Bai Muye

In a side hall of a manor, two humans with antennae on their foreheads watched a nutrient pod.

"Big brother, it'll cost quite a bit to restore a Cosmic Level Fifth Order fighter who's been reduced to just a head..."

"It's manageable. Luoluobai Muye isn't especially large," Bastian said calmly as he watched the nutrient pod. Aside from the antennae on his forehead, he looked just like an Earth Human, though he was slightly plump. "We made a pretty penny on the match he just won. Even if restoring him costs a lot, we'll still come out well ahead. And the Tier 3 Telekinetic Weapon his opponent left behind will sell for quite a bit too... Not to mention the appearance fees he's earned since he started fighting in the life-and-death battles..."

He turned to Baspencer beside him. "Second brother, with Luoluobai Muye's strength, once he's recovered, he has a good chance of winning the title of 'Cosmic-level Great Axe Warrior.' After all, he's already won 921 matches... And the appearance fee for each match will only keep increasing..."

Baspencer nodded. "You're right, big brother. I was just complaining... As long as he keeps winning, we'll keep making money..."

He glanced at the nutrient pod, then switched to a mental transmission. "Big brother, if this slave really wins a thousand matches in a row, are you actually planning to give him his freedom?"

A shadow crossed Bastian's eyes as he replied telepathically. "I don't want to, either, but it's a promise made to every slave who enters the Giant Axe Life-Death Battle. People from the Giant Axe Arena witnessed it. Otherwise, why would the slaves believe us? Why would they fight so desperately to win?"

"Isn't there another way?" Baspencer looked regretful. "We've made plenty of money off him, but the thought of actually setting him free still breaks my heart..."

"The people from the Giant Axe Arena aren't easy to fool," Bastian said, just as helplessly. "We may control these slaves' lives and deaths, but offending the Giant Axe Arena over one slave..."

He shook his head. "It's just not worth it!"

Watching the nutrient pod, his gaze turned cold. "All we can do is increase our bets in the battles ahead—I hope you won't disappoint me!"

He was speaking to Muye inside the pod, but Muye remained motionless. Beneath his sole remaining head, flesh was gradually growing back around his ruined neck.

Bai Muye's consciousness slowly returned, but he found himself in a strange state.

He couldn't feel his body. Only his consciousness existed in a hazy, disembodied form. The space around him stretched endlessly in every direction, with no way to tell up from down or left from right. Apart from himself, the only thing in that entire space was a pitch-black seed!

"Isn't that the seed I picked out earlier...?"

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the seed seemed to pulse. Then it was as if something in the surrounding space had been absorbed.

Before he could react, the seed extended a threadlike root that pierced his consciousness. An immense flood of memories crashed into him.

Muye had been born into the Luoluobai family, on an ordinary life-bearing planet in the Wild Peak Universe Kingdom. The planet's ruler had been a Universe Rank fighter. After offending a powerful enemy, he was killed, and the entire planet was sold to slave traders.

Luoluobai Muye had only been at Planet Rank, but he had already shown remarkable cultivation talent. After a Slave Chip was implanted in him, he was sent to a training camp for brutal instruction.

After surviving a series of eliminations worthy of hell, he had stood out from the rest and reached Universe Rank. He was then forced to sign an agreement to take part in the "Universe-level Life-and-Death Battle" hosted by the Giant Axe Arena.

The Universe-level Life-and-Death Battle took place in reality. Each match was a fight to the death against a cultivator of the same rank, and only one person could survive.

The slave traders had promised that if he won a thousand matches in a row and earned the title of "Giant Axe Warrior," they would restore his freedom!

From Universe Rank First Order to Fifth Order, and from having no domain to reaching the Fourth-Level Domain, Muye had been lucky enough to win 920 matches in a row. But in his 921st match, he had faced another Universe Rank Fifth Order Psychic. He had ultimately killed his opponent, but the other fighter's dying counterattack had blasted apart his entire body, leaving only his head.

It was the worst injury he had suffered since entering the life-and-death battles.

Fortunately, he had still won. Universe Rank fighters had astonishing vitality; even with only a head left, he could hold on for a long time.

