The Dragon's domain was unlike anything Lin Feng had imagined.
They traveled for hours across the water, the path of solidified ocean carrying him deeper into the sea than any human had ever ventured. Eventually, they reached an island, or what had been an island, before the Dragon transformed it.
The entire landmass was a garden. Trees with leaves of jade grew beside streams of liquid crystal. Flowers bloomed in colors that shouldn't exist, their petals releasing scents that made Lin Feng's enhanced senses reel. At the center of the island stood a palace that seemed carved from a single pearl, its surfaces reflecting the moonlight in patterns that shifted like water.
"This is your home?" Lin Feng asked.
*One of many.* The Dragon had taken a smaller form now, still serpentine, still made of water, but only twenty feet long rather than the massive construct that had greeted him. *I find that environment shapes thought. This place encourages contemplation.*
"It's beautiful."
*It's a work in progress. I've been refining it for three thousand years.* The Dragon led him toward the palace. *Your companion will be safe on the cliff. My servants will ensure she has food and shelter while we talk.*
"Your servants?"
*Lesser water spirits. Creatures that chose to serve rather than compete.* The Dragon's voice held a note of amusement. *Even divine beasts need assistance with mundane matters.*
They entered the palace, passing through halls that seemed to flow around them. Walls that rippled, floors that gave slightly underfoot, ceilings that reflected scenes from elsewhere in the ocean. Lin Feng felt like he was walking through a living creature rather than a building.
The Dragon led him to a central chamber where two seats had been carved from coral, one sized for a human, one sized for something much larger.
*Sit*, the Dragon instructed. *We have much to discuss, and the night is young.*
Lin Feng sat, feeling the coral conform to his body with unsettling precision.
"Where do we begin?"
*With truth.* The Dragon coiled itself onto the larger seat, its liquid form solidifying into something more permanent. *You came here seeking knowledge about the heavens. About the divine beasts. About the path you walk. I can provide all of this, but I will not do so freely.*
"I expected as much. What do you want in return?"
*First, your story. Not the version you've practiced for allies or enemies, but the truth. Who you were, who you've become, why you walk a path that leads only to destruction.*
Lin Feng considered refusing. His history was private. The pain of his childhood, the desperation of his transformation, the fears that haunted him even now.
But the Dragon would sense any deception. And this was, after all, a negotiation.
"I was born with shattered meridians," he began.
---
The telling took hours.
Lin Feng spoke of his village, his mother's death, the endless humiliation of being a cripple in a world that valued power above all else. He described finding the Scripture, consuming his first beast, the terror and exhilaration of transformation.
He told the Dragon about Mei, about the Jade Lily Sect's ghosts, about the original God Eater's corpse and the power he'd absorbed from it.
And he described the Phoenix. The hunt, the battle, the consumption that had changed him more profoundly than anything before.
Throughout, the Dragon listened in silence. Its liquid eyes never left Lin Feng's face, watching with an intensity that felt like being dissected.
When Lin Feng finished, the chamber was quiet for a long moment.
*Interesting*, the Dragon said finally. *You speak of rage and revenge, but your actions suggest something more complicated. The settlement you helped. The healer you've protected. The ghosts you've allied with.*
"What's your point?"
*The original Devourer spoke only of power. Every word, every thought, every action was driven by the desire to become stronger. You are different.* The Dragon's voice was contemplative. *You seek power, yes. But you also seek meaning. Purpose beyond consumption.*
"Is that a weakness?"
*It could be. The Devourer's Path is merciless. It rewards single-minded pursuit of strength above all else. Your divided nature might limit your potential.*
Lin Feng felt his jaw tighten. "Or?"
*Or it might be exactly what the path needs.* The Dragon shifted, its form rippling. *The original Devourer became a monster because he had nothing to anchor him. You have anchors. Relationships. Reasons to hold onto your humanity.*
"You sound almost approving."
*I am intrigued.* The Dragon's eyes gleamed. *I've watched countless cultivators walk countless paths over millennia. Most follow predictable patterns. You are something new.*
"Is that why you agreed to talk instead of fight?"
*Partially. I also have no desire to share the Phoenix's fate.* The Dragon's honesty was startling. *You've grown strong enough that a confrontation would not be simple. I would likely win, but the cost would be considerable.*
"You're admitting weakness?"
*I'm admitting reality.* The Dragon seemed almost amused. *False pride is the province of the young. I am old enough to know what battles are worth fighting.*
Lin Feng considered this. The Dragon's assessment aligned with his own. He wasn't confident he could win a direct battle in the creature's own territory. But the fact that the Dragon admitted uncertainty was significant.
"So we negotiate instead."
*Yes. You came for knowledge, I assume about the heavens, given your stated intentions.* The Dragon settled more comfortably into its seat. *What specifically do you wish to know?*
Lin Feng had a thousand questions. But one mattered more than all the others.
"Why did the gods abandon the mortal realm?"
---
The Dragon was silent for a long moment.
*That question*, it said finally, *has a complicated answer.*
"I have time."
*Very well.* The Dragon's form shifted, becoming something that might have been a visual aid, shapes and patterns forming in the water that comprised its body. *The simplest answer is that they were afraid.*
"Afraid of what?"
*Of you. Of humanity.* The Dragon's voice held ancient weariness. *When cultivation first developed, the gods saw it as entertainment. Mortals playing with forces they couldn't understand, climbing toward heights they could never reach. The heavens watched as humans struggled and died and occasionally succeeded, never considering that the pattern might change.*
"But it did change."
