366: The dust has settled

Filiche's strength was still a bit too weak; even if Lin Tianwei tried to trick him directly, he wouldn't sense anything amiss.

To try and uncover the secrets of a mythical Talent, even if he lived for another million years, it would be impossible.

Ultimately, Filiche could only helplessly accept the situation before him: this seemingly ordinary instrument was indeed capable of producing origin energy.

Although the prerequisite for producing origin energy was devouring treasures, compared to the origin energy gained, this was a sure-win situation.

Looking at the great treasure in Lin Tianwei's hand, Filiche's eyes became fervent.

He felt as if he had seen an inexhaustible mountain of origin energy beckoning to him, and immediately shouted excitedly:

"Give it to me, give it to me!"

"Don't worry, hand over all your possessions to me, and I will mercifully spare you."

"You are not blessed enough to wield it; such a treasure requires a virtuous person like me to possess it."

Perhaps thinking the treasure was already within his grasp, Filiche's attitude became increasingly arrogant.

However, he quickly shut his mouth, because he watched as Lin Tianwei put away the machine that could procure countless origin energy for him, and immediately reprimanded loudly:

"What are you doing with my treasure?"

Lin Tianwei found it somewhat amusing. Since when did something belonging to Lin become Filiche's?

He immediately snorted coldly, "Before you fulfill your promise, these things are not yours yet."

"Especially this special instrument that can convert treasures into origin energy. If it weren't to redeem my life, I would never have taken it out."

At this point, the 'actor' Lin Tianwei came online, and his tiger-like face actually showed an expression of reminiscing about the past, saying with deep emotion:

"To acquire this supreme treasure, my race sacrificed countless compatriots back then."

"I still remember, it was thirty-eight million years ago, I was only Planet Level 9, and by Chance, I discovered a ruin."

"This ruin had been abandoned for a long time and looked dilapidated, making us think it was just the simplest Planetary-level ruin."

"But we never expected that this ruin was not as simple as it appeared on the surface; it might even be a ruin left behind by a Domain Lord Level powerhouse."

"As mere Planetary-level beings, facing a ruin suspected to be Cosmic Level, we had no power to resist and ultimately suffered an almost complete annihilation."

"Only one beast, me, survived, carrying this special instrument."

"However, their sacrifice was worth it. It was precisely by relying on this special instrument that I soared from Planetary-level all the way up, eventually reaching my current Cosmic Level 9 strength."

"Unfortunately, when I wanted to explore this ruin again, I found that it had long since disappeared into the chaotic currents of time and space, leaving no trace."

The storytelling time ended, and Lin Tianwei's eyes returned to their sharp focus, saying, "Now it's your turn. Please give your full performance."

"If you can ensure my safety and give me the courage to trust you, I can hand over all these things to you."

Seeing Lin Tianwei put away the treasures one by one into his storage space, Filiche felt his heart bleed.

At this moment, he realized that these treasures were not yet his; they were not yet surnamed Fei.

Facing Lin Tianwei's doubts, Filiche immediately swore to the heavens, saying:

"I, Filiche, swear here that as long as you hand over all the treasures and that special instrument from before to me, I will spare your life."

"I swear on my life, I, Filiche, will never go back on my word."

Filiche's voice was strong and powerful, seeming to possess a certain magic that made one want to believe his words.

Ripples also spread through this space, as if echoing Filiche's words.

However, how could Lin Tianwei be swayed by Filiche? How could such empty words deceive Lin Tianwei?

An oath?

Such a thing, completely dependent on the other party's character, Lin Tianwei would never believe it unless he was a fool.

Thinking of this, Lin Tianwei said disdainfully, "If the guarantee you give me is merely this, then it's too cheap."

"I can't possibly believe your oath."

Facing Lin Tianwei's doubt, Filiche, however, appeared exceptionally angry, saying, "Don't go too far."

"This is a Cosmic Oath, an oath made under the witness of the universe, possessing the highest efficacy."

"Once violated, although it won't lead to immediate death, one will become an outcast of the universe, plagued by bad luck. Even the simplest cultivation could go wrong and result in self-detonation."

"I have a boundless future ahead of me now, so how could I do something that would destroy my promise and be targeted by the universe?"

"Believe it or not, this is the only guarantee I can give you."

"You are nothing but a piece of meat on the chopping block; you have no choice at all."

Cosmic Oath?

Lin Tianwei encountered a new term again.

Simply put, a Cosmic Oath is an oath made to the entire universe.

Once violated, although it won't cause the swearer to die immediately, it will incur a curse aura, the opposite of a protagonist's halo, causing them to be targeted by the entire universe.

The ability to make a Cosmic Oath showed that Filiche desperately coveted the great treasure Lin Tianwei possessed.

Of course, there was also something fishy about it.

