The night sky above the Devourer Abyss bled crimson, as if Heaven itself had been wounded.
Each star flickered faintly — not with light, but with fear.
Xiao Wang stood at the center of a shattered altar, his robes fluttering wildly in the cold wind. The ancient runes beneath his feet pulsed like a heartbeat — steady, heavy, divine. The scent of blood and burning Qi filled the air.
"So… this is the Devourer Trial?"
"Hmph… looks like Heaven's finally run out of ways to amuse me."
The other voice — deeper, rougher, tinged with dangerous humor — echoed within his mind. The second personality had awakened again, shimmering through his crimson eyes. The two souls that shared one body were now one heartbeat apart.
"Try not to ruin my face this time," Xiao Wang muttered aloud.
"Your face? Please. I make this body look good."
The split personality laughed — a sound that carried both mockery and raw confidence.
Around them, the abyss churned with shadows. From its depths rose humanoid figures — each wreathed in black mist, their faces hidden beneath spectral masks. These were not men, nor beasts. They were echoes of fallen cultivators — remnants of ancient warriors who failed the Trial.
A whisper brushed against his ears.
The Sword Spirit spoke — calm, ancient, divine.
"Their strength is borrowed from those who once challenged the heavens… but remember, Wang — the shadows devour those who hesitate."
Xiao Wang grinned faintly. "Then let them choke."
He stepped forward.
The air trembled — a ripple of power burst from beneath his boots. The Devouring Sword in his hand thrummed, a black-red halo spiraling around its blade.
The first shadow moved — silent as wind, sharp as lightning.
Claws made of condensed Qi slashed across the air.
Xiao Wang parried. Sparks exploded like miniature suns. The ground cracked under his feet, and for a moment, the entire abyss echoed with the clash of divine energies.
The second personality's voice rose again, almost cheerfully.
"Slow. Predictable. Let me handle this, brother."
"No. Not yet."
"Oh come on — I'm dying to stretch my legs."
"You already died once before."
A small smirk tugged at his lips. The humor in the midst of carnage — that was Xiao Wang's strange balance, the madness that kept him sane.
He spun, the sword dancing like flowing fire. Each movement carved golden-red arcs into the air. One by one, the shadows lunged — and one by one, they fell.
But as they died, the shadows didn't fade. Instead, they merged.
Their broken essence twisted together, forming something larger… darker.
The altar shuddered.
The runes glowed blood-red.
From the void, a colossal figure rose — a giant phantom with nine eyes and six arms, each holding a blade that pulsed like a beating heart.
The Shadow of the Sword God.
Even the Sword Spirit's voice grew solemn.
"That… is the remnant of the one who forged me."
The wind froze.
Even Xiao Wang's second personality went silent for a moment — then chuckled softly.
"Well, brother… looks like we're about to fight Grandpa Sword."
Xiao Wang gripped his weapon tighter, eyes narrowing.
"Come then," he whispered, his voice steady, calm, yet blazing with killing intent.
"Let me see if the shadow of a god still bleeds."
The giant's eyes opened — nine orbs of burning white fire.
A roar split the abyss.
The real battle had begun.
(Part 2) – Devourer Trial II: Shadow of the Sword God
The giant phantom raised one of its six blades.
The moment it moved, the entire abyss shifted — the atmosphere compressed, the very air screaming beneath its weight. Cracks spread through the altar like spider webs of light.
Xiao Wang's breath slowed. The crimson energy within his dantian churned, swirling like a vortex of fire and void. His second personality whispered, tone half-laughter, half-warcry.
"Beautiful. This is what I've been waiting for."
The Shadow of the Sword God struck.
Six blades descended at once — each carrying a different elemental resonance: thunder, fire, frost, darkness, metal, and pure spirit. The combined force could shatter mountains and tear rifts in space.
Xiao Wang moved.
He lifted the Devouring Sword, black-red energy exploding outward in a violent halo. Every motion of his wrist carried the precision of a god-slayer. He met the first strike — and the world cracked.
BOOM!
The explosion of Qi flung him backward across the altar, his feet skidding and carving twin trenches into the ground. Blood dripped from his lip, sizzling as it hit the burning stone.
"Heh… this is fun," the second personality grinned inside him.
"Shall I?"
"Wait," Xiao Wang hissed. "If you come out now, we'll burn the sword too soon. The Spirit isn't ready."
A deep, serene voice echoed — the Sword Spirit, ancient and divine.
"He speaks true. The Devouring Flame within you is unstable. To awaken it now would consume half your soul."
"Then what do you suggest?" Xiao Wang asked, voice sharp.
"Balance the devouring with creation. Feed on its power without becoming it."
He laughed quietly. "Balance, huh? You talk like it's easy."
"Nothing worth attaining is easy, my wielder."
The Shadow of the Sword God roared again, its nine eyes blazing with divine fury. The second wave came — six slashes that crossed from every direction.
This time, Xiao Wang didn't retreat.
He surged forward, his body igniting in a crimson-gold aura. Each breath turned into a ripple of Qi, expanding, coiling, consuming. The sword in his hand howled, and a red streak of energy burst forth — Devourer Style: Heaven-Cutting Flame!
