Infinite Gods Reign Supreme

Chapter 56: Success Achieved, Calamity Unfolds

—[Successfully defeated the Great Black Buddha Mother. A certain amount of side quests and reward points will be allocated based on your performance in teamwork.]

—【Reincarnator Si Ming, obtained 2 B-level side quests, rewarded with 9000 points.】

The divine announcement gradually became clearer to the reincarnators. And before Si Ming's eyes, the burning skeleton gradually disintegrated, carbonized, and turned into fine ashes that fell to the ground.

A wisp of dark flame remained.

It was a strange flame with a black base and white flames.

It burned fiercely within the Greatsword of Sin, and the next moment, along with the burning willow branch thrown into it, this strange flame slowly broke free from the Greatsword of Sin and landed in Si Ming's palm.

A strange fire, within which gathered some profound and powerful force—after being separated from the Greatsword of Sin, this C-grade weapon also lost its luster, transforming from a powerful weapon imbued with divine light into an ordinary, high-strength metal sheet.

—The spark of the fire of sin?

Si Ming gazed at the flame, clenched his fist slightly, and the flame merged into his flesh and blood. There was no burning, no conflict, and no backlash. It simply flowed quietly within his flesh and blood, swirling around his soul.

"You seem to have obtained something very dangerous, Professor."

Yu Zhiwei's voice rang out. She looked at Si Ming, her gaze unchanged from before—among the members of the Celestial Team, she was indeed the only one who could discern Si Ming's strength at first glance. Her attention was now solely focused on the black flame with white undertones that Si Ming had previously held.

"Very dangerous?" Si Ming didn't think so.

"It might have some effect of recognizing its master, but I can feel that it has a very strong restraining effect on my telekinesis... No, perhaps not only telekinesis, but any power related to the soul might be burned by that flame when it collides with it."

"Is that so..." Si Ming raised an eyebrow slightly, and a wisp of dark night battle qi in his body immediately came into contact with this strange flame - the twilight-colored battle qi merged into the flame without any stagnation, and the next moment, a wisp of dark night battle qi with a slightly higher quality than before transformed from the flame, split, and returned to the circulation of battle qi.

It is new energy.

This is a new, high-level energy, of superior quality to near-A-grade Night Battle Qi, yet still within the realm of transformation, and confirmed to be compatible with this body. It originated from the sinful fire of the Soul World, achieved through the sacrificial offering of the soul of an evil spirit, or rather, an evil god. Its primary function should be to specifically target evil, curses, and souls. Therefore, its name should be…

“Calamity Flame.” Si Ming nodded. “I call this Calamity Flame; it’s what I got when I destroyed the Great Black Buddha Mother. Hmm… do you still sense any danger?”

The calamity fire lay dormant deeper within his body, and most of it transformed into the battle aura of night. Its most refined core was hidden within his heart, and he then realized that his soul was now residing where his heart concept resided.

He then realized that in the past he had not been able to accurately observe his own soul, but could only vaguely perceive its overlap with his physical body. But now, he knew the location of his 'true form' and could even use the Calamity Fire to protect it.

The head is no longer a vital organ.

The heart can also be discarded along with the soul.

When that thin layer of tribulation fire enveloped her soul and perfectly merged with it, Yu Zhiwei, who had been looking at her with astonishment, relaxed her brows.

"There's still a little bit left... well, you can barely feel it."

Yu Zhiwei gave a thumbs up.

Si Ming nodded slightly to her in gratitude—further analysis and development of the Calamity Fire still requires repeated adjustments and trials in the coming period. But for now…

He glanced at his other companions.

They had all witnessed his power and knew just how strong he was—everyone knew that when he first arrived, he truly could overwhelm everyone by taking on four opponents single-handedly. And everyone had seen with their own eyes that he did not use brute force to forcibly seize authority, but relied on his calmness, decisiveness, and judgment to prove that he could indeed lead this team in a better direction.

A leader may not necessarily need great power, but he absolutely needs vision and the courage to integrate resources.

Now, Si Ming not only satisfies the latter, but also possesses immense power.

“Just now,” Song Tian slung Xueyin back onto his back, sheathing the blade with a soft click. “You used your full strength?”

"More or less," Si Ming nodded. He had used almost all his techniques and was able to easily withstand the continuous attacks from the true form of the Great Black Buddha Mother, thanks to the wisp of Dark Night Battle Qi he had planted in Li Ruonan's soul the previous night. This allowed him to avoid the most powerful attacks and appear calm and composed. However, strictly speaking, he did still have some strength left to spare.

The only combat technique used was the Evil Explosion Sword.

The Five-Strike Combo of the Lord of Cinder, which he had devised and improved, still had no place in the battlefield. He couldn't even give this modified Five-Strike Combo a suitable name, since the fastest way to perfect a technique was to put it into intense actual combat.

Song Tian nodded and remained silent. He didn't mention continuing the duel with Si Ming, because he knew that fighting now would be overestimating his own abilities.

Jacob on the other side also let out a helpless sigh.

“Both are at the second tier, but the gap between people is truly vast.” He shrugged and smiled. “Looks like I’ll have to rely on you a lot from now on, Professor… no, Captain.”

He gave in.

Of the four, he was the first to call out the authentic title of 'Captain'.

At this moment, Valentina, who was always out of it, seemed to come to her senses, looked at Siming, and then at him.

"Uh..." she said somewhat uncertainly. "So, we...we have a captain?"

"I've always been a big supporter of the professor." Yu Zhi tilted her head slightly, pursed her lips, and put on a pitiful expression. "Unfortunately, the professor didn't appreciate it and was even yelling at me..."

This guy is enough.