In the end, the Domain Lord Rank referee had grabbed him by the hair and tossed him to Bastian.

The look on Bastian's face when he caught Muye's head in both hands was still hilarious to think about.

Perhaps the battle had been too brutal, or perhaps he had been put into the nutrient pod too late. Either way, Luoluobai Muye's soul hadn't held out. It had already reached the brink of shattering. Even if the nutrient pod restored his body, his soul would most likely fall apart, leaving him a Universe Rank vegetable.

Then the seed had carried Bai Muye's soul across worlds and into this body, where he had taken over its Consciousness Sea.

By rights, thousands of years of memories should have taken a long time to go through, even if his consciousness could process them at incredible speed. Yet, for some reason, Bai Muye felt as if he had watched them all in almost no time at all.

The last image in Luoluobai Muye's memory was of a threadlike root, seemingly from nowhere, piercing his entire soul. Then the memory froze—

His entire soul was swallowed in an instant.

"This really is the world of Swallowed Star!"

"In my previous life, I had a terminal illness and suffered terribly. I never imagined I'd cross over into this vast, wondrous world... Where is the Wild Peak Universe Kingdom? Wasn't Luo Feng in the Ganwu Universe Country...?"

Before he could finish thinking, a faint voice came through.

"The soul energy of a Universe Rank fighter was just enough to revive my consciousness..."

Bai Muye's consciousness jolted. He looked at the pitch-black seed. He hadn't thought much of its color before, but now that he saw how dark it was, he felt as if his soul might be sucked right into it.

"What... are you?"

"Don't call me a 'thing.' I am the great Soul-Devouring Tree, a renowned existence even in the Infinite Hunyuan Space. Unfortunately, after every long era, I have to undergo reincarnation and be reborn from a seed. Each time I do, I grow stronger than before. But after this reincarnation, I somehow ended up in your former realm. Your realm was so barren that it had no energy to support my growth, so I could only seal myself and retain my instincts..."

The pitch-black seed sent him a message.

"The Infinite Hunyuan Space... What kind of place is that?" Bai Muye wondered, though he was more interested in the words "Soul-Devouring."

"Soul-Devouring Tree? Does that mean you devour souls? Then why didn't you devour mine?"

"You're just an ordinary person who's never cultivated. Your soul may be of decent quality, but it contains too little energy. What use would I have for devouring it?" The Soul-Devouring Tree sounded disdainful. "If I could cross dimensions on my own, I wouldn't have brought you along..."

"But there's no going back now. When we crossed dimensions, the rules of the realm bound me to you. If you die, I die too, so don't worry—I won't devour your soul... Fortunately, we crossed into a dimension of a Source World, so there's still a chance of returning to the Infinite Hunyuan Space..."

"Now I've devoured Luoluobai Muye's soul and let you see all his memories." The Soul-Devouring Tree gave a cold chuckle. "Without my protection, how could the soul of an ordinary person like you withstand the impact of thousands of years of memories from a Universe Rank warrior? You'd have turned into an idiot long ago..."

"This body is now effectively ownerless, so you've taken it over. I suggest you hurry up and get used to controlling it. Once you've recovered, you'll have another life-and-death battle waiting for you..."

The Soul-Devouring Tree rattled on. Through the memories it had passed to him, Bai Muye already knew his situation. He was now trying to take control of the body.

Fortunately, all that remained was the head, making it relatively easy to control. He slowly managed to open his eyes a crack. The first thing he saw was gray-green stone.

He had watched Swallowed Star several times in his previous life. He might not remember every detail, but he remembered nutrient pods well enough to know that this was no ordinary stone.

He closed his eyes. As the body below his neck slowly grew back, he took control of it bit by bit.

A little over ten days later, the last toe had finished growing. Bai Muye finally opened his eyes again and pressed the button beside him.

A hum sounded. Bastian soon arrived and pressed a button. The liquid in the nutrient pod quickly drained away, and its lid slowly opened.

Bai Muye, about two meters tall, sat up, pressed lightly against the edge of the nutrient pod, and jumped out.