Chapter 445 Through the Star Sea - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

Failure. Su Miao gazed at the collapsed magic formation before her, her expression serene. After countless experiments, she confirmed that Void Collapse and Starlight Burst could not be merged. However, through these numerous trials, Su Miao had elevated the power of Void Collapse to an immensely formidable level. Everything was ready. She stretched, took out a portion of dry-cooked chicken rice, and ate it with delight. As she sipped her juice, Su Miao realized that she hadn’t eaten in a long time. To be precise, she had forgotten about eating and drinking. "I am changing." A multitude of special insights emerged in Su Miao's heart. The feeling was unique. She couldn’t quite articulate it, but there seemed to be no problem. Su Miao returned to the chaotic void. The double battles had caused the once glorious City of the Star Realm to vanish completely, and the few surviving demon gods had long abandoned their temples and fled. Surprisingly, since the demise of the Twelve Ancient Emperors of the Starry Sea, there had been no reaction from within the realm. Weren't there supposed to be six emperors remaining inside? Could it be they ventured out but failed to notice her? She scanned the chaos but found no fresh traces of the Starry Sea demon gods' activities, nor did she sense any malice. This indicated that the demon gods of the Starry Sea hadn’t emerged. Su Miao approached the outskirts of the Starry Sea and discovered that its defenses had been significantly reinforced. It was clear—they truly hadn’t come out. The six emperors of the Starry Sea intended to become recluses. In truth, they could have ventured out to battle. If Emperor Heyuan and the others knew Su Miao's thoughts, they would undoubtedly curse: "To traverse the chaotic river and reach the Starry Sea only to feign weakness and attempt to ambush us, have you no shame, witch?" Since the six emperors of the Starry Sea wouldn’t emerge, Su Miao couldn’t be bothered to inquire. She could simply shatter the Starry Sea. With finesse, she extended her hand, the Starshine Staff appeared, and with a wave, twelve top-tier artifacts, alongside over a hundred ordinary artifacts, flew out. Profound and mysterious threads of law interlinked these artifacts, forming an immense magic circle within the chaos. As the magic circle formed, chaos energy from the vicinity surged in wildly. Thirteen ninth-level divine cores were released. The immense, unmatched law energy from the ninth-level divine cores poured into the magic circle. Following that, a thousand divine cores of varying sizes, demon king cores, and rare god-energy veins were dispatched. In this move, Su Miao used all her treasures except the universe's origin. "Oh, right, all the karmic merit too!" She intended to succeed in one decisive stroke. Layer upon layer of magic formations expanded as she gripped the Starshine Staff, aiming it toward the distant Starry Sea. Upon close inspection, the Void Collapse and Starlight Burst spells simultaneously gathered power. Supreme energy waves rippled and spread, causing chaos to tremble. In a trance, one might see the shadow of the chaotic river appear, subduing all realms. Within the Starry Sea, Emperors Heyuan, Yunlan, Wentian, Shengge, Shengmo, and Xueling were alarmed. Their gazes penetrated the Starry Sea, observing the witch Su Miao standing in the chaotic void. "The great calamity of the Starry Sea has arrived!" Emperor Heyuan flew out from his temple, surrounded by infinite laws, continuously reinforcing the internal defenses of the Starry Sea. "Now is the time for us to act!" "Agreed!" Emperors Yunlan, Wentian, Shengge, Shengmo, and Xueling responded without hesitation, collectively bolstering the Sea of Stars' defenses. For a moment, the laws within the Starry Sea appeared vast and ethereal, brimming with radiant colors, drawing countless beings to watch. "Look, Emperor Heyuan has descended!" "And Emperor Yunlan, Emperor Wentian!" "Even Emperor Shengge, Emperor Shengmo, and Emperor Xueling have appeared!" "The sight of such laws gives me so many insights just by watching the emperors; I feel I'm about to break through." "Something's wrong, the six emperors seem to be burning their essences, what on earth has happened?" "This is not good! How