Xu Jin suddenly appeared beneath a starry sky, his eyes glancing about. "Did you really think that you could drag me down with you? You underestimate me. Do you think that I don't understand the nine-star technique, Restart? You might have succeeded if you had gone after one of the others, but me? Kakawen, you-"
Its words were cut off as a beam of light appeared and swept through the dark cloud. It abruptly dissipated, leaving only the solitary eye staring blankly at the void. How? How could this happen? Xu Jin had been prepared for Restart.
The nine-star technique should not have been able to touch him at all.
The Nine-Star Civilization's universe had completely shattered. The Hollow consumed all that remained, including Kakawen.
Before he was devoured, Kakawen's greatest relief was that the Origin Universe had sent a message. The Nine-Star Civilization had been given a place to hide, which prevented Kakawen’s people from being completely destroyed by Aeternus.
"Xu Jin, did you really think an old bag of bones like me was completely useless? Everything you learned about Restart was information that I deliberately allowed you to know. All of the Nine-Star Civilization’s traitors will soon die. There is no escape."
With a deep sigh, Kakawen gazed longingly into the distance where Star Capital had once stood. The place was completely gone.
Soon, the man was also swallowed by the Hollow, and he disappeared.
Shortly after, Arrow God, Di Qiong, and the others returned, and they looked around at the shattered universe.
"It’s no wonder why Xu Jin never had the courage to fight this civilization to the death. This is enough power to severely injure any one of us, and with just a bit of bad luck, it could kill us," Di Qiong said apprehensively.
Shao Yin's eye twitched. This attack certainly would have killed him. That old man had been capable of unleashing a terrifying amount of power.
"Where is Xu Jin?" Arrow God looked around, but Xu Jin did not appear.
They continued to wait for some time, but Xu Jin never showed up.
"Forget it. It doesn't matter. The Nine-Star Civilization must have escaped. That old man would never allow his people to die with him, but they won’t be able to hide. Whatever universe they are hiding in has to be connected to this one. Start looking," Di Qiong ordered.
A cosmic door activated, and corpse kings rushed through it. They started searching through the shattered universe.
Xu Jin had returned to the Second Scourge after being badly injured. He had not suffered such wounds in a very long time. He had been deceived by that old man. Even with the Divine Commandment, Kakawen had managed to drag Xu Jin down with him. However, Xu Jin would not die. Restart was nothing to him.
Still, he would not be able to continue participating in the Divine Commandment.
The disappearance of the beam of light indicated the end of Restart, as well as the end of Kakawen's life.
The vast Star Capital now found itself beneath a crimson veil. It was in a universe that was directly connected to the universe that had belonged to the Nine-Star Civilization, but was not a part of it. This prevented the universe from being destroyed by Restart.
At this moment, everyone in Star Capital was staring up at the bell tower.
They watched as the flame atop the tower slowly faded away. Kakawen was dead.
The person who stood closest to the bell tower was a middle-aged man named Wuwude. He was a seven-star powerhouse, just like Mimina. They were the only two seven-star experts in the entire Nine-Star Civilization.
If the Divine Commandment had not been issued, Aeternus surely would have targeted Wuwude, just as they had Mimina. All of the Nine-Star Civilization’s seven-star experts needed to die.
When the flame extinguished, Wuwude bowed deeply. "The Nine-Star Civilization bids farewell to our mentor."
Behind the man, countless people bowed in respect. "The Nine-Star Civilization bids farewell to our mentor."
"Farewell, Mentor."
"Farewell, Mentor."
Kakawen had been very highly regarded by the people of the Nine-Star Civilization. He had been a mentor to countless people, not just in regards to cultivation, but also to life in general. He had served as the spiritual pillar of the entire civilization.
Kakawen's death plunged the Nine-Star Civilization into sorrow and confusion, leaving them directionless for the future.
Mimina soon returned, and she immediately noticed that the flame at the top of the bell tower had been extinguished. Tears streamed down her face as she closed her eyes and bowed. "Mimina bids farewell to her mentor."
"Mimina, what happened?" Wuwude asked.
Before the woman could respond, the crimson sky cracked open. "Found you. Instead of lingering in pain, why not join Aeternus? Nine-Star Civilization, it's time for you to choose."
Mimina was startled. "How did they find us so quickly?"
"There's a traitor!" Wuwude roared. His eyes started scanning the people standing behind him. Only six-star level experts were told about this universe, which meant that the traitor had to be one of them.
Corpse kings continued to appear, as well as Shao Yin, the True God Guards, and powerful corpse kings from other Scourges. Star Capital was completely surrounded.
Of all of Aeternus’s powerhouses that appeared, the Nine-Star Civilization most feared not Shao Yin, but rather Lan Lan.
Lan Lan was a powerhouse from the Second Scourge, and she had fought against the Nine-Star Civilization on multiple occasions, which was why she had left such an impression on them.
Inside Star Capital, a short distance from Mimina and Wuwude, someone shot high into the sky, making their way towards Shao Yin and the others from Aeternus.
Wuwude and Mimina reacted in unison, shouting, "Traitor!"
Shao Yin pointed a finger, and the merged power of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang formed a beam of light that was aimed at Wuwude, forcing the man to use Supreme Shield.
The beam struck the barrier, and cracks instantly appeared. The Supreme Shield shattered, and the beam pierced the ground beneath Star Capital.
Even so, Wuwude managed to evade the attack.
The person who had fled to Aeternus was a woman, and it was even someone whom Lu Yin might have been able to recognize, if he had been present; she was the last student he had encountered when climbing the bell tower to visit Kakawen.
No one had expected the traitor to be a young student who had still been training at the academy.
On top of that, she had been Kakawen's most promising pupil.
"Memefer, how could you betray us?" Mimina shouted in anger.
The woman had already moved next to Lan Lan, and she stared down at Star Capital. She spoke to the inhabitants of the Nine-Star Civilization with a voice of calm indifference. "As Kakawen's closest student in recent years, I knew that he was nearing his end. Even without this attack, he only had another hundred years left, at most. I often saw him coughing up blood.
"Aeternus will never allow another Kakawen to rise. Our Nine-Star Civilization is already doomed, so why struggle?"
She stared down at the people of Star Capital. "I advise you, while Aeternus hasn't completely written you off, join them. The only other possible fate awaiting you is worse than what you can even imagine."
Despair spread through Star Capital. Many people exchanged glances. First, Kakawen had died, and then a traitor was pleading for their surrender. People who lacked sufficient determination were already considering how they could surrender to Aeternus.