The True Meaning of Encroachment

The True Meaning of Devouring

Lincoln gently flicked the space, causing a spatial rift to appear, and stepped inside.

Near the Darkness Divine Plane, a figure drifted alone through the Spatial Turbulence, devoid of any ability to act. Despair filled his eyes until he saw a black figure flying toward him from afar, which gradually turned into resentment.

This black figure was naturally Lincoln, and the lonely figure was naturally Black.

Black glared at Lincoln viciously, gnashing his teeth as he said, "You really did become a Sovereign."

"Yes, I have become a Sovereign." Lincoln smiled. Having plotted and suffered for many years, he was happy to explain a few things. "But you probably still can't figure out why I did this."

Lincoln's relaxed and comfortable demeanor made Black even more resentful. "Why? I have never offended you, yet you tricked me into coming here to kill me! Tell me, so I can die with clarity!"

"There is no need for you to know the answer to your question," Lincoln said with a faint smile. "Are you ready? From today on, the Paragon High-God Black—oh no, just Black—will disappear from this world forever."

"Tell me, you bastard!" Black roared. "As a dignified Sovereign, using such despicable means to deal with a god, aren't you ashamed?"

Lincoln shook his head. "Just leave with your questions forever!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Black's darkness divine clone lost its vitality. Another body emerged from within, and the defensive Main God Artifact released its bond, drifting away. Without the protection of the Main God Artifact, both bodies were instantly pulverized by the Spatial Turbulence.

Lincoln let the Main God Artifact drift away, making no move to collect or destroy it. The treasure he had once sought but could not obtain was now nothing more than that. He took out the interspatial ring he had obtained from Black's darkness divine clone and dripped a drop of blood onto it.

The bond was successfully formed.

A smile appeared on Lincoln's face. "It seems there were indeed only two divine clones. From now on, the truth of this matter is whatever I say it is. If you had any other divine clones, I would have had to go to the trouble of wiping them all out."

In the past, he had used his innate divine ability openly during battles, but this time, having used his status as a Sovereign to deceive and lure a Paragon, there were too many suspicious points to ignore; he had to keep it a secret.

Lincoln walked slowly through the Spatial Turbulence. This was the first time he had truly relaxed since receiving the Supreme God Token mission. From obtaining the Supreme God Token one hundred thousand years ago, trembling and sneaking around to complete the mission, to obtaining a Main God Spark and becoming a Sovereign a thousand years ago, and finally quietly hunting down Black to become a Paragon mid-level Sovereign—from now on, only the Four Rule Sovereigns and the group of Four Divine Beasts could threaten him. The Chief Sovereign of Light and the Thunder Sovereign should also be stronger than him; although he possessed a portion of Willpower, his fusion of profound laws was not as deep as his, making it quite difficult for them to kill him.

With a body reinforced by a Main God Artifact, his strength already surpassed that of the other five Rule Sovereigns.

Of course, possessing seven divine clones, he could choose to hunt other Sovereigns. By killing two low-level or mid-level Sovereigns first and then hunting a high-level Sovereign, he could quickly possess strength far exceeding that of a Chief Sovereign. But such a course of action had too many variables and was too dangerous. If nothing else, being targeted by the Four Rule Sovereigns before his strength was fully realized would be perilous; even if his strength were fully realized, being targeted by Orf, who possessed a full set of defensive Supreme Artifacts, would be extremely dangerous. One had to know that Orf was not only a Paragon but also possessed the Willpower from refining an extra Main God Spark, the Willpower from ten consecutive victories in the Plane Wars, a body with a Main God Artifact, and after so many years of research, even without a technique as monstrous as the Samsara Golden Body, he likely possessed techniques that could amplify his strength a hundredfold. He was incredibly comprehensive.

Even for "fishing" law enforcement, Lincoln currently had no good targets. He had no entanglements with other Sovereigns. Should he fish for Augusta? Better not.

Lincoln walked quietly back to the Chainis Plane. Unless it was a life-or-death emergency, he would never use the Plane Teleportation Array to return to the Material Plane. The teleportation arrays of the four Supreme Planes and seven Divine Planes were different from those of the Material Plane. The Material Plane had eleven teleportation arrays, and one would take the specific array for the destination plane. However, each of the eleven planes had sets of two arrays: one specifically for the Material Plane and one for other Divine Planes or Supreme Planes. Lincoln felt that he could not guarantee there wouldn't be errors or malicious tampering during transit.

"Black, you probably couldn't imagine," Lincoln thought to himself. "Everyone, including Aier and Vivian, doesn't know that for me, the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python, the innate divine ability 'Whale-Swallow Silkworm-Eat', devouring divine power and soul power is only the most superficial usage. Just as the Death Chief Sovereign Hela said, I can devour enough seven-element high-god power to possess a body like a high-god artifact, or devour enough seven-element Sovereign power to possess a body at the level of a Main God Artifact. This is the true usage of devouring divine power. And devouring souls to replenish soul power is also just a superficial ability. Its true power is that, among those of the same level, I can directly lock onto the opponent's soul using a divine spark of the same element and devour their soul, comprehending the profound laws and even fused mysteries within."

"Unfortunately, this ability has many limitations. First, I must have a divine clone of the same element, and locking onto a higher-level divine spark with a lower-level one is ineffective. Even at the same level, if the opponent's soul power is higher than mine, it will not succeed. If they are equal, there is only a thirty percent chance of success. Of course, if the opponent does not resist, it is a one hundred percent success rate. Furthermore, there are many interferences. If there are other divine sparks of the same element within ten thousand miles, the innate divine ability will fail. If there are divine sparks of different elements, there is nearly a fifty percent chance of failure. Regardless of success or failure, my soul power will plummet to a low point."

"It is a pity that the insights gained through this innate divine ability cannot be stacked. I cannot, for example, devour two wind-element Asuras who have each fused different mysteries and have them perfectly complement each other so that I could reach the Paragon level; otherwise, I wouldn't have had to take action against you. Each subsequent devouring directly overwrites the insights from the previous one, so every time I devour, I have to analyze the laws from the beginning. And because my soul power is at a low point, the higher the comprehension of the mysteries, the longer it takes, and the more dangerous it becomes."

"Of course, I never dared to attempt this on a Paragon High-God with Willpower until I became a Sovereign. With the absolute suppression of a Sovereign over a god, the process of devouring was indeed incredibly smooth."

"This is the secret of how I have devoured countless powerhouses over these ten million years to become a seven-element Asura! Black, this is also the reason for your death. Who told you to be the only darkness-law Paragon in countless planes?"

"Devouring the soul, spinning a cocoon to trap oneself, and breaking the cocoon to be reborn—this is the true meaning of devouring!"