can mortal eyes withstand the emperor's might? Hide quickly!" As the oppressive might released by the six emperors intensified, some eighth-level demon gods realized the abnormal situation and shouted loudly, but it was already too late. The ordinary creatures who stepped outside to witness the emperor’s law visions, along with lower-level demon gods, burst instantaneously. Moreover, nearby galaxies unable to withstand the pressure shattered explosively. “Are the emperors aiming to destroy the Starry Sea?” “No, it can’t be…” “Save yourselves…” In mere seconds, emotions shifted from reverence, joy, pride, and excitement to despair. The cries of gods within the Starry Sea reached the ears of Emperors Heyuan, Yunlan, Wentian, Shengge, Shengmo, and Xueling, yet at such a time, full strength was their only choice. With the Starry Sea destroyed, they faced certain doom. If it were not destroyed, a slim chance of survival remained. As for fleeing into the chaos, this might provide a path to survival. However, recalling the witch Su Miao's pursuit of the ninth-level ancient emperors, they doubted their ability to escape. Even if they hid in the chaotic river, they would still be extracted and killed. The six emperors of the Starry Sea observed Su Miao’s actions, and naturally, she witnessed their defensive preparations. “Almost at the limit.” Su Miao released the Void Collapse first. Instantly, the chaos collapsed, seeming as though compressed into a two-dimensional world where it continued to disintegrate after entering. On its path, some concealed superstars were swallowed and turned to dust in the blink of an eye. In no time, the Void Collapse attacked the black hole structure on the Starry Sea's periphery. The two forces clashed and repelled each other. Chaos explosions followed one after another, ceaselessly tumultuous. The six emperors of the Starry Sea frantically commanded laws to patch up defenses, yet the Void Collapse shattered a corner of the black hole structure, resulting in horrific cracks in the defensive barrier of the Starry Sea. “This is bad!” Emperor Heyuan exclaimed. Watching the level chaos turn smooth, Su Miao unleashed the Starlight Burst. In an instant, every foundational artifact exploded, and all divine cores and crystal nuclei serving as energy sources turned to ash. All the law energies accumulated in the magic formation within chaos transformed into a destructive wave of starlight, blasting toward the Starry Sea. In the dark chaos, the starlight stream was dazzling. At this moment, a nearly eternal starlight trajectory appeared in the shattered chaos. Emperors Heyuan, Yunlan, Wentian, Shengge, Shengmo, and Xueling once again burned their essences, trying to seal the cracks and gaps. However, the speed of the Starlight Burst was faster, crossing time, space, and dimension to impact the Starry Sea’s barrier. Having existed for countless millennia, woven with myriad laws, the barrier shattered. The Starry Sea was blasted open, cracks spreading far and wide. Its complete collapse was only a matter of time. BOOM! Under the starlight stream, countless star regions within the Starry Sea were pierced, countless worlds obliterated. Emperors Heyuan, Yunlan, Wentian, Shengge, Shengmo, and Xueling sought refuge, yet were still swept by the starlight wave, suffering severe injuries. Especially Emperors Shengmo and Xueling, whose bodies ignited on the spot. “Karmic merit…” “How does she have so much karmic merit?” “To infuse such merit into a world-ending attack, witch, how I loathe you!” The heavily battered Shengmo and Xueling hadn’t anticipated this turn of events and were consumed in minutes, their souls extinguished. Starlight Burst inherently suppressed them, yet they never imagined the witch’s attack incorporated karmic merit. “Can merit be used in such a manner?” Emperor Heyuan lamented. Using merit to end worlds—could anyone sane conceive such an idea? Earlier, he exerted the most effort, suffering grave injuries. Moreover, his significant effort drew merit's backlash, compounding the harm, leaving him in despair. He stood in the void, observing the starlight stream unobstructedly surge forth, penetrating the entire Starry Sea. The connection between the Starry Sea and countless nurturing universes was severed, the whole Starry Sea erupting. Chaos surged