Chapter 82: The Legendary Devourer of Souls

After the black sphere stabilized, the two Khampa men also dismounted and walked over.

These Khampa men were tall and imposing; from their conversation, it seemed they were father and son. The father wore a thick cotton jacket and a leather hat. His dark, rugged face was etched with deep lines, yet the bright eyes within those furrows shone like pearls, exuding the commanding aura of a prairie hunter with every stride. The son had coarse black hair and wore a blue cotton robe that didn’t quite fit. His clear eyes sparkled with intelligence and vitality.

Li Tianque watched the two cautiously, uncertain of their intentions. But to his surprise, when they were still about ten meters away, they suddenly stopped and then knelt down. As they did so, they began to chant, pressing their palms together and raising them above their heads.

Next, both men stepped forward, palms still joined, bringing their hands before their faces. With a second step, their hands moved to their chests. On the third step, their hands extended from their chests, parallel to the ground, palms down. Kneeling, they then prostrated fully, touching their foreheads lightly to the earth.

They repeated this ritual again and again until they reached Li Tianque’s feet.

Li Tianque was taken aback. Although he didn’t know much about Khampa culture, this was obviously a gesture of profound respect.

Just as he was about to help them up, the elder suddenly spoke: “Hero, you must be the divine envoy of the Siweiwei River Spirit. Thank you for destroying the fearsome Devourer. On behalf of my people, I offer you our highest respect for your courage and strength!”

Li Tianque understood most of what was said. Hesitating for a moment, he quickly helped them to their feet and replied, “I should be the one thanking you. If it weren’t for the fire you two set, I really wouldn’t have known how to deal with that creature.”

The elder paused, seemingly not fully understanding. The boy turned to his father and said, “Let me explain, Dad.”

Then, the boy addressed Li Tianque: “Hero, my father and I are local herders. For nearly half a year, the frequent attacks by the Devourer have claimed many lives. Today, we were waiting here as Uncle Zhi suggested, planning to confront the Devourer. By chance, you appeared. Thank you for killing it!”

“I’m not sure what the Devourer is, but if you mean the black creature that came out of the stone, it’s now sealed inside this sphere,” Li Tianque said truthfully.

The boy flinched back a step, gazing in fear at the black sphere beside Li Tianque. “So… it’s not dead yet?” he stammered.

“No, but it won’t live much longer,” Li Tianque replied seriously.

The boy’s father also sensed something was amiss. Unable to speak Mandarin, he quickly asked his son what was happening in their own language.

After the son explained, the father grew tense, drawing his knife from his belt and aiming it at the black sphere, muttering some kind of incantation.

“Uncle, there’s no need to worry. Once this thing is fully contained by me, it won’t be able to escape anytime soon,” Li Tianque said confidently.

Inside the cancer cell sphere he had created, a portion of Li Tianque’s neural cells remained. As long as that connection persisted, he could monitor everything within the sphere.

The boy translated for his father, who observed for a while before slowly sheathing his knife. “Mighty hero, you must be favored by the gods. Once again, we welcome and thank you for your arrival,” he said.

Li Tianque was used to being thanked for saving people from fires, but never before had he been treated as a divine envoy. He couldn’t help but smile and wave his hand. “Little brother, those campfires ahead—are those your tents? May I stay the night?”

“Of course! You are most welcome!” the boy replied excitedly.

Li Tianque followed the father and son back to their camp. Along the way, the boy eagerly told him that they were herders from Urkolo Township, assigned to graze their livestock in this region.

The boy’s name was So’a, his father was Jia Yanggongbu, and his father was the chief of the Eagle Clan.

The Eagle Clan revered the steppe eagle as their totem; the people were free-spirited, brave, and tenacious. Their lands were lush, with abundant water, ideal for herding. So’a returned to the township for school, but during holidays, he came back to help with the livestock—a diligent and hardworking youth.

Though life on the grasslands was harsh, he’d grown up here and hardly noticed the hardship. Life went on in peaceful routine until, a few months ago, disaster shattered the tranquility of the Eagle Clan.

It began when a tribesman got into trouble by the river. Late one night, a man went to fetch water and, for reasons unknown, slipped and fell into the river, swept away by the current. The clan searched downstream but found no body. Strangely, three days later, his corpse drifted ashore at the very spot where he had fallen. When he returned, his body was ravaged with wounds, the flesh nearly gone, as if torn by a savage beast; black lines marred his bones, as if corroded by some acid.

After burying the dead, Chief Jia Yanggongbu returned to the township and summoned a renowned shaman to perform rituals by the river. He also issued a strict order: no one was to fetch water from the river after sunset.

Things quieted down for about a week, but then tragedy struck again—a young couple, meeting by the river at night, also fell in and drowned. Oddly, both were strong swimmers, especially the man, who was robust and had often rescued calves and children from the river. So’a had even seen him swim three kilometers upriver in the Siweiwei River.

Yet, even they perished. As before, their bodies reappeared days later, in the same horrifying condition as the first victim.

Month after month, someone died in just this way—the same time of day, the same manner, the same place. Anyone who went to fetch water from the river at night met the same fate. Days later, their bodies returned from afar.

Despite the chief’s warnings and the heightened vigilance, the carnage continued. As the horror spread, eyewitnesses began to emerge. Some saw a black shadow crawl out of the river, drag a tribesman into the water, and kill them right there.

The more superstitious among the tribe began to suspect this was the legendary black monster—the Devourer. Tales of this beast were widespread among the Khampa: said to be headless and faceless, pitch black, with a giant mouth in its torso. The Devourer haunted the Siweiwei River valley, notorious for its bloodlust; it was rumored to be the pet of an infernal deity. Strangely, it did not eat animals, but preyed only on those with wicked hearts, punishing their crimes. It lurked in the shadows, appearing behind the wicked to devour them and spit their bones into the river.

Though the legend was old, no one had ever really seen a Devourer; it was a kind of dark fairy tale, a warning to stay virtuous.

Now, with the Devourer’s sudden appearance, Chief Jia Yanggongbu was at his wits’ end. He petitioned the township to reassign their grazing lands, but Urkolo’s pastures were already stretched thin. There was no room for the Eagle Clan elsewhere; they had to fend for themselves.

Just as hope was fading, a scholar arrived in the township—Uncle Zhi, or Lü Zhi, as So’a called him. Lü Zhi was an outstanding entomologist whose team had come to the Khampa grasslands of the northwest in search of a rare insect, and happened to be stationed in Urkolo.

Upon hearing of the Eagle Clan’s plight, Lü Zhi immediately led his team to investigate. After their research, Lü Zhi concluded that the Devourer would appear again at dusk in seven days, and that they would encounter it by searching the riverbanks. But the Devourer was extremely dangerous, and only fire could destroy it.

Chief Jia Yanggongbu was skeptical—here, on a grassland where belief in magic outweighed science, he had little faith in such advice. Yet, with no other option, he agreed to try Lü Zhi’s plan.

After the investigation, Lü Zhi returned to the township for other matters, leaving the chief and So’a to keep watch for the Devourer.

Days passed with no result, and they were almost ready to give up—until today, at last, they encountered it.