The momentum was overwhelming, shaking the entire bone-paved avenue.
That monster’s eyes, bright and terrifying as sun and moon, stared directly at Xu Zimo.
All around, countless petrified tentacles began to cluster densely in the air.
The Dead Sea churned into chaos.
“Kneel,” the monster commanded faintly, with an unquestionable tone.
“With just you?” Xu Zimo chuckled softly.
“If you beg for mercy now, the great Alphan may still consider sparing your life,” the monster gazed down with crushing oppression.
“Alphan...” Xu Zimo replied. “So you’re that creature from another world?”
“Courting death! How dare you call me by name,” the monster roared furiously.
Immediately, countless tentacles surged forward, blotting out the sky.
“Nothing but bluff,” Xu Zimo sneered.
In his hand, Shadow Tyrant released a radiance of sword intent, which spread in all directions, forming a protective field.
Any tentacle approaching him was instantly shattered.
“Go on, let’s see how many tricks you have left,” Xu Zimo laughed as he walked toward the monster.
This monster clearly had concerns.
Xu Zimo didn’t know what exactly it feared.
If it were truly strong enough, it wouldn’t need to hide at the bottom of the Dead Sea, using Void Parasites to draw everyone’s attention to Sky-Trap Island above.
Were it him, he would do the same.
The Sky-Trap Island was where everyone vied for Heaven’s Will; he would not stay there, unless he was invincible.
The monster looked imposing, but beyond those tentacles, it had little to show. Bluff upon bluff.
Xu Zimo soared upward in a blaze of sword intent, the tentacles unable to touch him.
Only as he drew closer did the monster seem to panic.
“Human, leave now, and I can overlook your offense,” the monster said.
“What’s inside the palace?” Xu Zimo countered.
He could tell, the voice and power weren’t from the monster itself, but from inside the palace.
After all, this creature was nothing but a palace given form.
“Human, take one more step and you will surely die,” the monster roared again.
Xu Zimo ignored it and rushed forward toward the hall.
Though he disdained the schemes of Heaven, he understood this much: Heaven wouldn’t gather everyone here just to throw them into a death trap.
Otherwise, what of this era’s Heaven’s Will?
The world, too, needed growth.
Watching Xu Zimo’s advance, the monster grew more frenzied.
Its countless tentacles no longer tried to kill him, only to block his way.
But Shadow Tyrant in Xu Zimo’s grip cut apart all obstacles, until he finally stood before the great hall.
“Human, think carefully. Step inside and you’ll regret it,” the monster said evenly, as if it already knew its fate.
Xu Zimo answered calmly, “I’ve never once regretted a step I took.”
And he strode straight into the pitch-black hall.
Shadow Tyrant in his hand blazed with dazzling light, illuminating the scene within.
The space wasn’t very large. Tentacles covered all the walls.
Only in the very front stood a massive egg-like object.
Enough to terrify anyone with trypophobia.
Its whole body was pale yellow, smooth like cream, covered with a glossy membrane.
A slit ran down its middle, beating like a heart with an audible thump-thump-thump.
From within surged a life force so vast that Xu Zimo was startled, it was second only to the Tree of Life itself.
“Boy, you chose to enter,” the being inside the egg spoke. “Bear the consequences yourself.”
“What consequences?” Xu Zimo smiled. “And what exactly are you? I’ve never seen your like.”
The egg shielded its inhabitant, and Xu Zimo could not see through.
“I am called Alphan. Not some ‘thing.’ I am of the great Cosmic Insect Race,” the voice answered calmly.
“Where do you come from?” Xu Zimo asked. “Do you have companions?”
The other seemed unwilling to answer, retreating into silence within the egg.
“No answer, eh?” Xu Zimo chuckled.
He raised Shadow Tyrant high. Its aura rolled like mountains collapsing, as he slashed downward.
With a resounding bang, what appeared fragile proved solid as bedrock, the egg remained unshaken.
“Don’t waste your strength. With your power, you cannot break my defenses,” the voice said indifferently. “Even bearing Heaven’s Will makes no difference.”
“I happen to enjoy challenges,” Xu Zimo smiled.
The Nineteen Forms of Dao-Seeking gathered on Shadow Tyrant, the Power of Creation flooding the hall.
Xu Zimo swung. A stroke of light ripped through darkness, tearing the void apart.
Even the great hall split in two beneath the slash.
Yet upon striking the egg, only dull thuds sounded, leaving it pristine.
“Aryan-Swastika God-Seal, Creation-Devouring God-Hand!” Xu Zimo cried, refusing to relent.
His left hand gathered the devouring force of the heavens, five fingers forming a vast black hole.
In his right palm, the Aryan-Swastika God-Seal spun.
When these divine laws were unleashed, the long-still Dead Sea erupted in titanic waves.
The entire sea turned upside down, as though it could not withstand the pressure.
The surrounding void collapsed, shattering into pieces.
Xu Zimo launched another strike at the egg.
With a deafening boom, the hall crumbled, the bone avenue beneath splitting into countless fragments.
Xu Zimo looked down, only to find the egg still completely unharmed.
“Interesting,” he chuckled.
“I told you, stop wasting effort,” the voice inside said. “Leave now, and I’ll withdraw all the parasites from the Sky-Trap Island.”
“No. Compared to anything else; I find you more interesting,” Xu Zimo shook his head.
The being paused, then said, “What if we make a deal?”
“What kind of deal?” Xu Zimo asked, intrigued.
“You want to seize Heaven’s Will, don’t you? I can make the Void Parasites obey you, help you take it.”
“Why would you help me?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Mutual non-aggression. I only ask for a place to rest,” it replied.
“I think you’re not seeking rest, but revival,” Xu Zimo sneered. “Once you break out of that egg, you won’t be what you are now.”
“So what? Even if you know, you can’t stop me. Not you, not even Old Villainous Heaven,” the voice said calmly.