The two forces met.
The abyss split in half.
For a single instant, it seemed as though heaven itself blinked.
The phantom staggered back — but only slightly. Its chest shimmered, showing a core of swirling light deep inside its body.
"There!" the second personality shouted. "That's its heart — its power source!"
"I see it," Xiao Wang answered.
"You won't reach it with your current strength," the Sword Spirit warned calmly. "Unless you risk the forbidden merge."
"You mean—"
"Yes. Let him out."
Xiao Wang's breath hitched. The air trembled. Inside his mind, the second soul smirked.
"Finally."
He released control.
In that instant, his right eye turned black, his left crimson. The markings of the Devourer Bloodline glowed across his skin, ancient sigils forming like chains of divine flame. His voice deepened — not one tone, but two.
"Let us show the shadow what it means to devour a god."
Both personalities spoke as one.
He vanished — moving faster than lightning, faster than thought. Each swing of the Devouring Sword tore reality apart. The air became rivers of fire and wind, his blade leaving burning trails of void flame.
He clashed with the phantom again and again — twelve strikes, then twenty-four, then fifty. Each time the abyss trembled, each time the phantom grew weaker. But each time Xiao Wang burned away a little more of himself.
"You're going to die if this continues," the Sword Spirit warned.
"Then I'll die devouring."
The sword's whisper grew quieter, almost mournful.
"Then… I shall devour with you."
The blade pulsed — and for the first time, the Devouring Sword unleashed its true form. A black lotus bloomed from its edge, petals made of void, dripping with starlight.
The phantom hesitated — as if recognizing the weapon.
"That blade…" the shadow's voice rumbled, ancient and horrified. "It should not exist!"
Xiao Wang smirked through the blood trickling down his chin.
"Then it's perfect."
He raised the sword high. The lotus unfurled. The world inverted — heaven and earth reversed. Every particle of Qi within a thousand li rushed toward him, spiraling into the blade.
The Devouring Domain erupted.
The phantom's scream echoed through eternity as its essence was torn apart, each strand consumed by Xiao Wang's sword and soul.
Silence fell.
Only the sound of his breathing — ragged, victorious, alive.
Then — a faint laugh escaped his lips.
"Not bad for a dead man, huh?" the second personality murmured.
"Shut up," Xiao Wang whispered with a faint grin. "We're still breathing."
He staggered forward — and saw the heart of the phantom crystallized into a glowing core, floating above the broken altar.
The Sword Spirit's voice returned, quieter now.
"That is the Heart of the Fallen God… devour it, and your bloodline shall ascend once more."
"And if I fail?"
"Then your soul will become one with mine — eternal hunger."
Xiao Wang raised his sword, the reflection of both his souls flickering in the black steel.
"Then let's gamble with fate one more time."
The blade plunged into the heart.
Light erupted.
(Part 3) – The Heart of the Fallen God
The moment Xiao Wang's blade pierced the glowing core, the world shattered.
The altar, the abyss, even the air itself fractured into infinite shards of light—each shard reflecting his face: one calm and composed, the other grinning like a mad god.
Then, everything froze.
Silence.
The kind of silence that came before creation.
A pulse thundered through his veins.
Once. Twice. Then faster—until his heartbeat became a war drum against the void.
"What… what is this power?"
"You fool," the Sword Spirit's calm voice resonated. "You've touched the remnant will of a god who fell to his own hunger."
"Then I'll do what he couldn't." Xiao Wang's voice deepened, his dual tone rumbling through the darkness. "I'll devour it whole."
The Heart of the Fallen God shuddered violently. Cracks spidered across its crystalline surface. Inside, a swirling sea of divine essence raged—a mix of celestial flame, thunder Qi, and ancient blood. The pressure alone could crush lesser cultivators into dust.
But Xiao Wang didn't retreat. He raised his sword higher, his black-crimson aura flaring like a storm. The second personality laughed in delight.
"Finally, something worth dying for!"
"I told you to shut up," Xiao Wang muttered, though even he was smiling faintly.
The Devouring Sword trembled, eager, alive. Its whisper changed—it no longer sounded ancient and serene. It was hungry.
"Feed me, my host… feed me until the stars weep."
The blade plunged deeper into the heart.
A thunderous explosion followed.
The abyss imploded, swallowing everything into a whirlpool of divine energy.
Red, gold, and black light spiraled around Xiao Wang as the devouring began.
Each thread of power the sword consumed poured into his meridians—searing, burning, reforging.
Every bone cracked.
Every drop of blood screamed.
His dantian roared like a dying sun, expanding, collapsing, and expanding again.
It wasn't cultivation.
It was rebirth by annihilation.
"Hold it… hold it steady!" the Sword Spirit shouted.
"The heart's essence is fighting back!"
Xiao Wang grit his teeth, muscles trembling. "Then I'll fight harder."
A golden hand of divine energy reached from the collapsing core, grabbing his face, trying to crush him.
But instead of fear, he laughed—a wild, untamed laugh.
