Chapter Twenty: The Divine Feast!!!

Xia Xiu took out the DNA template solution of the Pedrosa species, which was contained in a glass syringe. Through the glass, he could see the liquid inside shimmering with an indigo hue. He inserted the syringe into the vein of his left hand and slowly pulled back the plunger.

Before long, the entire dose of the Pedrosa species DNA template solution had been injected into his body.

Rumbling—

Veins bulged on Xia Xiu’s right hand, and his blood began to boil rapidly, cascading like a waterfall. He immediately activated the Flesh Shaping Technique to manipulate his blood, transporting the boiling blood throughout his body.

Pop— Pop—

Six indigo crystal spikes protruded from his back, followed by two emerging from his chest. Countless silicon-based crystal scales spread from his neck across his entire body.

Hissing, the pain was excruciating!

Enduring the agony, Xia Xiu raised the suppressant.

Gurgling.

With a gulp, the entire vial of divine meal was swallowed into his stomach.

After ingesting the divine meal, the turbulent blood began to flow smoothly again, and the mutations on Xia Xiu’s body slowly began to stabilize.

At the same moment, his spiritual form began to detach from his body. He once again entered a state of sublimation, his spirit being siphoned into the Ocean of Ether.

A melodious song echoed in Xia Xiu’s ears. He seemed to see a figure seated upon a throne, surrounded by six towering figures standing guard like generals at the ruler’s side.

“The power of the gods has been seized,
Yet it turns against itself,
Thus the multitude’s hollow glory falls,
Into mud and filth;
The scavengers begin their feast,
Fulfilling the tyrant’s vision.”

The mixed voices of men and women continued to resonate in Xia Xiu’s ears. He found himself involuntarily singing along, his personal will gradually dissolving within the music.

Xia Xiu saw the figure on the throne rise and address the assembly:

“I have traversed the dream’s drifting ice; faced the desolate domains of the ancients.
I have borne their disgraceful power, crossing endless epochs.
I have witnessed countless worlds of death, and slain death itself.
I have glimpsed within our creators, beholding eternity unfolding.
Knowing that our promised land draws near.

And with our own hands, we shall build it.”

As these words fell, the world before Xia Xiu’s eyes was overturned. When he opened them again, he found himself within an endless flesh-colored expanse. The flesh writhed like a worm, and corrosive mucus dripped endlessly downward.

An indescribable terror filled Xia Xiu’s soul. Horrified, he realized his feet were sinking downward—half his body already submerged within the flesh.

As he descended, a strange hunger suddenly overwhelmed his spirit. Instinctively, he opened his mouth and bit into the flesh.

A parchment of the Desire Flesh lineage appeared in the flesh-colored space. As Xia Xiu took his first bite, deep crimson characters began to emerge automatically upon it.

[Nälkä Subsystem Temporary Installation—]
[Divine Meal Moment—]
[Alien Conflict Detected—Pedrosa Species]
[Flesh Gift → Flesh Embrace]
[New Entry Added—Flesh Shaping: Pedrosa Species]

As Xia Xiu devoured the flesh like a starving hound, sixty seconds of spiritual vision ended.

Suddenly, a massive black hole appeared beneath him, pulling him downward into oblivion.

His spirit fell endlessly, as if descending into a bottomless abyss.

Time became blurred and distorted; he could not tell how long he had fallen.

One year? Ten years? Or merely a moment?

Just as Xia Xiu’s consciousness began to waver, he was expelled from the black hole, his spirit drifting within the Ocean of Ether.

What was that?!

Xia Xiu instinctively reached out his hand.

At that moment, he saw an indescribable colossal entity. A star was being swallowed by endless flesh, thousands of writhing tentacles and eyes enveloping it.

With the star’s devouring, a silent terror engulfed him.

So, I was inside it just now...

[Spiritual Control Lost!!!]
[Initiating Forced Logout—]

The Red Book appeared, blocking Xia Xiu’s entranced gaze.

Bang—

Present world, Room Six.

The star tracks in the room spun wildly, the rims producing a sharp, sizzling friction sound accompanied by brief but bright sparks.

“Cough, cough, cough—uugh—”

Xia Xiu knelt half down, clutching his throat and retching continuously. His face was ashen, his entire body drenched in sweat.

“Sixty cans... two hundred cans of fire liquid, twenty curse tablets—placed around the island... one can of red death...” Xia Xiu muttered incoherent words with bloodshot eyes.

“Damn... I didn’t expect such a strong aftereffect...” After five minutes, Xia Xiu finally began to recover.

This is no longer a game, and he is no longer a player.

The advancement of the Desire Flesh lineage differs from the normal lineage. It is not achieved through learning, but through constant communion with the Ocean of Ether, continual audience with “The Boundless That Covers,” and ongoing guidance of flesh shaping and divine meals.

To put it simply, the normal lineage advances through study and tests—steady and reliable progress.

Most abnormal lineages, however, advance by wagering their very lives.

In the previous life, many players switched to the Desire Flesh lineage, but none survived a single expansion smiling. The deeper they progressed, the more they attracted the gaze of the six overlords from the otherworld.

“The Boundless That Covers” itself is blind and driven only by instinct, but it is accompanied by six overlord entities from another realm at its side.

Legend has it that Aran, after enduring the six trials of the overlords, mastered the rituals and practice of Desire Flesh, ascending beyond mortal constraints.

In the previous life, players undergoing “Divine Meals” merely watched their game system update entries, as if playing a text-based game:

[You are undergoing a Divine Meal]
[You have gained such-and-such ability]
[You have gained such-and-such curse]
[You have died]

This was the scene of players undergoing divine meals. Xia Xiu, of course, no longer naïvely considered himself a player. This containment ritual was something he had seen in a strategy guide in his previous life, boasting a 79% success rate.

Such a high success rate was worth the attempt. Besides, he was now at the Stag Academy; even if he lost control, he trusted they would contain and manage him. He could not die no matter what.

As expected, he succeeded.

The aftereffects were strong, and he was still recovering.

Memories of “The Boundless That Covers” began to fade from his mind. That terrifying figure was now impossible to recall, but the fear it instilled would not dissipate so easily.

Xia Xiu slapped his own cheek, then summoned the parchment and looked at the new entry.

[Flesh Shaping—Pedrosa Species]
Cost: 100 spirit/minute (cost reduced by 50% after siliconization)
[Sub-entries: Jet Crystal Blades, Limb Regeneration, Siliconization]