Essence Devouring Art

CREAK~

A short while later,

A mature, beautiful woman, as ripe and luscious as a honey peach, walked into the hall.

CLAP CLAP CLAP~

The charming, beautiful woman, who had a beauty mark like a teardrop by the corner of her eye, seemed to be the madam of the Joyful Forest. After clapping her hands to quiet the girls in the great hall, she announced:

”Girls, our guest this time is a top-tier patron. I’m sure I don’t need to explain just how wealthy he is. Whether you strike it rich or not will depend on your own skills.”

The beautiful woman stressed these words heavily.

Her foxy, beautiful eyes swept almost imperceptibly over the few top courtesans in the crowd, the ones who outshone all the others.

”Ah... Aunt Xiang, is it possible for us not to go?”

A timid girl swallowed hard, asking with a trembling, raised hand.

”No!”

The beautiful woman named Aunt Xiang shot the girl a cold glance and said,

”I know what you’re afraid of, but the client specifically requested everyone. It’s not even certain you’ll be chosen, so what’s there to be scared of?”

’Everyone has to go?’

At these words, the girls instantly felt much more at ease.

Even if that Overlord Whale King had a huge appetite,

with over a hundred girls in the Joyful Forest, he would surely choose from the top courtesans. It wouldn’t be their turn, so they really had nothing to worry about.

And so,

after hurriedly touching up their makeup,

more than a hundred chirping and chattering girls, led by Aunt Xiang, soon gathered in the long corridor outside Room A-1.

”Mother, can you let me go too?”

At the rear of the crowd,

Aunt Xiang, who had dressed herself up, adjusted her business smile. Just as she was about to lead the girls into the room, a mischievous-looking girl tugged on her sleeve.

”Xiaoying, don’t cause trouble!”

Aunt Xiang frowned. Looking at the delicate, petite, and adorable girl before her, who resembled a flower fairy, she pinched his ear and sent a message via Divine Soul:

”You’re a ma—... a boy, and you still can’t even hide your tail properly! It’s one thing on a normal day, but what if you annoy the Overlord Whale King and he attacks? What if you’re exposed?

Besides,

haven’t I told you not to wear girls’ clothes? You’re going to make me lose all face!”

”But I’m so hungry.”

The ”girl” named Xiaoying blinked his big, watery eyes pitifully and promised,

”And... and I can hide my tail and ears properly now. I definitely won’t get exposed. Please, Mother, just say yes.”

”Sigh... Just this once!”

Aunt Xiang sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead, her eyes filled with helpless adoration. She warned him sternly, ”But you remember this: if the Overlord Whale King becomes displeased, you apologize and leave immediately. No making a scene.”

”Mhm, mhm, I’ll definitely listen!”

Xiaoying nodded obediently and followed Aunt Xiang to the front row. At less than 1.6 meters tall, he looked a little out of place.

”Isn’t that...”

The other girls also gave Xiaoying a strange look, but given Aunt Xiang’s status, they didn’t pry.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK~

With a bright smile on her face,

Aunt Xiang took a deep breath and knocked on the door. ”Sir, the girls are all here. If you would please see them.”

”Come in.”

Wu Dao’s deep, powerful voice came from inside the room.

However...

’Why does he sound so... thirsty?’

Aunt Xiang’s expression showed a trace of surprise. The Overlord Whale King of legend was not known to be a lecher.

’Could it be that his high station...’

’...has caused his true nature to be exposed?’

But now was not the time to get bogged down by such minor details.

After giving Xiaoying another warning glance, Aunt Xiang led the first batch of about ten girls into the room.

’Oh my god. This man... he’s even more terrifying than my true form.’

The moment she entered the room,

Aunt Xiang came face-to-face with Wu Dao’s dark golden eyes, which were staring straight at her like a dragon’s pupils. The sight instantly sent a shiver down her spine.

In a daze,

it seemed as though the one before her wasn’t a person.

