"Is that me in this carving?"
Lu Li pointed at the strange thing in the center of the relief mural and looked at the little black snake.
The latter first shook its head, then nodded again.
Before Lu Li could make sense of what that gesture meant, the relief mural changed once more.
The bizarre figures were wrapped in chains and dragged one after another toward the strange thing.
Notably, on the relief mural, both the strange thing and the chains were depicted as recessed.
The various bound figures, however, stood out in raised relief.
When the nearest figure was dragged by the chains into the center, the recessed strange thing began to bulge outward.
With every figure dragged in and swallowed, the bulge grew a little larger.
By the time all the figures had been pulled in by the chains, the once-recessed strange thing had completely become raised.
"Using excess to make up for deficiency?"
Lu Li stroked the chin formed from black mist and murmured to himself in his mind.
The little black snake nodded slightly, signaling Lu Li to keep watching.
The relief mural changed again.
The raised strange thing began to expand and grow, eventually filling nearly the entire image.
Then—
It exploded.
As though the world had been destroyed and returned to nothingness.
The instant the strange thing exploded, it directly destroyed the relief mural itself, leaving nothing behind.
"Huh?"
Lu Li stared blankly at where the relief mural had vanished, then looked dazedly at the black snake.
"It exploded?"
The black snake nodded.
Lu Li voiced his guess. "So what you mean is, after I use [Soul Devour] on you, you'll also become one of those bound by the chains."
Excitement showed in the black snake's eyes as it nodded repeatedly.
Lu Li continued,