Perfect World: Dream of the Immortal Era

Gradually, only Heng Jin, Qing Wu, Chi Long, and a few dissatisfied royal prodigies yearning for more glorious light remained.

At this moment, the once-in-a-millennium eruption seemed to be losing steam; the frequency of the glowing burst had noticeably declined, indicating it had passed its peak.

A few royal prodigies, who had hesitated to act, grew anxious. They were in the most awkward position. If perfect glows appeared, they couldn't compete with Heng Jin and others and would be utterly crushed. However, if there were enough perfect glows, it might be their turn. Grasping one meant a future where they, if not equal to the imperial prodigies, could at least dominate among the royals.

Nevertheless, benefits and risks coexist. If the number of perfect glows was limited and they missed great top-tier ones by waiting, they'd be left with nothing, chasing phantoms with empty hands. Who knew how long they'd have to wait for another top-tier glow?

With such thoughts, some chose to quit while ahead, securing a suitable glow and leaving the capturing area.

Heng Jin and the two imperial youngsters ignored this; their eyes focused solely on those dazzling beams soaring from the abyss to the sky.

What the practitioners lured away was merely a fragment; most of the glow plunged into the sky's mist, vanishing. There, the Great Dao surged, exuding an extraordinary aura that even immortals avoided.

After an unknown period of waiting, suddenly, a unique glow appeared in their line of sight.

It wasn't very bright, the light on its surface was dim, yet its Great Dao aura was like a candle in the night, irresistibly eye-catching, compelling one's gaze.

The beings in the best capturing zones were the first to spot it. The anticipated perfect glow appeared just like that, and their previously calm expressions immediately changed, revealing astonishment in their eyes.

Heng Jin was no different. He fixated on this extraordinary glow, sensing his body's yearning for it; the urge stemmed from his cultivation system. Swallowing it would immediately usher him into the next realm: the Swallowing Glow realm.

“Oh?”

Suddenly, he seemed to notice something, sensing a devouring aura from that perfect glow—so powerful that even his eyes gazing upon it were absorbed, blurring his vision.

Heng Jin inhaled sharply; this wasn't an active devouring Dao being cast by the glow but naturally emitted, yet it was formidable.

He thought of Qing Wu from the Sky-Swallowing Imperial Clan. If this being consumed the glow, the benefits would be unimaginable.

Indeed, Qing Wu was already trembling with excitement; the glow containing the devouring Dao seemed tailor-made for him. By consuming it, his innate abilities might undergo a remarkable transformation, allowing him to stand out among the imperial prodigies.

“This glow is mine, do not contest it with me.” He roared, instantly taking action, using techniques to draw the devouring glow nearer to him.

The remaining prodigies from the royal clans, unwilling to depart, looked displeased. Yet, intimidated by the imperial prodigy's prowess, they dared not act rashly and could only watch helplessly as the devouring glow gradually changed direction, drifting towards Qing Wu.

Seeing no one making a move, Qing Wu's face broke into a smile, feeling incredibly lucky to have encountered such a perfect glow that matched him so well.

However, in the next instant, his smile froze abruptly.

The devouring glow quivered, influenced by an inexplicable force, altering its direction.

Qing Wu's expression darkened. Despite his deep cunning, he was visibly upset. Everyone knew he came from the Devouring Sky Emperor Clan, practiced the way of devouring, and how crucial a thread of devouring glow was to him. He had thought Heng Jin and Chi Long would give him face and let him have the glow, but unexpectedly, these two directly vied with him, threatening to sever his path to greatness.

“Chi Long, what do you mean? Your clan, known as the Beast of Time, are you also practicing the devouring path?” Qing Wu glared at the descendant of the Chi King, his eyes filled with murderous intent, wishing he could swallow this creature whole.

The young man in gray laughed lightly and replied, “Qing Wu, you are mistaken. The perfect glow, born of heaven and earth, belongs to those destined. It did not belong to you upon birth.”

Hearing this, Qing Wu gritted his teeth. Here, he feared only the descendants of the Chi King and the human prodigies from the God of War Academy. Yet both had made their move to compete with him.

“Heng Jin, let me have this thread of devouring glow, and I’ll owe you a grand favor, repaid generously in the future.” He looked coldly at Heng Jin, trying to exchange a grand favor for Heng Jin’s withdrawal.

But Heng Jin’s words left him disappointed.

