Li Mo's fate was strange even to the greatest of Daoists. His Reincarnation seemed not to happen in his timeline, but in a distant future where cultivation and the way of immortality seemed primitive.
With the arrival of gene enhancing pills and technology, humans could achieve longevity without needing to subject themselves to meager meditations and tempering.
Now inside the blue holographic-like barrier, within the Xenological Analysis Chamber, Li Mo, now the Void Eroding Soul King, was being monitored by groups of genetic scientists as they took notes on his appearance.
From his light purple scales to the overall structure of his form, the creature's body resembled that of a typical scaled snake, one would find on any blue planet. However, its skin looked cracked and old, as it had obviously traveled through storms of dust and radiation for ages. Its head was the most dangerous part, a wide mouth lined with long, hooked teeth that pointed inward, ready to pull anything straight into it. It had small, shadowed eyes that sat near the top of its head, barely visible, giving the creature a cold and distant look.
Li Mo cursed the very fate that subjected him to this, but he was helpless. He had been reduced to a lab experiment for these strange humans, and he didn't even understand the body he now inhabited.
But still, he could perfectly hear the humans as they spoke among themselves. They kept calling him the "Void Eroding Soul King," "Legendary Star Beast," and many more names.
Again, Li Mo slammed his face against the holographic-like barrier that caged him, but it was to no avail. He then tried to call out to the humans, "Junior! Junior! I'm actually an ancestor from a powerful sect, let me go and you would be rewarded!"
But that was also to no avail, as all the sounds he made were just mere screeching noises. Now angry, he slammed his head again at the blue barrier, this time so aggressively that it frightened some of the scientists who were studying him.
But after that show of force, the scientists began to laugh, their frightened expressions disappearing as fast as they came. He could hear them saying things like, "Stupid beast! That barrier is made from materials found from great black holes, you can't break it no matter how strong you think you are!"
Another said, "You can't also devour it, no matter how powerful your spiritual energy is."
Li Mo immediately felt frustrated. He knew that whatever these humans were planning on doing to him would ultimately result in his death or even worse, a long streak of enormous pain and suffering.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! He began to slam his head against every side of the barrier, its blue holographic-like surface pulsing as Li Mo slammed into it very hard and aggressively.
But the truth was this, even though the Void Eroding Soul King was a star beast of legends for its feats of devouring the souls of entire planets in seconds, its strength wasn't something that was mind blowing. Its growth was limited immediately at its birth, that much was known from the scientists' various observations of the beast from afar, so the amount of souls it devoured didn't add to its growth. ((A/N: Please note that this is what the scientist knows, but due to the system, Li Mo would be able to grow rapidly as he devours souls, that will make them believe he's a unique Void Eroding Soul King.))
Then, with a 'hiss' sound, the door to the Xenological Analysis Chamber opened, and someone with an enormous aura stepped inside the room.
Standing at a staggering 7 feet, he wore red and black armor that looked sharp and mechanical. His dark hair was styled, and his face was serious, with very defined features. He held one arm out, pointing, and behind him were faint blue rings of energy.
"So this is the Void Eroding Soul King," he said.
With his entrance, everyone turned their attention towards him, no more gazes at Li Mo. "It's Lu Chen! The Galactic Sword King."
Walking with grace and pride, Lu Chen stood in front of Li Mo. His hands touching the barrier, he was impressed by two things, the essence he was sensing from the star beast. It was nothing he had ever sensed before, such great spiritual energy; the beast lived up to its legend.
And the second was the star-shattering material the barrier was made of. To hold such a beast of such spiritual energy, that barrier was something else. But in truth, the barrier was trash when compared to the Void Eroding Soul King's spiritual energy. It was just that Li Mo was still oblivious to the fact that he had such power, because his system was currently inactive.
Still struggling to shatter the barrier, Li Mo instantly sensed the presence of Lu Chen. He immediately noticed that this man radiated an aura similar to that of a true cultivator, unlike the surrounding scientists.
A surge of relief coursed Li Mo to move toward him, thinking that perhaps this individual would sense his trapped passive spiritual energy and grant him freedom. However, as he drew closer, he sensed something profoundly different, a killing intent so fearsome that Li Mo felt as though his head was being mercilessly chopped into a thousand pieces in a single second.
Lu Chen wasn't just any cultivator, in fact, the practice of true cultivation had vanished in this era. In truth, Lu Chen was a Cosmic Soldier, a human encased in a robotic-like suit that allowed him to passively absorb Origin Energy, the primordial force that held the threads of the multiverse together. This powerful equipment allowed the soldiers to perform the same mythical feats of primitive cultivators, but at ten thousand times the magnitude, without ever needing to enter secluded meditation for years.
With a cold smirk, Lu Chen muttered, "The Million-Year Era is on the verge of realization."
He then continued aloud, "Take the Void-Eroding Soul King to the dissecting lab immediately. You need to start extracting its soul essence, we cannot afford any delay. The Million-Year Era is at hand."
"Dissecting? Million years? My soul essence?" Li Mo thought. "They are going to tear me open."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Li Mo slammed his head against the barrier again and again in a frantic attempt to escape, but it was still no use.
Full of rage and frustration, Li Mo swore he would do anything to escape the incoming torture and regain his human body. He would do anything to attain a heaven-defying luck, anything to defy the judgment of Samsara itself.
Then, a translucent blue panel suddenly materialized and hovered in front of him.
Ding!
[Soul Devouring System conditions met!]
[System is now fully active.]
[Host, Li Mo, has requested a Heaven-Defying Luck and shall receive such!]
[Active skill loading....]
[Active skill obtained!]
[Skill: Absolute Devourer added.]
[Absolute Devourer (Active)]
[This Skill allows the host to devour anything, without limitation, and absorb its fundamental essence, regardless of defense, spiritual strength, or spatial restriction.]