Chapter 269: Metamorphosis of the Divine Nation

Wang Zhitao let out a satisfied belch, looking as if he'd just finished a long‑awaited feast, his face glowing with a sated red light.

The black‑gold runes that had only been endlessly circulating over his body now seemed to come alive, interlinking and merging, eventually settling into intricate, arcane patterns deeply etched beneath his skin, as profound as a cosmic star map.

On the other side, Wang Zhize's complexion was somewhat pale.

The memories of three Disaster‑ranked Strongmen were immense, like three torrents of mud‑laden floodwater, violently crashing into his Spiritual Sense sea, turning everything upside down.

The excruciating pain surged like a tide, but he merely let out a muffled hum and forced it down.

"Zhize… Zhitao… what… what's going on?"

Li Hu's voice trembled slightly; he and Zhang Mei helped each other to stand, and everything before them completely upended the worldview they had built over more than twenty years.

The two terrifying monsters that had just made their hearts shatter at a glance were… just… eaten by Wang Zhitao?

Even the blood‑soaked, brutal chewing process was deeply imprinted in their minds, impossible to erase.

They looked at Wang Zhize, the brother they'd grown up with, and suddenly felt a stranger‑like awe emanating from the depths of their souls.

Wang Zhize did not answer immediately; he raised his hand and gave a gentle wave.

The entire black‑gold space instantly underwent an earth‑shaking transformation.

The previously monotonous, oppressive world seemed infused with life. Streams of radiant light interwove with laws; countless tiny Light Spots flickered into and out of existence in the air, each flash appearing to articulate a brand‑new rule. The ground was no longer a dead, black‑gold void but began to show a heavy earth‑yellow hue, and in the distance vague mountain silhouettes rose from the ground.

"Brother, this place… feels alive?" Wang Zhitao curiously stamped his foot, and the ground beneath gave a springy vibration, a breath of fresh vitality hitting his face.

"Hmm." Through the jade tablet in his hand, Wang Zhize could clearly sense every breath and every heartbeat of this space.

This is no longer the "Divine Nation Prototype."

After devouring three Disaster‑ranked Strongmen, especially the three fundamentally different law sources they embodied—Withering, Void, and Overburden—the world finally completed its pivotal metamorphosis.

It gained the ability to self‑evolve and self‑perfect.

It became a true "Small World."

Moreover, Wang Zhize could feel that his grandfather Wang Shan's Spiritual Sense had fully merged with that law Core, becoming the world's "Heart." That consciousness was no longer merely gentle and protective; it had become as vast and profound as heaven and earth, capable of processing the massive information generated by the world's evolution in an instant.

Grandfather, in another way, had attained immortality.

Wang Zhize withdrew his mind, turned to the still‑stunned Li Hu and Zhang Mei.

"Do you trust me?" he asked calmly.

The question was somewhat abrupt, but Li Hu and Zhang Mei exchanged a glance without hesitation and nodded heavily.

"We trust!"

No matter what Wang Zhize had become, he was still the brother who stood in front of them at the most critical moment.

"Then that's good."

Wang Zhize's tone softened slightly as he pointed to the world beneath their feet, which was thriving and growing.

"This place isn't some ancient cultivator's cave; it's our home."

"It's the world Grandfather… created for us with his entirety."

He didn't detail the harrowing sacrifice, but that simple sentence instantly brought tears to Li Hu and Zhang Mei's eyes. They finally understood where the unshakable sorrow and resolve of the Wang brothers came from.

Shock, awe, compassion, sorrow… all the emotions intertwined and ultimately turned into steadfastness in their gazes.

"Brother, will they also live here later? What will they eat?" Wang Zhitao scratched his head and asked practically, "Can I give them the leftover energy I just ate? It's not very tasty, a bit harsh."

"Pfft." Zhang Mei burst into laughter at his dampening remark, tears still wet at the corners of her eyes, and the atmosphere eased considerably.

Wang Zhize also felt a bit helpless.

