135: Chapter 135 The Top Reward and Fragments of the Creator
As the Titan's massive body collapsed with a thunderous crash, smashing a bottomless crater into the ground, the cold System notification sounded.
Seventh Floor, Cleared!
The voice was devoid of emotion, yet it struck Su Chen's mental world like a bolt of lightning.
Immediately after, a series of even more brilliant golden characters, carrying a hint of searing heat, poured down before his eyes like a waterfall, each word etching itself onto his retinas.
[Clearance Evaluation: S-Rank!]
[Clearance Time: 17 Minutes!]
[Congratulations! You have broken the historical record and reached the top of the Demigod Rankings!]
Outside the God Ascension Tower.
The massive plaza, which had been noisy and bustling with various discussions and exchanges of Divine Thought, fell into a deathly silence at this moment.
The gazes of all the gods were fixed firmly on that giant light screen that pierced the heavens.
At the very top of the light screen, the name that originally belonged to the legendary demigod 'Augustus' was ruthlessly erased by a golden streak of light.
In its place was a brand-new name radiating a piercing divine glow.
—Su Chen!
And behind his name followed a string of numbers that made all the gods feel suffocated.
Seventh Floor, Seventeen Minutes!
What did this concept imply?
It meant that from the moment he stepped onto the seventh floor to the complete killing of that Divine-Grade Frost Titan, he had used less than one-third of the normal completion time.
This wasn't a challenge.
This was a crushing defeat.
This was dragging down every Genius demigod who had ever appeared on this list over the past tens of thousands of years from their pedestals, one by one, pressing them into the ground and repeatedly rubbing them there in the most brutal fashion!
However, Su Chen had no time to pay attention to the massive waves he had stirred in the outside world.
Even the glory of reaching the top of the rankings failed to stir even a single ripple in the lake of his heart.
His world, his perception, and his entire attention were locked onto the palm of his hand.
There, a physical object newly condensed from the light of the clearance reward floated quietly.
A crystal fragment only the size of a fingernail.
It looked unremarkable, lacking the gorgeous visual effects of a Divine Artifact or the majestic energy fluctuations of a holy relic.
It just lay there quietly, displaying an indistinct color of Chaos.
But the moment Su Chen's gaze touched it, an indescribable feeling seized his mind.
Ancient.
Vast.
It was as if it were not born of this era, or even belonged to this Universe.
The aura it emitted spanned across the dimensions of time, more ancient than any Divine Artifact or ruin Su Chen had ever seen.
A stream of information silently flowed into his mind.
[Item]: Creator Gene Fragment (Incomplete)
[Description]: ???
A series of question marks caused Su Chen's brow to instantly furrow.
Even with the authority of the God Ascension Tower's System, it was unable to analyze the specific information of this fragment.
What exactly is this thing?
A massive doubt rose in Su Chen's heart.
Just then, the surrounding space distorted, and he was teleported out of the trial space, returning to the preparation hall of the God Ascension Tower.
Almost the instant his form solidified, an alert figure darted through the stunned crowd and flashed to his side.
"Brother Su Chen!"
The newcomer was his friend, Temple, who was known for being well-informed.
Temple's face still bore a hint of congratulatory ecstasy, but when his gaze inadvertently swept across Su Chen's not-yet-fully-closed palm, all the expressions on his face instantly froze.
In the next second, his pupils constricted to the extreme.
"Shh!"
Temple's reaction was incredibly fast; he grabbed Su Chen's wrist and used his body to block any potential gazes from other directions.
"Put it away, quickly!"
His voice was pressed extremely low, even carrying an uncontrollable tremble.
Temple looked around nervously, and after confirming no one had noticed the anomaly, he leaned into Su Chen's ear and spoke in a whisper.
"My god... Brother Su Chen, you didn't just reach the top of the rankings this time; you've blown a hole through the heavens!"
Su Chen's mind sharpened; from Temple's near-terrified reaction, he sensed that the value of this fragment might far exceed his imagination.
"This thing is the legendary [key of origin]!"
Every nerve in Temple's body was taut, the shock in his voice nearly overflowing.
"Although it's just a fragment, it's definitely it! I've seen descriptions of it in the most ancient forbidden texts! This thing is said to involve the Origin of our entire World of Gods!"
"It's even..."
Temple swallowed hard with difficulty, his voice dropping even lower, like a sleep-talker's murmur.
"...the key to that unspeakable, unutterable Realm above the True God!"
Above the True God?
These words were like a bolt of creation lightning, splitting open Su Chen's thoughts.
His heart constricted violently and uncontrollably.
He looked at the ordinary-looking fragment in his hand; at this moment, it felt as heavy as billions of stars in his palm.
And at that very instant.
A sudden change occurred!
Su Chen felt that deep within his body, the Infinite Gene Evolution talent that served as the Foundation of all his power actually began to operate on its own.
A weak yet incredibly clear sense of resonance transmitted from the talent's Origin, echoing with the fragment in his palm.
It wasn't an attraction of energy, nor a resonance of Law.
It was... a throb of shared Origin.
A sense of intimacy like shared Bloodlines.
A thought, without any deliberation or deduction, surfaced directly and dominantly in Su Chen's mind.
His System.
The greatest reliance he had obtained through Transmigration.
Perhaps it had some inseparable connection with this mysterious 'Creator' that even the God Ascension Tower could not analyze.
In an instant, everything became clear.
Why could his Zerg Swarm ignore planar Laws and undergo infinite evolution?
Why could he analyze the genes of all things and turn them to his own use?
These were things no ordinary System could achieve.
Its root and its essence pointed to a higher level, one that even transcended the concept of a 'God'.
"It seems this is the ultimate secret of this world."
Su Chen's breathing became long and steady; all the shock, doubt, and ecstasy settled down at this moment, turning into an undercurrent beneath an iceberg.
He slowly clenched his palm.
That fragment emitting an ancient aura was gripped tightly in his palm, its hard edges even stinging his skin.
But Su Chen didn't care at all.
In his eyes, a cold and extreme decisiveness flashed.
Whether it was to explore the secrets of his own talent or to pursue the Realm above the True God.
I am definitely taking this thing.
Whoever dares to snatch it, I will destroy.