Devour

The battle within the city had ceased. Because of the destruction of the insect swarm, the provincial capital—once resembling Fengdu, the realm of the dead—had grown much quieter. The severed limbs and pools of blood once strewn everywhere had vanished completely. Within the tightly packed streets, only the faint sounds of laughter, tears, and chatter drifted through the air as those resurrected from the dead embraced their loved ones and shared their tales. Staring into Mu Nuo's pitch-black eyes before him, Xu Yuan's gaze seemed to drift toward a memory he was most reluctant to recall. Huizhou County. The place where he had devoured the flesh and blood of an entire city. Every living soul and intent within had been shattered, their bones crushed, their flesh and blood drained dry, and then squelchingly swallowed into his belly. The fullness of that moment, the satiation, and the sickening revulsion befitting a human being once he awoke were still etched deep into his memory to this day. Gently lifting his palm, a wisp of brownish-red, gauzy mist immediately seeped out from the surface of Xu Yuan's skin. Ever since then, Xu Yuan had always been capable of strengthening himself by devouring the flesh and blood of living beings, just like Mu Nuo now. If the real world had an "if" route, Xu Yuan might well have built a colossal estate somewhere in Great Yan, summoning batch after batch of cultivators only to secretly slaughter and devour them to bolster his own power. Very unorthodox, very villainous. Yet he could indeed have done so. For such was the monstrous authority of the Prime Minister's Manor—enough for him to treat human life like grass. Still, walk by the river often enough and you're bound to wet your shoes; doing so would inevitably be discovered sooner or later. Perhaps by sheer accident, or perhaps some inconspicuous nobody would sneak out of that hellhole and blow the whistle on his true colors. Then, as the evidence mounted, he would ultimately make his debut as the true calamity of the world. By that time, the fourth sibling back home would probably stand against him, the Great Ice Block—unable to fulfill her promise—would cross blades with him, and the two Saintesses of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion would seek to eliminate him out of duty. Very twisted, yet very thrilling. Still, things like that were best kept as passing idle thoughts. As a human, Xu Yuan felt it was disgusting, and the memories of his subjective consciousness being warped by aberrant ghost transformation were still fresh in his mind. He was afraid devouring living beings would corrupt his own mind. He had not yet been pushed to the point of abandoning those bottom lines for the sake of power. It was just that right now, he didn't seem to have any other choice. He glanced over at Tianye, who was still in the East City. Meeting those clear, golden eyes for an instant, he saw her merely standing there with her arms crossed over her chest, showing no intention of intervening in the White Emperor's business. This reminded Xu Yuan of a conversation he once had with this enchantress. "Among the myriad-year calamities recorded by your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, were there ever yin ghosts?" "We tried, but failed." "The Valley of Swords?" "It seems you still remember some things from the illusion. That was indeed the vessel ground where we attempted to nurture a calamity, though unfortunately, the Meishen Calamity arrived first." "A decent idea, at least." "One has to make attempts. The Overseeing Heaven Pavilion can't just take beatings passively forever. What a pity that calamities don't seem capable of being cultivated artificially. Who knows if they can be guided, though?" This enchantress had indeed come to guide a calamity; the current situation was likely precisely what she wished to see. Xu Yuan could even anticipate some of her arrangements. If he successfully devoured Mu Nuo and maintained his sanity, the calamity would remain controllable. If he failed, the yin origin of the Ghost Willow within the markings would return to Mu Nuo's body, and the calamity would still be controllable. Even if Xu Yuan could see through and comprehend this, he had no choice but to walk the path Tianye had laid out. The caliber of a calamity-bearer was truly terrifying. At this thought, Xu Yuan gave a soft chuckle and shook his head. He thought of that woman, Tianyan. Without comparison, there was no harm—the washboard Saintess really paled in comparison to this enchantress... As he drew the reddish silk seeping from his palm toward the head before him, Xu Yuan made the best of a bad situation, letting his mind wander with random thoughts. Evolving toward greater strength was the nature of all living beings, the fundamental principle of everything under heaven. Subjective pursuits might produce unfavorable mutations, but natural instincts generally drove one to evolve in a positive direction. Mu Nuo's desire to devour him was driven by instinct, seeking to remedy certain deficiencies. Conversely, him devouring Mu Nuo should follow the same principle... Right? Xu Yuan truly did not want to go berserk again. The experience of his last berserk state, where his maternal uncle had thoroughly pummeled him, had already taught him deep down that Unit-01 mode didn't work in this world; spells, martial techniques, and talent were the absolute truth. If he preserved his reason, there might still be a chance of contending with the White Emperor. But if he lost his mind, he would be nothing more than the next Mu Nuo—possessing terrifying raw power, yet unable to stir even the slightest ripple against the White Emperor. Amid his spinning thoughts, Xu Yuan's palm