Chapter 674 — Sick

The owl's transformation gave Shi Jin and the others a start. Fortunately, it lasted only a moment. Drenched in sweat, she came back to her senses; though she still clutched her head and panted, her manner had already calmed.

"Teacher Owl, are you all right? What happened?" said Shi Tang.

"I'm fine." The owl said, "It's just that this ruin is rather peculiar. Its master may still be—"

"Still alive in this universe!"

"Hm?" said Shi Li.

The owl said, "This epoch ruin was created by someone in the previous epoch. But this creator—like you—successfully crossed over into this epoch."

"That's exactly why the interference I suffered this time was so strong."

Shi Jin frowned. "What?"

The Empress?

Shi Jin's first thought was of the Empress—could this be a ruin created by that woman in her past life?

"This location is... the Caicai Star Domain." Shi Qi studied the crystal ball. "A star domain at the edge of the cosmic sea, close to the Zerg Mother Nest..."

"Correct."

"Are you certain this ruin is the epoch ruin best suited for me to explore right now?" Shi Jin stroked his chin. "I assumed you'd divine a ruin connected to an 'evolution-type cosmic supreme treasure.'"

"And instead it's a ruin with traces of an otherworld traveler. Somehow it feels like there's another pit waiting."

"Shall we go explore it?" asked the Gem Cat. "Let's go, let's go—it sounds like there's bound to be important information."

Shi Li: "You just want to hustle me off. Fine—since this is your divination result, I suppose we'll make the trip."

...

The Caicai Star Domain—a star domain with a peculiar name, situated at the frontier of the cosmic sea. It was one of the star domains closest to the Zerg Mother Nest, its geographical position much like that of the Crimson Blue Star Domain.

Shi Yu's curiosity had been piqued by the owl's divination, and he had come to a certain planet within the Caicai Star Domain.

Amid a vast range of mountains, Shi Jin walked through the wild woods, sensing out the condition of the epoch ruin.

"Interesting." Shi Jin wandered about for quite a while, continuously employing his Time and Tide technique, yet he still could not crack open or activate the ruin. This ruin had been built to a remarkably high standard.

Shi Yi and Lin followed at Shi Jin's side, offering counsel—though in truth only Lin offered counsel. Shi Yi, whether from lingering childishness or plain foolishness, had already clambered up a nearby tree and, with a single palm strike, snapped off a branch and sent the red cotton bugs clinging to it tumbling down.

"Awoo!!!" Shi Yi proclaimed his victory.

In Shi Ying's beast-taming space, Chongchong watched its "super-distant relative" meet the same fate as its younger self and twitched the corner of its mouth.

"There are so many insect-type creatures here. We haven't reached the Zerg Mother Nest yet, but this is already a paradise for the swarm," said Lin.

"True, but that's not the point. The point is—why won't this ruin open!" Shi Jin gritted his teeth.

This was the first time since acquiring the power system of the previous epoch that he had been stymied when it came to cracking a ruin.

After all, he had easily broken open even a mechanical ruin from two epochs ago, and that had been at a low level. Now he was approaching cosmic-class—and this lousy ruin wouldn't open?

Of course, forcing it open was not out of the question, but that would damage the information and resources inside. Shi Yu wanted to go through the proper procedure and let the ruin come to its senses on its own.

"You won't get anywhere that way."

Just as Shi Qi was pondering, a voice suddenly sounded from behind them.

At that voice, Shi Jin, Shi Yi, and Lin all flinched.

Shi Jin whipped around—and there, descending behind them, was Chao Nengzhao.

"Why are you here?"

"Don't tell me the master of this ruin really is you?"

Chao Nengzhao turned her gaze to Qi. "I have nothing to do with this ruin."

"Then you... hm? Could it be you've been protecting me all along?" said Shi Li.

Chao Nengzhao said, "Don't flatter yourself. My aim is also this ruin."

"It's not as if you're the only one who can perceive what makes this ruin special."

"Fine..." Shi Shuo laughed. "Then, Your Majesty, what insights do you have? Do you know what this ruin is about?"

"This is an exclusive ruin—one that can only be opened by a specific person, with a specific bloodline and specific soul traces. Inside, there should be something stored that was immensely important to that person."

"Moreover, since this ruin survived from the previous epoch to the present, there are already signs that it has been opened once before."

Shi Li: "So the master of this ruin is indeed still alive, somewhere."

"Mm." The Empress nodded.

"Was it the ruin master's identity as a transmigrator that drew you here?" Shi Tang asked.

The Empress shook her head. "Partly, but not entirely. Haven't you felt it?"

"Felt what?"

"The cosmos... is ill."

"The cosmos is ill???" Shi Shuo was stunned.

The Empress said, "Yes. For unknown reasons, the cosmos has fallen ill. Though the symptoms are still relatively mild, the rate at which the cosmos' lifespan is draining has already begun to slowly accelerate."

"The ones with the clearest perception of this should be planetary lifeforms. You can have your star beast companion sense its connection with the power of the cosmos—see if it hasn't become considerably more difficult."

"Mew..." In the beast-taming space, Xiao Zi was bewildered.

It carefully sensed for a moment, then was slightly startled—though it wasn't very obvious, it did indeed feel different from before.

This subtle sensation was nearly impossible to observe. Most of the time, one would attribute it to one's own condition. Even if sensed, one would never connect it to the cosmos being ill.

"It was after I noticed this that I grew worried the cosmos' condition might affect your contracting with the cosmos, so I began searching for the cause," the Empress said. "Eventually, I found this place. It seems this ruin holds the ultimate explanation."

"It appears that although you didn't discover the anomaly, you still found your way here through other means. This shows that the cosmos' illness is destined to have some impact on you."

After hearing the Empress' words, Shi Jin fell into deep thought. "I see. Then to unravel this ruin, it seems we'll have to find its original master."

"In other words, besides the two of us, a third 'transmigrator' whose identity can be confirmed."

"Mm." The Empress nodded.

"You must have arrived here before me. Have you found anything?" Shi Tang asked.

The Empress was cosmos-level, and an old monster who had lived for who knows how long. Her methods should far exceed those of a youngster like him.

"That person is already dead, and has undergone reincarnation once more," the Empress said.

"If I'm not mistaken, that person should have reincarnated into the Zerg Mother Nest."

"The Zerg Mother Nest?" Shi Li: "We have to go there to find them..."

"The Zerg Queen's territory—wouldn't that be a bit dangerous... Back in the Transcendent Divine Realm, I killed quite a few of her people, including several of her offspring..."

"This matter, I'll leave to Your Majesty the Empress. I'll await your good news," Shi Xiaoke said immediately. He had no desire to go to the Zerg Mother Nest.

"Unfortunately," the Empress said, "that Jia Qi and I also have a grudge. I was once permanently banned by her from setting foot in the Zerg Mother Nest. Though I could force my way in, it would easily trigger a larger conflict."

"This matter must still be left to you to investigate. I will leave a protective ward on you to keep you safe and conceal your identity. As long as you don't provoke trouble on your own initiative, you should be able to complete the mission and return safely."

Shi Jin: ???