Essence Devouring Art

Wanshan Prefecture.

Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea, Sunset Cave.

A tide of countless blinking crimson eyes flooded the Sunset Cave, surging and roaring as it engulfed the last few Primordial Demons.

”ROAR! The Alliance Leader will avenge us!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—

In their final moments,

the Primordial Demons did not wait idly for death. They detonated their Primordial Magnetic Demon Embryos, which erupted into several blazing little suns, blasting a large swath of eyes into ash.

But compared to the vast ocean of countless eyes that filled the cave,

this number

was but a drop in the ocean.

In the blink of an eye, the small suns created by the Primordial Demons’ self-destruction were drowned by an even more ferocious crimson tide.

WHOOSH!~

After eliminating the last few Primordial Demons,

the wave of countless crimson eyes swiftly contracted like a maelstrom, coalescing and taking the form of Yan Xiaoshi.

WHOOSH!~

A fetid wind blew past.

The eyes all over Yan Xiaoshi’s body blinked. All traces of humanity had vanished from his face, replaced by a cold, deathly stillness and a bizarre, malevolent aura.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH—

After standing still for a moment,

all the eyes on Yan Xiaoshi’s body blinked in unison. They looked outside the Sunset Cave, as if sensing something was about to arrive.

「 」

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!~

In the skies above Wanshan Prefecture,

thunder boomed as a meteor streaked across the sky.

Wu Dao flew at top speed, soaring toward the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea. Meanwhile, his mind delved into his Communication Jade Talisman, receiving the information Zhao Jianji had gathered:

”Alliance Leader, that red-eyed Fierce Monster in the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea is no simple foe. You must be extremely careful.”

”Oh? Elaborate.”

Wu Dao’s interest was piqued.

”It’s like this, Alliance Leader.”

Zhao Jianji quickly explained, ”I’ve looked into the myths and legends of the various primitive tribes in the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea.

I discovered that it’s not just the Sun Flame Race.

The myths and legends of the other major primitive tribes also contain traces of that many-eyed Fierce Monster. The earliest accounts can be traced back five thousand years!”

’Five thousand years...’

Hearing this, Wu Dao’s flight slowed slightly, a glint flickering in his eyes. ’That’s an incredibly long time.

It’s also terrifying!

If it’s truly existed all this time, it’s hard to imagine what level that Fierce Monster has reached.’

However,

Wu Dao guessed there must be some catch.

Otherwise,

that Fierce Monster would have no need to hide.

A Fierce Monster’s strength is related to the number of creatures it infects. Five thousand years would have been enough for it to grow powerful enough to look down upon the entire world.

As he pondered this,

Zhao Jianji’s voice continued, ”Different tribes have different names for that Fierce Monster.

Eye of the Gap, Eye of the Red Moon, the Ten-Thousand-Eyed Fierce God, the Black-Crevice Demon God...

But regardless of the name, it always represents misfortune and disaster. Whenever it appears, it brings catastrophe to the mortal world, a calamity that only a Divine Spirit can subdue.

Oh, right!”

At this point,

Zhao Jianji seemed to remember something and quickly added,

”According to the legends of the Sun Flame Race, the Eye of the Gap appeared once during the Warring States Era, over a thousand years ago, but it was later suppressed by a so-called Divine Spirit.

The Divine Spirit from the Sun Flame Race’s myths

was likely a Martial Artist at the Horizontal Refining Eighth Gate Limit.

As for the suppression of the Eye of the Gap,

it wasn’t extermination as the legends claim, but suppression. It couldn’t be completely destroyed.”

’Even someone at the Horizontal Refining Eighth Gate Limit couldn’t completely destroy it?’

When Wu Dao heard this,

the excitement in his eyes grew even stronger.

”As for that Martial Artist’s identity,”

Zhao Jianji continued, ”The Alliance Leader is familiar with him. He was the founding ancestor of Martial King Mountain. They should have more detailed information on this matter.

That’s all I was able to find out.”

