Essence Devouring Art

An endless Dark World.

At the far, unreachable end of the darkness, a starlight of condensed, shimmering blood-red light flickered.

”Hahaha, excellent, excellent!”

The unknown, ancient being who called itself ”this Emperor” saw that Wu Dao showed not a shred of resentment, but instead calmly tried to probe its background.

It grew even more satisfied with Wu Dao:

”When your Power is greater than others, you reveal your edge. When your Power is weaker, you hide your blade and sheathe your sharpness.

A tiger in the heart, yet it stoops to sniff the rose.

This Emperor is truly becoming more and more satisfied with you.”

Ten thousand years of torturous, lonely darkness.

For anyone, this tribulation was an unforgivable, deep-seated hatred.

Even one with a will as firm as a Divine Buddha’s...

...would have become an enraged vajra guardian the moment the black hand revealed itself, unable to suppress the boiling killing intent and sea of resentment for the perpetrator.

But this person, Wu Dao...

...truly astonished it.

No shock, no fear, no blame, no hatred.

He was like a frigid pool, rippleless for ages.

A thousand tribulations and ten thousand hardships could not stir a single ripple on its surface.

Did Wu Dao not hate it?

Absolutely impossible!

It was certain that beneath that eternally placid, frigid pool, countless dormant volcanoes were hidden.

The moment he found an opportunity...

...those countless volcanoes would erupt at once.

And burn it to ash!

But Wu Dao was too smart.

He assessed the situation, showing neither pride nor humiliation.

His every action was prioritized based on whether it benefited him.

The seven passions and six desires came second.

If it had been someone ruled by their emotions...

...the instant it appeared...

...their endless hatred and resentment would have been irrepressible.

They would have undoubtedly gnashed their teeth, screamed for blood, and rapidly escalated the conflict between them.

But Wu Dao...

He was terrifyingly calm!

It was almost beyond its comprehension.

What exactly had Wu Dao experienced to develop such a fearsome disposition?

A temperament so perfectly suited to its tastes!

A pity.

This remnant Divine Soul of its had been worn down by endless ages of tribulation. Aside from a trace of its supreme essence, the Power it could wield was truly limited.

Otherwise...

...with its temperament...

...if it wanted to know something, it would just do it.

There would be no need for this pretense and empty flattery.

A soul search!

It could naturally learn all of Wu Dao’s secrets.

It was extremely curious.

This person who had originally lost all three Pills and had no noble fate to speak of...

...what kind of seed had he replaced them with...

...to gain such a terrifying disposition?

But one thing it was sure of...

...was that Wu Dao was definitely not an old monster from its own domain, reincarnated after a tribulation.

Because...

...no matter how the tribulations of ages eroded one...

...as long as one had once stood in that domain, the supreme flavor in their essence could not be hidden.

”So...”

Facing the praise from the mysterious Divine Spirit at the end of the blood-red light, Wu Dao was neither pleased nor proud. His expression remained calm as he asked, ”Who exactly are you?”

The history of the Ten Tribulations of the Divine Wilderness, from ancient times to the present.

He had taken the time to learn about it all.

As long as he knew the other party’s identity...

...he could cross-reference all sorts of information.

Being completely in the dark...

...was ultimately too disadvantageous.

”Tsk, little one. As smart as you are, you should understand that a person’s level determines the matters they can carry in their head.”

The mysterious existence in the blood-red light said teasingly, ”Some things, merely knowing them is enough to be stained by karma and burdened with a great sin. Can you bear it?”

”Understood.”

Wu Dao’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had a faint guess about the identity of the being in the blood-red light.

But that sliver of a guess...

...was instantly slain by him.

Moreover.

He hypnotized his own consciousness on a deeper level.

He designated this mysterious existence’s identity as simply an ’ancient old monster’.

Any other information...

...was not worth thinking about.

Given this old monster’s attitude...

...its identity was clearly involved in some incredible affair, and it most likely had enemies all over the world.

He did not want to one day in the future...

...have a bunch of inexplicable Great Powers suddenly appear, baying for his blood, saying he carried the old monster’s karma and his sins were unforgivable.

That would be very troublesome.

And it would be a meaningless conflict.

”Tsk, still so clever.”

The blood-red light at the end of the darkness watched the change in Wu Dao’s expression, clearly observing how the curiosity in his eyes vanished in an instant. It sighed in admiration again.

