Chapter 2796 - Moving Forward Again

Tianming hadn’t shown any mercy, and Mu Zhizhi was dead. After reaching the tenth astral phase and possessing the spirit cosmos eye, killing a level four cosmic cartographer that had just recovered wasn't difficult. He had used his strongest move, which was already giving her face.

"Let's go!" Tianming turned around and left without a second thought.

"I'm quite speechless," Ying Huo commented while hanging on his shoulder.

"What’re you speechless about?" Tianming said.

"First, you save a person, then you kill them. What kind of divine operation was that?" It was puzzled.

"You're young. You wouldn't understand. The two aren't contradictory." Tianming rolled his eyes and continued, "They should be considered separately. The first part: she pays, I heal. It's reasonable. For the second, she harbored ill intentions and tried to expose my identity, so I killed her to keep her quiet. Also reasonable."

"You knew she would attack, right? So why not let her die, instead of saving her and killing her later?" Ying Huo quipped.

"It isn’t the same. If I strike before she does, then it’d seem like I'm just taking the money and not doing the job. I'd be the bad guy. Now, it's just her seeking death." In Tianming's view, he had fulfilled his duty to the best of his ability.

"What about the shrine master?"

"Regardless of how strong he is, he has to bear the consequences of his choices. I'm not afraid of him!" A foundationeer? Tianming had offended such individuals on more than one occasion. "It was a transaction. She harbored ill intentions and must face the consequences."

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Shortly after Mu Zhizhi's death, Shrine Master Mu and many people from the New Shrine were already on their way. Following the route given to him by Yin Chen, Tianming distanced himself from them, seated atop Meow Meow to expedite their journey. Because he had been located last time due to the order fragments, he decided to refine them on the spot.

"Five grade-four order fragments...." Each grade-four fragment was a peculiar item made up of four intersecting hexagons. They continuously collided with each other, and each flip, change, and intersection made him dizzy.

"Added up, they're probably worth thirty billion soul stones!" Quite expensive. Grade-four order fragments were probably unaffordable for ordinary families, except for those like the shrine master’s. Mu Zhizhi had likely used some during her growth, or Tianming could have asked for more.

He absorbed all five! Even though they were grade-four order fragments, he didn't feel like he was going to burst. Order fragments would only be ineffectively wasted, and wouldn't have a detrimental effect on the body. In other words, even if he absorbed higher grade order fragments, it wouldn't be a problem, but it would be a waste.

If he had used these grade-four order fragments when he was in the fifth astral phase, the level of improvement might have been higher, but.... these things were more valuable when grade-three order fragments were ineffective.

Tianming could clearly feel the eight orders within him undergoing a transformation.

"It seems a bit unstable now...." This time, he realized that the growth process of his orders was slightly strange compared to before. Originally, the eight hexagons were very pure in terms of color, strength, and so on. However, during this promotion, the eight orders showed some impurities. Although their volume had increased, the consistent forced growth had finally introduced some instability in them.

This was normal for others, but for Tianming, it was the first time. "A bit unstable!"

"He's been taking drugs all this time, and finally, he's feeling a bit shaky," Ying Huo exclaimed.

"Great!" Xian Xian added.

The useless things in his lifebound space were surprisingly gloating at this moment. Tianming couldn't help but admire them.

"This is the first time my growth’s been unstable. The control of the orders over the new levels seems insufficient, but it's okay. I'll settle down and expel the impurities." He was confident in himself.

"But before the orders stabilize, I won't be able to swallow order fragments for a while." The fast-track improvement route was temporarily closed.

Although it was a bit regrettable, when Tianming carefully considered it, he realized that, starting from Creektown, he had broken through several levels in one go and gained imperial and lifesbane orders. On the Sun, he had leapt from a junior with the power of a first-level cosmic cartographer to someone comparable to a council hall member.

"I should be content. Moreover, I can't absorb more for now—I need to seek stability and a solid foundation. Time for a break!" His orders may be unstable, but Tianming decided to push for the eleventh astral phase.

The eleventh astral phase, soul-body singularity, was the stage where the orders, brain, organs, and other places completely merged, achieving a complete transformation of flesh and blood. It was the final phase of the Order stage, a summary of the entire realm. The next step would be to advance his dark stellar chart into cosmic charts.

"If my orders are unstable, even the cosmoforce within my body will be a bit hard to control."

As the saying goes, knowledge is power. In Tianming's current situation, it was like having memorized some knowledge but not being able to use it flexibly. He couldn't control the power very well; what he needed to do was digest the knowledge, not keep swallowing.

"The eleventh astral phase!" Despite the instability, Tianming realized that each of his abilities were much stronger than when he had killed Mu Zhizhi earlier. "This is a breakthrough, but I still need to refine my foundation." Even so, the precious breakthrough, obtained at the risk of exposure, had made Tianming's heart surge with excitement. He was about to break through his current predicament!

"First, my combat power in the Xenoabyss should be able to contend with the highest level of outworlders, fifth-level cosmic cartographers." For example, Custodian Demonpiece or those from the Nascentis Mundus. With his current strength, even if it wasn't certain he could save Zi Zhen, he had the power to protect himself.

"Second! Once back on the Sun, with the blessings of the masses, my combat power should reach ninth-level cosmic cartographers? That’s the realm of my grandmother's peak strength!" Dongshen Yue only had the combat power of an eighth-level cosmic cartographer now.

"I can’t imagine I'm actually stronger than my grandmother. Given time, catching up with my grandfather won't be difficult." Lin Xiao’s peak level was an eleventh-level cosmic cartographer, and he still maintained that level of strength. It might be related to the many orders he cultivated—he was a representative of late bloomers.

Ninth-level cosmic cartographers could be considered among the top in the Infinitum Mundus. Even in the council hall, Tianming would be considered a mid-level figure.

"If I can quickly save Zi Zhen and return to the Sun, this level of combat power will probably cause a sensation." He couldn't wait.