Astral Pet Store (WN)

In the depths of the Abyssal Hole, at the bottom of the ocean—

Su Ping was floating in the darkness. The underwater battle was already over. Many gods' souls, including the Night Sky Clan's prince, had died in battle; only some Ascendant souls survived.

The battle between Emperor Yi and the Nether Dragon had also ended. Even emperors like them suffered injuries.

Neither of them could kill the other. It was barely possible for an emperor to kill a peer, unless they were both determined to fight until one of them perished. Nothing could be done if one of them wanted to flee.

A long time had passed since the shocking battle. However, there was no track of time in the Naihe Soul Ocean. According to the perception of the countless undead creatures floating there, "some" time had passed.

However, many of them thought that it happened the day before, every time the battle came to mind. A lot of creatures that lived deeper in the ocean looked at the bottom every now and then; they didn't forget that the young god had eventually entered the Abyssal Hole after stirring the entire ocean.

No one knew whether he was alive or dead.

It would be fine if he was dead.

But if he was still alive… Another battle would probably be raised once he got out.

Outside the Abyssal Hole—the Nether Dragon's body was coiled around the dark chasm like an infinitely stretching mountain. The soul power erupting from that point brushed its scales.

The wounds suffered in the previous battle had been mostly healed after the brushing.

"What a bunch of idiots!"

The Nether Dragon opened its enormous eyes, then gazed at the deep and bottomless hole with coldness. "Their lives as gods were just one of their countless reincarnations. And yet, they identified themselves as gods and betrayed their original species. We have all been born from the Abyssal Hole. We are eternal souls; nothing like the worthless gods!"

"What a bunch of arrogant idiots! Damn it!"

The Nether Dragon was still angry about the battle. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

He was both furious and a little bit scared as he looked down.

He had been tasked with defending the Abyssal Hole. Even he would have to suffer if the young god caused a mess down there and disturbed that ominous being.

The Abyssal Hole was a forbidden place for him. The essence of soul power found inside could melt pure souls that weren't protected by physical shells. He would be melted into the purest soul power if he entered, and be essentially reforged.

That was why all souls kept their distance from that place.

Furthermore, the higher level they were and the purer their soul power was, the faster they would dissolve.

The inferior undead, on the other hand, could struggle for a moment if they fell into the Abyssal Hole. After all, it would take some time for their impurities to be removed.

There are still remnant gods in this place. That young god was undoubtedly a rare genius. Why did the gods send him here? Do they want something from the Abyssal Hole?? Is it possible…

The Nether Dragon's eyes were cold. If that brat was there to ask for that lord's help, he would only be delivering himself to the lord's mouth.

In any case, I will steal his memories and eat him when he comes out. There's only one exit in this place. Even though the Abyssal Hole attracts the souls of all worlds over to this place, it's impossible to go back to those worlds, even if he abandons his body…

The Nether Dragon closed his eyes and waited patiently.

Deep inside the Abyssal Hole—

Su Ping floated in the bottomless darkness, while surrounded by soul power that looked like fireflies. The power was attached to Su Ping, giving his body a strange glow.

The light was half silver and half green. The soul power was stuck to Su Ping's skin; some of it even got inside his body and wandered around in his arm.

A strange energy pulse was spread out of Su Ping's body; it was something akin to a heartbeat.

After a long, long time—

Su Ping discovered that the scene before him was different on the day he opened his eyes; no longer completely dark, but lit with a strange green color.

Infinite soul power was wandering in that place. Su Ping focused his attention and looked in one direction. He then saw what seemed to be the wall of the cave through an opening.

There were floating vines on the wall.

Is this the Abyssal Hole??Su Ping was dazed for a moment, and committed that surprising scene to memory.

All his senses had returned by then. He discovered that his body had changed once again; it was filled with soul power that slithered in his cells. Some of the soul power even forced the formation of a vortex inside his body.

Am I… a soul now?

Su Ping raised a hand and saw that it was half real and half illusory; transparent in a way, but it was real flesh.

He touched his hands, and found them extremely cold.

My body has been transformed…

Su Ping gradually understood what had happened to him as he recalled the previous meditation.

He had respectively acquired the Ancient Deity constitution and the Pure God constitution when he established the Small Deity World and the Small Divinity World. He had attained the constitution of a soul after being transformed by the essence of soul power.

The pure essential power of gods and deities had been suppressed deep inside his cells.

The essence of soul power was so strong in that place that he couldn't release them. As a result, it was impossible for him to manifest as a god; he could only retain his form as a soul.

Even if I am to face intangible ghosts, I can still punch them with my current body… Su Ping touched his hands; his back glowed while he thought this.

Those were the shining small worlds.

The Astral world, the Illusory world, the Path Source World… the brilliant Small Divinity World didn't stop glowing after appearing. There was a new dark green light which carried a creepy aura; however, it was also extremely pure.

That was the sixth world established by Su Ping during his recent cultivation.

The law of the sixth world was "eternity."

He established the sixth world when he grasped the law. The law of eternity had almost been perfected at the moment.

"The power of eternity, along with the path of life, will be extremely great. Also, it seems to be related to the path of time, as their traits are connected somehow. Maybe I'll be able to progress faster if I fuse them…" Su Ping mumbled to himself.

Su Ping possessed more small worlds than most beings after establishing the sixth world.

At first he didn't think of anything when he established new small worlds. But his understanding became special at that moment.

If he could find something in common amongst the small worlds, maybe he would be able to unite them all!

That was also the requirement for the ninth Astral Painting. There was no telling how strong he would become if he could meet it. Maybe he would be unimaginable.

However, establishing the sixth world is still not the ceiling.

My mentor in the Heaven Path Institute once talked of an Ancestral God who had established seven small worlds before becoming an Ascendant!"

