Tunbao

Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind rampaged, Yin and Yang carved through everything, and countless void black holes like bubbles collided, devoured one another, and burst into heart-stirring light, consuming this tiny patch of pure land, no more than ten zhang across.

A small tree, nine chi tall, with nine joints and nine leaves, shone with brilliant golden light. It rippled with nine-colored divine radiance, spilling boundless light as it suppressed Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, Yin and Yang, firmly protecting the ten-zhang stretch of pure land around it.

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, thoughtful. Unable to help himself, he headed toward the God-Fallen Battlefield. The closer he got, the more majestic and towering the small tree, nine chi tall, with nine joints and nine leaves, seemed to become. Gradually, all he could see was a single leaf. One leaf blocked out the whole view.

To Lin Huang's astonishment, the leaf stretched for who knew how many tens of thousands of li, as real as anything. And he was no more than a tiny black speck on it—not even worthy of being called an ant.

"Is this a mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru, or a world within each leaf?"

Only then did Lin Huang understand how wondrous the God-Fallen Battlefield was. He planted his feet on solid ground and, feeling no abnormality in his body, carefully surveyed his surroundings.

The azure sky was beyond reach; the nine leaves had become nine layers of heaven. Divine radiance spilled down like a canopy, enveloping the entire God-Fallen Battlefield. This was a world without a Sun or Moon. Changes in the sky's color came entirely from the different lights cast by the nine leaves.

"Interesting." Lin Huang nodded and was about to move when a voice suddenly sounded in his mind, explaining the rules of the God-Fallen Battlefield.

There were nine leaves, and thus nine layers of heaven. Climb one layer, and you would receive one boon. To obtain a boon, first offer a sacrifice. The sacrifice could be a blade of grass, a tree, a mountain, a river, flesh, or a soul. Once your sacrifices reached a hundred thousand, you would have one chance to obtain a boon.

At this, Lin Huang furrowed his brow, sensing a catch. He glanced deeply at the nine-layered canopy, then took a step forward and paid it no further mind.

After taking two steps, Lin Huang stopped. His gaze shifted, and he reached down to pull a wondrous stone from the ground. Blood-red veins covered its surface, and it had nine apertures by nature. It seemed almost alive, drawing in streams of air with every breath. It was a Nine-Aperture Divine Stone. Given the right opportunity, it could give birth to a terrifying life-form that would defy Heaven and rise to power.

"So many opportunities?" Lin Huang's expression remained calm, though his heart skipped a beat. The God-Fallen Battlefield was far too extraordinary. A Nine-Aperture Divine Stone, something even Saints would fight over in the outside world, capable of forging an ultimate clone, was casually buried underground here. It was simply inconceivable.

"Right. The legendary Nine-Aperture Divine Stone was merely born from the essence of Heaven and Earth after being stained with a Divine Being's true blood. Since this is the Land of God-Fallen, naturally many things here have been stained with a Divine Being's true blood."

After easily obtaining a Nine-Aperture Divine Stone, a treasure hard to find in the outside world, Lin Huang hesitated, then flicked a finger and offered it as a sacrifice according to the rules.

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

"One thousand? This doesn't seem difficult."

Lin Huang murmured to himself and continued onward.

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

"Divine Blood Fruit!"

"Divine Spirit Finger Bone!"

"Fire Essence Grass!"

"Hahaha! So many heavenly treasures! This is a boon—a heaven-sent boon!"

Someone had found a treasure trove overflowing with treasures and dazzling with multicolored light, bright enough to blind the eyes.

"Get lost! They're all mine!" A roar rang out. To the man's horror, a head of enormous proportions appeared in the sky. Its mouth opened and swallowed everything, devouring Heaven and Earth. The man and all the treasures were gulped down together. The head let out a satisfied burp, then glared ferociously at everyone around it.

"It's Tunbao, the Taotie Clan's strongest genius!"

"Run! Get out of here, now!"

"Run? Come into my belly!"

Tunbao laughed wildly, opened her mouth, and sucked in with a mighty pull. She devoured Heaven and Earth, able to swallow the Sun and Moon in a single bite. More than a dozen geniuses from various races screamed as they were gulped down.

Tunbao worked her jaw, picked her teeth, and patted her belly, her eyes shining.

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

Tunbao had no idea what the others thought. To her, this was a treasure trove. The Taotie Clan devoured Heaven and Earth, swallowing everything without exception. With countless geniuses and rare treasures in the God-Fallen Battlefield, it was a feast laid out just for her. She was so happy her eyes narrowed.

After swallowing more than a dozen geniuses in one go and gulping down every treasure in sight, Tunbao felt even hungrier. Her eyes gleamed as she scanned her surroundings. Soon, she found another group of geniuses, tapped the ground, and leaped toward them.

She opened her mouth wide, able to swallow the Sun and Moon, blotting out the sky. The group of geniuses had no chance to react before she gulped them down.

"Ah! Tunbao, I'm of the Demon Race too. Don't eat me! I'm willing to serve you!"

Someone saw Tunbao and, knowing her fearsome reputation, immediately shouted.

Tunbao ignored him, opened her mouth, and swallowed him whole. Her gaze turned vicious. "You three-legged thing—I've never eaten one before. Take you as a servant? I can't even feed myself. What would I want servants for?!"

With a belly that could swallow mountains and rivers, Tunbao went along, swallowing everything in her path. She was utterly vicious.

"Hm, a human. All skin and bones. Whatever, I'll swallow him first."

Tunbao acted without restraint, leaving not a blade of grass standing wherever she went. When she saw Lin Huang, she said nothing, simply opening her mouth to swallow him whole.