It wasn’t bluffing Wu Dao.

Its existence.

Merely knowing of it was indeed a sin.

In the minds of those bastards...

...they would absolutely not allow even the slightest possibility of its revival.

Any living being associated with it...

...was, in their eyes, a chance for its revival.

It truly appreciated Wu Dao.

At the same time, it also had a scheme for Wu Dao.

But it wouldn’t be shortsighted.

Only when Wu Dao had reached a sufficient height...

...would it guide Wu Dao into the game.

Two encounters.

To an ordinary person, it would be a coincidence.

But beings at its level knew for certain.

It and Wu Dao were fated to have endless entanglements in the future. There would be plenty of opportunities.

Of course...

...the premise was that Wu Dao *had* a future,

and truly earned its recognition.

Otherwise.

Its plans would immediately shift to the third possibility Wu Dao had guessed, and he would become just another one of its chess pieces.

VMMMM—

The blood-red light trembled.

The endless Dark World shattered like panes of glass. Multicolored light shone in through the cracks, and color returned to his perception.

Within the shattering world...

...the mysterious old monster’s voice, tinged with cruel mockery, boomed in his Divine Soul: ”This Emperor has said, the path from the weak to the strong has three trials.

Loneliness, death, and mediocrity.

Only by adapting to endless loneliness, transcending countless deaths, and never yielding to fate can one become a true expert.

This first trial.

You have already passed.

So...”

RUMBLE—

The Dark World shattered completely.

In its place appeared an unfathomable Abyss of death, which devoured all life and spewed forth the endless wails of punished Evil Ghosts.

Suffering, despair, a cycle of death...

It was like the legendary Abi Hell. Once you fell in, you could neither live nor die, destined to suffer the torment of eternal death.

Countless layers of Purgatory’s light...

...transformed into a black hole of mire.

It spawned dense tentacles that enveloped Wu Dao from all directions, dragging him bit by bit into the desperate Eternal Purgatory below.

”Entertain this Emperor! Let this Emperor see just how unyielding your expert’s heart truly is!”

The mysterious old monster’s somewhat excited voice continued to echo in his Divine Soul: ”This is the Mud Prison Abyss. You have no need to know what its prototype is.

You only need to know...

...that once you fall into the Mud Prison Abyss...

...you will suffer an endless torture of death.

There are eighteen layers in total!

The first layer: ten thousand death penalties!

After experiencing ten thousand deaths, what awaits you is not release, but falling into the even more brutal second layer, with one hundred million death penalties!

The third layer: one trillion!

The Fourth Layer: ten quadrillion!

...

Once you pass the eighteenth Abyss Prison, you will have cleared the second trial.

If you win...

...this Emperor will give you a fine reward.

If you fail...”

At this point.

The mysterious old monster’s laughter suddenly turned ruthless and Sen Leng:

”This Emperor will live on your behalf!

Are you looking forward to it?

Are you excited?

Let’s begin this wonderful journey!”

SPLASH—

The countless tentacles of the Mud Prison Abyss completely enveloped Wu Dao.

At the final moment...

...the mysterious old monster still saw not a hint of terror or shock on Wu Dao’s face.

On the contrary...

Wu Dao bared his teeth in a wide grin, revealing a crazed Demon’s smile that the old monster could not comprehend:

”Thank you for the reward. I’m so excited... I’m about to pop a boner!!”

RUMBLE—

The boundless light of the Mud Prison Abyss swallowed everything.

When Wu Dao’s perception returned...

...he was already on an endless black land formed from a mire of flesh and blood.

Directly in front of him...

...a black millstone as large as a star rumbled as it rolled, carrying with it countless splatters of meat paste as it ground toward the infinitesimally small Wu Dao.

RUMBLE—

It gave him no time to react.

The great mill, as if intending to grind the entire World into nothingness, bore down with irresistible Power and crushed him into a flat pile of mush.

Unimaginably brutal pain.

It instantly swept through every microscopic fiber of his being, overwhelming his soul and consciousness. A single light grind felt like endless years of torment in Hell.

Truly unable to live!

And unable to die!

What was even more terrifying...

...was that after being turned into meat paste...

...he was completely unable to break free from the great mill.

He was stuck fast to it.

The great mill would not grant him release.

