Essence Devouring Art

Red Thunder Abyss.

WHOOSH—

Wu Dao, having emerged from his seclusion, let out a slow breath of turbid air. After calming his aura, his mind opened the attribute panel, and a waterfall of data appeared before him—

[Physique: Sacred Spirit]

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

[Three-Phase Divine Punishment Fist (Fist Phase 28/33)+]

[Holy Spirit Transformation (Horizontal Refining Tenth Dao Gate, Human World Yang God (28/33))+]

[All Heaven Magnetic Divine Power: Primordial Magnetic Celestial Saber... (31/33)+]

[Holy Spirit Divine Techniques: One Origin, Ten Thousand Transformations - Dharma Aspect (30/33)+]

[Great All Heavens Divine Techniques: Immune to All Laws (31/33)+

Five Thunders Celestial Heart Technique... (31/33)+

Heaven and Earth Creation... (25/33)+

Thousand Transformations... (15/33)+]

Creation Divine Techniques: Great Silence of All Heavens (28/33)+

Original Soldier Resolution · Desolate God Remnant.

Emperor Scripture: Thunder Emperor Scripture... (30/33)+

Divine Format: Primordial Upper-Rank True God (33/33)+

...

[Teleportation Points: 0]

Another month of arduous cultivation had passed.

After his Primordial Rank was elevated,

the problem with the Star Mother Faith Channel was resolved.

Wu Dao’s cultivation level skyrocketed every day. The ten Great All Heavens Divine Techniques he had most recently acquired were all raised to the Fifteenth Layer of the Emperor Grade.

His existing cultivation techniques

also saw improvements of over the Tenth Layer.

Even his most difficult Soul Cultivation and Transverse Cultivation Great All Heavens Divine Techniques had reached the Twenty-Eighth Layer of Heaven’s Dharma Aspect, rapidly approaching completion.

’The twenty-eighth layer...’

His consciousness swept over the Primordial Star Mother within his body.

Wu Dao now had a rough understanding of his own strength, using the Star Mother—who was always two ranks stronger than him—as his benchmark.

The Star Mother was at the twenty-eighth layer of the Emperor Grade Celestial Soldier level.

This also meant

his foundational strength had reached the twenty-sixth layer of the Emperor Grade Grotto Heaven, an eight-layer increase from a month ago!

It might seem like his progress wasn’t as great as his last period of seclusion.

But in reality, it was already heaven-defying!

No matter the path, it always became more difficult the further one went, but the improvements also became more significant!

Not to mention,

strictly speaking, Wu Dao had entered the combat prowess of the Grotto Heaven realm while still at the Dharma Aspect stage. Calling him a monster was an understatement!

’Boundless Sacred Land...’

After putting away the attribute panel,

Wu Dao’s consciousness observed the situation in the restricted zone of the Boundless Sacred Land, which was about to open, through his Incarnation.

Compared to a month ago,

the Boundless Sacred Land was no longer dominated by just two major powers, the Xing’e Imperial Dynasty and the Eternal Emperor Sect.

More Imperial Influences from All Heavens had entered the scene.

They all wanted to tear off a piece of the pie that was the Transverse Refining Leader Holy Land in the Four Tribulations Chaotic Star Heaven.

A large number of Daoist Level figures from the Twenty-four Heavens and above were eyeing the prize greedily, rubbing their hands in anticipation. The situation had grown complicated.

’Profound Yellow World, Buzhou World, Qingming World...’

As Wu Dao observed the factions that dominated the skies, he discovered many ’old friends’—those from the worlds that had reaped the Divine Wilderness back then.

’Hm? This aura!’

Suddenly,

Wu Dao’s mind stirred. His dark eyes snapped toward the crack that had formed in the Boundless Sacred Land, and a savage arc curved his lips.

He had discovered a little bastard!

His predecessor had been a revered Child of Destiny and Fortune, born with an unbelievable three Dantians, accompanied by a super Celestial Treasure, a top-tier inheritance, a Supreme Treasure...

He was a walking human treasure trove!

Unfortunately,

as the saying goes, the innocent man gets into trouble for the treasure he carries!

Several top-tier factions from the major worlds, led by the Celestial Court, conspired against him!

Even with heaven-defying fortune, he couldn’t turn the tables!

Not only was all his Creation stripped away by his ’relatives,’ but he was also turned into a foolish beggar, leaving only a mortal shell to house the reborn Wu Dao.

The word ’miserable’ couldn’t even begin to describe it.

Wu Dao had been reborn in this borrowed body.

Although the reshaping of his Great Dao had completely freed him from the shackles of his predecessor’s foundation, the karmic connection from the unseen world still existed.

Otherwise,

he wouldn’t have sensed the aura of that little bastard in the restricted zone.

If he guessed correctly,

the moment their karma was stirred,

that little bastard, who had somehow found his way into the restricted zone ahead of time, should have also sensed his presence...

