Upon hearing this, the eyes of the other Food Masters nearby turned cold and murderous.

The Young Man’s words reminded them of the time they were nearly beaten to death by Hu Qi.

For more than two years, they hadn’t even dared to return to their own territories, spending most of their time in the Valley of the Earth Abyss.

They were terrified that he might invade the Inner Earth World again at any moment and pick them off one by one.

Although they were unwilling to admit it, the fact remained that even nine Food Masters working together couldn’t defeat Hu Qi.

This result instilled an emotion called fear in the hearts of these Food Masters, beings who stood at the apex of the food chain.

It was a feeling they had never experienced, not even when they faced the Miwu Civilization and fought against those suicidal Refining God lunatics who battled to the death.

After all, while those madmen were powerful when desperately unleashing their various Secret Techniques, they weren’t invincible if a few Food Masters ganged up on them.

But Hu Qi was different. His was a terrifying, crushing combat strength—a level of power they had never before witnessed.

If not for the existence of Mother Earth, they would have likely suffered the same fate as the Food Masters who came before them.

"That bastard... I must personally flay him alive, eat his flesh and sleep on his hide! Only then will the hatred in my heart be sated!"

"He is meant to be food for Lady Earth. We may not get a share, but we can certainly capture his family."

"I can’t wait to see that lowly blood-thrall’s miserable death. I hope Lady Earth doesn’t finish him off too quickly!"

...

Vicious, chilling curses echoed from all around.

The expressions on the Food Masters’ faces were twisted and terrifying.

Clearly, they hated Hu Qi with a passion. But they knew that no matter how strong he was, he stood no chance against Lady Earth, their creator. For him, there was only death.

In their eyes, Lady Earth was, after all, an omnipotent being.

"Is that so? I had no idea you all hated me this much!"

Suddenly, a soft chuckle rang out.

Hearing this, the many Food Masters, who had just been viciously discussing how they would torture Hu Qi and give him a fate worse than death once Mother Earth awakened, all froze.

There was only one reason: the voice was far too familiar.

Looking up, they saw a figure high above the Valley of the Earth Abyss.

It was a figure that had appeared out of nowhere, radiating an intense, silvery-white light.

Although the figure was completely engulfed in light, obscuring its face, its mere presence exuded an unimaginable pressure.

Hearing the voice and sensing the familiar aura, the hearts of all the Food Masters clenched.

They instantly recognized the newcomer. It was the very target they had been fantasizing about grinding to dust—Hu Qi.

But now that he had actually appeared before them,

the Food Masters fell into a deathly silence.

At that moment, Shu Ming took a step forward. As if by unspoken agreement, the other Food Masters dissolved into gray mist and surged into her body.

Her body began to swell.

At the same time, the pendant on her neck, which stored Mother Earth’s power, once again unleashed an inky-black light that flowed into her.

In that instant, Shu Ming’s size and aura exploded, transforming her into a ten-meter-tall being, like a Giant.

A massive bulge quickly swelled up on her back.

PSHHH! The bulge burst open, revealing a pair of pitch-black wings and four new, thick arms.

Her spinal column extended, forming a giant, bony-spiked tail.

Her cheeks tore open, revealing two more eyes. Combined with her original pair, she now had four.

Her blood-red pupils shrank to pinpricks, while the whites of her eyes turned completely black.

When the transformation was complete, the aura she exuded was even more powerful than before.

It seemed that because Mother Earth’s awakening was imminent, the power Shu Ming had been granted this time was far greater.

"Since you’ve come, you can stay. You’ll make a fine sacrifice to celebrate Lady Earth’s awakening!"

The corners of Shu Ming’s mouth split all the way to her ears, revealing rows of fine, black, serrated teeth.

Her two pairs of eyes blinked, her four pinpoint pupils locking onto Hu Qi in the sky, a look of cruel malice flashing within them.

With a beat of her wings, her massive form vanished from its spot.

At the same instant, the air beside Hu Qi distorted, and Shu Ming’s enormous figure reappeared.

Six thick arms shot out, fingers like hooks, clawing directly at Hu Qi.

She moved so fast that the air instantly imploded and then exploded, spreading out to the sides like viscous ocean waves.

However, in the face of this attack, Hu Qi merely turned his head and gave her a casual glance.

The next moment, Shu Ming’s body froze in place.

RIP! Before she could even react, half of her body was torn away as if by invisible jaws, vanishing into thin air. It exposed her internal organs, which were still writhing and drenched in Black Blood.

"Ugh... Your... power..."

Shu Ming stared at Hu Qi in terror, her four tiny pupils trembling.

The agonized screams of the other Food Masters echoed from within her body.

She couldn’t understand how Hu Qi’s strength had grown so immense in such a short time.

He had been powerful before, and while she was no match for him, she could at least put up a fight.

After borrowing Mother Earth’s power, she had even been able to gain the upper hand.

But now, with Mother Earth on the verge of awakening and granting her even greater strength, how could she be completely overpowered in a single exchange?

Yet, no matter how she roared or struggled, she was powerless, like an ant being crushed.

RIP! Several of Shu Ming’s arms vanished, leaving behind stark white bone fragments.

"AARGH! YOU DAMNED THING!"

Shu Ming’s face contorted, becoming even more horrifying and monstrous.

The pain was secondary. What terrified her more was the discovery that her vanished body parts showed no signs of regeneration.

A Food Master of her level possessed a truly terrifying Recovery Power,

one that allowed her to regenerate her entire body from a single finger.

But now, her Recovery Power as a Food Master had completely vanished.

As time passed, more of her body continued to disappear, like a chalk drawing being wiped from a blackboard.

The horror of watching one’s own body vanish piece by piece was something no living creature could remain indifferent to, and the Food Masters were no exception.

In fact, it was precisely because they had lived for so long that they feared death all the more.

Yet, no matter how she screamed, it was useless.

In just a few breaths, the ten-meter-tall Shu Ming was reduced to nothing more than half a head.

By now, the roars of the other Food Masters within her had all vanished. Only Shu Ming remained, staring at Hu Qi in terror with her one remaining eye.

Her gaze was as if she were looking at a Demon.

With a soft POP, a ripple spread through the void, and Shu Ming disappeared completely.

A line of text appeared.

Modification Point +2760 (50%)

Hu Qi thought about it for a moment and understood.

’Her form was a fusion of many Food Masters. It’s only natural that it would provide so many Modification Points.’

...

The very instant Shu Ming was completely devoured and erased by Hu Qi...

"ROAR!"

A tremendous, bizarre roar suddenly echoed throughout the Inner Earth World.