Chapter 22

Lin Fan tossed aside the polymeric battery, its once-functional core reduced to useless scrap.

He flexed his fingers, feeling the faint heat linger on his palm.

[Energy Value: 98%]

A mere fraction of a fraction had been replenished.

"Absorbing this kind of energy is completely inefficient."

His mind turned over the problem.

The energy within his body was vast, far beyond what any ordinary source could replenish quickly. Even restoring 2% required an astronomical amount of energy.

I need something bigger.

His golden eyes flickered as an idea formed.

"Ebony Maw."

The sorcerer materialized before him instantly, bowing slightly.

"Sire?"

"Are there any abandoned planets in the Chitauri's territory? Ones that are completely uninhabitable?"

Ebony Maw tilted his head slightly at the unusual request.

"Uninhabitable planets?" he repeated.

A brief pause. Then—realization.

Planets suitable for life were rare, but barren wastelands? Those were everywhere.

"We have plenty," he answered. "Do you have any specific requirements?"

Lin Fan's expression remained calm.

"Yes. The bigger, the better."

Ebony Maw's eyes narrowed slightly.

A barren world… massive in size…

Was Lin Fan planning to devour an entire planet's energy?

He had seen many things, but this was something else entirely.

Still, he asked no questions.

"Understood. I will find one immediately."

---

Temple One descended back into the main star system of the Dark Quadrant.

Ebony Maw had found the perfect candidate.

A massive, barren planet roughly the size of Earth.

Its atmosphere was filled with thick carbon dioxide clouds, forming an endless downpour of acid rain.

Temperatures soared under a relentless greenhouse effect, and winds screamed across its surface at thousands of kilometers per hour.

A world of sulfuric acid and storms.

Unfit for life. Unfit for civilization.

And for everyone else in the universe?

Completely worthless.

But to Lin Fan?

It was perfect.

---

His form flickered, materializing on the planet's surface.

Acidic rain pounded the land in sheets, but an invisible shockwave of ki radiated from his body, creating a protective barrier.

He stood still for a moment, absorbing the chaotic energy around him.

Then, he exhaled.

"This will do."

With a simple step, the ground beneath his feet split apart like paper.

Lin Fan's body sank into the depths, carving through the planet like a blade through flesh.

He passed through layers of rock and molten stone, effortlessly crossing the crust, mantle, and deeper still—

Until he reached it.

The planetary core.

A swirling ocean of liquid iron, burning at over 5,000 degrees Celsius under immense pressure.

It was hot. Incredibly hot.

But compared to the stellar flames of Nidavellir?

It was nothing.

Lin Fan hovered in the blazing void, the molten core churning around him.

He stretched out his hand.

A whisper left his lips.

"Begin."

---

[Meet the criteria for Energy Devouring. Initiating absorption.]

A silent tremor shook the planet.

Then—

The core began to collapse.

A force like a black hole surged outward from Lin Fan's body, drawing in unimaginable levels of thermal and kinetic energy.

The temperature plummeted.

The liquid iron around him froze, solidifying into brittle rock.

The once-molten mantle hardened, its raging magma veins reduced to lifeless stone.

And above, on the planet's surface—

The violent storms weakened.

The ceaseless acid rain slowed.

Because the heart of the world—the engine that powered its climate—was being devoured.

---

One week passed.

Lin Fan's eyes snapped open.

His status panel flickered to life.

[Energy Value: 100%… 101%… 102%…]

The numbers kept climbing.

He had reached full capacity days ago—but the energy kept flowing, pushing past his limits.

His body wasn't rejecting it.

It was adapting. Expanding.

When the planetary core finally cooled to a mere 500 degrees, the process stopped.

[Energy Value: 150%]

Lin Fan clenched his fist.

The difference was noticeable.

His energy pool was no longer static.

It could grow.

It would grow.

He had always known there was no upper limit to his power.

But now, he had a way to push it further.

There were countless planets in the universe. Countless stars.

And if absorbing a single planet could increase his energy reserves by 50%…

What would happen if he took more?

Lin Fan rose from the dead planet's core, emerging into the darkened sky above.

His golden gaze turned toward the stars.

The hunt for the Stones would continue.

And now—

He had no limits.

---