Essence Devouring Art

Danger!

Extreme danger!

A vast distance, spanning a river of stars.

Even though he couldn’t see through the man’s Cultivation, Yan Shuo could still feel an intense sense of threat, like an Ancient Fierce Beast or an Eternal Volcano on the verge of eruption!

’Alliance Leader, this person is quite rude. Should I teach him a lesson or just send him back for recycling?’

Chen Ergou watched Yan Shuo’s frantic retreat, his eyes like those of a predator looking at a piece of meat in its bowl. He didn’t strike immediately, instead asking for instructions.

”Smashing someone’s livelihood is no different from cutting off their path in life. And he’s so arrogant and conceited on top of it. Kill him. We don’t need the trouble. As for the one who brought this disaster upon us...”

Wu Dao’s indifferent voice rang out.

”Heh, understood.”

Chen Ergou bared his teeth in a vicious grin.

With a light tap of his toes, he became as light as a goose feather.

His wings flapped.

Like a Golden-winged Roc soaring through the Nine Heavens, he crossed Nirvana City in an instant, the distance of spacetime shrinking to mere inches.

Within Nirvana City,

the host of Creation Realm experts, who had been on high alert, only saw a meteor-like streak of golden light flash through the distorted, wrinkled spacetime before vanishing.

Then...

SHRIIIP—BOOM!!

The goose feather transformed into a charging Heaven-Opening Golden Blade!

In an instant, the vast expanse of the sky was split in two!

The golden blade’s edge illuminated the dim world!

His indestructible wings folded together, plowing through the Sea of Dead Spirit Fire, unstoppable as they cleaved through layer after layer of worlds, slashing toward the horrified, retreating Yan Shuo!

”Spare me!!”

SHRIIIP—

His plea for mercy had just begun.

Yan Shuo, who had just been suppressing Nirvana City with an unstoppable pressure like a Heaven Pillar Divine Mountain descending, was cleaved in two, right then and there. Before countless shocked eyes, the golden light tore through the worlds and hacked him in half while he was still alive!

RUMBLE—

A Fifth Layer Emperor Grade Creation Realm expert.

His vital energy and blood were immeasurably vast.

The moment he exploded,

the surging power lashed out across the Nine Heavens and Ten Directions, making the great Nirvana City seem like a single grain in a vast ocean!

An instant kill!

The mysterious being who had emerged from Nirvana Valley!

He had instantly killed a Fifth Layer Emperor Grade Creation Realm expert in a single blow!

Was this a Divine Envoy of the Nirvana True Lord?

The hundreds of millions of Demon Cultivators fell silent. They all stared at the distant Shadow of God and Demon, wreathed in wings of gold and bathed in a sky-spanning sea of blood, their scalps tingling, feeling on the verge of suffocation!

GULP~

The Creation Realm experts of the Nirvana Alliance.

All swallowed hard.

A single Divine Envoy was this powerful.

Then the Nirvana True Lord...

This was far worse than ”accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger”!

It was like they were prancing around in a Demon God’s lair, completely unaware they were courting death!

’Not good, He’s targeting me!’

In Nirvana City,

Yang Kui, who had just escaped calamity, had no time to feel relieved before he felt an incomparably sharp gaze lock onto him.

”Nirvana is a Land of Zige. Violators will be put to death!”

The Shadow of God and Demon vibrated its Golden Roc Wings and descended upon Nirvana City in the span of a thought. His voice was like the roar of Celestial Thunder, spreading the Nirvana True Lord’s will throughout the city.

”Wait, I’m from the Heaven-Burying...”

Yang Kui shrieked hysterically as he fled, trying to make one last effort.

’Fool!’

’I’m killing you precisely *because* I know you’re a Realm Master of the Heaven-Burying Alliance!’

Chen Ergou sneered inwardly.

Like a great Roc hunting a dragon, he dove out of space, his talons seizing Yang Kui’s head. He sealed all of Yang Kui’s Magnetic Fields and, grabbing him like a rabbit, flew toward the depths of Nirvana Valley.

「Half a month ago.」

Almost as soon as Wu Dao had advanced,

Chen Ergou and the other Primordial Demons had also been promoted.

