Essence Devouring Art

Outside Golden Armor Pass.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

The world was filled with blazing Divine Light and the ceaseless roar of thunderstorms as the all-severing Primordial Magnetic Celestial Saber continued to cleave the universe apart.

The 1,500-mile-wide vacuum of nothingness, which had collapsed into Chaos, was split in two. The blade was unbreakable and unstoppable, as if an Ancient Divine Being was wielding it to perform Heaven and Earth Creation.

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

An overwhelming aura of death descended.

The Heart Lake Alarm Bell in the Wantu Emperor’s mind rang wildly. Gripped by the terror of life and death, he gritted his teeth, broke free from his daze, and with a ruthless glint in his eyes, activated the trump card hidden within his body.

BUZZ~

A magnificent, brilliant golden light, wreathed in divine mist, shot out. It was too dazzling to look at directly, piercing through the eight extremes of the void.

From within the Wantu Emperor’s body,

the majestic pressure of an Emperor who commanded the four seas and looked down upon the world reawakened. It spewed forth scorching divine splendor, transforming into an Emperor’s Imperial Sword. This sword was covered in dense golden patterns, capable of suppressing Gods and Demons and vanquishing all evil with its domineering, glorious might.

The Emperor’s Sword was merely a foot long.

Engraved upon it were the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, as well as scenes of Gods and Demons bleeding.

All the sights of the Great Era seemed to be contained within this single blade.

The moment it appeared, it manifested the figure of an Emperor standing between heaven and earth. He was the epitome of supreme nobility, wearing a Flat Heaven Crown and ruling over the entire world.

Wherever his gaze, which spewed blazing divine splendor, fell, the entire universe bowed in submission, prostrating in worship, not daring to harbor the slightest thought of defiance.

BUZZ!

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

The foot-long Emperor’s Imperial Sword trembled, unleashing an endless, glorious imperial aura that illuminated the primordial gloom, suppressed the world, and swept away all Gods and Demons.

It forcibly halted the descent of the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Saber. The friction between the Primordial Magnetism and the Emperor Dao’s Magnetic Field produced a grating screech of Divine Iron that set one’s teeth on edge.

’The Demon Suppression Emperor, the Demon Vibration and God Slaying Sword...’

Wu Dao’s gaze lowered. He stared at the fierce Emperor’s figure standing between heaven and earth, wreathed in endless divine splendor. He was neither surprised nor panicked; he understood.

According to ancient historical records,

the Great Li Ancestor, the Demon Suppression Emperor, was a Military Dao cultivator. The Divine Technique he cultivated was ’Shaking God and Slaying Demon,’ and pacifying the world by slaying Evil Demons was the best nourishment for it.

In order to merge his Dao with his Yellow Court Lifebound Sword Embryo,

the Demon Suppression Emperor, after stepping into the realm of Divine Techniques, gathered all the rare and Exotic Treasures in the world and forged nine Demon-Slaying Divine Swords. He formed them into a Sword Array with unparalleled killing power.

After the Demon Suppression Emperor reached his peak,

these nine Demon Vibration and God Slaying Swords grew alongside him, eventually becoming the Heavy Artifacts that suppressed the Great Li Country’s destiny.

Any single one of them possessed a Mighty Power no less than that of a peak Nine Transformations Second Step Great Divine Power User.

If all nine were assembled into a Sword Array,

they could even contend with an Absolute Peak Divine Ability User at the Nine Transformations Third Step.

In past eras,

the Demon Vibration and God Slaying Swords were the Emperor’s Swords, and only the successive Emperors of Dali were qualified to wield them.

’If I’m not mistaken,’

’these nine Emperor’s Swords should have been in Zhou Heng’s hands in this era. Only someone at his level could fully unleash the power of the Sword Array.’

’To separate a single sword...’

’and put it in the Wantu Emperor’s hands, no less.’

’This clearly shows their determination from the very beginning. They were willing to break the rules and use a trump card to ensure my death, leaving no room for chance.’

Tsk...

Wu Dao clicked his tongue and sneered.

’I originally thought breaking the rules was a cardinal sin in the circle of Ninth Transformation experts.’

’The Wantu Emperor’s determination to kill me has made me realize that these so-called rules are nothing but bullshit.’

’In that case,’

’there’s no need to hold back anymore.’

’If you’re going to be vicious, don’t blame me for being ruthless!’

At this thought,

CLANG!

Wu Dao suppressed the Wantu Emperor with the Celestial Blade in one hand. With the other, his fingers flicked, linking the various powers of the Magnetic Field across the 1,500-mile expanse. He wove a net and built a wall, constructing a heaven-sealing, earth-sundering Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage!

