Essence Devouring Art

WHOOSH—

The Tribulation Qi surged and Celestial Thunder rumbled.

Above Nirvana City.

Under the watchful eyes of the masses, another group of Demon Cultivators preparing to cross their Grotto Heaven Tribulation sat calmly beneath the Nine Heavens Tribulation Sea. With relaxed and carefree expressions, they triggered their Tribulation Qi without the slightest hesitation.

”Heaven and Earth are truly filled with infinite, wondrous Creation.”

Within a courtyard in Nirvana City.

Jiang Han, his Red Sun Daoist Robe fluttering in the malevolent wind, looked up at the demonic figures in the Nine Heavens triggering their Tribulation Qi one by one and sighed with heartfelt emotion.

After leaving Luoxian Ridge.

Ever cautious, he hadn’t immediately begun his Cultivation of the Exquisite Method. Instead, he found a large number of test subjects, only revealing his fangs after confirming there were no dangers.

The consequence of this was, as expected, he was once again being hunted.

Stealing the Dantian Origin of others for his Cultivation.

And not just anyone’s, but the Dantian Origins of the chosen prodigies from major powers.

This path was one condemned by both the righteous and the demonic, a journey accompanied by a storm of blood and gore. It could be said that he stirred up trouble wherever he went.

However, Jiang Han felt no regret.

With a grand Great Dao in his heart, he naturally didn’t care about the mire beneath his feet.

Of course.

Getting beaten up was unavoidable.

In just half a month.

Jiang Han had committed a series of ”crimes,” but even the wisest can slip up. Eventually, his deeds came to light, and he found himself jointly wanted by several major Demon Dao powers, forced to flee in a sorry state.

By chance.

It was only after hearing about Nirvana City, this Land of Zige, that he temporarily escaped his pursuers and found a moment of peace.

But it was only temporary.

Dark currents churned within Nirvana City, and those who had their eyes on him never gave up. Unless he hid in the city for the rest of his life, he would inevitably be hunted again the moment he stepped outside.

It was a situation like a turtle in a jar.

Even Jiang Han couldn’t find a good way to escape for the time being.

CRACKLE—BOOM—

Thunderbolts roared above the Nine Heavens as the ocean of Celestial Tribulation gradually took shape. The majesty of the supreme Great Dao bore down, making the Demon Cultivators in the city feel oppressed and insignificant.

’If the Celestial Tribulation loses control and strikes these people dead, Nirvana City will fall into chaos. Maybe I can use the confusion to escape.’

Jiang Han laughed self-deprecatingly at his own wild thought. The Heaven-Devouring Power of Nirvana Valley had shown no abnormalities for half a month; for it to go wrong now seemed like wishful thinking.

But this time.

Something really did seem to be wrong.

”What’s going on? The Celestial Tribulation has fully formed. Why is there still no movement from Nirvana Valley?”

”Calm down. The pull probably isn’t strong enough yet.”

”GULP. I have a bad feeling about this.”

The hundreds of millions of Demon Cultivators in the city stared at the fully formed seas of Celestial Tribulation, their hearts suddenly pounding with anxiety. Usually, as soon as a tribulation sea appeared, it would be eagerly devoured by Nirvana Valley.

But today...

BOOM—CRACK!!

”AHHH!!”

Before anyone could react to their shock and doubt.

A bolt of purple Thunderbolt tore through the fiery thunderclouds, splitting the glorious heavens. The Demon Cultivator Crossing the Tribulation, having made no defensive preparations, let out a bloodcurdling scream before being instantly blasted into tribulation ash!

BOOM!

And the Celestial Thunder’s momentum didn’t lessen in the slightest!

It struck right down into Nirvana City, turning a large crowd of spectating cultivators, buildings, and landscapes into nothing but charcoal!

”Not good! The Celestial Tribulation is out of control!”

”Where’s Nirvana Valley’s Heaven-Devouring Power? Ah, run!”

”I knew something this good couldn’t be true!”

After the first bolt of tribulation thunder.

More out-of-control Celestial Thunder poured into Nirvana City like a torrential downpour. The city instantly erupted into chaos, with cultivators fleeing for their lives.

It was a Grotto Heaven-level lightning tribulation.

Those below the Grotto Heaven realm couldn’t withstand it at all. Swathes of cultivators died in an instant.

”Kill those Tribulation Crossers!”

Amidst the panic.

A Creation Realm expert roared viciously.

Their sects, their fortunes, and their very lives were all based in Nirvana City; they couldn’t just stand by and watch it all be destroyed by the Celestial Tribulation.

If you can’t solve the problem.

Then solve the person causing the problem!

Once the Tribulation Crossers were dead.

The Celestial Tribulation would naturally disperse.

”This...”

In the endlessly chaotic Nirvana City.

Jiang Han took advantage of the chaos to flee toward the city outskirts, wondering if he was truly a walking disaster, cursed with a jinxing tongue.

He had just said the Celestial Tribulation would lose control.

And the Celestial Tribulation really did lose control!

”Wait, look! What is that?”

