Essence Devouring Art

The Central Plains.

Outside Wandeng Prefecture.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—

An endless, blazing divine radiance rocked the heavens. It was as if a ceaseless barrage of nuclear flash bombs were being dropped on the mortal realm, painting the world in a dazzling array of colors.

”Senior of True Martial, if you continue this stubborn resistance, it will not bode well for the Central Plains.”

Prince Nanyang’s mastery over the World Peace Fist’s momentum had reached its apex. Standing within the Taiping Qi Source Stream, he exuded the endless, magnificent aura of a prosperous age, sacred and mighty, as if he were a Saint descending upon the world.

At the same time, the ”Fate Return” Great Divine Technique within his Dantian Dao Embryo was even more terrifying.

He was like a sovereign who commanded the fate of all living beings.

The countless threads of fate, the flow of all auras, every single movement—all was reflected within his eyes, as deep as a sea of stars. It seemed the heavens and earth held no secrets from him.

Across from him, the Supreme Elder of the True Martial Hall, Elder Xingjiang, had an ashen face and a depleted aura. Large cracks spiderwebbed across his body as he swayed unsteadily. With extreme weakness, he mocked himself, saying,

”The new generation surpasses the old. In the end, I just can’t keep up with the times anymore.”

Prince Nanyang was too strong.

He had been cultivating for no more than a century.

His Divine Techniques and Fist Dao had both reached the absolute peak.

His Transverse Cultivation had also reached the peak of the Eighth Gate.

At his level, with the buffs from his various cultivation arts, there was fundamentally no difference between a physical body at the peak of the Eighth Gate and one at the Ninth Gate. It was equivalent to the Ninth Transformation, which was exceptionally terrifying.

More importantly...

He was also a Celestial Treasure Master!

That was the most fatal part!

When the battle first began, the Supreme Grand Elder of the True Martial Hall, Xingjiang, could still rely on his profound foundation to clash with Prince Nanyang and not be at a disadvantage.

But once Prince Nanyang used his Fate Return Great Divine Technique, he seemed to gain the ability to predict the future.

The once evenly-matched battle instantly turned into a one-sided beatdown.

Every one of Xingjiang’s attacks and schemes seemed like a pre-written script to Prince Nanyang. He predicted them all without the slightest error, making it impossible to fight back.

After Wu Dao interfered on the battlefield and Dali suffered a complete rout, Xingjiang’s fighting spirit collapsed. He lost all will to resist and retreated in a sorry state back to Wandeng Prefecture.

Prince Nanyang was right.

If the fight continued, it would be an absolute catastrophe for the Central Plains.

A clash between experts at the Nine Transformations Peak could turn thousands of miles of mountains and rivers to ash at a moment’s notice.

If the two of them hadn’t deliberately confined their power to the heavens after entering the Three Prefectures, the lands they passed through would have been blasted into the Abyss.

”Cough, cough...”

Gritting his teeth, Xingjiang coughed up several mouthfuls of black blood. He took a deep breath, his gaze firm. ”The Great Tribulation is coming. For cultivators at our level, there’s truly no need to fight to the death.

”I know that once someone reaches your level, with no further room to advance, the only way forward is to rely on the world’s fortune for a boost. If you could take that next step, it would be a great blessing for the world.

”But... the Great Li Ancestor showed profound grace to our True Martial Hall. Our ancestral precepts dictate that once we pledge loyalty to the Emperor, we must remain faithful for life. Even if we must fight to the very last disciple, we can never betray Dali.”

As he finished speaking, Xingjiang seemed to receive some kind of message. A flicker of joy crossed his face, his lips trembled, and it looked as if his eyes were about to fill with tears.

”If you want Dali’s fortune, then come and take it. We’ll see if your abilities can truly withstand the Great Ancestor’s test.”

After giving Prince Nanyang a complex look, Xingjiang abandoned his defense of Wandeng Prefecture, turning and disappearing into its depths without a backward glance.

’The Great Ancestor’s test...’

Prince Nanyang’s eyes flickered as he activated his Fate Return Great Divine Technique and his Destiny Celestial Treasure.

A moment later, his expression shifted. Letting out a long breath, he hesitated for a moment before chasing after Xingjiang into the depths of Wandeng Prefecture.

This wasn’t only happening with Prince Nanyang.

In other parts of the Ten Thousand Dao Prefecture, the Ninth Transformation experts from Dali, who had been mounting a desperate resistance, all abandoned their posts after receiving some kind of message. They converged on Celestial Fate County, the heart of Dali.

The various Ninth Transformation experts on the offensive frowned in confusion at this anomaly, unable to understand why their opponents, who had been ready to fight to the death just a moment before, had suddenly changed their minds.

But with total victory just one step away, they refused to believe Dali had any ace up its sleeve that could turn defeat into victory. After a moment’s hesitation, they also flew toward Celestial Fate County.

WHOOSH~

「In the heart of Celestial Fate County.」

Deep within the majestic Imperial City, a grim-faced Zhou Heng landed in the plaza before the Grand Ancestral Temple.

”We greet Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Ten thousand years to His Majesty!”

Upon the plaza, the expressions of the nearly thousand people present, who had been filled with terror and unease, changed the moment they saw Zhou Heng. They immediately kowtowed in salute.

These nearly one thousand people—men and women, old and young alike—were all dressed in fine clothes, their appearances and bearing incomparably noble. Their every word and deed displayed the majesty of the Royal Family.

The reason for this bearing was that the blood of the Great Li Ancestor flowed in all their veins. They were members of the imperial clan, and the status of any one of them was something a commoner would spend a lifetime aspiring to without ever reaching.

”Your Majesty...” The Empress of Dali—once the Saintess of the Taihua Immortal Sect—rose to her feet. Though graceful and magnificent, with a presence befitting the mother of the empire and a face of unparalleled beauty, her features were now clouded with worry as she looked at Zhou Heng.

The commotion outside was immense. They were not blind and deaf within the Imperial Palace; they received every frontline report as soon as it came. It was precisely because they knew the state of the war that the Empress and all the imperial clan members were restless, their hearts filled with endless dread.

Although it was treasonous to think it, anyone with eyes could see that Dali was at the end of its rope. The great sun that had hung high for hundreds of years was about to fall into complete darkness.

This was especially true when Zhou Heng suddenly sent word for all those of royal blood in the Imperial City to gather at the Grand Ancestral Temple. At that moment, the terror in their hearts gave way to bleak despair.

’The Celestial Emperor is about to flee with his entire family in tow. Dali is really going to fall!’

”It’s alright. As long as I am here for even one more day, Dali will not fall!”

Zhou Heng gently stroked his beloved Empress’s face and forced a reassuring smile.

Then...

His complex gaze swept across the many members of the imperial clan in the plaza, pausing for a moment on the young faces of several princes and princesses, his heart filled with immense guilt.