Essence Devouring Art

”Heaven-Stealing Alliance. So long as the heavens deny us, the great theft will never cease. A good, good name!”

Zhao Jianji and the other Primordial Demons’ eyes lit up. When they heard the name they’d held for twenty years suddenly change, they didn’t feel the slightest discomfort. Instead, they felt this was how it was always meant to be.

’So, birds of a feather really do flock together?’

Wu Dao glanced at Zhao Jianji.

’He hadn’t expected that. He’d only just announced the name of the Heaven-Stealing Alliance, and Zhao Jianji had already beaten him to the punch, articulating its core values.’

’It saved him the trouble of explaining.’

”The second matter.”

Once the Primordial Demons had calmed down,

Wu Dao rose to his feet. His imposing physique cast a shadow that blotted out the heavens as he looked down upon the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons, wisps of demonic Divine Fire slowly igniting in his eyes.

”Do you want to know what true Power is?”

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP—

As soon as the words left his mouth,

a flurry of heartbeats, like a Divine Being pounding a war drum, rang out in unison.

”The Alliance Leader is supreme! Grant us your Divine Power!”

Zhao Jianji, Chen Ergou, Lv Tiezhu, and the other Primordial Demons were all breathing heavily, their eyes blazing with fanaticism. They kowtowed, prostrating themselves on the ground, feeling as though Wu Dao was radiating an incomparably sacred light!

Witnessing this scene,

a wicked grin spread across Wu Dao’s lips.

WHOOOOSH~

Endless sacred brilliance flooded the great hall.

From within his core,

like a surging tide, countless iridescent Primordial Magnetic Arms poured forth, blanketing the hall’s space-time. They writhed and coiled, submerging the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons.

Primordial Magnetic Demon Embryo 5.0.

’How should I upgrade them?’

Wu Dao had known the answer for a long time: a weakened version of the Primordial Magnetic Dao Body!

The Primordial Magnetic Dao Body!

This was the supreme physique he had forged by stealing the authority of the Great Dao—a body whose potential rivaled the Great Dao itself!

Any being polluted and assimilated by his Magnetic Field...

...would have their very essence completely transformed, making them products of his Dao, just as the Great Dao gives birth to all things.

Their background, their talent, their aptitude—

—from the microscopic to the macroscopic, from their souls to their physical bodies—

...would be completely transformed, turning them into creatures of the Magnetic Field!

Their origin and evolutionary endpoint would no longer be the Primordial Path, but his Primordial Magnetism Path!

This also meant...

...every Polluted Body would possess a portion of his Dao Body’s traits, becoming monsters among monsters!

Of course,

a complete Dao Body with all its traits was impossible.

Even if the Primordial Demons used his method to steal the Great Dao’s authority, they couldn’t succeed, because the loophole had been patched the last time.

The upper limit for the Primordial Demons...

...depended on the scale of Wu Dao himself, the ”Dao” in question.

In other words!

The Primordial Magnetic Demon Embryos he was currently upgrading...

’Oh, that’s not right.’

’...should be called the Primordial Magnetic Body 1.0, and their potential will be capped at Forty-five Circulations!’

Forty-five Circulations!

Every single one of them would possess the ultimate potential of the Thirty-Three Heavens!

Daoist Children?

Monsters?

Calling them garbage...

...wouldn’t be an exaggeration in the slightest!

Later on,

Wu Dao also planned to equip every Primordial Demon with a Primordial Dao Wheel and build a Star Mother network.

’Want to learn Divine Techniques?’

’No need for comprehension—just a one-click download!’

’Want to cultivate?’

’No need for arduous toil—just a hacked power-leveling!’

With him, the ”Dao,” forging the path ahead,

the growth of a Primordial Magnetic Body would be as simple as pouring water into a vessel, with no obstacles whatsoever!

If the trailblazer advances a thousand miles a day,

then those who follow will advance ten thousand miles!

Once the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons were fully grown, he could be truly free and focus wholeheartedly on his Cultivation.

Whatever resources he needed,

the Primordial Demons would act as worker ants, hunting for them and carrying them back to the nest to feed him.

He would only need to act as the leader of the swarm,

coming out to intimidate and eliminate any trouble his subjects couldn’t handle on their own.

Fully automated Cultivation.

’Now *that* is what I call true Cultivation.’

Constantly fighting for his life, toiling and struggling—that was truly the lowest path.

HUMMM~

Inside the great hall,

the endless light that was both sacred and wicked gradually dissipated.

The Primordial Magnetic Body transformation was complete!

The Faith Channel was successfully established!

The Seventy-Two Primordial Demons had also undergone a fundamental transformation!

CRACKLE~

Within the vast and gloomy great hall,

arcs of lightning and magnetic energy crackled without end.

