Dongbo Xueying activated his life-preserving talisman and executed Voidwalk, moving through the void with even greater stealth than the native void creatures, as if he were one with the void itself. The Chaos Land wasn’t particularly vast, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the outskirts of the sprawling palace complex.
“Artifact Spirit, can you scan the area now?” Dongbo Xueying inquired. Without knowledge of his enemies, he dared not recklessly enter.
“More than enough. The entire palace complex is within my detection range,” the Black Gourd Artifact Spirit transmitted mentally. “Hmm… good thing you didn’t charge in. There are actually three Void God-level void creatures inside.”
“Three Void Gods?” Dongbo Xueying’s heart clenched.
“They’re currently discussing you. Let me listen carefully,” the Artifact Spirit fell silent for a moment before continuing, “Master, the one you fought earlier was the Second Chieftain—ranked second in strength. The Third Chieftain is close to him, while the First Chieftain has a far stronger soul. But all three are just ordinary Void Gods.”
Dongbo Xueying pondered silently.
“The First Chieftain seems very concerned about your origins. He’s already ordered an investigation into the items you left behind,” the Artifact Spirit added.
“Quite cautious,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled wryly. “Have you found out the name of this Chaos Land?”
Knowing the name would allow him to locate it on the Void Map.
“No one’s talking about it, and the structures and items in the palace complex don’t reveal anything either,” the Artifact Spirit replied helplessly. “Oh, Master, all three chieftains are devouring living beings. I can confirm they follow the most brutish ‘Devourer’ cultivation system.”
“Devourers?” A flicker of anger flashed in Dongbo Xueying’s eyes.
Across the Five Sacred Worlds and the vast Chaos Void, countless universes housed diverse cultivation systems, but few led to the ultimate pinnacle.
After all, reaching the ultimate required verified predecessors who had achieved it. Historically, recorded ‘Cosmos Gods’ were pitifully few, and thus, the paths to the ultimate were scarce. Among them, the simplest system was the ‘Devourer’ path.
Devourers consumed everything—treasures, souls, even entire universes—absorbing them into themselves.
This system had two key aspects: first, increasingly complex devouring techniques, as consuming ordinary lifeforms differed vastly from consuming a Void God weapon.
Second, the ability to assimilate what was devoured, transforming it into one’s own power. The refinement techniques varied by level.
From the basics to the ‘Void God Unity Realm,’ Devourer techniques were easily obtainable, as the system’s creator, ‘Ancestor Jie,’ had openly shared them. However, advancing to the ‘Chaos Realm’ required pledging allegiance to him for deeper knowledge.
Devouring…
The easiest way to grow was by consuming other cultivators. Thus, this system spawned countless monstrous figures who bathed in bloodshed, inciting widespread fury.
Yet ‘Ancestor Jie’ stood invincible—among the ultimate existences, he ranked within the top three. His unshakable dominance ensured the Devourer system not only survived but flourished, especially among the generally less gifted void creatures.
“The strong prey on the weak,” Dongbo Xueying sighed. The realm of ultimate existences was still far beyond him. Still, he counted himself fortunate—his faction, the Tai Void Heavenly Palace, boasted two ultimate beings: Ancestor Tianyu and the Island Master of Heartsword. Their names alone commanded respect across the cosmos.
—
“I still hope for a miracle.” A white-haired young attendant, having just served the void creatures, sat in his small courtyard, his heart steeped in despair.
“How much longer must this go on?” he murmured inwardly, maintaining a calm expression lest the void creatures spy on him.
Suddenly, space beside him twisted, and a black-robed youth materialized before him.
The attendant gaped in shock. “You… you’re—” The man before him was none other than the Dominator-level expert they’d seen battling the void creatures earlier.
“You thought I was truly dead?” Dongbo Xueying teased. “That was just a trick to fool those idiots. Here, reality blends with illusion—the void creature you serve won’t detect a thing.”
The creature was Dominator-level but far inferior in insight. Dongbo Xueying’s mastery of the Void Path made deceiving it effortless.
“Oh!” The attendant’s eyes lit up with hope. He didn’t fear deception—as slaves and food, they were beneath the void creatures’ notice.
“Tell me,” Dongbo Xueying said, “what is this Chaos Land called?”
“I… I don’t know,” the attendant admitted, shaking his head. “I’ve never left, nor heard its name from the outside world.”
Dongbo Xueying frowned. “Your elders never mentioned it?”
His void scans had revealed that the strongest free cultivators on this land were mere Reverends. True Dominators existed but were imprisoned, their powers sealed.
“No,” the attendant said, then hastily added, “But the Dominators would know!”
“Yet they’re all imprisoned, and I don’t know where,” the attendant lamented.
“The Dominators, huh?” Dongbo Xueying nodded thoughtfully.
After learning more from the attendant, he reassured him, “Endure for now. I will free you all—it just takes time.”
“We can wait. We can!” The attendant clung to his words like a drowning man to driftwood. Any hope was worth grasping.
Dongbo Xueying vanished without a trace.
The attendant felt as if he’d dreamed it all, but he schooled his expression and resumed his duties, a flame of hope now burning fiercely within him.
—
In a frigid dungeon, a wild-haired man hung shackled, chains piercing his spine and sealing his soul. His power was utterly locked away.
His eyes were dull, having endured this darkness for far too long.
“Why… why has this happened?”
“Our Chaos Land was peaceful. Why did hordes of void creatures invade?”
“Where are the powerful cultivators? Why has no one intervened?”
Despair filled his gaze.
Void creatures rarely dared such brazen acts—they’d usually be hunted down swiftly. Yet these had ruled unchallenged for ages. Worse, from what he’d gathered, his homeland wasn’t alone. Vast regions nearby had also fallen.
“Slaves by day, food by whim?” The man shuddered. “Even I, a Dominator, was given as a trophy to one of them.”
Most Dominators were kept as reserves for the three chieftains. Only a rare few, like him, were awarded to underlings as prizes.
“Who will save us?”
“When will this nightmare end?” His heart drowned in hopelessness.
Then—space twisted before him.
A black-robed youth appeared, standing calmly in his cell. The prisoner blinked hard, certain he was hallucinating.
“Rest assured, no one will know of this,” Dongbo Xueying said softly.
“Are you here to save us? To liberate this land?” the man pleaded.
“I’ll do my best. Barring surprises, odds are high I’ll succeed,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
Light returned to the prisoner’s eyes.
“Do you know this Chaos Land’s name?” Dongbo Xueying asked.
“I do,” the man answered instantly. “The Divine Emperor once called it… the Gluttonous Abyss Continent.”
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