A Worm - 403

With the matter of the destruction race over, the universe once again fell into its usual pace of world creation. 

Zhou Fan kept watch over it as he worked on the technique pathways.

A trillion years later, all of the god realm and true god realm cultivators gathered in the upper realm.

After many trillions of years of work, they were finally getting rewards.

Their efforts were turned into contribution points, and they were all informed of what they could get.

Among the top of the list was even an instant upgrade in cultivation level, though it would be artificial like Heaven's power. There were also techniques and temporary arrays that would boost the cultivation speed of anyone they wanted to use it on, without conforming to the rules of cultivation 1.2.

All of the god realm cultivators came up first.

Many spent the vast majority of their contribution points on an increase in level, taking them a single level up, and some others bought materials, instructions on how to increase the art ranks, and cultivation speed up arrays.

After all of them were satisfied, the true god realm cultivators came up. They had many more contribution points, but the things in the true god realm were more expensive.

The true god realm cultivators could not increase their cultivation with rewards, so Zhou Fan created an alternate way. He offered them stones that increased the power of their attacks an entire level one time. Many bought this. Ying Xiong was one of the few who did not. He spent the vast majority of his contribution points on materials and techniques for the cosmic sect.

Heaven was the same, though for the Heaven sect. Everyone left the upper realm satisfied and got to work. Zhou Fan went back to his usual spot and oversaw them once again.

His work on the technique pathways was getting closer.

As he watched, he saw an interesting scene. A worm with a familiar power challenged Ying Xiong to a duel.

Somehow, this worm seemed to have some of Zhou Fan's divinity from long ago within him. It had transformed the worm completely.

Zhou Fan remembered that long ago, when he was testing his divinity, he had thrown a worm to the ground after infusing it with divinity.

Although the vast majority of the true gods in the universe had joined Zhou Fan when they broke through, he was one of the very few who did not.

It seemed that he had always held high ambitions.

Zhou Fan did not expect much from the worm, but he was surprised as the battle started.

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Ying Xiong looked oddly at the worm in front of him. All around them were many of the true gods and gods from the cosmic sect, as well as the few beasts that had broken through.

The worm was mixed with the color of gold and gray, and Ying Xiong felt as if the power around him was familiar.

"Start." The appointed judge of the battle shouted.

Although Ying Xiong and the worm seemed close, they were nearly an entire galaxy apart. The spectators were even farther away.

At the voice, the worm and Ying Xiong moved. Ying Xiong used a simple buddha's palm, intending to quickly defeat the arrogant worm, but the worm did not react in the expected way.

Instead of defending itself, it flicked its tail and the buddha's palm was cut in half as a strong power approached Ying Xiong.

Ying Xiong got serious. A bell surrounded him that rang out when the worm's power hit it. The bell instantly cracked. The worm's power was on par with the king of the destruction race.

Ying Xiong wanted to speak, but before he could, the worm moved again. It wriggled its body and moved through space at a speed second only to teleportation.

It headbutted the bell and sent Ying Xiong flying.

A giant buddha appeared around Ying Xiong's body as his shirt ripped and his painting glowed.

He used a full powered cosmic buddha's palm with as many stacks as he could and it fell towards the worm.

The worm grew serious as well, and it teleported away to Ying Xiong's surprise. A teleportation battle ensued.

Few attacks were made as they tried to out teleport each other. Soon, more contact began and Ying Xiong was slowly gaining an upper hand despite not using the absolute power that he had shown against the king of the destruction race.

After all, that was a power he only used when his life was in danger or when he was truly filled with killing intent.

Suddenly, the worm rapidly teleported away multiple times and created a distance.

Ying Xiong did not follow. "I assume you are admitting defeat." Ying Xiong said.

"I admit you are strong, but you have not seen everything yet. Prepare yourself." The worm said as the gray and golden colors surrounding his body moved.

Zhou Fan watched closely.

"This power is both my power and not my power, but in the end, I control it. Behold, my power, the power of the origin god." The worm shouted as its tail flicked.

Ying Xiong felt a sense of dread overwhelm him as the colors on the worm's body shot towards him in a vertical crescent. For the first time in a long time, he smelled the stench of death.

He fully activated his back painting and formed a defensive cosmic buddha's palm with more layers than he could handle while a bell appeared around his body.

He had felt this feeling before. 

"Chaos Qi!" He shouted as the layered cosmic buddha's palm was shattered and the bell around his body cracked. 

The void distorted as Ying Xiong used all of his power to defend. He had only felt so powerless against a single person before.

The bell shattered and Ying Xiong's body was almost fully cut in half before the power dissipated.

Ying Xiong was barely conscious, but as he looked at the worm, he realized that it was in as bad, if not a worse state than him.

The worms skin was once again pink and his body seemed to be slowly crumbling to dust. It eventually stopped, but the worm was completely out of commision. 

The battle ended in a draw.