Essence Devouring Art

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

Upon the battlefield, roiled by the Chaos Storm.

The three towering shadows of the God and Demon Celestial Punishment had just dissipated.

Within the void,

a tattered and torn body,

a magnificent physique with not a single patch of unscathed flesh, was plummeting.

Along with it,

came the crazed, delirious ramblings of a madman:

”Hehehe... This ancestor is free... Not even the Purgatory Sea of Suffering can hold this ancestor... Hahaha!”

SLAP!

A heavy slap struck him.

It nearly made the Saint Elephant Ancestor’s head explode.

”Waaaah... It hurts... This ancestor won’t forgive you!”

Wu Dao placed a large hand on the Saint Elephant Ancestor’s head, ignoring the lunatic ravings of a man scared out of his wits.

His immense Spiritual Thoughts broke through layer after layer of Divine Soul seals, invading his consciousness to search for information on the *Holy Elephant Heaven-Equalizing Force*.

No matter what, the Saint Elephant Ancestor...

was a Great Divine Power User at the peak of the One Step realm.

The avatar could kill him.

It could also beat him into an idiot.

But it couldn’t pry open the ’safe’ within the Saint Elephant Ancestor’s Divine Soul.

Therefore,

the avatar had spared the Saint Elephant Ancestor’s life.

It had only beaten him into a drooling fool,

waiting for the Main Body to handle it.

BZZZT~

A moment later,

Wu Dao withdrew his Spiritual Thoughts. The corner of his mouth curved up slightly, and within the abyssal depths of his eyes, the image of a Golden Holy Elephant carrying the heavens and earth flashed and vanished.

Another Holy Spirit Technique acquired.

’Two more to go...’

’But I already have definite targets for them.’

’If all goes according to plan,’

’I should be able to get one more today.’

BZZZZ—WHOOSH!

With a thought from Wu Dao, his avatar disintegrated into countless starlit strands of Magnetic Field lines and shot into his body.

As for the fool, the Saint Elephant Ancestor...

’Hmm.’

’He still has some use.’

’He’s a Ninth Transformation expert, after all.’

’He can serve as another bargaining chip.’

’But I don’t have enough chips yet.’

At this thought,

Wu Dao repeated his previous method.

He flattened the Saint Elephant Ancestor into a Human-shaped Flying Sword as well.

He then stacked it on top of the ”Xiaohong” Flying Sword.

The Primordial Magnetism reins controlled the Magnetic Field Energy of the two, converting it into propulsive force. His speed surged once more as he rode the sword and vanished from the world.

...

「Changyuan Prefecture.」

「Outside Yin Gate Pass.」

”Fellow Daoist Changfeng, why must you insist on this suffering?”

Supreme Elder Zige, the Celestial Robe Sword King Liang Yu, stood in the center of the Chaos Storm, holding the Blood-Dripping Killing Sword.

He looked with a helpless expression at the middle-aged man opposite him—his hair disheveled, his clothes torn, and his majestic body covered in sword wounds—and sighed.

”Fellow Daoist, you should know that the Sword Dao Great Divine Technique I cultivate, ’The Celestial Robe has a Seam,’ specializes in breaking Transverse Cultivation and Defensive Divine Techniques. There is no point in continuing this stubborn resistance.

How about you retreat now?

If we meet again another day, we can still share a drink and chat as friends.”

”Heh... share a drink and chat,”

Gu Changfeng’s body was covered in sword wounds that wouldn’t stop bleeding. The Divine Light of his techniques was flickering weakly, and his aura was feeble. He sneered, ”The founding ancestor was as gracious as a mountain to the True Martial Hall. A ’fellow daoist’ gained through treachery and betrayal...

Do you think...

I need such a thing?”

”You... This is blind loyalty!”

Liang Yu cursed, full of frustrated disappointment. In the current situation, Dali’s fall was all but certain. Continuing to serve it was nothing but blind loyalty.

”Perhaps... But.”

Gu Changfeng shakily straightened up, shook his head, and clenched his fist. ”There are some principles, the original heart of one’s Cultivation, that cannot be shaken. They are higher than life and death. Come at me again!”

Even at the end of his rope,

he wanted to fight on.

Because if he retreated,

a gap would open in Long Abyss’s defenses—a gap no one could fill!

”You...”

Liang Yu gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his Killing Sword. His expression was immensely conflicted. If they fought any longer, Gu Changfeng would surely die.

But he was an old friend of many years.

He truly couldn’t bring himself to land the killing blow.

However...

Though he couldn’t do it,

someone else could do it for him.

BOOM!!

