Chapter 3: Awakening of the Devourer

Li Tianming walked through the familiar streets of his small city, his mind clouded with thoughts about the strange surge of power he had experienced and the news about the Aurora Silk Serpent general. He needed answers, but first, he needed to get home.

As he stepped inside, the comforting scent of grilled meat filled the air. Li Yuyan sat near the window, her ethereal beauty untouched by time. Though she should have looked older, she appeared no older than her early to mid twenties, a stunning woman with a gentle yet firm presence. She smiled as she saw him.

"You're late, Tianming. Did something happen at school?" Her voice was warm, yet tinged with concern.

Li Tianming hesitated, then shook his head. "Nothing too serious, Aunt Yuyan. Just the usual sparring."

Li Yuyan narrowed her eyes slightly but didn't press further. Instead, she gestured towards the table. "Come, eat. You must be starving."

Li Tianming sat down and took a bite of the grilled venison his aunt had prepared. The smoky, rich taste melted in his mouth, but his mind was elsewhere. He picked up the newspaper lying on the table and skimmed through it. His breath hitched when he read the headline:

Aurora Silk Serpent General Discovered Committing Espionage—Now on the Run!

The article described how a high-ranking member of the Aurora Silk Serpent race, who had successfully completed the Dragon Ascension Tribulation and transformed into a true dragon, was caught extracting secrets from human officials. Severely wounded by human experts, he had used his race's unique ability to molt and be reborn in an egg. The general had gone into hiding near the outskirts of the Penglai Forest.

Li Tianming's hands trembled. Penglai Forest… That's where I hunted yesterday.

A wave of nausea hit him as the pieces clicked together. The strange white-scaled snake he had eaten… Could it have been…?

Li Yuyan noticed the change in his expression. She gently pulled him closer, letting his head rest on her lap. "Something is bothering you, child. Tell me."

Li Tianming clenched his fists. "I… I don't know what's happening to me, Aunt Yuyan. I feel like something inside me has awakened. But it's terrifying. It's like I've gained power that isn't mine."

Li Yuyan softly stroked his hair, a knowing glint flashing in her eyes. "No matter what happens, you are still you, Tianming. Power does not define a person. The choices they make with it do."

Her words comforted him, though they didn't erase his unease. After finishing his meal, he headed back to the Penglai Forest, determined to find answers.

---

Li Tianming stood in the clearing where he had hunted the strange snake. He clenched his fists, trying to summon the surge of power he had felt during his fight with Wu Jian. But no matter how much he focused, it was as if the power had vanished entirely.

"Why…? Why won't it come back?" he muttered, frustrated.

Just then, a distant explosion shook the ground beneath him. A plume of fire rose from the direction of the city. His heart pounded as he sprinted back, dreading what he would find.

When he arrived, his worst fears were realized. Houses were ablaze, people screamed, and grotesque humanoid figures covered in scales and wielding crude weapons plundered the city. Lizardmen.

A cosmic rift had opened.

Li Tianming's first instinct was to check on his home, but miraculously, his neighborhood remained untouched. However, another explosion boomed from the noble district—where Zhou Feng was training at.

"Zhou Feng!" he gasped and bolted toward the training grounds.

When he arrived, his stomach twisted at the sight before him. Zhou Feng lay injured alongside a girl, while a towering Lizardman warrior loomed over them, lifting the corpse of a slain man impaled on its spear before tossing it aside.

Panic surged through Li Tianming. His eyes darted around for a weapon, and he spotted several training daggers on the ground. Without hesitation, he grabbed them and hurled them at the Lizardman's vitals. One found its mark, stabbing into the creature's eye. The Lizardman roared in agony, clawing at its face as the other daggers bounced harmlessly off its thick scales.

"Tianming! Be careful!" Zhou Feng coughed, struggling to stand.

Li Tianming didn't respond. He dashed forward, using the Lizardman's temporary blindness to his advantage. He struck with precision, employing his Yin-Yang Fist to redirect the monster's wild attacks. But the difference in raw strength was overwhelming. He barely dodged a sweeping claw before retaliating with a brutal Military Boxing strike to its ribs. It staggered but didn't fall.

Then, the Lizardman shattered his spear and charged.

Li Tianming had no time to react before he was tackled into a stone wall, pain bursting through his body. As he slumped down, the creature loomed over him, opening its jaws wide to tear into his arm.

Is this it? Am I going to die?

Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind—the moment he devoured the Aurora Silk Serpent. A primal hunger erupted within him, drowning out his fear. Without thinking, he lunged forward and sank his teeth into the Lizardman's exposed neck.

The beast shrieked in agony, flinging him aside. But something was different. A rush of euphoria and power flooded Li Tianming's veins. Within his mind, an ancient monument appeared—massive, imposing, and eerily similar to the Heaven Boundary Monument in the Ancient Battlefield Nexus.

Golden scriptures burned into its surface: Heaven Devourer.

He barely had time to process it before reality snapped back. The enraged Lizardman charged at him once more. But now, his body felt stronger—faster. A martial technique surfaced in his mind: Fist of the Black Tortoise.

Li Tianming instinctively moved, his fist glowing with newfound power. The Lizardman's eyes widened in shock—this was a technique only one of their great chieftains knew. But it was too late.

His punch connected.

With an explosive force, the Lizardman's skull shattered.

Exhausted, Li Tianming collapsed, but before he could hit the ground, Zhou Feng caught him.

"When the hell did you get this strong?!" Zhou Feng exclaimed, awestruck. "And what was that last technique? That was insane!"

Li Tianming, still reeling from the experience, forced a smirk. "I just helped. You did most of the work."

Zhou Feng blinked before catching on. "Right… of course."

Moments later, disciples from a nearby sect arrived with an elder. They gawked at the shattered remains of the Lizardman warrior.

"Who did this?" the elder asked, eyes sharp.

"It was Zhou Feng," Li Tianming answered smoothly.

The elder nodded approvingly at Zhou Feng, who simply grinned. With the situation under control, Li Tianming returned home, relieved to see Li Yuyan knitting outside, completely unbothered by the chaos.

"Aunt Yuyan… how is this place untouched?" he asked.

She smiled faintly. "Luck, I suppose."

As he wheeled her inside, a lone surviving Lizardman approached their home. Li Yuyan's expression turned cold.She raised a hand, and with a mere gesture, the creature was sliced in two. Its body erupted into eerie blue flames, leaving nothing behind.

Oblivious, Li Tianming returned with two bowls of soup.

"Aunt Yuyan, here's your—"

She took the bowl and smiled gently. "Thank you, Tianming. Let's eat."