Essence Devouring Art

Divine Wilderness Central Earth.

The border of the Yellow Springs Country in the Northern Lands.

VWOOM—BANG!

The void suddenly trembled.

A filthy river of blood surged forth, vast enough to fill mountains and turn them into seas. But just before it hit the ground, it abruptly contracted, reforming into the pale-faced Lu Hongye.

’What a damn persistent leech!’

His heart still pounding with lingering fear, Lu Hongye glanced at the void behind him, his expression grim and utterly foul.

From the Western Desert to the Northern Lands.

He had fled for his life for tens of thousands of miles, but he still couldn’t shake Wu Dao.

He had already used up all the Nine-Life Dolls he’d obtained in the Dragon Mud Cave Heaven. If he still couldn’t escape, his life was truly forfeit.

As for fighting to the death...

Lu Hongye hadn’t even considered it.

That monster, ’Wu Dao,’ was terrifying to a freakish degree.

Peak of the Ninth Gate of Transversal.

Fifteen Extreme Yang Heavens.

But his physique far surpassed that of a normal Great Success of the Nine Gates. With sheer physical strength alone, he could smash Lu Hongye to ash with a single punch.

In a direct confrontation...

Lu Hongye, who was only at the Second Step, wouldn’t stand a chance.

”Just how in the world did that monster cultivate?”

The Celestial King, too, was so full of hate that his teeth itched, unable to comprehend why Wu Dao’s growth was so terrifyingly fast.

He and Lu Hongye had pulled chestnuts from the fire.

They had feasted on the Demon Race.

They had undergone Heaven Thunder Gang Wind Body Forging.

Only with great difficulty had they stepped into the Dual Dao Nine Transformations, possessing the strength of the peak of the Second Step.

They had thought that even if they couldn’t beat Wu Dao...

Escaping would be no problem.

Who would have thought...

Their dream shattered at the first touch of reality!

With a single punch, Wu Dao had turned all their efforts to dust. A bottomless well of frustration and resentment brewed in their hearts with no outlet, nearly driving them mad.

”Stop hesitating,”

Thinking of Wu Dao, who clung to them like a maggot on a bone...

The Celestial King’s eyes turned vicious. ”Conceal your aura and slip into Naihe County, the capital of the Yellow Springs Country.”

In the world today...

”Only the Five Emperors can stop that monster. I refuse to believe he’d dare to act so wantonly in Guiyu Emperor’s territory.”

Lu Hongye naturally knew that his only chance of survival was to divert the disaster and use another’s power. He immediately concealed his aura and sped toward the capital of the Yellow Springs Country.

During the decisive battle in the Central Plains...

The King of the Living Prison was already a king among those at the Three Steps Peak.

After founding his country and proclaiming himself emperor several months ago...

Even if the Divine Wilderness had lost its momentum and he hadn’t managed to take that final half-step, his strength was surely comparable to that of Zhou Heng, the number one expert of his time.

If Wu Dao dared to act recklessly in the Yellow Springs Country, he would definitely bite off more than he could chew. Then, they could take advantage of the chaos to escape.

「Not long after Lu Hongye and his companion departed.」

Wu Dao, following the scent, also arrived at the border of the Yellow Springs Country’s capital.

”The Northern Lands.”

Wu Dao raised an eyebrow. His vast Spiritual Perception swept over the border city of the Yellow Springs Country, and he couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh. ”He really is a madman.”

Since the calamity descended upon the Divine Wilderness...

Every land had suffered various natural and man-made disasters.

The Southern Border had its merciless blizzards.

But the Northern Lands, under Zhou Prison’s rule, were plagued by pestilence, suffering the most catastrophic casualties.

He had long heard...

That Zhou Prison was a pure madman and tyrant, dedicated to establishing the legendary Netherworld Hell, likely related to his Celestial Treasure.

Now, seeing the state of the Northern Lands with his own eyes...

It was truly no different from a Human World Purgatory.

Across thousands of miles of mountains and rivers...

White bones lay exposed in the fields, and for a thousand miles, no cock’s crow was heard.

In the human settlements below the county level...

Mounds of corpses and mires of sludge were everywhere. The one in a hundred survivors were covered in festering sores, tormented by sickness, their lives hanging by a thread.

As for the County Cities and Prefecture Cities...

The larger human settlements were no better.

They had completely reverted to a primitive, natural state.

Law and order were non-existent. Violence and sin ran rampant. The strong preyed on the weak, and the air was filled with heart-wrenching wails and moans of despair.

”Life Hell?”

Wu Dao’s eyes flickered. He recalled the information Zhou Chen had revealed to him about Zhou Prison’s Celestial Treasure and instantly understood why the Northern Lands were in such a state of misery.

The advancement of a Celestial Treasure Master was very peculiar.

It emphasized rituals over cultivation.

Zhou Prison wielded the Celestial Treasure ’Life Hell’. Coupled with his tyrannical, lawless, and demonic nature, he naturally didn’t care about the lives of his subjects as long as he could complete his rituals.

On the contrary...

The more the mortal world resembled hell, the more he benefited.

