Chapter 74: Silver Star Power

"So that was what he was after!"

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Several girls, whose legs had turned to jelly from fear, collapsed onto the floor. As for the girl from whom Shen Lie had taken the jade pendant, she stood there gaping, unsure whether to cry or laugh, looking completely bewildered.

"Here, take this. I hope you find it useful." Shen Lie tossed a handgun to the stunned girl. Without waiting to see if she knew how to use it, he added two magazines and some food, then strode out of the shop in high spirits. Xia Ke hurried after him.

The terrifying ordeal ended with this bizarre outcome. No one knew what Shen Lie wanted with that jade pendant, but as long as this god of slaughter was gone, nothing else mattered. The sole remaining Awakened immediately ordered his men to dispose of Wang Liguo—who could hardly be called a corpse anymore—and then hastily led everyone away from this ill-omened place.

Once outside the hotel, Shen Lie mounted his motorcycle. Feeling Xia Ke climb on behind him, he started the engine and headed toward the center of town, scanning the buildings along the street as he rode.

Eventually, Shen Lie pulled the motorcycle into an alley and stopped in front of a single-story house. As he walked into the courtyard, he said to Xia Ke behind him, "Stand guard at the gate for me. I need to take care of something inside."

Xia Ke, who had been following closely, paused. Her expression shifted several times, but she ultimately obeyed, remaining outside the gate and watching as Shen Lie’s figure disappeared into the depths of the courtyard.

Shen Lie circled the yard once, shaking his head as if dissatisfied. Suddenly, he looked up at the roof and, his eyes brightening, walked toward it.

For someone with Shen Lie’s agility, climbing onto a single-story house was child’s play. With a light leap, he grabbed the eaves and pulled himself up. When Xia Ke saw his actions, she briefly wondered if he had lost his mind, but since he had told her to stay put, she dared not move. If she annoyed him, she might lose her chance to stay by his side, and she certainly couldn't afford to lose such a hard-won protector.

On the roof, Shen Lie scanned the area and finally revealed a satisfied smile. He brushed his hand over the dark green gourd and produced a dozen crystals. He was not short on crystals now; he simply hadn't had the time to process them.

He laid the crystals on the roof, took out the jade pendant he had just acquired, and placed his Sacrificial Order next to it, observing and feeling the objects.

"Just as I thought!" Shen Lie felt the token react, and his smile widened. The pendant was indeed an item that could be sacrificed—it was almost too easy.

Ever since his last successful sacrifice, Shen Lie had been constantly looking for items that met the requirements, but he had been at a dead end until now. He had assumed that sacrificial items had to be things taken from monsters, like loot in a video game, since that had been the case with the Toad Pearl.

Therefore, he had focused his attention entirely on crystals and monster remains. He had never expected to find such a treasure by chance in a hotel. This discovery also shattered his previous assumptions; it seemed there was no predictable pattern to what could be used as a sacrifice.

After examining the jade pendant once more and finding nothing extraordinary about it, he stopped caring and began to set up the formation for the Starry Sky Sacrificial Art.

Having done it once before, he was familiar with the process. He quickly laid out a small sacrificial array; he couldn't manage a larger one yet.

Once finished, Shen Lie took a deep breath and activated the array. The star power in his Niwan Palace surged, projecting into the formation. The array underwent the familiar transformation, and a circular disc of light appeared above it. Without a moment's hesitation, he threw the pendant into the light.

This time, the reaction was different from the Toad Pearl. Instead of shattering, the pendant gradually melted into the disc, eventually becoming completely absorbed by it.

Shen Lie was caught off guard, but he dared not stop the sacrifice. He continued to channel power into the array, waiting anxiously for what would happen next.

A few seconds later, the disc, having fully absorbed the liquid from the pendant, suddenly emitted a brilliant light. After a low buzzing sound, the entire disc contracted, and a beam of light shot straight into the sky.

Though the process was different, the result was the same. Shen Lie finally exhaled, waiting quietly for the feedback.

In his spare time, he had pondered the principles of the Starry Sky Sacrificial Art. He had two theories: one was that there truly were god-like, supernatural beings watching over humanity, and the Starry Race was a group favored by a deity, receiving gifts in exchange for offerings.

The second theory was non-theological. He guessed that items meeting the sacrifice requirements contained a unique energy that resonated with the star power the Starry Race needed, rapidly condensing the star power in the void and pulling it back through the guidance of the Sacrificial Order.

Both theories had merit, but Shen Lie leaned toward the second. His inherent mindset, shaped by over twenty years of materialist education, was at work.

Of course, it didn't matter which was true. All he wanted was the star power. Whether it came from a god or a natural phenomenon was irrelevant; in this apocalypse, he would even side with demons if it meant gaining strength.

The feedback took a bit longer this time, but before Shen Lie could finish his thoughts, it arrived. A faint line appeared in the distant void, following the pull of the Sacrificial Order into the space within the token.

However, a situation that caused Shen Lie to pause in confusion occurred: the feedback was not black, but a silver-white mist.

Looking at the small cluster of silver-white mist in the token, Shen Lie was bewildered. He quickly flipped the token to the back and used his consciousness to communicate with it, trying to determine what this silver mist was.

"Special Star Power: Can enhance the talent abilities on the Talent Tree!" The explanation was brief. Shen Lie frowned, not understanding at first.

"Talent Tree? What is that? Could it be referring to that leaf-shaped mark?"

Shen Lie used his consciousness to examine the leaf mark in his Niwan Palace; he really couldn't associate it with a tree. But since the Sacrificial Order had prompted it, it couldn't be wrong. It was likely that his mark wasn't fully complete yet.

Although he didn't fully understand the "Talent Tree," he understood the phrase "enhance talent abilities." The only talent he had copied so far via the Starry Race’s replication ability was lightning. Since the prompt mentioned enhancing abilities on the Talent Tree, it stood to reason that channeling this special star power into the leaf mark was correct.

After considering that there were no other possibilities, Shen Lie communicated with the Sacrificial Order, guiding the silver star power into the leaf mark. He would know if he was right soon enough—previously, ordinary star power hadn't been able to enter this mark at all.

Watching the silver mist being absorbed bit by bit, Shen Lie finally relaxed. His guess was right: his lightning talent was indeed stored in this mark, and this silver-white star power could truly enhance it.

"So this is how one upgrades copied talent abilities?" Shen Lie watched as the leaf mark began to glow, and arcs of electricity began to curl across its surface. He felt a sudden sense of enlightenment, followed by an inexplicable surge of joy.

This Starry Sky Sacrificial Art was truly miraculous. To be able to enhance his strength through such unconventional and incomprehensible means was practically cheating. He could only wonder how powerful this race must have been.