Essence Devouring Art

WHOOSH—

Shanhai Pass, Sixth Celestial Pass, Scarlet Heaven.

The environment was completely different from the Five Celestial Passes.

The Fifth Celestial Pass, Nether Heaven, was deathly still and shrouded in gloom, like the Fengdu Ghost Realm. A suppressive, decaying aura filled the air.

The Six Celestial Passes.

An endless, crimson Asura Purgatory!

Scarlet thunderclouds roiled across the Nine Heavens, and ancient volcanoes erupted across the Ten Directions. Surging rivers formed from the convergence of Slaughter Qi and baleful energy flowed everywhere.

Woooooo—

ROAR!

Wu Dao had just stepped out of the Super Star Hub in Red Emperor City with the Seventy-Three Primordial Demons. It was like going from a land of extreme cold to the Flame Mountain.

He looked up.

Blood and fire churned everywhere throughout space-time.

The roars of Asura Demon Gods echoed from the depths, and within the thunderclouds of the Nine Heavens, visions of wild, explosive, and desolate scenes manifested at the end of the world.

’The repulsive force of the Great Dao has weakened.’

At the same time, Wu Dao keenly sensed through the Dao Particles that the mysterious restrictive pressure from the Great Dao was less than half of what it had been in the Five Celestial Passes.

To give a clear example, if he harbored killing intent toward someone else, the oppressive feeling of Celestial Punishment from the Great Dao was far weaker than in the Five Celestial Passes.

In other words, here in the Six Celestial Passes, infighting wouldn’t necessarily lead to death. At worst, one would suffer a grievous Dao injury from Celestial Punishment.

If this was the case in the Six Celestial Passes, then in the Seven Days Pass, the Eighth and Ninth Celestial Passes... as long as one didn’t use power that exceeded the limits, couldn’t one act with impunity?

’It’s a shame that mastermind hasn’t been exposed. The risk is too great. Otherwise, I could try going to the Seven Days Pass.’

With a hint of regret, Wu Dao averted his gaze.

Inside the military hall of Red Emperor City, the military department inspected the Primordial King’s Battle Merit Order, after which Wu Dao received a Star Hub transit pass for the Dragon-slaying Battlefield.

The vast Shanhai Pass was a single, super-massive military zone. Travel and deployment were extremely strict. One couldn’t just run around freely; you had to report your destination in advance and have a transit pass to proceed.

”The Primordial King? I’ve heard so much about you.”

Before the Star Hub leading to the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, a Star Core Guard couldn’t help but look at Wu Dao with newfound respect after checking his transit pass and Battle Merit Order.

To be crowned a King in a single battle—and in a battle of that magnitude, no less. Such an accomplishment would earn the respect of soldiers anywhere.

”It’s a minor reputation, not worth mentioning,” Wu Dao replied politely.

However, he did notice that the Marshal guarding the Star Hub had an unusual level of Transverse Cultivation mastery. His Sacred Body had reached Great Success, which corresponded to the rank of a Saint Master.

The other guards had all reached the Thirteen Daoist Sects of Transverse Cultivation! Such a lineup would be considered the elite of the elite in any force across the All Heavens.

’Then again, it’s logical,’ he thought. The best resource for the path of Transverse Cultivation was the Ancestor Essence Blood of the Mountain and Sea Wilderness God. Since the Dragon-slaying Battlefield was in a state of perpetual war with the Mountain and Sea Emperor Clan, it was only natural for it to produce a host of talented Transverse Cultivators.

It wasn’t just the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, either.

In fact, nine out of ten veterans in Shanhai Pass had considerable mastery in Transverse Cultivation.

This was because as long as they kept fighting on the battlefield, there was no shortage of Desolate God Essence Blood for Body Refinement. Even the Fourteenth Daoist Sect of Transverse Cultivation, an incredibly difficult stage to reach in Hongyuan, was not uncommon in Shanhai Pass.

The forbidden zone where the Dragon-slaying Battlefield was located, the great Mire of Flesh and Mud, was formed over tens of millions of years from the flesh and blood of Di Race Desolate Gods slain by Hongyuan, mixed with the Slaughter Qi and baleful energy of the Six Celestial Passes. It was a first-rate Horizontal Refining Sacred Land.

Before the Great Tribulation of the Mountain and Sea began, when the war between the two realms was less frequent, many major powers of the All Heavens would send their Celestial Prides into the great mire of flesh to temper their physical bodies.

’It seems Jiang Han and Wuchen have also reached the Six Celestial Passes…’

After entering the Transmission Star Hub, Wu Dao thought of his two unworthy disciples. With the Great Tribulation imminent, being merely at the Saint Realm was indeed rather unimpressive.

’I hope they can grow up quickly.’

The Reincarnation Emperor, Great Zizai Heaven... The matters involving these two were no small affair. Wu Dao couldn’t find them, but Jiang Han and Wuchen, as the fated successors to their legacies, would have no problem.

