Essence Devouring Art

Somewhere in the Southern Border.

Waves of green rolled across the undulating mountain wilderness.

HUMMM—

With a tremor that shook the very air...

A projection of an unfamiliar sky shimmered into existence like a mirage.

The next moment,

THUD—

Two bedraggled figures tumbled out of the mirage, and the pristine wilderness fell silent once more.

”Hah... That damn old butcher!”

Lu Hongye staggered to his feet, his clothes tattered and his body covered in blood.

His once peerlessly handsome face was now a mask of misery, and his narrow, almond-shaped eyes were filled with an indelible mixture of terror and hatred.

After fleeing the battlefield at Lancang County City, he had been quickly overtaken by two Supreme Elders from Zige Mountain. A brief exchange proved he was no match for them, forcing him to flee for his life once again.

The cultivators of Zige Mountain...

They were all Soldier Cultivators, the strongest of the three Daos when it came to sheer combat.

And these were two Supreme Elders who were kings of the Military Dao, having reached the Divine Power First Transformation.

Their Soldier Intent had already evolved into Military Momentum. With every move, their will commanded the torrential power of the world, making their attacks utterly tyrannical.

Although Lu Hongye was a Celestial Treasure Master who defied all logic—having one foot in the Divine Power First Transformation domain despite the world’s sealed Dao Embryo Path, and possessing the Thousand Illusion Glaze Bead, an artifact on par with the Divine Power Two Transformations—

the gap was still too great when he fought head-on against experts who had truly mastered a Divine Power Domain. He could only fight while using the Thousand Illusion Glaze Bead to teleport and escape.

In the end, he had paid a heavy price.

Only then did he manage to escape from the two Supreme Elders of Zige Mountain with his life.

’Wu Dao...’

Lu Hongye took a deep breath. Recalling the humiliation of kneeling and kowtowing, he felt a mix of terror and fear toward Wu Dao.

But more than that...

...was an unquenchable, boiling killing intent.

Twice!

Twice he had suffered defeat at Wu Dao’s hands!

The second time, he had been forced to kneel!

This was something Lu Hongye, who had always considered himself exceptional—a chosen son of heaven—simply could not accept.

But Wu Dao was truly terrifying.

Not only was his growth rate far beyond imagination, but he also defied logic by controlling the Celestial Punishment Thunder, which was powerful enough to blast him to smithereens!

More importantly...

Zige Mountain, Martial King Mountain, and Prince Nanyang!

His position was weaker than theirs!

Haaaah...

Lu Hongye let out a ragged breath, suppressing the rage and frustration in his heart. For now, it was impossible to wash away today’s humiliation. He needed to think long-term.

He, Lu Hongye, was a Celestial Treasure Master.

As long as he was alive, the future held limitless possibilities and a brilliant path ahead.

Unlike the Celestial King, whose life had more or less reached its peak, which was why Wu Dao’s attack had completely shattered his fighting spirit and scared him witless.

So much so that...

”Wu Dao... Wu Dao... I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you!”

The crazed, possessed-sounding murmurs began.

The Celestial King lay on the ground, his body charred black as coal. His once-domineering and calm golden eyes were now chaotic and terrified, like the whimper of a defeated dog.

Hearing the Celestial King’s delirious words, an idea struck Lu Hongye. His handsome, otherworldly face regained its composure, and a flicker of imperceptible greed flashed in his eyes as he offered consolation, ”Why must you trouble yourself so, Your Majesty? No matter how formidable Wu Dao is, he is a monster, not a god. And when monsters are killed, they die just the same.”

Haaaah...

A puff of black, foul air escaped his lips.

The chaos and terror in the Celestial King’s eyes dissipated, replaced by a domineering and steady aura. Having barely managed to compose himself, he rose and gave Lu Hongye a cold look. ”What are you trying to say?”

The reason he treated Lu Hongye, his savior, with such coldness was twofold.

First, Lu Hongye was not human.

