"Swallowing the Devouring Sky".
Chapter 1: The Void Between Worlds
Darkness.
There was no light. No sound. No sensation. Only a formless, timeless nothingness.
He had lost count of how long he had been floating—if time even existed here. A soul without a body, stripped of flesh, thought, and identity, drifting through the abyss that lay between all creation. This was not death.
This was something beyond.
"So… this is the end?"
"Or… the beginning?"
Even his thoughts echoed strangely in this place. No echo, no gravity, no anchor. Just endless silence.
But something within him refused to fade. A single spark—an ember of will. Not quite hope, not quite memory. Just... the refusal to be erased.
And then it happened.
A ripple.
A tremor in the void.
A crack in reality.
The space around him twisted unnaturally, as if the very fabric of dimensions was being torn apart. Something... some force had found him.
"This frequency… these fragments… it's familiar…"
Images poured into his mind. Blurred pages. Lines of glowing text. The sharp thrill of obsession. A novel. A world. A name—
Swallowed Star.
He remembered now.
He was an Earthling once. A reader. A fan. He had devoured Swallowed Star twenty-five times, memorizing every arc, every twist, every character—from Luo Feng's humble beginnings to the rise of Hong, the unrivaled god of Earth.
And then... he had died. In his sleep, perhaps. Or maybe in an accident. It didn't matter.
Because now—he was being pulled.
The void twisted violently. Unseen energies shredded through his soul, tearing it apart… and yet, something strange occurred. The more he was broken, the more he adapted. Mutated.
Trait Acquired: Transcendent Cognition.
Soul Class: Beyond-Cognitive Tier Detected.
Integrating with Dimensional Resonance Node…
Host Vessel Identified: HONG (AGE: 18 – Post-Disaster Earth)
Initiating Soul Integration…
Pain. Searing, infinite pain.
And then—light.
Somewhere on Earth – Year 2053 – Post-Apocalypse Era
Hong gasped, body shuddering as he shot upright on the cold metal bed. Sweat drenched his training uniform, his breathing ragged like he had run a hundred kilometers.
But it wasn't his gasp.
It was his body.
But someone else… was inside.
"This body… these muscles… this pressure…"
Memories flooded in—brutal survival training, war with monsters, Earth's collapse after the Beast Tide, the rise of the martial dojos.
He was Hong. No... he had become Hong.
Yet, the soul now inside was not of this world.
"Swallowed Star… this is the real world now."
He stood before a cracked mirror in the corner of his underground training bunker. The sharp eyes, buzzcut, lean yet deadly muscular frame. The Hong he had read about. The future invincible warrior.
But now—with him inside—it would be more than that.
"I know the future. I know Luo Feng's growth. The alien invasions. The Nine Universes. The Sector Lords. But…"
"That's not the story anymore. Because I'm here now. And I will devour the sky itself."
He clenched his fists—and paused.
A sharp ding echoed in his mind.
[Civilization Evolution System Detected]
Host Soul Mutation recognized.
Initializing custom integration...
Adapting to planetary constraints…
System Initialization Complete.
[WELCOME, TRANSCENDENT HOST]
You have been chosen as the Seed of Civilizational Ascension.
Current Host: Hong (Age: 18)
Soul Status: Beyond-Cognitive (Class X)
Timeline Discrepancy: Luo Feng Age – 3 Years
Dimensional Divergence: ACTIVE
Welcome Gift Unlocked:
🧬 Clone Talent
🔥 Elemental Body Seed
🧠 Tech Tree Interface
📈 Civilization Advancement Module
Let the Evolution Begin.
Hong's eyes widened.
It was happening. Not only had he transmigrated into one of his favorite universes, but the world itself was changing with him. This wasn't just transmigration.
This was a reconstruction of destiny.
"System… status report."
[Civilization Evolution System – Overview]
Core Modules:
🔬 Research & Development: Gene Potions, Reactor Cores, Cosmic Tech
🥋 Martial Cheats System: Movement | Domain | Law | Mastery Paths
🧠 Education Reboot: Learning Hubs, Combat Simulations, Knowledge Injection
🏙️ Civilization Builder: Infrastructure, Energy, City Design, Defense Grid
Talent Seeds:
Clone Generation Lv1 – (1 clone at 60% main body strength)
Elemental Awakening – (Choose one element: Fire, Lightning, Ice, etc.)
Milestones:
🌍 Planetary Ascension
🌌 Interstellar Expansion
🛸 Galactic Integration
"With this… I can guide humanity to the stars. Rewrite the path of destruction. Turn Earth into a power that even the Sector Lords will fear."
"And it begins… now."
He looked out from the training bunker's broken window at the ruined skyline of the city once called Hope Base. In the distance, he saw a small child running with a toy spear—chased by an older boy.
"Luo Feng…"
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"You'll become a great warrior… but this time, Earth will already be prepared. Because I'm here. Hong… no—Asura… has returned."
[End of Chapter 1]