Essence Devouring Art

Southern Border.

Bai Ze Bureau Headquarters.

Wu Dao sat at the head of the council hall, listening to the Governors from all directions report on the Bai Ze Bureau’s recent major affairs.

His consciousness was immersed in his attribute panel.

[Physique: Peak of Human Extremes]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring Art (97% Potential Release)+

Three-Phase Divine Punishment Fist 20,000 years (Seven Fist Transformations)+

Undying Transformation 20,000 years (Horizontal Refining Ninth Gate, Eighteen Extreme Yang Heavens, Minor Achievement)+]

[Great Divine Techniques:

Primordial Magnetic Gang Shield, Primordial Magnetic Celestial Saber, Ten Directions Divine Slaughter, Primordial Magnetic Tribulation Finger, Celestial Essence Magnetic Burst Fist, Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage, Primordial Magnetic Demon Embryo, Black Tortoise Incarnation.]

[Great All Heavens Divine Techniques: Reversed Celestial Spirit (Seventh Transformation)+]

[Teleportation Points: 315,100]

Within the Southern Border Ranch.

The Alien Species captured over the last four months.

He had just finished devouring all of them. The many flavors still lingered on his palate, an endless aftertaste.

At the same time, they had also provided Wu Dao with over two hundred thousand Teleportation Points, bringing his total to more than three hundred thousand.

Three hundred thousand!

It was no small sum.

Unfortunately, he could only look at it, not use it.

Four months ago, breaking through 100% with the Essence Devouring Art required two million Teleportation Points.

Four months later, even though his strength had improved considerably, the required amount had only decreased by two hundred thousand. He still needed another 1.8 million.

The Three-Phase Divine Punishment Fist.

A Soul Refining Technique that integrated three different momentums.

After its transformation, the number of Teleportation Points needed for subsequent upgrades was also immense.

Just to go from the Seventh Transformation to the Eighth Transformation required 600,000 points.

The old Thunder Punishment Dominating Whale Fist might not have needed so many.

But the current Three-Phase Divine Punishment... it was completely different.

It was equivalent to simultaneously upgrading three different Seventh Transformation Fist Momentums. The requirement was naturally far beyond what the Thunder Punishment Dominating Whale Fist could compare to.

Finally, there was the Undying Transformation.

Needless to say, this Transverse Refining Technique... once upgraded, it would mean stepping into the Horizontal Refining Tenth Dao Gate, becoming a Human World Yang God, and achieving a Holy Spirit Body.

The Horizontal Refining Tenth Dao Gate.

No matter the era, it was a realm Above Divine Techniques.

The number of Teleportation Points it required was on par with breaking through 100% with the Essence Devouring Art.

In other words, although Wu Dao now possessed a ”huge sum” of three hundred thousand points, he was still dirt poor. He couldn’t upgrade a single Cultivation Technique.

Wu Dao wasn’t disappointed by this.

He had anticipated this situation from the moment he first understood the upgrade rules of the attribute panel.

As he grew stronger, the required number of Teleportation Points was bound to become terrifyingly massive.

If he were just a pig that only knew how to open its mouth and eat feed, then he would indeed be fraught with anxiety.

But he wasn’t.

Ever since coming to this World, he had taken things one step at a time.

The contribution of the attribute panel was undeniable.

But most of the time, he had relied on his own training.

Especially after entering the Divine Power Domain, he had barely used the attribute panel at all.

Now, the attribute panel was something Wu Dao only considered a final retreat for when he had no other path forward.

Whether it was breaking through 100% or achieving the Horizontal Refining Tenth Dao Gate, both were critical transformations of life.

His first instinct was always to forge these paths with his own hands.

If he only relied on the attribute panel, he probably wouldn’t have even reached the Divine Power Domain by now.

The main reason was, the Alien Species were being eaten to the brink of extinction by him!

A full four months!

Across the vast Thirteen Prefectures of the South Border, he had only managed to scrape together two hundred thousand Teleportation Points.

And according to the various Commanders, the Bai Ze Bureau had been idle for over ten days, its focus shifting from Alien Species to stabilizing internal personnel matters.

