Within the endless void, there was nothing but an infinite sea of stars, each burning like a massive fireball. Silence ruled this boundless darkness—until it was shattered.
Without warning, an earth-shattering roar erupted from the depths of the cosmos.
Zhuo Riyan felt his soul tremble.
He turned toward the sound just in time to see a terrifying sight bearing down upon him from the farthest reaches of the starfield—a colossal ball of black-purple thunder, rolling through space like an unstoppable apocalypse.
Then, wings unfurled.
Magnificent wings of lightning tore open the void, their radiance so overwhelming that all surrounding stars dimmed in comparison. As the creature drew closer, Zhuo Riyan's breath stopped completely.
It was as large as the entire starfield itself.
Every single stream of thunder that burst from its body was not mere lightning—each one was formed from billions of stars, crushed together into violent cosmic energy.
It was a Thunderfiend Genesis.
Wherever it passed, entire constellations were ripped free from their orbits. Countless stars were dragged into burning streams, spiraling helplessly toward the creature's gaping maw. It swallowed them effortlessly.
It was like watching a monster slurp noodles—
except every single strand was made from billions of dying stars.
Zhuo Riyan could not even comprehend what he was seeing. His mind screamed at him to flee, but his soul was nailed in place as he continued to follow the Thunderfiend Genesis drifting through the void, devouring everything in its path—utterly indifferent to whether the suns it consumed once harbored life.
Then, one day—
A huge dark hand appeared from beyond the stars.
The instant it emerged, the Thunderfiend Genesis froze.
Fear exploded from its massive body.
It screamed in absolute panic and immediately tried to flee.
Zhuo Riyan's mind reeled.
What kind of existence could terrify even that monster?
As it fled, the creature did something unthinkable—it began consuming its own thunder, shrinking itself rapidly, tearing apart its own power just to escape. Each time the dark hand descended, thousands of lightning bolts burst outward, and every bolt birthed new stars in midair.
Then the void trembled with a voice.
"Henceforth and forevermore, I am the master of all primordial cosmic and reincarnation."
The sound alone crushed the starfield with absolute authority, reducing everything within the realm into an endless base state of terror.
Zhuo Riyan felt that fear seep into him like poison. His entire body went numb as the Thunderfiend Genesis finally lost the strength to resist. Its wings faltered.
It tumbled helplessly from the stars.
Just as its life was about to be extinguished…
Its massive eyes suddenly locked onto Zhuo Riyan.
A terrifying pressure slammed into his consciousness.
"What… what the fuck are you…" Zhuo Riyan barely realized how hoarse his voice had become.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
The Genesis stared at him silently for one long moment.
Then its voice echoed through his soul like a dying thunderclap.
"I am… the Cosmic Thunderfiend Genesis."
As the cosmic vision shattered into fragments of light, Zhuo Riyan felt a sharp sting on his face.
"Khh—!"
His consciousness snapped back into his own room. The familiar scent of old wood and night air rushed into his nose. Before he could even process what had happened, something small and warm was sitting on his shoulder.
Meow.
Meow.
"Oy—what the fuck—!"
Zhuo Riyan grabbed the little black cat by the waist and lifted it in front of his face, his heart still pounding wildly from the vision. The single star still flickered in its eyes, but it no longer expanded into that terrifying starfield he had just witnessed.
"You… a Cosmic Thunderfiend Genesis?" he muttered, staring at the tiny creature in his hand.
"Yeah, pretty badass, eh?" the little cat shot back, struggling in his grip like an arrogant brat.
Zhuo Riyan's eye twitched.
"And what exactly is a Cosmic Thunderfiend Genesis?"
"One of the Primordial Cosmic Beasts!"
"And?"
"I too wish I knew."
"…Then what the hell do you even know?"
The cat glared at him. "Give me a break. I just fucking hatched and the first thing I see is your stupid face. What do you think I know?"
Getting verbally abused by a newborn cat was not how Zhuo Riyan imagined his night would go.
Still, he knew better than anyone—this thing was not ordinary. If one egg hatched into something like this, what about the other eight still sleeping inside his lifebound space?
A beast that devoured suns.
A hand that controlled the universe.
And now, this foul-mouthed little cat was his lifebound beast.
Zhuo Riyan felt his blood heat up.
His spirit burned.
"Will you do symbiotic cultivation with me?" he asked seriously.
The cat froze for a second.
Then it squinted at him.
"Dual cultivation with a cat? Damn, didn't know you were into some freaky shit."
"…?"
Zhuo Riyan stood there, completely dumbfounded. His brain short-circuited for a moment.
How the hell could a cat be this vulgar?
The little cat puffed out its chest shamelessly.
"Well, if master wants it that badly, I guess I'll sacrifice something for yoooouuu."
A chill shot straight down Zhuo Riyan's spine.
"Nope. Absolutely fucking not."
He instinctively hurled the cat onto the bed and backed away, covering himself with both hands like his life depended on it.
His face had gone pale.
"My lifebound beast is a pervert… I'm fucking doomed."
The cat landed safely on the bed, rolled once, then calmly started licking its paw like nothing had happened.
"Relax. I was joking. Mostly."
It glanced at him sideways.
"But I can do symbiotic cultivation with you—on one condition."
Zhuo Riyan stiffened.
A beat later, his fear vanished, replaced by burning excitement. He rushed over in two steps, eyes shining.
"Really? What condition?!"
The little cat stopped licking its paw.
Its single star glowed faintly.
And it smiled.
The little cat's eyes gleamed as it grinned wickedly.
"You have to take revenge for me. That hand you saw— it's the one that killed me. You wanted revenge anyway… how about this one too?"
Zhuo Riyan froze.
That hand was far beyond a Cosmic Beast. Something that could terrify even a Thunderfiend Genesis. And he was now a cripple.
He stared at the little cat in silence, his mind racing.
If I agree, I'll have to face that thing someday… That's fucking impossible.
If I refuse… then I lose this chance.
Then another thought surfaced.
Why the hell does it matter? I'll just agree now… and worry about that shit later.
An evil smile slowly spread across his face.