”Trying to make me hesitate for fear of collateral damage? Heh, foolish!”

Wu Dao sneered, knowing full well why the Saint King had fled into the Yellow Springs Country.

He immediately mobilized his main body from outside the realm.

Then, without any attempt to conceal his aura, he brazenly stepped into the territory of the Yellow Springs Country.

In the world today...

Aside from the Demon Suppression Emperor...

I, Wu, need not give face to anyone!

...

Though Zhou Prison was tyrannical and lawless...

As they say, birds of a feather flock together.

He had a large number of madmen under his command who thrived on chaos. For their shared interests, they ”loyally” upheld Zhou Prison’s absolute hegemony.

Wu Dao’s brazen entry...

Had long ago alerted the forces of Evil Demons and Outsiders under Zhou Prison’s command all along the way.

A flurry of messages...

Were frantically sent to Zhou Prison.

Naihe County.

The capital of the Yellow Springs Country.

Beneath a crimson sky roiling with thunder...

Lay a Human World Purgatory that would make even an Immortal descending to the mortal realm lose their nerve.

Halls of white bone, roads paved with skin.

A surging river of blood surrounds the city.

A deep purgatory imprisons vengeful souls.

”AH! Kill me!”

”Zhou Prison, may you die a horrible death!”

”The pain!!”

Below the Flesh and Blood Emperor Palace...

Within the Eighteen Layers of the Human World Purgatory, built in the image of the mythological Netherworld...

All manner of inhumane tortures were carried out without end, their sounds transforming into the ceaseless wails of fierce ghosts that echoed between heaven and earth.

In the deepest part of the Emperor Palace...

The red-haired, red-browed, red-faced Zhou Prison lounged unrestrainedly upon his imperial throne. Holding a bright red wine cup, he swayed his head, admiring the ”delicious delicacies” presented to him by the Executioners in the grand hall.

Hmm?

Suddenly, Zhou Prison’s brow furrowed.

His crimson eyes swept over the throne room, which was so filled with a mire of flesh and blood that there was hardly a place to stand. His gaze locked onto a small dish named ’Death by a Thousand Cuts’.

”Your Majesty, spare me, spare me!!”

The Executioner knew he had made a mistake and immediately fell to his knees on the fleshy ground, kowtowing and begging for forgiveness.

Because the dish he was preparing...

Was still a few cuts short of perfection.

Serving it early was...

”It’s fine. Just be more careful in your next life.”

Zhou Prison waved his hand dismissively and offered a benign smile, revealing a mouth full of scarlet fangs. Then he continued swaying his head.

”NO!!”

The Executioner let out a bloodcurdling scream and unleashed the strongest technique of his life, but it failed to make even a ripple. Black tendons and intestines shot out from the hall’s walls, binding him to an execution platform.

A new Executioner...

Soon walked in, hands trembling.

He was to continue the ’Death by a Thousand Cuts’.

To please Zhou Prison upon his throne.

VMM~

Just then...

The Communication Jade Talisman at Zhou Prison’s waist vibrated. He sent his consciousness into it:

”Your Majesty, the Overlord Whale King has entered the Northern Lands.”

’Wu Dao?’

Zhou Prison’s brow twitched, and a cold light flashed in his eyes before being suppressed with resignation. He replied, ”Pay him no mind.”

Before the Dragon Mud Cave Heaven opened...

It was no secret that Wu Dao’s avatar roamed the world hunting Alien Species.

His trip to the Northern Lands...

Was most likely also for Alien Species.

Unfortunately...

The Dragon Mud Cave Heaven had opened too quickly.

The providence of the Human Dao was rapidly draining away.

Although Zhou Prison had grown much stronger by using the rituals of Life Hell after establishing the Yellow Springs Country, he was still some distance from the Fourth Step.

If he had taken that step...

He would have been tempted to take revenge for the last time Wu Dao had insulted him.

As for now...

Without absolute certainty...

There was no need to create unnecessary complications before the Great Tribulation. It was best to just ignore him.

But what Zhou Prison did not expect was...

His subordinate’s trembling voice sounded once more:

”Your Majesty is wise, but... Wu Dao is rushing toward Naihe County, where the capital is located. His momentum is menacing; it is clear his intentions are hostile.”

”What did you say?”

A muscle in Zhou Prison’s cheek twitched. His expression darkened as he shot to his feet, scaring the Executioners in the hall into kowtowing in terror.

BOOM—DONG!

Before Zhou Prison could vent his fury...

As if a Divine Being were beating a war drum, as if a star were crashing into the earth...

An incomparably brilliant, star-colored divine light flashed across heaven and earth at high frequency. The entire Naihe County thundered, the sky and ground shook, and mountains trembled and exploded.

The aftershocks even rippled five or six thousand miles away to the capital itself.

The sea of blood surged to the heavens.

The palace of bone and flesh, along with the eighteen layers of hell beneath it, shook endlessly, for a moment drowning out the countless wails of agony.

VMM!

Zhou Prison slammed his hand down on the armrest of his throne. A boundless Divine Power instantly radiated throughout the capital, suppressing the cataclysmic, world-shattering disaster.