’What is this?’

Under the protection of the Demon-Vanquishing Divine Sword, the Wantu Emperor sensed Wu Dao’s actions and a terrible premonition bloomed in his heart. At the same time, he was once again shocked by the sheer depth of Wu Dao’s Power.

The Demon-Vanquishing Divine Sword, when releasing its Mighty Power in his hands, was equivalent to having a second Nine Transformations Second Step Great Divine Power User assisting him.

He had thought this would leave Wu Dao with no spare capacity, forcing him to respond with his full attention and unable to be careless.

That way, before the great battle ended, he could also tie down Wu Dao’s Main Body.

This would prevent him from interfering with the conflicts happening elsewhere in Dali.

That’s right.

After realizing the gap between them, the Wantu Emperor had already given up on the idea of killing Wu Dao. He just wanted to risk his old life to hold him down.

But he never would have imagined... that while suppressing him, Wu Dao actually had enough spare energy to use another Divine Technique!

And not only that! This Divine Technique! It was incredibly similar to that invisible, all-severing Celestial Blade!

In the instant the thought crossed his mind,

the heaven-sealing, Dao-locking Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage was complete.

In the Wantu Emperor’s perception,

the world seemed to have turned into countless colored lines.

These innumerable lines rapidly intertwined, forming something like a silkworm’s cocoon, or perhaps a prison cage. It submerged and enveloped the space he occupied, wrapping him completely.

And then... something terrifying happened.

BUZZ~

The moment the colored cage formed,

he could no longer sense anything from the outside world.

He couldn’t connect to it at all.

Primordial Qi, Soldier Qi, Divine Power, the Great Trend, the Mighty Power of his Royal Artifact—all were rapidly compressed, completely unable to extend beyond his body or the Royal Artifact itself.

Even the phantom of the Demon Suppression Emperor that stood between heaven and earth seemed to have lost its energy source, flowing back and contracting into the Demon Vibration and God Slaying Sword.

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

The Heart Lake Alarm Bell rang furiously.

This bizarre change, so far beyond his comprehension, instantly caused the Wantu Emperor’s face to pale in terror. Without a moment’s hesitation, he gritted his teeth and squeezed his Dantian Dao Embryo, maintaining his Power through self-harm.

BOOM!!

At the same time, he ignited his own essence blood.

His entire body instantly became a fiercely burning gray torch. He used the Demon Suppression Emperor bloodline within him to fuel the Demon Vibration and God Slaying Sword, forcibly activating the Royal Artifact’s Divine Technique.

BOOM—

A torrent of Divine Light erupted.

The Emperor’s shadow reappeared.

Under the dual, Dao-severing suppression of the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Saber and the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage, the Wantu Emperor, fighting for his life, still stubbornly resisted Wu Dao’s attack. One could only say that he was indeed a former Celestial Emperor, his methods truly beyond what an ordinary Ninth Transformation expert could match.

But was it any use?

”You don’t really think...”

A ghostly, otherworldly demonic voice penetrated the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage and poured into the ears of the Wantu Emperor, who was already at his limit:

”that I’m already using my full strength, do you? If I wanted to kill you right now, it wouldn’t even take a single punch! Take a guess. Why am I wasting my time with you?”

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

Before the Wantu Emperor could react with horror, an unnatural warm current began to stir within the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage.

The Wantu Emperor, who wouldn’t even feel the heat if he bathed in the core of a volcano, suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He became irritable and flustered, his mind filled with distracting thoughts, and an abnormal, sweltering heat washed over him.

In just a flash, this stuffy sensation transformed into a scorching heat, as if he were inside a furnace, about to be completely incinerated.

The searing heat didn’t come from the outside.

Instead, it arose from the Wantu Emperor’s own soul—from his desires, delusions, killing sins, evil karma, and all his various karmic obstacles.

These transformed into blossoms of Black Lotus Karmic Fire,

burning him intensely from the inside out. They incinerated his flesh and soul, causing all sorts of past scenes to surface in his mind.

”You treacherous backstabber! You are unworthy of being a Prince!”

”Zhou Hong, I wouldn’t let you go even as a ghost!”

”Your Majesty, this servant is innocent!”

”Execution of nine generations... What crime has this commoner committed?!”

In a daze, Zhou Hong seemed to see vengeful spirits demanding his life—all the people who had died throughout his life, from his time as a Prince to his reign as Celestial Emperor, due to his schemes, his purges of opposing factions, and his legal edicts.

