Chapter 136: Orochimaru Peddles Medicine

The power of the Otsutsuki clan is the strongest in the current universe. It would be a lie to say that no one coveted it; yet, when Orochimaru spoke of it, he was met with mockery.

The King of the Star Spirits laughed, the sound of metal clashing against metal ringing from his purple armor. The King of the Snake-Heads laughed as well, his mouth stretching wide. The other sovereigns, including the King of the Soul-Corpses and the King of the Demon-Men, wore smiles, with some even shaking their heads. It was evident they felt Orochimaru had uttered something foolish.

The King of the Star Spirits turned back to the King of the Snake-Heads and the others, saying, "Earth has only just entered the cosmic era; it has been such a short time, so this is understandable."

The King of the Snake-Heads nodded in agreement, adding, "Indeed. According to records, Earth has been in the cosmic era for less than a decade. They are not like us."

The King of the Soul-Corpses chimed in, "Let us skip this topic and discuss the alliance. King of the Star Spirits, you said Earth could bolster our top-tier combat strength. I believed you before, but now, I am starting to have my doubts."

After all, for a race that had just entered the cosmic era, perhaps one or two powerful individuals might emerge, but for them to reach the level of the Otsutsuki clan’s elite was, quite frankly, a fantasy. Among the eight kings of the cosmic races, excluding the All-King who was currently engaged in battle, none held high hopes for Earth—including the King of the Star Spirits, who had previously been inclined toward them. It was primarily the Otsutsuki clan’s cultivation method that led them to underestimate Earth.

After the mockery subsided, the King of the Star Spirits looked at Orochimaru and said, "Orochimaru, we do not mock you out of malice. But having interacted with the Otsutsuki clan for so many years, how could we not have studied their power?"

It was true; any of the eight great races had been in contact with the Otsutsuki longer than Earth. If Earth had attempted to study the Otsutsuki’s power, how could the eight great races have failed to do the same? In fact, they had studied it even more extensively.

The King of the Star Spirits continued, "Our various cosmic races each possess our own power systems, which are arguably no weaker than that of the Otsutsuki—perhaps even stronger. In the beginning, the universe was not ruled by the Otsutsuki. The reason the Otsutsuki are invincible is due to their 'Divine Covenant' legacy."

The Otsutsuki cultivation system is nothing more than planting a Divine Tree and refining its fruit into pills for consumption. This process is time-consuming and far inferior to races blessed by nature. For instance, the All-King race: as soon as they reach adulthood, they possess the strength of a sovereign, making them the most powerful beings among their peers. However, the Otsutsuki’s "Divine Covenant" breaks this convention. The power of the "Divine Covenant" allows the strength of a deceased Otsutsuki member to be inherited in its entirety; in other words, there is no need to start from scratch. Each generation continues to cultivate based on the strength of the previous one—it would be a miracle if they weren't powerful.

The King of the Star Spirits remarked, "Only the Otsutsuki know how to operate the power of the Divine Covenant. Even if we cultivated to become like the Otsutsuki, it would be useless. Moreover, ordinary Otsutsuki who have not undergone several generations of the Divine Covenant are simply no match for us."

"The power of the Divine Covenant?" Orochimaru asked, puzzled. He truly did not know of this, but it mattered little. The Divine Covenant was built upon the death of the previous generation; for Orochimaru, there was no life or death—everyone was to achieve immortality.

The King of the Star Spirits shook his head and said, "If the power Earth prides itself on is merely a replication of the Otsutsuki bloodline, then it is truly disappointing. That person fighting the All-King is named Uchiha Madara, is he not? I know he possesses a pair of green Rinnegan eyes that can rival an elite Otsutsuki, but if his strength is derived solely from the Otsutsuki, he will be defeated miserably."

The kings of the eight races all possessed strength slightly inferior to the Otsutsuki high command but stronger than the elite Otsutsuki. Furthermore, since their enemy was the Otsutsuki, they had developed many techniques specifically to counter them, which was why they were so pessimistic about Uchiha Madara.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the battle between the All-King and Uchiha Madara. If the gap in their strength were narrow, the outcome should be visible by now. The battle between the two caused the void to tremble. The All-King was born with the ability to control cosmic energy; his race was known by another name: Children of the Universe. They could manipulate cosmic energy at will, and as the sovereign of the All-King race, he was even more formidable in this regard.