They still followed the Hongyuan System.

Because Wu Dao was simply too monstrous, and his Primordial Magnetic Dao Body was impossible to replicate.

But even so,

the Primordial Demons were also absurdly powerful.

All forty-five of their Dharma Image Heavenly Cycles had transformed into Mixed Caves!

And within each Mixed Cave,

there were three Creation Dragon Veins, each advancing along three different paths simultaneously.

Their combat prowess couldn’t be measured by their realm at all!

According to the Star Mother’s assessment,

each Primordial Demon in their normal state was equivalent to a Third or Fourth Layer Emperor Grade Creation Realm expert. After unleashing their Primordial Magnetic demon bodies and the Mixed Lotus Extreme Path, they could reach the Sixth Layer!

Someone like Yang Kui or Yan Shuo,

a mere single-path Fifth Layer Emperor Grade Creation Realm expert,

was like fighting a baby to them.

”We respectfully send off the Nirvana Divine Envoy! We shall humbly abide by the True Lord’s will!”

In Nirvana City,

be it the Creation Realm experts

or the hundreds of millions of Demon Cultivators,

all were stunned by Chen Ergou’s thunderous execution of the blasphemer. They were all drenched in cold sweat, bowing respectfully as he departed.

They all understood in their hearts.

After today,

Nirvana City would likely become a true Land of Zige in the Burial Realm. Unless an Immortal Saint dared to invade, any dragon would have to coil up, and any tiger would have to lie down.

As old-timers of Nirvana City,

for a moment,

they felt a shared sense of glory, their backs straightening considerably.

「In the depths of Nirvana Valley.」

The Five-Colored Thunderfire surged, incinerating all things.

But at the eye of the sea of thunder and fire,

there was, incredibly, a blurry and sacred humanoid Tree Diagram. It was like a reincarnated Phoenix commanding the Nirvana Thunder Fire, which had been completely reduced to a tool, a source of sustenance for its Cultivation.

The Five-Colored Thunderfire

required the power of the Creation Realm Perfection to survive within it,

Although the third-stage Wu Dao had undergone a qualitative transformation, he couldn’t have leaped to the Creation Realm Perfection level in a single step.

The reason he could survive and cultivate in the Five-Colored Thunderfire was due to the mystery of the Essence Devouring Three Lives Realm.

All Things Arise from the Three.

In this domain, Wu Dao

could analyze the information carried within any Magnetic Field he came into contact with.

He could reverse-engineer its structure and comprehend its mysteries.

He could ignore restrictions, master it, make it a part of his Primordial Magnetic Dao Source, and derive a root-like Branch from it.

The Nirvana Thunder Fire.

It was the Lifebound Divine Technique of the Phoenix clan.

Ten colors was its limit, and with it, one could attain the Emperor Realm.

It was qualified to become one of the All Things Branches.

Barely a day after his advancement,

Wu Dao had used the information from the thunder and fire’s Magnetic Field in Nirvana Valley to reverse-engineer and master this Divine Technique, cultivating a new All Things Branch.

Among his Essence, Qi, and Spirit,

the progress of his Juntian Shenluo Scripture, which cultivated Energy, had also increased by one.

With the buff from this Nirvana Branch,

the Five-Colored Thunderfire, which was capable of annihilating a Creation Realm Perfection expert, naturally couldn’t completely destroy him. It would only become a tool for him to grow stronger.

Of course,

since his advancement

a month ago,

the All Things Branches Wu Dao had newly mastered were not limited to just the Nirvana Thunder Fire.

Nirvana City brought together Demon Cultivators from the Ten Directions.

There was no shortage of lucky ones among them.

The massive bounty of Soul Coins had also allowed Wu Dao to unearth more than ten Emperor Level Cultivation Techniques. In any case, those Soul Coins would eventually return to his hands, making it a completely risk-free transaction.