The Primordial Demons knelt on one knee, their towering physiques seeming to prop up the heavens. Thick, iridescent magnetic currents erupted from every pore of their bodies, and their vast, abyss-like Life Magnetic Fields pressed down on the hall, making the very air feel as heavy as the deep sea!

On his throne,

Wu Dao surveyed the newborn Seventy-Two Primordial Demons with his Black Pupil—a divine gaze that pierced through their forms from the macroscopic to the microscopic.

It was clearly visible.

Physiques like those of Ancient Barbaric Dragons, each constructed from innumerable, newly-formed Primordial Magnetic Crystal Particles. The friction and collisions between them generated world-ending magnetic currents.

Martial Dao, Immortal Dao, Military Dao, Transverse Cultivation, Soul Cultivation...

Whether it was their previously established Dharma Celestial Realms,

or within their Mixed Caves,

their Celestial Dragon Veins were all flooded with immense magnetic energy. The phenomena that manifested their potential all reached the level of the Thirty-Three Heavens—and that was just the starting point!

Turning the rotten into the miraculous!

This was nothing less than defying the heavens to rewrite destiny!

TAP.

Satisfied, Wu Dao retracted his gaze. He tapped his finger on the armrest, and a ripple from his Magnetic Field spread out, awakening the Primordial Demons from the intoxicating stupor of their world-altering transformation.

”My Divine-Demon Body Image, my Fist Dao, my potential, and even these Extraordinary Energies... there’s no barrier between them anymore, they all feel so close... hehehe...”

These incredible, all-encompassing changes...

...made Zhao Jianji feel light-headed. He muttered nonsensically, feeling as if he were in a dream.

But the moment he saw Wu Dao,

it was as if he heard the tolling of the Great Dao’s bell. The deafening sound instantly sobered him. Not daring to show the slightest disrespect, he prostrated himself fully on the ground and roared:

”Zhao Jianji... thanks the Primordial Daoist Venerable for this Divine Grace!”

””We thank the Daoist Venerable for this Divine Grace!””

The other seventy-one Primordial Demons were equally reverent, prostrating themselves and addressing him as Daoist Venerable to express their worshipful devotion.

”’Daoist Venerable’ is a bit premature. ’Alliance Leader’ is fine.”

Wu Dao let out an untamed, wicked laugh and gestured for the Primordial Demons to rise. He believed, however, that one day he would truly be worthy of the title Primordial Daoist Venerable.

After everyone rose and took their seats,

Zhao Jianji suppressed the urge to test out his newfound power and bowed with cupped fists to Wu Dao on his high throne.

”Alliance Leader, on my way to Golden Immortal Island, I passed through the All Heavens Dojo. There was talk everywhere that the restricted zone of the Boundless Sacred Land is about to be breached.

The Boundless Sacred Land is the leading Transcendent Refining Sacred Land of the Four Tribulations Chaotic Star Heaven. It must be filled with Transverse Cultivation resources. Should the Heaven-Stealing Alliance go and claim a share?”

Hearing this, the other Primordial Demons...

...were also brimming with Battle Intent, eager for a fight.

Now that they possessed the formidable Primordial Magnetic Power and numerous World Heavy Artifacts,

it was time to put their sharp blades to use and fight for spoils!

”Heh, a share?”

Wu Dao chuckled, clenching his fist.

”Jianji, your thinking is too conservative. A true beast eats alone; only wild dogs fight over scraps. When the Heaven-Stealing Alliance makes a move, we either take nothing, or we take everything. However, the time is not yet right...”

At this point,

his tone shifted.

”The Boundless Sacred Land will take at least another month to breach. During this time, your main task is to raise your cultivation levels.”

World Heavy Artifacts.

The higher one’s cultivation, the more Creation Mother Qi one can generate, and the stronger the Mighty Power that can be awakened within them.

If all seventy-two Primordial Demons reach the Grotto Heaven realm,

and with all the Creation Mother Qi they could produce,

fifteen World Heavy Artifacts!

Once fully awakened,

then within the current political landscape of the Emperor Star, the Heaven-Stealing Alliance would be able to move unimpeded!

The Seventy-Two Primordial Demons,

were mostly at the Peak of the Dharma Realm.

They were just one step away from a breakthrough.

Now that they had achieved the Primordial Magnetic Body, they were completely free from the limitations of their Dantian and aptitude. Any magnetic energy was food for them!

In one month,

even without the Primordial Dao Wheel,

every one of them could break through to the Grotto Heaven realm!

After drawing up a detailed plan,

Wu Dao and the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons didn’t linger on Golden Immortal Island, but entered the battlefield’s restricted zone to search for a suitable Cultivation Paradise.

「One day later.」

Wu Dao found a suitable restricted zone within the forbidden area, one where magnetic fields converged. It would be able to satisfy the various cultivation needs of the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons.

Most importantly,

the place had a dojo that offered quick teleportation to the Boundless Sacred Land.

”Ahhh, this is great!”

”Incredible!”

