Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

”In fact, the technology to divide the battlefield was provided by the Dominator!”

No matter where, one cannot escape the Dominator... This is the real situation of all worlds invaded by the Demon Tribe and the Dominator! Even the once innately powerful Universe of Immortals and Heroes could not escape the Dominator’s control.

”Also, these crisscrossing floating fragments...”

”The Dominator did it!” the Almighty Demon Vine reminded cautiously.

”But this is good. The number of Low-grade demonic creatures far exceeds that of low-level professionists. This can prevent you from being devoured by a Demon Group. Your Earth is currently in its disaster period. Once another decade or two passes, you’ll understand. Relying solely on the existing humans, it’s impossible to withstand for long. The new generation will eventually have to enter the battlefield to avoid combat losses and maintain population numbers. By then, the solutions you’ll come up with will likely be far more numerous than ours!”

”That’s not my problem to worry about!”

...

The Ten Heavens Palace was immense; so vast that Wen Yu ran for an hour and still hadn’t found one of the ”supposedly plentiful” teleportation passages.

”Stop!”

The Almighty Demon Vine’s abrupt shout startled Wen Yu, who thought some unknown situation had arisen.

”What’s wrong?”

Emerald green tendrils extended from Wen Yu’s hand, pointing like a finger toward a floating landmass in the distance.

”Look there...”

Wen Yu focused his gaze.

On the distant floating land, hundreds of Level 1 Demon Creatures, recently released by the Dominator, were surrounding and relentlessly attacking three Skeletons that were moving freely.

Even with only their bone frames left, the three Skeletons were still identifiable by their forms—they were only about a meter tall, and their overall skeletal frames looked exceptionally small.

”Is this the normal physique for people in the Universe of Immortals and Heroes, or...”

”Children. By age conversion, they’re about the size of a ten-year-old of your Human Race. They are the new generation I spoke of; it’s just that they were born at an unfortunate time...”

The new generation born after the apocalypse, especially those born when a world is on the brink of destruction, are indeed born at an unfortunate time...

When the men had all fallen, the women took their place. When the old had all fallen, the children took theirs.

In the final stages of the Universe of Immortals and Heroes’ impending destruction—no, it should be said, in the final stages of any world about to be destroyed by the Demon Tribe—it wasn’t beyond Wen Yu’s expectations for such things to occur.

But even though he was mentally prepared, Wen Yu still felt a profound sadness at this moment—the apocalypse wasn’t a one-man game, but a catastrophe for an entire race, even a world!

”Do you need me to do anything?”

The Almighty Demon Vine’s sorrow upon revisiting its old home was palpable. Perhaps influenced by this melancholy, Wen Yu, who usually didn’t meddle in others’ affairs, uncharacteristically offered to lend a hand.

”No need. Watch me. Your benefits are here!”

The Almighty Demon Vine decisively sent back a Spiritual Fluctuation, and then its tendrils began to spread.

Emerald green tendrils shot out from the floating continent where Wen Yu stood, instantly spreading to another landmass. Then, the sky-spanning tendrils seemed to weave into a large net, bristling with vicious barbs, which instantly enveloped the Demon Group and the three Skeletons.

A surge of heat traveled through the Almighty Demon Vine’s tendrils into Wen Yu’s body.

A slight increase in physical fitness, a slight increase in Soul Strength...

But more importantly, another stream of energy—distinct from Earth’s Origin Energy, yet similar in nature—also flowed through the Almighty Demon Vine’s tendrils into Wen Yu’s body.

Upon sensing this, Wen Yu had an immediate realization—this must be the world’s Origin Energy from the Universe of Immortals and Heroes!

It was slightly different from what he had imagined—this Origin Energy wasn’t stored in the shattered continental fragments, but within the bodies of the dead spirits of the Universe of Immortals and Heroes!

...

After a while, when the Almighty Demon Vine slowly retracted its vine net, the former Demon Group and the three Skeletons had already turned to drifting ash.

The emerald green tendrils slowly crept back to Wen Yu’s side.

”Did you receive the Origin Energy?”

”Mm, but the amount is too small.”

That was certainly true—it didn’t even compare to the Earth’s Origin Energy within his own body!

”It can’t be helped. They were just three Level 1 youngsters, so it’s expected that their Origin Energy would be scarce.”

”Let’s go. We’ll head in another direction.”

...

After resuming his journey, Wen Yu walked in silence for a long while before he could no longer hold back his doubts.

”Like those three children just now, does everyone’s body contain the world’s Origin Energy?”

”Yes!” The Almighty Demon Vine replied affirmatively.

”It’s not just Humans. Every living being in a world contains that world’s Origin Energy. Otherwise, why do you think the Demon Tribe can break the Level Lock by killing creatures from Earth?”

This explanation brought Wen Yu to a sudden realization.

Strictly speaking, the Level Lock is solely linked to Origin Energy. Killing native creatures is the process of weakening that Origin Energy! This was essentially no different from what Tang Haofei had described about pipes descending from the sky to siphon Origin Energy!

”However, the situation in the Universe of Immortals and Heroes was slightly different. In the later stages of the war, the Will of the Universe of Immortals and Heroes had been greatly weakened. My master, sensing the world’s inevitable destruction, used a method to forcibly extract the world’s Origin Energy and disperse it into the body of each of his kinsmen. Therefore, the Humans of the Universe of Immortals and Heroes have a significantly higher amount of Origin Energy in their bodies than normal. On one hand, this ensured the integrity of their remains; on the other, it also served to provide some benefits for my next host—like you, for example!”

”So, you’re saying that in the later stages of the war, all creatures in the Universe of Immortals and Heroes became a type of divine beast?”

”How could that be possible!” The Almighty Demon Vine scoffed. ”After a series of upheavals, there was hardly any Origin Energy left in the world. That method was merely to inconvenience those Demon Bastards. Storing all the Origin Energy in the world’s core versus dispersing it into every living being—I don’t need to explain the difference in extraction difficulty, do I?”

”Judging by the current situation, it seems your old master won.”

”It was just a minor trick. Even if he ’won’ in this aspect, so what?” The Almighty Demon Vine’s tone was filled with an indescribable desolation.

...

In the vast expanse between sky and earth, countless floating landmasses crisscrossed chaotically. Yet, within this disarray, deeper, underlying rules seemed to be hidden.

However, Wen Yu had no intention of exploring these things. Right now, he had only one feeling—this blasted place was too damn big!

The sheer area of the first floor of the Heavenly Palace was already enormous. Coupled with its three-dimensional layout, Wen Yu felt completely disoriented for a moment.

Fortunately, in this treasure land, Wen Yu truly had an ace up his sleeve!

Under the Almighty Demon Vine’s guidance, Wen Yu proceeded in stops and starts, eventually finding the teleportation passage to the second floor.