The Devouring

The two of them exchanged empty pleasantries, each probing the other. The Sage of Six Paths was nothing more than a mass of gathered chakra, and he had even given some of his chakra to Naruto and Sasuke. He had no way to restrain Yi Zhengnan now.

Yi Zhengnan, meanwhile, was wary of the Sage of Six Paths summoning his departed ancestors from the Pure Land. If his plan failed and the Sage escaped back to the Pure Land, all the time he'd spent lying low would have been for nothing.

"Are you ready?" After a while, Yi Zhengnan grew impatient and pressed him again.

"Almost, almost. Get ready."

At the system's words, a mysterious smile tugged at Yi Zhengnan's lips. Then he slowly began walking toward the Sage of Six Paths.

The Sage's heart lurched. Yi Zhengnan's slow approach made him uneasy, especially when he saw the sinister grin Yi Zhengnan was struggling to hide. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

But he didn't let it show. Though he lacked the power to stop Yi Zhengnan, no one in this world could prevent him from escaping if he chose to.

At that thought, the Sage of Six Paths felt his nerves settle. Yi Zhengnan's steady approach no longer seemed quite so unnerving.

"My young friend..."

"Heh heh. Now! Go!"

Before the Sage could finish speaking, the system inside Yi Zhengnan roared. Its voice even rang out from Yi Zhengnan's body, loud enough for the Sage to hear its sinister tone.

"W-what was that?" The Sage's heart jolted. He'd known this man called Yi Zhengnan was up to no good. Everything he'd said had been a lie—and even his name might be fake.

Yi Zhengnan suddenly lunged forward and stopped in front of the Sage, reaching out