THE GOD EATER

Their voice was solemn as they explained, saying, ”A path is a way or method or a cultivation system that uses the rules of the Dao to acquire power.”

”Anyone in the universe with the right qualifications can access the power from a Dao, but most entities in the universe are like you. The best they can achieve is to borrow some of the power of the Dao before they die. When they die, the power they borrowed will return to the Dao with interest, making the Dao stronger.”

”But there are some special individuals, unique across the universe, who have gained control of the path in its entirety. They have mastered the Dao Path to the extent that they’ve become the pathway itself.”

”That great being you saw is one of the people who have mastered a Dao Path. To be specific, they have mastered the Devouring Pathway across the universe. So as long as the Dao becomes stronger, they will become stronger.”

Then the guardian asked, saying, ”Do you see where I am going with this?”

”Yes, I can,” Loki said in reply. ”That entity has taken control of the Devouring Pathway and wants to kill me to make the pathway stronger.”

The armored knight nodded and said, ”Exactly.”

Then Loki asked, ”Does that entity do this to every Dao Lord? If so, does that mean I don’t really have anything to worry about?”

This question made the guardian chuckle as they said, ”You’re terribly wrong about that. The situation is very serious.”

”Normally, Dao Lords of the Devouring Pathway borrow power all of the time. What they do can also be called stealing. It depends on who you ask.”

”But these Dao Lords, no matter how many of them there are, are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. They will eventually die, and what little power they stole will be returned with extra.”

”However, you are clearly different. You possess a version of the Devouring Pathway which is a Cosmic Dao with the potential to upgrade the pathway and elevate it. This makes you a high priority target for that entity to kill.”

”I see,” Loki said with a sigh. ”It would seem I am screwed.”

Immediately, the guardian nodded and said, ”Yes, you are.”

”There are around a hundred million entities in the universe with the potential to have ten godheads. But of those hundred million, less than 100 of them acquired the ten godheads by having such a high comprehension that impressed the grand will of the universe, as you did.”

”If that great entity wanted to kill every Dao Lord of the Devouring Pathway, they could do it. It would take some time, but they would be able to do it.”

”But as luck would have it, they don’t plan to kill every Dao Lord in the pathway. They have singled you out for killing, which will make killing you much easier.”

At this point, Loki had heard enough to scare a normal Dao Lord stiff, but for some reason, he was able to remain calm. When the guardian saw this, they were encouraged to keep telling him how bad the situation was so as to see him crack under the weight of fear.

But instead of cracking, Loki’s thoughts were placid. He even managed to smile as he said, ”Please tell me you have a way to save me. Surely, you didn’t say so much telling me how screwed I am without a way to save me.”

With a snort of derision, the guardian said, ”What other solution could there be apart from you growing stronger?”

”Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no other solution for you. I was saying so much to see how much pressure your mind can withstand before your technique to hide your thoughts caves in.”

After saying this, the guardian clapped and said, ”Anyway. My work here is done.”

As they said this, they rose into the air.

Seeing as they were about to leave, Loki called out, ”Wait a minute. I still have more questions.”

”I want to know how to gain more divinity, raise my rank, gain more pathways, pay off the debt of Entropy, and raise my conversion efficiency.”

Hearing this, the guardian waved their hand in dismissal and said, ”I am not your nanny. I don’t have to answer any of your questions.”

”Don’t expect me to save you in case of danger, either. You’re on your own in that regard.”

”I am the guardian of this territory, not your caretaker. I have a lot of work to do.”

”Right now, I need to unseal this domain, granting it access to the universe. When I do this, some people will enter the domain to fight for territory.”

”Some of them will come from friendly territories with the sole aim of gaining more territory, but some others will come for the sole purpose of killing you and every other genetic source like you. So you should prepare yourself for that.”

As they were saying this, they turned away from Loki. But before they could leave, Loki said, ”I am willing to bet that I am the only one in this domain with ten godheads. If I am right, then I am your most valuable genetic source.”

”So if I die, you will be losing someone with too much potential, who you can’t replace. Shouldn’t that count as something?”

The guardian had already taken off by the time he finished speaking, so his words had gone to the wind. But just as he finished speaking, the figure of the guardian flashed back to him.

That armored figure flashed back and forth, with his eyes unable to keep track of it as if it were a ghost. This kind of speed made Loki understand more about the gap between him and the guardian.

”You have a point,” the guardian said. ”It would be a shame if you were to die so easily. It would be too much of a loss if we don’t get to make full use of your potential before you die.”

----------

A/N: Please, don’t forget to vote with your power stones and golden tickets to receive bonus Chapters. Thank you for your support.