His power and presence were more like that of a Primordial Dragon Whale, a Fierce Beast, and they were just naive little rabbits who had wandered into the beast’s lair.

’Mother, I’m scared.’

The previously hungry Xiaoying, now facing Wu Dao directly, finally understood the meaning of Ye Gong’s love for dragons. He unconsciously tightened his grip on Aunt Xiang’s sleeve, his pale, tender calves trembling.

But what terrified Xiaoying even more was...

”Not bad. Not bad at all!”

After sizing up the dozen or so girls who had entered, Wu Dao’s gaze landed directly on Xiaoying and didn’t move an inch. He grinned, revealing two rows of inverted-triangle, Black Gold shark-like teeth, and chuckled,

”What’s your name, cutie?”

Aunt Xiang finally snapped back to her senses. Noticing Xiaoying’s terror, she quickly forced a smile and said,

”My apologies, sir. This is my own boy, Xing Ying. Although he has a devastatingly beautiful face, he is not a girl.

”He’s quite attached to me, which is why he followed me in. I’ll have him leave at once.”

But to her surprise...

”It’s fine. I’m not a picky eater.”

Wu Dao said meaningfully, waving a dismissive hand. ”He’ll do. The rest of you can go. Bring in the next batch.”

The reason for all this trouble...

...wasn’t that Wu Dao was making things unnecessarily complicated.

The demons in the Joyful Forest seemed to have some method of hiding their identities. From a distance, his Spiritual Perception couldn’t distinguish them from ordinary people.

Only at close range,

by using the Stinging Dragon Pupil, could he tell the difference between demons and humans.

For example,

right now in the room, there were two foxes, one large and one small.

The large one was Aunt Xiang.

The small one was that ”cutie,” Xing Ying.

Under the gaze of the Stinging Dragon Pupil,

although the two of them had human forms,

he could see through their facades to the illusory fox ears on their heads and the fox tails dragging on the floor behind them.

Their strength was also decent.

The larger one was equivalent to the Third Rebirth, a demon with eight hundred years of cultivation.

As for the smaller one,

he was a bit green.

He was about the same level as the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui from before. He probably hadn’t been in human form for long.

As for how many more were hiding outside, he would have to confirm that himself.

To avoid tipping them off and to catch them all in one fell swoop,

he could only play along for now.

”What, are you not going to give me face?”

Seeing the troubled look all over Aunt Xiang’s face,

Wu Dao’s expression instantly turned grim. It seemed if she dared to say no, he would attack immediately.

”No, no, no, sir, you’re being too serious.”

Aunt Xiang shivered and quickly forced another smile. ”For you to take a liking to Xiaoying is his good fortune. Xiaoying, what are you waiting for? Go pour the gentleman some wine.”

After speaking,

she sent another Divine Soul message to Xing Ying, warning him to hold it together and not expose himself, then took a deep breath and went out to lead in the next group.

After Aunt Xiang left,

only Wu Dao and the pipsqueak Xing Ying were left in the vast private room.

GULP~

Gazing at Wu Dao, who looked like an Asura Demon King under the red lights, Xing Ying’s fair, rosy little face went deathly pale. He walked over, trembling, and poured Wu Dao a cup of wine.

PAT, PAT~

Who would have thought that, as he was pouring the wine,

Wu Dao’s hands started to wander. He patted Xing Ying’s slender, willow-like waist, his face full of admiration.

”Not bad. You can’t judge a book by its cover. These two big kidneys of yours are quite hefty.”

”Heh heh... Your Majesty... ah, no, Sir. As long as you are satisfied.”

Xing Ying forced a smile, his rosy little face now covered in fine, glistening beads of sweat. He just thought it was one of Wu Dao’s strange quirks and didn’t think any deeper about it.

When Aunt Xiang led the next batch of girls in,

the scene inside the room made her brow twitch.

Xing Ying was curled up in Wu Dao’s arms like a little chick, his eyes vacant and his whole body trembling as if he’d broken.

