The world had never known such silence.
After the clash that erased the Abyssal hand, even the winds forgot how to move.
Then the silence broke—by the sound of bells ringing across the heavens.
Each toll was vast, older than creation itself.
With every ring, the sky rippled in concentric waves of golden light.
The divine eye above widened, and from within poured threads of radiance that fell like holy rain.
Lian Yue shielded her eyes. "What… what is this light?"
Xiao Wang stood unmoving, his silver hair lifting in the sacred gale.
His Devourer marks flickered between gold and black, two opposing powers wrestling beneath his skin.
He raised his gaze calmly.
"That," he murmured, "is Heaven's tribunal."
The Descent of the Celestials
From the ruptured heavens emerged three figures.
Each step they took carved scripture into the air.
Their auras distorted the very concept of gravity—pure divinity condensed into human form.
The Radiant Sage, robed in blinding white, holding a staff crowned with a sun.
The Jade Seraph, six-winged, her eyes closed in eternal prayer.
The Crimson Warden, clad in armor of molten runes, his spear humming with starfire.
When their feet touched the mortal soil, the entire Moonlight Empire trembled.
Temples collapsed. Oceans recoiled.
Mortals prostrated instinctively, their souls crushed beneath the pressure.
"Kneel, mortals."
The Sage's voice rolled through mountains. "The Devourer of Heaven has violated the Balance."
Lian Yue fell to her knees involuntarily, blood trickling from her lips.
Xiao Wang merely blinked.
The Sword's calm voice whispered inside him.
"Three Celestials. One could erase empires. You should run."
"You know I won't."
"I was afraid you'd say that."
The Accusation
The Radiant Sage lifted his staff.
Golden chains of judgment wove through the air, targeting Xiao Wang.
"Xiao Wang of the Devouring Path," the Sage intoned.
"By devouring the Abyssal Monarch's essence, you have tainted the Heavenly Order.
Return the power—or be erased.
"A faint smirk crossed Xiao Wang's lips."
Erased? You tried that once already, didn't you? When you slaughtered me a thousand years ago."
The Sage's eyes flickered. "You… remember?"
"I remember everything."
The air itself cracked as Xiao Wang stepped forward.
Every step left a black lotus blooming beneath his feet.
[System Notice: Celestial Authority detected.]
[Permission Override — Devourer Core awakened.]
The System's voice was calm yet predatory.
[New Sub-Quest: Devour Heaven's Chains.]
"Perfect," Xiao Wang whispered. "Let's see whose law devours whose."
Heaven vs. Devourer
Chains of gold descended—countless, each heavy with divine decree.
Xiao Wang raised his hand. The Celestial Devouring Sword materialized in a storm of silver flame.
When the chains touched it, they disintegrated like paper burned by the sun.
The Jade Seraph gasped, wings spreading wide. "Impossible. His mortal body resists heavenly law!"
"Not resist," Xiao Wang corrected quietly. "Consume."
He slashed.
A single arc of light carved the clouds apart.
[Essence Absorbed: Fragment of Divine Law x 3]
[Trait Unlocked → Heaven-Devouring Pulse]
The Celestials recoiled; the Sage raised his staff again, summoning a miniature sun.
Flames of judgment rained down.
Lian Yue cried out, "Stop! He's—!"
But the Radiant Sage silenced her with a glance. "Mortal woman, you consorted with a calamity."
Before his words could finish, a laugh echoed—a deep, reckless laugh that didn't belong to the same Xiao Wang.
His other personality had awakened.
"Calamity, huh?" the mischievous voice drawled. "Sounds like a promotion."
His eyes glowed crimson-silver; his grin was pure chaos.
Even the Sword sighed in exasperation.
"The lunatic's out again…"
Xiao Wang—no, the Devourer persona—snapped his fingers.
The flames around him froze midair, reversed, and slammed back toward the Celestials.
Boom.
The heavens themselves convulsed.
[Skill: Mirror of Devouring Flame — Activated.]
The Celestials' Fear
When the smoke cleared, the Radiant Sage's robes were torn, his divine aura flickering.
He stared at Xiao Wang, eyes wide.
"This… this power… it rivals the Primordials."
The Jade Seraph trembled. "He carries both Heaven and Abyss. He is the Eclipse!"
The Crimson Warden, undaunted, roared and lunged forward, spear blazing.
"Enough prophecy! Die, monster!"
Their weapons collided.
The shockwave obliterated mountains, split rivers, turned night into noon.
Xiao Wang slid back a single step; the Warden crashed through four temples before stopping.
The System chimed coldly:
[Combat Analysis: Celestial Opponent Rank — High Saint Peak]
[Suppression Ratio — Balanced +3%.]
[Recommendation: Activate Dual Core Resonance.]
The playful tone in Xiao Wang's voice vanished, replaced by his original calm fury.
"Dual Core Resonance."
Silver and black halos spiraled around him.
The two personalities fused—chaos and reason, wrath and serenity—forming a singular, terrifying harmony.
[Resonance Rate — 100%. Form Achieved: Celestial Devourer Sovereign.]
The ground couldn't withstand it; reality rippled like fabric.
He thrust his sword into the earth.
"Let Heaven bear witness—"
He pulled it free in one smooth motion.
"—the Devourer kneels to none!"
The Turning of the Sky
Energy exploded upward.
The divine eye shuddered, then blinked—hesitating.
The Radiant Sage fell to his knees, clutching his chest as the golden script on his body began fading.
The Jade Seraph screamed. "He's devouring the Heavenly Order itself!"
Xiao Wang's hair now flowed like molten silver mixed with shadow.
Every breath he took drew more divine energy into him.
Even the clouds twisted into a vortex above.
[System Integration: Heavenly Fragment Assimilated — Stage 1 Complete.]
[New Authority Obtained: Minor Control over Celestial Law.]
"Stop!" the Sage gasped. "If you continue, Heaven will collapse—!"
"Then Heaven should have judged more wisely," Xiao Wang said coldly.
He raised his sword again—only to pause when Lian Yue's voice cut through the storm.
"Xiao Wang, that's enough!"
He turned.
Her hair whipped in the chaotic wind, her eyes fierce yet pleading.
"If you destroy Heaven… what will you become?"
For a heartbeat, the world froze.
Then he exhaled slowly, the murderous aura around him thinning.
"Maybe…" he said softly, "…something neither Heaven nor Hell can name."
The divine eye flickered violently, shrinking until it became a single spark of gold that hovered above Xiao Wang's palm.
It pulsed once—then vanished into his chest.
He staggered, coughing blood.
[System Update: Heaven's Core Fragment Absorbed.]
[New Threat Detected: Primordial Watcher — Approaching.]
The sky darkened to void.
From beyond the stars, something vast moved — a silhouette larger than worlds, its breath older than existence.
Even the Celestials turned pale.
The Sword whispered, voice trembling for the first time.
"That… is not Heaven, nor Abyss. That is what watches both."
Xiao Wang wiped the blood from his lips and smiled faintly.
"Then let it watch closely."