Filiche's words were ambiguous, leaving too much room for manipulation; they were simply lies to deceive a tiger.

Even with a Cosmic Oath, he could still kill Lin Tianwei while circumventing the oath.

Fortunately, Lin Tianwei had no intention of giving Filiche even half a yuan coin. While Filiche was trying to trick him, wasn't he also tricking the other party?

As long as Filiche came a little closer, he would definitely let the other party know who the true king ruling everything was.

Since the other party offered a step, Lin Tianwei went along with it, saying, "You're right, being in such a desperate situation, I have no choice."

"I am willing to trust you, I just hope you can keep your promise."

The situation was weaker than the beast, and Lin Tianwei ultimately "compromised."

Hearing Lin Tianwei's words, Filiche was instantly overjoyed.

He never expected that Lin Tianwei, who had always seemed incredibly shrewd, would make a foolish mistake at the critical moment and believe his lies.

Thinking of the massive treasures he was about to possess, and that special instrument capable of producing origin energy, Filiche couldn't help but want to burst into maniacal laughter.

He, Filiche, of the Zebra Clan, was about to rise.

Even the Zebra Clan leader did not possess such a special treasure, yet it was about to become his.

By then, even without the protection of the Zebra Clan, he would surely rise.

By then, all those Cosmic Beasts who once looked down on him would prostrate themselves before him, becoming weaklings crushed by him.

Only he was the true powerhouse.

However, before Filiche could fantasize for long, he witnessed a scene that made his heart stop.

That treasure carrying his hopes of rising, that special instrument capable of producing origin energy, was thrown towards him by Lin Tianwei as if it were trash.

It was thrown into the dark domain representing Miguel.

"Bastard, what foolishness are you doing? You are practically courting death."

"If this treasure is accidentally bumped or scratched even a little, affecting its ability to produce origin energy, I will take your life."

As if by instinct, Filiche roared loudly, ignoring everything else, and piloted his spaceship forward.

He was impatient to possess this treasure that could make him stronger.

Many Cosmic Beasts, when conducting such a 'trade life for goods' transaction, would choose to throw out the traded item to attract the other party's attention, buying themselves time to escape.

So, Lin Tianwei's actions seemed perfectly normal to Filiche, with no issues whatsoever.

Understanding was one thing, but Filiche was still incredibly furious. He could not tolerate his treasure suffering even the slightest damage due to such a minor matter.

As if by instinct, he piloted his spaceship towards the direction where Lin Tianwei had thrown the 'trash'.

However, Filiche never dreamed that his hasty action would lead to his demise, because he had already exposed a fatal flaw!

Lin Tianwei had been planning for a long time, waiting for this very moment.

A glint flashed in his eyes, and Lin Tianwei finally revealed his claws.

A truly excellent hunter needs enough patience, to strike at the most opportune moment, and kill with one blow!

Talent: Mental Power (King)!

Talent: Mental Strength Enhancement (Extraordinary)!

Talent: Mental Contract (King)!

Talent: Stored Burst (Extraordinary)!

Vast Mental Power surged like a tide, frantically rushing towards Filiche's location.

As he infinitely approached the treasure Lin Tianwei threw, he also infinitely approached death.

Miguel, hidden in the dark, sensed something was wrong and, out of instinct, intended to protect his temporary owner.

However, how could Lin Tianwei, poised and ready, give him a Chance?

Talent: Time Acceleration (Extraordinary)!

Talent: Time Deceleration (Extraordinary)!

Mental Power attacks were already extremely fast, and with Lin Tianwei's positive and negative time buffs, the Mental Contract still hit Filiche before Miguel could fully react.

Of course.

This was mainly because Filiche had not given the order to kill Lin Tianwei.

Otherwise, by instantly killing the source of the attack, Miguel could have easily averted the crisis targeting Filiche.

Miguel was, after all, just a Slave; his thought process was vastly different from normal creatures, more like a computer program.

In such a situation, his only choice was to exert all his strength to stop the attack on Filiche.

However, he ultimately failed to block the most fatal attack for Filiche, only able to watch as Lin Tianwei's Mental Contract struck the complacent Filiche.

Facing Lin Tianwei's terrifying Mental Power, Filiche, whose mind was entirely focused on the treasure, had no power to resist and was instantly ensnared.

Lin Tianwei's violent Mental Power had no intention of being gentle; he brutally filled Filiche's consciousness, and in just an instant, Filiche became Lin Tianwei's Slave.

Knowledge, memories, strength... these treasures originally hidden deep within Filiche's consciousness began to feed back to Lin Tianwei through the Mental Contract.

Lin Tianwei not only gained an excellent Slave but also acquired a massive amount of knowledge from Filiche's mind; this wave was a huge profit.

However, before Lin Tianwei could celebrate for long, he heard Filiche, who had already become his Slave, warn him through the Mental Contract:

"Master, danger!"

