Parasitic Evil, Lurking in the Shadows

The Nine Heavens Holy Domain.

Lei Zhentian sat cross-legged in a secluded chamber.

His fingers traced the smooth surface of a translucent spirit device (smartphone), his brow furrowed in deep thought.

The faint glow of the screen illuminated his grim expression.

"This thing Master Qin gave me… is quite peculiar," he muttered under his breath, scrolling through the myriad interfaces of the Great Network: "What’s this ‘Circle of Friends,’ ‘Group Chats,’ ‘TikTok Multiverse Edition’—so flashy and pointless…"

After a moment’s hesitation, he opened the communication interface linked to the Netherfrost Divine Domain.

"Hmph, now that the Great War is over, I’m not one to hold grudges…"

Though they had slapped him left and right back then, at least his life had been spared.

Lei Zhentian snorted coldly and began typing on the virtual keyboard: [Domain Master Su, my apologies for past offenses. You are welcome to visit the Nine Heavens Holy Domain at your convenience—]

!!

Before he could finish, his body suddenly stiffened.

The temperature in the chamber plummeted.

Drip—

A thick, viscous liquid fell onto his shoulder, sizzling as it corroded his robes.

Lei Zhentian’s pupils constricted as he slowly, stiffly, raised his head—

A writhing mass of black mist spread across the ceiling like a living thing, twisting and undulating.

Within the mist, a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened, locking onto him with an unblinking gaze.

This aura… a Malignant Abomination!!

"Wha—?!"

Lei Zhentian leaped to his feet, unleashing the crushing pressure of an Eternal Realm expert!

But in the next instant—

Thud!!

A jagged bone spike shot from the mist, piercing straight through his chest in a spray of blood!

"Gah—!"

With a furious roar, lightning erupted from his palm as he slashed backward!

Boom!

The blast shattered the chamber walls, but amidst the dust and debris, a sickening series of clicks and cracks echoed.

Moonlight spilled through the broken ceiling, revealing the monster’s true form—

A humanoid abomination wreathed in black mist, its back adorned with eight spider-like bone limbs lined with hooked barbs.

Its head split into four petal-like jaws, each lined with rows of jagged teeth, currently chewing on one of Lei Zhentian’s severed arms!

Crunch. Crunch.

"The Domain Lord of the Nine Heavens? Hah… Eternal Realm flesh is quite the delicacy."

"But you’re weaker than I expected."

"Father ordered me to deal with you. I was curious what kind of opponent awaited."

"Turns out… you’re just trash."

The abomination’s voice was hoarse, its icy gaze boring into Lei Zhentian.

The latter’s scalp prickled with terror.

A Malignant Abomination… one that could speak.

Speech…

"The Gluttony Series…"

And from the looks of it, not a first-stage one either.

Damn it, what’s its rule-based ability?!

Lei Zhentian’s hair stood on end. As an Eternal Realm expert, he stood at the pinnacle of the Great World’s power hierarchy.

Yet even a powerhouse like him feared one type of abomination above all—

The Gluttony Series!!

Their rules were bizarre and unpredictable. A single misstep meant certain death!

He had once witnessed his own Eternal Realm master confront a Gluttony Series abomination—only to collapse in three steps, bleeding from every orifice.

It wasn’t until millions perished that they uncovered its rule:

No one could approach within three meters of it.

Stay longer than three seconds, and death was guaranteed.

But this one?

What was its deal?

"Father’s orders"? It sounded like it had come specifically for him.

Damn it all!!

"Bastard!!"

Lei Zhentian coughed blood, crushing a jade talisman in desperation.

A Holy Domain alarm talisman—its activation should have sent tremors throughout the entire realm.

Yet the golden light that burst forth was swallowed by the black mist, vanishing without a trace.

"Useless."

The abomination grinned, its bone limbs raining down like spears!

"This world belongs to ‘us’ tonight!"

Thud! Thud! Thud—!