“Friend Qing Wu, you may not know, but humans are weak in body and cultivate slowly. Rising quickly is very difficult. If I can devour this glow, I could save half my cultivation time. So, I’m sorry, but I must have this glow.” Heng Jin's words sounded gentle but were actually very forceful.

How could Qing Wu not understand the insinuation? His eyes burned with killing intent, itching to rush over and devour this human as blood prey.

Humans in this extraterrestrial realm, indeed lacking in talent, were always regarded as a slave race. Occasionally, a genius would emerge, but they were rare, so how could someone like Heng Jin, with strength comparable to the prodigies of the imperial clans, possibly have such poor cultivation talent? Heng Jin was clearly fabricating.

“Do you really think you can compete with me?”

Qing Wu roared, a burst of black light emitting from him. Upon closer inspection, those were black feathers, forming vortices that released a soul-capturing devouring power.

The devouring glow immediately veered toward Qing Wu.

Heng Jin and Chi Long acted in unison, targeting together. Yet surprisingly, they were evenly matched with Qing Wu. This wasn’t due to them lacking in battle prowess compared to Qing Wu, but rather that the devouring talent of the Devouring Sky Emperor Clan resonated with the devouring glow, the pull was incredibly strong.

Gradually, the two of them began to struggle, helplessly watching as the devouring glow shot toward Qing Wu.

Heng Jin squinted slightly, without warning, jumped out of his position, transforming into a humanoid lightning bolt, charging toward Qing Wu’s area.

He truly needed time; this rare Devouring Glow could at least halve the time required for his rise. Thus, Heng Jin took action without hesitation, aiming to snatch the glow away.

In the distance, the descendant of the Crimson King hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided not to intervene.

This exceedingly rare and perfect glow—the Devouring Glow—did indeed align well with the Devouring Emperor Clan, but for the beings of their kind, it wasn't the most suitable option. Forcefully taking it might only create unnecessary enemies.

Thus, he withdrew from the contest, turning his attention back to the abyss below.

Noticing Heng Jin advancing aggressively, Qing Wu was both shocked and furious. The earlier tug-of-war had proven that this Devouring Glow was a perfect fit for him, yet his opponent refused to relent.

“Heng Jin, you’re courting death,” he shouted, not paying heed to Heng Jin but lunging directly toward the Devouring Glow.

His pitch-black feathers radiated a terrifying devouring force. Black vortices appeared out of nowhere, twisting as if capable of devouring the heavens and earth. Qing Wu revealed his true form—a jet-black demonic bird. He spread his wings and flew, opening his blood-red maw to bite onto the Devouring Glow.

“Devouring Demon Bird,” he said.

The progenitor of this clan once acted in a war that destroyed a world, opening its mouth to swallow an entire world and refine all living beings, a terror beyond imagination.

Heng Jin was also surprised, not expecting the other to reveal his true form so directly, aiming to win with speed.

The demonic bird did indeed possess incredible speed, and Qing Wu’s plan was sound, but unfortunately, Heng Jin was not just a human; his body housed the true blood of the Phoenix Clan.

“Buzz!”

The dragon-phoenix sigil on Heng Jin’s back emitted a dazzlingly brilliant light. His blood boiled, and Phoenix aura surged through him as he transformed into a humanoid True Phoenix, reaching Qing Wu just as he was about to swallow the Devouring Glow.

“What? You!”

Qing Wu was astonished. His true form as a Devouring Demon Bird granted him unparalleled speed, something he had always prided himself on, thinking he could easily outpace humans. Who could have expected this human to be even faster?

There was no time to think further. The Devouring Glow was within reach. All he needed was one bite to swallow it whole and settle everything.

With this thought, Qing Wu opened his mouth wide, ready to bite the slightly dim Devouring Glow. However, to his shock, he found he couldn't do it. His upper and lower jaws were firmly held in place by two large hands, completely immobilizing him.

“Qing Wu, are you too anxious? You haven't even determined who's superior, yet you're already trying to get the upper hand?”

Qing Wu was infuriated upon hearing this. The Devouring Glow was within reach, yet he couldn't grasp it. How could he not be angry?

“Heng Jin, die.”

He roared fiercely, a colossal demon bird manifested behind him, its shadow engulfing ancient epochs, capable of swallowing an entire vast world in one gulp.

Then, a pitch-black void appeared in Qing Wu's mouth, containing an unimaginably terrifying devouring power, locking onto Heng Jin, intending to swallow him whole.

