Chapter 617
by fanqienovelChapter 617: The Fickle Barbatos
"Huff… Huff… Huff…"
Barbatos gasped relentlessly, white smoke puffing from his nostrils like steam from a rumbling volcano.
He stood blood-splattered.
Enemy blood mingled with his own.
But it mattered little.
"Blood sacrifice for the Giant God!"
"Flesh offering for the feast!"
"Ah—Ooh—!"
"Riiip—!"
His long leg slammed down upon a primordial god of the Primal Wilderness while his giant jaws viciously tore divine flesh.
Divine blood flooded the ground. Even the etheric storm couldn’t wash away the relentless crimson tide; it pooled into a roaring blood river, crashing into ether streams before surging into the vast Ether Lake—dyeing its waters scarlet.
Divine flesh screamed "Shrrreck!" as it ripped free, flung skyward, then snapped up by hideous jaws before vanishing into a bottomless gullet!
"Ha…"
The furnace of his stomach swelled with satisfaction. Warmth flooded his veins, making Barbatos shudder with pleasure as he savored every sensation.
The scheme between Xidi and Barbatos rolled onward.
Both their divine forms thrived in the Primal Wilderness’s battles. True to plan, they intercepted and slaughtered Giant Spirit Gods daring to approach the Giant God.
As for the Outer Predators…
Those hunting "Tyrant Candidates" had departed before crossing paths with Xidi and Barbatos. Meanwhile, the "Fang Tribe" Outer Predators handled diverting and routing the "Tyrant Candidates."
So far, the plan held.
No leaks.
And Barbatos reveled in his violent "play."
"True."
His eyes glinted with ravenous ferocity.
"That woman Xidi wasn’t wrong at all."
"I’m a shameless chaos god."
"My original purpose? Forgotten ages ago!"
"Now I crave only slaughter and meat—but what does that matter!?"
"I!"
"Am happy!"
"Roooaaar—!"
Barbatos threw his head back and howled at the sky.
Even the sharp pain from his wounds had transformed into a strange kind of pleasure…
Of course, this had been mostly because the "Damage Controllers" inside his body were swiftly healing the wounds; the fresh flesh buds grew quickly, filling the wounds and stopping the blood flow, bringing Barbatos a sensation like a "rejuvenating massage."
His opponent, now his food, lay stretched out on the ground.
Its neck twisted at a peculiar angle, the body covered in horrific wounds from teeth and claws.
Though Barbatos won this fight without peril, it had still cost him effort.
Naturally, this was unavoidable.
“I heard from the ‘Fang Tribe’ that this opponent was a ‘Formidable Tyrant Candidate’—one who battled another ‘Formidable Tyrant Candidate,’ Aqi Ni, for three days without defeat.”
“Defeating him proves my strength!”
“But more importantly, I’ve touched upon a certain… threshold again.”
That “threshold” meant “Powers.”
The Powers of Domination over all things faintly beckoned to Barbatos; this felt familiar because he’d experienced it before.
Once, he’d brushed against the threshold of the "authority of the void."
That supreme power—soaring through the void, receiving homage from void deities—had seemed within reach.
Yet Barbatos could never grasp it, while the ridiculous Gimmerly seized it first.
“Of course!”
“That wretch Gimmerly clung to the Giant God’s leg!”
“But… ha…”
“If she wants the threshold of the void’s authority, let her keep it.”
What Xidi called “forgetting one’s original purpose” referred to Barbatos losing himself in his massive frame and the ecstasy of slaughter and devouring, gradually abandoning his long-cherished ambition—the Powers of the void.
“Who cares about that so-called original purpose.”
“Finding something better makes the past meaningless!”
That better thing was the new Power now beckoning to him!
He sensed its attributes—primordial!
“Yes!”
“The boundless primordial Powers!”
“Who cares about abandoning the void!”
“If I keep growing bigger! Bigger!”
“I’ll inevitably reign supreme over the primordial!”
“The whole Primordial Earth will grovel beneath my feet!”
“Hahahaha… *burp*…”
Just as Barbatos roared with laughter, marveling at his fortune and mocking Gimmerly’s stupidity…
“Boom——!”
“Hmm!?”
With his keen senses, he suddenly detected a distant, unsettling tremor.
It wasn’t the arrival of a new "Tyrant Candidate," nor had Barbatos uncovered his scheme with Lady Xidi. Yet inexplicably, fear surged within him!
As if facing something he was born to dread!
“Hmm…”
“Hah…”
Barbatos exhaled another plume of white mist.
He felt ashamed of his momentary urge to retreat.
“Tsk…”
“If I fear such trifles, how can I claim the ‘primordial powers’!”
“Move!”
“Let’s investigate!”
—-
“Sister, is it truly wise to surrender the primordial powers to that Barbatos?”
Elsewhere, Lady Xidi had concluded her battle.
Her Divine Body loomed larger and more formidable.
Within the Chaos Swamp Realm, scarcely any Divine Body surpassed hers in scale or might.
Even across the Primal Wilderness, few could rival her physical dominance.
The primordial powers were already reaching out to Lady Xidi—not merely within reach, but the authority itself lay at her feet, ready to be claimed at will.
Gimmerly, perched upon her back, seethed with discontent.
Yet…
“Enough. If she desires it, let her take it.”
“I… have no interest.”
“No more of this talk.”
Lady Xidi shook her massive head and resumed "elegantly" rending the flesh before her.
Yet another Tyrant Candidate’s corpse lay mangled.
Unlike the scarred Barbatos, Lady Xidi remained utterly unscathed—victorious without a single wound.
Her formidable Divine Body and dreadful "Divine Teeth" enabled her to instantly kill any primordial deity that approached, requiring no magic.
“I must prepare for the next battle.”
“Should more challengers come… perhaps three or so… composure may elude me.”
“Hmm!?”
Just as Lady Xidi readied herself for the impending conflict…
“Huh?”
She too sensed discord.
A force of extreme peril was gathering across the Primal Wilderness!