Just as several Creation Realm experts were about to strike and eliminate the Tribulation Crossers, a slovenly old cultivator suddenly shouted in surprise from the void.

The various Creation Realm experts followed his gaze.

And immediately discovered a scene that made their scalps tingle.

The thousands of cultivators whose physical bodies had been destroyed by the lightning a moment before now had their Divine Souls all flocking toward the depths of Nirvana Valley like a swarm of bees returning to their hive, their expressions dazed and numb.

RUMBLE!

Once the number of Divine Souls reached a certain threshold.

The Heaven-Devouring Power in the Three-Colored Divine Fire region of Nirvana Valley stirred once more and erupted. Rumbling like a black hole or the eye of a maelstrom, it brutally dragged down and devoured the seas of destructive thunder above Nirvana City!

”So that’s how it is!”

The slovenly old Daoist who had spoken earlier had a sudden realization and exclaimed loudly:

”Nirvana Valley’s Heaven-Devouring Power didn’t disappear—it got ’hungry’! Only by sacrificing enough Divine Souls can it be activated again. It feeds on the Divine Souls of cultivators!”

’It feeds on Divine Souls?’

’What kind of ominous Power is this?!’

Even the Creation Realm experts felt a chill run through their bodies and swallowed hard. Being ruthless and cruel didn’t mean they were without fear.

It was mysterious and unknown.

And it fed on the Divine Souls of cultivators.

This kind of Power was simply too demonic.

But it made sense, upon reflection.

Pies don’t just fall from the sky; for every gain, there must be a loss. Nirvana Valley’s Heaven-Devouring Power couldn’t have appeared from nothing. There had to be some underlying logic to its operation!

They just never expected...

...that it would be so terrifying and bloody!

But the facts were indeed just as the slovenly old Daoist had said.

Once Nirvana Valley had eaten its fill.

Not a single person died in the Celestial Tribulation again.

Because.

The layer upon layer of Celestial Tribulations covering Nirvana City were once again completely devoured by the mysterious Power in the depths of Nirvana Valley!

”In that case, if we want to cross our tribulations safely in the future, doesn’t that mean...”

The cultivators in the city looked at the now-calm Nirvana Valley as if they were staring at a man-eating Ancient Fierce Beast. Fear stems from the unknown, and at this moment, Nirvana Valley was that great, unknown terror.

”There’s more...”

A cultivator swallowed and said, ”The cultivators just now who were struck dead by the Celestial Thunder were all at the Dharma Aspect realm or higher. No one below the Dharma Aspect realm was affected.

What does that mean?”

”It means that only a Dharma Divine Soul is qualified to be a sacrifice.”

A Dharma Aspect cultivator immediately chimed in, voicing his own guess with a trembling heart. Instantly, everyone’s gazes toward those around them grew wary.

But no one noticed.

That the slovenly Daoist who had spoken first.

Had vanished without a trace.

’Not bad. I give them a little hint, and someone else fills in the blanks for the whole process. Saves me a lot of trouble.’

Wu Dao observed the bustling discussion and rapidly rising hostility in Nirvana City, then glanced at the brand-new ”batteries” within his All Heaven, and smiled with satisfaction.

Killing the chicken to get the eggs.

That was the worst possible strategy.

Ensuring a slow, steady stream that always provides eggs—that was the best choice.

What ”truth, goodness, and beauty” could Demon Cultivators possibly possess?

Their hearts held only selfishness.

As long as there were people who cherished their lives and sought shortcuts for Crossing the Tribulation, Nirvana City would become an inexhaustible oil field for the Original Dao Wheel.

And for all this.

That bunch of Demon Cultivators would even have to be grateful to him.

What did other people’s lives matter?

One’s own life.

One’s own future—that was what was truly precious!

’Our fates are quite intertwined.’

At the same time.

Wu Dao also noticed Jiang Han fleeing in a sorry state while being pursued outside the city. However, he only gave him a passing glance and had no intention of intervening.

’If he can’t even overcome a small obstacle like this.’

’What’s the use in saving him?’

...

Under Wu Dao’s grand manipulation, Nirvana Valley’s ’Heaven-Devouring Power’ took on a more mysterious and bloody quality.

But the allure of Crossing the Tribulation without harm.

Didn’t diminish in the slightest.

After the turmoil.

Some Demon Dao Sects thought it was a coincidence and grabbed a few unlucky souls to attempt the tribulation. The result, naturally, was that they were struck dead on the spot.

After repeated experiments.

The Demon Cultivators confirmed it.

To advance from Dharma Aspect to Grotto Heaven.

If one wanted to cross the tribulation safely, they needed to sacrifice a certain number of Dharma Divine Souls to Nirvana Valley. Grotto Heaven souls were even better; one was worth many Dharma Aspect souls.

The same logic applied to advancing from Grotto Heaven to the Creation Realm.

As for tribulations below the Dharma Aspect realm.

There were no restrictions, probably because a Celestial Tribulation of that level was too weak to require much effort from Nirvana Valley’s Heaven-Devouring Power.

As for the Saint Tribulation.