Being swallowed by the Devouring Emperor Tribe meant almost no chance of escape; history had never seen such a case. This was because the interior of this tribe's stomach was filled with dreadful rules of the Dao. Any creature entering would be imprisoned, stripped of their powers, left to die helplessly.

Heng Jin had no doubts about the terror of the Devouring Demon Bird, so he had always been wary of it.

When Qing Wu executed the ancestral technique to swallow him, Heng Jin immediately countered, unleashing a powerful attack with images of dragons and phoenixes on his back. His left and right hands punched out simultaneously, one with the roar of a true dragon, the other with the cry of a true phoenix.

“Boom!”

The two devastating punches merged, striking the black void with a thunderous crash.

“Ah!”

Qing Wu screamed in agony, recoiling in shock. Although the ancestral techniques of the Devouring Emperor could devour heavens and earth, they weren't without limits. If the opponent's attacking power exceeded the threshold, he would struggle to endure.

It's unimaginable that a human could simultaneously launch punches rich in the essence of true dragons and true phoenixes, as if facing the descendants of these two supreme races.

Before Qing Wu could recover, Heng Jin abandoned him and rushed towards the Devouring Glow.

Seeing this, Qing Wu's eyes filled with rage. Ignoring the injuries in his mouth, he drove the blood in his body to a boil, drawing endless divine power.

“How dare you!”

The Devouring Demon Bird turned into a black arrow, intercepting Heng Jin just as he was about to seize the Devouring Glow.

This time, Heng Jin experienced the frustration of being so close yet unable to obtain it.

He turned coldly to face the Devouring Demon Bird, his fists striking in unison, wielding the ancient Gu Mo Fist. It served as a guiding principle, channeling the formidable energies of the True Dragon and True Phoenix’s aura.

Though it was merely a technique founded by immortals, far inferior to the ancestral arts mastered by the Imperial clans, Heng Jin's strength was overwhelmingly powerful. His physique, at the level of an Immortal Prince, had undergone the baptism of immortal king’s blood, surpassing the common offspring of Immortal Kings by far. Moreover, his experience in the War God Tower had honed his combat awareness to a qualitative leap, rivaling even the prodigies of the Imperial clans.

In just a few dozen exchanges, Qing Wu was suppressed to the point of breathlessness, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Qing Wu couldn't comprehend why someone also at the peak of Blood Boiling realm, a mere human utilizing an immortal’s technique, could overwhelm him so thoroughly.

"Heng Jin, are you truly intent on severing my path?" Qing Wu no longer held the same aggressive stance as before, realizing the gap between himself and Heng Jin.

In terms of strength and talent, it seemed the other surpassed him by a margin. The more they fought, the more he felt a sense of powerlessness.

"That statement is flawed. This wisp of Devouring Glow is my destined prize. Heaven's treasures belong to the fated, and it does not belong to your Devouring Sky Empire clan."

"Fine, fine, fine..." Qing Wu laughed angrily, feeling a mixture of despair and sadness. Watching as the great opportunity slipped away from his grasp, yet unable to do anything, what a helpless situation it was!

"Puff!"

After a hundred strikes, Qing Wu's transformed demon bird form was struck hard in the chest by Heng Jin’s fist, letting out a mournful cry and crashing heavily to the ground, rendered incapable of further battle. He could only watch as Heng Jin collected the Devouring Glow and swallowed it whole in front of everyone.

The perfect glow entered his body, and Heng Jin wasted no time, immediately beginning cultivation according to the contents of the Gu Mo Scripture, initiating the preliminary absorption of the Devouring Glow.

"Boom!"

A massive booming sound emitted from his body as the ashen glow permeated through his limbs and skeleton, unleashing a powerful force.

At this moment, Heng Jin broke through, establishing himself in the Devouring Glow realm, undergoing transformation in all facets.

Qing Wu watched this scene coldly, an unmistakable killing intent in his eyes.

In the distance, Chi Long showed a look of surprise. He did not expect Qing Wu to be the one defeated. Initially, he thought this human barely reached their level, but unexpectedly, he was even stronger than imagined.

The Imperial clans’ prodigies silently swallowed, each filled with uncertainty and astonishment. Since when had the War God Academy produced such a fierce individual? Not of Imperial descent, yet capable of subduing an Imperial clan prodigy.