Hela was gone, or rather, not even her soul remained. Lin Feng had erased her from existence with a heat ray, utterly and irrevocably.
It was a clean erasure, the kind that even time travel couldn't undo.
"That's a bit terrifying," Lin Feng murmured, clenching the fragment of the Cosmic Heart in his palm.
The destructive power of a simple heat ray was immense, but it didn't possess the ability to erase someone from the timeline.
Hela had truly been unlucky, choosing to target Lin Feng.
In the end, she had become both the offering and the sacrifice.
Hela's demise was simple and swift.
To be honest, after Lin Feng obtained the fragments of the Cosmic Heart from his clone, Hela would have been powerless against him, even without Shan Hai's help.
She could have poked him with her artifact all she wanted; if she managed to pierce his skin, Lin Feng would have considered it a loss.
But these were all bygones now.
Hela, a significant threat, had been eliminated, and Lin Feng had emerged as the ultimate victor.
He not only acquired the remaining two fragments of the Cosmic Heart but also a M'kraan crystal.
After Hela's death, the Realm of Death seemed unaffected.
Lin Feng had initially expected the Realm of Death to vanish along with Hela.
Looking at the convergence of red veins on the ground, Lin Feng suspected that the Realm of Death might still hold secrets left behind by Hela.
His suspicions had been piqued the last time he witnessed the Realm of Death.
Now, having personally entered it, Lin Feng was almost certain that Hela had implemented some measures within the Realm of Death.
"Shan Hai!" Lin Feng suddenly called out.
Shan Hai, who had departed earlier, reappeared before Lin Feng instantly.
"What is it now? You know I can't get too close to you!" Shan Hai rolled his eyes.
Who knew if a watchful eye was observing them from the shadows.
"It's nothing," Lin Feng said with a smile.
"Now that I have the complete Cosmic Heart, only a handful of individuals can pry into our affairs."
As Lin Feng spoke, he began to walk forward, gesturing for Shan Hai to follow.
Shan Hai, though confused, followed his main body's footsteps.
"The Cosmic Heart is complete. Are you planning to go after the Black Robes now?" Shan Hai asked hesitantly.
Lin Feng shook his head.
"Above the First Sequence, there must be an even more powerful existence."
"I won't act rashly. That's not my style."
"How do you know that?" Shan Hai inquired, puzzled.
The information he had gathered indicated that the First Sequence was the apex.
They were few in number, but each one was an unshakeable entity.
At the Super-Universal level, they were known within the Black Robes as stepping stones to the First Sequence.
Starting from the Single-Universal level, the combat prowess within each tier varied.
To even approach the threshold of the First Sequence, one had to at least attain the Super-Universal level.
With his current main body, coupled with the Cosmic Heart, and if he proceeded cautiously, it was conceivable that he could uncover the Black Robes' secrets.
Therefore, Shan Hai found it understandable that his main body might be considering targeting the Black Robes.
"It's just a hunch," Lin Feng sighed.
No, it wasn't entirely a hunch.
It was simply that, historically, such patterns were commonplace.
Regardless of the organization, there would always be hidden trump cards or methods that not everyone was privy to.
"The Black Robe organization possesses profound foundations. If I were to act alone, it would be quite challenging," Lin Feng continued.
"Excessive use of clones could inevitably impact my primary strength."
"And if, at this juncture, the Black Robes revealed some trump cards we were unaware of, the situation would become precarious."
The Black Robes permeated countless universes, their numbers unknown.
An organization like this couldn't be eradicated with mere passion and a solitary charge.
Lin Feng could destroy one universe, two, or even thousands of them.
But he couldn't eliminate them all. He could strike, but they could also evade.
This wasn't a movie; Lin Feng exercised considerable restraint.
With the Cosmic Heart in his possession, frankly, a First Sequence individual, in a one-on-one confrontation, would likely be no match for Lin Feng.
However, there wasn't an insignificant number of First Sequence existences.
If Lin Feng had to face them all simultaneously, the complexity of the situation would be difficult to ascertain in a short span.
Moreover, Hela herself managed to procure something like a M'kraan crystal.
Could those few First Sequence members of the Black Robes not possess some top-tier artifacts?
Ah, speaking of the M'kraan crystal, Lin Feng suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask Hela how she obtained it...
He felt a slight pang of regret...
Well, he would worry about that later. She was gone now; what more could he do?
Lin Feng and Shan Hai walked and talked, Lin Feng sharing these thoughts with Shan Hai.
Shan Hai pondered for a moment and then said, "So, it's not the right time yet?"
He understood his main body's line of thought.
As someone who dealt with intelligence within the Black Robes, Shan Hai was acutely aware of the Black Robe organization's sheer magnitude and its mind-boggling numbers.
"Yes, it's not the right time yet, but it's not far off..."
"Regarding the Star race, high-level enhancement potions should be feasible now."
"The reconstructed Krypton is also developing steadily."
"As for that M'kraan crystal, I plan to place it on Krypton when I have the chance."
He wondered if the crystal could aid in the growth of Kryptonians.
Previously, Lin Feng had placed an Infinity Stone there, but that was only effective in the early stages.
Once their strength reached a certain level, Infinity Stones became less impactful.
"Manpower, weaponry, strength, and most importantly, the opportune moment. All these are indispensable, and I am gradually acquiring them..." Lin Feng enumerated.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Shan Hai felt a headache coming on.
What was all this, and why was he suddenly counting things off?
Thank goodness he wasn't the main body; dealing with so many troublesome matters would surely give him a headache daily.
"Actually, it's not as difficult as you imagine," Lin Feng said with a shrug.
Seeing Shan Hai's pained expression, he knew what he was thinking.
"These things don't need to be accomplished in a single day. We can proceed step by step."
"The Black Robes have existed for who knows how long and still haven't achieved their goals. We still have a great opportunity."
Shan Hai waved his hand.
"So you called me over just to tell me all this?"
"Then I think it was unnecessary. You're the main body, you can handle it..."
Shan Hai didn't want to hear about these troublesome matters anymore.
He just wanted to continue his "mission."
Find a place, enjoy some barbecue, and casually "monitor" his main body!
"No, no, no, I didn't call you here just to talk about these things!" Lin Feng quickly interjected.
"Then hurry up and say it. Once you're done, I'm outta here!"
"Alright," Lin Feng nodded, a smile curving his lips.
Susan was intimately familiar with that smile; it meant he was about to scheme again.