Even if some unperceptive Alien Species occasionally appeared, they were just insignificant small fry. The harvest was visibly dwindling.

As for other regions, although they didn’t have a Gourmet like Wu Dao, the various kings had their own violent law enforcement agencies similar to the Bai Ze Bureau.

There was no room for Wu Dao to develop new ”ranches.”

The main reason for the scarcity of Alien Species was actually that the Demon Suppression Emperor’s slaughter seven hundred years ago had been too thorough.

Great Demons, great evils, great Fierce Monsters.

Ninety-nine point nine percent of them were suppressed and killed seven hundred years ago.

The handful that remained were hardly enough to make a difference.

With the Great Dao now suppressing the Extraordinary, it was like adding frost to snow. Newborn Alien Species were rarer than giant pandas.

’Perhaps after the Ten Tribulations, it won’t just be the Extraordinary Human Path. Will Alien Species also be completely eradicated from the Divine Wilderness?’

...

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

Under a rarely seen, crystal-clear azure sky, Wu Dao flew through the air, heading for the front lines.

He had taken over the Bai Ze Bureau as a hands-off Shopkeeper, with no interest in managing its internal affairs.

The granary was already empty.

It probably couldn’t be refilled for a long time.

During this period, he could focus on his own business.

His Main Body would continue its arduous cultivation.

His Incarnation would collect Holy Spirit Techniques for the Horizontal Refining Ninth Gate.

As for the Saint King, ’I’ll let him fatten up for a while longer. He’s really too scrawny right now.’

He had no interest in actively seeking him out. Once fattened, the Saint King would naturally be delivered to his doorstep.

News of Wu Dao’s return.

From the moment he descended upon the Bai Ze Bureau, Prince Nanyang had already been informed.

He, too, was very curious.

What had Wu Dao experienced during this time?

After concluding the war council, he waited in the courtyard of his Prince’s Mansion for Wu Dao’s visit.

It was the familiar pavilion in the center of the lake.

What was different was, this time the frozen lake water had thawed.

Gauze curtains fluttered, and mottled light and shadows danced.

Just as the tea in the kettle was about to boil, Wu Dao’s extraordinarily majestic physique appeared at the end of the covered bridge.

’Divinity...’

Prince Nanyang’s deep eyes stared at Wu Dao at the end of the bridge, his face showing a hint of solemn astonishment for the first time.

It had only been four months.

Upon meeting again, Wu Dao gave him the profound and majestic feeling of one who had endured immeasurable calamities, weathered countless years of worldly ups and downs, seen oceans turn to dust, and watched all things become like smoke.

In a daze, it seemed he wasn’t looking at a person, but a Divine Spirit walking the mortal world.

This feeling, until now, Prince Nanyang had only ever felt it from one other person... if you could even call him a person.

But even that individual’s divinity was far inferior to Wu Dao’s.

Not to mention, judging by Wu Dao’s state, his humanity was clearly suppressing his divinity, having no adverse effect on him whatsoever. Such mental fortitude was truly terrifying, hard to even imagine.

But that other one...

HUFF~

He let out a soft breath.

Prince Nanyang’s gaze returned to calm. He stood up, cupped his fist in a gesture of respect between peers, and smiled. ”It’s been a while, Alliance Leader Wu. Your presence is even more magnificent than before. This is truly worthy of congratulations.”

Yes, a gesture between peers.

With Prince Nanyang’s insight, he could naturally tell that this was merely one of Wu Dao’s Incarnations.

Just an Incarnation!

It contained the restrained Power of the Peak of Eight Transformations, even capable of briefly clashing with the first step of the Ninth Transformation!

Then his Main Body...

There was no doubt whatsoever.

It had definitely already entered the Nine Transformations Domain!

He was worthy of being greeted by Prince Nanyang with the respect due to a peer.

”You’re too kind, Prince. Compared to you, my meager accomplishments are hardly worth mentioning.”

Wu Dao accepted the gesture calmly and returned the salute. At the same time, he covertly sized up Prince Nanyang.

This time, the feeling Prince Nanyang gave him was no longer the ethereal, majestic, and unapproachable one from their first meeting.