The boundless Black Lotus flames burned, and countless wronged souls, born of his evil deeds and karmic hindrances, roared ferociously at him, trying to drag him into Purgatory to suffer the eternal punishment of the Karmic Fire’s flames.

”No!!”

Zhou Hong’s soul consciousness, being scorched by the Karmic Fire, roared in fury: ”I have spent my entire life working tirelessly, with the common people in my heart! Everything I did was for the eternal peace of the Great Li! In my century on the throne, while I may not match the achievements of the Great Ancestor, my civil and military accomplishments mark me as an enlightened ruler! What have I done wrong? Whence comes this karmic hindrance and Karmic Fire?

It’s fake!

It’s all fake! Get lost!!”

Zhou Hong struggled frantically, his soul erupting with Divine Light, trying to escape the prison of burning Karmic Fire.

But it was useless!

The more crazily he struggled, the more karmic obstacles and evil deeds his soul produced, which in turn fueled the burning Black Lotus Karmic Fire.

Suppressed by the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage and the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Saber, he was already at the end of his rope.

How could he possibly resist a third Holy Spirit Body Technique Divine Technique, one no weaker than a Ninth Transformation power!

Perhaps he was right.

In his century-long reign, he had not failed the Great Ancestor or the world. His killings were for the sake of peace, marking him as a wise and enlightened ruler.

If he had encountered the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, which is boundlessly compassionate and clearly distinguishes between good and evil, it indeed would not have had such a devastating effect.

But what he encountered was the Lifebound Divine Fire of the Ancient Evil God Qiongqi: the Black Lotus Karmic Fire.

It doesn’t distinguish between good and evil; it burns any karma it finds.

It is countless times more domineering and ferocious than the Red Lotus Karmic Fire. It doesn’t care what reasons led to your karmic hindrances. Once ignited, if your strength is insufficient, you can’t hope to extinguish even a single spark.

”AHHH!!!”

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

All his past sins of killing and evil deeds manifested, becoming fuel for the Black Lotus Karmic Fire. Like oil on a raging fire, it burned fiercely, soon igniting Zhou Hong’s soul and forcing him to let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony.

His soul fell continuously through the prison of Karmic Fire, an endless descent...

Until... in a state between life and death,

he saw an Ancient Fierce Beast, its feet trampling on black Karmic Fire, looking down upon the Primordial Chaos with immeasurable, ferocious might. It opened its boundless mouth, which could incinerate the world, toward his falling, karma-laden soul.

BUZZ~

At the moment between life and death, a brilliant, multicolored divine light dispersed the endless Karmic Fire, pulling Zhou Hong out of the Abyss of Karmic Fire.

HUFF HUFF HUFF~

Having survived the ordeal, Zhou Hong’s eyes were empty and lifeless.

His entire body had shriveled significantly, almost burned to a crisp. His mouth hung open as he gasped for breath.

But before he could get another look at the vibrant world outside, a massive hand that blotted out the sky seized his head.

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

The sound of the various Magnetic Fields in his body shattering rang out.

In just an instant, Zhou Hong, who had nearly been beaten into a complete fool, lost all control over his own Power, becoming a cripple who couldn’t use any of the strength he possessed.

Immediately after...

”AHH!!”

CRACKLE CRUNCH—

A shrill scream, accompanied by the sound of bone and flesh grinding, exploded across the world.

A moment later, Zhou Hong’s figure vanished.

In his place, beneath Wu Dao’s feet, was a gray, broad-backed Flying Sword, formed from a human body that had been flattened and compressed.

Wu Dao stepped onto the Flying Sword.

He bounced on it a couple of times.

”AHH!!”

The shrill scream rang out once more.

”Riding the sword on the wind, we go to rid the world of demons! Let’s go, Xiaohong!”

Wu Dao grinned, forming reins from lines of the Magnetic Field. He then activated the Energy from the Wantu Emperor Zhou Hong’s Dantian Dao Embryo.

BOOM— WHOOSH!

The Human-shaped Flying Sword buzzed and trembled, spewing Divine Light that generated immense thrust. It transformed into a streak of flowing light, plowing through layers of the void. Trailing waves of agonized screams, it vanished at the edge of the shattered world in the blink of an eye.

Wu Dao rode the ’Flying Sword’ at full speed.

He burned his fuel without regard for the cost, traveling at incredible speed. In a short while, he had crossed several thousand miles, arriving outside Jade Dragon Pass where his clone was battling the Saint Elephant Ancestor.