It was unlike their encounter in Dragon Gate Town.

Back then, the Great Dao suppressed the Extraordinary.

Mo Chen, who possessed great destiny but was still a mere mortal, hadn’t known a thing, even when his mortal enemy was right in front of him.

BUZZ—

In the instant their karmic auras connected,

more information from the past surfaced in Wu Dao’s Divine Sea, and he understood what that little bastard in the restricted zone had taken from his predecessor.

A Martial Dao Dantian!

Innate...

Tsk, truly incredible!

Wu Dao’s gaze turned Sen Leng. Through the Faith Channel, he awakened the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons from their deep cultivation. ”The Boundless Sacred Land is open. Cross over at full speed. There’s a fish there. I want it crushed!”

WHOOSH—

As soon as the words left his mouth,

Wu Dao took a single step, and the Qiankun Space-Time shifted around him. His speed was unbelievable.

Originally,

he hadn’t planned to act personally.

Sending an Incarnation to lead the Primordial Demons would have been enough.

But now...

this involved the matter of severing karma.

Considering the scale of the factions that had plotted against his predecessor, there was no guarantee that some accident wouldn’t occur with that little bastard.

Only by crushing him with absolute power!

could he ensure that no accident could turn the tables!

BZZZT—RUMBLE!

Within a certain restricted zone,

the sun and moon lost their light as heaven and earth trembled.

Upon receiving Wu Dao’s command,

the seventy-two towering Shadows of Gods and Demons snapped their eyes open and awakened. Their gazes pierced through the magnetic field storms. Cloaked in a vast and vicious aura, they were like ancient dragon abysses bursting their dams, thundering forward as they crushed space-time in their path, crossing the restricted zone at full speed.

「At the same time.」

”The Boundless Sacred Land... what a shame...”

In a Creation Land somewhere on the Emperor Star,

Wuchen, who was cupping a Dragon Bone in his hands while gulping down True Dragon Essence Blood, his treasured body glowing brilliantly, sighed with a hint of regret.

”You can’t have both the fish and the bear’s paw.”

Behind him,

the Black Wolf, its fur sleek and glossy, smacked its lips and said, ”Ah, the Boundless Sacred Land. It passes down the Horizontal Refining Technique, the Infinite Golden Body. The Great Emperor himself went there to learn from it back in the day, but unfortunately, he never got to see it.”

”But be content, kid.”

”This True Dragon Treasure Bone you snatched is only slightly inferior. It contains the Great All Heavens Divine Technique, the Celestial Dragon Technique!”

”Finish digesting it as soon as possible.”

”I have a feeling an Ultimate Creation Land is about to open on the Emperor Star. Now *that* will be the true hunting ground for all of All Heavens to compete in!”

At this point,

the Black Wolf seemed to recall something else and said with regret, ”Speaking of which, that group you ran into six months ago was extraordinary. Tsk tsk, I wonder who forged such peerless, ferocious soldiers.”

”So what if we truly came from the same master?”

Wuchen’s gaze was deep as he said, ”Never trust anyone, and never entrust your life to any good fortune outside of yourself.”

”If I had really taken the opportunity to curry favor with them,”

”setting aside the potential danger,”

”I would have already failed in my master’s eyes.”

”Including the master who taught you?”

The Black Wolf’s expression was full of meaning. ”There is no kindness without reason, and no hatred without cause.”

”That Mo Chen you fought last time.”

”His background is as vast as the heavens. I don’t believe that a mere childhood obsession is enough to make you hate him so much you want to devour his flesh and sleep on his skin.”

”Some things...”

”...involve karma and destiny.”

”Sometimes, a single promise, at a special time and a special place, is enough to decide the fate of a lifetime.”

”Without this karma, do you think I would have what I have today?”

Wuchen’s expression was indifferent. By now, he was well aware that he had been schemed against and was thus burdened with an immense and unfathomable karmic debt.

No one likes being a chess piece,

to be moved at someone else’s whim.

Perhaps this was one of the reasons he resisted having too much contact with the Primordial Demons.

But as he said,

fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

There is no effect without a cause.

Without that night twenty years ago, he would not have achieved what he has today.

Since he chose this path, he had to find life in death, no matter how dark it became, and sever a grand and brilliant result for himself!

WHOOSH—

He let out a soft breath.

Wuchen touched a sword scar on his chest that had yet to heal, his thoughts returning to the fierce battle with Mo Chen a month ago.

The gap between them was indeed vast.

But it was no longer insurmountable.

Next time,

he would, in a fair and open fight, crush that lucky little bastard under his foot!

...

”Tsk, looks like we’ve got a good show to watch.”

In an unknown space on the Taiyi Emperor Star,

a bloody light flickered faintly. A voice, tinged with mockery, observed a blurry, chaotic shadow within the Boundless Sacred Land.

After the Divine Wilderness made contact with Wu Dao,

the Slaughter Emperor had investigated the karma surrounding Wu Dao. He naturally knew about the heaven-defying scheme from all those years ago and how many supreme powers had been involved.

