Essence Devouring Art

”I’ll teach you a lesson today. Next time you dare come here spouting nonsense, it won’t be this simple!”

BOOM!!

King Lin Wu’s tone was icy cold. His ice-blue giant fist, wrapped in Linfeng Abyss Flame Evil Qi and a sea of Qi and Blood Power, shot like lightning toward Su Junyan’s head.

Amidst the furious gale that tore through heaven and earth.

Su Junyan, however, remained calm in the face of danger. His golden pupils transformed completely into two abyssal seas of blood, within which countless beast skulls could be seen churning and roaring.

’What the hell is this?’

In a flash.

King Lin Wu noticed Su Junyan’s incredibly demonic, blood-sea pupils. His heart jolted in shock as he felt a supreme pressure emanating from the depths of his own bloodline.

In a daze.

It was as if he saw, deep within that sea of beasts, a blood-red Shadow of God and Demon standing tall, its spine holding up the heavens and its feet suppressing countless races!

Like the king of all beasts, the sovereign Demon Lord descending, it radiated an aura of ultimate, noble pressure, giving even King Lin Wu the urge to prostrate himself in worship.

’This is bad!!’

The Heart Lake Alarm Bell rang wildly in King Lin Wu’s mind. He had no time for shock; he gritted his teeth and suppressed the strange will to worship and submit that had risen in his Divine Soul.

Then, without the slightest hesitation.

He instantly transformed into a stream of blue flame and icy current, fleeing into the distance like a bolt of lightning.

But...

’Why has the world turned red?’

’And are those five heaven-supporting pillars ahead, formed from the skulls of countless Fierce Beasts, that look like fingers?’

He spread his perception to take a look.

An enormous hand that blotted out the sun, its lines like mountain ravines!

BOOM!

The crimson giant hand slammed shut.

King Lin Wu instantly felt as if he had plunged into a vast, turbid sea of blood.

An indescribable feeling of heavy suffocation rendered him powerless, as countless Fierce Beasts swarmed madly into his physical body and soul.

The clarity of self in his eyes gradually faded.

It was replaced by a demonic, fanatical piety, his soul sinking bit by bit into the crimson abyss until it was completely devoured and gone.

”Such deep obsession and hatred. Let me see who it is. Since you bow to my Dao, I shall bear your karma.”

Seemingly having discovered something within King Lin Wu’s soul, the Heaven-Supporting Sea-Raising shadow of the Beast God at the center of the blood sea focused its gaze.

But the next moment...

”Hm? Wu Dao, it’s you again, you mongrel!!!”

The Beast God’s eyes flew open, filled with murderous rage!

The sea of blood suddenly surged with ten-thousand-foot waves, threatening to drown the entire world.

”Tch, Celestial Human Sixth Floor? Good, very good! I hope you can still surprise me when we finally meet!”

After a cold sneer.

The surging sea of blood and the Heaven-Supporting Beast God flowed back into Su Junyan’s pupils like water from a spring, vanishing without a trace.

”Waking from a long dream!”

All the fierce arrogance drained from King Lin Wu. His eyes filled with the piety of a newborn as he bowed to Su Junyan. ”Thank you for your enlightenment, Holy Envoy.”

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

The wind and snow raged, and the cold currents surged like tides.

The polar ice field returned to its tranquil state, as if nothing had ever happened.

...

「Wanshan Prefecture.」

High above the desolate land, in the dome of the sky.

”Hm?”

Deep within the destructive Gangfeng Thunderbolt.

Wu Dao suddenly opened his abyss-black eyes, squinting toward the unknown world in the distance.

The further a lifeform evolved, the more sensitive their premonitions of danger became.

Just a moment ago.

He had a sudden premonition—a bone-chilling malice that washed over him, like a viper in the darkness, inspiring extreme caution.

’Malice that could make even me cautious...’

’The Celestial King?’

’An old monster from the Three Great Demon Races?’

’The Saint King Sect?’

’Or a master from the Royalist Faction?’

Heh...

Wu Dao let out a sneer and closed his eyes again, paying it no more mind.

He had far too many enemies.

And they were all mortal foes locked in endless enmity; it would be stranger if they weren’t constantly cursing his name.

’Deal with the biggest threat first.’

Right now, his main target to guard against was still the Celestial King.

Celestial Human Tenth Floor seven hundred years ago...

Haaa~

Wu Dao slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He refocused his mind on the attribute panel—

[Physique: Human Extreme (Minor Achievement)]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring Art (87% Potential Release) +

Thunder Punishment Dominating Whale Fist 3000 years (True Intent Fourth Floor) +

Divine Desolate Transformation 3000 years (Horizontal Refining Sixth Gate Great Success) +]

[Teleportation Points: 84615]

His consciousness swept over Essence Devouring Art and Divine Desolate Transformation.

In the end, Wu Dao’s thoughts settled on Divine Desolate Transformation.

Originally, he hadn’t planned to upgrade this Transverse Refining Technique because it required too many Teleportation Points—a full seventy thousand.

But tonight’s great harvest.