"No need."

He lifted his head and looked into the distance.

With a single thought, the previously vague mountain range instantly solidified, a clear river materialized out of nowhere, winding around the mountains. Immediately after, flora surged, birds sang, flowers scented the air, and a vibrant scene unfolded before everyone in the blink of an eye.

The aura, so dense it seemed almost solid, made Li Hu and Zhang Mei feel a wave of comfort after just one breath, and most of their previous injuries healed.

"This…" Li Hu opened his mouth wide, at a loss for words to describe his feelings.

This is no longer a divine technique; this is creation!

"From now on, you will cultivate here," Wang Zhize said. "I will simulate various law environments to help you quickly strengthen. The outside world is dangerous; you need the ability to protect yourselves."

As he spoke, he looked at Wang Zhitao: "Xiao Tao, give it a try—filter the chaotic energy you just devoured."

"Alright!"

Wang Zhitao grinned, opened his mouth, and a gray stream of air mingled with dead silence, void, and heavy aura surged out.

As soon as the stream appeared, the newly sprouted flora around it withered rapidly.

Wang Zhize remained still, merely using the jade tablet to adjust the rules of this Small World.

The gray stream seemed filtered by an invisible sieve; the negative, tyrannical law forces were instantly stripped away and merged into the world's barriers, strengthening them. What remained were two ultra‑pure energies—one gentle and nurturing, the other sharp and domineering—perfectly matching Li Hu and Zhang Mei's cultivation attributes.

The two energies formed into two small dragons that actively dove into their bodies.

"Ah!"

Both let out a satisfied groan simultaneously, feeling their cultivation bottlenecks instantly loosen, and the internal mana surged at an unprecedented speed.

"Too… too amazing!" Zhang Mei, feeling the changes within, was both shocked and delighted.

Wang Zhitao proudly patted his chest: "See? I can even make use of waste!"

Watching his friends regain new life, Wang Zhize's mood improved considerably. He exchanged a glance with Wang Zhitao, and a brand‑new tacit understanding was forming between the two brothers.

One defines the rules and governs the world.

One devours all things and transforms energy.

Within this Small World, they are the flawless cycle, the absolute masters.

After settling Li Hu and Zhang Mei, Wang Zhize went alone to the world's Core, before the "Heart" formed from his grandfather's Spiritual Sense.

He closed his eyes and sank his Spiritual Sense into it.

The massive information plundered from the memories of those three Disaster‑ranked Shadow Guard unfolded like a painted scroll.

The Shadow organization's secret bases are scattered everywhere, from the periphery to the Core, with crystal‑clear coordinates.

The list of senior members, their code names, abilities, and weaknesses is complete.

And… the Lord who sits atop the Imperial Dragon Vein, has plotted for millennia, seeking to forge the Immortal Dao Pill.

A … Artifact Spirit that exists in a special form of life.

And the secret of the Dan Yin, the key to forging the Dao Pill.

When Wang Zhize saw the true form of the Dan Yin, his body tensed involuntarily.

It turned out that from the start, their target was the Wang Family.

Or rather, it was him—Wang Zhize.

A silent thought came from the Heart of the World, it was Grandfather's consciousness, wordless yet full of affirmation, expectation, and… endless murderous intent.

The flames of grief and vengeance burned fiercely in Wang Zhize's heart.

He slowly opened his eyes and, among countless intel, precisely pinpointed the nearest Shadow organization base with relatively weak defenses.

"Xiao Tao."

His voice was soft, yet it echoed throughout the entire small world.

Wang Zhitao, who was instructing Li Hu on how to absorb Qi more ferociously, immediately ran over.

"Brother, what's up?"

Wang Zhize looked at him, his eyes unusually bright.

"We've finished the appetizer; it's time to taste the real main course."

"Before we set out, let's hone our power to the utmost."

He lifted his head, his gaze seeming to pierce the world's barriers, staring into the unknown void.

"Shadow organization, your doom begins here."