The gravity shackles shattered like glass as Fang Yuan's Rank 5 energy surged, fueled by the chaotic leakage of the ship. He didn't walk toward the inner sanctum; he glided, his presence darkening the very air around him.
When he entered the room, the scene was horrific. Lord Zephyr, the once-proud Moon Crusher, was on his knees, his golden skin peeling away to reveal a core of rotting, black Qi. Beside him, Lin Xiao lay motionless, her life-force almost entirely drained by the parasitic trap Fang Yuan had set.
"You..." Zephyr gasped, his eyes bleeding black ichor. "You used her... you used a Saintess as a... poison..."
"I used a tool for its purpose," Fang Yuan replied, his voice devoid of any human emotion.
He stepped forward and plunged his hand directly into Zephyr's chest. The Rank 8 core was fractured, leaking pure, planetary-grade energy. Fang Yuan didn't just take the energy; he activated the Ultimate Devouring Law.
[System: Initiating Absolute Refinement. Absorbing Rank 8 'Moon-Crusher' Essence... Integrating 'Planetary Life-Seed'... Warning: Massive energy influx detected. Host's body is approaching Critical Density.]
Fang Yuan's muscles tore and reformed in milliseconds. His bones groaned as they achieved a density that could withstand the collapse of a star. He felt his consciousness expanding, reaching out through the hull of the ship and into the vacuum of space.
Rank 6... Rank 7... Rank 8...
The ship began to groan, its metal frame twisting as Fang Yuan's mass increased exponentially. With a final, silent scream of reality, the energy stabilized.
Fang Yuan stood amidst the wreckage of the Lotus-ship, which was now nothing more than a halo of debris around him. Lord Zephyr was gone—not even ash remained. Lin Xiao was a hollow shell, her destiny consumed.
He opened his eyes. They were no longer human; they were two dark voids that pulled light into them.
[System Status: Evolution Complete.]
STAGE I: WORLD BREAKER
CURRENT RANK: 9 (THE PLANET PULVERIZER)
STATUS: PEAK OF PHYSICAL ASCENDANCE.
Fang Yuan looked at his fist. He felt that if he struck now, he wouldn't just destroy a city; he would shatter the very foundations of the star system. He was now a Rank 9 World Breaker, the ultimate predator of the physical realms.