The sky across fifteen hundred li collapsed without warning. A pair of three-colored great hands, carrying an aura of calamitous punishment that induced despair and terror, blotted out the sun and abruptly enveloped the battlefield.

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

In that instant,

the Heart Lake Alarm Bells of both Liang Yu and Gu Changfeng rang wildly. They felt a horrifying aura that transcended the First Step of the Ninth Transformation descending upon them. A chill ran down their spines, their bodies stiffened, and they couldn’t move an inch.

”Elder Liang, mind if I borrow your opponent?”

While Liang Yu was still reeling in shock and suspicion,

Wu Dao’s domineering and cold voice echoed throughout the world. His words sounded like a negotiation, but his actions showed no intention of one. He seized Gu Changfeng, ignored his struggles, and dragged him toward the depths of the Sea of Celestial Punishment.

”The Supreme Emperor, the Saint Elephant Ancestor? You animal, what did you do to them—AGHH!!”

”You’re asking despite knowing the answer.”

BOOM—

The brief exchange, punctuated by a bloodcurdling scream, echoed across the land before being torn apart by the tremendous roar of a thunderous storm. He had come and gone in a flash.

From the moment he struck to the moment he withdrew,

suppressing a Nine Transformations Great Divine Power User...

...the entire process didn’t even last three breaths.

Outside Yin Gate Pass,

the terrifying pressure that had filled the world dissipated.

In the center of the world, still roiling with the aftershocks of the storm,

only Liang Yu remained, his face dark and uncertain. He stared at the streak of light vanishing over the horizon, shocked and suspicious. ’Wu Dao, the Wantu Emperor, the Saint Elephant Ancestor... what is he planning?’

He was shocked that...

Wu Dao had suppressed the Wantu Emperor and the Saint Elephant Ancestor so quickly, and still had the strength to rush to other battlefields.

He was suspicious because...

what on earth did Wu Dao want to do by capturing all these Nine Transformations Great Divine Power Users?

Given Wu Dao’s vicious and brutal temperament,

it most likely wasn’t anything good!

’Fellow Daoist Gu... Aigh,’

he thought of Gu Changfeng.

Liang Yu sighed helplessly again.

’If he had fallen into my hands, he might have had a chance to live because I would’ve been soft-hearted.’

’But falling into the hands of that madman Wu Dao...’

But he didn’t dare to criticize Wu Dao either.

The Wu Dao of today had already become a major power in his own right.

Although he was still labeled as part of Prince Nanyang’s faction,

Liang Yu knew that in reality,

the relationship between Wu Dao and Prince Nanyang...

...was never one of subordinate and superior. It was merely a partnership. Aside from their shared interests, they did not interfere with or restrain each other, making them more like detached allies.

If it was like this for Prince Nanyang,

then the people under him dared not interfere even more.

’If he feels like showing respect, he calls me Elder Liang.’

’If he doesn’t...’

Shaking his head,

Liang Yu stopped pondering and sent a message to Prince Nanyang about what had happened. His gaze turned toward Changyuan Prefecture behind Yin Gate Pass.

The Wantu Emperor was defeated.

The Saint Elephant Ancestor was defeated.

Gu Changfeng, one of the three Supreme Elders of the True Martial Hall, was also defeated.

With such a huge gap in their defenses,

it was impossible for Dali to hold Long Abyss any longer.

With the ensuing chain reaction,

strictly speaking, this battle...

...was already lost for Dali!

This situation...

was so similar to the previous battle at Mingquan Pass.

It was all because of one person.

Or rather, one monster!

The entire political landscape of the world was about to undergo a massive change!

’With this monster around... perhaps there’s a sliver of hope for surviving this Great Tribulation after all.’

Thinking about the Great Tribulation,

Liang Yu’s opinion of Wu Dao became incredibly complicated for a moment. Finally, he sighed and suppressed all his biases.

’At least...’

’this monster was born and raised in the Divine Wilderness.’

’That alone is enough.’

...

What happened at Yin Gate Pass...

...was not an isolated incident.

After suppressing Gu Changfeng,

Wu Dao once again rode his Flying Sword, swiftly moving from one battlefield to another, heading toward the East Sea. While the Nine Transformations of Da Li were entangled in combat and unable to escape...

...he struck like a thunderbolt.

He suppressed one Ninth Transformation expert after another, from the One Step to the Second Step realm.

As the human-powered Flying Sword beneath his feet grew thicker and thicker, its speed also reached a freakish level, crossing vast stretches of the battlefield in a single breath.

BZZZT~

After suppressing another Ninth Transformation expert in the East Sea Battlefield, the Communication Jade Talisman in Wu Dao’s robes began to vibrate.