"Although I can use Miguel, I only have temporary usage rights for him."

"I am not his true Master; the Lotus Slave Market is."

"Once Miguel determines I am in an abnormal state, the highest directive will come online, clearing my temporary control over him."

"At that time, Miguel will strike, mercilessly destroying us as enemies."

The moment Filiche became Lin Tianwei's Slave, his entire being began to consider Lin Tianwei, naturally issuing a warning at the first opportunity.

If controlling Filiche, this weakling, could achieve the effect of controlling Miguel, then one would be underestimating the Lotus Slave Market too much.

Facing various possible situations, they had already preset commands on Miguel to ensure he would always be a Slave of the Lotus Slave Market.

Unless one's strength and methods surpassed Miguel, it would be impossible to hide from his eyes.

If one's strength and methods surpassed Miguel, there would be no need for such troublesome methods; one could simply kill Miguel directly.

Thus, Lin Tianwei's seemingly clever action had brought him a fatal blow, a fatal blow from Miguel.

Filiche's warning was merely an attempt to do his best and leave the rest to fate.

Even as a Slave, Filiche was still terrified of death, and he immediately issued an order to Miguel, saying:

"Miguel, withdraw."

"You are no longer needed; return to standby status immediately."

However, his command had lost its effect the moment he became Lin Tianwei's Slave.

Although Lin Tianwei's Talent was powerful, constrained by his own strength, it was impossible to hide from Miguel's eyes.

What awaited him was Miguel's fatal blow.

"Target has lost authority, refusing to execute command." Miguel's cold voice came from space, saying, "Situation has changed, executing purge plan."

"Purge Target One: Filiche."

"Purge Target Two: Unknown Cosmic Beast."

"Purge plan officially initiated!"

Miguel's voice gradually became cold and emotionless, and the entire space became incredibly oppressive, once again transforming into the state of being completely suppressed by a Domain.

Unable to escape, and there was no escape!

The cold aura of death directly engulfed the two remaining Cosmic Beasts.

The weak Filiche had no Chance to resist; his life or death was solely at Miguel's whim.

Miguel barely even struck, and Filiche instantly lost his life, his body gradually turning into dust and completely dissipating into the cosmos—leaving no corpse!

In a sense, Filiche's fate was countless times more tragic than the Cosmic Beasts Miguel had killed before.

At least the Cosmic Beasts killed by Miguel before could barely leave a complete corpse.

Of course, their corpses also became Lin Tianwei's spoils of war, secretly collected into the Tiger Tooth Space by Lin Tianwei when he found an opportunity.

After dealing with Filiche, Miguel's mind stirred, and he launched an attack on Lin Tianwei.

A terrifying, irresistible energy attack instantly engulfed Lin Tianwei, annihilating him without leaving even a trace of flesh.

After completing all this, Miguel's cold voice once again echoed in space, saying: "Purge plan executed, initiating self-recovery."

The familiar black cube reappeared, and the magnificent Miguel finally revealed his true form.

This was a Cosmic Beast resembling a minotaur, with bulging muscles, looking full of power.

Two massive ox horns were incredibly sharp, gleaming with silver light; just looking at them gave a terrifying illusion of being completely pierced through.

A pair of eyes that should have been bright and spirited appeared hollow and numb, as if completely devoid of emotion, staring coldly ahead.

As if to display his powerful physical strength, Miguel wore only minimal armor, barely covering his vital areas.

The exposed parts were covered in scars, indicating he was a battle-hardened gladiator.

Yet, such a gladiator, who clearly specialized in close combat, instantly annihilated countless Planet Level 9 enemies with energy attacks.

This seemingly slight difference of only one level in strength was a world apart, an unbridgeable chasm.

Miguel was incredibly strong and appeared exceptionally fierce.

However, a terrifying brand covering more than half of his body was extremely incongruous, destroying the overall aesthetic of his body.

That was the mark of the Lotus Slave Market, an indelible mark, indicating that the seemingly powerful Miguel was merely a lowly Slave owned by the Lotus Slave Market.

His life and death were even at the whim of his Master.

Miguel's massive body had just appeared when it began to shrink at an extremely fast rate, and in a short while, it had shrunk to a miniature size, perfectly matching the black cube.

A suction force came, and Miguel, transformed into a figurine, was directly absorbed by the black cube, returning to his sealed state.

The black cube then quietly floated in space, awaiting collection by the Lotus Slave Market.

This world-destroying war was ultimately ended by Miguel, ended with an overwhelming force.

However, no one noticed that, at the same time Miguel revealed his true form for self-recovery, a black light, so weak as to be almost imperceptible, traversed countless spaces, arriving in an instant and attaching itself to Miguel's body, then disappearing into the black cube. (End of Chapter)