Chapter 2794: The Devourer (1)

Yun Lintian raised his hand, and emerald light burst forth—the full might of the God of Life’s authority. The energy washed over the land like a tidal wave, seeping into the cracked earth and withered trees.

Where it touched, life returned.

Blackened soil turned rich and fertile. Petrified wood softened, new sprouts pushing through bark. The very air itself seemed to brighten, the oppressive death energy dissolving like mist under sunlight.

Ren watched it all unfold, his skeletal frame trembling slightly. "Just like... her..."

When the purification was complete, Yun Lintian lowered his hand. "It is done."

Ren bowed deeply. "My gratitude."

As he straightened, his form began to crumble—the last of his borrowed energy fading. But before his soul disappeared entirely, he spoke once more.

"One last warning... Beware the God of Heaven’s inheritor."

Yue Yun’s eyes narrowed. "What about him?"

Ren’s voice grew faint. "The God of Heaven hid a secret... something even Nian Shi does not know. An artifact capable of controlling minds."

Lin Yitong gasped. "What?"

"I discovered it by accident during my... wilder days," Ren admitted. "Why it was never used in the Primordial War, I cannot say. But if his inheritor has it now..."

His soul was nearly gone, only fragments of bone remaining.

"Be cautious," he whispered. "And... farewell."

With that, the Great Desolate Ancient Demon—Ren—turned into a pile of skeleton, leaving the God of Death’s head behind.

Only silence remained.

Yun Lintian stared at Ren’s remains, his expression unreadable.

"Mind control?" Yue Yun muttered. "That’s... problematic."

Lin Yitong bit her lip. "Do you think Ren Yuan knows about this artifact?"

"Very likely." Yun Lintian said calmly. "Unlike other inheritors, Ren Yuan seems to have inherited the memory of the God of Heaven fully."

Yun Lintian waved his hand, and the earth trembled. A simple tomb rose from the purified soil, its surface smooth and unadorned. With another gesture, Ren’s massive scythe embedded itself upright before the tomb, becoming its marker.

Golden light flickered at Yun Lintian’s fingertips as he carved words into the scythe’s blade:

"Here lies Ren, the Warden of Purity."

Lin Yitong bowed her head in respect, while Yue Yun crossed her arms, her eyes unreadable.

"Rest well, old demon," Yue Yun muttered.

Yun Lintian exhaled, then turned his attention to the dying star around them. "This place shouldn’t remain here."

He raised both hands, divine energy surging through his meridians. Space itself warped as the entire star trembled—then, with a soundless ripple, it vanished, swallowed into Yun Lintian’s spatial storage. Only an empty void remained where it had once been.

"Let’s go," Yun Lintian said, reaching for the floating God of Death’s head.

But just as his fingers brushed the skull—

CRACK!

A jagged tear split the air beside them. Not a spatial rift—this was something worse. The edges of the tear bled darkness, and from within, an unfathomable pressure descended.

Yue Yun’s Moon Staff appeared in her grip instantly. "Hmm?"

Lin Yitong’s vines coiled around her arms, her face paling. "That presence...!"

Yun Lintian’s golden eyes hardened. He knew this energy.

The Devourer.

The rift widened, and something peered out—not a face, not a form, but a concept given shape. Hunger incarnate. The moment it appeared, the surrounding void itself seemed to wither, as if reality were being erased.

"YOU..."

The voice was not sound, but a vibration in the soul.

Yun Lintian didn’t hesitate. He shoved the God of Death’s head into Lin Yitong’s hands and stepped forward, the Heaven Sunderer materializing in his grip.

"Retreat," he ordered.

Yue Yun grabbed Lin Yitong’s arm. "Let’s go. We’re dead weight against that thing."

The Devourer’s formless presence pulsed, and chains of black energy surged from the rift—the same Chains of Corruption Ren had warned them about. They lashed toward Yun Lintian like living serpents.

BOOM!

The Heaven Sunderer met them head-on, golden light clashing against the devouring darkness. The impact sent shockwaves through the void, but the chains didn’t break. Instead, they coiled around the blade, creeping toward Yun Lintian’s hands.

"Persistent," Yun Lintian growled. Azure light erupted from his body—the Primordial Azure Dragon’s power. The chains recoiled, but didn’t release their grip.

The Devourer’s presence swelled with what might have been amusement. "YOU...INTEREST ME."

Yun Lintian bared his teeth. "Flattered."

Behind him, Yue Yun was already dragging Lin Yitong away, a spatial rift forming at her fingertips.

The Devourer noticed.

A second set of chains shot toward them—faster than thought.

"No!" Yun Lintian twisted, but he couldn’t intercept in time—

A flash of moonlight.

Yue Yun’s Moon Staff shattered the first chain, but the second wrapped around her ankle. She struggled to get rid of it but it was futile.

The Devourer’s attention snapped fully to Yue Yun.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

Yun Lintian’s golden eyes flashed with cold light.

Space itself twisted as he activated the God of Space’s authority. In an instant, he appeared beside Yue Yun, the Heaven Sunderer descending in a golden arc that severed the black chain wrapped around her ankle. The corrupted energy screamed as it dissipated.

Before the Devourer could react, Yun Lintian waved his hand—the Gate of Beyond Heaven materialized behind Lin Yitong and Yue Yun.

"Go!" he commanded.

Yue Yun hesitated for only a fraction of a second before grabbing Lin Yitong and leaping through the gate. It snapped shut behind them, leaving Yun Lintian alone in the void with the Devourer.

Silence.

Then—

Yun Lintian turned to face the abyssal rift, his expression indifferent. "You came at the right time. I was about to find you."

The Devourer’s formless presence pulsed. "ARROGANT."

A wave of temporal distortion erupted from the rift—time itself unraveling as the Devourer exerted its power. The void around them flickered, fragments of past and future overlapping chaotically.

Yun Lintian’s eyes narrowed. "Time authority... As expected."

He didn’t panic. Instead, he raised both hands—left hand wielding the God of Space’s power, right hand channeling the God of Balance’s authority.

Space stabilized.

Time corrected itself.

The conflicting forces collided in a silent explosion, reality itself groaning under the strain.

The Devourer recoiled slightly. "YOU... INTERESTING."

Yun Lintian didn’t respond. His mind raced even as his expression remained calm.

This thing... It’s not just a mindless beast. It strength is close to a Primordial God.

That realization sent a chill down his spine.

If the Devourer is this strong... How many more cards is Nian Shi hiding?