"That is..." The King of the Snake-Heads suddenly pointed at the combatants. "That is the All-King’s Cosmic Collapse Technique! Using this technique causes a sector of space to implode, tearing apart all living beings within its range. The All-King is getting serious!"

The King of the Star Spirits added, "Uchiha Madara has enraged the All-King. This should decide the victor, right?"

Orochimaru, however, suddenly smiled.

They saw the All-King unleash the "Cosmic Collapse Technique," gathering the energy in his palm, but instead of hurling it at Uchiha Madara, he struck his own chest. He had unleashed the "Cosmic Collapse Technique" upon himself! Those with keen insight realized it was an illusion—an Otsutsuki-style illusion. The All-King had fallen under Uchiha Madara’s genjutsu, which was why he had attacked himself.

The King of the Star Spirits and the others were shocked. With their constitution and strength, could they truly be affected by an illusion? Unless the gap in strength was immense... Wait, the gap in strength?

The King of the Star Spirits quickly withdrew his gaze, suppressing the doubts in his heart, and looked at Orochimaru. "How do you intend to sell these cultivation agents?" he asked in a calm voice, as if nothing had happened.

The King of the Snake-Heads, uncharacteristically, refrained from making any snide remarks and spoke in a similar, calm tone: "My Snake-Head race can trade using resources, but the pricing must not be too high."

"We, too, wish to..."

The other races also expressed their desire to purchase. The prevailing sentiment of pessimism had shifted entirely because of Uchiha Madara’s illusion.

...

The first meeting between Earth and the eight cosmic races concluded just like that: Orochimaru sold the agents, and the other races purchased them. The reason Orochimaru had brought his war fortress into space was not for show; it was because the fortress was stocked with a vast quantity of cultivation agents for trade.

The matter of the alliance was not fully finalized. Everyone suddenly became tight-lipped about which race should lead the coalition, no longer discussing the original plan for Earth to take the helm. Everyone returned to the honeycomb-shaped planet, where Orochimaru and his subordinates were warmly received.

Once the matters were settled, the kings of each race hurriedly sent the purchased cultivation agents and techniques back to their clans in secret. They were determined to decipher the principles within them.

The King of the Star Spirits was in high spirits. He said to Star Spirit Mizuki, "My daughter, the Earthlings are too foolish. In truth, from the very beginning, we intended to acquire the Otsutsuki cultivation methods. Heh heh heh, the mockery back then was just a tactic."

Star Spirit Mizuki was taken aback. "Father, you used a tactic against Earth?"

The King of the Star Spirits nodded. "Indeed. I did use a tactic. Actually, there was one thing I said that was incorrect: we have all studied the power of the Otsutsuki and can replicate it, but it is not as powerful as what Earth possesses. Our replicated Otsutsuki power is quite mediocre."

He stood up, walked to the window, and stared at the starry sky with his hands behind his back. "But the Earthlings are different. We have all seen them; the Rinnegan is becoming widespread among them, and each of them is powerful. It is terrifying. We suspect the reason for their strength lies in Earth’s own power system. Therefore, while we appeared to be buying the Otsutsuki cultivation methods, we were actually secretly using this opportunity to study Earth’s power system. You saw that Uchiha Madara, didn't you? He could actually defeat the All-King; he is formidable. Heh, everyone had agreed to nominate Earth as the leader of the coalition, but once they obtained the cultivation methods, they all fell silent. They are preparing to research the methods and then go it alone!"

Star Spirit Mizuki watched her excited father, wondering whether she should tell him that the Star Spirit race had already been thoroughly studied by Orochimaru in just half a month...

In a separate room, Orochimaru was giving instructions to Yakushi Kabuto. "Kabuto," Orochimaru said, "do not be stingy with the cultivation agents and techniques. Even if they are cheap, trade them all out. And while you are at it, acquire another batch of bodies from the various races."

Yakushi Kabuto nodded in understanding. While the other races were busy studying Earth’s power system, were they not also studying the power systems of all the other races?