NOVEL NEXT Chapter 125: System Upgrade
The forest beyond the mountains was a graveyard of life. Petrified trees stood frozen, their leaves turned to ash, their bark cracked and drained of essence.
The soil crunched under Kael's boots, blackened and dry, devoid of qi. No beasts stirred, no insects hummed—only faint whispers clawed at his mind, their voices like invisible fingers scraping at his spirit.
The wind curled around him, wary and serpentine, as the land itself twisted, space rippling, time slowing, a decay that wasn't an illusion but a wound in the world's fabric.
Kael pushed forward, his Crescent Requiem Dao guiding his steps through the corrupted terrain, the Silver Lotus Flame flaring defensively in his dantian. The whispers grew louder, their tone urgent, warning of something vast and wrong.
Then he saw it—a wide, cratered basin where the earth lay shattered, and at its center stood a creature born of nightmares.
The Chaos-Blood Beast had no skin, its pulsing veins weaving across an armored exoskeleton that shimmered with black lightning. Six jagged, spear-like legs supported its hulking frame, its maw layered with rows of teeth that gleamed with chaotic qi.
Its eyes were spirals of red and silver, endless voids that seemed to devour light itself. Its presence alone consumed the world, its aura a vortex that warped the air, a Peak Soul Flame Realm monster that radiated primal fury.
Kael's breath slowed, his right hand gripping Abyssal Fang, the blade humming with anticipation. The Silver Lotus Flame ignited along its edge, silver-violet light blazing, while the Devouring Core pulsed, casting a black glow across his back.
The beast's gaze locked onto him, a thousand whispers screaming in his mind, a cacophony of rage and recognition. Kael didn't flinch, his silver eyes steady, his resolve unshaken.
He vanished, his Silent Eclipse Dao cloaking his form in shadow. The beast struck, its claw tearing through the basin, shattering stone and flattening petrified trees in a burst of chaotic energy.
Kael leapt, Abyssal Fang spinning, flames trailing like a comet as he dove toward the creature's exposed flank. The blade met flesh, the Silver Lotus Flame exploding in a burst of purifying light.
The beast shrieked, not in pain but in fury, its wounds healing instantly as black lightning arced from its limbs, turning the ground to ash.
Kael flipped midair, landing just outside the blast, his boots skidding across the scorched earth. He raised a hand, his voice low and commanding. "Devour."
The system responded, its voice a cold echo in his mind.
> [Activating World Devour.]
A vortex formed behind him, silent and vast, shaped like a black lotus with petals of shadow. It spun slowly, drawing in the beast's scattered chaotic energy, its qi unraveling like threads caught in a storm.
The creature screeched, its spirals of eyes flaring with recognition—it knew the Flame, the Core, the legacy of the Warden. It remembered.
Kael dashed forward, his Crescent Requiem Dao flowing like wind and water, his footwork a dance of precision. The Silver Lotus Flame purified, burning away the beast's corrupted qi, while the Devouring Core consumed, siphoning its essence into fragments.
Each clash carved deeper wounds, the beast's roars shaking the basin, its chaotic Dao—Wind, Earth, even Time—lashing out in desperate fury. Kael's system absorbed the excess, neutralizing the techniques, converting them into raw power that fed his spirit sea.
His core solidified, his meridians expanding with each strike. The beast's wounds no longer healed, its qi fading under the relentless assault. Kael leapt, Abyssal Fang piercing its neck, the Silver Lotus Flame erupting like wildfire, spreading through its veins.
The beast screamed, its essence unraveling, its form trembling as the Devouring Core drank deeper.
Kael pressed his hand against its chest, the black spiral above his heart flaring with hunger. "Now," he whispered.
> [Devouring Chaos-Blood Beast – 100% Essence Extraction.]
> Bloodline Fragment Extracted: Chaos-Fused Vigor.
> Technique Absorbed: Reverse Pulse Howl.
> Dao Shard Acquired: Temporal Fracture (Unstable).
The beast collapsed, its massive form crumbling into ash, the basin falling silent. Kael fell to one knee, panting, his skin steaming from the backlash, the Silver Lotus Flame and Devouring Core warring within his dantian.
Pain seared through his meridians, but he endured, his veins pulsing with new power—a dark strength laced with order and madness. His senses sharpened, his vision clearer, time itself seeming to slow under the influence of the Temporal Fracture shard.
The system pulsed, its voice cold and clear.
> Chaos-Fused Vigor – Passive. Grants increased regeneration, boosted resistance to spiritual corruption, and enhanced physical recovery.
> Reverse Pulse Howl – Active. Releases a concussive spiritual shockwave that disrupts enemy meridians.
> Temporal Fracture – Incomplete. Contains a fragment of Time Dao. Cannot be used until stabilized.
Kael clenched his fist, the black spiral above his heart humming with satisfaction. Blood dripped from his arm, staining the ash-covered ground, but his resolve burned brighter. "First feast," he whispered, his voice a vow to the world.
He rose, his robes fluttering in the wind, his silver eyes scanning the dead forest. The land remained scarred, but a subtle shift stirred—space mending, the air lighter, as if the beast's defeat had loosened its grip on the world.
A single tree, petrified moments ago, bloomed faintly, its leaves shimmering with silver light. A lone lotus petal fell from its highest branch, drifting through the air like a promise of renewal.
The Seed of Origin wasn't just guiding Kael to ancient legacies—it was challenging the world's balance, reshaping it with each step he took. The SSS-Rank Devouring System turned that challenge into power, a tool to consume and create, to purge and rebuild.
Kael tightened his grip on Abyssal Fang and walked forward, his steps steady, his breath calm, the path ahead alive with possibilities.
The world watched, its whispers quiet but fearful, sensing what Kael, Warden of the Lotus, Child of Chaos Flame, would become. Somewhere, beyond the horizon, the next trial awaited, and Kael moved toward it, his flame and shadow a beacon in the darkness.
Kael trudged through the ash-strewn forest, his boots kicking up faint clouds of dust as he left the cratered basin behind. The air felt different now, sharper, as if the world itself had shifted after the Chaos-Blood Beast's defeat.