’The ancestor of Martial King Mountain...’

Wu Dao’s eyes narrowed slightly. He ended the call with Zhao Jianji and searched through his Communication Jade Talisman with his mind, quickly finding Qiu Tianjing’s spiritual imprint.

”The Eye of the Gap?”

「Martial King Mountain.」

At the foot of Wuliang Mountain, Qiu Tianjing, who was preparing to continue his assault on the mountain’s peak, received Wu Dao’s message. He sounded puzzled. ”Alliance Leader Wu, please wait a moment. I’ll ask my master. He should know about this.”

After all, it was an event from over a thousand years ago.

The Martial King Mountain ancestor had never made a special point of mentioning it, so it was normal that Qiu Tianjing, who had only been practicing Cultivation for a few hundred years, wouldn’t remember.

A moment later,

Qiu Tianjing’s voice sounded again. ”Alliance Leader Wu, my master doesn’t know much either. He only knows that the ancestor did indeed suppress a Fierce Monster in the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea back then.

Also,

that Fierce Monster is somewhat special.

It seems to have existed since ancient times.

Its core is extremely bizarre and cannot be destroyed.

It wasn’t just our ancestor.

In ages past, it was suppressed by various Great Powers who tried to wear it down with time, but they all failed.

Where did you hear about this Fierce Monster, Alliance Leader Wu?”

’Only suppressible, but not destructible?’

Wu Dao’s brow furrowed. The Martial King Mountain ancestor was at the Horizontal Refining Eighth Gate Limit when he suppressed the Eye of the Gap. His strength was undeniable.

And yet, he still couldn’t destroy it.

’Perhaps he just used the wrong method?’

Wu Dao licked his lips and briefly told Qiu Tianjing what had happened in the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea.

After listening, Qiu Tianjing was also rather surprised. ”I had assumed it was just a miscellaneous legend. I never thought such a bizarre Fierce Monster truly existed in this world.”

All Fierce Monsters are Exotic Celestial Treasures.

As long as the essential core that gives birth to the Fierce Monster is destroyed,

even the strongest Fierce Monster will turn to ash.

But that Eye of the Gap...

was truly beyond common sense.

”Why is the Eye of the Gap Immortal and Undying? Did the mountain ancestor leave behind any information?”

Wu Dao asked the question that concerned him most.

He had ways of dealing with the Immortal and Undying.

But if this ability concealed some hidden danger, it was best to be prepared in advance.

”Well...”

Qiu Tianjing knew that Wu Dao had likely set his sights on the Eye of the Gap and was planning to act, but he still said apologetically, ”Too much time has passed. Our ancestor just happened to be there at the right time and only mentioned it in passing.

The reason our ancestor didn’t destroy the core of the Eye of the Gap was because he had a premonition that something inauspicious would happen if he did.

If you truly encounter it, Alliance Leader Wu,

it would be best to be cautious. Try to suppress it and don’t be reckless.”

He wasn’t actually worried about Wu Dao, though.

After all, in the battle at Mingquan Pass, Wu Dao’s strength was unmatched by anyone below the level of a Great Divine Power User.

A month later,

given Wu Dao’s monstrous growth rate,

it was hard to predict what level he had reached.

Although the Eye of the Gap was special, according to the ancestor’s records, its strength was nothing remarkable.

As long as he didn’t touch the core,

it posed no threat to Wu Dao at all.

”Thank you for your trouble, King Qiu Wu. I will act within my capabilities.”

Wu Dao offered his thanks and ended the communication with Qiu Tianjing, the curiosity on his face deepening.

’The Horizontal Refining Eighth Gate Limit.’

’Felt something inauspicious?’

’The stronger you are, the more excited I get!’

RUMBLE—

A thunderclap shook the heavens.

Wu Dao accelerated, flying toward the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea.

In no time at all,

the vast, boundless Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea appeared in Wu Dao’s line of sight.

Affected by the snow disaster,

the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea had now transformed into a silver-white snowfield.

