Tunbao

Earth, water, fire, and wind raged, while Yin and Yang sliced through the air. Countless void black holes, resembling bubbles, collided and devoured one another, erupting with a light that made one's heart tremble as they gnawed at this sanctuary, which spanned no more than ten zhang in radius.

A small tree, nine feet tall with nine segments and nine leaves, shimmered with brilliant golden light. It rippled with nine-colored divine radiance, pouring out boundless energy to suppress the earth, water, fire, wind, Yin, and Yang, firmly shielding the sanctuary within that ten-zhang radius.

This was the legendary God-Fallen Battlefield.

Lin Huang stepped forward, and this was the scene that appeared before him.

Lin Huang raised an eyebrow, lost in thought. Compelled by an unseen force, he moved toward the God-Fallen Battlefield. The closer he got, the more majestic and towering the nine-foot, nine-segmented, nine-leaved tree appeared, until eventually, only a single leaf remained in his vision—a leaf obscuring his sight.

In Lin Huang's astonished gaze, this single leaf stretched for countless thousands of miles, appearing as real as the world itself, while he was but a tiny, pitch-black speck on its surface, not even worth counting as an ant.

Mount Sumeru in a mustard seed, or perhaps, a world within a leaf.

Only then did Lin Huang realize the wonder of the God-Fallen Battlefield. With his feet firmly on the ground and feeling no physical abnormalities, he began to carefully observe his surroundings.

The blue sky was unreachable; the nine leaves had become nine heavens. Divine light poured down like a canopy, enveloping the entire God-Fallen Battlefield. This was a world without sun or moon; the changing of the sky was determined entirely by the different lights cast by the nine leaves.

"Interesting." Lin Huang nodded. Just as he was about to take a step, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind, explaining the rules of the God-Fallen Battlefield to him.

Where there are nine leaves, there are nine heavens. Each level ascended brings a new fortune, but to obtain such fortune, one must first offer a sacrifice. This sacrifice could be a blade of grass, a tree, a mountain, a stream, or even flesh, blood, and souls. Once the sacrifices reach one hundred thousand, one gains a chance to obtain a fortune.

Hearing this, Lin Huang frowned, sensing something fishy. He took a deep look at the nine-layered canopy, then stepped forward, ignoring the voice.

After walking two steps, Lin Huang paused. His gaze flickered, and he reached down to pull a strange stone from beneath his feet. The surface of the stone was wrapped in blood-colored meridians and possessed nine natural apertures. It seemed alive, inhaling and exhaling with a whistling sound. This was actually a Nine-Aperture Divine Stone; if one were lucky, a terrifying creature could be born from it, rising against the heavens.

"Countless opportunities, indeed?" Lin Huang's expression remained calm, though he felt a jolt of shock. This God-Fallen Battlefield was far too unusual. A Nine-Aperture Divine Stone, which even saints in the outside world would fight over to condense a supreme avatar, was just casually buried in the dirt here. It was simply unbelievable.

That's right. The legendary Nine-Aperture Divine Stone is merely born from the essence of heaven and earth, stained by the true blood of gods. Since this is a place where gods have fallen, it is only natural that many things here are stained with divine blood.

Having easily obtained a treasure rarely found in the outside world, Lin Huang hesitated for a moment before flicking his finger, offering the Nine-Aperture Divine Stone as a sacrifice in accordance with the rules.

In an instant, the Nine-Aperture Divine Stone in Lin Huang's hand turned into a streak of light and vanished, while a number was branded onto the back of his hand.

"One thousand, is it? Doesn't seem too hard."

Lin Huang muttered to himself and continued forward.

The opportunities within the God-Fallen Battlefield left every genius who entered feeling shocked and greedy.

"Fire Essence Grass!"

"Divine Spirit Finger Bone!"

"Divine Blood Fruit!"

"Haha! So many heavenly treasures! This is fortune, a massive fortune!"

Some had found a treasure trove, filled with countless artifacts and dazzling, exotic lights that blinded the eyes.

