Essence Devouring Art

”Hmph. So be it. Today, I will see my will be done!”

His eyes flashed with a dangerous light.

Lu Hongye stood atop the mountain peak, his red robes whipping in the wind. An ancient and exceedingly noble Beast Demon aura began to surge from within him.

BOOM—

An incredibly savage, blood-red light erupted, flooding the heavens and the earth, turning the world into a sea of blood. It manifested a demonic shadow that held up the sky, constructed from the skulls of ten thousand beasts. Its mountain-sized head pierced through the firmament, ten thousand meters high.

The Saintly aura it released made the hair of every living creature within a hundred-mile radius stand on end. It felt as if a Saint King had descended, inspiring an urge to prostrate themselves in worship.

’This aura! A Dao Embryo? No, that’s not quite it, but...’

On another part of the battlefield, Fang Lie’s head snapped up. He stared at the demonic shadow of ten thousand beasts, its spine holding up the heavens, that had abruptly appeared dozens of miles away.

It was like a Dao Embryo!

And yet, it wasn’t!

To be precise, it was a Celestial Being who had stepped into the Dao Embryo realm—an extremely bizarre combination!

’Is it friend or foe?’

”This is bad!”

While he was still reeling in uncertainty, Fang Lie suddenly saw the demonic shadow in the sea of blood attack Wu Dao in the sky. The color instantly drained from his face.

Just one Celestial King...

...was already pushing Wu Dao to the brink.

And now, with this Half-Step Dao Embryo demonic shadow joining the fray...

BOOM!!

Just at that critical moment, a shattering explosion rang out!

”Yan the bandit, die!”

The three Dao Embryo Supreme Elders from Martial King Mountain and Zige Mountain had broken free from the Hundred Victories King Banner and were about to annihilate Yan Chongsheng’s group and the Celestial King.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR—

But at that moment, Lu Hongye, who had appeared without warning, manifested his sky-propping demonic shadow. A monstrous Slaughter Qi, accompanied by the endless roars of beasts, locked onto Wu Dao in the sky from every direction!

”Which rat dares be so bold!”

SHING—

The Supreme Elder from Zige Mountain was the first to strike, his fury erupting!

A single sword strike streaked across the sky!

Its light illuminated the world!

The Divine Technique, infused with Geng Metal Pure Qi, sliced the void for a hundred miles in two, threatening to annihilate the blood-red demonic shadow in a single blow!

The other two Supreme Elders also struck simultaneously, unleashing their own Great Divine Techniques. A torrent of Heavenly Spirit and Earthly Fiend Qi instantly shattered the firmament as it surged toward Lu Hongye.

BOOM!!

But at that very moment!

A terrifying pink Demon Qi erupted from Lu Hongye’s body like a volcano, blanketing the world in every direction.

A Treasure Bead, made entirely of colored glaze, could be seen shining like a great sun. It spewed a demonic wind that generated all manner of mirages and illusions, completely swallowing the furious attacks of Longmu and the others!

The Thousand Illusion Glaze Bead!

A defensive Supreme Treasure!

A Two Transformations Royal Artifact of the Fox Race!

Longmu and the others’ expressions changed. Before they could even register their shock, they prepared to strike again.

High in the heavens.

As Lu Hongye extended a massive, blood-red hand toward Wu Dao, a cold, murderous voice had already rung out:

”Die!!”

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR—

Sixteen thousand meters high in the air.

A massive hand that blotted out the sun reached out.

It manifested an abyssal sea of blood where the skulls of ten thousand beasts churned and writhed!

As the bloody waves crashed down!

The golden gales and thunderbolts filling the sky were shattered. A shadow fell over Wu Dao, threatening to swallow him into the Abyss and make him lose his True Self forever.

At this moment of life and death!

”ROAR! So it was you, you cowardly rat who hides in the shadows! You think you’re worthy to kill me? Kneel!!!”

At Sky Dome Peak, Wu Dao, who was now just a lump of flesh and bone, laughed maniacally as his last remaining pieces of flesh and bone exploded again!

This time.

It was as if he were instantly crushed by a falling Celestial Divine Mountain, suffering an unimaginable backlash!

His remaining flesh and bone exploded directly into thousands of tiny, sand-like fragments!

BZZZZ—

In the next instant, faster than a thought could form.

The heavens above seemed to freeze.

The golden Celestial Thunder Gang Wind, sixteen thousand meters high, began to tremble as if in the presence of its king!

A terrifying, world-destroying aura descended, causing the hair on every living creature within a radius of several hundred miles to stand on end. Endless, primal terror bloomed in their hearts!

’This is bad!’

A chill shot through Lu Hongye. Without a second thought, he abandoned his attack, activated the Thousand Illusion Glaze Bead within him, and hastily threw up layer after layer of illusory defensive barriers.

KRA-KA—

An instant later, faster than thought.

A crimson streak!

A bolt of Celestial Thunder, thick as a thumb!

With the majesty of a king, it crushed the golden Thunder Sea and Gang Wind below. It plummeted from seventeen thousand meters high in the firmament, its flashing electric light dyeing the world the crimson of Purgatory!

BOOM—

The instant the thunderclap sounded.

The thumb-sized, crimson bolt of lightning had already struck Lu Hongye!

The majestic mountain beneath him, which had stood for millennia, and the very earth itself instantly evaporated, leaving not even a speck of ash behind. The land was blasted into a gaping abyss!

THUD!!

The heavy sound of someone being forced to their knees rang out!

