Essence Devouring Art

’What on earth is this person trying to do?’

Inside the Grotto Heaven, the Big Black Wolf’s brows were tightly furrowed.

The Extraordinary Realm certainly had no shortage of eccentric powerhouses who might take someone under their wing on a whim if they felt a connection.

But this mysterious man... he felt different. It was as if he’d come specifically for Wuchen, and fate had nothing to do with it.

At this thought, the Big Black Wolf couldn’t help but issue a warning.

”Kid, be careful. I don’t think this next punch is going to be so simple. It might actually kill you!”

’Limit?’

’What is a true limit? The line between life and death!’

’To think exhaustion is the limit... That’s just naive.’

”I know what I’m doing,”

Wuchen said, taking a deep breath. His Essence, Qi, and Spirit began to climb to their peak as his perception locked onto the mysterious man’s every move, preparing for the game to start again and catch him off guard.

CRACKLE CRUNCH~

Wu Dao rolled his neck, producing a sound that made Wuchen’s heart pound—the clash of Undying Divine Gold.

With a casual toss, he set the Thunder Pool at the highest point in the void. It hung there like a victor’s trophy, its golden light brilliant and dazzling.

But as Wu Dao made that casual, airy motion, Wuchen felt the world around him plummet into a bottomless abyss. An indescribably heavy and vast pressure bore down, threatening to bring the very blood in his veins to a standstill.

”Are you ready?”

The hem of Wu Dao’s black Daoist robe fluttered in a breeze that had sprung from nowhere. He flexed his fingers, saw Wuchen standing on high alert, and broke into a grin. Then, he took a sudden step forward!

BOOM!!

That single step unleashed the sound of a divine elephant stomping the cosmos, which exploded in all directions. A vast power, like the collapse of a billion heavens, spread out in a spiderweb from where his foot landed!

Space in every direction shattered like glass, the infinite fragments swept up in a tsunami of Power. In an instant, the shockwave overturned space-time to the very limits of perception!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—

The Heart Lake Alarm Bell rang frantically.

Within Wuchen’s Twenty-four Heavens, every Dragon Vein flared to life, struggling against the tide like a swimmer caught in a hurricane.

His feet remained firmly anchored in the void, holding fast against the great storm of annihilation. His perception never left Wu Dao for an instant.

The Power in the mysterious man’s step was indeed at his Limit—not an iota more.

But when wielded by this man, that same level of Power gave off an indescribable pressure. It was like staring up at a towering mountain—an unstoppable, terrifying might, the very image of absolute invincibility.

’Even at the same level, I’m no match for him!’

In that single instant, Wuchen understood the vast difference in their fundamental strength. He was both shocked and horrified.

After all, he now possessed Monster Level combat strength!

’What kind of being can crush a Monster Level opponent of the same rank?’

’A Son of Revival is just a slightly stronger monster. They couldn’t possibly evoke such a suffocating sense of powerlessness!’

”Since the prize is the Thunder Pool, it’s only natural that I test your Fist Dao’s grasp of Celestial Thunder. Get ready!”

While Wuchen was still reeling in shock, the mysterious man’s voice boomed like the Thunder God, shaking the Nine Heavens. There were no astonishing phenomena, just an incredibly simple hammer-fist motion. He simply reached out, clenched his fingers, and punched downward!

It was just a simple hammer fist!

BOOM—CRACKLE!!

Heaven’s eyes opened to mete out punishment upon the world!

The aura of an utterly calamitous Thunder Dao disaster spread like wildfire through Wuchen’s mind.

In the void, countless Extraordinary Factors ground against each other at extreme speeds, shooting out arcs of black lightning. In less than a thought, they exploded and spread into a vast sea that drowned the firmament!

WUUUM—

At the apex of the black Thunder Sea, a figure opened its eyes. It was so majestic that one felt as small as an ant before it. This God and Demon of the Nine Heavens wore an Emperor’s Crown and wielded the power of celestial thunder punishment.

A colossal hand, containing scenes of both the creation and destruction of all things, reached out. As if gathering the immeasurable thunderbolts of the All-Heavens, it too threw a punch!

Three-Phase Divine Punishment Fist—

Thunder Punishment Phase!

The moment this fist was thrown, it was the embodiment of Supreme Yang, of celestial thunder punishment!