*It changed when the original Devourer appeared.* The patterns in the Dragon's body shifted, showing a figure that might have been Jiang Chen. *Here was a human who could grow without limit. Who could consume divine essence and make it his own. Who could, given enough time and prey, challenge the gods themselves.*
"They tried to stop him."
*They tried and failed. The Devourer was too clever, too careful, too willing to sacrifice everything for power. He evaded their champions, consumed their sent beasts, grew stronger with every confrontation.* The Dragon's voice darkened. *In the end, the gods made a different choice.*
"They abandoned the mortal realm."
*They sealed it. Took their qi, their blessings, their attention elsewhere. They reasoned that without divine energy to feed on, the Devourer's Path would become impossible. Humanity would be trapped, weakened, unable to threaten heaven ever again.*
Lin Feng felt cold despite the Phoenix's fire burning in his chest. "They condemned billions of people to suffering just to stop one man."
*They condemned the future to prevent a possibility. The gods are not cruel by nature. They simply value their own existence above anything else.* The Dragon's eyes met his. *Can you honestly say you would act differently, in their position?*
"Yes."
*You say that now. Wait until you've lived a thousand years. Ten thousand. Wait until you've watched civilizations rise and fall, until individual lives seem like mayflies, until the very concept of mortality becomes incomprehensible.* The Dragon's voice was gentle. *The gods did not abandon humanity out of malice. They abandoned it out of fear and apathy.*
"That doesn't make it acceptable."
*No. It doesn't.* The Dragon seemed to smile. *And that is why I'm telling you. Because the heavens' crime deserves to be answered, even if I myself cannot answer it.*
---
They talked through the night and into the next day.
The Dragon shared knowledge that Lin Feng had never imagined. The structure of the heavenly realm, the hierarchy of gods and their servants, the weaknesses that even immortal beings possessed. It described the other divine beasts, their natures and territories, the best approaches for each.
In return, Lin Feng shared what he knew of the Devourer's Path. The techniques he'd mastered, the transformations he'd undergone, the insights he'd gained from consuming the Phoenix.
It was, he realized, exactly what the original had done. But where Jiang Chen had treated the exchange as a transaction, Lin Feng found himself genuinely curious about the Dragon's perspective.
"You've lived for so long," he said as dawn broke. "You've seen everything. Why do you stay here? Why not challenge the heavens yourself?"
*Because I am not built for war.* The Dragon's voice was honest. *My nature is water. Patient, adaptable, flowing around obstacles rather than through them. I could perhaps reach the heavens, but I could never conquer them.*
"And you think I can?"
*I think you might. The Devourer's Path is unique. It takes strength from others rather than developing it internally. Given enough prey, enough time, you could become something the heavens cannot counter.* The Dragon's eyes gleamed. *That is why I'm helping you, Lin Feng. Not out of kindness, but out of hope.*
"Hope for what?"
*Hope that someone will finally hold the gods accountable. That the injustice of abandonment will be answered. That the world might change.* The Dragon's form rippled. *I've been waiting for someone like you for ten thousand years. I'm not going to let this opportunity pass without doing everything I can to help.*
Lin Feng stared at the ancient creature, this being of wisdom and water who had lived since before human civilization.
"You could have consumed me when I arrived. Taken whatever knowledge I have and moved on."
*I could have. But then I would have lost the possibility of something greater.* The Dragon seemed to smile. *Sometimes the wisest choice is to invest in potential rather than seize guaranteed returns.*
"A gamble."
*A calculated risk. The universe rewards those who can see beyond immediate advantages.* The Dragon rose from its seat. *Now, I believe we've talked enough. You have a journey to continue, and I have preparations to make.*
"Preparations?"
*For the war that's coming. The heavens will not ignore you forever. The Phoenix's death has already drawn their attention. When they act, I intend to be positioned to help.* The Dragon's eyes met his. *You've given me something I haven't had in millennia, Lin Feng.*
"What's that?"
*A reason to care about what happens next.*
---
Lin Feng returned to the cliff as the sun reached its peak.
Mei was waiting, her expression caught between relief and anxiety. She ran to him as he landed, checking him over with the practiced eye of a healer.
"You're unharmed. What happened?"
"We talked." Lin Feng pulled her into an embrace. "Just talked. All night."
"About what?"
"Everything." He pulled back, meeting her eyes. "The Dragon is an ally now. Not a friend, I don't think it has friends, but an ally. It's going to help us."
"Help us how?"
"Information, resources, support when we need it." Lin Feng's expression grew serious. "It's also warned me that the heavens are paying attention. The Phoenix's death didn't go unnoticed."
"What does that mean?"
"It means we're on a clock. The gods will send someone eventually, a champion, an army, something to stop me before I become too powerful." Lin Feng's hands clenched at his sides. "We need to move faster. Consume more divine beasts before they have time to react."
Mei's face was troubled. "Lin Feng..."
"I know. The faster I consume, the more I risk losing myself." He touched her cheek gently. "But I don't have a choice. The alternative is letting the heavens destroy me before I can challenge them."
"There has to be another way."
"If there is, the Dragon doesn't know it. And the Dragon knows everything." Lin Feng sighed. "All I can do is push forward and trust that you'll keep me anchored."
Mei was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded.
"Where do we go next?"
Lin Feng turned to face the west, toward mountains that held the most dangerous of the divine beasts.
"The White Tiger," he said. "The Dragon warned me it's the most aggressive, the most deadly. If I can consume it, I'll have enough power to face whatever the heavens send."
"And if you can't?"
Lin Feng's smile was grim.
"Then the journey ends sooner than expected."