On the contrary, it would restore him, forcing him to watch as the mill turned ceaselessly. After the ultimate torment of awaiting death, he would once again make contact with the black earth and be ground into meat paste!

Mud Prison Abyss, First Layer—

The World-Grinding Mill!

”HSSS—”

Atop the World-Grinding Mill.

Wu Dao was like a squashed bedbug, his mushy remains rolling along with the great mill. The extreme, torturous pain made his entire body tremble.

Tremble with excitement!!

”This feels great! Faster! Turn faster!!”

He felt not a shred of fear or despair.

On the contrary.

He was even discontentedly urging the great mill on.

Telling the great mill to turn faster, to make him feel even better!

’Heh~’

At the end of the Mud Prison Abyss.

The mysterious old monster stared at the frenzied Wu Dao and sneered.

The Mud Prison Abyss.

With every punishment of ’death’...

...the level of pain from the body and soul would surpass the last, something the constant, unchanging loneliness couldn’t compare to.

Once, a hundred times.

Perhaps one could stubbornly endure it.

But ten thousand times, a hundred million times, a trillion times...

And!

Each time, the pain would far surpass the last!

This was a completely insurmountable ordeal. It refused to believe Wu Dao could withstand it!

Of course, the Mud Plow Abyss couldn’t actually kill Wu Dao.

In essence.

It was merely a manifestation of the mysterious existence’s supreme characteristics. Its status was high, but its Power was limited, and it lacked the ability to kill Wu Dao completely.

But the danger hidden within...

...was even more terrifying than death itself.

Once even a trace of the fear of death was born in Wu Dao’s heart!

The thought of giving up, of abandoning life.

Even just a sliver!

The scales of victory and defeat would tip completely!

From the very beginning.

The mysterious existence didn’t believe Wu Dao had even a thirty percent chance of winning.

Because compared to an unpredictable future...

...it valued the secrets Wu Dao was hiding even more.

However...

As ’time’ passed...

...the mysterious existence gradually fell silent.

RUMBLE—

The World-Grinding Mill turned without rest.

Time and time again, it ground Wu Dao into mush on its surface.

Every time it made contact with the earth...

...the pain it brought far surpassed the last.

But!

A hundred times...

”So good, it feels so good!”

A thousand times...

Ten thousand times...

”It’s losing its kick! This is getting boring!!”

Wu Dao’s excited, crazed roars...

...never stopped.

Toward the end, he even seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the current situation.

This bizarre situation...

...left the mysterious existence completely baffled.

It felt...

...less like it was torturing Wu Dao...

...and more like...

...it was rewarding him.

’An illusion, surely...’

RUMBLE—

An endless sea of fire churned, burning the heavens and boiling the World.

After enduring the punishment of being ground into meat ten thousand times...

Wu Dao fell into the second layer of the Mud Prison Abyss—the Heart-Burning Fire Sea!

Heaven and earth were red and scalding hot.

The sea of fire surged endlessly.

A heart-fire ignited the seven passions and six desires.

The Purgatory’s fire burned the body, the heart-fire burned the soul.

Unimaginable physical pain.

The boiling, surging desires and distracting thoughts turned into blades that scraped his soul.

It nearly drove Wu Dao mad on the spot.

But the Divine Ghost Heaven protected him.

Divine, Ghostly, Celestial Release; Celestial Beings have no heart.

He let the sea of fire burn his body and the heart-fire scrape his soul.

Wu Dao didn’t beg for mercy or wail in agony; instead, he reveled in it.

FWOOSH—

The red sea of fire surged, and the formless heart-fire ground his soul.

One hundred thousand times...

One million times...

Ten million times...

One hundred million!

The number of Wu Dao’s ’deaths’ under punishment kept increasing, but the torment of the Mud Prison Abyss was endless.

Third Layer, the White Cave of Corrosive Poison.

One trillion poison penalties!

Fourth Layer, the Eye of Wind and Thunder.

Ten quadrillion Punishments of Wind and Thunder in Purgatory.

Fifth Layer, the Parasite Sea.

One hundred quintillion Punishments of Insect Devouring.

Fifth Layer...

Sixth Layer...

For an unknown number of ages.

The number of punishments became an astronomical figure.

The sound of Wu Dao’s demonic excitement...

...never stopped.

In contrast to him...

...was the increasingly silent mysterious old monster.