In the Celestial King’s perception, he was a black fox.

Those not of our kind are bound to have different allegiances.

Toward an Alien Species, people of any standing would feel a natural sense of repulsion and disgust.

Second, and most importantly, when Lu Hongye had saved him, he had made quite a few sneaky moves, attempting to take advantage of his predicament and enslave his soul.

If the two Supreme Elders from Zige Mountain hadn’t arrived and interrupted Lu Hongye, he, in his heavily injured state, would have truly fallen for the trick.

Such sinister intentions.

If not for his extreme wariness, he would have attacked Lu Hongye on the spot, let alone given him a pleasant look.

”Heh, there’s no need for that, Your Majesty.”

Faced with the Celestial King’s repulsion and disgust, Lu Hongye simply shrugged nonchalantly.

”You should be well aware that if I wanted to kill you, I could do it right now. You wouldn’t have any chance to resist.”

Hearing this, the Celestial King’s eyes narrowed. His body tensed, his guard raised to its absolute peak, ready to lash out at any moment. But deep down, he had no confidence.

He had witnessed Lu Hongye’s power.

It was very strange.

Although he was a Celestial Being, he possessed the power of the Dao Embryo First Transformation, likely the result of an unreasonably powerful Celestial Treasure.

The gap between them was immense.

Not to mention, Lu Hongye also possessed a Royal Artifact at the Two Transformations Level.

If they truly came to blows, he might not be killed instantly, but he would certainly be the one to die in the end.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world, nor is there kindness without reason.

He and Lu Hongye were complete strangers.

Furthermore, one was a human, the other an Alien Species—races in natural opposition.

Under these circumstances, Lu Hongye must have had a scheme in mind for saving him.

He thought back to the moment of his rescue.

He remembered that horrifying feeling of falling into the Ten Thousand Beasts Abyss, on the verge of losing his soul’s True Self.

The Celestial King couldn’t help but sneer.

”If you want me to be your slave, you can save your breath.”

After nearly falling into the trap earlier, he had used a Divine Power Seed to plant a ward within his soul. If any power tried to invade and control it, his soul would immediately self-destruct.

He, the Celestial King, could flee in disarray, could run in terror, could even endure humiliation for a greater purpose. But he would never allow his soul to become someone else’s puppet.

To lose one’s True Self was to no longer be oneself.

That was something no intelligent, self-aware being could ever accept.

’If it weren’t for that, would I even need to waste my breath on you?’

Lu Hongye snorted coldly in his heart, but his face showed no embarrassment at having his scheme exposed. He just smiled faintly and said,

”Your Majesty must be aware that with your power alone, you will never be able to get revenge on Wu Dao.

As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Humbly, I can say that I have the confidence to slay Wu Dao in the future. It all depends on whether Your Majesty is willing to become my friend and lend me a hand.”

The Celestial King had reached the Eighth Gate of Transverse Cultivation.

His combat power was at the Twelfth Floor Peak.

Aside from that monster, Wu Dao, it would be no exaggeration to call him the number one expert below the Dao Embryo realm.

’Such a fierce warrior.’

’If I can bring him under my command, unifying the Three Great Demon Races of the Southern Border will be just around the corner.’

’Once the other two races also become my followers,’

’I’ll no longer have to cower and hide. I can devour the world whole.’

If all the Alien Species in the world were enslaved, Lu Hongye couldn’t even imagine what level his power would reach.

At that time, forget a mere Wu Dao—

he wouldn’t even fear a resurrected Demon Suppression Emperor!

As for the Celestial King...

Heh.

In the face of absolute power, he could forget about escaping from his grasp.

”How do you propose we cooperate?”

The Celestial King’s golden eyes flickered. After weighing his options, his heart was once again consumed by hatred, and he chose to make a deal with the devil.

As for finding other allies?

Who could he possibly find?

Although the various kings were currently rebelling against the Dali, they weren’t rebelling against the immeasurably virtuous Demon Suppression Emperor.