It was as if the very authority of the Thunder Dao, which judged all living things, had been stolen.

The moment the fist appeared, facing it was like facing the wrath of the Great Dao itself as it crushed all mortals. It was boundlessly majestic and vast. To oppose this fist was to oppose the heavens!

”This fist... it has attained the True Heavenly Thunder Path!”

Inside the Grotto Heaven, the Big Black Wolf’s pupils contracted. As if witnessing the impossible, it let out a shocked cry.

Of the myriad Thunder Daos in the world, the Celestial Thunder Power—the power of creation, destruction, and punishment held by the Great Dao itself—was the most difficult to control. Or rather, its true path was the most difficult to attain.

Celestial Thunder was the ultimate expression of Supreme Yang. It tolerated no evil or filth and allowed no external force to profane it.

Throughout history, countless astonishing geniuses had tried to control the Power of Celestial Thunder. The further they walked that path, the more perilous it became, with almost no chance of survival.

One careless slip, and at best, their cultivation would be obliterated by Celestial Thunder. At worst, their body would perish and their Dao would be extinguished!

But this person...

When he threw a punch, Celestial Might descended!

He wasn’t borrowing its power, nor was he merely commanding it! It was as if a supreme Emperor who ruled the Thunder Daos of All-Heavens was on a tour of his domain. With his every move, Celestial Thunder naturally swarmed to escort him!

To have such an affinity with Celestial Thunder... it was impossible to imagine how terrifying the process of earning its acknowledgment must have been!

BOOM—!!

In less time than it takes to form a thought, Wu Dao’s punch came crashing down.

Space-time in every direction exploded into Chaos! All of existence was annihilated!

As far as the eye could see, to the very limits of perception, there was only the Thunder Emperor’s Fist. Wreathed in a boundless, black Thunder Sea of a billion layers and containing all of existence, it annihilated everything as it pressed down, utterly unstoppable!

At this moment of life and death, Wuchen abandoned all thoughts of luck and purged himself of despair.

”KILL!!!”

He roared like a Purgatory Demon God defying the heavens. His physique rapidly grew immense as the Dragon Veins in his Twenty-four Heavens surged to their absolute peak!

His Reincarnation Saint Body was fully unleashed!

The Power of All Things in the Purgatory Reincarnation shrouded the Chaos. His body seemed to contain thousands of roaring, resurrected Gods and Demons as he, too, clenched his fist and threw the most powerful punch of his life!

THOOM!!

The moment his fist flew, the very Chaos seemed to flip and shatter.

Even the vast, oppressive Thunder Sea of billion-layered Celestial Might wavered for an instant.

WHOOOOSH—

The ancient, domineering cry of a whale resounded.

His peak Fist Dao Will blazed to life, transforming into a Karma Fire Dominator Whale that blotted out the Chaos in all directions.

BOOM—SLAM!

The Overlord Whale slammed its tail, blasting apart the abyssal sea.

Without dodging or evading, it charged head-on toward the collapsing billion-layered heavens, its power absolute and world-ending!

In a ten-thousandth of a second,

the heaven-defying Karma Fire Dominator Whale smashed into the collapsing celestial Thunder Sea. Like a falling star, it kicked up billions of arcs of lightning!

THOOM!!

At the moment of impact, Wuchen felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, as if he’d crashed headfirst into the Divine Wall of the Great Dao itself.

An indescribably terrifying recoil tore through him. His twenty-four Mixed Caves teetered on the verge of collapse. The body he had forged with the Reincarnation Saint Body instantly exploded into a mist of blood, and even the origin of his Divine Soul began to disintegrate!

He was defeated in a single blow!

So this was the Power of his true Limit!

The gap was immense!

In that moment, all of Wuchen’s pride and accomplishments shattered, ground into dust. He couldn’t even withstand the recoil from his own ultimate attack.

His ’Monster Level’ status, all his hard work... it was all a joke!

His supposed perfection was nothing but self-deception!

But...

that self-doubt lasted less than an instant before being replaced by an even wilder, more ferocious Battle Intent.

’If it’s not perfect, then I’ll make it perfect.’

’If I haven’t reached my Limit, it just means I haven’t tried hard enough!’

”KILL!!”

KRA-KRA-KA—

His battle cry rose once more!

