319: Land of Gluttony

Radiance flooded the area, and the eternal darkness of the Forest of Jealousy was thoroughly torn apart.

The billions of imprisoned Souls broke free from the shackles of resentment; they no longer harbored hatred for one another, but instead transformed into streaks of light, flying toward their former rivals.

Not for destruction, but to stand side by side.

With a mournful cry, the withered ancient tree symbolizing "Destructive Jealousy" crumbled inch by inch, and the Lord of Jealousy vanished into thin air.

The Foundation it relied on—"You cannot be better than me"—was completely rewritten by Li Dong into "I want to be better than you."

The forest came alive.

Vines no longer strangled but supported one another, vying to reach for the higher skies. Fierce beasts no longer launched sneak attacks; instead, they roared with Battle Intent under the sunlight, beginning a true chase and competition.

A pitch-black key fell from the core of the collapsed ancient tree. In mid-air, its color shifted from dead, silent black to a brilliant gold filled with competition and vitality.

The fifth key, acquired.

"The sixth stop, the Land of Gluttony."

The voice of The Chess Player echoed directly in Li Dong's mind. There was no praise, only gravity.

"There, 'Absolute Equilibrium' has pushed 'Devouring' to its limit. It is not for survival, not for growth, but merely for the sake of devouring itself. All things consume one another until everything returns to nothingness, achieving the most thorough 'equilibrium'."

Li Dong spread his palm.

The Greed of Creation, the Wrath of Resistance, the Sloth of Accumulation, the Pride of Transcendence, and the Jealousy of Competition.

The five keys floated up, and five distinct conceptual powers collided with a roar. The space ahead was not torn apart but melted and devoured, forming a pitch-black vortex that constantly collapsed inward.

He took a step inside.

The world instantly fell into dead silence.

There was no sound, no light, no matter, not even dust.

Beneath his feet was the boundless Void Realm; as far as the eye could see, it was all emptiness. Everything here—mountains, rivers, earth, sky... everything that had once existed had already been eaten.

A sense of eternal, insatiable hunger, originating from the deepest part of his Soul, eroded Li Dong's will.

This was not physical hunger, but a "emptiness" on a conceptual level.

This world was hungry.

It was so hungry that it was on the verge of consuming even itself until nothing remained.

Suddenly, in the Void Realm ahead, several shadows writhed.

They were the "indigenous inhabitants" of this place, creatures so deformed that their original forms were unrecognizable. They had no flesh and blood, only withered skeletons and a thin layer of skin, with enormous, disproportionately bloated bellies that were completely empty inside.

They noticed Li Dong.

This "new," "whole" food.

"Hungry..."

"Eat..."

Hoarse, unliving syllables vibrated through the Void Realm.

Dozens of deformed creatures charged madly. Their target was not Li Dong's vitals, but any place they could sink their teeth into. Even while charging, monsters trailing behind would unhesitatingly bite into the leg bones of their companions in front, crunching and chewing to swallow that pitiable amount of bone powder.

Li Dong did not move.

[Attunement].

His intangible will spread.

He did not try to satisfy their hunger but instead directly questioned "hunger" itself.

"What is the purpose of devouring?"

The monster charging at the very front suddenly froze.

"To... fill..."

"And after it is filled?"

"To... devour again..."

"The end of devouring is nothingness. You are already in the Void Realm; why must you still devour?"

Li Dong's questioning was like a sharp knife, piercing into their rigid logic core, which had been set by "Absolute Equilibrium."

The madness in the eyes of these monsters faded, replaced by a sense of bewilderment.

That's right... why?

They stopped in their tracks and began to gnaw on their own claws, seemingly trying to find an answer within this meaningless cycle.

"Roar—!!!"

A roar that shook the entire Void Realm dimension came from the center of the world.

The Lord of Gluttony!

It was enraged!

Li Dong dared to question the supreme truth of "eating"!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the distant Void Realm, three colossal entities rose from the ground.

They were giant beasts condensed from the pure concept of "Devouring," without a fixed form; they were simply writhing, dark aggregates composed of billions of mouths. Wherever they passed, even the Void Realm itself was gnawed into large swaths of "Absolute Blankness."

These were the Imperial Guards of the Lord of Gluttony, specifically used to eliminate those "defective products" that "did not eat fast enough."

Li Dong did not even glance at them, heading straight toward the direction from which the roar came.

The Devouring Giant Beast opened its bloody maw and swallowed Li Dong in one gulp.

But the next second, the giant beast's massive body trembled violently, and countless mouths let out pained shrieks.

Li Dong's figure emerged from its back, completely unharmed.

[Dynamic Equilibrium Singularity] rotated slightly.

To these creations with only the single concept of "Devouring," Li Dong—a collection containing countless Variable concepts such as "Creation," "Evolution," and "Balance"—was an existence they could not understand, digest, or erase.

He was not food; he was poison!

Li Dong continued forward, passing through one Devouring Giant Beast after another as they collapsed and dissipated, finally reaching the center of this Void Realm.

A black hole so large it was unimaginable.

It was not a celestial body, but the ultimate embodiment interwoven from the two concepts of "Devouring" and "Void Realm." Everything in the world would eventually fall into here, be completely digested, and return to "equilibrium."

At the edge of the black hole, countless hungry giant mouths writhed and aggregated, eventually forming a face that blotted out the sky.

The Lord of Gluttony.

"Are you... not hungry?"

The billions of overlapping, yearning roars converged into a single question that struck directly at the Soul.

Between its brows, a black key, constantly devouring all light and darkness around it, was pulsing wildly.

The key of Gluttony!

"Hungry."

Li Dong admitted candidly.

The billions of mouths on that giant face grinned simultaneously, emitting a joyful chewing sound.

"Come... devour everything... devour the world... devour yourself... In the end, you will merge with me and become eternal hunger itself!"

The Lord of Gluttony extended an invitation to Li Dong; this was the most supreme "blessing" it bestowed upon this world.

Li Dong smiled.

"Your 'hunger' is to let the world die."

He extended his right hand, palm upward.

"My 'hunger' is to let the world live."

[Anti-Devour]!

This time, Li Dong did not try to twist or use [Attunement].

He chose the most direct and overbearing method.

He would use his own "Devouring" to devour the "Devouring" of the Lord of Gluttony!

Boom!

Behind Li Dong, an equally profound vortex emerged—it was the projection of the [Dynamic Equilibrium Singularity]!

If the Lord of Gluttony was a glutton that only took in and never gave out, then Li Dong's singularity was the circulatory System that drove the metabolism of the entire Universe!

"Devouring is not the end; it is the beginning of the cycle!"

Li Dong took a step forward, proactively meeting that face composed of billions of giant mouths.

"I devour stars to ignite new suns!"

"I devour withering to nurture new life!"

"I devour your 'Stasis' to initiate true 'evolution'!"

"Your gluttony is a grave!"

"My gluttony is rebirth!"

The war of concepts was pushed to its extreme at this moment!

Li Dong's figure was instantly swallowed by that giant face.

But this time, who was the one being devoured?