Essence Devouring Art

”Mo Chen, Celestial Destiny and Fortune...”

In the dark depths of the Asura Sea Abyss.

Wu Dao’s thoughts churned as the faces of his predecessor’s fated ’nemeses’—those bound to him by karma, grudges, and grievances—appeared in his mind.

Three Dantians.

A Companion Celestial Treasure.

The legacy of an ancient titan.

A true name, Celestial Destiny and Fortune.

And then there were other, less significant scraps. His predecessor had truly been born of destiny, a walking super-treasure in human form.

If he hadn’t died prematurely,

it’s hard to imagine the heights he would have reached. He would have undoubtedly become a protagonist who could look down upon all of eternity.

But alas...

In a grand, heaven-defying scheme like that,

even a supreme Celestial Mandate and fortune couldn’t protect him. He was devoured piece by piece by the Overlords of the All Heavens.

Among the many who had feasted upon him,

if one were to rank them by how difficult they were to kill,

Mo Chen—who had transplanted the predecessor’s Celestial Destiny and Fortune—would absolutely be number one.

’Celestial Mandate, Celestial Mandate...’

’A destiny blessed by the Celestial Dao.’

’Without some supreme, heaven-defying method to alter his fate, it’s virtually impossible to kill him. No matter how perilous the trap, he will somehow turn misfortune into a blessing for one reason or another.’

That was more or less the standard treatment for a protagonist.

There was another important reason—

a Celestial Venerable was his protector!

After arriving in Hongyuan,

and gaining a more concrete understanding of the structure of the All Heavens,

Wu Dao finally understood the true significance of the original body behind the Incarnation of Qing Yu Celestial Venerable, the one he had so thoroughly humiliated.

Or rather, the sheer scale of the Celestial Court!

After the All Tribulations,

the Common Lord Powers in each Celestial Domain had waned. The overall structure of Hongyuan had become one of a single superpower and many other strong powers. The Celestial Court, having stood firm across the All Tribulations, now faintly showed a tendency to dominate the Nine Heavens and unify Hongyuan.

Daluo Heaven, Profound Yellow Heaven, Fuguang Heaven, and Cyan Nether Heaven.

Within the Nine Heavens of Primordial Chaos,

four of these heavens, openly and secretly, were close to the Celestial Court and followed its lead.

They were the leader of the Five Heavens Alliance!

With such immense power,

any Emperor’s Lineage, All Heavens Emperor’s Lineage, Daoist Lineage, or even Common Lord Power would be overshadowed and forced to avoid a direct confrontation.

And as for that Qing Yu Celestial Venerable...

Among the nine great Celestial Venerables of the Nine Heavens, his rank was closest to the Supreme Mysterious Heaven. He held the power of life and death over all spirits and gods of the Celestial Court, second only to the Common Lord Celestial Venerable, who had long ago achieved the Attainment Dao and transcended.

For such a figure

to act as Mo Chen’s protector,

his background was unquestionably terrifying, and also rather intriguing.

Wu Dao was never one to act for a moment of satisfaction. He wouldn’t gamble on blind luck for something he wasn’t confident about.

Therefore, to eliminate the consequence that was Mo Chen, he couldn’t be as simple and brutal as he had been with Su Chen.

’Little Mudman.’

Wu Dao’s thoughts drifted back to the chess piece he had set up years ago in Longni Town: Wuchen.

The situation in Longni Town was unique.

It was enveloped by the Dao Rules.

The moment their transaction was complete, a Great Dao oath was established.

Wuchen took on the karma between Wu Dao and Mo Chen. Whether he was willing or not in the future, he would eventually become Mo Chen’s mortal enemy in a fight to the death.

The little guy had lived up to expectations.

He had defied fate and changed his destiny, growing to his current state.

His momentum was also quite good.

According to Zhao Jianji, who had been in contact with him,

there was something inside Wuchen that made even his heart palpitate. He had likely obtained a so-called ’Golden Finger’ as well.

’If I nurture him a little...’

’...perhaps I really can use a borrowed knife to eliminate that consequence.’

Mo Chen was a slippery hornet’s nest.

Although Wu Dao now had the strength to crush him, Mo Chen’s Celestial Destiny and Fortune, along with the Celestial Court behind him, added too many uncertainties and future troubles.

Under these circumstances,

using a borrowed knife to eliminate the consequence without exposing himself was undoubtedly the best choice.

”Hoo... No rush. It’ll be some time before that place opens. For now, the priority is to perfect the second stage of the Essence Devouring Art and gain the power to move unhindered across the Emperor Star.”

His thoughts settled.

Wu Dao contacted Zhao Jianji and the others, who had left several days ago on a reconnaissance mission, through the Faith Channel. ”Is the personnel list confirmed?”

”This subordinate respectfully greets the Alliance Leader.”

