"I lost them, again…" Li Yu muttered. A wave of genuine defeat washes over him. "I can't go there. They have a higher understanding than me or are native to the void. I am just a tourist compared to them..."

  He stood for a bit and was about to turn back. To return to the material world and figure out a new plan, when the grey mist in front of him suddenly parted.

  It didn't part gently. It was torn open by two hands. Rugged, muscular human hands.

  A figure stepped out of the chaotic storm of the Second Layer as if he were stepping out of a shower. He was a familiar sight to Li Yu but he was surprised nonetheless. Li Yu had not expected him to be here.

  Khaos.

  The ancient Crab, currently in his human form. And in his hands, he held two very unhappy, squirming grapefruits.

  In his left hand, he had trapped the Void-Silk Spider in a purple sphere. It was thrashing and trying to bite him but its fangs couldn't get through the prison that Khaos put it in.

  In his right hand, he had trapped the Phase-Tunnel Worm in the same way. Its tiny wings fluttered helplessly.

  "Pathetic… You need to spend more time studying the Void Laws and less time traveling." Khaos said.

  Li Yu’s jaw dropped. "Khaos? You... you were watching? I do study the Void Laws all the time, traveling is also a form of tempering and furthering my knowledge.”

  "I am always watching." Khaos sneered. "Especially when you are embarrassing yourself. You let these... appetizers... escape?"

  He lifted the spider to eye level. The spider froze, its eight eyes widening in sheer primal terror. It recognized what was holding it. This man's achievements in the void were levels beyond its own. Almost like this was the king of this realm. Compared to itself, this was the apex of the Void. That was the only explanation for how he was able to so easily catch them.

  "Let go! Let go!" The spider projected a frantic mental scream. "Bad touch! Bad touch!"

  "Freak!" the worm squeaked, wiggling. "Let go, you ancient fossil!"

  Li Yu was surprised by their speech. "They talk?"

  "They are too noisy," Khaos corrected. He shook them violently. "Silence! Or else I will kill you right here and now. How dare juniors talk to their elders this way."

  "Juniors?!" The spider managed to hiss and was vibrating with indignation despite its terror. "I am the Weaver of the Seventh Rift! My usage of the spatial web is art! You... you brute! You barely used technique! You just grabbed us! That is barbaric void usage! Childish!"

  "Yeah!" the worm chimed in. "We slipped into the Second Layer! That takes finesse! You just... broke the door down! You clumsy oaf! Old man bullying the young!"

  Li Yu stared. Two grapefruit-sized creatures were currently insulting Khaos and that had never gone well in the past. However, their insults were directed at him. More like ramblings of a defeated enemy.

  Khaos looked at them. He didn't look angry. He didn’t have any kind of emotion on his face at all.

  "Finesse?" Khaos scoffed. "Why use a key when you own the house? The doors open on their for me. And as for 'young'..."

  He squeezed the spider slightly.

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  "You are seven hundred and forty years old," Khaos deadpanned.

  He squeezed the worm.

  "And you are seven hundred and twelve."

  Li Yu’s eyes widened. "They're over seven hundred years old?"

  "They are ancient pests," Khaos confirmed. "Only mid level Soul Formation as well. They spend all this time stealing shiny trash instead of cultivating properly. Pathetic."

  "Hey!" The spider yelled. "It’s not trash! It’s aesthetics! And seven hundred is young for our species! We are basically just beginning our lives!"

  "We are ladies!" the worm added. "Have some respect for the fairer sex, you void-monster!"

  "Ladies," Li Yu repeated, looking at the chubby worm and the spider. "Right."

  Khaos sighed. "Enough nonsense. Li Yu."

  "Yes?"

  "These two," Khaos lifted them up. "They are annoying. But they are the concentrated essence of the Void Law. High quality. If you eat them, your connection to the void will grow and increase dramatically. It would save you a lot of time.”

  He looked at Li Yu without much emotion.

  "If you eat their meat, drink their blood and consume their cores, your affinity with the Void will skyrocket. You could probably enter the Second Layer by tomorrow. It is a great opportunity. I can kill them for you now and you can cook them however you want."

  The air in the First Layer suddenly went very, very quiet. The spider stopped thrashing about. The worm went rigid.

  "Eat?" the spider whispered.

  "Skin?" the worm squeaked.

  "Yes," Khaos said casually. "Li Yu is a growing boy. He needs protein. Especially from strong and unique creatures such as yourself. And you two are marinating in spatial energy. Very tender."

  He raised a finger and a blade of pure black void energy formed at the tip. It buzzed with the sound of a thousand dying stars.

  "Shall I start with the legs? Or the head?"

  Panic exploded.

  "WAIT!" The spider shrieked. "DON'T EAT US! WE HAVE RIGHTS! WE AREN'T FOOD!"

  "WE ARE PEOPLE!" the worm screamed. "WE ARE PEOPLE!"

  "Non-sense. You lost so you shall be eaten." Khaos said coldly as he was bringing the blade closer to the worm’s chubby midsection.

  POOF.

  A cloud of purple and white smoke exploded from the two creatures. When the smoke cleared, the two grapefruits were gone.

  In Khaos’s left hand, well, more like floating to his left side now. Instead of a spider, there was now a woman.

  She was... imposing. She looked to be in her thirties or forties with dark purple skin and long silky white hair that floated around her like a web. She was undeniably voluptuous, with curves that threatened to spill out of her dress.

  Her dress was a daring, revealing gown made of black silk that looked more like lingerie than a dress. Her eyes were the same milky white ring and she had an aura of imperious, haughty nobility. She looked like an Empress of the Night who had just been caught shoplifting.

  On his right side was another woman.

  She was smaller, pale-skinned, with short, choppy grey hair. She wore a practical, tight-fitting martial artist’s robe that was white with glowing trim. She was modest, graceful and looked like a disciplined sect disciple, except for the fact that she was currently dangling in the air like a caught animal.

  "See?" The Spider-Woman shouted. "Human forms! Mid-level Soul Formation! We are cultivators! You can't eat cultivators! That’s cannibalism! It’s rude!"

  "We surrender!" The Worm-Woman cried while tears were streaming down her face. "Please don't skin me! I moisturize! My skin is too nice to be soup!"

  Khaos looked at the two women still caught in his prison. He looked at Li Yu.

  "They still look edible to me," Khaos shrugged.

  "PLEASE!" The Spider-Empress wailed, her haughty demeanor crumbling completely. "We’ll do anything! We’ll give back the things! We’ll work for you! Just don't let the old freak cook us!"

  "I am great at taking care of day to day things!" the Worm-Woman offered desperately. "I can help you get from place to place that are far away. I am useful!"

  Li Yu looked at the two void beasts that had turned into terrified women. He looked at Khaos, who seemed to be enjoying this immensely. His face didn’t show it but Li Yu had a feeling he was.

  "Put them down, Khaos," Li Yu sighed while rubbing his temples. "I think they learned their lesson. And... I don't think I can eat them now. That would be awkward."

  Khaos dropped them. They hit the invisible floor of the void with a thud. They quickly got closer together and were now clutching each other. They were now looking up at the two monsters—one old and cruel, one young and supposedly hungry.