Chapter 257: Domain Cone

The Shadow Guard who entered first, codenamed "Scorpion Three," is the squad's most adept at ambushes and breaking defenses.

He lands silently, his form like a wisp of true shadow, gripping two short blades tempered with "Spell-Breaking Poison," his face bearing a cruel smile as the mission nears completion.

Finally got in. This damned shell is much harder than expected.

He lifts his gaze, precisely locking onto two targets a short distance away—two brash kids, one looking dazed, the other like a wild cat whose fur has been singed.

"It's over, little things. The Lord's patience with you has run out, be obedient…"

His words did not finish.

Because he realized he could no longer speak.

No, it's not his vocal cords failing, but the "space" around him refusing to transmit his voice.

The sound, as soon as it left his mouth, was shredded and devoured by some invisible force, not a single vibration managing to pass through.

What's happening?

Scorpion Three's heart lurched; the powerful divine thought of his late‑stage Golden Core instantly cleared, trying to probe this bizarre situation.

Then, he "saw" the most terrifying sight of his life.

The laws surrounding him were no longer the ones he knew. The flow of air, the trails of spiritual energy, even the refraction of light were like dough being casually kneaded by hand, taking on a grotesque, twisted shape.

He tried to retreat, but found his body as heavy as a mountain; every inch he moved felt like opposing the weight of an entire world.

He attempted to summon his magic, but the energy in his meridians was like a frozen river—stagnant and unresponsive to his will.

He was locked inside an invisible cage.

A prison formed of the laws themselves, absolutely inescapable.

Scorpion Three's pupils contracted to the sharpest needle points as he stared fixedly at the youth holding a jade tablet, whose calm gaze was almost inhuman.

Is… is this his doing?

He even… didn't move a single finger!

Wang Zhize watched Scorpion Three's face shift rapidly from a sneer to horror to despair, his heart unmoved. The knowledge his grandfather imparted was not only control over this space but also the perspective of a "Lord of the World."

In this household, he is the rule.

"Brother, why's this guy… not moving?" Wang Zhitao leaned in curiously, circling the immobilized Scorpion Three twice, then poked his iron‑hard protective aura with a finger, "Hey, move a bit! What are you playing at, a wooden dummy?"

Scorpion Three could hear and see, yet he could not respond. He watched the black‑gold totem‑clad youth scrutinize him as if inspecting cargo; that gaze… was not on a powerful Golden Core cultivator but on a piece of meat about to hit the pot.

"He's not unmoving because he chooses; he's too scared to move, and he can't," Wang Zhize's voice echoed through the space, clearly reaching everyone's ears, including the three outside, "I've altered all the 'rules' within three feet of him. There, the air's density rivals black iron, the spiritual energy is lethal, and each breath he takes weakens him."

Those words were spoken not only to Scorpion Three but also to those outside the crack.

This is no longer a technique; it's a miracle! It's a domain!

Beyond the crack, the leading Nascent Soul "Executor" wearing a snarling iron mask, along with two Golden Core Shadow Guards, shared Scorpion Three's vision via secret arts. When Wang Zhize's words rang out, the two Golden Core Shadow Guards each stepped back half a pace.

"Lord Executor… this… this is domain power! How could that kid possibly…"

"Silence." The Executor's voice was low and hoarse, as if two pieces of metal were grinding, "It's not a complete domain, just a prototype. He leveraged the power of this very space; that old thing… Wang Shan, really gave us a colossal 'surprise'."

Inside the space.

Wang Zhitao's eyes grew brighter as he finished his brother's explanation.

"So fun? Then what can I do to him?"

"As you wish." Wang Zhize replied bluntly, "He's yours. Try out the new 'utensil' grandpa gave you and see how it works."

"Alright!"

Wang Zhitao excitedly rubbed his hands together, flexing his fists as he walked toward Scorpion Three.

Fear in Scorpion Three's eyes nearly overflowed. He struggled desperately, his Golden Core whirling wildly in his dantian, trying to burst the invisible shackles. Yet the more he fought, the heavier the surrounding law suppression became, as if the whole world's malice focused on him alone.

Wang Zhitao stepped in front of him, halted, and did not swing a fist as Scorpion Three had expected.

He simply… opened his mouth.

"Ah—"

Not a roar, not a bellow, just a long, primordial inhalation as if drawn from the ancient chaos.

Centered on Wang Zhitao, a visible vortex composed of countless tiny black‑gold runes materialized out of thin air.

It was not an energy vortex but a vortex of "concept."

In terror, Scorpion Three realized his once‑indestructible protective aura did not shatter or pierce; instead, it eroded inch by inch like weathered sand sculpture, turning into primal spiritual particles that the vortex forcibly dragged away!

Immediately after, the treasured short blade in his hand dimmed its spiritual light, and the precious material forming the blade began to decompose and disintegrate!

"No… no!!"

He finally managed to make a sound, but it was a scream filled with endless despair.

Because he felt his magic, blood, sinews, bones, and soul—everything a powerful cultivator possesses—being violently "pulled" out of his body by an irresistible force!

This is not devouring; it is… erasing!

"The taste… a bit off," Wang Zhitao frowned, as if sampling a mediocre dish, muttering, "It's full of conspiratorial scheming and betrayal, with a hint of rust. Bad review."

As soon as he finished speaking, the suction suddenly intensified tenfold!

"Ahhh—"

Scorpion Three's body withered at a visible speed, skin clinging tightly to his bones, eyes bulging, the fire of life within him extinguishing rapidly. He couldn't even trigger a self‑destruct Golden Core, as the energy forming the Golden Core was being siphoned first!

It lasted no more than three breaths.

In place, only an empty black battle outfit and two short blades, now completely devoid of spirit and turned to ordinary iron, clanged onto the ground.

A late‑stage Golden Core master was thus "consumed." Not even a single hair remained.

Wang Zhitao let out a lingering belch, a wisp of black‑gold aura spilling from his mouth; he patted his belly, "Brother, this is the 'feast' you mentioned? It doesn't even count as an appetizer—hardly enough to fill a tooth gap."

"Hold on." Wang Zhize lifted his gaze, looking at the lingering crack in the sky, "The main course… isn't it about to arrive?"

Beyond the crack, the remaining two Shadow Guards turned pale.

What did they see?

Xie San, that companion who had fought alongside them for centuries, was devoured by a youth as if he were food! Not even a scrap remained!

"Devils... they are devils!" one Shadow Guard's voice trembled.

"Why panic!" the Iron-faced Executor barked harshly, "a rule‑bending manipulator, a bizarre devouring constitution! This is Wang Shan's backup! He gave all his power to those two grandsons!"

His tone was severe, yet the eyes beneath the mask were more solemn than ever before.

He was wrong.

They were not hunters who came to clear the land.

They voluntarily jumped into the meat grinder.

"Lord Executor, shall we... still go in?" another Shadow Guard swallowed hard.

"Enter, why wouldn't we?" the Executor's voice suddenly turned cold and mad, "He can warp the laws because this is his 'home field'. Then we shall smash his 'home field' to pieces! He can devour energy, so we will use a force he cannot swallow to burst him wide open!"

He retrieved from his storage artifact an ancient, plain array disc and two jet‑black beads, and tossed them to the two people beside him.

"Heavenly Disaster Sequence, 'Meteoric Extinction' Twin Star Formation, activate!"

"Use this to blast open his domain prototype! I'll take the main attack, tearing his divine soul!"

A terrifying pressure on the Executor, far beyond the Golden Core and belonging to the Nascent Soul stage, roared and burst forth! He transformed into a black long rainbow that pierced heaven and earth, no longer entering through the fissure but, in the most brazen manner, slammed into the entire divine kingdom prototype!

Is this... a mutual annihilation?

No, this is the confidence of a Nascent Soul cultivator. He is sure he can, in this collision, completely crush those two newly empowered "lucky ones".

Inside the space, Li Hu and Zhang Mei were already too shocked to speak, only clamping their mouths tightly so they wouldn't scream.

Wang Zhitao felt the Outside World's world‑shattering aura, and instead of fear he trembled with excitement, his black‑gold totem on his skin shining dazzlingly.

"Bro! The big guy is coming!"

"Hmm, I see." Wang Zhize remained calm. He raised the jade tablet in his hand toward his younger brother.

"Zhitao, you just said you weren't full?"

"Nonsense! I'm starving to death!"

"Very good." A smile finally tugged at Wang Zhize's mouth. "That Nascent Soul outside belongs to me. The remaining two Golden Cores, and the two black spheres in their hands, are yours."

"Stop shouting that you're hungry."

"I'm afraid you'll... burst yourself to death."