Chapter 389: Domain
When they shot up rapidly from the depths of the Styx-like space, they devoured the glowing planet that Zane's [Divine Realm] had evolved.
Then they filled the entire space, seamlessly closing in on Zane.
The howling wind roared in Zane's ears, carrying with it the putrid, overwhelming stench of the murky Nether Dragons.
Unlike the chaotic "cloud of darkness" surrounding Zane, Death, in the form of a pure white giant, stood leisurely above the empty void.
Its head tilted slightly downward as if observing Zane with its unseen eyes, speaking mockingly:
"Do you have a death wish?"
"Or are you truly an outsider, or perhaps you've grown so fast that you've missed some basic knowledge?"
"Don't you know that within a Domain, the Lord holds absolute advantage?"
"For example, in my Domain, everything here is the manifestation of my rules."
"What could you possibly use to fight me, Zane Sy?!"
"Hehehe… Finally, I can consume a seed that truly contains the power of Eight-Dimensional Death..."
"This is going to be exciting. I wonder if it will help me break through to the next level!"
Toward the end, the voice turned into a charming, flirtatious feminine tone, and even the rough facial contours of the pure white giant softened into the delicate, sinister curves unique to a woman.
The giant "watched" as Zane was surrounded by countless Nether Dragons, besieged with no escape, and one could clearly sense the smug, self-satisfied expression emanating from its indistinct face.
…
It seemed to already envision Zane's small, helpless body being torn open by sharp claws or devoured by gaping, razor-toothed maws.
Yet at this moment, Zane remained completely still. Though there was space to evade, he stood there like he was dazed.
Hearing Death's arrogant words, Zane murmured in response:
"An nvincible Domain, huh?"
"Unfortunately, this flimsy rule doesn't seem to apply to me..."
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
Suddenly, an enormous phoenix emerged from Zane's body, spewing black flames that instantly engulfed the entire swarm of dragons.
Then, with a sharp inhale from the phoenix's beak, the writhing swarm of dragons, like stumbling four-legged centipedes, were sucked in one after another.
In an instant, the entire Domain was dominated by the sight of a phoenix cloaked in towering flames, letting out bursts of jubilant cries.
As if digesting its meal, the phoenix flew across the space, emitting guttural gurgling sounds from its throat, before finally circling down to land on Zane.
The pure white giant's voice turned into a deep, gruff male tone, now filled with panic and disbelief:
"How is this possible?!!!"
"This is the Phoenix Force that has evaded detection in the Main Universe for so long!"
"And what's more… something unheard of..."
"It has chosen its master of its own accord!"
Although the Transcendent had previously instructed Zane not to recklessly refine the Phoenix Force hanging around his neck, and told him that gathering all of the Phoenix Force would bring an unexpected surprise,
Zane himself didn't know why, when he was meditating to break through to the eighth dimension, the black power within the bead unconsciously flowed into his body.
Because of this, he was able to level up to the eighth dimension so quickly.
Afterward, he sensed his Death Force, which had previously been tethered to the large spherical head of the Planet Devourer.
When he tried to drag it back, to his surprise, he succeeded.
In an instant, he transformed the Planet Devourer's soul body.
Perhaps because the Planet Devourer was, after all, one of the five founding gods of the Marvel Universe, the memories Zane obtained from the transformation were limited.
Fortunately, the coordinates of Death's domain were preserved in the fragmented memories captured by Zane.
At the same time, Zane also successfully completed the system's task of "killing a Planet Devourer."
As expected, he drew an SS-ranked attack skill.
Following the memories of the Planet Devourer, Zane arrived at the Domain.
At this moment, after hearing Death mention that the Phoenix Force had never chosen a master on its own before, Zane suddenly thought:
Perhaps the "surprise" the Transcendent had mentioned about gathering the Phoenix Force was exactly this—the Phoenix Force choosing its master of its own accord.
Unexpectedly, Zane stumbled into this outcome ahead of time.
"No wonder you've been able to break through to the eighth dimension so quickly—a level that even the Celestial Host has been unable to reach in billions of years."
The pure white giant, the embodiment of Death, slowly descended from above and began walking toward Zane:
"Interestingly enough, the Phoenix Force is the exact opposite of me, Death. It is the pure embodiment of life and emotional power in this Omniverse."
"Born from the chaos of the universe and the inception of all things, it could be considered the child of this omniversal epoch."
"However, as its consciousness has yet to awaken, it does not have a tangible, embodied form like the four of us."
"As a result, it exists in countless fragments, endlessly wandering across universes, searching for suitable hosts—absorbing human emotions to fill itself."
"When it completely controls the thoughts of an unfortunate human host, that host loses all value."
"At that point, the Phoenix Force revives itself, destroys its previous host, and seeks the next one."
"We four, who are the incarnations of cosmic concepts, have no interest in it."
"And it has no interest in the soulless Celestials. Without an awakened host, it's nearly impossible for anyone in this universe to notice its existence."
"So, for all these years, we've only known that there might be a Phoenix fragment in the main universe."
"But it was never discovered."
"Yet somehow, you—this kid—got lucky and stumbled upon it. Not only that, but you're the first person it has ever chosen as its master on its own."
"Which has left me a bit confused. I can't figure out if it's because of some invisible luck protecting you, or because the Phoenix Force absorbed all the attacks for you."
"That's why you were able to stand there unscathed despite my Death Legion's relentless attacks."
"But that doesn't matter now…"
"After all, it's just a large fragment—not even the White Phoenix."
The pure white giant strode forward, approaching Zane:
"I've said this before—I am the manifestation of all life in the Omniverse."
"That means if I want someone dead, they die; if I want someone alive, they live."
"Even though the Phoenix Force within you doesn't quite qualify as a life form yet, in my Domain, I can still suppress it."
The pure white giant pointed a finger at the flaming phoenix surrounding Zane. With a slight motion, the phoenix let out a hoarse cry.
In the next instant, it transformed into a stream of black light and was drawn back into the black bead hanging around Zane's neck.
At the same time...
*************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is Lord_Immortal_0170