Chapter 180: Not Enough to Stuck in the Teeth

"You lot, stand down. These people... they're just my snacks."

Gao Yuan and the others exchanged awkward glances, then nodded. Their eyes briefly flicked toward the Soul Clan members with a mixture of pity and resignation before retreating in silence.

The Violet-Gold Lion King had many commendable traits, but if he had one peculiar flaw, it was this, perhaps he'd overdosed on medicinal pills, because every time he saw an enemy, he saw… food.

Every past intruder who came to test the boundaries of the Star Realm had been devoured by him like casual snacks.

So naturally, this time, Gao Yuan and his group weren't the least bit surprised. Especially since they all knew how terrifyingly strong he was. A full-fledged Nine-Star Dou Saint. Apart from the Palace Master himself, no one could match him.

To hear him call a fellow Nine-Star Dou Saint a "snack"? Well, somehow… it didn't even seem that far-fetched anymore.

But unlike Gao Yuan's crew, the towering black-flame figure in the sky, Void Swallowing Flame, was seething with fury.

He was Void Swallowing Flame! A devourer of worlds, a nightmare incarnate. When had anyone ever dared to call him a snack?

A low, frigid snarl escaped him. Without another word, he flicked a command to his followers, then disappeared in a blur, lunging directly at the Violet-Gold Lion King.

BOOM!

A hand extended—fingers covered in seething black runes—and pointed downward.

The skies of the Star Realm shattered instantly. Below, the world trembled as mountains crumbled and space fractured.

Amidst an all-consuming sea of black flames, a colossal finger of black fire—so vast it seemed to blot out the heavens—descended like divine judgment, crashing toward the Violet-Gold Lion King.

Even the fabric of this realm could not withstand that single strike. Space ruptured. Reality buckled.

Everyone watching felt their hearts constrict—until, in the next instant, the Lion King took a single step forward.

Violet-gold light erupted from his body.

WMMM—

A radiant divine glow exploded outward, engulfing the Star Realm. The sky below was sealed off, shielded entirely.

Above him, violet-gold divine radiance condensed. The next second, a beam of terrifying divine light surged forth like a blade across blank parchment, leaving an ink-black scar across the heavens. Space buckled, void fractured.

Whoosh!

The black flame finger, veined with cursed sigils of profound complexity, was already reeling. It had been shattered once before by the Violet-Gold Lion King—and this time, Void Swallowing Flame remained on guard.

But the sigils brimmed with annihilative devouring force. All surrounding space froze—every trace of energy drawn in and consumed.

Hmph.

With a snort, the Violet-Gold Lion King showed not the slightest interest in the complex sigils before him. His eyes dismissed Void Swallowing Flame above with disdain.

"Break."

With a casual utterance, divine light erupted once again. In the blink of an eye, it pierced through the void and shattered the sealed sigil-laden space.

The beam of violet-gold divine light shot through the massive finger, boring a radiant tunnel through it.

Energy burst forth. The radiant light surged down the giant black finger, the dark fire flickering like snow under sunlight—melting away at once. One sweep of divine light, and even the embers vanished into nothingness.

"Pfft. Flashy nonsense."

Breaking through Void Swallowing Flame's attack in a flash, the Violet-Gold Lion King sneered.

What good were flashy attacks? In his eyes, strength ruled all. If your fists were strong enough, you didn't need tricks—you could punch anything to death.

"My turn."

With a stomp, the Lion King's body surged with violent energy. Blood-red life force roared out from within him.

Above his head, the violet-gold divine light was suddenly tinged with blood.

The sheer power of that blood aura sent shivers down the spines of Gao Yuan and the others—they all instinctively took a few steps back.

They had no choice.

The Lion King's blood energy was too overpowering. Its release alone caused their own blood to boil—as though facing a blazing sun, unbearably intense.

"How many Blood Vitality Pills has Lord Zi Jin eaten?!"

A beautiful woman behind Gao Yuan couldn't stop herself from exclaiming. She had never seen him unleash his blood aura before—and now, for the first time, she understood what kind of monstrous beast he truly was.

"I don't know. But I've seen him pop Nine-Marked, Grade-Eight Blood Vitality Pills like they were candy."

One of the six, an elderly man at the early stage of Seven-Star Dou Saint, added with awe. He had once witnessed such a scene—and it had never left him.

"Grade-Eight... Nine-Marked?!"

The words stunned everyone. Even someone as strong as Gao Yuan trembled slightly.

They could barely handle Nine-Marked, Grade-Four pills—if they took a Grade-Eight, wouldn't their bodies just explode from the sheer blood force?

ROAR!

The Lion King's blood energy surged, stirring the void itself. The world trembled violently, unable to withstand the rampant power.

Above him, the divine violet-gold light mixed with the blood aura, radiating a terrifying wave of energy.

Void Swallowing Flame felt a sudden, visceral sense of dread—a sense of imminent death.

"Not good!"

Black flames erupted from within him. He launched finger after finger, each bursting with power. His eyes filled with alarm—despite reaching the peak of Nine-Star Dou Saint, he hadn't expected to once again feel such a mortal threat.

"Violet-Gold Divine Light, BREAK!"

In a flash, a brilliant divine beam shot forth, tearing through the heavens.

Every titanic finger he launched was disintegrated the moment the divine light touched it. None could stand before its might.

The divine light, fused with a blood-red aura, surged like judgment itself.

"NO!"

Void Swallowing Flame howled. A black vortex formed in front of him, devouring flames pouring into it—attempting to counter the incoming blast with the full force of his devouring flame.

Whoosh!

The violet-gold divine light pierced through in an instant, breaking past the vortex and directly impaling Void Swallowing Flame from behind.

Powerful divine energy and life force erupted within him.

Void Swallowing Flame's eyes widened in horror. A mere mount—this beast's cultivation actually surpassed even Hun Tiandi?

Impossible!

The divine light tore through his body. His soul and flesh began to unravel and burn away under the pressure of the blood energy and divine glow.

Whoosh!

Not far off, the Violet-Gold Lion King stirred, its massive form shooting through the air. Its blood-colored maw gaped wide, poised to swallow everyone present in a single gulp.

Trying desperately to suppress the divine force within him, Void Swallowing Flame realized he couldn't keep up. In that moment, his eyes turned resolute.

Glancing back at the Soul Clan behind him, Void Swallowing Flame furrowed his brow. The terrifying energy within his body condensed in an instant—then detonated without warning.

"Go!"

A burst of overwhelming power erupted, shredding open a rift in the Star Realm itself. A stream of black flame shot into the newly formed spatial passageway.

The Soul Clan members behind him quickly regained their senses and, with panicked haste, dashed in after him.

"Hmph."

Just as Void Swallowing Flame and the two Seven-Star Dou Saints stepped into the spatial passage, the Violet-Gold Lion King's gaping jaws descended.

In a single gulp, it devoured the passageway and several of the Soul Clan's elite along with it.

Crrrk... crkk...

With just two chews, it swallowed everything down. The Violet-Gold Lion King paused to savor the taste, but its eyes soon darkened with heavy displeasure.

"Pah! Disgusting. Not even enough to get stuck between my teeth!"

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