"Get lost! These are all mine!" With a roar, and to the horror of the man, a massive head appeared in the sky. It opened its mouth and swallowed—Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring—consuming both the man and the treasures in one gulp. It let out a satisfied burp, glaring fiercely at the people around.

"It's Tunbao, the strongest genius of the Taotie Clan."

"Run! Run immediately!"

"Want to run?! Come into my belly!"

Tunbao laughed wildly, opened his massive mouth, and inhaled violently. Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring; one bite could swallow the sun and moon. A dozen geniuses from various clans screamed before being swallowed in a single gulp.

Moving his mouth, Tunbao picked his teeth and patted his belly, his eyes glowing.

"The God-Fallen Battlefield really is a good place. I can eat my fill this time."

Tunbao didn't care what others thought; to him, this place was a treasure trove. The Taotie Clan devours heaven and earth, consuming everything. With countless geniuses and rare treasures, this battlefield was a place for him to feast to his heart's content. He was so happy his eyes narrowed into slits.

After swallowing a dozen geniuses in one go and consuming all the treasures he saw, Tunbao felt even hungrier. His eyes shone as he scanned his surroundings. Soon, he found another group of geniuses and leaped toward them.

He opened his massive mouth, capable of swallowing the sun and moon, blotting out the sky. He didn't even give the group a chance to react before swallowing them whole.

"Ah! Tunbao, I am also of the Demon Race! Don't eat me, I am willing to be your servant!"

Someone saw Tunbao and, knowing his fierce reputation, immediately cried out.

Tunbao ignored him, opened his mouth, and swallowed him in one bite, his gaze vicious. "A three-legged thing, never tasted that before. Take you as a servant? I, Tunbao, can't even feed myself, why would I need servants?!"

With a hunger that could swallow mountains and rivers, Tunbao walked and ate, showing extreme cruelty.

"Hmm, a human. Skinny. Whatever, I'll eat him anyway."

Tunbao was unscrupulous. As he walked, he left nothing behind. Seeing Lin Huang, he didn't say a word and opened his mouth, intending to swallow him in one bite.

"Taotie?" Lin Huang muttered to himself and nodded. "It is said that one bite can swallow the sun, moon, and the heavens. I wonder if it's true."

As he spoke, Lin Huang threw a punch. This punch descended with the weight of the earth—it was the Earth Fist.

Tunbao's pupils constricted. His mouth split open even wider, occupying nearly nine-tenths of his entire head, looking ferocious. "I'll swallow it!"

He swallowed Lin Huang's fist into his mouth and bit down hard. Crack! Tunbao let out a howl of pain and hurriedly spat out Lin Huang's fist. Looking closely, he saw he had shattered two of his own large teeth.

"Damn it." Tunbao's gaze turned vicious as he stared at Lin Huang. "Human. You have some skill. But you are still going to die!"

As his voice fell, Tunbao fully unleashed his innate ability, pushing the Taotie Clan's Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring power to the limit, transforming into a black hole that devoured all things.

"Haha! Come! Come! Get into my belly! The Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Technique can swallow even the sun, moon, and the heavens, let alone a mere human like you!"

Lin Huang shook his head. "You can swallow the sun, moon, and heavens, but you cannot swallow my fist."

With that calm remark, Lin Huang planted his feet and threw a punch. The Six Paths Divine Fist surged forth, stirring the earth, water, fire, wind, Yin, and Yang. It was fierce and violent, slamming directly into the mouth that sought to swallow the sun.

Under a single punch, Tunbao let out a miserable shriek, unable to believe it, "How could you possibly be this strong?"

Lin Huang did not speak, delivering another punch. Tunbao's Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Technique was shattered instantly. She fell to the ground, reverting to her true form—a delicate and beautiful young girl, clutching her mouth, weeping with tears in her eyes, covered in blood, and looking pitifully fragile.

"Interesting." Lin Huang nodded. He reached out with a grab, and Tunbao's expression changed. Her figure flickered, attempting to escape into the void with myriad transformations, but it was useless. She was still caught by Lin Huang's hand, lifted up, and gripped by the throat.

