Chapter Eighteen: Spirit of the Universe

This was a white, fluffy thing.

To be precise, it was a tail—pure white in color, with sleek, smooth fur unmarred by a single blemish.

It stretched across the earth, severing the black-and-white river, the surrounding land sunken from its weight.

If one extended their spiritual perception to view its entirety, the sight would be enough to instill terror: the tip alone spanned ten thousand miles, a single hair thick as a mountain peak.

Feng Shang had encountered many formidable and savage spirits before. Even the pure-blooded descendants of the Star Beasts rarely made him look twice.

But this white tail was different. It radiated an immense, mysterious aura—one that was all too familiar and hateful to Feng Shang.

“It’s just like that old tortoise in the Star Sea!”

Feng Shang began to grind his teeth furiously, the sound harsh and grating as he remembered a time he’d suffered a tremendous loss.

In recent years, relying on his treasured artifacts, he’d roamed about the Spirit Energy Universe with ease—save for one disastrous setback in the Star Sea.

There, he’d encountered the most shameless old tortoise: a being of profound strength who disguised himself as weak, deceiving everyone with false humility. Lacking any manner of dignity, the tortoise had stolen treasures Feng Shang had worked hard to obtain, and then even framed him for wrongdoing.

When they met again, the old tortoise felt no shame at all, and instead lectured Feng Shang at length in a tone of feigned sincerity.

To rob and then claim innocence—such shamelessness was beyond words.

Feng Shang had once thought the tortoise merely a reclusive sage among the cosmic spirits, only to later discover he was but a mere speck in the vast Star Sea.

That incident remained a source of deep humiliation for Feng Shang. But alas, the tortoise was not only shameless but possessed unfathomable skills.

Even with several precious artifacts, Feng Shang could not avenge himself. To this day, the memory filled him with gnawing hatred.

A sudden roar shattered the silence of the ancient scroll.

On the scroll, the lifelike Azure Calamity spirit strode out into the world.

Its entire being radiated searing light, its aura fierce and sharp. Within its eyes, mysteries swirled, the starry heavens seemed to break apart, and the savage beasts lurking in the darkness trembled in fear.

A sentient scroll, especially one of divine power, possessed its own consciousness—let alone this Seventeenth-Seal, world-shattering divine scroll.

“Boy, this time you’re in real trouble.”

Azure Calamity glowed with an aura of destruction that made the heart quail. Its deep blue eyes, harboring world-annihilating might, were fixed solemnly upon the unfathomable white tail.

“Uncle Calamity, we must be cursed. To encounter a cosmic spirit of this level again—let’s hope it’s not another shameless old fiend.” Feng Shang’s expression darkened, his demeanor wary.

Though brash and unruly by nature, the youth held deep respect for this powerful scroll spirit, who had saved him from peril more than once—their bond forged in life-and-death struggles.

“This cosmic spirit is extraordinary—nine celestial tails. I can’t tell if it’s a primordial spirit or one born later, but it’s certainly no weaker than that Star Sea Black Tortoise. For the Sea of Flowers to hide such a secret, that beautiful young deity who lured you here clearly had ulterior motives,” Azure Calamity said in a low voice.

Nine tails?

Feng Shang’s face shifted. So what he’d seen was only the tip of the iceberg? Was this spirit even more terrifying than the indolent, trouble-averse old tortoise with his sturdy shell?

“This spirit is in deep slumber.”

Azure Calamity’s gaze was mesmerizing and soul-piercing as it continued, “Even with my appearance, she hasn’t awakened. Either she’s a heavy sleeper, or she’s undergoing some critical sleep.”

“She’s sleeping?”

Feng Shang was first stunned, then overjoyed.

At first, learning that the Black Prison housed such an invincible cosmic spirit, the memory of the tortoise’s treachery had made him want to withdraw on instinct.

But now, the situation had turned.

Since the spirit had not awakened, he could still run rampant within this Black Prison, searching for the Ancient Seed—perhaps even seizing some treasures from this cosmic spirit.

“There are indeed some special spirits who slumber for an entire cosmic era, unmoved even if the heavens overturn, starfields perish and are reborn.”

“So, we don’t need to leave—and the Ancient Seed is likely on this spirit’s body!”

“It’s worth looking. As long as you don’t go too far and provoke her, it shouldn’t be a problem. Just keep your wits about you.”

Azure Calamity made no move to stop him. Even in the face of an unparalleled spirit, he only offered a gentle warning—Feng Shang’s hidden cards were formidable enough that, worst case, he could still escape.

“If there’s danger, I’ll come out again.”

With that, Azure Calamity fixed his gaze on the tail a moment longer, then transformed into a brilliant ray of divine light and flew back into the scroll.

On the scroll’s blank surface, seventeen sharp, awe-inspiring script-marks reappeared, their oppressive aura suffused with the laws of destruction, enough to chill anyone to the bone.

Feng Shang, left alone, was brimming with excitement, his eyes filled with anticipation.

This was a cosmic spirit—one of the rarest beings in the Spirit Energy Universe!

The last time, that shameless old tortoise had not only loved riches but also reveled in showing them off. He’d even given Feng Shang a glimpse of his collection, and at the time, Feng Shang’s eyes had nearly popped out of his head.

It had to be admitted: for all his shamelessness, the old tortoise had impeccable taste in treasures. Some were supreme divine seeds born of primal chaos itself.

If this nine-tailed cosmic spirit shared the same passion, then surely, her trove would contain relics rivaling the Immortal Blossom of the Sea of Flowers, perhaps even supreme artifacts from ancient epochs.

For this was the legacy of the Divine Ancient Star—a place that had once shone in unparalleled splendor, the very heart of the Spirit Energy Universe.

This nine-tailed spirit was likely born in that golden age—even a single hair from her would be extraordinary.

At the thought, Feng Shang’s heart surged with excitement.

He activated his space talent, concealed himself in the void, and shrouded himself in a layer of misty chaos—a unique aura that made him seem to vanish from this world.

This divine aura, with its many incredible uses, was the proudest creation of the Nine-Star Forger, ranked ninth among the Ten Supreme Star-Refining Divine Auras.

To forge it, the old man had traversed the vast domains of cultivation, ventured to the very edge of the universe, gathered the rarest star essences, and spent immeasurable time and treasures—only succeeding by chance.

He’d confessed that to attempt it again would almost certainly end in failure.

This aura, called “Creation from Nothing,” was famed for its myriad abilities. Though it did not grant overwhelming combat power, it was formidable in other ways: it could reverse time, erase traces from the bearer’s body, and even create ‘nothingness’—returning all wounds to their origin, making it a near-immortal aura.

Feng Shang’s daring explorations of the renowned divine realms and infamous forbidden lands owed much to this aura.

“Let’s see the full form of this cosmic spirit first.”

Hidden in the void, Feng Shang followed the immense, silken white tail toward the main body, eager to behold its true appearance.

The nine celestial tails were breathtaking—snow-white, flawless, their soft fur so inviting one could not help but want to throw oneself into them.

“Good heavens, each tail is a hundred thousand miles long. With just their physical strength, these nine tails could reduce a star to powder in a single instant.”

Feng Shang marveled in his heart—only in person could one appreciate the true immensity of this nine-tailed cosmic spirit. Should she so much as roll over, the entire Black Prison would tremble thrice over.

If she were ever to awaken and stride into the world, a single swipe of her tails could very well destroy half of the World Mountain of the Sea of Flowers.