On the contrary, they revered him like a Divine Being.

You could go anywhere and see a Demon Suppression Emperor’s Temple with an endless stream of worshippers.

In such a situation, it was no exaggeration to say he, the Celestial King, was like a pariah everyone wanted to strike down. Other than the Alien Species who stood in opposition to the Human Race, no faction would take him in.

Unless he had a complete change of heart, let go of his irreconcilable hatred for Wu Dao, and stepped back to find a wider world, his only choice was to knowingly walk into danger and make a deal with a predator.

However, there was a saying: with age comes cunning.

This was especially true for someone who had lived for nearly a thousand years.

The Celestial King knew what Lu Hongye was scheming, but he had a wide variety of trump cards hidden away from his thousand years of life.

As for how to counter him, he already had a plan in mind.

”Such boldness, Your Majesty!”

When Lu Hongye saw the Celestial King agree to cooperate so easily, his brow furrowed for a moment before smoothing out. He sneered inwardly.

’Trying to play mind games with us, the Fox Race?’

’Heh heh...’

’Let’s see who outplays whom!’

And so, the two, each with their own hidden agenda—or more accurately, one man and one fox—formed an unstable alliance to face a common enemy.

...

「At the war front between the Southern Border and the Central Plains.」

Within Xuzhou Prefecture City, where the main army was stationed.

The former Prefect’s residence had become the front-line command center, serving as the temporary Nanyang Prince’s Mansion. Generals and strategists could occasionally be seen entering and exiting, reporting on and discussing the war efforts in various regions.

Deep within the residence, in a study.

Mottled shadows danced in the cool air as steam curled delicately from cups of tea.

At the guest’s seat by the tea table, an old man with a full head of white hair, dressed in simple gray robes, set down his empty teacup. Despite his thin clothes, his large frame emanated an aura as solid as a Divine Mountain. He asked with a hint of expectation, ”How did it go?”

Opposite him, in the host’s seat, sat a middle-aged man with a rather slender build. He wore wide-sleeved green robes, his hair was held by a jade crown, and his eyes were as deep as a sea of stars. His entire demeanor was one of serene tranquility.

The identity of this middle-aged man... was none other than Prince Nanyang, Zhou Chen, who was currently at the zenith of his power in the Southern Border!

As for the white-haired old man in the guest seat who had spoken, his status was no less extraordinary.

He was the previous Martial King of Martial King Mountain, the master of the Star Battle Divine Fist who had once dominated an entire era of the Jianghu—Jiang Yuansheng!

His other identity... was that of the revered master who had taught Prince Nanyang the Martial Dao after he joined Martial King Mountain.

”A costly victory.”

Prince Nanyang’s fair fingers gently stroked the Communication Jade Talisman on the table. His expression showed neither surprise nor joy, as if he had anticipated this outcome.

”Tsk, tsk. A costly victory is still a victory. That’s quite remarkable.”

Jiang Yuan clapped his hands in praise, a teasing tone in his voice. ”If I recall correctly, he was only at the Celestial Human Second Floor when he attacked Pingliang. How long has it been since then?

You’re also a Celestial Treasure Master.

Back in your day, you weren’t nearly as terrifying at this stage.”

”There are thousands of types of Celestial Treasures, each with different abilities and focuses. They can’t be compared.”

Prince Nanyang shook his head, showing no sign of discouragement at the comparison. He poured his master a fresh cup of tea, and his eyes glinted as he said, ”Besides, it might not necessarily be a Celestial Treasure.”

”Hm?”

Jiang Yuansheng looked puzzled, then grew displeased. ”What, are you going to be secretive with this old man now?”

”You misunderstand, Master.”

Prince Nanyang shook his head slightly.

”My Celestial Treasure isn’t omnipotent. While I can see certain things, the finer details are like viewing flowers in a fog—a mix of truth and falsehood.

But none of that is important, is it?

Whatever his secrets may be, all we need to know is that in the future, he will be one of us.”