The Immortal Sanctuary trembled.
Light fractured.
Stars cracked apart.
A storm of celestial wind raged around Xiao Wang as he stood before the Abyssal Crown Prince—whose torn armor now bled shadow like a leaking universe.
The silver-haired girl beside Xiao Wang gripped his sleeve, her eyes glowing like wells of destiny.
"Be careful," she whispered. "He… he is no ordinary abyssal."
Xiao Wang's other personality scoffed.
"Oh relax, princess. Worst case we die horribly. Nothing unusual."
"Do you ever shut up?" Xiao Wang muttered.
"Not in this lifetime."
The Crown Prince's gaze twisted into a dark smile.
"You amuse me, mortal. You and the fractured spirit inside you."
His voice split into three tones—demonic, divine, and hollow. When he spoke, even the Sanctuary's laws quaked.
"If you had not interfered, I would have consumed the Maiden of Fate and ascended directly. Now… I will devour you both."
The silver maiden stepped forward.
"You can't. Fate forbids your ascension here."
The Crown Prince laughed, a sound like collapsing stars.
"Then I will rewrite fate."
His shadow expanded—stretching until it swallowed half the sky—forming a grotesque crown made of abyssal thorns.
The System screamed:
[WARNING! DIMENSIONAL CORRUPTION RISING!]
[ABYSSAL AUTHORITY DETECTED!]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
[RECOMMENDATION: Flee.]
Xiao Wang cracked his knuckles.
"…No."
His other personality grinned.
"Finally—some fun."
The Battle Begins — Abyss vs Fate vs Devourer
The Crown Prince lunged.
But "lunge" was too simple a word.
Reality shattered with each step.
The ground rippled like water.
Every particle of matter twisted into black ash.
Xiao Wang barely raised his sword before—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A tidal wave of abyssal force slammed into him, launching him through three mountains.
The silver maiden gasped and rushed after him.
But Xiao Wang emerged from the smoke, body steaming yet eyes burning cold.
"You hit like a spoiled young master," his other personality said.
"Shall I handle him?"
Xiao Wang inhaled deeply.
"No. Not yet."
The Crown Prince's smile widened.
"Impressive. You survived that. But how long will your vessel withstand my abyss?"
Xiao Wang didn't answer.
The sword answered for him.
A deep, ancient, hungry voice echoed:
"DEVOUR EVERYTHING."
Black-gold runes exploded from the blade.
The Sanctuary's sky split open.
The Crown Prince's smile finally faltered.
"What… is that sword?"
"You'll find out," Xiao Wang said—and vanished.
Clash of Monsters
A storm of black-gold light and abyssal shadow collided again and again—
BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!!!
Their strikes ripped open dimensional cracks.
Every clash made the silver maiden stumble back, gripping her chest.
"Heaven… he is fighting on a level above mortal realms…"
The Crown Prince slashed down with his abyssal spear, tearing apart the Sanctuary's space.
Xiao Wang parried.
Sparks of divine and demonic light rained down like meteors.
His other personality cackled.
"WOO!! I LOVE THIS!! Now THAT'S a boss fight!"
"Stop yelling in my head," Xiao Wang hissed.
"NEVER."
The Crown Prince's expression grew irritated.
"You wield powers that do not belong to you. Who gave you permission to stand at my level!?"
Xiao Wang lifted his sword.
"I did."
Then he cut downward—
A vertical slash, impossibly simple.
Yet—
The Abyss howled.
Space collapsed.
The entire realm dimmed.
The Crown Prince barely blocked it, and half his armor was obliterated.
He coughed a spray of black blood.
"…Impossible."
Xiao Wang stepped forward, eyes glowing black-gold.
"You talk too much."
"OOH—tell him he dresses like a gothic peacock!" the other personality added.
"Shut up."
The Crown Prince's True Form
The Crown Prince wiped the blood and grinned.
"Very well. You force me to ascend early."
He raised his hand.
A second shadow stepped out of him.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
Each one held its own abyssal weapon.
The silver maiden's face turned pale.
"Don't let him complete that! He's splitting into multiple abyssal forms—each representing a realm!"
Xiao Wang's expression hardened.
The Crown Prince laughed:
"Let us see how you fight—when you face four Abyssal Crowns at once!"
They lunged simultaneously.
Xiao Wang's sword blurred into a storm.
But even so—
The combined impact shattered his ribs.
He flew backward, blood splattering across the sanctuary floor.
His other personality snarled.
"That's it. MOVE. I'm taking over—!"
"No—" Xiao Wang groaned, spitting blood. "Not yet…"
"If you die, we die, idiot!"
The Crown Prince flicked his hand and the shadows drew closer.