”Hahaha, hit me with more!”

In the heart of the magnetic storm-filled restricted zone,

Primordial Demon after Primordial Demon was shattered to pieces, their bodies disintegrating.

Yet they howled with excitement.

They were like newborn Kunpengs and Taoties. As they cultivated, they ravenously devoured the energy of the Earth and Heaven Magnetic Field, forming one terrifying magnetic black hole after another.

’Good. I am not alone on my path.’

Outside this Grotto Heaven,

Wu Dao glanced at the Primordial Demons. Seeing that they felt no discomfort and had quickly entered a state of life-and-death training at their absolute limits, he smiled with satisfaction.

After concealing and shielding the Grotto Heaven’s space-time,

this Incarnation of Wu Dao also returned to his Main Body in the Red Thunder Abyss with the gains from this trip.

Now that the Faith Channel was established,

he could contact the Primordial Demons in any environment, even if they were at The Ends of the Earth. All he needed to do was give the order when it was time to strike.

...

CRACKLE... SIZZLE...

「A few days later.」

At the bottom of Red Thunder Abyss,

the water level of the destructive, crimson Thunder Pool, which was suffused with an overwhelming amount of Essence Qi, had dropped significantly.

Within the Thunder Pool,

every pore of Wu Dao’s body had become an oceanic abyss, unceasingly absorbing and refining the energy of the Thunder Liquid to strengthen his Life Magnetic Field.

At the bottom of the Thunder Pool,

in the region where the destructive power was most terrifying,

the Primordial Star Mother worked dutifully and unceasingly, feeding the fruits of its cultivation back into Wu Dao via infusion.

In the thunder zone above him,

there were also Incarnations carrying Primordial Sub-wheels, cultivating different Divine Communication Techniques in different areas.

This three-pronged approach...

With every passing moment,

the diligent miners in his Primordial Magnetic Dao Body Mine ceaselessly excavated his potential, strengthening his Life Magnetic Field and causing his aura to rise without end.

Huuuh...

After exhaling a breath of thunderous magnetism,

Wu Dao opened his attribute panel with a thought—

[Physique: Sacred Spirit]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring·Opening the Sky 55/365+]

...

Great All Heavens Divine Techniques:

...

Thousand Transformations, Body Stabilization Technique, Qimen Dunjia, True Martial Seven Techniques, Primordial Aurora, Heaven Mending Technique, Qiankun Furnace, Heaven-Reaching Treasure Talisman, Thunderous Divine Blade, Stone-to-Pill Transformation (1/33)

Creation Divine Techniques: ...Original Soldier Resolution (Fragment)

Divine Format: Primordial Middle-Rank True God (15/33)

...

[Teleportation Points: 0]

It had only been a few days since he obtained ten brand-new Great All Heavens Divine Techniques!

With the help of his various aids,

he had now successfully achieved Heaven Opening with all of them!

Wu Dao had also stolen the Ten Directions Yuan Magnetic Zhou Tian, increasing his power by a small margin.

Furthermore,

his Primordial Divine Format, which had always been lagging behind,

had also advanced to the True God Fifteenth Layer after his Divine Fire consumed a large number of Dao Stones.

If he kept consuming them,

the Primordial Celestial Demon might be the first to enter the Grotto Heaven Divine Monarch realm. Then, he could focus on upgrading the Primordial Star Mother without worry.

The only disappointing part of his gains...

...was obtaining only the Desolate God Armament Chapter of the >.

If he could gather all six Chapters, its status as one of the Ten Great Supreme Divine Techniques would allow him to open the Third Heaven all at once!

’Huuuh... Let’s continue.’

After dedicating a sliver of his consciousness to monitor the situation at Boundless Sacred Land,

Wu Dao sank back into the Thunder Pool.

「Time passed slowly.」

The peerless, tyrannical aura emanating from Red Thunder Abyss grew stronger with each passing day, its might pressing down on the entire world.

It was as if an Ancient Abyssal Dragon was gestating within. With its every breath, the cosmos and the starry sky trembled, causing the boundless restricted zone to heave and sigh in response.

「About a month later.」

Deep within the Taiyi Emperor Star,

BOOM!!

As if an ancient abyss had erupted,

endless streams of pure yang blood and Essence Qi erupted from the cracked Boundless Sacred Land. They transformed into crimson dragons and divine demons, tearing through the heavens in every direction!

HUMMM~

「At that very moment.」

At the bottom of the nearly dry Thunder Pool in Red Thunder Abyss, a pair of eyes like black abysses slowly opened—eyes that seemed to contain collapsing universes and devour all of creation.

RUMBLE—

It was like the awakening of a slumbering God and Demon!

As the magnificent, tyrannical physique slowly rose to its feet, the peerless aura it exuded caused the vast domain to shatter and collapse. The great stars of the Nine Heavens themselves trembled violently, threatening to fall from the sky!