Zhao Jianji’s respectful voice immediately sounded out, followed by his earnest report:

”Reporting to the Alliance Leader, after this subordinate’s investigation and search, the targets have been mostly locked down. They are all Daoist Children who will be easy to deal with.

All of them cultivate Emperor Scriptures and Great All Heavens Divine Techniques. Many of them have mastered more than one Emperor Scripture.

If we take them all down,

the harvest will definitely be close to two hundred!”

As he spoke,

Zhao Jianji transmitted the information on the targeted Daoist Children to Wu Dao.

He also provided a detailed list of the Emperor Scriptures and Great Divine Techniques they cultivated, as well as information on their retinues and defensive forces. It was clear he had put a lot of effort into the investigation.

”Well done,”

Wu Dao said in praise as he processed the information on the various Daoist Children in his mind. Then, he gave another order:

”You don’t need to handle the big fish. How’s the confirmation on the schools of fish in the outer gathering places?”

The Primordial Demons had been in seclusion for half a month.

The terrifying nature of the Primordial Magnetism Demon Body had been fully demonstrated, further aided by an inexhaustible supply of Desolate God Ancestor Essence Blood.

As of today,

all seventy-two Primordial Demons had achieved the Divine Demon Body!

Furthermore, they had stepped into the Divine Demon Body with the Fifth Transformation of the Infinite Golden Body. Their physiques were so tyrannical that they could tear Celestial Soldiers apart with their bare hands!

The strongest, Zhao Jianji,

had reached the Divine Demon Body Twenty Layers through Transverse Cultivation.

With the enhancement of the Infinite Golden Body and the Primordial Magnetism Demon Body,

he could fight and kill a Grotto Heaven Daoist of the Twenty-four Heavens without any issue.

In the future, if they were equipped with the Primordial Dao Wheel

and unearthed more of the Primordial Magnetism Demon Body’s potential,

their strength would undergo a qualitative change, becoming the Purgatory Unrivaled Demon Army. The so-called monster-levels wouldn’t even be worthy of carrying their shoes.

As for now,

dealing with those Daoist Children who had mastered Emperor Scriptures and were at the level of the Twenty-four Heavens or above was still a bit of a stretch. Only Wu Dao’s Incarnations could handle them.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t win.

In fact, with the current strength of the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons, plus the numerous World Heavy Artifacts they possessed, they could even hunt down ordinary King Grade Creation Realm experts.

However,

what Wu Dao wanted was to succeed in a single strike.

He wanted to hunt down all the targeted Daoist Children simultaneously,

leaving no opportunity for anyone else to react or be alerted. If they captured them one by one, the risk factor would be far too great.

Currently, although the Emperor Star only allowed those in the Cave Heavens Realm to enter, loopholes existed. There were no rules restricting the appearance of Creation Realm power.

World Heavy Artifacts.

The Infinite Saint Master was the best example.

If those major powers got desperate, paid the price to sneak in a Creation Realm existence, a single misstep could lead to exposure and failure.

After all,

the Taiyi Emperor Star was just a Primordial Emperor Artifact. Daoist Lineage-level powers had a Primordial Emperor Artifact as standard equipment. They had plenty of ways to bypass the Emperor Star’s rules.

”Reporting to the Alliance Leader, the schools of fish have also been confirmed,”

Zhao Jianji replied immediately upon hearing the question. ”They are all large gathering places with around a million fish each.

”I, Er Gou, Tiezhu, and a few Hall Masters will each lead a team. We’ll use the Heavy Artifacts to lock them down. I guarantee not even a mosquito will escape the net.”

”Are the disguises ready?”

Wu Dao asked another question.

Currently, the All Heavens had pinned the blame for the major incident at the Boundless Ancestral Land on a power called the Dragon Hunting Tower.

Since there was a ready-made scapegoat,

Wu Dao was happy to oblige. He would create another huge commotion to firmly pin the blame on the Dragon Hunting Tower.

”Heh, rest assured, Alliance Leader,”

Zhao Jianji said with a strange smile.

”Speaking of which, it’s not very difficult to impersonate people from the Dragon Hunting Tower. The members of that power are more or less the same as us—basically a bunch of accomplished monsters from the Transverse Cultivation path.

”During this time, I have been studying and practicing their style of operation. I can definitely capture both their form and spirit.”

”Mm, make the exposure subtle. Don’t let anyone see that it’s a disguise.”

Wu Dao added another reminder.

”Yes, this subordinate understands.”

...

After cutting off contact with Zhao Jianji,

Wu Dao let out a slight breath, his will and consciousness spreading out to his numerous Incarnations, all of whom were advancing toward their targets at full speed.

This hunt

was all about a blitzkrieg.

He was responsible for capturing Daoist Children to collect Heaven-Opening Techniques, while the Primordial Demons were in charge of harvesting Artifact Spirit Materials for the Dao Wheels.