As his thoughts ebbed and flowed,

the data on his attribute panel materialized—

[Physique: Primordial Magnetic Dao Body]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring·Three Lives (380/3000)+]

[Transverse Cultivation: Infinite Primordial Scripture·God and Demon (53/1000)+]

[Divine Cultivation: Juntian Creation Scripture: Pocket World (185/1000)+]

[Soul Cultivation: All Phenomena Divine Luo Scripture: Pocket World (142/1000)+]

[Divine Format: Lower-Rank Primordial Divine Monarch]

[Celestial Treasure: Bitter Dust Robe (Emperor’s Artifact 100%)

...

[Teleportation Points: ...]

He had added fifteen Emperor Scriptures.

In one month, they had become Branches.

The speed was nothing short of astonishing. Although the improvement to his Primordial Magnetic Dao Source wasn’t that obvious, it was better than nothing.

Under Introspection,

within the three fundamental Dao Sources of Essence, Qi, and Spirit,

the network of pathways interconnected by the Daoist Master had all increased to varying degrees.

At the next level,

the three hundred and eighty All Things Branch Dao Sources.

Among them, the number of All Things Branches connected by the Daoist Master had increased much more significantly.

At the final level,

the increase in the number of Primordial Magnetic Crystal Particles at the end of the Tree Diagram was somewhat terrifying.

Even the most insignificant increase in the supreme Primordial Magnetic Dao Source resulted in a massive increase in the number of Primordial Magnetic Crystal Particles.

In the Hongyuan System,

after Dharma Casting Dao Foundation,

the Cultivation of monstrous geniuses in each realm was a continuous process of perfecting the Thirty-Third Layer to break through to higher realms, repeating this until they achieved Attainment Dao.

Wu Dao’s Primordial Magnetism Path was different.

It was a top-down approach.

He cultivated the Supreme Dao Source, which influenced every branch Dao Source in the Tree Diagram.

The more All Things Branches there were,

the greater the number of Primordial Magnetic Crystal Particles and Primordial Magnetic Vortex Wheels would be born, and the more terrifying the Magnetic Field Power he could wield.

Since his advancement,

Wu Dao had yet to go all out.

The Limit of his 380 All Things Branches was still an unknown.

However, according to the Star Mother’s assessment,

his normal state was already comparable to a Fifteenth Layer Emperor Grade Creation Realm expert—and the most monstrous kind of Fifteenth Layer at that!

In his Evil Lotus State,

his Extreme Dao Foundation had reached the thirtieth grade after his transformation. Once he fully unleashed Godlessness, his combat power would become even more monstrous.

As for the Divine Image Heaven,

after undergoing another cycle of destruction and reconstruction,

its self-destruction critical point had undergone a qualitative change.

It was impossible to estimate what kind of monster he would become after unleashing the Divine Image Heaven.

BUZZ—

As his thoughts ebbed and flowed,

Chen Ergou, wielding the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, connected to the Infinite Holy Hall and returned to the grand hall after completing his mission.

”The Heaven-Burying Stele...”

Wu Dao’s mind stirred, and his consciousness descended upon an Incarnation that was cultivating on the Infinite Golden Stele amidst weakened thunder and fire.

WHOOSH—

The thunder and fire rolled back, and the Incarnation was reformed.

Wu Dao glanced at the Primordial Demons immersed in their Cultivation on the Seventy-Two Primordial Demon Pillars, and his gaze finally settled on the returned Chen Ergou.

”Alliance Leader, I have not failed my mission!”

Sensing Wu Dao’s gaze, Chen Ergou immediately retracted all his ferocity and bowed, presenting a man-high, mysterious, blood-colored Celestial Stele.

With a thought from Wu Dao,

the blood-colored Celestial Stele crossed the Magnetic Field of spacetime and appeared in his hand.

The Celestial Stele had a palpable ancient charm.

It was like a piece of red crystal.

Wisps of a chilling, ominous aura coiled around it.

It didn’t seem to be a product of this era. Carved upon it were ominous scenes of bleeding Gods and Demons and falling Immortal Saints.

The Heaven-Burying Stele.

The legacy keepsake of the Heaven-Burying Alliance.

There were ninety-nine in total, scattered among the ninety-nine Realm Masters, equivalent to the symbolic Tokens of a hall master in the mortal world.

The Heaven-Burying Alliance rose to prominence ten thousand years ago.