had already pressed against Mu Nuo's head, but in the next instant, a surge of frenzied emotion welling up in his heart caused him to pull his hand back. This little bastard could actually resist even with only a head left. Seeing this, the White Emperor tightened his grip on the head slightly: "Why did you stop?" Xu Yuan pondered for a moment before explaining in a clear voice: "My cultivation is meager. With this ghost infant resisting, if I forcefully devour it, I fear I'll suffer a backlash." Although he had the markings given by Tianye, Xu Yuan was still only in the Body Integration realm in essence; devouring this fellow while remaining conscious was virtually impossible. With that, under the White Emperor's gaze, Xu Yuan glanced at the emperor's dimmed scales and said: "Demon Emperor, you wouldn't want to face a complete Mu Nuo either, would you?" "Complete?" the White Emperor asked with scrutiny. Xu Yuan weighed his words for a moment and said, "Dragon Emperor, you abandoned an immense lifespan to pursue a human body, and the previous Insect Saint gave up its life to pass down its legacy in pursuit of sapience. All living things pursue evolution to perfect themselves, and Mu Nuo is naturally no exception. You must have noticed the difference in this brat after he devoured his mother, haven't you?" The White Emperor's ability to gather and process information was exceptionally sharp. After a moment's thought, he arrived at the answer: "You mean emotions?" "Before eating his mother, Mu Nuo was a madman driven entirely by instinct who would stop at nothing to devour me. Yet when he awoke just now, he didn't come after me at once; instead, he chose to protect his father from your grasp." "Yet emotions do not make one stronger." "Which is why I was merely giving an example," Xu Yuan immediately replied, speaking swiftly. "Right now, none of us knows what changes will occur in Mu Nuo after he turns the tables and consumes me. He might gain human meridians, or he might acquire my way of thinking—or more likely, both. You can imagine how difficult to handle Mu Nuo will be then, right?" "The colossal life origin of an ancient beast, the soul techniques of a yin ghost, the meridian spells of humanity, an absolutely calm intellect, plus his inherent immortality and this bizarre death domain of living beings... Such an entity would surely give even you a headache, Demon Emperor." Silence fell. Perhaps due to the shroud of the ghost domain, the summer wind of the desert carried a touch of chill. It brushed through long hair, feeling distinctly cold against the skin. The White Emperor's voice remained deep and impassive: "What are you trying to say?" "I hope that you, Demon Emperor, can dismember his true form so that I may devour it piece by piece. That way, there should be no risk." "There is not enough time." "..." Xu Yuan was speechless. The White Emperor held the head level before his eyes, his dragon pupils narrowing slightly as his tone grew deeper: "Once this ghost infant's body repairs itself to thirty percent, it will be able to use that shadow-shifting body-flicker art within this ghost domain. Now that the Insect Saint is dead and it has no worries left, it will be very difficult for me to catch it again. "You are very clever, and everything you said is indeed what concerns me. But as matters stand, there are no choices left for many things." Having said this, Xu Yuan suddenly felt the air around the dragon-scale-covered middle-aged man begin to vibrate faintly. "Three breaths. If you do not act within three breaths, I will slaughter everything within the government office, including you." Hearing this, Xu Yuan knew talk therapy had failed. Without the slightest hesitation, he pressed his marking-covered right hand forcefully onto Mu Nuo's head. Under the watchful eyes of the White Emperor and Li Junwu, The brownish-red gauzy silk that had transformed from the fungal carpet in Xu Yuan's palm enveloped the youthful-looking head in an instant. And then, under the influence of the marking's saint origin, it transformed into countless spikes that pierced straight through Mu Nuo's skull. Like vines, they continually spread and grew inward, siphoning out certain essences before turning into conduits that squelchingly transported them into Xu Yuan's body. And at that moment, The head wrapped in blood-red gauzy silk within Xu Yuan's grip also underwent a mutation. Wisps of black smoke seeped from the blood cocoon, swirling and dancing in the air for an instant before turning into myriad slender serpents. Reversing along the crimson silk, they scrambled up Xu Yuan's arm... And then, *Hum—* Accompanied by a violent shockwave of qi dynamic rippling outward, Xu Yuan's eyes became hollow and vacant. A fierce surge of negative emotions gradually began to well up, while waves of ringing hums echoed in his mind. Everything in his surroundings— Whether the White Emperor before him, Li Junwu beside him, the canopy of the ghost domain hanging across the heavens, or the common people living or dead throughout the streets—all of it began to drift far, far away... Looking down from the heavens, Black smoke and crimson silk intertwined, in an instant forming a colossal cocoon in midair that enveloped the brocade-robed youth and the head in his grasp, hiding whatever was inside from the outside world. Within this bizarre, blood-black cocoon, Certain changes were unfolding quietly. The black markings on Xu Yuan's right hand began to spread rapidly. What was even more eerie was that within his hollow, lifeless eyes, thread-like black qi gradually appeared, spreading and quickly devouring the whites of his eyes before surging toward the blood-colored pupils that flickered with golden light...