The entire Burial Realm didn’t have many Saints and Great Powers to begin with, and a Tribulation Crosser at that level might not appear even in a thousand years. Once such a figure advanced, they would become an Overlord of the Burial Realm. They would never entrust their tribulation to a stroke of luck.

The adaptability of the Extraordinary was extremely strong.

Let alone Demon Cultivators.

Barely a day after the turmoil.

An entirely new currency appeared in Nirvana City.

Dharma Soul Coins, Grotto Heaven Soul Coins—these octagonal soul coins forged from Divine Souls became the hard currency of Nirvana City.

Before a cultivator crossed their tribulation.

They needed to sacrifice a sufficient number of Soul Coins based on the intensity of their Celestial Tribulation. Only when they no longer felt the threat of the tribulation could they cross it safely.

Once cultivation advancement had a clear price tag.

And so.

A great storm that would sweep through the region surrounding Nirvana Valley was born.

A single Dharma Soul Coin.

Could be exchanged in Nirvana City for vast amounts of Cultivation Resources, and even Divine Techniques and Magical Treasures!

This led to a situation where a host of Demon Cultivators saw everyone as walking money.

Ravenously hungry.

They roamed the Burial Realm like hunting dogs.

Every day, large numbers of Dharma Aspect and Grotto Heaven cultivators were hunted. Of course, some hunters became the hunted. A brand-new industrial chain was rapidly established.

As the Taotie behind the scenes, Wu Dao.

Was naturally counting money until his hands cramped. The Demon Cultivators might make a small profit, but he would always be the big shark who earned the most.

For Cultivation Resources, he had the Celestial Tribulation Dao Source.

And for the Primordial Dao Wheel, he had an endless stream of Soul Coins being invested.

Through the tireless, round-the-clock efforts of the thousands of ”workers” in Nirvana City, Wu Dao had truly achieved a state where he grew stronger just by lying down.

The Primordial Dao Wheel was running at full horsepower.

Under this outrageously powerful acceleration.

The breakthrough threshold he had originally estimated would take two months to reach was met in just a month and a half. The second stage had reached its true Limit.

And on this very day.

The people of Nirvana City discovered something.

No matter how many sacrifices they made, there was no response from Nirvana Valley!

On the contrary.

In the vast, boundless core region of Nirvana Valley, some Creation Realm experts observing from afar discovered, to their heart-stopping terror, a horrifying, hazy World of Celestial Tribulation slowly rotating and taking shape!

It was like the wrath of the Great Dao.

Sending down a divine punishment to destroy all that defied it.

Even from across the vastness of space-time and endless thunder and fire.

Even Creation Realm experts who had nearly perfected the Saint Grade felt a fatal threat. If it was like this before it had even fully formed, once it did...

”A heaven-defying Power will surely incur divine retribution!”

A Demon Path Celestial Master specializing in the Heaven and Earth Array Dao divined the Celestial Secret, only to spit up blood in horror. In the depths of Nirvana Valley, he sensed an ominous, great darkness that was loathed by both heaven and earth!

”All Extraordinary existences, regardless of their kind, must face tribulations. The mysterious Power of Nirvana Valley is no exception! Add to that its heaven-defying actions, and this tribulation will likely be terrifying beyond measure!”

The tycoons of the Soul Coin industry were deeply worried.

If that mysterious Power were to be annihilated by divine retribution, all their hard work would be for nothing. Bankruptcy and flight would be the best possible outcome.

”Shut your jinxing mouth!”

A colleague rebuked him with a dark expression, then said through clenched teeth, ”You have to give to get! The Nirvana True Lord is currently facing a tribulation. As his believers, we must naturally devote our all to help him resist it!”

The Nirvana True Lord.

A Divine Being fabricated by the Soul Coin tycoons.

The prototype was, naturally, the mysterious Power within Nirvana Valley—the unknown Wu Dao.

Mm.

The equivalent of mortals worshiping the God of Wealth.

”What you mean is...?”

”Open the Soul Libraries! If the True Lord can’t pass this tribulation, we’re finished too!”

”Alright!”

They quickly reached a consensus.

The major Soul Coin tycoons of Nirvana City all opened their vaults, sacrificing a massive amount of Soul Coins to Nirvana Valley.

’There’s such a good thing?’

In the core of Nirvana Valley, Wu Dao, who hadn’t been concerned about the Celestial Tribulation at all, was amused when he sensed his Incarnation suddenly receive a massive amount of Soul Coins and investigated the reason.

Originally.

He had planned to find a way to squeeze the Soul Coin tycoons’ vaults dry after this was all over.

After all.

After his advancement, the Primordial Dao Wheel also needed to keep pace, which would require a large quantity of Soul Coins.

He never expected.

That before he even had to make a move, his ”believers” would automatically fill in the blanks, find a reason, and offer up their entire inventory.

’A voluntary offering.’

’That naturally doesn’t count as being black-hearted.’

’In the future, I can stir up a ”divine retribution” every now and then to plunder all their little private treasuries.’

’Taken from a god, used for a god.’

’No problem at all.’