My System Devours Immortals

Inner Sect Rules

The Inner Sect didn't welcome him.

Cris walked through the gates at dawn. Jade pillars. Spirit fountains. Disciples in white robes, stronger than any outer sect trash. They looked at him like he was a stain on their floor.

"Foundation Establishment First Layer," someone muttered. "How did he get in?"

"Elder Shen's pet. Heard he cheated in the tournament."

"Cheated? He devoured Zhao Kun's cultivation. Everyone saw."

"Then why is he still alive?"

Cris ignored them. He walked to his assigned quarters. A small room in the eastern wing. Better than the outer sect. But still a cage.

"They hate you," the system said.

"They always have."

"It will get worse. Inner sect disciples are stronger. Smarter. More dangerous."

"Good."

He set his bag down. The key was hidden in his robe. The ring was on his finger. Hidden. Always hidden.

A knock at the door.

Cris opened it. A young man stood there. Thin. Nervous. Robes too big for his frame. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days.

"You're Cris?" the man asked.

"Who's asking?"

"Gunna. Outer sect. Well, former outer sect. I got promoted too." He laughed nervously. "They put me next to you. I thought... maybe we could watch each other's backs?"

Cris studied him. Weak. Qi Gathering Fourth Layer. No threat.

"Why me?"

"Because everyone else wants me dead. Or gone. Or both." Gunna shrugged. "I'm not strong. I'm not smart. I'm just... here."

"He's useless," the system said. "Send him away."

Cris looked at Gunna's face. The desperation. The fear.

"Come in."

Gunna blinked. "Really?"

"Really."

---

Gunna talked. A lot.

He talked about the Inner Sect hierarchy. The three factions. Elder Shen's faction. Elder Han's faction. And the neutral disciples who just wanted to survive.

He talked about the training grounds. The forbidden areas. The politics.

Cris listened. Information was a weapon. Gunna was a fool. But a useful fool.

"So," Gunna said, "what's your plan?"

"To get stronger."

"Stronger than what?"

"Stronger than everyone."

Gunna laughed. Then stopped. Cris wasn't joking.

"You're serious."

"Yes."

"That's... ambitious."

"It's necessary."

Gunna leaned back. "You know, I heard stories about you. Outer sect. The cripple who crawled out of the Beast Pit. The one who devoured Zhao Kun's cultivation in front of everyone."

"Stories are just stories."

"Are they?" Gunna's eyes were sharp. Sharper than they looked. "Because I also heard you walked into a tomb and came out with something. Something the elders want."

Cris tensed. "Where did you hear that?"

"Everyone's talking. You're not exactly subtle." Gunna leaned forward. "I'm not here to spy on you. I'm here because I need protection. And you need allies. Even weak ones."

"He's not lying," the system said. "But he's hiding something."

Cris nodded slowly. "Fine. You watch my back. I watch yours. But if you betray me—"

"You'll devour me. I know." Gunna grinned. "I've seen what you do to people."

---

The training grounds were brutal.

Inner sect disciples sparred with real weapons. Real qi. Real intent. Every day, someone left on a stretcher. Every week, someone died.

Cris trained alone. He didn't need partners. He didn't need friends. He needed kills.

But the Inner Sect didn't allow killing. Not openly. Not without cause.

So he waited.

"You need to devour more. The key is not enough. You need power."

"I know."

"The Inner Sect has a dungeon. Criminals. Condemned disciples. The elders execute them in private."

Cris stopped. "How do you know that?"

"I feel them. Their qi. Their fear. They're beneath the main hall. Waiting."

Cris looked toward the main hall. The elders' chambers. The dungeons beneath.

"Tonight."

---

The dungeon was guarded.

Two disciples. Foundation Establishment Third Layer. Bored. Tired.

Cris moved through the shadows. Silent. The ring pulsed on his finger.

He reached the guard. Pressed his palm to the man's chest.

"Devour."

The guard collapsed. Unconscious. Not dead. Cris didn't kill guards. That would bring attention.

The second guard turned. Cris grabbed his throat.

"Where are the condemned?"

The guard choked. "Below. Three levels. But you can't—"

Cris squeezed. The guard passed out.

He descended.

---

Three levels. Twelve cells. Eleven dead.

Cris found the last one alive. A man in chains. Beaten. Broken. But his eyes burned.

"Who are you?" the man rasped.

"Someone who needs your qi."

The man laughed. Blood bubbled on his lips. "You're a monster."

"Yes."

Cris pressed his palm to the man's chest.

"Devour."

Qi flooded into him. Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer. Tainted. Dark. But powerful.

"Second Layer. Third Layer. Fourth Layer."

Cris released. The man collapsed. Alive. Barely.

"Why do you always leave them alive?"

"Because dead men can't regret."

He climbed out of the dungeon.

---

Joe was waiting for him.

"Where were you?" Joe asked.

"Training."

Joe looked at the blood on Cris's robes. "Training."

"Yes."

"Liar."

Cris walked past him.

Joe grabbed his arm. "I know what you're doing. The dungeon. The condemned. You're devouring them."

"So?"

"So it's wrong."

Cris turned. His eyes were cold. "Wrong? The elders execute them anyway. I'm just making sure their deaths mean something."

"That's not your decision."

"It's mine now."

Joe stared at him. Something in his face changed. Not anger. Worry.

"You're becoming something else," Joe said. "Something I don't recognize."

"Good. The old Cris was weak."

Joe released him. Stepped back. "When we fight—and we will fight—I won't hold back."

"Neither will I."

---

Elder Han found Cris at dawn.

"You're making enemies," the old man said.

"I'm making myself stronger."

"You're losing yourself."

Cris looked at him. The elder who had saved him. The elder who had given him the pendant. The elder who might be lying.

"Why did you help me?"

Elder Han was silent for a long moment. Then he spoke.

"Because I failed once. Fifty years ago. I watched the Devourer destroy everything. I ran. I've been running ever since."

"You said that before."

"I know. But there's more." Elder Han reached into his robe and pulled out a small box. "I found this in the tomb. Before I sealed it. I couldn't open it. But you can."

Cris took the box. The symbols matched the key.

"What's inside?"

"I don't know. But it's yours now."

Elder Han turned and walked away. His limp was heavier than ever.

Cris opened the box.

Inside, a single pill. Black. Ancient. The scent of death and power.

"A Devouring Pill," the system whispered. "Consume it. Gain a fraction of the original Devourer's power."

Cris held the pill. His hand shook.

"Do it."

He swallowed.

Fire exploded through his body. His meridians screamed. His bones cracked. He collapsed to his knees, gasping.

"Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer. Sixth Layer. Seventh."

The pain stopped. Cris stood. His eyes glowed red.

"You are becoming what you were meant to be."

Cris looked at his hands. They were steady.

"Not yet," he said. "But soon."