CHAPTER 25: THE DEVOURER'S BANQUET AND THE RISE OF THE VOID EMPIRE
The crimson mist of the 4th Quadrant was no longer a hunting ground for the Aeon-Predators; it had become a slaughterhouse. As the first Void-Gate stabilized, the sheer gravitational pull of Li Xiao's "Sovereign Null-Law" began to drag the colossal skeletal whales toward the obsidian spire. These were beings that had existed since the previous cosmic cycle, yet as they touched the shadow of the Architect, their calcified galactic husks began to flake away like dry leaves in a furnace.
At the forefront of the battle stood the four Void Apostles. Lin Yue, her golden-violet aura cutting through the crimson fog, moved like a streak of absolute finality. Every swing of her obsidian blade didn't just sever the tentacles of the Predators; it severed their "Ancestral Link," preventing them from regenerating through the stolen life-force of the galaxies they had consumed. Behind her, General Wei had manifested as a titanic fortress of shadow, his "Iron Wall" Law now expanded to protect the entire gateway. He wasn't just blocking attacks; he was "Reflecting" the kinetic energy of the Predators back into their own souls, causing their skeletal structures to implode from within.
"Master!" Lin Yue's voice echoed through the psychic link, sharp and resonant. "The Great Alpha is approaching. The void itself is collapsing under its mass!"
Li Xiao, sitting atop the Spire, looked toward the deep crimson rift. A presence was emerging that made the other Aeon-Predators look like mere parasites. This was the "Origin-Gorgon," a creature whose body spanned the length of three star-clusters. Its eyes were not orbs of light, but black holes that sucked in all definition, and its mouth was a gateway to a dimension of pure, eternal hunger.
[ Ding! Boss Entity Detected: The Origin-Gorgon. ]
[ Danger Level: Multiversal Extinction. ]
[ System Note: The Gorgon's hide is made of 'Absolute Fate-Armor'. Normal attacks are nullified. ]
Li Xiao stood up, his obsidian robes transforming into a suit of armor made of "Condensed Regret" and "Null-Matter." He didn't look at the monster with fear; he looked at it with a predatory hunger that far surpassed its own.
"You have spent an eternity eating the 'Future' of other worlds," Li Xiao spoke, his voice vibrating through the very fabric of the Great Beyond. "But you have never tasted a 'Past' as heavy as mine. Lin Yue, Wei, Han Xue, Yan Feng—retreat to the Spire. This is not a hunt for soldiers. This is a banquet for the Architect."
Li Xiao lunged forward, his body becoming a black needle that pierced the crimson veil. He didn't use a sword or a spear. He used his own soul. He slammed into the Origin-Gorgon's forehead, and instead of being crushed by its Fate-Armor, he began to "Infect" it with the memories of the Five Simulations.
[ Ding! Initiating 'Mass Karma Injection'. ]
[ Target is being forced to live through 5,000 years of human sacrifice in 0.001 seconds. ]
The Origin-Gorgon let out a psychic shriek that caused the nearby stars of the New Origin to tremble. The beast, which had never known a single emotion other than hunger, was suddenly overwhelmed by the "Weight of Regret." It felt the loneliness of the Nameless Guardian, the despair of the Alchemist King, and the thirst of the Desert Brother. To a creature of pure, unfeeling void, these emotions were like a billion suns exploding inside its brain.
As the Gorgon's Fate-Armor began to crack, Li Xiao reached into the beast's core. He wasn't looking for its life-force; he was looking for its "Void-Anchor."
"Your existence is a waste of silence," Li Xiao whispered, his hand glowing with a terrifying, obsidian-violet light. "I shall take your mass and use it to build the foundations of my Empire. You shall be the stone upon which I build my new heavens."
With a brutal pull, Li Xiao ripped the Void-Anchor out of the Gorgon's chest. The colossal beast began to dissolve, not into ash, but into pure "Foundation Matter"—the rarest substance in the Great Beyond, used to create stable realities.
[ Ding! Origin-Gorgon Successfully Harvested. ]
[ Received: 100,000,000 Units of Foundation Matter. ]
[ Sanctuary Evolution: The Void Empire - Phase 1. ]
The obsidian spire began to expand at an impossible speed. The Foundation Matter flowed into the Spire's roots, causing it to grow until it occupied the entire 4th Quadrant. The crimson mist was purified, turned into a breathable, high-density spiritual atmosphere. New palaces, training halls, and "Simulation Chambers" erupted from the obsidian ground.
Li Xiao stood in the center of his new throne room, his aura having reached a level that the previous "Heavens" couldn't even name. Behind him, the four Apostles knelt, their eyes filled with an awe that bordered on worship.
"The 4th Quadrant is now the heart of the Void Empire," Li Xiao announced, his voice echoing through every dimension. "Lin Yue, you are the High-Executioner of the Empire. Wei, you are the Grand Warden of the Borders. Han Xue, the Oracle of Karma. Yan Feng, the Supreme Alchemist of the Void."
He looked toward the remaining three quadrants of the Great Beyond, where other ancient horrors were beginning to wake up, sensing the birth of a new predator.
"The 'Heroes' of the other worlds will soon realize that their 'Light' is fading," Li Xiao murmured, his violet eyes glowing with a dark, triumphant brilliance. "They will try to form an alliance. They will call me the 'Great Calamity'. But they don't understand... I am the only one who can save them from the 'True Silence' that is coming."
Li Xiao sat on his new throne, the obsidian wings behind him spreading to cover the horizon of his new empire. The 25th chapter of his legend ended with a promise of absolute domination. The Architect was no longer just building a sect or a multiverse; he was building a throne that would stand above all existence.
"Let them come," h
e whispered. "The banquet has only just begun."