"You think you can devour me?!"
The other soul within him surged forward, eyes blazing like twin suns.
"We're the Devourer, idiot! We eat gods for breakfast!"
Xiao Wang smirked. "Then let's eat."
He roared, both voices uniting into a single, heaven-splitting cry:
"DEVOUR—!"
The Heart of the Fallen God shattered completely.
A tidal wave of divine blood and Qi exploded outward—and was immediately consumed.
The altar vanished.
The abyss turned into an endless sea of light.
Xiao Wang stood at its center, body glowing from within, every inch of him rewritten in godly script. Ancient runes appeared on his arms, chest, and forehead—runes that had not been seen since the First Era.
His aura expanded, pressing against unseen limits.
Qi condensed into storm clouds above.
Lightning rained. Firestorms howled. Space itself warped.
And in that chaos—something impossible began to form.
A second sword.
Not physical. Not born of metal.
It was made of pure energy—shaped like his Devouring Sword, yet shimmering in colors that no mortal could name.
"This is—"
"The Soul Blade," the Sword Spirit whispered, astonished. "The embodiment of your second self."
"Aren't you jealous?" the mischievous side teased.
"No. It means he has accepted what he is."
"What we are," Xiao Wang corrected, his dual voice echoing across the void.
The two blades floated before him—one physical, one spiritual. They resonated, harmonizing in a sound that made the heavens tremble.
The Sword Spirit spoke again, its tone suddenly reverent:
"This is it… the Devourer's Duality. You've reached what even the Celestial Sword Emperor failed to achieve."
But before he could breathe, the world screamed.
The divine light turned black. The air grew heavy, and a colossal shadow loomed overhead. It had no form, no face—just countless eyes burning with golden hatred.
"You dare steal the power of a god?"
A voice like the weight of eternity crashed down.
Xiao Wang dropped to one knee, his body breaking under the divine pressure.
The sword shook in his grip.
"Who are you?"
"I am the remnant will of the Fallen One… and you, mortal thief, shall feed my return."
The sky split.
A divine chain of fire lashed down from the heavens, coiling around him.
Xiao Wang gasped as the flames burned through his newly reforged flesh. He could feel his soul unraveling.
The mischievous soul growled, "No one burns me but me!"
He tried to fight back, but the chain crushed his strength. The Sword Spirit's voice trembled.
"It's too soon! You cannot fight a god's remnant—!"
"Then I'll devour that too!" Xiao Wang roared.
The Devouring Sword blazed brighter than ever before, swallowing the very fire that bound him.
Screams filled the air—the divine kind.
"Impossible—!"
One by one, the golden eyes shattered.
The world quaked.
Then—stillness.
Only the faint hum of the sword remained.
Xiao Wang stood alone in the darkness, surrounded by fragments of divine energy slowly fading into motes of light. His body was ruined, bloodless, barely human—but his eyes burned with purpose.
Then, a familiar ding echoed in his head.
[System Synchronization: 100%]
[The Celestial Devourer System has awakened.]
Xiao Wang blinked. "What the hell was that?"
A holographic sigil of crimson-gold light appeared in front of him—ancient, divine, yet mechanical in precision.
[Welcome, True Host of the Devouring Sword.]
[You have devoured a Divine Remnant. Initiating Bloodline Reconfiguration...]
The voice was emotionless—like Heaven itself speaking through a machine.
"A system?" he muttered.
"Not quite," the Sword Spirit murmured. "This… is my evolution."
"Wait, you're the system?"
"Part of me, yes. The rest… something older than even I."
New messages flashed rapidly:
[New Trait Unlocked: Godslayer's Constitution.]
[New Technique: Devourer's Rebirth Flame.]
[Hidden Function Activated: Dual Soul Authority.]
Xiao Wang frowned. "Dual Soul Authority?"
"It means both of us can use your body now," his mischievous half grinned, appearing as a semi-transparent version of himself beside him.
"Oh no…"
"Oh yes."
The spirit-duplicate laughed, leaping onto a floating rock like a child. "You handle the serious speeches, I'll handle the fun stuff. Like teasing that ice fairy from the Azure Sky Sect."
"You mean the one that froze you last time?"
"Exactly. I've been meaning to thank her."
The Sword Spirit sighed softly.
"You are both insufferable."
"And yet," Xiao Wang smirked, "you chose me."
A ripple of laughter echoed through the void—the sound of two souls and one ancient sword embracing chaos.
Then, the ground beneath them trembled once more.
A massive gate emerged from the void, its surface engraved with divine dragons and bloody lotus seals. It radiated pure, oppressive might.
The system spoke again:
[Next Trial Unlocked: The Path of Ascension – Feast of Ten Thousand Souls.][Warning: Survival Rate — 0.02%.]
"Zero point zero two?" the mischievous one whistled. "Those are rookie numbers."
"We've survived worse," Xiao Wang said quietly, raising the Devouring Sword.
Both versions of him stared at the gate.
"Let's see what Heaven tastes like."
And as he stepped forward, the sword's whisper grew louder, deeper, divine—
"The feast… begins anew."