My System Devours Immortals

The Black Market Broker

Zhou Bao ran the black market from a wine cellar.

Cris found him counting coins in the dark, surrounded by crates of illegal pills, forbidden weapons, and things that used to be alive. The broker was fat, bald, and smiled like a man who had sold his own mother and regretted nothing.

"You're the Devourer," Zhou Bao said. Not a question.

"You've heard."

"Everyone's heard. Inner sect trash who crawled out of a pit and started eating people." Zhou Bao leaned back. "What do you want?"

"Corpses."

Zhou Bao's smile widened. "I sell many things. Corpses are expensive."

"I need bodies. Fresh. Strong. Cultivators."

"Killing disciples is bad for business."

"I'm not asking you to kill. I'm asking you to find the dead."

Zhou Bao tapped his fingers on the table. "There's a battle coming. The Crimson Blade Sect is moving against White Lotus. Lots of bodies. Good bodies. Foundation Establishment. Core Formation if you're lucky."

"When?"

"Three days."

Cris tensed. The Hollow would arrive in two.

"I need something now."

Zhou Bao reached under the table and pulled out a wooden box. Inside, a severed hand. Still glowing with faint qi.

"Core Formation cultivator. Killed in a duel. Hand's still fresh. Qi's still alive. Cost you ten spirit stones."

"I don't have spirit stones."

Zhou Bao laughed. "Then why are you wasting my time?"

Cris grabbed the box. Zhou Bao stopped laughing.

"Devour."

He pulled the qi from the hand. It flooded into him—weak, but useful. Core Formation residue. Not enough to break through. Enough to sharpen his edge.

"Core Formation Second Layer. Barely."

Cris tossed the empty box back. Zhou Bao stared at him.

"You didn't pay."

"I just did."

Zhou Bao's face twisted. Then he laughed. Long. Loud.

"You're either the boldest man I've ever met or the stupidest." He stood. "I like you. You're useful."

"I don't need your approval."

"You need my resources." Zhou Bao pulled out a map. "There's a tomb. Old. Hidden. Full of corpses. Cultivators who died a thousand years ago. Their bodies are still intact. Their qi is still pure."

Cris took the map. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Because I want something in return. The Hollow. The one coming for you. When you kill it, I want its remains."

"Hollows don't leave remains."

"This one will. It's a special Hollow. Court-made. Its body is valuable." Zhou Bao smiled. "Deal?"

Cris considered. Zhou Bao was greedy. Greedy men made mistakes. But they also made useful allies.

"Deal."

---

The tomb was three hours from the sect.

Cris moved through the forest with Gunna behind him. The fool had insisted on coming.

"You need someone to watch your back," Gunna had said. "Even if that someone is mediocre."

Cris hadn't argued.

The tomb entrance was hidden beneath a fallen tree. Old symbols. Cracked stone. The door opened when Cris pressed the key to it.

Inside, darkness. Coffins. Hundreds of them. Each one held a body. Each body still pulsed with qi.

"A burial ground for ancient cultivators. Their sects died. Their qi remained. This is a feast."

Cris walked to the first coffin. Opened it. Inside, a man in ancient armor. Face preserved. Qi radiating from his bones.

"Forgive me," Cris said.

He pressed his palm to the corpse.

"Devour."

Qi flooded into him. Pure. Ancient. Strong.

"Core Formation Third Layer. Fourth. Fifth."

He moved to the next coffin. Then the next. Each body gave him more. Each one pushed him higher.

"Sixth. Seventh. Eighth."

He stopped at the ninth coffin. His body was screaming. His meridians were full.

"Any more and you'll break. You need to temper your body before you can hold more."

Cris stepped back. The tomb was quiet.

Gunna was staring at him. His face was pale.

"You just ate an entire graveyard."

"I devoured their qi. Not their bodies."

"Same thing."

Cris looked at the remaining coffins. Dozens. Hundreds. Enough power to reach Nascent Soul. But not yet.