Su Ping's eyes glittered. He had an inspiration about a new small world, back when he was in the abyss' entrance. To be more exact, it was a new law.

The law of Heavenly Tribulation!

He had gained such understanding from the Heavenly Tribulation.

If he could grasp the law, he would be able to establish a small world with it.

However, Su Ping only had the most basic understanding at the moment. He couldn't grasp it fully yet.

Maybe I'll have to resort to the old way. I have to experience other people's Heavenly Tribulations.?Su Ping's eyes glittered. He remembered Joanna, and felt eager to return.

But he wasn't in a hurry; he planned to cultivate for a while longer, and wait until his path of eternity was perfected.

I couldn't have understood the path of eternity or established the sixth world without their help. I may encounter those Celestial-level undead lurking at the bottom of the ocean. They're too strong for me right now…

Su Ping shook his head, and dropped the idea of avenging them. He was still too weak.

However, he didn't know how strong he was at the moment.

With a thought, he displayed the rank of all species.

He was the best of all humans when he was in the Star State.

It was inevitable that his ranking would drop after becoming a Star Lord. However, he had established a sixth world as a Star Lord. There was no telling what his ranking would be.

Su Ping soon communicated with the system to have the human ranking displayed.

Second place!

Su Ping raised his eyebrows in surprise, but then found it understandable.

He was the second best human Star Lord ever, since the dawn of humanity; his talent was almost unparalleled.

If he would only have five small worlds after the tribulation, maybe his ranking would have been significantly lower.

It seems that there are plenty of geniuses amongst human beings. I have six small worlds, and an Ascendant State body, but I only rank second… I wonder how talented the guy at the very top is. Does he have seven small worlds?

Su Ping wasn't disappointed. He had conflicting feelings, though.

Right. The system mentioned that I wasn't his first host. In that case…

"You're right. Li Jianqiu, whose ranking was higher than yours, was also a host I picked." The system's voice sounded in Su Ping's head.

Su Ping was surprised.

This damn system is indeed reading my thoughts all the time!

"I didn't expect that you would have someone else on the side! You cheater." Su Ping felt jealous. However, he realized that it had existed for countless years since it was connected to many universes.

It was a good thing that the system finally had another host after such a long time. He should feel happy for it.

At least, it should be less lonely with a host.

The system was silent for a long time, choosing not to respond.

"Why didn't you warn me for yelling at you?" Su Ping was curious.

A moment later—the system finally said indifferently, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Cut the crap."

"Why are you cursing? I didn't say anything," said Su Ping angrily.

The system didn't reply.

"Well, was that Li Jianqiu famous? What happened to him? Did he establish seven small worlds?" asked Su Ping curiously.

After a moment of silence—the system finally said, "He was as brilliant as the sun during his age; even young kids knew him. That's right; he established five small worlds in the Star State and seven small worlds as a Star Lord, all before he finally entered the Ascendant State!"

Su Ping instantly had a clear picture.

It seemed that he had been lucky to have ranked at the top back when he was in the Star State. Maybe he was slightly better off than that guy in some other respect.

"How did he die then?" asked Su Ping curiously.

The system was silent for a long time.

Su Ping waited. Right when he was about to skip that somewhat sensitive question and talk about a different topic to lighten up the atmosphere—the system said unemotionally, "He wasn't strong enough. He died valiantly in battle; he was a great swordsman whose sword could cut apart the skies, but he preferred to be a mortal rather than a deity."

Su Ping was dazed.

He had died in battle.

Even though the system sounded unemotional, Su Ping could sense the system's sentimental fiber. Perhaps he had picked up on the system's subtle changes after being its host for a long time.

After such a long companionship, Su Ping regarded it as a partner keeping him company all the time.

He couldn't consider his partner a cold intelligent machine.

"He must have been very strong; was he as strong as an Ancestral God?" asked Su Ping prudently. It wouldn't be surprising for the guy to become the strongest in the universe with the help of the system.?But how did he die in battle? Was he too careless? Or was it due to something else?

"I'll tell you when you reach the Ascendant State." The system seemed to have lost interest in talking. It fell completely silent after saying that.

Su Ping called out several times, but received no response. He felt somewhat conflicted at the moment.

He had the feeling that he would eventually have to face a life-and-death battle.

Everything he had seen in the cultivation sites suggested that an enormous storm was waiting for him somewhere in the distant future.

Su Ping shook his head, hoping that he was only being paranoid. He refocused his attention and checked the rank of all species.

Twelve!

He was the twelfth!

Su Ping was slightly surprised to see the number.

He had thought that his ranking would plummet after becoming a Star Lord. After all, even though the level advancement didn't mean much to him, it was a big deal when comparing geniuses.

Some of them stayed in the Star State for a short period of time, and they often cultivated much longer as Star Lords.

That was to be expected, since the breakthrough to the Ascendant State was quite challenging. The more they cultivated, the stronger they would become after reaching breaking through!

So, there were many more geniuses that stayed as Star Lords than those who stayed in the Star State.

Out of his own expectations, he ranked twelfth after establishing six small worlds; he almost made it to the top ten!

It had to be noted that one of the eleven people above him was Li Jianqiu, a human being!

There are only a few geniuses that are stronger than me among all species…?Su Ping thought. Not making it to the top ten was indeed a bit disappointing, but he was still thrilled because of the height he had reached.

His ranking would certainly rise again if he cultivated the law of Heavenly Tribulation.

Su Ping took a deep breath and continued cultivating.

Su Ping's path of eternity was finally perfected after a long time passed. His body had been completely transformed into that of a soul. He could be melted into the Abyssal Hole.

Su Ping also detected that he wasn't just a regular soul. His body was made of crystals that were refined from soul power; he was much stronger than regular souls.