A few hours after Lord God Lu Ying's assimilation, she found herself in a vast and almost unlimited darkness.
'This!? I have never seen a vessel possess a Dantian this big.'
Lord God Lu Ying was utterly speechless in what lies before her. Darkness as far as the eyes can see.
In her world, a person's strength and innate talent is measured by his or her dantian. The bigger and more vast the dantian is, the stronger the potential of the being.
What Lu Ying is seeing right now was almost enough to make her faint. Her chosen vessel's dantian is way too big. Even bigger than hers before she ascended to Godhood, way bigger.
'This vessel… Little Chen, this gift of yours, I shall treasure for eternity.'
Lord God Lu Ying breathed in, and proceeded to shout full of pride and resolute.
"Let this vessel and I be named as Lou Chen!"
"HAHAHAHA! Lou Chen!? Who in tarnation is this Lou Chen?"
"Who-!?"
Suddenly, Lord God Lu Ying was startled as she heard someone laughing in the shadows.
'This!? How long has he been here!? I couldn't even sense him.. but more importantly-'
"Who art thou!? I order thee to show thyself!", Lord God Lu Ying waved her hand as she shouted with pure dominance.
"Hahaha! Show thyself? Thoust speaketh as if an ancient hag", the mysterious voice answered, clearly mocking the mighty Lord God.
The man continued to laugh as he revealed himself from the darkness. It was a tall man with long black hair with four horns protruding on the back of his shoulders.
'This man, he is strong!'
Feeling the pressure being emitted by the stranger, Lord God Lu Ying raised her hand and summoned a thousand blades covered with light.
"Fool! Do you want to perish!? Withdraw your weapon now, woman!"
"Answer me first! Who are you to intrude in my vessel!?"
"What in the hells are you talking about? I was here first."
"���"
Lord God Lu Ying thought about it, and the stranger made sense. She would have noticed if someone as strong as the man before her trespassed into the vessel after her.
"Hmph! It matters not. This vessel belongs to me! Vanish or I will be forced to extinguish you, Demon!", although Lord God Lu Ying said this, she was actually quite hesitant to fight the man.
She knows that if she fights this man, even if manages to win, the toll on her soul would be so critical that she might not have the strength left to possess the vessel. But she has no choice. The most important thing right now is this vessel. After all, she only managed to gain a vessel this powerful because of the sacrifice of one of her beloved juniors, Elder Lou Chen.
"Did you just call me… Demon? And kill me? Do you think you have that kind of power, Celestial?", the stranger cracked his knuckles as he showed an annoyed expression on his face.
"You dare!?"
"Of course, I dare", the stranger smiled.
Seeing his smug reply, Lord God Lu Ying couldn't help it, she waved her hand and the blades of light surrounding her suddenly vibrated and shot towards the position of the stranger.
However, before the blades of light can even hit the stranger's nose, they disappeared.
"Wha- What did you do!?", Lord God Lu Ying was clearly at a lost as to what had happened. She did not even feel the stranger use any of his powers.
"My turn, Celestial."
The stranger raised his hand and pointed. A huge ball of fire appeared above him, it was as if he summoned a dwarf star.
Lord God Lu Ying immediately put up her guard and summoned a barrier. She gritted her teeth as she prepared to block the incoming attack.
However, the shield of light she summoned once again vanished.
"Oh no!", Lord God Lu Ying panicked.
But to her surprise, the colossal fireball summoned by the stranger also vanished into thin air.
"Relax, woman. Did you see what happened just now?", the stranger said as he calmly sat down.
Lord God Lu Ying didn't reply and she immediately planned another counter attack.
"It's not going to work, our powers do not work in this weird dimension.��
"Do you really think I will believe that!?",
"Eh? Who cares what you believe in. Anyway, I said what I said. None of our attacks work here."
Lord God Lu Ying was about to once again debate with the stranger, but she decided to retract it. Seeing as there seems to be some truth as to what the stranger is saying, she also relaxed herself and sat down.
"…It matters not, this vessel still belongs to me. I can't waste the gift my junior gave to me just because of you. Leave before this vessel matures into a live human."
The stranger's ears perked up. "A human… so we are inside a human's core? Intriguing… very intriguing. Haha!", the stranger laughed.
"Why are you always laughing, and why are you still here? Do you not understand the consequences if both of us remain here for long?"
"Heh. I wish I could leave.", the stranger whispered something.
Lord God Lu Ying could not hear the stranger so she just chose to meditate, telling the stranger once again to leave before she closed her eyes and concentrated in circulating her enormous ki.
The stranger, despite being told to leave, just sat down in front of the meditating Lu Ying and watched her.
Minutes, hours, days- they stayed like this before the Lord God Lu Ying could not help her annoyance.
"Hmph! Do you truly not wish to leave this vessel!?"
"Woah, I thought you were dead!?", the stranger faked a surprised expression.
"Just answer my query, stranger."
The stranger chuckled before he answered, "I can't leave. I have been trying to do so before you even came."
"Hm, what do you mean?", Lord God Lu Ying tilted her head and looked at the stranger with a curious gaze.
"Both of us are probably stuck in this so called vessel of yours."
"Impossible! You could just exit from one of the meridians if you wish to!"
"Meridians? What the hell is that? Anyway, I truly can't leave. Whenever I try to… something…. someone is trying to push me back."
Hearing this, Lord God Lu Ying once again closed her eyes and tried to reach the closest meridian of the vessel with her will.
