Chapter 247

The black‑gold light pillar, like a sky‑supporting giant column, nailed Wang Zhize and Wang Zhitao firmly in place.

Beyond the light pillar, there was dead silence.

In the cage, the only still‑conscious Shadow Guard captain had his eyes completely replaced by an emotion called "absurdity".

He stared at the miraculous scene before him, at the two prey being forcibly "ripened", and a question kept echoing in his mind.

Why?

How can this old thing achieve this step? And how can that brat endure it?

Inside the light pillar was a different scene.

"Damn! Brother! It itches! So itchy!"

Wang Zhitao felt he was going mad; from skin to bone, it was as if billions of ants were frantically gnawing and nesting.

This itch couldn't be solved by a simple scratch; it stemmed from the deepest level of life, a torture where cells were forcibly torn apart and brutally reassembled.

He tried to look down, but found his body couldn't move at all.

He could only rely on feeling, sensing scorching streams of energy on his skin, like red‑hot branding irons, carving extremely complex patterns on his chest, back, and limbs.

"Endure it."

Wang Zhize's voice came, unlike Wang Zhitao's frantic tone; his voice was unusually steady, even bearing a strange, inhuman ethereality, as if it resonated from every corner simultaneously.

"That's a light way to put it! Brother, what's your situation? Like soaking in a hot spring?" Wang Zhitao gritted his teeth in pain, yet still managed a snide remark.

Hot spring?

Wang Zhize wanted to tell his brother that his side might be ten thousand times worse than the "itch".

His consciousness now floated in an endless dark void.

Countless twisted, contradictory, glowing law runes formed a sea of stars that completely engulfed him.

He could "see" a rune meaning "solid", but the adjacent rune interpreted "crush".

He had just grasped the mystery of "spatial folding" when the true meaning of "dimensional rift" washed over him, making his head spin.

These are the "source code" that make up this extra‑dimensional space, or rather, the new body of "Grandfather".

A normal person couldn't even comprehend; just a glance would have their soul torn to pieces by this contradictory law torrent.

But Wang Zhize did not.

Because at the center of this law ocean stood a vague, gentle light and shadow, quietly upright. It was Grandfather's lingering will.

It did not speak, but acted like a lighthouse, guiding Wang Zhize, using its very existence to forcefully sort the raging law ocean into clear threads.

Wang Zhize's task was to follow these threads, imprinting each law rune into his soul one by one.

The process was like shoving an entire library's books into his mind by the most violent means.

Pain.

Yet Wang Zhize's face showed no sign of pain.

He simply focused, greedily absorbing it all.

Suddenly, he "saw" a distinct strand of energy—a supremely pure life essence coming from his brother Wang Zhitao's direction, precisely injecting into his soul.

The energy was like the most efficient lubricant and coolant, giving his near‑overloaded soul a brief respite, and the absorption efficiency surged dramatically.

He "looked" toward his brother.

He saw Wang Zhitao's body, on the brink of going mad from the "itch", the scorching energy streams gradually subsiding, replaced by ancient, mysterious black‑gold totems.

Those totems seemed alive, deeply imprinted beneath his skin, spreading along his muscle lines, flashing and fading, each breath resonating in sync with the space.

The true form of the "Devouring Primordial Overlord Body" finally began to manifest under the catalyst of Grandfather's lingering energy.

"Hey, brother, it seems… not so itchy anymore," Wang Zhitao said with a hint of surprise. "And I feel like I can eat more now."

The words were incoherent.

But Wang Zhize understood.

He "saw" his brother's body now like a bottomless black hole, its energy‑devouring efficiency skyrocketing by hundreds of times. The chaotic energies he once deemed "deadly stew" now seemed the most appetizing appetizers to him.

The two brothers: one focused inward, digesting laws; the other outward, digesting energy.

Grandfather's inheritance was, astonishingly, perfectly split and digested by them in an incomprehensible way.