in, filling the broken regions. The Starry Sea was finished. “Is this power beyond the ninth level?” Emperor Heyuan despaired utterly. Resist? How could he possibly resist? The emperors Shengmo and Xueling were instantly annihilated. Emperors Yunlan, Wentian, Shengge, and he were similarly heavily injured. Compared to the previously dispatched Twelve Ancient Emperors, their current state was only slightly stronger, while the witch Su Miao slaughtered the Twelve Ancient Emperors as effortlessly as squashing ants. Did remaining here yield hope? A risk must be taken. "Wentian, Shengge, Yunlan, we've fought all our lives. How about we witness what lies beyond the ninth level together today?" proposed Emperor Heyuan. Emperor Wentian chuckled, "Heyuan, do we really have a choice?" Emperor Yunlan remarked, "Wentian, did you know how this would end all along?" Emperor Wentian replied, "What difference does knowing make? I am an emperor of the Starry Sea, yet I cannot control my own fate. How am I worthy of the emperor’s title? The calamity of the Starry Sea was destined." Emperor Shengge laughed heartily, "Whether we perish or not, we might as well go down fighting!" She was the first to charge beyond the Starry Sea, surrounded by countless holy light laws, resembling a meteor rushing toward the chaotic river. However, halfway through, a wave of despair engulfed Emperor Shengge. Because the chaotic river had truly arrived... Su Miao smiled as she saw it pierced through but knew it was not over yet. With a wave of her Starshine Staff, she guided the turbulent chaotic river to flood into the exploding Starry Sea. Now she could be at ease. Earlier, the Void Collapse and Starlight Burst had drained almost all of her power. Without the help of the chaotic river, if the remaining Starry Sea emperors emerged, it would be perilous. She feigned fear~ But it seemed like two of the Starry Sea’s six emperors were mere bystanders. After unleashing their intense malice, they were instantly obliterated, leaving four behind inactive. This granted her precious time to recover. Watching the chaotic river surge towards the fractured Starry Sea, a wild notion crossed Su Miao’s mind. Should she attempt to siphon energy from the chaotic river? When she thought of it, she acted. Pointing her Starshine Staff at the chaotic river, she drew out boundless chaotic law, gathering and compressing it madly. Sensing the violent energy being extracted from the chaotic river, Su Miao's body quivered. This energy was exhilarating. Though dangerous, it remained within her control. Time to try the brand-new Starlight Explosion. BOOM! Using the chaotic river’s violent energy as a base, Su Miao launched an attack at the four advancing Starry Sea emperors. Emperor Shengge, charging at the forefront, bore the brunt of it. Already heavily wounded from enduring the chaos river’s impact, she lacked the strength to fend off Su Miao’s new attack. BOOM! Emperor Shengge was obliterated on the spot. Her once indestructible corpse was torn asunder, falling into the chaos. Her divine core shattered into fragments, scattered into the chaotic river, vanishing from sight. Emperor Shengge, utterly annihilated. "There truly is a realm beyond the ninth level..." Emperors Heyuan, Yunlan, and Wentian joined forces to withstand the aftermath of the Starlight Blast, suffering further severe injuries. Even so, it was a commendable outcome. Had Emperor Shengge not taken the initial hit, at least one of them would have surely perished. In the past, they viewed the myriad worlds as ants, as mere nourishment. Now, this catastrophic calamity seems fitting. Emperor Heyuan looked back, noting the absence of the Central Star Regions. His deities were nowhere to be seen, all turned to ash in the explosion’s wake. Under ordinary circumstances, the witch would be besieged by countless vengeful spirits after committing such acts of mass slaughter. But who could have anticipated the witch would deploy an ocean of karmic merit during the Starry Sea’s destruction? Karmic merit to end worlds, hahahaha… Emperor Heyuan spat out blood. In this situation, even suggesting a moral argument against Witch Su Miao was futile. Moreover, the witch's existence symbolized those universes which the Starry Sea had consumed as resources. He looked at his own hands, which were now splitting