Wu Dao, on the other hand, was handling him like a piece of merchandise, showing no tenderness whatsoever.

He squeezed here and pinched there, nodding from time to time, while his other hand continuously poured wine into his mouth, as if he were terribly thirsty.

”You, stay. The rest of you, leave.”

After sweeping his gaze over the new batch of girls,

Wu Dao’s eyes immediately locked onto a girl with canine teeth and a dashing, high ponytail, whose beauty surpassed everyone else’s.

This process repeated.

A dozen or so minutes later,

the selection was finally complete.

Inside the private Room A-1,

there now stood four peerless beauties, including Aunt Xiang. Each was devastatingly gorgeous, exuding unique charms like plum blossoms and white snow, captivating in a thousand different ways.

If a man with a weaker will

were to be faced with such beauty, he would probably lose his mind on the spot.

”Sir, would you like to select any more?”

Aunt Xiang glanced at the dazed, drooling, and stupefied Xing Ying, her heart aching with pity.

But in order to land Wu Dao, this big piece of meat, she suppressed her resentment and asked with a charming smile.

”Select?”

Wu Dao drained the last of his wine, pinched the soft flesh on Xing Ying, and grinned. ”I want them all. And you’re staying too!”

”Ah, me?”

Aunt Xiang froze for a moment, then glanced at Xing Ying again.

’Isn’t this a bit too absurd?’

’It’s true that we’re demons,’

’But we’re not shameless beasts with no sense of propriety.’

”Mother, it hurts~”

But just then,

Xing Ying’s pained, pitiful cry rang out. He seemed to be in extreme discomfort.

”Sir, what are you...?”

Aunt Xiang’s face instantly darkened.

Because...

At that moment, one of Wu Dao’s large hands was already wrapped around Xing Ying’s small head.

It was glowing red and growing hot, like red-hot steel, and it was constantly tightening, searing Xing Ying with such pain that he couldn’t struggle free.

”Hm?”

Hearing her, Wu Dao gave Aunt Xiang a strange look and said matter-of-factly, ”I’m going to eat you. Isn’t that what you’re here for?

Oh.

I forgot to mention.

”I play a little rough. The usual methods don’t satisfy me.”

YIP!!

The moment his voice fell,

Wu Dao’s palm suddenly tightened its grip.

Xing Ying, cupped in his hand, let out a miserable fox cry as his pink fox ears and tail popped out into the open.

”You came here deliberately to cause trouble, didn’t you! Let Xiaoying go, or don’t blame me for what happens next!”

Aunt Xiang saw that Xing Ying was exposed.

And hearing the naked killing intent in Wu Dao’s words,

how could she not know?

Wu Dao had long since seen through their identities and had come specifically to make trouble.

Although it didn’t make much sense,

he had seen through them, and that was that.

She dropped the act.

With a sharp cry, her own fox ears and tail appeared, and a dense Demon Qi instantly filled the entire private room.

”For what happens next? Hahaha!”

Wu Dao was amused. He threw his head back and laughed, his deep, thunderous laughter echoing throughout the entire Joyful Forest.

As he laughed,

his human silhouette began to expand rapidly. Amid the loud scraping of solid steel, the shadow he cast on the floor grew more and more terrifying in Aunt Xiang’s horrified gaze.

When the laughter stopped,

inside Room A-1,

WHOOSH~

A violent pressure, as immense as a mountain, surged forth.

Having unleashed his Dragon Whale Dominating Body, Wu Dao slowly lowered his head. His entire body was covered in Crimson Gold scales, with muscles that writhed and coiled like ten thousand dragons. His inhuman head, the size of a water tank, was pressed against the ceiling beams.

A pair of Dragon Pupils, like two small, dark Suns, looked down upon the deathly pale Aunt Xiang. His vertical pupils spewed blazing, Crimson Gold blood-flames as he spoke:

”Just you? A few worn-out whores and useless sweet potatoes?!”