"We'll come back," he said.

---

They returned to the sect at dusk.

Zhou Bao was waiting at the gate. His smile was gone.

"Bad news," he said. "The Hollow arrived early."

Cris tensed. "Where?"

"Main hall. It's demanding to see you. The elders are stalling. But they won't stall long."

Cris walked past him. Zhou Bao grabbed his arm.

"Wait. You need to know something. The Hollow isn't alone. It brought friends. Three of them. All Foundation Establishment Peak. All loyal to the Court."

"Thanks for the warning."

"I'm not warning you. I'm protecting my investment." Zhou Bao released him. "Don't die. I still need that body."

Cris walked toward the main hall. Gunna followed.

"Three Hollows?" Gunna whispered.

"Four. The leader is stronger."

"You can't fight four Hollows alone."

"I'm not alone." Cris looked at him. "You're with me."

Gunna stopped. "I'm mediocre."

"So am I." Cris smiled. "But I'm hungry."

They walked into the main hall.

---

The Hollows stood in the center. Four figures in black robes. Masks. Red eyes. The leader was taller than the others. Its mask was cracked. Its qi was suffocating.

Elder Shen stood between them and Cris. His face was calm. His hands were behind his back.

"You can't have him," Elder Shen said.

The lead Hollow tilted its head. "You cannot stop us, old man. The Court demands the Devourer. Give him to us, or die."

Elder Shen smiled. "I've been waiting forty years for this."

The Hollows attacked.

Elder Shen moved. Fast. Faster than Cris had ever seen. His qi exploded—not Foundation Establishment. Not Core Formation. Higher. Much higher.

"Nascent Soul. He's been hiding his cultivation."

The elder's palm struck the first Hollow. It dissolved into black smoke. The second fell to a blade of pure qi. The third tried to run. Elder Shen caught it. Crushed it.

The lead Hollow grabbed Elder Shen's arm. "You're strong. But you're old."

"I'm old," Elder Shen agreed. "But I'm not alone."

Cris attacked.

He drove his fist into the lead Hollow's back. The ring flared. Not devouring. Rejecting. Hollows couldn't be devoured. But they could be destroyed.

The Hollow spun. Its blade cut Cris's chest. Blood sprayed.

"It's too strong. We need to run."

"No."

Cris grabbed the Hollow's mask. Pulled. The mask shattered. Beneath it, nothing. Just black smoke and red eyes.

"You can't kill me," the Hollow said. "I am endless."

Cris smiled. "So am I."

He pressed his palm to the Hollow's chest. Not devouring. Something else. Something the serpent's memories had given him.

"Devour. Reverse."

Instead of pulling qi in, he pushed it out. His own qi. Corrupted. Tainted by the Devourer's power.

The Hollow screamed. The black smoke was consumed by something darker. The red eyes flickered. Died.

The Hollow collapsed. Gone.

Cris fell to his knees. His chest was bleeding. His qi was drained. But he was alive.

Elder Shen stood over him. "You just killed a Court Hollow. A true Hollow. Not a servant. A fragment of the End itself."

"I know."

"You shouldn't be able to do that."

"I know."

The elder helped him up. "You're more dangerous than I thought."

"Good."

---

Later, Cris sat alone in his quarters. Gunna had gone to find food. Elder Shen had gone to report to the sect master.

The ring was cold. The pendant was warm.

"System. What did I just do?"

"You devoured a fragment of the End. Not the End itself. A piece. A very small piece."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you can hurt it. You can kill it. Piece by piece. Until there's nothing left."

Cris looked at his hands. They were steady.

"Good."

"But there's a cost. Every fragment you devour brings you closer to the End. Closer to becoming it."

Cris closed his eyes. "I know."

"And you'll do it anyway."

"Yes."

He stood. Walked to the window. The moon was rising.

"Because if I don't, no one else will."