Chapter Eighty-Eight: Finally Reaping the Fruits of One’s Efforts

Outer space, beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Blue Sky had deactivated the flight mode of the Blazing Star Divine Armor, switching back to its humanoid combat form. He hovered before the immense corpse of Flame Zeal, as large as a small hill, his eyes ablaze with fervor.

"White, what should I do next?" Blue Sky asked impatiently.

"Of course, drag Flame Zeal's corpse back to Earth first. You're running out of oxygen," White replied, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Uh... alright, I completely forgot about that..." Blue Sky was embarrassed. Under the control of his will, the Blazing Star Divine Armor's palm elongated into a giant hand, seizing one of Flame Zeal's legs and racing toward Earth.

With White deliberately masking their presence, not a single satellite radar was alerted. Carrying Flame Zeal's corpse, Blue Sky arrived above the world-famous Mount Everest.

He threw a punch, carving out an expansive platform several miles across at the mountain's summit, then tossed Flame Zeal's corpse onto it.

"Now, do I simply dig out Flame Zeal's heart and extract its heart blood?" Blue Sky rubbed his hands together incessantly, circling the corpse, barely able to contain his excitement.

White's projection materialized, and seeing Blue Sky's eager demeanor, couldn't help but laugh, "If you already know, why aren't you starting?"

"Alright!" Receiving affirmation, Blue Sky hurriedly extended a blade, aiming it at Flame Zeal's corpse and began cutting.

It had to be said, Flame Zeal truly lived up to its reputation as a legendary star beast. Even in death, its body remained fearsomely strong. If not for the extraordinary materials of the Blazing Star Divine Armor, no earthly instrument could have pierced its scales.

Blue Sky labored for quite a while before finally dissecting the mountainous corpse and extracting a heart as large as a basin.

Since Flame Zeal was dead, the azure blood within had lost its vitality. Though the heart still radiated intense heat, it no longer exuded the deadly starlit azure blood.

"Uh... what now? You don't expect me to eat this heart raw, do you?" Blue Sky cradled Flame Zeal's heart, examining it closely.

White looked at him speechlessly, mocking, "The flesh of a star beast is an extremely precious treasure. If you don't care for wealth, then go ahead and eat it raw."

"Oh, this corpse is a treasure?" Blue Sky was momentarily stunned.

---

"Nonsense! Star beasts are favored by the very essence of the universe, exceedingly rare. Even immortal gods may never encounter one. Aside from the priceless heart blood, its flesh, scales, blood, and every part of its body are rare treasures. Take this newborn Flame Zeal: alive, it's invaluable. Even dead, disregarding the heart blood, its worth equals dozens of the Blazing Star Divine Armor you're wearing!" White said with envy. This fool had stumbled upon such an extraordinary fortune—truly, fortune favors the simple...

"Hiss!" Blue Sky gasped, realizing the value of this corpse, even without the heart blood, could rival dozens of Blazing Star Divine Armors!

What did that mean?!

In his mind, a single Blazing Star Divine Armor was equivalent to much of the War God's net worth—a top-tier treasure. Yet, this corpse equaled dozens of such treasures; it was an unimaginable fortune!

"With what you just said, I almost can't bear to use Flame Zeal's heart blood..." Blue Sky muttered, wondering what price this heart blood could fetch.

"Idiot! Wealth is external; strength is fundamental. Flame Zeal's heart blood can bridge your weaknesses, giving you a chance to reach the peak. Are you wavering over mere riches?" White scolded bitterly, "Do you know how many sage-level powers failed to become immortal gods simply because their innate talent was lacking?"

"Do you realize that Flame Zeal's heart blood would make any sage-level cultivator forsake everything?"

"What is the realm of immortal gods? Even sage-level powers have limited lifespans, but immortal gods are eternally undying, unscathed by the flow of time—the ultimate peak!"

"To measure Flame Zeal's heart blood by mere wealth makes you the greatest fool in the universe!" White continued to rant. If it had a physical form, it would have slapped Blue Sky on the spot, lest its eyes be sullied!

"Alright... No wonder you called Flame Zeal's appearance a once-in-a-million-years opportunity. I understand now..." Blue Sky gaped in awe, entranced by White's explanation of these exalted realms, his heart filled with longing. "So, how exactly do I use Flame Zeal's heart blood?"

"According to ancient records, within the heart of a star beast lies a heart core, and the heart blood is contained within. You can open Flame Zeal's heart and see for yourself," White replied. "Be sure not to waste the heart—preserve it well. It's a fortune in itself."

"Got it! You don't need to remind me; I'll keep it safe. Money is a wonderful thing!" Blue Sky laughed, then used the blade to cut open Flame Zeal's heart.

Sure enough, an irregular transparent crystal was embedded within, revealed to his gaze. Inside the crystal, a shimmering silver-gray liquid swirled, mesmerizing in its beauty.

"This is Flame Zeal's heart blood?" Blue Sky stared, his eyes shining with excitement, reverently extracting the heart core.

"Just as the ancient texts describe. What are you waiting for? Quickly consume the heart blood within the core!" White was excited as well. This treasure was far too precious.

Normally, even if one encountered a star beast and had the strength to defeat it, it was nearly impossible to obtain its heart core, for they would always shatter it upon death, never allowing their enemy to benefit.

---

It was only because this young Flame Zeal was naive that Blue Sky had gained such incredible fortune!

Without further delay, Blue Sky sliced open the top of the heart core with his blade, carefully pouring the swirling silver-gray heart blood into his mouth.

"Ah!" As soon as the heart blood entered, a wave of excruciating pain tore through his body. Blue Sky couldn't help but cry out.

It was agonizing!

Every inch of his body hurt. For a moment, Blue Sky felt as if he were about to combust, an endless surge of heat erupting within.

In truth, he did combust—the next instant, the familiar gray-white flames erupted from within him, engulfing his entire form.

"Quickly merge your consciousness fully with the Blazing Star Divine Armor! This degree of bodily transformation will overwhelm your mind!" White shouted urgently.

Blue Sky's awareness was already fading, but hearing White's cry, he hastily merged his consciousness with the armor.

Once his consciousness was fully withdrawn from his body, he escaped the crushing pain, looking at himself in astonishment.

Perhaps it was the heart blood at work, for under the terrifying starlit azure flames, his body had not been destroyed!

PS: My apologies, everyone—today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, I drank a bit too much and my head is splitting, so only one chapter today.

Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival~