Chapter 266: The Cornered Beast Still Fights

Outside the Divine Kingdom, the withered old man sensed the changes in the surrounding space, his cloudy eyeballs nearly bulging out of their sockets.

Something's off.

It's way off!

The Withering law he had released, those death threads that never missed, now behaved like a drunken brute—once detached, they staggered wildly and refused to obey.

Even worse, a few strands of power turned back toward his own face, forcing him to frantically swat them away.

Counter-Devouring!

His own power is Counter-Devouring itself!

This is no longer a simple defensive barrier; what kind of hellish place is this?

A living prison that can actively warp and repel foreign laws?

He had lived for centuries and had never heard of such a bizarre phenomenon.

A bone‑deep chill made his gaunt body shiver involuntarily.

Within the Divine Kingdom, Wang Zhize's complexion remained pale, a scar left by his wounded spirit.

But his gaze held no trace of mockery, only cold resolve.

He was even too lazy to say another word.

He raised his hand and, pointing into the air toward the old man, thrust a finger.

In an instant, countless runes lit up on the black‑gold barrier surrounding the old man; they roamed and intertwined like living things, swiftly coalescing into several thick energy chains. Though not solid, the chains bore an undeniable law pressure, materializing out of thin air and immediately winding around the old man.

"Don't even think about it!"

The old man roared, desperately channeling all his mana, and a dense gray Withering aura erupted like a volcano, attempting to corrode and shatter the chains.

However, the scene that followed plunged him into utter despair.

The moment the black‑gold chains touched the Withering law, they were not corroded; instead, like a starving beast smelling blood, the runes on their surface spun faster and actively began siphoning his law power!

The chains not only failed to weaken but grew denser and sturdier.

One loop, two loops…

No matter how the old man struggled, the chains precisely bound his limbs and neck, imprisoning him rigidly in mid‑air, unable to move.

"Brother, it's my turn now, right? My turn, right!"

Wang Zhitao had long been unable to hold back; he rubbed his hands, his eyes sparkling, and his expression was not that of looking at a centuries‑old Golden Core Perfected Cultivator, but rather like looking at a freshly stewed, steaming hot plate of braised pork.

Wang Zhize turned his head, watching his younger brother's impatient, greedy look, and the sting in his spirit seemed to ease a bit.

He said nothing, merely gave a gentle nod.

Having received permission, Wang Zhitao let out an excited shout, his whole body turning into a streak of black‑gold light that surged straight toward the old man, who was bound like a rice dumpling.

"Time to eat!"

He snapped his mouth open, a black vortex covered with mysterious runes appearing inside, and an irresistible devouring force instantly enveloped the old man.

"No—!"

The old man let out a wail so mournful it was no longer human.

He could clearly feel everything about him being forcibly stripped by that terrifying vortex—protective aura, mana, life essence, even his law comprehension etched into the world and the core of his spirit hidden deep in the sea of consciousness… everything was being roughly, irrationally ripped away by that "monster"!

That feeling was ten thousand times more terrifying than death!

This is being "eaten"!

Outside the Divine Kingdom, the seductive Void woman and the tall, hulking man, using secret arts, witnessed their companion's plight, and both turned green with shock.

"How could this happen! Even the 'Withered Soul' destiny curse failed?" the woman's voice trembled, unable to comprehend what was unfolding.

"Ignore it! Attack with everything you've got! Smash this damned place open!" The hulking man's eyes bulged, and a pair of thunder‑glowing massive hammers appeared in his hands; he poured all his mana into them and hammered the Divine Kingdom barrier with a storm‑like barrage.

The woman also reacted, forming seals with both hands, and wave after wave of Void fluctuations surged forward as if they were free.

However, their attacks struck the black‑gold Divine Kingdom barrier, only generating ripples and achieving nothing else. Moreover, they could feel their offensive power being absorbed and transformed by this strange space.

The more they attacked, the more this "turtle shell" hardened.

Within the Divine Kingdom, Wang Zhize watched the futile attacks from the Outside World with cold eyes, pushing the Divine Kingdom's defensive power to its limit. All external assaults became nourishment for the Core. At the same time, he intensified the law suppression on the old man, hastening his brother's "feeding" process.

"Ah... my... my power..."

The devoured old man's aura withered at a visible speed. On his gaunt skin, black‑gold mysterious runes began to appear, the marks of Wang Zhitao's Devouring Core Overlord Body, forcibly overlaying and replacing his own Dao trace.

In his final moments of consciousness, he saw the youth devouring him while frowning in disgust, as if tasting something hard to swallow.

Humiliation, endless humiliation!

Finally, accompanied by a roar full of resentment and venom, the Disaster-level Shadow Guard completely fell silent.

His entire body, together with the Withering law he wielded, turned into a primal energy torrent that Wang Zhitao swallowed whole.

Wang Zhitao let out a resonant belch and, satisfied, patted his belly.

Wang Zhitao let out a loud, satisfied belch and patted his belly.

He closed his eyes and sensed that the black‑gold runes inside him seemed more lively. He instinctively reached toward the wilted grass...

A wisp of gray Withering aura seeped from his fingertips, but this time it brought no death; instead it merged into the grass. In the next instant, the withered yellow grass revived at a visibly rapid pace, becoming even greener than before.

A wisp of gray Withering aura seeped from his fingertip, but this time it did not bring death; instead it merged with the grass. In the next second, the withered grass revived at a visible speed, turning greener than before.

"Eh?" Wang Zhitao scratched his head, "This thing... seems it can be used like this?"

He seemed to have a completely new understanding of the Withering law, even able to reverse it, turning death into life.

After digesting his "main course," his gaze pierced through the Divine Kingdom barrier, landing directly on the two companions outside who had ceased their attack, their faces awash with horror.

His eyes were filled with unabashed greed.

Wang Zhize silently watched it all; at the instant the elder was completely devoured, a jumble of memory fragments surged into his mind. He forced himself to endure the discomfort of his spirit and quickly filtered out the crucial information.

Wang Zhize watched silently as all this unfolded; at the moment the old man was fully devoured, a jumble of memory fragments surged into his mind. He forced his spirit to endure the discomfort and quickly extracted the crucial information.

"Shadow" organization... "Lord"... and coordinates to a hidden secret base in some minor world... Not a small haul.

He slowly lifted his head, his pale face showing no emotion, and his gaze met the two "Calamity" Shadow Guard outside the Divine Kingdom, who were as silent as chilled cicadas.

A cold voice rang clearly into their spirits.

"Next."