Amidst the chaotic void and flowing nothingness of the Universe Sea, a warship cut through the expanse. Aboard it was the 'Juehe True God' (True God of Merging), one of the Eight Hegemons of the Universe Sea. In another region of the void, a nine-story tower was also advancing. Their destination was the same: the miniature universe belonging to the Rampage Demon God.
Simultaneously, numerous powerful beings across the Universe Sea were converging there.
"Juehe True God (Galaxy Lord) (True Lord of the Divine Eye) (Nine-Headed Demon Lord)..." At that very moment, the Rampage Demon God broadcast a message to the many True Gods within the Universe Sea: "Just now, the origin of my miniature universe stopped being devoured. I took my Palace-level Ultimate Treasure to investigate—the World Beast is gone! The World Beast has vanished!"
The news spread.
The arriving True God powerhouses, and many others who had not yet arrived, were all stunned.
"Rampage Demon God, you say it vanished? How long was it devouring? It’s only been one day (Day, a common time unit from the Earth lineage, translates to this equivalent time unit in the Universal Sea common language)," Juehe True God exclaimed in shock. "It usually takes about eight days to devour the origin of a miniature universe. How much could it have consumed in just one day?"
"Rampage!" the Nine-Headed Demon Lord urgently transmitted, "It disappeared after devouring for only a day? Did a True God fight it?"
"No! Not a single powerhouse engaged it in combat," the Rampage Demon God replied.
"It wasn't attacked, only devoured the origin of a miniature universe for a single day, and then vanished without a trace?" True Lord of the Divine Eye grew anxious too.
"Yes, it just disappeared directly," the Rampage Demon God confirmed with certainty.
The nine-story tower, Luo Feng, paused.
Luo Feng, who had initially held a faint smile, watched his expression instantly change the moment he received the message.
"This is... a huge problem," Luo Feng murmured slowly.
Hong and Huo Qiong beside him also wore grave expressions.
No one was foolish; they all recognized the 'danger' inherent in the World Beast's actions this time.
Hong spoke in a low voice, "For it to disappear after devouring the origin of a miniature universe for only one day, and without any powerhouse attacking it, means it vanished voluntarily! If it were due to some special reason—like activity within the World Beast's lair calling it back urgently—that would be one thing... But if it left without any other factors influencing it, that implies it is becoming even more cautious and vigilant."
Luo Feng said softly, "Exactly. If it only devours one day at this miniature universe, then one day at the next... In such a short span, how could we possibly catch up? Forming an encirclement becomes impossible! Killing it will be even harder."
Huo Qiong quickly added, "Devouring for one day this time, one day the next... If the same miniature universe gets eaten seven or eight times... we are finished."
"This is far more terrifying than keeping watch over one miniature universe and having it continuously devoured," Hong agreed, his face also looking grim.
"No need to rush."
Luo Feng frowned, "Let's wait and see. Let's observe its next move! By seeing what it does next, we can confirm... whether it did this occasionally for a special reason, or if this is its new strategy."
"Mm," Huo Qiong and Hong nodded in agreement.
The Star Tower halted its advance, hovering silently in the chaotic void currents.
Every True God throughout the Universe Sea understood the implication of the World Beast's actions, and worry gripped them all. They hoped fervently that this odd behavior was only due to some exceptional circumstance.
Time flowed onward.
One day, two days...? A month, two months...?
The World Beast had not reappeared.
"The World Beast hasn't shown up!"
"The last time the World Beast targeted the Fire Insect True God's miniature universe, it consumed more than half of it. It could have easily taken much more. But this time, it only devoured for one day... and has been gone for so long. Perhaps something important came up, and it went somewhere else."
"Maybe the last time it vanished after only one day of feeding was also because something important called it away."
The True Gods desperately hoped for this last scenario.
Nine-Headed Demon Lord, Luo Feng, Juehe True God, Skull Master, and the others shared the same fervent wish. Facing a World Beast with so many tricks, they knew the more True Gods there were, the better they could coordinate their defense.
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed since the World Beast had begun devouring the origin of the Rampage Demon God's miniature universe.
In the chaotic void.
"Hah!"
"This is truly satisfying." The World Beast stretched its tail contentedly. "The portion of the origin I took from the Rampage Demon God’s miniature universe has been completely converted into my power! My strength has increased again... Hahaha, I am truly too clever. In the Lair, how difficult is it to kill and consume another World Beast? It takes ages to consume one. And there is Bei Di there! But over here... these miniature universes are just sitting there, completely defenseless, allowing me to devour them. My power will continuously grow, and my rate of growth will be even faster than Bei Di's faction."
"When I return then, I will surely become the ultimate king."
"By that time, after sweeping away all the miniature universes, I will then devour the Primal Universe. Hahahaha..."
The World Beast was immensely smug.
"Next target. Who should I choose?" the World Beast pondered. "I'll pass on those strongest ones for now. Next up will be the Pupil Demon God."
Whoosh!
Immediately, the World Beast vanished with a spatial teleportation, leaving that region of the chaotic void. It took a little over a day; in terms of instant travel and speed, it was far faster than the True Gods of the Universe Sea. In just over a day, it traversed from a region far removed from many miniature universes to the void just outside the Pupil Demon God's miniature universe.
"The origin of a miniature universe. Delicious food that also enhances my strength," the World Beast gazed at the distant outline.
