Essence Devouring Art

”Equality in station, longevity for all...”

Deep within the firmament.

Wu Dao put away the Communication Jade Talisman. The shock in his heart faded as he muttered to himself, finally shaking his head with a smile.

What makes humans human,

what separates them from ignorant, savage beasts,

is, most critically, wisdom.

And with wisdom come the seven passions and six desires. Civilization advances, driven by these myriad wants, and from them, social classes form. It has never been any other way.

Everyone equal, every man a dragon?

Such utopian, idyllic notions are just that—wishes. Hollow and false.

Human desire would never allow it.

Neither would nature’s fundamental rule: survival of the fittest.

Those at the top rule with their minds, those in the middle with their wits, and those at the bottom with their bodies.

Even the most ideal society,

is inevitably built upon leaders and followers, the servers and the served, the lower and the upper classes.

Otherwise,

if everyone were equal, if all under heaven were the same,

there would be only one consequence:

No one would be willing to put in more effort than anyone else—more thought, more intellect, more labor. Everyone would just want to reap the rewards without sowing.

Human nature is selfish.

If you get the same reward for working hard or hardly working, why be the sucker who does more?

Therefore,

no matter the reform,

no matter the form of society, the only thing one can strive for is to shorten the gap between classes and maintain the pyramid’s balance.

To want every man a dragon, everyone equal?

Impossible, unless human desire is completely eliminated.

Prince Nanyang might truly have a sincere heart, wanting to shatter the corrupt old society and build a world even more wonderful than Dali at its peak.

But a utopia for all?

As far as Wu Dao was concerned, it was just empty talk.

Even if they tore down the Jinluan Hall, the ones who would get the biggest shares would be the leaders, and a new Jinluan Hall would be built soon after.

...

「On the third day of Prince Nanyang’s uprising.」

His noon training high in the firmament finished, Wu Dao landed to replenish his energy and received a message from Zhao Jianji—

”Alliance Leader, something’s happened.”

Wu Dao, who was heading to the storehouse, paused, his brow furrowing slightly.

’Zhao Jianji has been busy establishing our presence in Wanshan Prefecture these past few days. There’s no real resistance there now, so what could have happened?’

’A disaster involving Alien Species?’

’Or was it the Royalist Faction?’

Before Wu Dao could puzzle it over,

Zhao Jianji’s next message arrived:

”Here in Luoxia City, the County City of Wanshan Prefecture, a group of people appeared out of nowhere yesterday.

They’re using the banner of a ’Holy Army’ to stir up a mob, rampaging through the city to loot and plunder merchants and prominent families. They even tried to attack our Overlord Whale Alliance hall.

They claim to be answering Prince Nanyang’s call of ’Equality in station, longevity for all’ by robbing the rich to help the poor, and that all high-and-mighty tyrants, cultivator and commoner alike, must be overthrown.

And that’s not all.

It seems this Holy Army chaos is appearing in other places too.

This subordinate wasn’t sure how to proceed, so...”

”Do they have shit for brains, or do you?”

Wu Dao didn’t hold back, cursing him outright with a cold expression on his face.

”What ’Holy Army’? All I see is a gang of audacious bandits who dare to burn, kill, and plunder in the rear, stirring up unrest among the people!

Raise Prince Nanyang’s Black Sun King Banner over the gates of every major city. Notify all the halls: anyone who dares to cause trouble or act out of line is to be treated as a Royalist enemy and publicly beheaded!”

The Overlord Whale Alliance had sided with the Nanyang Prince’s Mansion long ago.

It was only because the time wasn’t right,

that they had never publicly declared their allegiance.

This led many in the Jianghu and among the common people to believe the Overlord Whale Alliance was still the same morally gray, malignant tumor it had always been, destined to be overthrown sooner or later.

The chaos erupting in Wanshan Prefecture,

was most likely because the public was uninformed. Coupled with the social turmoil and unstable order, some opportunists had found a gap to exploit.

’This matter isn’t difficult to solve at all.’