According to rumor,

the first generation of leaders were more than ten old Demons at the Creation Realm Perfection, who are still alive to this day.

The ninety-nine Heaven-Burying Steles

were artifacts that those old Demons had excavated from a core burial mound in the Burial Realm. Besides having a special texture that couldn’t be replicated, they had no other use and later became Identity Tokens.

However,

there had always been speculation within the Demon Dao of the Burial Realm.

The theory was that the Heaven-Burying Alliance had unearthed more than just the Heaven-Burying Steles back then, but also the long-rumored Extreme Dao Bell Fragment. A connection was said to exist between the ninety-nine Heaven-Burying Steles and the Extreme Dao Bell Fragment!

Whoever collected all the Heaven-Burying Steles

could gain control of that Extreme Dao Bell Fragment!

Of course,

no one knew if the rumor was true.

Because there was another version of the story.

This one claimed the Heaven-Burying Alliance had long since gained control of the Extreme Dao Bell Fragment, and only the Alliance Leader knew its location.

The ninety-nine Heaven-Burying Steles

and the Ninety-nine Domain Lords simply determined the selection of the Alliance Leader, each possessing a single vote of approval.

However,

Wu Dao believed

the first theory was more plausible.

Back in the Divine Wilderness,

the Slaughter Emperor had stuffed him full of information for contingencies, which included details about the Extreme Dao Bell.

However,

perhaps because the Emperor didn’t want him to obtain it too easily, the information on this subject was very vague.

The Slaughter Emperor had only revealed that he had left behind keys, and that to obtain his ultimate treasure, one had to collect all of them.

There’s no smoke without fire.

The ninety-nine Heaven-Burying Steles.

Perhaps,

they were the keys forged by the Slaughter Emperor.

As for whether

this key had ever been pieced together,

he would know with a single probe!

”Star Mother.”

After a brief inspection,

Wu Dao called upon the Primordial Star Mother’s historical Magnetic Field database. A Primordial Magnetic Arm extended from the Sub-wheel on his back and enveloped the blood-colored Celestial Stele.

An instant later,

the Primordial Star Mother completed its comparison of the Magnetic Field information, and its cold voice sounded:

”Reporting to Father God, this stele is forged from Immortal Red Crystal and can withstand hundreds of millions of years without a scratch. The temporal Magnetic Field it carries can be traced back to ten thousand years after the end of the Five Tribulations.

Ten thousand years ago,

it began to be imbued with Life Magnetic Fields, spanning a total of one hundred generations. Is detailed modeling required?”

”No. Model and trace the Magnetic Field environment from ten thousand years ago. If there are any major changes, pause.”

A glint flashed in Wu Dao’s eyes.

’It was formed after the end of the Five Tribulations, which is right around the time the Slaughter Emperor was defeated!’

”As you wish.”

The Star Mother faithfully executed the command.

Soul Coins burned.

The vast Magnetic Field database spun to life, activating the Heaven-Burying Stele’s Magnetic Field layer by layer. It was like flipping through a book; the myriad phenomena of past and present, the vast changes of time, instantly flowed through Wu Dao’s mind.

This wasn’t time regression.

A goose leaves a shadow as it flies past; a person leaves a trace as they walk by.

The information stored within the Magnetic Fields of all things in the world can sometimes be beyond imagination.

The All Heavens God Emperor Scripture

was not just a simple Cultivation Technique.

The earliest pieces of knowledge from the All Heavens it had collected could be traced back to the Heaven Opening era, covering all things and all categories across the countless Eternal Sand Worlds of the All Heavens.

An encyclopedia of three hundred volumes.

One could only imagine the terrifying scope of its contents. After absorbing it all, it had become the Star Mother’s database.

On top of that,

there was the immense computational power born from the fusion of countless Divine Souls!

Now,

the Star Mother could easily perform deep-level excavation and analysis of the Magnetic Field information of all things, simulating and tracing the Magnetic Field environment of the Heaven-Burying Stele’s past.

Wu Dao could barely manage it himself with some effort,

but why bother scratching his head over it when there was an easier way? It wasn’t like he was an idiot.