"Let's begin."
The World Beast extended its long tongue, reminiscent of a frog's, and licked its massive maw. Immediately, black mist began to permeate its surroundings, and twisting rays of light shot out into the void, stretching for untold light-years, penetrating the emptiness. Then... the devouring began!
The Pupil Demon God was currently seated within a palace atop his Divine Tree—the tallest and most ancient tree in his miniature universe. When he first constructed his miniature universe, this tree had served as the very center around which everything was built.
"Not good!"
The Pupil Demon God snapped his eyes open, his face a riot of color showing stark alarm. "The World Beast is here!"
The World Beast had returned!
After vanishing for a day while consuming the origin of the Rampage Demon God's miniature universe, the World Beast reappeared half a year later!
This caused the entire Universe Sea to become tense once more.
"Pupil Demon God, keep a close watch, observe carefully. Let's see how long this World Beast devours the miniature universe origin this time!" True Lord of the Divine Eye was the first to transmit a message.
"Take your Palace-level Ultimate Treasure and go directly there; keep an eye on it," Luo Feng also sent a message.
Powerhouses messaged him one after another.
The Pupil Demon God, however, panicked, urgently broadcasting to the other True Gods: "When will you all arrive? I am no match for that World Beast." He had investigated the World Beast's lair once before with Hong and had been severely wounded then, injuries that hadn't fully healed even now. How could he dare face the World Beast in battle? Still, investigating while riding inside his Palace-level Ultimate Treasure was something he could manage.
He knew that as long as he didn't leave the Palace, he would be safe.
"Relax, we are on our way," Luo Feng messaged back.
"Galaxy Lord is definitely coming, and Skull Master, who is near you, will also rush over," True Lord of the Divine Eye transmitted.
Reassured by the support of the other powerhouses, the Pupil Demon God immediately boarded a gray warship, flew out of his miniature universe, and headed toward the World Beast's location.
Moments later.
"World Beast!" The Pupil Demon God spotted the creature in the distance. Although the World Beast possessed a towering golden, humanoid form, the Pupil Demon God knew... if even Universe Masters could change forms easily, then this terrifying life form, the World Beast, could certainly alter its appearance at will.
"World Beast, get out of my territory!" The Pupil Demon God remained hidden inside his warship, activating his domain-type Ultimate Treasure. Through the domain, he launched an attack against the World Beast while roaring angrily through sound transmission.
The domain alone felt like a mere tickle; the World Beast paid it no mind.
"Hmph."
The World Beast glanced disdainfully at the distant Pupil Demon God. "Foolish and cowardly Pupil Demon God. You can only hide inside that ship, and you expect me to leave? If you dared to come out, I could extinguish you easily."
"You..."
The Pupil Demon God was furious, but the World Beast was correct—he dared not venture out.
"Damn World Beast, get lost!" The Pupil Demon God burned his divine power to push his 'domain-type Ultimate Treasure,' condensing its might into a massive ribbon of color, remotely controlling the secret technique, attacking the distant World Beast again and again.
However, condensing a domain to act as a weapon was even weaker than using an ordinary attack-type Ultimate Treasure.
Furthermore, he had no amplification from mechanical flow treasures!
And the Pupil Demon God specialized in illusions, soul attacks, and similar arts; he knew the World Beast was the true master of soul attacks, which was why he opted to control the domain for offense... But no matter how he attacked, without mechanical treasure amplification, and operating outside his specialty, the power output was minuscule. The World Beast truly treated it like a gentle breeze brushing past its face.
"So weak, so weak," the World Beast sneered, unable to even be slightly disturbed from its devouring of the miniature universe.
One day passed.
"Just hide in your warship. Your miniature universe will eventually be completely consumed by me," the World Beast laughed wantonly, then instantly teleported and vanished.
The Pupil Demon God's face turned incredibly grim: "Pupil, Pupil Demon God, it left!"
"Only devoured for one day again!" Luo Feng's face was ashen.
"The disaster has arrived," Hong sighed, shaking his head.
All the powerhouses in the Universe Sea received this news, their anger matched only by their helplessness.
After devouring the origin of the Pupil Demon God's miniature universe for one day, the World Beast vanished once more.
Six months later, the World Beast reappeared, consumed the origin of the Luo Zhen True God's miniature universe for one day, and then vanished.
Eleven years later, it reappeared again...
Every time it appeared, it would devour the origin of one True God's miniature universe for exactly one day. It always waited half a year before reappearing. Why the consistent half-year interval? Three possibilities existed: one, its devouring talent required a cooldown period between uses; two, it might need time to 'digest'; or three, it was simply a peculiar hobby.
Eleven years passed.
"Each time the World Beast appears, it materializes outside the miniature universe of a weaker True God! I said it long ago... that Haolei Star Lord, Zhenjia King, and Qiuyan Ancestor God were very likely aligned with the World Beast faction! Haolei Star Lord is dead, but Zhenjia King and Qiuyan Ancestor God are still alive. They possess extensive knowledge of the Universe Sea," Luo Feng transmitted angrily. "It’s one thing for you all, since you are mainly confined to your own miniature universes. But I occupy two distinct territories, each positioned near two separate miniature universes. Why hasn't the World Beast ever come near my region? Could my location also have been betrayed to Zhenjia King and Qiuyan Ancestor God?"