Chapter 847: Devouring the Heavens

Chapter 847: Chapter 847: Devouring the Heavens

The electric dragons descended from the cosmic vortex with a roar that collapsed the surrounding mountain peaks. The collision against Ethan’s body was catastrophic: the celestial discharge of judgment shattered his amethyst skin into fissures, his muscles tore under the friction of power, and blood gushed as a scream escaped his throat.

Behind him, the Void nightmare roared, writhing in pain within the electric tide. Yet, amid the agony, the amethyst black hole embedded in its maw began to spin at a velocity.

The abyssal vortex unleashed a suction force that devoured the celestial lightning directly from its source. The electricity was funneled into the black hole, transmuting into origin mana that surged through the nightmare into Ethan’s frame.

The open gashes along Ethan’s muscles began sealing. His muscle fibers reconstructed themselves stronger, the amethyst crystals on his skin hardened, and the absorbed energy nourished his new cultivation realm, consolidating his foundation.

Leagues away, at the defensive lines of the Pass of the Two Gorges, the veterans and officers of the Golden Dragon Empire army stared at the firmament with open maws. A mixture of terror and divine worship showed on the faces of thousands of soldiers. Facing heaven’s judgment was a feat they deemed impossible for a mortal, yet there stood their young general, holding his ground while devouring the wrath of the skies.

The tide of celestial lightning grew wilder, discharging cascade after cascade of purple bolts upon Ethan’s form. Every strike made the firmament rumble, fracturing space around his body as the power sought to obliterate him from within.

[Master, recite this immediately!], Crul’s voice echoed with urgency in his mind, transferring knowledge through the neural link. [It is the Sutra of the Five Elements Imperishable Body. Use the rage of this false tribulation to temper your flesh until it becomes indestructible.]

The wisdom flooded Ethan’s consciousness. Without hesitation, he clenched his fists in the midst of the electric hell, closed his eyes, and began chanting the arcane words in a voice that resonated with the thunder:

"The heavens are the crucible, the earth the anvil. Metal shatters not, wood consumes not, water dissipates not, fire extinguishes not, earth shifts not... Let flesh be the forge and the soul the eternal flame!"

As the verses flowed from his lips, the sutra’s runes began searing themselves directly onto Ethan’s bones and meridians. The force of the lightning dragons, which previously threatened to tear his muscles apart, was forced into a circulation. Ethan’s flesh began to glow with a pentachromatic radiance interwoven with the violet of his amethysts; the heat of celestial fire tempered his skin, the strength of metal reinforced his bone structure, and the fluidity of abyssal water healed every fiber.

Behind him, the Void nightmare roared in ecstasy. The amethyst black hole in its maw expanded, devouring the storm with ferocity. It was no longer merely absorbing the electricity; it was draining it from its root, stripping power from the barrier spirit to serve as the nourishment consolidating Ethan’s new realm.

The dark clouds and the remaining traces of the electric dragons roared in helplessness before being sucked into the maw of the Void nightmare. The sky above the Pass of the Two Gorges cleared, leaving behind a serene blue firmament that contrasted with the scorched landscape of the valley below.

Ethan exhaled a breath tinged with violet mist and golden sparks. The runes of the Sutra of the Five Elements Imperishable Body settled beneath his skin, leaving his frame as dense as divine steel. His amethyst gems now pulsed with calm, integrated into his anatomy.

The shadow of the nightmare withdrew its maw, letting out a satisfied rumble as the black hole within its throat slowly dissipated before merging once again into Ethan’s back.

"It feels... completely different," murmured Ethan, opening and clenching his fists. He felt every muscle fiber imbued with destructive power and vitality.

[Your foundation in the Spiritual Transcendence Realm is not only fully consolidated, but your physical body has achieved a level of durability far exceeding the normal limits of this realm. This was an extraordinary gain.]

Ethan lowered his gaze to his hands, feeling the glowing threads of his divine vision grow clearer. He focused his attention on the thread connecting him to his women and his ROYAL generals.

"They are suffering... we have no time to waste here," said Ethan, his gaze turning icy and fixed on the horizon. "We’ve cleared the pass. It’s time to prepare the march and break them out of that hell."

Crul fell silent as its systems processed the exact trajectory of the celestial threads.

[Analyzing route...], the synthetic voice vibrated in Ethan’s mind. [Master, based on my scan... they are not on the Phoenix continent. They are within the Golden Dragon Empire.]

Ethan’s eyes widened, a wave of fury surging through his meridians.

"That absolute scum of a traitor... how did he find my family?" hissed Ethan through clenched teeth, tightening his fists until the amethyst crystals on his knuckles groaned.

Ethan focused his divine vision, locking onto the thread linking him to his wives and his ROYAL subordinates. He attempted to read the karmic lines and spatial shadows to glimpse the faces of their captors or the location of their confinement, but the spatial distance was astronomical. The vision blurred into an unreachable haze.

"Damn it! It’s far too distant..." Ethan grunted in frustration.

[What shall we do, Master?] asked Crul. [The enemy’s territory lies directly before us, yet your family core and loyal troops are trapped within the heart of our allied empire.]

"We cannot simply turn back like this," answered Ethan, his eyes burning a crimson hue. "We don’t know if the Golden Dragon Emperor is colluding with them or if this is the work of a traitorous faction... I need to become stronger before taking a single step toward them."

[Master... executing what you are planning will draw an exaggerated karmic retribution against you], warned Crul sternly.

"Do I have any other choice?" Ethan countered, allowing the shadow of the Void nightmare to rumble behind him, radiating slaughter intent toward the lands of the Divine Wind. "If I must lay waste to this entire continent and devour it to gain the necessary strength, that is exactly what I will do!"

[No, Master, do not do it!], shouted Crul, raising its voice with desperation. [Those small lightning strikes you just devoured held none of the true Dao’s absolute authority. That is why they were weak and only struck at the flesh. But the Dao itself will strike your very soul! It will obliterate every trace of your existence with no possibility of rebirth whatsoever!]