The crimson Celestial Thunder from seventeen thousand meters up in the firmament was powerful enough to threaten a Divine Ability User at the Dao Embryo Two Transformations realm!

Although Lu Hongye possessed the strength of a Dao Embryo First Transformation, he was not a true Dao Embryo cultivator. Even with the Thousand Illusion Glaze Bead protecting him and deflecting most of its Mighty Power...

...he was still struck so hard that his spine bent, forcing him to his knees in the void, facing toward Wu Dao in the sky!

From the moment he started fighting the Celestial King, Wu Dao had sensed another, chilling killing intent fixed upon him.

That was why he had kept this final, life-or-death trump card in reserve!

He just hadn’t expected.

That it would be the Saint King from the Saint King Dao.

However.

’It’s useless!’

’Such a useless thing!’

”Hahaha! Once a rat, always a rat! Stay on your knees and wait for death!”

A roar like that of a Purgatory Demon God thundered through the sky. The Thunder Sea churned, and that incomparably horrifying aura appeared again, as if another world-ending, crimson thunderbolt was about to descend!

Gasp!

Terror seized Lu Hongye. Forgetting the shame of being on his knees, he frantically activated the Thousand Illusion Glaze Bead.

At the same time, the massive hand of the Beast God shot out, grabbing the heavily injured and terrified Celestial King who was trying to flee amidst the chaos. Lu Hongye’s entire body then transformed into a mirage-like projection in the distant heavens, vanishing without a trace.

He was scared!

He was truly and utterly terrified!

He didn’t dare gamble on whether Wu Dao was bluffing or if he truly would summon another bolt of Celestial Thunder to take them both down together!

Because!

In his eyes, Wu Dao was a complete madman. When he threatened to risk it all, he wasn’t joking—he would actually do it!

”Vile creature! Where do you think you’re going!”

After the crimson thunderbolt passed.

The three Supreme Elders from Martial King Mountain and Zige Mountain weren’t about to let Lu Hongye escape so easily, especially since he had also rescued the Celestial King.

If a scourge like him wasn’t eliminated, he would be a plague for a thousand years to come!

Except for Longmu, who stayed behind to hold the line, the other two let out furious roars. As if shrinking the earth with every step, they instantly appeared on the horizon in pursuit of Lu Hongye.

”AHHH!!!”

Just then.

A bloodcurdling scream rang out.

A massive hand formed from Magnetic Field Power reached down from the heavens.

It seized the Corpse God Palace Master and the strange skull in his hand, which looked as if it were constructed from buildings, and viciously dragged them into the sky.

RUMBLE—

The Thunder Sea churned, obscuring all sight.

”No... No... You monster! AHHH!!!”

All that could be heard was a voice filled with terror and despair, as if its owner had fallen into the gaping maw of a fiendish abyss.

In a fleeting glance, Longmu saw only countless grains of golden flesh, from which sprouted a dense mass of tentacles reaching for the Corpse God Palace Master.

And then...

Longmu shivered and averted his gaze. He took a deep breath and looked toward Yan Chongsheng and the other Celestial Being masters, who were all staring at the sky, trembling uncontrollably.

”Make your choice. Do you want to be killed by that... monster... by Alliance Leader Wu? Or would you prefer to be killed by me?”

”...”

RUMBLE—

High in the heavens.

The golden Thunder Sea continued to churn under the influence of the Magnetic Field Power, but it did not descend.

Beneath the Thunder Sea, thousands of sand-like particles of golden flesh were slowly reassembling, drawn together by the currents of the Magnetic Field.

That bolt of crimson Celestial Thunder.

It was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, dragging half of the already-exhausted Wu Dao into the abyss of death.

He could, indeed, summon another bolt of Celestial Thunder.

But if he did, his very cells would be obliterated. His death would be certain.

And so.

The moment the first crimson Celestial Thunder fell, he had exited his Divine Heavenless State.

In reality, he was bluffing.

He had calculated correctly that the Saint King wouldn’t have the guts to play a life-or-death game with him.

As for the Celestial King,

he had utterly lost this game of courage on the path of evolution.

Wu Dao had long since psychologically broken him.

The moment he broke free, he had dragged his battered body away, fleeing like a frightened rat, not even daring to utter a single threat.

But Wu Dao had paid a heavy price as well.

He had entered a liminal state, half-alive and half-dead.

If not for the Terror Level willpower he had honed through countless life-and-death struggles across two lifetimes, he would have long since perished.

To say nothing of being able to reel in a ’fish’ like the Corpse God Palace Master.

But thankfully,

he had won. He had won yet again!

And that was enough.

The Celestial King and Lu Hongye.

They were nothing but a pair of gutless cowards!

Just stepping stones he had trampled underfoot.

They could never hope to rise up from under his boot for the rest of their lives!

VMMMM~

In this state between life and death, Wu Dao’s consciousness had already sunk into darkness. Only an instinctual ’program’ he had left behind continued to run.

Driven by an instinct as unyielding as Divine Iron, his Magnetic Field Power slowly began to turn, absorbing the magnetic energy from the world around him, promoting the fusion of his fragmented body and the revival of his consciousness.

But even though the battle was over, Wu Dao remained in the danger zone, nearly sixteen thousand meters high.

He would rather heal slowly amidst the torment of the terrifying Celestial Thunder Gang Wind than descend to recover quickly in safety.

It came back to the same principle.

He would never trust anyone!

Within this zone, as his body recovered, he could still summon the crimson Celestial Thunder for a final, desperate fight.

It seemed dangerous,

but in truth, it was the safest place he could be.