The sky above the Nine Flames Heavenly Clan had turned into a theater of chaos. The air shimmered with the collision of divine light and black flames. Thousands of cultivators scattered on the ground, watching the impossible unfold: Feng Xuanlong, the villain who had devoured coalitions, now faced a foreign Heaven's Chosen — and yet, even against him, the world trembled.
Prince Yuan Jihao floated above his jade ship, his golden eyes sharp as sunlight slicing through shadow. The colossal jade lotus that had accompanied him earlier now roared with life, each petal etched with runes of divine authority. From its heart, an ancient voice thundered, resonating with the very law of the Immortal Jade Dynasty. This was no ordinary weapon, no mere artifact of cultivation — it was the dynasty's guardian spirit, bound to Jihao's fate thread and awakened to defend both prince and dynasty.
"You dare step into my domain, Feng Xuanlong," the prince called, voice calm yet commanding. "Witness the strength of Heaven's chosen, and despair."
The guardian spirit unfurled, its form towering over the skies like a mountain forged from jade and light. Its eyes glimmered with an eternal fire, every movement leaving trails of shattered law. Even the blackened heavens seemed to hesitate, recoiling from its raw majesty.
Feng Xuanlong rose from his throne of chains. Crimson eyes burned like twin suns, and his aura now fully that of a Semi-Deity radiated outward, devouring the light around him. The Villain System pulsed at his side, a chorus of dark whispers:
[Scenario: Foreign Heaven's Chosen Combat — Elite Tier.][Objective: Devour or subjugate foreign Chosen and Guardian Spirit.][Reward: x12 VP, Dominion Influence expansion unlocked.][Warning: Guardian Spirit binds a semi-divine Fate thread; extreme caution advised.]
He smiled, a cruel, cutting thing. Semi-divine fate threads? Delicious. Let us see which devours the other.
Without warning, Xuanlong lashed his chains forward. Black flames coiled around jade light, meeting the guardian spirit's advance. With a roar, the spirit lashed back, its massive limbs splitting the air and sending shards of jade scattering like meteorites. The chains absorbed some of the shards, turning them into writhing fragments of shadow that pulsed in Xuanlong's aura.
The prince's eyes narrowed. "So it begins." He raised a hand, the lotus spinning violently. The guardian spirit lunged, its massive claws smashing toward Xuanlong. The villain did not move; the chains twisted, splitting in a dozen directions to intercept each strike. Each contact devoured fragments of divine essence, each blow feeding Xuanlong's Semi-Deity body.
Below, his disciples acted as extensions of his will. Yan Ruyan infiltrated the prince's attendants, whispers of corruption breaking morale and forcing them to retreat in panic. Meiyu's shadows struck at minor cultivators, dragging them into darkness so their fear could be siphoned to fuel the master. Qiao Ling and Meilin split into the battle, severing protective arrays and cutting through jade constructs, feeding Xuanlong's devouring flame with the chaos around them.
The guardian spirit roared in fury, its aura clashing with the villain's like twin storms. Lightning, fire, and fragments of law tore the sky asunder. Yet with every pulse, Xuanlong's chains devoured a fragment of the guardian's semi-divine essence. The semi-deity was no longer just resisting — he was reshaping it, binding the spirit's fate threads to his own will.
Jihao's face paled. "Impossible… this power… you are beyond any mortal! Yet you… cannot touch the Lotus directly!"
Xuanlong's crimson eyes glittered. "Ah, but I do not touch lightly. I consume. And you, little prince, are part of the feast."
He unleashed a wave of black flame, chains spiraling in intricate patterns, forming a living web that wrapped the guardian spirit. Its cries tore through the skies as Xuanlong's chains devoured its semi-divine core, fragment by fragment. Pieces of jade, light, and ancient runes vanished into his aura, feeding his Semi-Deity essence. The Villain System chimed incessantly, counting each fragment.
[Infamy Essence surge: +5,400][Foreign Fate Web disrupted.][Guardian Spirit devoured: 87% complete.]
The prince's hands glowed gold, forming an ethereal barrier to protect himself. His lips pressed into a thin line, voice strained but firm. "You may devour my guardian, Feng Xuanlong… but you will not touch me!"
Xuanlong tilted his head, crimson gaze sharp as a blade. "We shall see. Even your fate thread is a morsel."
He thrust a chain forward, wrapping the prince in strands of black flame interlaced with the fragments of the guardian spirit he had already devoured. Jihao struggled, but the threads pulsed in rhythm with Xuanlong's aura, bending his will slowly.
The air trembled. Mountains cracked. Rivers boiled. Even the sun seemed to dim under the weight of Semi-Deity aura versus semi-divine fate.
Finally, the prince collapsed to one knee, the jade ship above him shuddering. The guardian spirit's form flickered, its roar becoming a whisper. Xuanlong extended a hand and pulled both the prince and the remnants of the spirit toward him. Fate threads snapped, mingling with his black flames, devouring the last resistance.
Jihao's golden eyes met Xuanlong's crimson ones. "I… I will not—"
The chains tightened. Shadows devoured the light around him. The Villain System flashed a new alert:
[Foreign Heaven's Chosen successfully devoured. Infamy Essence +7,800. Dominion Influence expanded. VP x12 multiplier achieved. Fate threads acquired: 23.]
Xuanlong's laugh was a sound of thunder and ruin. "Silence. All resistance is fuel. All destiny belongs to the villain."
As the skies cleared and black flames settled, the Nine Flames Heavenly Clan glimmered with new power. Its master now held not just a continental Semi-Deity aura, but the devoured threads of a foreign dynasty's Heaven's Chosen and guardian.
The disciples looked on, awe-struck and fanatically loyal, knowing they had witnessed a power beyond comprehension. Yet even they understood that the world would never forgive such defiance.
Across the continent and beyond, rumors spread of the villain who devoured Heaven itself, his shadow now reaching foreign lands. And in the far east, where the Immortal Jade Dynasty reeled from their loss, other Heaven's Chosen began to stir, their gazes turning toward the villain who had shattered fate itself.
Feng Xuanlong stood upon his throne of chains, crimson eyes gleaming like twin suns of annihilation. His voice rolled across mountains and seas alike, a promise and a warning: "I do not kneel. I devour. And the world will learn to fear the villain."
The first foreign challenge had fallen. The next would come. But Xuanlong's hunger had only grown sharper.