For this reason,

he was certain that even without his guidance,

Wu Dao would eventually walk the same path he once had. As for whether he would repeat the same mistakes or carve a new path through the thorns,

that would depend entirely on Wu Dao’s own Creation.

”Mountain and Sea, Celestial Court...”

On the other side,

a starlight from the depths was focused on the peerless, white-haired figure dominating a section of the restricted zone, and on Mo Chen, who was currently comprehending the Dao.

It then thought of Wu Dao, that anomaly.

If this group of people were to gather in the future, the Chaotic Star Heaven, which had been peaceful for millions of years, would likely become lively again.

「Deep within the Boundless Ancestral Land.」

’Mo Chen... so this is the karma?’

The gaze of a young figure wreathed in Chaos Qi flickered with complex emotions, which he then instantly erased. Sensing the unfathomable aura from the outside world, he spoke faintly.

”The world has always been about the strong preying on the weak. It is cruel and merciless. If you cannot bear the gift of destiny, it only proves you are not a worthy master...”

”Instead of feeling resentful and unwilling,”

”why not just complete my success one more time.”

A Creation that was plundered...

...is ultimately not one’s own. The fusion will have flaws. This has nothing to do with one’s disposition or resources; it is simply that the karma has not been resolved.

Only by slaying the former master to whom the bond is tied...

...can it truly belong to the new master!

...

「Boundless Sacred Land.」

The Creation Land, sealed for millions of years, had finally opened. Even though it was just a crack, the world-shaking divine light that seeped out flooded and filled the entire Qiankun Space-Time of the greater world’s restricted zone.

Creation Qi, the Essence of All Things, World Qi...

All sorts of high-level Extraordinary Energy,

gushed out continuously like a tidal wave.

It transformed the world around the Boundless Sacred Land into a holy land of its own. Auspicious mists flowed like clouds, interwoven with billions of Dao traces. Golden Lotuses descended from the sky, accompanied by draconic and phoenix-like Sacred Spirits. It was as if one had arrived in the Ancient Immortal Realm!

”Heavens, the Creation Qi is so dense! Cultivating a Grotto Heaven here would save at least a hundred years of hard work!”

”Just a sliver of its leaked essence is enough to form a Saint Realm! It’s hard to imagine how much Creation is sealed within the Ancestral Land!”

”The Boundless Sacred Land is the leader of Transverse Cultivation in the Four Tribulations Chaotic Star Heaven. The Body Cultivation Lineage requires all sorts of rare worldly treasures and Great Medicines to assist them. If this place is well-preserved, it’s enough to establish a major sect!”

Outside the Boundless Ancestral Land,

as the crack in the Ancestral Land was chiseled open,

it attracted thousands of Celestial Prides from All Heavens. Hailing from various major factions, they bathed in the divine radiance, their voices a buzz of discussion and their eyes burning with desire to get a slice of the pie.

”Damn it! Who the hell leaked the information!”

The people from the Xing’e Imperial Dynasty and the Eternal Emperor Sect watched the growing crowds converging on the Holy Land, their faces dark and ugly.

They had exhausted immense manpower and resources,

even losing a Holy Soldier and a large number of Celestial Prides, just to chisel open the Boundless Ancestral Land.

They thought they had locked down the news well enough.

Unexpectedly,

it still leaked out. They might have just been paving the way for others, so how could they not feel aggrieved!

The main issue was that too many factions had gathered.

Many of the great Emperor’s Lineages of All Heavens were involved, and many had sent their Daoist Child to lead their teams personally. They couldn’t act domineering even if they wanted to!

In the end,

the Xing’e Imperial Dynasty and the Eternal Emperor Sect were only Emperor Grade factions. Above them were the All Heavens Emperor’s Lineages, the Daoist Lineages, and the supreme Common Lord Powers!

Among the factions now wanting a piece of the action,

there were several All Heavens Emperor’s Lineages.

They couldn’t afford to offend any of them.

There was even a Taoist Influence from the Qingming World—the Thunder Emperor Palace!

”The Little Thunder King is here!”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

”ROAR ROAR ROAR—”

A commotion rippled through the crowd.

In the distance, a sea of thunderbolts filled the sky.

At the edge of the horizon,

nine Thunder Flood Dragons, each comparable to the Tenth Cave Heaven Layer of the Emperor Grade, pulled a magnificent Treasure Chariot woven from multi-colored thunderbolts, its presence overwhelming the world as it approached.

Surrounding the Treasure Chariot,

were dozens of exceptional Celestial Prides with overwhelming divine presences, looking down upon the masses. The weakest among them were at the Fifteenth Layer of Heaven or above!

Such a spectacle,

was nothing short of grand.

Wherever they passed, they moved without restraint. No one dared to block their path, and no one dared to utter a single word of complaint—only envy and awe remained.