Even Song Tian, ​​who was usually serious, shook his head.

"The professor is very competent." He stared at Si Ming, the fighting spirit in his eyes merely hidden, not completely extinguished. And for him, this was already a very clear expression of his stance.

So Si Ming nodded and smiled, ignoring Yu Zhiwei, and looked at Valentina.

"I believe I am capable of shouldering this responsibility and doing it even better. Miss Ranger, would you be willing to join me in creating a glorious tomorrow?"

"I'm willing... Ugh, that sounds weird. Anyway, you'll be the boss from now on. You've done a pretty good job so far, I have no problem with that."

well.

A sudden, intangible sense of exhilaration and accomplishment welled up within Si Ming. A joyful feeling spread through his entire body, making him feel incredibly elated.

He finally had a squad.

A small team that belongs to him.

The weight of responsibility pressed down on his shoulders. But this weight made him stronger.

His thoughts shifted. The deathly aura, the tribulation fire, and all the mixed forces flowing around him transformed into the battle qi of the night. And all this battle qi gathered in his abdomen along with the floating medicinal power within his body—whether it existed, remained, or was simply nonexistent—and contracted and evolved together.

Spiky crystals of battle aura suddenly formed.

The nine spikes on the surface of the crystal converge three of their way into the interior of the crystal.

Fighting Spirit, three stars, achieved here.

Even when transferred to an infinite professional system, this power undoubtedly possesses the strength of the early or even mid-stage of the third tier.

The resources from the Calamity Fire were thus quickly converted into cash, propelling his Night Battle Aura to A-level. Perhaps he still needs further refinement and consolidation, but there's no doubt he's already above that level.

His transformation happened in an instant.

But his sudden growth still attracted the attention of all his companions.

"...Huh?" Yu Zhiwei raised an eyebrow. "Your energy level has increased by more than 30%...So there's a second time for the captain's enhancement? No, it's the energy that's increased, not the lock...You've achieved enlightenment?"

She was a good explainer, directly stating the situation emanating from Si Ming, preventing anyone in the newly formed team from overthinking things. Although this was actually an unnecessary action, it did fit her pessimistic tone.

"I've only gained a slight understanding." Si Ming raised his hand, shook it, and a frank smile appeared on his lips.

This smile possesses power; its authority is more than ten times greater than the steps laid out by Yu Zhiwei.

So……

"In your Eastern language... congratulations?" Jacob clapped his hands.

"Thank you." Si Ming nodded to him.

A gust of wind blew by, and the intense fires on the scorching battlefield gradually subsided. The misty rain that had blanketed the entire island finally fell upon this shattered land, and the myriad sins that had plagued this place would eventually be eradicated with the passage of time.

The task is complete, the matter is settled.

However, the countdown for the main quest will continue for more than a day before it ends.

So……

"Hmm, what do we do next?" This time it was Valentina who spoke. "It seems we can't leave this island. And there shouldn't be any other monsters on this island that we need to fight."

Indeed not.

Si Ming's gaze drifted towards the western sky—rebuilding their homeland and protecting its people were tasks for those who were truly capable. Perhaps the reincarnators should simply use their remaining time to savor the local customs and traditions.

"Let's find a place to rest," he said.

"Let's just say we've come to this island for tourism."

None of her companions objected, and Valentina even started searching online for nearby attractions and hotels to see which offered the best ambiance. Just as the reincarnators were getting started, a subtle detail flashed through Siming's mind.

The Bodhisattva once said that five hundred years ago, the one who sealed away the Great Black Buddha Mother was an extraordinary person.

An "eccentric" is not a monk.

Meanwhile, the Yunnan monk Shi Kongyun, who had revealed the origins and background of the Great Black Buddha Mother to Li Ruonan and Xie Qiming, displayed something strange at this moment.

He should be the 'wise man' in this folk horror film, but he doesn't offer the two main characters any proper way to break free from the curse. Despite being the most powerful and 'righteous' character in the movie, he's simply using his authority to endorse the Buddha Mother's power.

Most importantly, Duoduo's adoptive father, Xie Qiming, was on his own turf, facing certain death when he encountered the Buddha Mother's curse. Yet, Shi Kongyun, a monk who should have been compassionate, completely ignored it.

This might mean one thing: that there is actually a hidden culprit behind this massive catastrophe.

So……

Perhaps he needs to make one more call before enjoying his holiday.

perhaps……

He glanced at the city where they had first arrived.

The Zhouwang Temple, which should have been the first stop for the reincarnators but was abandoned by them because they chose to save people, also came into his perception.

His guess was correct.

Because at this very moment, somewhere in Yunnan.

The roar of steel echoed as swarms of drones and three fully armed armored combined arms brigades searched the sky and the ground.

Surrounded by his disciples and followers, the great monk Shi Kongyun hurried toward the border, but suddenly stopped in a grove of trees.

Someone was standing there.

A man wielding a Guan Dao (a type of halberd), exuding a murderous aura.

He blocked the only path, and no one could take even a single step outward without passing him.

"Benefactor," the senior monk said, pressing his palms together. "Why are you blocking my path?"

The man simply raised his head slightly.

"My surname is Chen, and I'm a man who crawled out of a pile of corpses. Lord Guan Yu asked me to do something for Him: today, whichever monk tries to pass through here, I will cut him nine times in a row."

A faint smile graced the old monk's weathered face. Within his body, countless crawling insects could be faintly seen.

"What if this humble monk survives those nine cuts?"

The man grinned, revealing a chilling, pale smile.

The next moment, he charged forward like a tiger, dragging his sword!

"Then, for the tenth strike, Lord Guan Yu himself will be the one to deliver it!"

(End of this chapter)