’Raise Prince Nanyang’s banner and declare our identity.’

’Holy Army?’

’The Overlord Whale Alliance is the real Holy Army!’

’Do they really think that just because the times have changed, an ant can shit on a tiger’s head?’

’A tiger can change its coat,’

’but it’s still a tiger!’

”Yes, yes, this subordinate was foolish. I’ll get it done right away.”

「In Luoxia City.」

Zhao Jianji wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and put away the Communication Jade Talisman. Listening to the various calls to ”overthrow the Overlord Whale Alliance” from outside the hall, a vicious look crossed his face as he ordered:

”Gather our men! These bastards don’t know what’s good for them. Round up every last one of them and take them to the market square to be publicly beheaded!”

As for Wu Dao,

after sending his reply,

he paid the matter no more mind. It was a trivial affair, not worth his concern.

After replenishing his energy,

he once again flew high into the firmament, calling down thunder and lightning to begin his afternoon training.

Wu Dao’s guess had been correct.

The chaos in Wanshan Prefecture had appeared mainly because the prefecture’s order was unstable, allowing ill-intentioned people to fish in troubled waters and profit from the wartime chaos.

Once Prince Nanyang’s banner was hung,

and the Overlord Whale Alliance temporarily stepped in to stabilize the social order of Wanshan Prefecture,

those people quickly vanished without a trace.

As for the small group of brainless individuals who had been incited to riot, they were naturally dealt with. Made into a negative example, they paid for their greed with their lives.

And so,

another period of peace passed.

During this time, the Nanyang Prince’s Mansion dispatched its armies north along eight routes, advancing with irresistible force, conquering cities and seizing territory.

In just ten days,

of the Thirteen Prefectures of the South Border,

including Guangqing Prefecture and Wanshan Prefecture,

nine had fallen into Prince Nanyang’s hands.

The remaining four prefectures bordered the Central Plains.

They formed the Royalist Faction’s final—and strongest—defensive line in the Southern Border.

The Vast Qi Dao Alliance, one of the Five Peaks of the Southern Border!

The White Deer Sword Palace!

These two overlords of the cultivation world, with legacies stretching back over a thousand years, had sided with the Royalist Faction long ago and built a defensive line in the territory of the four prefectures.

But besides these two behemoths,

there were also some first- and second-rate Extraordinary Influences, as well as the original Dali military forces stationed in the Southern Border.

All told,

the Royalist Faction’s combat-ready forces in the last four prefectures of the South Border definitely numbered over a million!

Innate experts, Celestial Beings...

They were innumerable. It was nothing like Pingliang, where a single Celestial Human First Floor expert could be a general.

Furthermore, with the Central Plains at their back,

they had the main forces of the Da Li Imperial Court ready to provide support at any moment.

In the short term,

it would be nearly impossible for Prince Nanyang to take the four prefectures.

So, in the time to come,

both sides would most likely have to engage in a protracted, scheming war of attrition with the border of the four prefectures as the front line.

To put it bluntly,

it was a matter of who could outlast whom.

War has always been a money-burning machine. For an Extraordinary war on the scale of millions of combatants, the resources consumed daily would be astronomical.

No nation grows strong from a prolonged war!

Wu Dao estimated,

that the Central Plains wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

Because Dali didn’t just have to deal with Prince Nanyang in the Southern Border.

King Bao Tong of the East Sea!

King of the Living Prison from the Northern Lands!

King of Ten Thousand Victories from the Western Desert!

These three Overlords, who had risen to power in recent decades, had also raised their own banners and launched rebellions not long after Prince Nanyang made his move.

The power each commanded and the forces they deployed were no weaker than Prince Nanyang’s.

More importantly,

the four powers seemed to have reached some sort of agreement. They were united against Dali, not attacking each other, forming a four-sided pincer to besiege the Central Plains.

Under these circumstances,

although Dali was like a starved camel that was still bigger than a horse—occupying the most prosperous and cultivator-rich Central Plains and holding many cards up its sleeve—

as the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands.