Had pushed his balance of Teleportation Points to over eighty thousand!

The Seventh Layer of Divine Desolate Transformation!

The Horizontal Refining Seventh Door could now be broken through.

The Horizontal Refining Seventh Door—

Qi and Blood like Yang!

A being who entered this door would have Qi and Blood so vigorous it could form an Extreme Yang Great Sun, capable of incinerating the world and burning away all that is dark and evil!

At this stage!

With physical strength alone and no other enhancements, one could reach the combat power limit of the Celestial Human Seventh Floor and even clash head-on with a Third Realm Celestial Human Martial Artist who had opened their Divine Treasure!

The Celestial King’s known physical strength was precisely at the Seventh Daoist Sect!

But Wu Dao estimated

that the Celestial King had absolutely reached the limit within the realm of the Seventh Daoist Sect.

Perhaps even...

It was possible he had broken through to the Eighth Daoist Sect!

After all, he possessed the combat power of the Celestial Human Tenth Floor seven hundred years ago. It was highly likely he had broken the shackles of the Kunpeng Body Casting Technique; his Transverse Refining Dao could not have stagnated.

In the Transverse Refining Dao.

Each door had three stages: Minor Achievement, Great Success, and Limit.

Furthermore, as one progressed.

As the difficulty of strengthening the physique increased.

The gap between the three stages would grow ever larger.

For example, at Wu Dao’s current Transverse Refining level.

He had already reached Great Success in the Sixth Daoist Sect.

Even if he used Teleportation Points on the Essence Devouring Art to reach Human Realm Great Success, he estimated he would only reach the peak of the Limit stage, but not enter the Seventh Daoist Sect.

But upgrading Divine Desolate Transformation was different.

After all, one was fifty thousand, the other seventy thousand.

Even a fool would know which upgrade yielded a greater return.

VMMM~

With a thought.

Wu Dao hesitated no longer. His consciousness formed a finger and pressed the plus sign after Divine Desolate Transformation.

Instantly.

A full seventy thousand Teleportation Points vanished.

An unprecedentedly vast, boundless, and mysterious heat enveloped him from the inside out.

Time slowly ticked by.

Deep in the firmament, the Gangfeng Thunderbolt cracked and exploded without cease, while the God and Demon cocoon pulsed like a heart.

On the earth below.

Among the desolate mountains and wild ridges.

The night was deep.

A convoy on an escort mission was at the point of exhaustion, both men and horses.

The guard on night watch sat before a bonfire, his drowsy eyes gazing at the silhouette of the mountains in the distant darkness as he continuously nodded off.

Hm?

At a certain moment.

The guard jolted, suddenly wide awake, and rubbed his eyes hard.

Because...

Day had broken.

As far as the eye could see.

The surrounding mountains and wilderness, every plant and stone.

All shone with a brilliant, dazzling gold, like a fantastical ocean.

The thick blanket of snow.

Began to melt under the scorching sun’s rays.

He looked up, startled.

A huge, brilliant Divine Sun hung in the sky!

From its great height, it radiated light and heat, illuminating the world, dispelling all gloom, and unconsciously inspiring a righteous, yang-filled spirit in people, making them fearless of all evil.

SLAP!!

The guard slapped himself hard across the face.

He yelped and fell to the ground.

He looked up again.

The surroundings were pitch-black; the golden light was gone.

’Was I so tired I was hallucinating?’

The guard looked at the dark sky, then suddenly winced in pain.

His entire body was as red as a boiled shrimp; in that single instant, his skin had been burned raw.

Looking more carefully at his surroundings.

The deep snow had already melted into gurgling streams, and the residual heat in the air was still unbearably hot.

It wasn’t a hallucination!

A moment ago, a dazzling golden sun had indeed risen in the sky, its light and heat briefly illuminating this mortal world!

”Great Immortal Xie, spare my life! Great Immortal Xie, spare my life!”

After he came to his senses.

The guard immediately kowtowed repeatedly to give thanks. He believed he had just encountered one of the legendary Great Divine Power Users of Cultivation and felt as if he had just taken a stroll through the Ghost Gate.

Haaa~

Deep within the firmament.

Wu Dao slowly opened his eyes.

His pupils were like two small suns, so scorching and brilliant they couldn’t be looked at directly. He spat out a mouthful of pure golden Qi and Blood fire, which burned the surrounding Gangfeng Thunderbolt, causing it to shatter and retreat.

Qi and Blood like Yang!

At this moment, he truly felt as if a golden Divine Sun was hidden within his body. Great Sun Liquid surged ceaselessly through his limbs and bones; a single drop spilling into the mortal world could trigger a heavenly fire disaster that would incinerate the entire land!

But this transformation wasn’t limited to just that!

At the same time he stepped into the Seventh Daoist Sect of Transverse Cultivation!

The vast feedback of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, along with the potential released by his body, also caused the data for his Fundamental Technique, Essence Devouring Art, and his Soul Refining Thunder Punishment Dominating Whale Fist on the attribute panel to leap forward dramatically!