’Then there’s Yaya. She seems to have a strong karmic connection with the Mountain and Sea Realm’s Classic of Mountains and Seas. That Dao Artifact is incredible.’

Since the beginning of Hongyuan, no more than a dozen or so Dao Artifacts have ever been born in the All Heavens and Myriad Realms!

The oldest is Buzhou Mountain.

The strongest is the Classic of Mountains and Seas!

This was also the Mountain and Sea Realm’s greatest foundation, allowing it to stand on par with Hongyuan.

This was because it wasn’t a single item, but a complete set of eighteen scrolls, composed of five primary scripture Dao Artifacts and thirteen secondary scripture sub-Dao Artifacts!

Legend has it, during the time of the Four Tribulations, the Mountain and Sea Realm attempted to forge a new Dao to replace the Primordial Path. The vessel for this new Dao was the eighteen scrolls of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, which encompassed everything that existed within the Mountains and Seas!

An artifact that could carry the Dao!

One could only imagine how powerful the Classic of Mountains and Seas truly was!

...

RUMBLE—

Thunder rolled and flesh burned.

Upon arriving at the main city of the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, Wu Dao felt the scorching heat of the environment rise another level. It was like he’d jumped from the Flame Mountain straight into a volcano’s crater.

And that was indeed the case.

As he used his senses to probe the Ten Directions of space-time, beneath the many garrison cities, a mire of flesh and blood with the color of Chaos squirmed and churned as if it were alive, resembling both a swamp and magma. Every inch of it contained astonishing heat, Slaughter Qi, and baleful energy.

The deeper he looked, the more he could feel that terrifying, extremely hot, and violently baleful magnetic field, which grew at an exponential rate.

BOOM!

Outside the garrison city, the mire of flesh and blood suddenly erupted in a towering wave, as if something colossal had just fallen into it.

”Whoa, a ’living’ True Dragon!”

Zhao Jianji clicked his tongue in amazement from the side, his gaze fixed outside the pass. The other Primordial Demons also felt a strange sensation, as if they were witnessing a living myth.

Wu Dao’s perception was much clearer.

In the Mire of Flesh and Mud outside Reincarnation Pass, where the smoke of battle had just settled, he discovered a group of soldiers cleaning up the battlefield. It seemed a fight had just ended before their arrival.

Like experienced old hunters, those soldiers drained every last bit of material and Essence Blood from the Golden True Dragons. The weakest of these dragons were at the Saint Master Realm, with bodies as vast as one of the Three Thousand Great Worlds.

Afterward, they tossed the shattered corpses into the Mire of Flesh and Mud to decompose, which increased the mire’s magnetic field Energy and also provided a large amount of liquefied, high-energy baleful qi.

”The Mire of Flesh and Mud is a forbidden zone, but it’s also the Dragon-slaying Battlefield’s defensive barrier and cultivation ground...”

While the Primordial Demons were watching with great interest, the high-ranking officer from the Dragon-slaying Battlefield tasked with receiving them arrived. He laughed heartily and explained the unique layout of the Mire of Flesh and Mud.

Wu Dao couldn’t help but size up the newcomer.

The man had an imposing physique, with a leopard’s head and round eyes, and a face the color of dark dates—the standard appearance of a brawny warrior in the Dragon-slaying Battlefield. He wore a suit of Desolate God Armament forged from Golden True Dragon Bone.

Sizzling Dragon Blood evaporated from his armor, as if he had just stepped off the battlefield. The violent and tyrannical Slaughter Qi around him had yet to subside.

Most importantly, the man was at the Second Step of the Perfection Stage of Transverse Refining Sacred Body. He had a Martial Arts Great Venerable Cultivation, and his Soul Cultivation was also extraordinary; his will was like that of a God Demon Dominator who commanded a million troops and dominated the battlefield.

A Great Venerable in three paths of cultivation!

Adding to that the retinue of respectful Celestial Kings following him, the newcomer was clearly a core member of the Dragon-slaying Battlefield’s high command.

”Primordial, a newcomer from the Reincarnation Battlefield, reporting for duty as ordered... Greetings, Vice Army Master Wan.”

Wu Dao was no reckless hothead. He naturally recognized the man as Wanjiang, one of the three Vice Army Masters of the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, and immediately clasped his fist in a military salute.

He had only just been crowned a King. Above him were Celestial Kings, and above them were the Quasi-Emperor Army Masters of the major battlefields.

The major battlefields in the Six Celestial Passes and above were of a higher rank. The one in command was no longer a Great Venerable like the Reincarnation Heavenly King in the Reincarnation Battlefield, but someone with a genuine Quasi-Emperor Cultivation.

A three-path Great Venerable like Wanjiang, and one at the perfection stage at that, could only serve as a Vice Army Master in the Dragon-slaying Battlefield. But even a Vice Army Master was two ranks higher than Wu Dao, so the proper military etiquette was essential.