"Ghk—!"

Impaled through the flesh, Lei Zhentian was pinned to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.

His lightning essence, his Eternal Realm physique—against this abomination, they might as well have been paper.

"You… you’re no ordinary abomination…" he gasped. "The Heavenly Dao… the Heavenly Dao won’t allow—"

"The Heavenly Dao?"

The abomination sneered, leaning in close to whisper in his ear: "Right now… it can barely protect itself."

Before Lei Zhentian could react, its four-petaled jaws snapped open—

Crunch—!

The sound of shattering skull echoed through the silent chamber.

Moments later.

"Lei Zhentian" slowly stood up, rolling his neck with a series of pops.

He examined his hands, lips curling into an unnatural smile.

"This body… will do."

With a wave of his hand, screams erupted outside the chamber.

Through the broken windows, countless shadowy figures could be seen swarming through the Nine Heavens Holy Domain.

Malignant Abominations were devouring or parasitizing the realm’s cultivators en masse.

"Hurry it up," ‘Lei Zhentian’ commanded coldly.

"By dawn, I want the Nine Heavens Holy Domain… transformed into a ‘Nest’!"

"Don’t let my siblings outdo us!"

The shadows howled in response, the slaughter intensifying.

The same scene was unfolding across multiple Holy Domains—

The Frostsky Holy Domain, the Blazing Heaven Holy Domain… all had fallen under siege this very night.

Only the Starry Divine Palace, due to its unique nature, remained untouched—for now.

Unbeknownst to ‘Lei Zhentian,’ however…

Two figures lurked in the shadows, having witnessed everything.

Qin Luo and Su Muwan.

After divining Lei Zhentian’s impending doom, Qin Luo had used his spatial leap ability to bring Su Muwan here.

Their presence remained undetected, cloaked by the shadows.

Su Muwan stared at the scene, her mind reeling.

Wait—

Hold on a second!!

What did I just see?!

A Domain Lord… got eaten?!

"Qin Luo? Was this your doing?!"

She whirled toward him, incredulous.

After all, hadn’t Qin Luo pulled similar stunts before—impersonating others with his own people?

And why drag her here? She’d been happily enjoying barbecue! Who wanted to watch this nightmare fuel?!

Qin Luo shook his head. "This time, it really wasn’t me."

His gaze returned to the gruesome spectacle.

From this, one thing was clear:

These deaths were tied to the Malignant Abominations.

But… it couldn’t be that simple.

There were likely multiple factors at play.

The abomination’s mention of "Father’s orders" suggested a targeted mission.

And its claim that the Heavenly Dao was "barely protecting itself"—was that due to the Heavenly Dao’s current madness?

Just then—

[Master, this abomination is my elder brother. I can also sense the presence of my other siblings.]

Xing Xuan’s voice echoed in Qin Luo’s mind.

He froze.

Xing Xuan’s brother?

Who’s your father?

[Reporting to Master, my father is… the Bone Shepherd.]

Ah.

Now it all made sense.

That bastard again.

[Master, for them to gather here under Father’s command… he must be planning to cleanse this world.]

Qin Luo nodded.

Doctor Ya had once mentioned that the Bone Shepherd, to prevent the Heavenly Dao from recovering, would hunt down three types of beings: the Fated Ones, the Scavengers, and the Ultimate Antagonists.

Did that mean the Great World was now in his crosshairs?

But something didn’t add up…

Qin Luo once again thought about the [Nether River] token he had obtained earlier.

Would the Lord of the Nether Frost suddenly hand you a token for no reason?

No, there was only one possible explanation.

Unbeknownst to him—or perhaps Su Muwan—they had already been dragged onto a vast, unseen chessboard.

So then... the Nether River, the Abominations, and...

Qin Luo took a deep breath, his gaze sharpening with clarity.

And one more... the Heavenly Dao.

The deaths of everyone involved must be tied to the power struggle between these three forces.