With a sweep of his perception...

He instantly confirmed Wu Dao’s position. Murderous light burst from his eyes as he roared in a fury that shattered the clouds:

”Wu Dao, you son of a bitch, you’ve gone too far!”

WOO WOO WOO—

Before the roar had faded...

The Purgatory rumbled, and the Nether River surged.

Wearing his Emperor’s Crown, Zhou Prison was wreathed in visions of bleeding Immortal Gods, appearing like the Fengdu Monarch who commanded the endless Evil Ghosts of Purgatory.

With a single step...

He crossed thousands of miles.

The world grew dark, and all creation lost its light.

Brimming with boundless killing intent...

Zhou Prison reached out a hand that blotted out the sun and sky. The Netherworld spun in his palm as he sought to suppress Wu Dao into the Eighteen Layers of Purgatory to suffer a punishment of eternal damnation.

Even a saint has his limits.

Let alone him, Zhou Prison!

To act so wantonly in the capital of his country!

This was the same as not putting him, Zhou Prison, in his eyes at all!

Regardless of the reason...

The essence of it was a great humiliation!

Anything less than killing him would not be enough to quell his rage!

...

Zhou Prison wasn’t wrong.

Wu Dao truly did not put him in his eyes.

Before Zhou Prison had erupted in fury...

Wu Dao, who had been tracking the Saint King, had swaggered across the border. With overwhelming momentum, he crossed the Yellow Springs and quickly arrived outside Naihe County.

He also saw the Human World’s Life Hell in the center of Naihe County, but he lost interest after a single glance.

His vast Spiritual Perception spread out.

He directly locked onto the hidden Saint King.

Without any hesitation.

And without the slightest consideration.

He reached out and clenched his fist!

He attacked!

”How dares he?”

Inside Naihe County.

Within a city filled with tyranny and sin, Lu Hongye’s eyes looked ready to split from their sockets as he stared at Wu Dao attacking in the distant sky. His heart instantly sank to the bottom of a ravine.

Naihe County was the capital of the Northern Emperor, Zhou Prison!

To be so reckless!

It was no different from slapping Zhou Prison across the face.

But Wu Dao dared to do it, and without so much as a word of warning!

A true madman!

”I’ll fight this madman to the death!!”

The Celestial King seized control of their consciousness and roared with vicious determination. He knew that their doom was inevitable today. Holding nothing back, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit instantly soared to their peak.

ROAR—!

The roar of a Beast God echoed through the heavens and the earth.

It transformed into a rolling thunderstorm that ravaged the ten directions.

A sea of blood churned, and beast skulls rolled within it.

The Heaven-Supporting Sea-Raising shadow of a crimson Beast God stomped and shattered the mountains and rivers. It roared at the sky, shattering a thousand miles of dark clouds as the boundless, primordial aura of a Fierce Beast surged like a vast ocean, filling the entire world.

In that instant, as the crisis of death descended...

The wills of Lu Hongye and the Celestial King achieved an unprecedented unity, their souls even showing signs of merging. They were burning their bridges for a fight to the death!

”Wind and Thunder Roar, Beast God Seal, kill!!”

CRACKLE—

The Heaven-Supporting Sea-Raising crimson God and Demon, formed from countless beast skulls, opened its mouth to roar.

The mountain-like muscles on its body swelled and rippled, spewing forth an ocean of Essence Blood that formed ten thunderous Divine Suns in the sky, illuminating the Great Thousand World.

Within the Abyss of the Beast God’s massive maw...

Wind and thunder surged, roiling like a sea, birthing the shadow of a purple Ancient Qilin Sacred Beast formed of wind and thunder. It galloped and roared, trampling heaven and earth.

RUMBLE—CRACK!!

Wherever the purple Wind and Thunder Qilin passed...

It was as if the ancestor of all lightning had descended upon the world.

Empowered by the ten thunderous great suns, it triggered the Celestial Punishment’s Gangfeng Thunderbolt from the dome of the sky. The gray Celestial Thunder Gang Wind transformed into a destructive torrent, like a great waterfall that cascaded down and drowned the world in all directions!

Horizontal Refining Ninth Gate Minor Achievement!

The Wind and Thunder Qilin Scripture Holy Spirit Divine Power—

Wind and Thunder Roar!

One roar to stir the wind and thunder, one step for the Qilin to trample the universe!

ROAR ROAR ROAR—

It wasn’t just the Wind and Thunder Roar.

In this desperate, all-or-nothing gamble...

The Nine Transformations Divine Techniques ’Beast God Seal’ that Lu Hongye cultivated was also pushed to its peak. Under the empowerment of the Celestial Treasure within his body, it nearly displayed the flair of the Absolute Peak.

The Fist Seal transformed into a golden, sacred seal as large as a star.

It was carved and entwined with countless Demon Beasts.

A symbol of the supreme, unparalleled authority of the beast race.

To rule over all living beings and shatter the eight extremes.

A head-on clash!

It met the punch that Wu Dao had thrown.