When she did so, she immediately felt a heavy pressure as a huge pair of eyes appeared before her. She felt as though someone was staring at the very depths of her soul. Lord God Lu Ying instantly retracted her will and opened her eyes. If she had a real body, she imagined that it would be full of sweat right about now.
'What in the world was that!? Even in my millions of years as a god, that was the first time I have felt that kind of pressure!'
"Woah, you're one crazy woman, are you not? Even though I have warned you that something else was here. In fact, it is probably watching us right now. Brr, I get the chills just thinking about it. What a pervert.", the stranger embraced himself as he shook his entire body funnily.
"What was that!?"
"I told you, it's something."
"This… is this not one of thy tricks, stranger!?", Lord God Lu Ying pointed at the stranger.
"…Xanthus."
"What?"
"My name is Xanthus. Xanthus of Freiden.", the stranger stood up as he bowed.
"I did not ask for thy name, stranger.", Lord God Lu Ying looked away.
"Well, if we are going to be stuck here until this vessel…human child is born, we might as well know each other."
The stranger reached out his hand to Lord God Lu Ying.
"Hmph, very well. I am the Lord God. I permit you to call me that.", Lord God Lu Ying said proudly as she placed her hands on her waist and puffed out her enormous breasts.
"…."
Xanthus paused for a moment, before suddenly laughing his lungs out.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"W-why are you laughing again!?"
"HAHAHA! L-lord God, she said! HAHAHA!"
"You dare mock and defile my title!?"
"HAHAHA! We're using up our titles? Very well, I am the Devil, the Evil Monarch, Destroyer of worlds, bane in the existence of humans, the Demon God- Xanthus."
Xanthus mimicked Lord God Lu Ying as he also puffed out his chests and placed his hands on his chest. However, the smallest hint of loneliness and disgust as Xanthus uttered his titles did not escape Lord God Lu Ying's eyes.
'The Devil- a path full of thorn and regret', Lord God Lu Ying thought. "This one's name is Lu Yin, Lu Yin of…. Xuezhou."
"Xuezhou… An eastern name. I have explored all of the eastern countries. How come I have never heard of someone as strong as you there?", Xanthus placed his hands on his chin.
"We are probably not from the same world…or even universe, Xanthus of Freiden."
"Hm, I suppose."
Being as powerful as they were. The notion of there being another world was not something they disapprove. Thus, Xanthus did not bother with the topic anymore, so he just asked what their next step should be.
"I do not know, Xanthus. Perhaps we are meant to die and rot inside this vessel."
"Hmmm."
"I just wished it isn't so. One of my… friends- a junior, sacrificed himself so I can find a suitable vessel and continue to travel the six paths. But then here we are, just my luck.", Lu Yi exhaled with disappointment.
"A friend? I… am deeply sorry about your loss"
Xanthus knew the burden of beings as powerful as them. To even have one acquaintance, much less a friend is a blessing for them. To treat one as such must mean that this "friend" of hers must truly be special.
"I… as well, left someone in my world, Cortana.", Xanthus smiled as he closed his eyes in reminisce.
"Cortana? She seemed very nice."
And just like that, two extraordinary beings are having a very ordinary conversation. They realized this fact at the same time and they couldn't help but chuckle.
"I can not blame you for choosing this vessel to assimilate to, Xanthus of Freiden. It… is very strong. Abnormally so."
"Choose? I am afraid you have the wrong idea, oh mighty Lord"
"Hmph, explain."
"I am supposed to be cut off from the cycle of life. I did not want to be reincarnated."
"…", Lu Yi remained silent.
"Instead, I was absorbed. Absorbed by this treasured vessel of yours.", Xanthus exhaled as he lowered his shoulders in defeat.
"What!? Is that even possible?"
"I can not explain it myself, as the last embers of my existence was about to disappear, I could feel a black hole suddenly sucking me in… at first I thought it was Cortana sucking me, if you know what I mean", Xanthus winked at Lu Yi as he deliberately made a dirty joke to try and lighten up the conversation.
"A black hole?", Lu Yi, however, totally disregarded that latter part of what Xanthus said.
"Yes, it just sucked me right in… and before I knew it, I was here. I tried to get out at first but I felt an extreme pressure going through my body. I'll be darned to try that again."
"…"
"A few moments later, I heard someone shouting, and so here we are."
Lord God Lu Yi thought hard about what could have caused this, but alas, she just couldn't come to a conclusion.
One thing is for sure though, whatever brought Xanthus here, the owner of the pair of eyes that emitted a heavy pressure was surely involved, she thought.
"Could it be the owner of the eyes earlier?", Lu Yi stated.
"Maybe. This vessel of yours is mysterious for sure. In fact, I think you didn't even choose this vessel, it chose you."
"…That is imp-"
Before Lu Yi could finish her reply, both of them heard a loud sound, a thump. Suddenly, a colossal pressure came down upon them, causing them to kneel down.
"Oh boy, n-now what?", Xanthus muttered as he tried to stand up, but couldn't.
"S-shut up,I am trying to concentrate here!"
Suddenly, two large eyes appeared before them.
"It's here!"
"Who are you!?"
The large pair of eyes just continued to stare at them before closing and finally vanishing.
And then once again, before Lu Yi and Xanthus can relax, another thump resounded through the darkness.
"T-that sound…"
"It… it can't be!? It is still to early! This vessel is not even ready yet! It should not have even been a week!", Lu Yi formed an ugly expression on her face.
Indeed, what they heard caused a chill down their spines.
It was…
A heartbeat.