Chapter 881: Lord of the Void

Darkness enveloped everything, devouring even the faintest trace of light.

Time lost all meaning—it could have been a thousand years or merely a fleeting moment.

Ling Feng was certain he was doomed. At that moment, he couldn't even lift a finger, let alone fight back.

Then, suddenly, the tentacles coiled around him loosened their grip. In their place, a faint black translucent barrier enveloped him, shielding him from the corrosive malevolent qi of the Nether-River Deadwater.

Beside him, Jiang Biyi lay unconscious, battered but seemingly unharmed.

What's going on? Are we being kept as emergency rations?

Ling Feng blinked.

That can't be, right?

Given the monster's size, the three people it had eaten earlier shouldn't have been enough to fill it up. And even if they were being stored for later, why bother shielding them?

As he puzzled over this, a terrifying gaze swept over him.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Ling Feng looked up.

Two enormous eyes stared down at him—so massive that craning his neck didn't even let him see the creature's full face.

"

Roar...

"

The beast growled, but unlike its earlier mindless roars, this sound carried an odd, almost deliberate tone.

"Are you... talking to me?"

Ling Feng swallowed hard, eyeing the colossal creature warily.

It might not be as terrifying as Ke Weili's three-headed colossal monster, Eboregth, but it was still far beyond anything he could hope to defeat.

"

Roar...

"

The beast growled again. Then, a tentacle shot toward him—but stopped mid-air, hovering without attacking.

A pair of smaller eyes opened beneath the tentacle, scrutinizing Ling Feng intently.

Sweat dripped down Ling Feng's forehead. He had no idea what this thing wanted.

After a long pause, a grotesque face formed on the tentacle's surface. It muttered in strange tongues before finally speaking in human words:

"Human... why do you carry the aura of the devilkin?"

"You can talk?!"

Ling Feng stared at the tentacle's hideous face, but at least it was something he could reason with.

"The great Lord of the Void, Kaezik, possessed the highest level of intelligence among his race!" The monster's cold gaze bore into him. "Now answer my question!"

Ling Feng's mind raced.

This thing has an ego... time to play along!

"O Great Lord!"

Ling Feng started with flattery, forcing a smile. "To answer that, I must first speak of the illustrious Queen Ke Weili Gulandor!"

If this beast was also from the void, maybe it knew Ke Weili.

Sure enough, Kaezik stiffened. "You speak of Queen Ke Weili, the most exceptional of the Gulandor Clan?"

Wait, she's a queen?

Ling Feng quickly nodded. "Yes! The very same! My abilities were bestowed by Her Majesty!"

"

Hmm...

The Void Eye is indeed her power." The tentacle's eyes narrowed. "But last this lord heard, before this lord's imprisonment, Queen Ke Weili had been captured by those damned Immortals. You're barely more than a child. How could you have met her? Do not lie to this lord!"

BOOM!

The surrounding Nether-River Deadwater churned violently as the beast's anger flared.

"No, no! Great Lord, you misunderstand! Precisely because the Queen is imprisoned, she needs someone like me to free her!"

"

Oh?

" Kaezik scoffed. "You?"

"Yes!" Ling Feng straightened, feigning confidence. "Does this Void Eye not prove everything? Would Her Majesty entrust such a power to just any human?"

"

Hmm...

fair point."

Kaezik relaxed slightly. "If you bear the Void Eye, you are a pact-bearer of our kind. This lord shall not devour you!"

"Thank you, Great Lord!"

Ling Feng exhaled in relief.

Thank the heavens Ke Weili had given him the Void Eye. Without it, he'd be dead already.

But this also meant the Void Eye was a mark of the devilkin. If any so-called "divine being" saw him use it, they'd brand him a devilkin forever.

Ke Weili definitely didn't give me this power out of kindness.

Still, that was a problem for another day.

"This lord will spare you... but this human?"

Kaezik's gaze shifted to Jiang Biyi.

"No! You can't eat her either!"

"Why not?!"

The beast's eyes flashed with fury. "She severed this lord's tentacles! And she reeks of the Divine Race—the damned Suoluo Divine Race at that! Consuming her would boost my power by a century!"

Suoluo

[1]

Divine Race?

Ling Feng glanced at Jiang Biyi in surprise.

This girl is actually from the Divine Race?

He didn't know what that meant, but it had to be impressive.

"She's crucial to freeing Queen Ke Weili!"

Ling Feng laughed nervously. "I'm still weak—I need bodyguards! She's one of them!"

"

Hmph!

"

Kaezik snorted, clearly unconvinced.

"And think about it!" Ling Feng pressed. "Once the Queen breaks free, she'll rescue all imprisoned devilkin! You'll regain your freedom! With your power, you could storm the immortal realm! Devour as many divine beings as you want—even the Heaven-Patrolling Clan!"

"

Hah!

Well said!"

Kaezik puffed up at the flattery. "Very well. As a favor to Ke Weili's envoy, this lord shall spare this Suoluo brat."

A stream of drool dripped from its maw, sizzling as it hit the ground.

Ling Feng wiped his brow.

Thank goodness that worked.

But then—

"

Hah!

More food!"

Kaezik's tentacle lashed out, snatching a dark figure from above.

Ling Feng's heart sank as he recognized the struggling form.

The Despicable Donkey!

1. 桫椤 (suō luó) is the Chinese name for a specific type of tree fern (Cyathea spinulosa). Could represent something ancient / sturdy / natural ☜