The throne hall stretched beyond sight — an ocean of black crystal and floating runes that pulsed like dying stars.
Each rune carried whispers of worlds long devoured.
And at the center, upon the black lotus of inverted flame, sat Mo Xie — the Eternal Reclaimer, the source of the Abduction Path, the shadow that had haunted every step of Wang Lin's fate.
He wasn't as Wang Lin imagined.
No horns. No monstrous aura.
Just a man… calm, graceful, and terrifyingly human.
His eyes, however—
They were endless. Like the abyss of every soul that had ever been consumed.
> "You've come far," Mo Xie said softly. His voice resonated in Wang Lin's bones. "To reach this place means you've stolen more than power. You've stolen destiny itself."
Wang Lin clenched his fists, the Abduction Mark on his chest pulsing violently. "You're the one who cursed me with this path. Tell me—what am I?"
Mo Xie smiled faintly.
> "You are what I failed to be."
The air trembled.
> "The Abduction Path was never a gift, boy. It was a prison—a way to absorb all creation until nothing remained. I created it to defy heaven, but the heavens retaliated. They shattered my soul, scattered it across the ages. You… are one of those shards."
Wang Lin's eyes widened. His breath caught. "So I… am part of you?"
> "You were," Mo Xie replied. "But now, you're something else. Something that should not exist."
He stood from the throne, the black lotus blooming wider beneath his feet. The flames shifted color—from black to pale gold, as though mocking purity itself.
> "I devoured worlds to ascend. You, however, devour pain, loss, and compassion—and yet remain whole. That makes you… dangerous."
The inverted flame surged. Mo Xie's aura filled the hall, bending reality. The floor beneath Wang Lin shattered, but he remained standing, his body trembling.
> "I don't care if I was your fragment," Wang Lin said coldly. "You tried to steal the heavens, but I'll steal you."
Mo Xie laughed—a sound that echoed through the void like the end of creation.
> "Bold. Then prove it."
In that instant, Mo Xie's palm lifted, and the entire hall erupted into a storm of black lotus petals, each petal sharp enough to cut the soul. Wang Lin spun his hand into a seal, summoning the full might of his Abduction Path.
Black and white qi swirled around him like twin dragons.
> "Abduction Path—Fourth Revelation: Soul Eater's Crown!"
A halo of devouring light burst from behind him, consuming the petals one by one. But Mo Xie merely smiled, raising his other hand. The black lotus flared—and thousands more petals appeared, forming a colossal lotus shadow that spanned universes.
Their powers collided.
Reality cracked. Space screamed.
Wang Lin was thrown backward, blood spraying from his lips. Yet his eyes burned brighter than ever. He could feel something stirring in his soul—the will of every being he had absorbed.
Voices whispered from within him—weak, ancient, but united:
> "Don't yield, Heaven's Thief… steal the heavens… for us…"
Wang Lin's vision blurred, but he smiled through the blood.
> "Then watch me."
He pressed his hand to the ground, forming a seal so ancient even Mo Xie's eyes flickered with surprise.
> "Fifth Revelation—Soul Rebirth: Heaven Devourer!"
The entire hall collapsed into a whirlpool of light and darkness. Mo Xie's laughter turned into a snarl. The lotus trembled. For the first time in eternity—Mo Xie took a step back.
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The chapter closes with the two titans locked in a vortex that consumes heaven and void alike—one fighting for domination, the other for transcendence.
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