apart. He wouldn’t last much longer. One final strike, then. Emperor Heyuan self-destructed his divine core, surging with vast law energy, instantly healing his injuries. In the next moment, he transformed into a river, interweaving endless laws, and surged upstream against the chaotic river, aiming to engulf the witch. "Heyuan, you..." Upon seeing this, Emperor Yunlan snorted, "You think you’re the only one who can act?" She spit out her divine core, her form shifted, and countless law runes imprinted upon the core. After completing this, her body turned to dust, leaving only her divine core transformed into a brilliant, fiery ribbon, striking at the witch. "They’ve all gone mad, completely mad, hahahaha!" Blood tears streamed from Emperor Wentian’s eyes. With gritted teeth, he too shattered his divine core, briefly regaining strength and advancing further. Utilizing this power, Emperor Wentian stood directly atop the chaotic river. He walked along the chaotic river, heading into the past. It didn’t matter if he didn’t understand the witch's origins or the full extent of her power. Emperor Wentian decided to follow the connection established during today’s battle to reach the past, to obliterate the witch from her inception. But upon taking only a few steps, he saw a familiar silhouette standing on the past's chaotic river. It was also Witch Su Miao. "You!" Emperor Wentian glanced toward the shattered Starry Sea battlefield. That witch Su Miao was far weaker than the one before him. He laughed, a bitter, desolate laugh. Of course, if he sought to travel to the past to slay the witch, naturally, the witch could return from the future to intercept him. "Before I die, I have one question: Does a power beyond the ninth level truly exist?" "It exists." "Did you reach beyond the ninth level when you destroyed the Starry Sea?" "No, I remain at the ninth level." "Thank you." Emperor Wentian offered a faint smile. The mystery that had plagued him for millions of years was finally resolved; it wasn't a wasted life. Standing on the past's chaotic river, Su Miao pointed simply, and Emperor Wentian’s body instantly shattered. BOOM! Faced with Heyuan and Yunlan's desperate final assault, Su Miao drew upon the chaotic river’s violent law energy once more to clash against them. The massive explosion led to the collapse and scattering of multiple nurturing universes nearby. Ultimately, her prior exertions left her with insufficient energy reserves, causing Su Miao to be hurled back into the chaotic river. "Beyond the ninth level? Is that all there is...?" Emperor Yunlan's phantom appeared in the void, staggered a few steps, and scattered to oblivion. "I shouldn't have been so cautious." Emperor Heyuan's apparition lingered beside the chaotic river, sighed, and vanished into dust. Depleted and exhausted, Su Miao sank into the chaotic river, descending toward an unknown abyss. What should have been a turbulent chaotic river felt gentle to Su Miao. The Starry Sea was destroyed. The gods within were all slain. The tendrils drawing from the cosmic origins were severed—everything should be alright now. With no concerns left, Su Miao drifted into a deep slumber in the chaotic river. The Starshine Staff and God-Slaying Silver Sword hovered protectively around her. Time passed; countless law threads extended outwards, enveloping Su Miao into a cocoon of light, allowing her to rest more peacefully. As the apocalypse concluded, Su Miao, fearful of social interactions, had endured a long journey filled with constant dread. In her exile within another world, she witnessed the terrifying, brutal nature of gods. It only highlighted her own vulnerability. After much struggle, when she finally grew stronger, she learned that the apocalypse was merely part of the universe's undoing, with the root of all cataclysm traced back to the Starry Sea, which regarded endless universes as resources. Yet, facing such a colossal entity as the Starry Sea, Su Miao wondered where she found the courage to embark on this path. Had the Starry Sea’s emperors acted immediately, would she have had a chance at survival? Su Miao didn’t know. Regardless, with the Starry Sea now in ruins, she allowed herself the respite of sleep. It's been so long since she last rested. Whatever awaits can be dealt with after she wakes. (End of Chapter)