Deep snow buried most of the vegetation, leaving only a few towering ancient trees standing stubbornly.

As for living creatures,

in this bitter, freezing wasteland, most of the animals had frozen to death. Only a few cold-resistant creatures huddled together, searching the snowfield for pitifully scarce food.

Before the Primordial Demons died,

they had already transmitted the coordinates of the Sunset Cave and its surrounding geography to Wu Dao.

This saved him the time he would have spent searching.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—

The snowstorm roared and thunder rolled across the sky.

Wu Dao’s arrival shattered the snowy silence of the Ten Thousand Peaks Forest Sea. From a great distance, one could see a meteor of crackling lightning tear across the sky and plummet into the depths of the Forest Sea.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The blizzard swirled and the cold wind raged.

Wu Dao’s majestic figure stood in the sky. He halted and looked down at a valley that was completely different from the surrounding snowscape.

White mist rose, and a pleasant, warm breeze blew.

On one side of the valley was a gigantic, warm-yellow cave, spewing a warm current like a volcano, constantly melting the surrounding snow.

”Red Fire Stone? No, the purity is a bit higher.”

Wu Dao’s Spiritual Perception enveloped the area. Without even entering the cave, he could ’see’ a small subterranean world deep inside.

The scale was truly astonishing.

It was large enough to fit a small County.

On the ceiling of this cavern world were veins of ore that glowed and radiated heat, like the arteries of a great sun, providing light and warmth to the world below.

They somewhat resembled the Red Fire Stone Wu Dao had mined back when he was a miner, but their quality, intensity, and heat content were a few degrees higher.

Furthermore,

deep within the veins of ore,

a faint trace of Spirituality had been born, and it was independently absorbing the Heaven and Earth Energy.

If a few hundred more years were to pass,

this ore vein might transform into a Spirit Vein or even a Primordial Vein, useful to cultivators.

Wu Dao’s Spiritual Perception swept across the cavern world. The clusters of buildings with their unique ethnic architecture were completely empty, deathly still, and devoid of any sign of life.

The only thing that remained

was that familiar, rank stench of a Fierce Monster.

But the Fierce Monster itself had vanished without a trace.

”Playing hide-and-seek with me, ha!”

Wu Dao sneered, activated the Earth and Heaven Magnetic Field, and quickly found the residual Life Magnetic Field left behind by the Eye of the Gap.

Following the trail,

he eventually pinpointed it to a dark, bottomless pit deep within the Sunset Cave.

’No wonder...’

Wu Dao retracted his Spiritual Perception, a realization dawning on him.

’This clone of mine

normally has the combat power of the First Transformation.

My Magnetic Field perception can cover a hundred-li radius.

But ”radius” isn’t quite accurate.

Because in this World, the sky has Gangfeng Thunderbolt, and the earth has Earthly Muddy Evil Qi.

Both of these can disrupt the Magnetic Field,

and they have the Mighty Power to block and obstruct perception.

So,

if an Alien Species hides deep underground, I really can’t find it with Spiritual Perception alone.

However...

Spiritual Perception can be blocked,

but Magnetic Fields are my specialty.

No matter how chaotic it is,

I can still find the unique signature of the Eye of the Gap within the tangled mess.

Since I’ve found where the Fierce Monster is hiding,

then this becomes easy.

It’s just like that old saying—

When in doubt, level the whole map!

If you’re strong enough, why risk going through the level? Just tear the whole map apart and see where it can hide!’

WHOOSH!~

He let out a turbid breath.

Wu Dao flew high into the sky. Looking down at the vast snowfield, the thousand peaks and hundred mountains below, he slowly reached out a large hand.

BZZZZZZ—

As Wu Dao’s hand reached out,

with him at the center,

the magnetic fields of all things within a hundred-li radius converged into his palm like countless threads.

Wu Dao clenched his fist around the countless ’threads’.

He gave a slight tug, pulling them upward.

And then...