Volume One: The Game of the Controllers Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Spirit Treasure Acknowledges Its Master

Jing Nan never imagined that the last thing he would see would be the tip of a staff. The newly arrived Qin Shuang merely pointed a black staff at Jing Nan, and in that instant, Jing Nan lost all awareness. His body slowly toppled as the nascent soul within him had already been shattered by that single blow.

"Next is you—Heaven-shaking Staff!"

Qin Shuang still smiled gently. Hao Sheng, who had yet to realize Jing Nan’s death, was already trapped by Qin Shuang’s Heaven-shaking Staff. A thunderous explosion followed, and Hao Sheng’s body was blown apart, flesh and blood scattering.

With just two moves, two formidable ninth-level Immortal Emperors fell in succession.

"Senior Qin…truly astonishing. Just a puppet, yet you easily killed two ninth-level Immortal Emperors…" Lan Gang, though powerful himself, was only at the eighth-level Immortal Emperor realm. He could not comprehend Qin Shuang’s puppet—seeing its identical appearance to Qin Shuang, he assumed it was a clone.

"A clone?" Zhang Xingfeng laughed. There is no clone stronger than the original. His soul had reached the Upper Divine grade; though he had never seen a puppet, he doubted it was merely a clone.

Tian Xuan and Luo Batian were utterly shocked. Hao Sheng and Jing Nan were no weaker than themselves, yet two ninth-level Immortal Emperor experts could not withstand a single strike!

"You two, die together!"

Before Tian Xuan and Luo Batian could recover, they were horrified to find themselves unable to control their bodies.

With two explosive roars, they followed Hao Sheng’s fate. Four top-tier experts from the lower realms could not withstand even one move from Qin Shuang’s puppet.

"The power of a Divine One truly is unrivaled!" Qin Shuang sighed softly, feeling the surging divine power within the puppet. Her soul had reached the Upper Divine grade, fully capable of unleashing the puppet’s strength.

Using the cultivation of a Divine One and a divine artifact against Immortal Emperors was indeed overwhelming. No matter how powerful the Immortal Emperors, they fundamentally differed from Qin Shuang in the purity of their power. Using a puppet capable of Divine One strength against them was effortlessly easy.

Qin Shuang, together with the puppet, flew toward the spirit pearl. Empowered by Divine One strength, Qin Shuang found collecting the pearl much less arduous; before long, it was in their possession. Unbeknownst to them, someone had deliberately reduced the manifestation’s might—otherwise, even ordinary Divine Ones would never be able to claim a Supreme Treasure.

"Supreme Treasure!"

Qin Shuang, Zhang Xingfeng, and Lan Gang quietly gazed at the floating treasure between them, each able to hear the excited pounding of the others’ hearts. Faced with a Supreme Treasure, their excitement was undeniable.

"Little Shuang, quickly drip your blood and claim it as your own!" After a long while, Zhang Xingfeng swallowed and sighed, urging Qin Shuang. Lan Gang also withdrew his gaze and nodded to her.

"Xingfeng, Lan Gang…" Qin Shuang called softly, her heart even more stirred. This new friendship had not been in vain; to relinquish a Supreme Treasure in front of her filled Qin Shuang with joy and pride.

"Hurry and claim the treasure. I’d like to see what a Supreme One truly looks like!" Zhang Xingfeng urged, though a bit regretful, knowing the treasure was now beyond his reach. He calmed himself and looked forward to seeing what Qin Shuang would become after merging with the Supreme Treasure.

"Only by surpassing the Supreme One and reaching a higher realm can you leave that space." Lin Lei’s words echoed in Qin Shuang’s mind. In the divine realm, the Supreme One was already invincible.

Qin Shuang smiled bitterly and said helplessly, "Xingfeng, this Supreme Treasure…I will not take it."

Zhang Xingfeng was stunned. "Impossible! The Supreme One—you said it yourself, the Supreme One is the highest existence in the divine realm. Such a rare opportunity…"

Lan Gang was equally puzzled, though he didn’t fully grasp the significance of a Supreme One, but he knew it must be a tremendously powerful existence.

"I know. To become a Supreme One—how could I not desire it…" Qin Shuang was dazed. Her cultivation in the divine realm had been slow, a stark contrast to Qin Si, who was hailed as a prodigy.

Back then, Qin Shuang dared not even dream of becoming a Supreme One—she couldn’t resist the temptation of becoming a Divine One.

Now, with just a drop of blood on this eight-colored pearl, she could ascend to the Supreme One—a height she never dared to dream.

"Little Shuang, ascend soon. Big brother is waiting for you in the divine realm." The words Qin Si left behind in haste on Fengyue Star still echoed in her ears.