Instead, he could clearly feel it.

Within the Prince’s unremarkable and not particularly imposing physique hid a dense and dangerous aura.

Evidently, during this period, as more and more territory was conquered, destiny converged, and the Celestial Treasure’s power grew.

Prince Nanyang had also made considerable progress.

If it was just a guess before, now Wu Dao was certain.

Prince Nanyang, and the other two of the Three Kings on his level, had definitely reached the Nine Transformations Peak Domain.

Or perhaps, they had already been at the Absolute Peak.

After this period of growth, they had completely traversed the Divine Power Domain, building upon their foundation at the Absolute Peak.

’Celestial Treasure...’

Wu Dao’s eyes flickered. He had long known that the four kings and one emperor were all Celestial Treasure Masters.

They only needed to continuously complete the Celestial Treasure Ceremony, and their cultivation would rapidly increase.

Otherwise, considering the ages of the various kings, the oldest was no more than a hundred years old.

In such a short time, it would have been impossible for them to catch up and surpass the Great Divine Power Users of the older generation.

But Wu Dao wasn’t envious.

When you got down to it, he was even more monstrous and unreasonable.

Because, all told, he had only been in this World for a little over a year.

Just one year.

From a helpless rat-person in the mines to reaching this stage.

A growth rate like this... many cultivators couldn’t even dare to imagine it in their wildest dreams.

HUFF~

The warm wind was pleasant, and the steam from the tea drifted in the air.

After Wu Dao took a seat, Prince Nanyang poured tea, then reached out his hand. A familiar Stone Eye flew out from the Prince’s Mansion and landed on the tea table.

Prince Nanyang pushed the Stone Eye in front of Wu Dao and smiled. ”I’ve overstepped my bounds by holding onto this for so long. Today, it is returned to its rightful owner.”

”Thank you for your trouble, Prince.”

Wu Dao nodded his thanks. He rubbed the Stone Eye and sensed that, aside from the essential odor of a Fierce Monster, the old monster’s aura was gone.

After crossing the Sea of Suffering, the old monster had forcibly stuffed him with a great deal of information, including about the Reversed Celestial Spirit.

Then, it had vanished without a trace.

He didn’t know if its remnant soul’s energy had been exhausted, or if it was avoiding something.

Seeing that Wu Dao’s expression didn’t change after receiving the Stone Eye, Prince Nanyang’s gaze held a hint of approval. He took a light sip of tea and said,

”Before you disappeared four months ago, Alliance Leader Wu, I once divined the ominous aura within this Stone Eye. It was truly shocking and terrifying beyond compare.

However, strangely, a few days ago, that aura inexplicably vanished. I presume... this was your handiwork, Alliance Leader Wu?”

Wu Dao had suddenly vanished, and when he reappeared, he was imbued with divinity and his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. This was definitely connected to the ominous presence hidden within the Stone Eye.

Even someone as powerful as Prince Nanyang couldn’t possibly imagine how Wu Dao had managed to escape from an ominous power that even he found terrifying.

Therefore, he had brought it up tactfully.

”A mere speck of dust, not worth mentioning.”

Wu Dao’s eyelids drooped slightly. Behind the ethereal steam of the tea, his face was like a tranquil pool, undisturbed for millennia—so calm it seemed he was truly talking about a trivial matter.

Prince Nanyang’s gaze flickered. His intuition told him that something incredible must have happened to Wu Dao in the last four months.

However, since Wu Dao didn’t elaborate, he didn’t press the matter. After taking the boiled kettle off the stove, he said with a playful smile,

”Alliance Leader Wu, you never visit without a purpose. Coming to the front lines this time, do you have some business you want to transact?”

He knew what kind of temperament Wu Dao had. Prince Nanyang had long been aware of it.

Ultimate self-interest.

Every action was built upon a foundation of personal gain.

His coming to meet him this time, couldn’t possibly just be to have tea and chat with him, nor could it be just for the core of the Eye of the Gap.

Most likely... he had his eyes on something else the Prince possessed.

Or perhaps, he needed to borrow his power to do something.