Spirit Devour

Darkness.

An endless, viscous darkness, thick as if it had substance, pressed in from all sides, carrying a soul-freezing yin cold and a rampant intent that tore everything apart. Li Yuan felt as if he had been thrown into the depths of a primordial, unformed sea eye—his five senses stripped away, his body madly torn by invisible forces, every inch of skin and every bone groaning under the unbearable strain.

That mass of "Sacred Spirit Origin" was no dead thing; it was a living, malicious aggregation of consciousness! Countless chaotic, agonizing, venomous thoughts, like icy poison needles, madly stabbed into his Sea of Consciousness, trying to corrupt his will and assimilate him into part of this darkness.

"Get out!"

Li Yuan roared from the depths of his consciousness. The Crimson Sun Battle Body, driven by instinctual crisis, was pushed to its extreme. His dark red form was like a stubborn spark in the absolute darkness, the Crimson Gold patterns beneath his skin burning with unprecedented brightness, resisting the pervasive erosion and pressure.

But this resistance was painfully difficult. The energy level of this origin was too high, too vast! His Crimson Sun Qi and Blood were consumed at a terrifying speed in the struggle against the darkness, the battle body's light gradually compressed and dimmed.

Just as he felt his consciousness about to be completely swallowed by the endless venom and chaos—

Deep within the Sea of Qi, that dark gold Crimson Sun, which had been steadily rotating, seemed utterly enraged by this extreme yin evil!

It no longer merely radiated light and heat. With a violent tremor, the nearly liquid Crimson Gold Light at its core suddenly erupted with a domineering will that ruled all under heaven and melted all things!

This will was far more condensed, far purer, far more... exalted than the chaotic consciousness of the Sacred Spirit Origin!

Hum—!

An invisible, overwhelmingly powerful suction force erupted from the Crimson Sun!

This was not Li Yuan's active control, but the Crimson Sun's instinctive reaction! It was the greed of encountering a "great tonic"!

Chi—!!!

Like a red-hot branding iron plunged into grease!

The dark energy that had been madly eroding Li Yuan instantly reversed its flow under this terrifying suction! It was no longer the attacker, but the plundered!

Pure and vast Netherworld Origin power was forcibly torn from the dark core, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, madly surging into Li Yuan's body, greedily devoured and refined by that dark gold Crimson Sun!

Roar—!!

The Sacred Spirit Origin let out a silent, soul-piercing shriek of rage! It violently churned and contracted, trying to resist this plunder, but the Crimson Sun's devouring power carried an absolute attribute suppression—its resistance was feeble!

Li Yuan's body became a battlefield for two opposing forces.

On one side, the rampant yin cold and chaos of the Sacred Spirit Origin; on the other, the domineering, scorching refinement and devouring of the Crimson Sun.

Extreme agony swept through his entire body again! His meridians were scoured back and forth by two colossal forces, nearly snapping inch by inch! But his will, supported by the Crimson Sun's sovereign, domineering aura, became unprecedentedly clear and firm!

He could clearly feel that the dark gold Crimson Sun, after devouring the pure Netherworld Origin, was undergoing a stunning transformation!

Its volume slowly shrank, but its light grew more introverted and condensed, its color shifting from dark gold to a deeper, heavier Dark Crimson Gold! It was as if all impurities had been refined away, leaving only the most primal, purest core of molten rock!

And the Qi and Blood surging through his body also transformed in sync with the Crimson Sun at this moment! The total quantity didn't seem to explode, but the quality had more than doubled! Heavy, scorching, carrying the destructive nature of molten rock and a hint of the Netherworld's icy penetration, it rumbled like a surging river as it circulated!

His Crimson Sun Battle Body, wrapped in that darkness, spontaneously condensed and strengthened further! Muscle fibers became denser, bones took on a faint metallic luster, and beneath the dark red of his skin, the Crimson Gold patterns seemed branded deep into his flesh and blood!

Who knew how long passed—perhaps an instant, perhaps an eternity.

That massive, churning mass of dark energy had shrunk by nearly half! Its rampant consciousness grew weak and chaotic, no longer able to effectively suppress or erode Li Yuan.

Li Yuan's eyes snapped open!

In his Crimson Gold Pupils, it seemed molten rock was flowing, illuminating the darkness around him!

He felt the surging power within him, never before experienced—a strength that could shatter mountains with a single punch—and the dark crimson gold Crimson Sun in his Sea of Qi, smaller yet far more terrifying.

He had succeeded! Not only was he not devoured, but he had plundered and refined nearly half of the Sacred Spirit Origin!

"Time to get out."

He muttered, clenching his right fist. Without even using any technique, he simply pulsed the transformed Crimson Sun Qi and Blood backward with a casual shake!

Boom—!!

The remaining half of the dark energy enveloping him shattered from within like fragile glass struck by a boulder! The endless darkness receded like a tide, completely driven away by a more domineering, more scorching Dark Crimson Gold light carrying the aura of destruction!

Li Yuan's figure reappeared in the cavern!

He still stood in the palm of the bone altar, but the dark energy mass in the altar's palm had vanished without a trace. A terrifying heat wave like a furnace radiated from him, dark crimson gold Qi and Blood steam swirling around him, making him look like a flame demon returning from the Netherworld!

The entire cavern was dead silent.

Everyone stared at the figure on the altar, dumbfounded, as if witnessing the most unbelievable thing in the world.

He... he had... the Sacred Spirit Origin... he had...

"You... you destroyed the Sacred Spirit Origin?! You actually destroyed it!!" The Netherworld Cult Bishop was the first to react, letting out a shrill, frantic scream. His gray-white pupils were bloodshot, filled with the extreme madness and venom of a collapsed faith and a lifetime's work ruined!

Li Yuanhong's face was pale, his body ice-cold. He pointed at Li Yuan, his finger trembling, his lips quivering, but unable to utter a single word. He couldn't understand, let alone accept! That Sacred Spirit Origin, which even peak Aperture Opening Realm experts would fear, was... gone?!

Li Yuan slowly raised his head, his dark crimson gold pupils sweeping across the scene, finally landing on the nearly insane Netherworld Cult Bishop and the ashen-faced Li Yuanhong.

A cold, molten-kill-intent-filled curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Tastes good."

"Now, it's your turn."