Eternal Villain: I can enslave Reality!

The Former Emperor, watching from the palace, could hardly believe the lengths to which Xu Shan was willing to go for his own survival. It was a grim and desperate gambit, using the lives of countless individuals as pawns in his dangerous game against the celestial wrath.

"This is too..." He spoke, seeing the sight before him. "...evil."

His daughter watched the sight and even she was taken aback. She didn't expect Xu Shan to do something like this. He was sacrificing innocent people. It couldn't even be called a sacrifice. He was straight feeding those humans to the Lightning Dragons.

She thought her sister was evil as her war of conquest took many lives. Her sister even ruined her Celestial Spirit and destroyed their family, but even she had never done something like this. It was no different than a large-scale execution!

She couldn't be certain as to who had a darker heart. Her sister that she hated the most in the world, or the person who had saved her father and helped her. Because that man's current actions were different from the image that she had created for him in her mind.

Xu Shan was covered in sweat as he continued to sacrifice the city's guards, knowing that time was his most precious commodity. His body was under heavy burden, but his life was on the line, so he couldn't relax.

With each wave of celestial warriors sent to delay the Lightning Dragons, he inched closer to his goal of devouring the first dragon and achieving a breakthrough. But he was also aware of the toll this strategy was taking on him, both mentally and emotionally.

As the Lightning Dragons relentlessly pursued their prey, their colossal forms illuminated the darkened sky. The once-great city was now a battleground, a chaotic spectacle of destruction and sacrifice. The screams of the fallen warriors mixed with the roar of thunder and the crackle of lightning, creating a symphony of despair.

Xu Shan's left eye blazed with an otherworldly intensity, drawing even more celestial energy from the first Lightning Dragon.

He couldn't afford to fail now, not after coming this far. The Book of Truth, suspended in the air beside him, continued to display his dwindling chances of survival, a grim reminder of the stakes involved.

The Divine Empress, Yunxi, watched in shock as the city's guardians were offered up as sacrifices.

The Lightning Dragon had arrived for Xu Shan. She didn't know what he did to attract three of them, which broke all her understanding about the Heavenly Punishment.

She was certain that the man in the sky wasn't Heaven's Chosen. But that also raised a question. Just what was he? And how was his growth so fast? Even she felt dread as she saw him now, certain that she couldn't win if she were to fight him.

She held the Book of Devouring tightly, for the first time in her life feeling fear.

The question remained: would this sacrificial tactic be enough to delay the Lightning Dragons and allow Xu Shan to complete his devouring?

More and more celestial warriors took to the sky, each group meeting a swift and tragic end at the hands of the relentless Lightning Dragons. Yet, Xu Shan's determination never wavered. He knew that every precious second counted, and he would continue this grim dance with death until he could achieve the breakthrough he so desperately needed.

Half an hour had passed and half the City population was wiped out, but it wasn't the end. Thousands of people took to the sky again.

The Former Emperor had lost count as to how many lives were gone. A million? Ten million? Or a hundred million?

Before long, Xu Shan finished devouring the First Lightning Dragon, his body brimming with every. Unfortunately, he still didn't achieve a breakthrough. It was as if he was on the verge of a breakthrough, but still something was lacking.

"More! I need more!"

His clothing was ripped in several places, and his skin was badly burned, with some of his bones visible. Even blood trickled down his lips, his face remaining pale.

He looked above, stopping one wage of attacks. Instead, he flew toward one of the Dragons directly.

The Spirit of Devouring disappeared behind him, and so did the Spirit of Control. The people who attacked the Lightning Dragon came to their senses, albeit too late. 𝐛𝗲𝗱𝐧𝐨𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝐜𝐨𝐦

When they gained their vision, they saw a fierce lightning Dragon before their eyes. The last thing they saw was the Dragon's open mouth and they were devoured.

On the opposite end, Xu Shan soared through the air, effortlessly landing atop the Lightning Dragon which was busy devouring the humans that attacked him.

Vibrant bolts of electricity surged through his body, causing him to grit his teeth in an effort to stifle any expression of discomfort.

He placed his hand on the Dragon's back, even as his body felt paralyzed because of Heaven's Punishment.

The devouring activated as soon as his hand touched the Lightning Dragon.

Xu Shan felt his vision getting blurry as the lightning momentarily stopped his heart from beating

With the people devoured, the Lightning Dragons once again turned to Xu Shan.

The Dragon that he was trying to devour flew high, to make Xu Shan fall. Xu Shan barely held on to its body.

Unfortunately, the other Lightning Dragons didn't care that he was atop one of them. They were lifeless beings with only one goal.

The other Lightning Dragon opened its mouth, shooting out a condensed beam of Heavenly Lightning.

The beam struck Xu Shan directly, engulfing him in a blinding display of crackling energy. Despite the intense pain, he summoned every ounce of his strength to withstand the assault. The first assault was something he survived, albeit barely.

His left arm was missing, and there was not a single body part that wasn't hurting.

The Lightning Dragon opened its mouth again, repeating the same attack. Until the Dragons were killed, they were going to keep attacking.

Xu Shan didn't escape. He increased his devouring, feeling a crack through the barrier of breakthrough. Just a little more and he could have everything!