"Struggle more. Your despair feeds me."
The silver maiden ran to Xiao Wang's side.
"Let me help—"
He raised a hand, stopping her.
"No. Stay back."
His eyes sharpened.
His breathing calmed.
And the system flared—
[Host's Mental State: "Cold Ascension" Activated.]
[Hidden Trait Triggered: Devourer's Will.]
[Personality Synchronization: 17%… 35%… 51%…]
[WARNING: Dual consciousness merging temporarily!]
Xiao Wang's voice turned deeper—carrying both tones.
"Finally. Perfect synchronization."
His aura skyrocketed.
Black-gold fire ignited around him.
The Abyssal shadows froze.
The Crown Prince felt something he had never felt:
Fear.
"What… what are you!?"
Xiao Wang stepped forward, both personalities speaking in harmony:
"Your end."
The Devourer's Dominance
The merged Xiao Wang vanished.
Reappeared behind the first abyssal clone—
SLASH!
The clone exploded.
Appeared before the second—
BOOM!!
Obliterated.
The silver maiden staggered backward.
"H-he's transcending… not just realms, but restrictions…"
The third clone tried to flee.
Xiao Wang appeared above it and descended like a falling star.
CRAAAAACK!!!
The third clone burst into abyss dust.
Only the real Crown Prince remained.
He trembled.
"You cannot kill me! I am the heir of the Abyssal Sovereign!"
Xiao Wang lifted the sword.
"…Good. Then you're worth devouring."
The Crown Prince screamed:
"NO—!"
The sword stabbed forward.
A hole of pure void opened behind him.
Black-gold chains erupted.
They wrapped around the Crown Prince and dragged him screaming into the void—
"NO! I WILL RETURN—MORTAL! I CURSE YOU! I CURSE YOUR FATE!"
Then—
Silence.
The void sealed.
The Crown Prince's body and soul were gone.
But the system trembled—
[ALERT!]
[ABYSSAL CURSED HEART SEEDED INSIDE HOST'S SOUL!]
[UNKNOWN SHADOW PRESENCE DETECTED!]
[FUTURE CALAMITY INEVITABLE.]
Xiao Wang exhaled slowly.
"…Expected."
His other personality smirked.
"Well… that was dramatic."
Cultivation Breakthrough — Fate and Devourer Align
The silver maiden approached him cautiously.
"Your soul… it's changing."
Xiao Wang closed his eyes.
A torrent of qi surged through him—
[CULTIVATION BREAKTHROUGH!]
[FOUNDATION BUILDING REALM → PEAK FOUNDATION BUILDING!]
[BODY REFINEMENT: EARLY CELESTIAL PHASE ACHIEVED!]
[DEVOURER BLOODLINE: EVOLUTION (Stage III)]
[NEW PASSIVE: "Abyssal Resistance"]
[NEW SKILL: "Devourer's Domain — Minor Form"]
A shockwave of power exploded outward.
The entire sanctuary trembled.
The silver maiden's cheeks reddened as she stared.
"You… you just broke three bottlenecks at once…"
His other personality stretched lazily.
"Yeah, yeah. He's amazing. Handsome too. Obviously."
Rejoining the Emperor's Chosen
Light gathered in the sky.
A golden pathway formed.
The Emperor's voice echoed:
"All chosen participants—proceed to the First Trial Realm: The Ruins of Origin!"
One by one, the geniuses selected by the Emperor arrived:
A spear saint prodigy
A sword maiden
A thunder prince
A fire phoenix disciple
A silent monk
A masked assassin
A smiling girl with fox ears
They all turned toward Xiao Wang.
Every one of them flinched.
"That aura…"
"Impossible…"
"He's still Foundation Realm!?"
"What kind of monster grows that fast!?"
Xiao Wang ignored them and walked forward with the silver maiden.
They entered the first gate.
The silver maiden whispered:
"The Ruins of Origin holds treasures that can change destiny. But… it also tests your soul."
His other personality chuckled.
"Soul tests? Please. Our soul is basically a nightclub with two DJs."
"Not helping," Xiao Wang muttered.
Suddenly—
The door sealed shut behind them.
The ground trembled.
Lights spiraled into a colossal gate ahead—
A statue stood before it.
A statue of—
Xiao Wang.
The silver maiden gasped.
"This… this was carved thousands of years before you were born…"
Xiao Wang froze.
His other personality swallowed.
"…Bro? Did we… time travel? Reincarnate twice? Am I the past you's split personality?"
Xiao Wang's heartbeat thundered.
Then the statue opened its eyes.
And whispered:
"Welcome back… Devourer Emperor."
BOOOOOOOOM!!!