He glanced at the seven-layer-thick Flying Sword beneath his feet.

Wu Dao figured that was about enough and stopped. He extended his Spiritual Thoughts into the Communication Jade Talisman.

”Alliance Leader Wu, the Great Tribulation is approaching. Unless absolutely necessary, please do not engage in excessive slaughter.”

Prince Nanyang’s complicated voice rang out.

Wu Dao’s rampage of suppressing Ninth Transformation experts had caused a massive shift on the battlefield. The various kings had long since learned of such a major event.

Prince Nanyang knew Wu Dao’s temperament.

He was worried Wu Dao would go crazy and act recklessly.

That was why he sent a message to remind him.

Wu Dao’s expression was indifferent, his eyes calm. He replied coolly, ”Whether they live or die, the decision is not up to me.

Besides...

Trash that can’t even take a single punch from me!

What right do they have to resist the Great Tribulation? Whether they live or die makes no difference.”

After speaking,

he cut off the communication with Prince Nanyang.

Then,

Wu Dao looked at the seven-layered Human-shaped Flying Sword beneath his feet. With a thought, he rode the sword toward Wandeng Prefecture.

Long Abyss had fallen.

Most of the Central Plains battlefront had been lost.

No matter how foolish Zhou Heng was, he couldn’t possibly continue fighting. He would most likely withdraw all his forces to make a last stand at the final Prefecture.

「Meanwhile.」

「Somewhere on the Long Abyss battlefield.」

Prince Nanyang’s aura and Divine Techniques were astonishing. His fists and palms brought peace, his hands grasped fate, and he continuously shook the collapsing vacuum of the battlefield, displaying the prowess of the Southern Border’s number one expert.

He relentlessly forced Xingjiang—the Supreme Grand Elder of the True Martial Hall, known a thousand years ago as the ”True Martial of the Central Plains”—back toward Wandeng Prefecture, the last bastion in the Central Plains.

But after receiving Wu Dao’s reply,

his brow furrowed.

’What on earth is Wu Dao planning?’

’Capturing but not killing.’

’This isn’t his style. He’s clearly scheming something.’

’The choice is not his...’

’Could it be...’

Thinking of how Zhou Heng controlled the Celestial Treasure Golden House, Prince Nanyang instantly understood Wu Dao’s scheme.

’But to be so arrogant and domineering...’

’...so unscrupulous... ’

’Master said he would be the second Slaughter Emperor.’

’He wasn’t wrong at all.’

But things had already come to this.

Prince Nanyang couldn’t change Wu Dao’s mind.

Moreover,

though the meaning behind Wu Dao’s words was cruel, he was speaking the cold, hard truth.

If they couldn’t even take one punch from him...

...then they really were...

WHOOSH~

Suppressing the darkness in his heart,

Prince Nanyang thought no more of it. He unleashed his full power and continued to push Xingjiang, the Supreme Grand Elder of the True Martial Hall, back toward Wandeng Prefecture. That place would be the site of the final battle between the four regions and Dali.

Following the fall of Long Abyss,

the current state of the battlefield was just as all sides had predicted.

The Ninth Transformation experts on Dali’s side,

who had initially put up a desperate last stand, were now fighting while retreating.

Even Zhou Heng, who was vaguely considered the number one expert in the Divine Wilderness,

had to abandon his fight with King Bao Tong and proactively withdraw in the face of the turning tide, all for the sake of the bigger picture.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

A hurricane raged, and the world seemed to warp in reverse.

Zhou Heng, retreating from the East Sea Battlefield, showed no signs of injury. He had clearly held the absolute advantage in his recent battle with King Bao Tong.

But there was not a trace of joy on his face.

On the contrary,

it was as dark as water!

’Four great battlefronts have fallen!’

’The fate of the Seven Great Nine Transformations is unknown!’

’Dali is at a complete dead end!’

And the cause of all this...

...was just one person!

”Wu Dao!!”

Zhou Heng spat out Wu Dao’s name through gritted teeth.

He suppressed the fury in his heart, shot a sinister glance at the faint glimmer of treasure light that only dared to follow from a thousand li behind, snorted coldly, and accelerated toward Wandeng Prefecture.

He didn’t know what Wu Dao was planning.

But...

Dali hadn’t lost yet!

He still had one last trump card!

’As long as I play it!’

’Even if I can’t reverse the overall situation,’

’even if I can’t defend the final Wandeng Prefecture,’

’Celestial Fate County, where the Dalili Imperial City is located!’

’I definitely won’t lose it in the short term!’

’As long as Celestial Fate County stands,’

’Dali’s destiny won’t completely dissipate.’

’I’ll still have a chance to take that half step!’