Now just a mist of blood, Wuchen disintegrated again, breaking down to a microscopic level. Within his twenty-four origin Mixed Caves, his Dragon Veins were squeezed dry, causing great fissures to appear.

”Kid, you’re insane!!”

the Big Black Wolf shrieked. A Dao injury from a damaged Dragon Vein was incredibly difficult to heal, even for someone who cultivated the Reincarnation Saint Body!

He was betting everything on this!

THOOM!!

Wuchen had no energy to spare for distractions. After wringing himself completely dry, he threw another punch.

BOOM!!

The nearly shattered Overlord Whale within the celestial Thunder Sea suddenly grew stronger as if it had swallowed a Great Nourishing Pill. Incredibly, it briefly managed to hold back Wu Dao’s descending fist!

’Now’s my chance!’

In that fleeting moment of balance, Wuchen’s resolve hardened.

WHOOSH—

An immeasurable, murky yellow light shot out from his nearly shattered origin Grotto Heaven!

BOOM!

The surging Yellow Springs River, like a yellow dragon emerging from the Netherworld’s Abyss, carried the supreme cleansing Power of Reincarnation. In an instant, it washed through layer after layer of the black celestial Thunder Sea and pierced through the Emperor’s fist!

Its target was the mysterious man’s true body!

Ignoring the consequences, using any means necessary—that was the true meaning of one’s Limit!

From the very first punch, Wuchen had understood that he couldn’t break through with his current Power alone.

Only by changing his way of thinking and exploiting a ”loophole” in the game—unleashing a power beyond what the mysterious man considered his Limit—did he stand a chance.

If he had been stubborn and inflexible, he would have undoubtedly perished today!

The Yellow Springs River, once flowed through the Netherworld. It was a holy river from the Eighteen Netherworlds, possessing the Mighty Power to plunge all things into the cycle of Reincarnation, washing them clean and turning them into a blank slate.

It was one of Wuchen’s trump cards.

By unleashing the Yellow Springs River, he wasn’t just trying to break free—he was trying to turn the tables and kill the mysterious man!

”Trying to act tough in front of your Grandpa Black, you little punk? Go on and become fertilizer for the Yellow Springs!”

Inside the Grotto Heaven, the Big Black Wolf, who had been panicked just a moment before, now brandished the Abi Saber and laughed smugly. A section of the blade glowed a murky yellow as it spewed an endless torrent of Yellow Springs water, like a celestial river bursting its dam, surging toward Wu Dao.

But in the next moment...

”What?!”

”This is impossible!!”

Man and wolf alike witnessed an unbelievable scene. They felt as if they’d been struck by lightning and plunged into a bottomless Abyss, a chill running through their bodies.

SPLASH~

At the far end of the surging Yellow Springs River, the expected scene—the mysterious man suffering a cultivation deviation, falling into Reincarnation, and becoming a drooling idiot—did not occur.

On the contrary, the mysterious man made no move to dodge or evade.

He allowed the waters of the Yellow Springs Holy Water to wash over him, remaining as steadfast as a mountain. It was like a spring breeze on his face; his Spiritual Will didn’t waver in the slightest!

Let alone affecting his Divine Soul!

’It can’t be that he’s ignoring it because his cultivation level is too high!’

’Even though Creation Realm experts have started to enter the Emperor Star, none of them are overwhelmingly powerful. If caught off guard, they wouldn’t be able to resist the Power of Reincarnation from the Yellow Springs Holy Water.’

This was the very reason Black Wolf and Wuchen had dared to attempt a counterattack.

’If it’s not suppression through cultivation, then he’s ignoring it purely through the strength of his will!’

’The Yellow Springs Holy Water, which flows from the Mud Prison Abyss, can’t affect him in the slightest!’

’Is that a will a human can even possess?’

In that moment, both man and wolf felt their entire worldview get thrown to the ground and crushed to dust.

”Not a bad knockout drug, but it’s still lacking a little something...”

As Wuchen and Black Wolf stared on, questioning their very existence, the mysterious man opened his mouth, took a large gulp of the Netherworld Water, and gave a lukewarm review after savoring it.

’Knockout drug?’

When Black Wolf heard the mysterious man refer to the Yellow Springs Holy Water that way, it froze for a second. Then it nearly lost control and jumped out of the Grotto Heaven to fight him to the death.

The insult was too much to bear!