"Xingfeng, I think you’ve grown weary of Tianxin Realm as well…" Qin Shuang said, holding the pearl in one hand and extending it to Zhang Xingfeng.

"Senior Qin…" Lan Gang spoke, "Senior Qin, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?"

"Lan Gang, some things matter more than powerful cultivation," Qin Shuang replied with a gentle smile.

Her father, mother, and elder brother were all in the divine realm. If she accepted this origin pearl now, she might never see them again.

Zhang Xingfeng stared at the eight-colored pearl for a long time, his gaze dreamy. "So, if I become the Supreme One, I leave Tianxin Realm?"

"Little Shuang, perhaps you should think it over once more." Zhang Xingfeng resisted the urge to touch the pearl, knowing it wasn’t truly his.

"Xingfeng, I have thought long and hard. It is precisely because I have considered so much that I must let it go," Qin Shuang smiled. Had she not considered anything, she would have claimed the treasure at once.

"Very well…" Zhang Xingfeng hesitated, then finally accepted the pearl, staring at it for ages without moving.

After a long while, Zhang Xingfeng looked up and asked, "Little Shuang, will you regret this?"

Qin Shuang smiled faintly. "I fear I would only regret it after becoming Supreme One."

Lan Gang frowned, wanting to speak but holding back.

"All right, if I hesitate now, I’ll seem overly timid," Zhang Xingfeng laughed at himself. He let a drop of blood fall from his finger, which instantly merged into the pearl.

As Zhang Xingfeng’s blood entered, the pearl suddenly radiated with boundless brilliance.

Milky white, pitch black, gold, green, blue, earth yellow, fiery red—seven colors intertwined, occasionally streaked with dark purple.

The endless eight-colored radiance flashed for but a moment, then faded, and at the same time, the pearl had already entered Zhang Xingfeng’s body.

High above Tiandou Star in Tianxin Realm, the instant the pearl entered Zhang Xingfeng’s body, the entire space trembled.

"This…is the power of the Supreme Treasure?" Qin Shuang’s gaze was lost, staring dazedly at the sky.

"So, this is its purpose." As the pearl entered his body, Zhang Xingfeng immediately understood the Supreme Treasure’s use.

"In the beginning of the cosmos, yin and yang give rise to the five elements, lightning follows, and within are the laws of space and time—marvelous indeed." Zhang Xingfeng slowly absorbed the insights from the origin pearl, completely forgetting the passage of time.

"Haha, I didn’t expect this pearl would end up with this youngster." A burst of laughter rang out, and Lin Lei’s figure suddenly appeared before Qin Shuang and Lan Gang.

"Messenger?" Qin Shuang and Lan Gang were startled, then remembered Lin Lei had said he would reappear if someone obtained the treasure.

"You truly have no desire to oversee a space?" Lin Lei smiled, fixing his gaze on Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang paused, then replied, "It’s not that I don’t wish to manage it. The lure of the Supreme One is immense, but I do not want to be trapped in that space forever."

"I’ve told you—once your cultivation surpasses that of the Supreme One, you can leave."

"Supreme One?" Qin Shuang smiled bitterly. "To be honest, with my aptitude, if I could reach the Divine One, I would be grateful. If I truly became the Supreme One, to go further…" She shook her head with a wry smile. "The Supreme One is already the highest in the divine realm—even if there are stronger existences, I don’t believe my talent could reach that level."

"This youngster has surely suffered quite a blow," Lin Lei mused, saying, "Actually, cultivation is not all about talent. Sometimes luck and sudden enlightenment surpass even the greatest genius."

As they spoke, Tianxin Realm suddenly shook violently—the entire space was…collapsing.

"This brat…" Lin Lei was startled, quickly checking Zhang Xingfeng’s state and understanding the cause. "In that case, let me help you further." With a wave of his hand, a surge of energy entered Zhang Xingfeng’s body.

"You two…from whence you came, return there." Lin Lei waved again, and Qin Shuang and Lan Gang vanished instantly.

"Wait…I want to…" Lan Gang vanished, but his voice lingered in Tianxin Realm.

"Space law? Time law?" Zhang Xingfeng’s mind raced. "Yin and yang, five elements, lightning—so that’s it, that’s it." With the Supreme Treasure and Lin Lei’s aid, Zhang Xingfeng, legendary figure of Tianxin Realm, fully comprehended the laws of space and time, mastering the eight fundamental forces.

Though only a brief moment passed outside, in the accelerated time of Zhang Xingfeng’s pocket of space, billions of years elapsed.

"It seems to enter a new space, I must leave Tianxin Realm." Still merging with the Supreme Treasure, Zhang Xingfeng’s lips curved into a smile.

(To be continued)