It had searched for countless years, crossing who knew how many barren stretches at the edges of the universe.
At last, here in this remote, desolate corner with only a single star, it had found one that had yet to grow up.
An Origin True God that was still an infant.
The easiest kind to bully.
It had been feeding for tens of thousands of years, ever since the Primordial Era, one mouthful at a time.
There was no rush. It could take its time. The infant could neither escape nor defeat it anyway.
Until now.
Deep within the Black Tide, the immense silhouette moved.
Two eyes opened in the darkness. Clouded. Greedy. Holding the patience and vigilance unique to a seasoned predator.
It saw Chen Hao.
The expression in those eyes changed, from indifference to focus. From focus to something Chen Hao could not read.
It was surprise.
It had never expected the infant to do something like this. To sacrifice its chance to develop consciousness and pour all its essence into an external vessel.
Doing so was tantamount to suicide, dissolving itself entirely into nourishment for someone else.
But at the same time...
The target of its devouring had not changed.
The essence was still there. It had merely moved from the infant's body into Chen Hao's.
The power of the Origin True God remained the same. Only now, it had a "master."
A novice who had just broken through to the True God realm and had yet to stabilize his power.
Now was the time.
The Gold-Eating Beast made its decision.
The Black Tide surged.
The all-encompassing darkness accelerated in an instant. Like a towering wall of waves, it rose and bore down on Chen Hao.
It was more than ten times denser than before. The Gold-Eating