Chapter 341: Slip Away First, Then Conspire
Uchiha Dali, lost in thought, subconsciously glanced again at the star that Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki had just been staring at.
Could it be… when this guy talked about a higher-level energy, he was referring to the energy of a star?
If that were the case, then this guy was truly incredible.
Directly absorbing the energy of stars for himself—wouldn't that mean he could casually blow up a star or even destroy an entire galaxy?
Sure enough, just as Uchiha Dali was puzzled and observing that star, Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki spoke up again.
"As long as I can evolve to the next stage, the energy I need will surpass the level of ordinary planets. All I'll have to do is draw on the countless stars to keep evolving, and that won't conflict with your interests."
"When I reach the same realm as Brother Shibai, I too will shed the comfort of a physical body, transcend this plane, and ascend to a higher dimension to explore the worlds within higher dimensions."
"During that process, there basically won't be any conflict of interest with you anymore, which is why I believe cooperation between us is very possible."
"Of course, that depends on you, Uchiha Dali. But don't forget—Àoshiki is still my brother. If you refuse to cooperate with me, I can always switch sides and work with him. Then it'll be you who's out of luck."
This half-veiled threat made Uchiha Dali's eyes instantly darken.
But he didn't flare up; instead, he nodded slightly. "What you're saying makes a lot of sense. In that case, what's your plan? Are you going to stay here and go head-to-head with that guy right now?"
"Of course not!"
Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki hadn't expected Uchiha Dali to agree so readily.
He'd originally prepared a whole slew of arguments to further shake his opponent's confidence and make him even more anxious and worried.
Now, his heart leapt with joy. "Neither of us is at full strength right now. Don't underestimate Àoshiki—he's no ordinary Ōtsutsuki."
"So for now, we need to run. Follow me. We'll recover our strength first, and once we're back to full power, it won't be too late to go after him!"
With that, he immediately darted into the space-time passage he'd just opened.
Uchiha Dali didn't hesitate for a second and followed right after.
He wasn't worried about Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki launching a sneak attack on him.
Passing through the space-time passage, the two of them emerged in a new starfield.
His Observation Domain unfolded naturally. Uchiha Dali sensed no abnormal presences. Looking over at Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki, he saw the man also exhale a breath of relief.
It looked like they'd shaken off their pursuer.
"All the planets over there are free for the taking. Handle it yourself."
Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki casually pointed toward a dazzling cluster of starlight far to the right.
Then he himself flew off toward a region of space ahead.
As he approached that region, Uchiha Dali immediately noticed the flickering, patchy-lighted stars vanish one after another.
At this moment, Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki was like a humanoid black hole, greedily devouring the energy of those stars.
The sight left Uchiha Dali inwardly astonished.
"I didn't expect this guy could directly absorb the energy of planets. It seems he wasn't lying—ordinary planetary energy really is of limited help to him now…"
If it were himself swallowing so many planets' worth of energy all at once, he'd probably have advanced to a higher level already.
Yet at this moment Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki showed no reaction at all, remaining pretty much the same as usual.
That was evidence enough.
However, even if the planetary energy he absorbed couldn't push him to the final step of evolution, it was quickly replenishing the energy he'd lost fighting Uchiha Dali earlier.
Uchiha Dali didn't take any action.
Because he didn't need to replenish his strength this way at all.
The countless supercells within his body had already restored all the chakra he'd lost.
Right now, chakra wasn't what he lacked—he had more than enough of that, an inexhaustible supply.
What Uchiha Dali truly needed to address was the issue of his physical constitution.
His battle with Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki had made him realize his body still wasn't tough enough.
Until he reached the same realm as Ōtsutsuki Shibai, the physical body remained an indispensable component of a powerhouse's strength—extremely important.
If the body wasn't strong enough, it would lead to a series of negative consequences.
For example, in battle, sustaining damage continuously without being able to withstand it, eventually resulting in defeat.
As he pondered how to strengthen his body, Uchiha Dali kept observing Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki's actions.
Watching and watching, suddenly he felt something, and new information appeared in his mind.
This was the effect of his heaven-defying comprehension.
Uchiha Dali's heart stirred, and he instantly knew what to do.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
He clapped his hands, directly activating this secret ultimate move.
However, at this moment, Uchiha Dali didn't push it to the limit; he only summoned two clones identical to his true body.
"You two spar with me!"
"Use all your abilities to attack me—but only physical attacks!"
He issued the order to the two clones.
The two clones glanced at each other, then both grinned sinisterly. Without another word, they charged at him.
"You said it yourself—don't regret it!"
"I've actually wanted to beat you up for a while now!"
"Beating yourself up isn't too healthy, is it?"
"Aren't you doing exactly that? Heh, let's go!"
"…"
In an instant, the two clones flanked him from both sides.
Their strength was exactly the same as Uchiha Dali's current strength, and they bore the same accumulated injuries as the main body.
So their combat power was much weaker than before. Even so, one against two, Uchiha Dali quickly fell into disadvantage.
In no time he took a punch to the face.
Of course, Uchiha Dali immediately returned a punch to his opponent.
In the silent depths of space, three figures brawled fiercely. What they didn't know was that, light-years away, a figure appeared in the area where Uchiha Dali and Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki had just fought.
"Run off, have you? Looks like you sensed my arrival…"
"But that's fine. Where can you possibly run? No matter where you go, I'll find you. And then… your power will all be mine, hehe!"
As his voice fell, Ōtsutsuki Àoshiki's true body suddenly split into at least twenty identical figures.
Then they scattered in all directions at once, vanishing without a trace.