After an unknown amount of time, the black‑gold light pillar that pierced heaven and earth dimmed, eventually turning into specks of floating fireflies that faded into the air.

Wang Zhize and Wang Zhitao's figures reappeared.

Wang Zhize was still himself, but his gaze had changed. In the depths of his black pupils seemed an endless starry sky, with twisted runes flashing occasionally; staring too long could even give the illusion of one's soul being drawn in.

Wang Zhitao's transformation, however, was far greater.

His physique seemed unchanged, yet his muscle lines became smoother and more explosive. More striking was his bare upper body, where the black‑gold mysterious totems spread from his chest to his arms, giving him a wild, domineering aura.

"Huh…" Wang Zhitao exhaled a long breath, feeling his body filled with inexhaustible strength. He clenched his fist, and the air let out a strained, booming crack.

"Brother, did we… succeed?"

"Hmm." Wang Zhize nodded, his gaze passing over his brother to the cage not far away.

In the cage, the Shadow Guard captain stared at them with a monster‑like gaze.

"Don't… don't come!"

When the Shadow Guard captain saw Wang Zhitao's gaze sweep over, he shivered in fear, instinctively summoned the remaining magic within, forming a thin energy shield before him. It was his final struggle.

Wang Zhitao grinned, flashing a set of white teeth.

He didn't strike, nor even step forward.

He simply stood in place, faced the energy shield, as if letting out a satisfied belch, opened his mouth and gently inhaled.

"Hic."

A faint sound.

The energy shield, along with the surrounding air, seemed wiped away by an invisible giant hand, vanishing without a trace.

The Shadow Guard captain's blood‑red complexion faded with a swish.

What is this?

What kind of ability is this?!

His prideful magical shield was just… sucked away as if it were a fart?

"The taste isn't great, a bit astringent," Wang Zhitao clicked his tongue, evaluating with a disdainful expression, "Brother, it's your turn, try yours."

"Fine."

Wang Zhize still only said a single word.

He didn't make any commotion like his younger brother; he simply stared quietly at the other two unconscious Shadow Guards in the cage.

He raised his hand, and with a gentle grasp toward one of them,

there were no light or shadow effects, no energy fluctuations.

But the ground beneath that Shadow Guard—the hard black‑gold rocks—suddenly seemed to come alive, turning into quicksand, instantly swallowing half his body, then instantly solidifying back into indestructible stone, embedding him tightly within.

Wang Zhize then looked at the other one.

He merely blinked.

The Shadow Guard's body then began to twist in a manner that defied physical laws, its limbs tangled like pretzels, the bones emitting a sour‑tooth "clack" sound.

The whole process was terrifyingly quiet.

Wang Zhize seemed not to be casting a spell, but stating a fact.

"I say, you will be devoured by stone."

"I say, your body should twist."

And then, it all happened.

In this space formed by his grandfather's incarnation, he—Wang Zhize—was the sole, supreme god.

The Shadow Guard captain in the cage had completely given up thinking.

He looked at a monster that could eat energy like food, a monster that could treat laws as toys, and finally understood what kind of family he and his subordinates had provoked.

Wang Zhitao stepped forward, patted his brother's shoulder, gazed at his deep, almost inhuman eyes, and chuckled, "Brother, you look really handsome like this."

The starry sky in Wang Zhize's eyes faded, returning to his usual brilliance; he glanced at the two Shadow Guards he had "played" into unrecognizable shapes, then glanced at the overtly domineering totem on his younger brother's body.

"Not bad either."

The two brothers exchanged a smile.

Sadness and heaviness were buried deep within their hearts. The living must bear the wills of the dead and become stronger.

Their gazes finally fell simultaneously on the Shadow Guard captain who had already completely lost his spirit.

"Alright, warm‑up's over," Wang Zhize said calmly, "Now, it's time to discuss the 'Shadow' behind you and the secret of the 'Devouring Origin Overlord Body'."