”Not bad. You’ve got some spirit. Not like those other disgraceful embarrassments.”

Seeing that the newly-crowned Primordial King had a proper attitude and wasn’t arrogant about his achievements, Wanjiang felt a flicker of favorability and nodded in satisfaction.

It wasn’t that he was trying to pull rank or act imposing. With the war situation becoming tense, a massive draft had been initiated across the All Heavens. As a result, the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, which normally prioritized quality over quantity, had recently been saddled with a number of arrogant show-offs, much to Wanjiang’s frustration.

A soldier like Wu Dao was excellent. He was strong and highly decorated, yet lacked the arrogance of youth. Commanding him would be much less of a headache.

”Let’s go. There’s a pre-battle meeting about to start. Don’t keep the Military Lord waiting.”

After this brief introduction, Wanjiang clapped Wu Dao on the shoulder. Then, he swiftly led the group of Celestial Kings, War Kings, and Military Marquises toward the Central Military Affairs Hall in the Dragon-slaying Pass City.

’A meeting right after a major battle ends, and a pre-battle deployment meeting at that. It proves another new, great battle is about to begin. The Dragon-slaying Battlefield’s reputation as the Purgatory meat grinder of the Six Celestial Passes is well-deserved.’

”Alliance Leader, the Reincarnation Battlefield has been severely eroded by the Mountain and Sea,” Zhao Jianji transmitted his voice, looking out at the great Mire of Flesh and Mud beyond Dragon-slaying Pass City.

”If that weren’t the case, why would they have Saints serving as common soldiers?” Wu Dao also gazed at the Mire of Flesh and Mud, his eyes narrowing slightly as he replied.

At the blood-and-fire-blurred end of space-time, he saw magnificent fortress-cities rooted in the mire. They connected to a corner of the Exotic Mountains and Seas, serving as stable strongholds where desolate True Dragon Qi coiled and surged.

Their scale was in no way inferior to the Dragon-slaying Battlefield itself!

One could only imagine how much territory the Dragon-slaying Battlefield had lost in just the last three years, and what the situation was like in the even more dire Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Celestial Passes.

”You all go ahead and take over Primordial Pass first.”

After retracting his gaze, Wu Dao tossed the Primordial Order to Zhao Jianji, then joined the surrounding Military Marquises and War Kings heading toward the Military Affairs Hall of Dragon-slaying City.

「Half a day later, the meeting concluded.」

Wu Dao walked out of the Military Affairs Hall, got his bearings, and headed toward the space-time node where the new Primordial Pass City was located.

The meeting’s content wasn’t extensive. The main point was that Shanhai Pass had recently seen a massive surge in troops, greatly increasing the strength of the various Celestial Gate territorial battlefields.

Therefore, the Commander Elder Council had issued a military order. It commanded all Celestial Gates and military zones to cease passive defense and, as the situation permitted, take the initiative to attack, reclaim lost territory, and wash away their shame.

In the previous battle, the Dragon-slaying Battlefield had achieved a small victory, killing many elites of the Golden True Dragon Race. The Military Lord had therefore decided to press their advantage and, in the process, temper the new troops who had just joined the battlefield.

The reason Wu Dao was in a good mood was because this kind of large-scale counter-offensive was the best opportunity to kill enemies and earn merit. Coincidentally, he had arranged for all his incarnations to enter the Six Celestial Passes.

Subsequently, his numerous incarnations would join the Six Celestial Passes under different identities. Once the fighting began, a single battle could potentially produce a large batch of Military Kings and Military Marquises.

At the same time, Wu Dao could also feast to his heart’s content, acquiring a massive amount of Dao Source.

In the Military Affairs Hall, Wu Dao had also met the man currently in command of the Dragon-slaying Battlefield: the True Army Master, Gu Tianhuang!

Gu Tianhuang’s origins were as a Supreme Elder of Ba Huang Valley, an Emperor’s Lineage Transverse Cultivation faction from Buzhou Heaven. His strength was formidable, having reached the Quasi-Emperor Tenth Layer.

Not only that, but a hundred years ago, he had also achieved the Perfection Stage of Transverse Refining Sacred Body Third Step. In the battle that had just concluded, he had physically torn apart a Quasi-Emperor from the True Dragon Emperor Clan!

It was worth mentioning that Gu Tianhuang showed no prejudice toward Wu Dao, a War King who came from the Sea of Death. This was likely related to the attitude of Martial Ancestor Panwu Emperor.

Unofficial histories recorded that the Slaughter Emperor of that era had apparently sought the Martial Dao under the Martial Ancestor. Whether this was true or not was unknown.

However, during the time of the Five Tribulations, the Buzhou Heavenly Martial Dao did not enter the tribulation to participate in the siege against the Slaughter Emperor, and Martial Ancestor Panwu Emperor never left Shanhai Pass. This much was true.

Therefore, whether there was any causal link between the two remained a mystery even after hundreds of thousands of years.