What’s more, this was a case of one nation fighting four, and being surrounded at that!

Without external aid,

or some trump card to turn the tables in one fell swoop,

Dali would likely be completely dragged down by the war,

dying from internal attrition long before the four kings even reached the Imperial Court!

In short,

the entire Great Li World had now descended into total war, with an intensity comparable to the Warring States Era seven hundred years ago.

Great wars bring great chaos!

Throughout history,

times of war have always been times of unrest.

All sorts of worldly chaos, evil winds, and malevolent spirits...

taking advantage of the decline of the Human Dao’s fortune and the breakdown of rules and order, they grew increasingly brazen, popping up like mushrooms after the rain.

Some people were filled with anxiety and fear.

Others took advantage of the chaos, stirring up trouble and profiting from the misery.

But for Wu Dao,

it was harvest season.

「Guangqing Prefecture.」

「Lancang County City, Overlord Whale Alliance Headquarters.」

”Teleportation Points +150”

”Teleportation Points +300”

Listening to the notifications from the attribute panel in his mind, Wu Dao licked his lips, still wanting more.

Half a month ago,

the Overlord Whale Alliance’s branch in Wanshan Prefecture finished establishing its presence and had solidified its foothold, with its halls blossoming everywhere.

After Prince Nanyang sent men to take over maintaining order,

the Wanshan Prefecture branch was completely freed up. Aside from their necessary daily activities, they spent the rest of their time searching for traces of abnormalities for Wu Dao.

With the addition of the Overlord Whale Main Alliance in Guangqing Prefecture,

now across the lands of two prefectures—

an area equivalent to two large provinces in his previous life—any Alien Species that showed its face would quickly be delivered to Wu Dao’s dinner table by his Primordial Demons.

In just half a month,

all told,

Wu Dao had harvested three thousand Teleportation Points!

Among them were wraiths, demons, and some weak Fierce Monsters. They came in all flavors; he could write a gourmet guide to Alien Species.

Beyond that,

Wu Dao had also harvested a batch of Ten Thousand Healing Crystals from the Primordial Demons’ hearts yesterday—nearly two thousand of them.

They were a bit small,

but there were plenty of them. And a new batch could be harvested every half-month, which was enough to support his high-intensity, Limit-pushing cultivation day and night.

Wu Dao felt,

as if he’d become the owner of a modern, automated farm.

All he had to do was focus on his cultivation.

The sheep in his pasture would graze and fatten themselves up, then shear their own wool and deliver it right to his hands.

And if he was lucky,

the sheep would even find a piece or two of meat outside, fight for it with their lives on the line, and then happily trot back with it, all for a single word of praise from him.

Tsk...

’I’m starting to feel like I should be twirling a mustache.’

”Good work. Keep it up. I have high hopes for you.”

He patted the shoulder of the Innate Grandmaster who had come to deliver the ”meat,” his eyes filled with appreciation.

’Just work hard a little longer,’

’and your Alliance Leader will be able to advance to the Human Extreme.’

”To be able to serve the Alliance Leader is a blessing this subordinate has earned over three lifetimes!”

The praised Innate Grandmaster’s face immediately flushed red. He dropped to one knee and roared, looking as if he was glowing.

Between the Mind Control,

and the influence of the Primordial Magnetic Demon Embryo,

Wu Dao was now no different from a Mother Goddess in the hearts of his many Primordial Demons.

Receiving praise from the Mother Goddess,

was the greatest honor and affirmation for her children; it was the very meaning of their existence!

After the Innate Grandmaster, who was walking on air, had departed,

the smile on Wu Dao’s face faded to a neutral expression as he opened his attribute panel—

[Physique: Overlord (Limit)]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring Art (83% Potential Release) +

Overlord Whale Fist 1500 years (True Intent First Floor Great Success) +

Dragon Whale Transformation 1500 years (Fifth-Layer Great Success) +]

[Teleportation Points: 15615]