Both operations would proceed simultaneously.

It was imperative not to give anyone time to react.

...

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

On the outskirts of the Taiyi Emperor Star.

Outside a certain large gathering place.

Storms of Tribulation Qi from the forbidden zone ebbed and flowed.

From the depths, greedy and hungry eyes lay in wait, spying.

Zhao Jianji’s imposing physique was cloaked in a black Magic Robe, his aura completely concealed. He continuously adjusted his own aura, simulating the characteristics of the Taoist Techniques used by members of the Dragon Hunting Tower.

’Dragon-breaking Skill...’

The Magnetic Field Energy in his palm shifted.

Vigorous, white, dragon-shaped Power cut through space, emanating a vast force capable of severing True Dragons and overturning the heavens.

The Dragon Hunting Tower.

It was infamous throughout the All Heavens.

For unknown reasons, they had hunted the Celestial Prides of the Horizontal Refining Lineage for era after era, making them the main culprits behind the decline of Transverse Cultivation in the All Heavens.

However, every member of the Dragon Hunting Tower was basically an accomplished cultivator of the Transverse Refining Dao, and they had also mastered many Great All Heavens Divine Techniques from the Body Cultivation Lineage.

The Dragon-breaking Skill was one of them.

After deciding to make the Dragon Hunting Tower the scapegoat, Wu Dao had the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons undergo emergency special training. Every Primordial Demon had proficiently mastered the Dragon-breaking Skill, a Body Technique Divine Technique.

”Vice Alliance Leader, all positions are in place. We can raise the Array and close the net at any time.”

A reminder sounded through the faith network.

Zhao Jianji crushed the dragon-shaped Power in his hand, looked at the bustling gathering place not far away, and said with calm composure:

”No rush. We’ll move when the Alliance Leader makes his move.”

”Yes, sir!”

「Meanwhile.」

In the depths of the Emperor Star,

outside a grim and treacherous Daoist city, the Tribulation Qi churned as an uninvited guest arrived.

”The Senluo Sect...”

Wu Dao, also clad in the same Broken Dragon Black Robe as the Primordial Demons, stared with a deep gaze at the distant Daoist sanctum, which was as magnificent as Fengdu City.

The Senluo Sect.

An All Heavens Emperor’s Lineage from the Daluo World.

It was said to be connected to an accomplice of the Slaughter Emperor from the time of the Five Tribulations. However, this was only speculation and had never been confirmed; otherwise, it would not have survived to this day.

”An Emperor Grade Cave Heaven, twenty-eighth layer...”

Wu Dao’s eyes flickered. Within his sight, the various Magnetic Field auras of Senluo City converged, with the one in the center—as eerie as the Nether River—being the strongest.

The master of this Magnetic Field

was his target for this trip: the Grotto Heaven Daoist of the Senluo Sect.

A twenty-eighth layer Daoist Child.

He was considered in the top tier on the Emperor Star.

Even an existence like the Little Thunder King was slightly inferior. This one would surely bring him more pleasant surprises.

WHOOSH~

He took a single step.

Wu Dao’s body blurred, like a reflection in a mirror or the moon in water.

Like a phantom of the Magnetic Field, he merged into the great magnetic field of heaven and earth, entering the ghost-qi-filled Senluo City without drawing anyone’s attention.

「Senluo City, City Lord’s Mansion.」

Inside the grand hall,

the Nether Spring Daoist—clad in a White Bone Magic Robe, as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice, his gaze brewing with scenes of Hell, and his expression severe—sat on the main seat of the hall. He looked down upon his trembling attendants and snorted coldly.

”So many of you, armed with Heavy Artifacts, and you couldn’t even catch a little bastard! You even let him obtain a Creation and escape unscathed! What a bunch of utter trash!”

”Daoist Child, it’s not that we are incompetent.”

An attendant in the hall said, trembling in fear.

”That Wuchen from the Qiong Wu Emperor Sect is insidious and cunning, and he possesses Monster Level combat strength. For some reason, he also knew the layout of the Yellow Springs Valley like the back of his hand...”

”Enough! Incompetence is incompetence!”

SMACK!

A slap flew through the air.

An irresistible force instantly slammed that Grotto Heaven Celestial Pride to the ground, unable to move.

”Tell me his location! I will act personally. I refuse to believe he can overturn the heavens!”

The Nether Spring Daoist’s gaze was sinister. Just as he was about to rise, he noticed the expressions of everyone in the hall change drastically. They were staring behind him in shock and anger.

’When...?’

The Nether Spring Daoist’s pupils contracted abruptly. In the corner of his eye, he saw the edge of a black robe next to his white bone throne.

’It’s truly like a ghost.’

He hadn’t sensed any spatial or temporal fluctuations beforehand. It had appeared behind him silently, without any warning at all.