the clouds turn blood red!"

And this malevolent aura... truly befits the ruins of an ancient god. How many people died here back then?

Looking down at the boundless, blood-red clouds, the clouds seemed like an endless sea of ​​blood churning.

How could such a scene not be awe-inspiring?

As Qin Mu plunged into the blood-red clouds, he immediately felt a peculiar aura influencing him.

This is a killing impulse.

"Interesting, the malevolent energy in the clouds alone is so strong!"

If the insect swarm fought in such an environment, evolutionary mutations would likely occur very easily.

Qin Mu's mind was racing, and the murderous aura naturally had no effect on him.

How unwavering was his will?

Not to mention that the Zerg swarm is a peculiar entity born for war and evolving in the midst of conflict; this malevolent energy will only excite the Zerg swarm even more.

Qin Mu continued to dive downwards, breaking through layer after layer of blood-red clouds, until finally breaking through the last layer of clouds.

Looking down!

The landscape is filled with endless mountains, wastelands, swamps, and other diverse environments, but these geographical environments are all quite bizarre.

Where mountains collapse or are severed in some place, you can see regular, super-large craters on those wastelands, each estimated to be hundreds of kilometers in diameter.

One big pitfall after another.

It was like... the footprint of some colossal beast.

"The ruins of the ancient gods must be the place where the beast god fell."

Chapter Two, 10,000 words in one day. Please support me with monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)