Lin Huang shook her forcefully and said, "Reveal your true form."

At his stern command, Tunbao felt utterly humiliated. Light flickered, and she revealed her original form: a kitten no larger than a palm. It was cute and adorable, though its fur bore strange patterns that, if one stared closely, seemed capable of devouring souls.

"Bastard! You're dead. You are really dead! I won't let you go; I'm going to swallow you whole!" Tunbao, now a kitten, bared her claws and roared at Lin Huang. Unfortunately, having reverted to her true form, her fierce words only made her look even more adorable.

"Noisy!" Lin Huang flicked his finger, sealing Tunbao's ability to speak, his gaze fixed intently on the totem patterns on her fur.

After a long while, Lin Huang nodded, having gained some insight into the devouring divine ability of the Taotie clan. He glanced at the whimpering Tunbao and flicked his finger again, "I wonder if I can obtain good fortune by using you as a sacrifice."

Tunbao was instantly terrified. She exerted all her strength to break through Lin Huang's seal and roared, "No! I don't want to be a sacrifice! Wuwu, I'm not playing anymore! I want to go find Grandpa!"

"Don't use me as a sacrifice! I was wrong! Please, let me go!"

Knowing when to yield and when to stand tall is the mark of a hero, so Tunbao sobbed even harder, looking pitiful. Her eyes darted around, filled with anxiety.

Lin Huang's expression remained calm, unmoved, "If you aren't the sacrifice, then who will be?"

Tunbao hurriedly said, "I'll give you sacrifices! I'll give you sacrifices!"

As she spoke, Tunbao retched forcefully, spitting out all the divine materials and treasures she had swallowed into her stomach. They landed in front of Lin Huang, glowing with precious light and forming a small hill.

Lin Huang looked at Tunbao's stomach in surprise.

"Bastard! You aren't allowed to look there!" Tunbao roared in shame and anger.

Lin Huang withdrew his gaze, "Is that all?"

"That's all." Tunbao answered immediately, her eyes wandering, looking somewhat guilty.

Lin Huang nodded, "Then I suppose I'll have to use you as a sacrifice after all."

"No!" Tunbao shrieked, "Bad person! You big bad person!"

While screaming, Tunbao hurriedly spat out another pile of treasures, her heart bleeding.

"What about those geniuses you swallowed?" Lin Huang held Tunbao by the leg and shook her hard.

Tunbao felt like dying, sobbing loudly, "There are none left! Really, there aren't! Their flesh and blood were digested immediately."

Lin Huang nodded and waved his hand, offering all the treasures Tunbao had spat out as sacrifices, "Only three thousand. It seems this good fortune won't be easy to obtain."

Lin Huang looked up at the sky, realizing he had miscalculated. Ordinary divine materials and treasures, even when offered as sacrifices, did not increase the sacrificial value by much. Only rare treasures like the Nine-Aperture Divine Stone could significantly boost the offering.

"I wonder how much sacrifice I could get from flesh, blood, and souls."

Lin Huang's eyes flickered as he looked at Tunbao.

Tunbao burst into tears, her short arms and legs clutching Lin Huang's arm tightly as she spat out a few more treasures, "Don't use me as a sacrifice! This time there really isn't any more, really! I swear!"

"I want the Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Technique. Write it for me, and I will let you go. Otherwise, you will be the sacrifice." Lin Huang spoke indifferently. The Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Technique had intrigued him, and he wanted it.

Tunbao's expression shifted, and she began to hesitate. Lin Huang ignored her, took a Seven-Colored Refined Gold Chain from his storage ring, looped it around Tunbao's neck, and held the end in his hand as he continued forward.

"Bastard." Tunbao felt utterly humiliated. She had never imagined that one day she would be led around like a pet. She gritted her teeth in hatred, whispering to herself, "Just you wait. I'll play along for now, but the moment I find an opportunity, I will swallow you whole."

With a mutter, Tunbao obediently followed behind Lin Huang like a pet.