"Taotie?" Lin Huang murmured, then nodded. "They say you can swallow the Sun, Moon, and all of Heaven and Earth in one bite. I wonder if that's true."

As he spoke, Lin Huang threw a punch. His fist came down with the weight of the earth: the Earth Fist.

Tunbao's pupils contracted. Her mouth split even wider, taking up nearly nine-tenths of her head. Her face was terrifyingly fierce. "I'll swallow you!"

She swallowed Lin Huang's fist and bit down hard. Crack! Tunbao wailed and hurriedly spat out Lin Huang's fist. A closer look showed that she had broken two of her own teeth.

"Damn it." Tunbao glared viciously at Lin Huang. "Human. You've got some skill. But you're still going to die!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Tunbao unleashed her divine ability to its fullest, pushing the Taotie Clan's power to devour Heaven and Earth to the limit. She transformed into a black hole that consumed all things.

"Hahaha! Come on! Come on! Get into my mouth! My Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Technique can swallow even the Sun, Moon, and all of Heaven and Earth. What's one measly human to me?"

Lin Huang shook his head. "You may be able to swallow the Sun, Moon, and all of Heaven and Earth, but you can't swallow my fist."

With those calm words, Lin Huang planted his feet and swung his fist. The Six Paths Divine Fist swept through Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, Yin and Yang, mighty and violent as it blasted into Sun Devourer's mouth.

Tunbao cried out beneath that punch, disbelieving. "How can you be this strong?"

Lin Huang said nothing and threw another punch. Tunbao's Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Technique shattered outright. She fell to the ground and reverted to her original form: a pretty, delicate young girl clutching her mouth, blood streaming down her face, looking pitiful and on the verge of tears.

"Interesting." Lin Huang nodded and reached out to grab her. Tunbao's expression changed. Her form rippled as she fled into the void, changing in myriad ways, but to no avail. Lin Huang still caught her with one grab and lifted her by the neck.

Lin Huang gave her a hard shake and said, "Show your true form!"

At his shout, Tunbao felt utterly aggrieved. Light flashed, and she revealed her true form: a kitten no bigger than a palm, adorable and lively. Strange patterns marked her fur; when one stared closely, they seemed capable of devouring the soul.

"Bastard! You're dead. You're really dead! I won't let you go. I'll swallow you whole!" Tunbao, now a kitten, snarled at Lin Huang. But in her true form, even her vicious threats only made her cuter.

"Quiet!" Lin Huang flicked a finger, sealing Tunbao's ability to speak. His gaze fixed intently on the totemic patterns on her body.

After a while, Lin Huang nodded. He had gained some insight into the Taotie Clan's devouring divine ability. He glanced at Tunbao, who was mewling wildly, and flicked a finger. "I wonder if offering you as a sacrifice will get me a boon."

Tunbao was instantly terrified. She struggled with all her might to break through Lin Huang's seal and shouted, "No! I don't want to be a sacrifice! Waaah, I don't want to play anymore. I want to find Grandpa!"

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

One had to know when to yield. That was what made a true hero. So Tunbao sobbed even harder, looking utterly pitiful as her eyes darted about, anxiety creeping in.

Lin Huang's gaze remained calm and unmoved. "If you aren't the sacrifice, who will be?"

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

As she spoke, Tunbao spat forcefully. All the divine materials and treasures she had swallowed came tumbling out before Lin Huang, their radiance rising to form a small mountain.

Lin Huang looked at Tunbao's belly in surprise.

"Bastard! Don't you dare look there!" Tunbao roared, furious and embarrassed.

Lin Huang looked away. "Is that all?"

"That's all." Tunbao answered at once, her eyes shifting guiltily.

Lin Huang nodded. "Then I might as well use you as the sacrifice."

"No!" Tunbao shrieked. "Bad guy, you're so bad!"

As she shouted, Tunbao hurriedly spat out another pile of treasures, her heart bleeding.

"What about the geniuses you swallowed?" Lin Huang said, holding Tunbao by the foot and shaking her hard.

Tunbao felt like dying. She sobbed loudly. "They're gone. Really, they're gone. Their flesh and blood were digested right away."

Lin Huang nodded, then waved a hand and offered all the treasures Tunbao had spat out as sacrifices. "Only three thousand. Looks like this boon won't be easy to get."

Lin Huang looked up at the sky. Only then did he realize his calculations had been off. Ordinary divine materials and treasures added very little to the sacrifice count, even when offered as sacrifices. Only rarities like the Nine-Aperture Divine Stone could raise it substantially.

"I wonder how much flesh and blood, or souls, would add to the sacrifice count."

Lin Huang's gaze shifted to Tunbao.

Tunbao burst into tears. With her short arms and legs, she clung tightly to Lin Huang's arm and spat out a few more treasures. "Don't use me as a sacrifice! I really don't have anything else this time, truly. I swear!"

"I want the Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Technique. Write it down for me, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, you'll be my sacrifice." Lin Huang spoke calmly. The Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring Technique had stirred something in him. He wanted it.

Tunbao's expression changed, and she hesitated. Lin Huang paid her no mind. He took a Seven-Colored Refined Gold Chain from his Sumeru Ring, slipped it around Tunbao's neck, and held the other end as he continued forward.

"Bastard." Tunbao was so humiliated she could hardly bear it. She had never imagined that one day someone would lead her around like a pet. She ground her teeth in hatred and muttered under her breath, "Just you wait. I'll play along for now. The moment I get the chance, I'll swallow you whole."

After muttering, Tunbao obediently followed behind Lin Huang like a pet.