Essence Devouring Art

Boundless Ancestral Land!

ROOOOAR—

Nine Thunder Flood Dragons roared, shattering the Nine Heavens Cloud Sea.

With the speed of an instant, as if shifting the very stars, the Thunder King’s Treasure Chariot carried the Little Thunder King and the other Celestial Prides from the Thunder Emperor Palace. They were the first to enter the Infinite Ancestral Hall’s domain!

CRACKLE~

The Little Thunder King stepped out of the Thunder King’s Treasure Chariot.

His Divine Power was world-encompassing, his posture domineering. His towering physique was clad in a Heavy Artifact Dharma Robe that flowed with purple divine thunder. As his eyes opened and closed, a Thunder Sea was born and destroyed within them, making him seem like the Thunder God descended to the mortal world.

”This is...”

The Little Thunder King stood at the edge of the Star Sea. The moment his domineering, cold eyes pierced through this small Star Sea, his entire body began to tremble!

”Heavens, these stars...”

”They’re condensed from the flesh and blood of a Desolate God! All the stars in the sky are made from Desolate God flesh and blood!”

”This is too extravagant! It’s as if they were nurturing a Chaos Body!”

The Little Thunder King’s followers were terrified!

The setup here was simply too terrifying.

The stars filling this entire Star Sea were all forged from the flesh and blood of a Desolate God!

They spontaneously spewed forth billions of layers of Chaos-colored Ancestor Essence Qi, roiling with a world-overwhelmingly ferocious aura. Faintly, countless vicious and savage Desolate Gods could be heard roaring!

The Celestial Prides felt their mouths go dry.

They felt as if their physical bodies couldn’t withstand such a savage Desolate God’s pressure. It felt like their Grotto Heavens would shatter and their very souls would crack apart!

What was this place?

This was a holy treasure ground for the Horizontal Body Cultivator lineage! Cultivating in a sea of Ancestor Essence Qi would make stepping into the Undying Body realm effortless!

HUUU—

INHALE—

The sound of breathing swept through the Nine Heavens Star Sea!

Billions of stars surged like a tide. At the center, wreathed in both ferocious and sacred light, the Infinite Ancestral Hall was blindingly brilliant. It gathered all the Ancestor Essence Qi of the Star Sea, radiating fluctuations of the Strongest force!

It was spontaneously inhaling and exhaling Ancestor Essence Qi!

It seemed to be nurturing something!

It was like a colossal cosmic beast breathing, causing the Star Sea to rise and fall. Worlds in the Ten Directions were born and died with its every breath. The terrifying aura it released made even a monster like the Little Thunder King’s hair stand on end!

”Something’s not right!”

After his initial excitement, the Little Thunder King’s gaze turned cold. His large hand, wreathed in lightning, seized a Desolate God star and crushed it into fine ash. He discovered that its Essence Qi and Divine Power had been almost completely depleted!

”So much of the Desolate Gods’ flesh and blood Essence Qi has been almost completely devoured by the Ancestral Hall!”

”Was the Boundless Sacred Land trying to nurture a Chaos Body?”

”It’s hard to say. Perhaps it’s all been concentrated inside the Ancestral Hall!”

Yang Li, Lian Yue, and the Daoist Children from other Celestial Domains also arrived. After observing the situation, they all sighed in frustration.

They also noticed that the stars in the Star Sea, forged from the flesh and Essence Blood of Desolate Gods, had all withered. Their essence had been completely devoured by the grand and sacred Holy Hall at the center!

If they were in their complete state, any power that obtained these Desolate God stars could have definitely cultivated a large number of cultivators with the Undying Body, or even the Sacred Body!

However, when they saw the Infinite Ancestral Hall at the center, inhaling and exhaling the essence of the Star Sea like a colossal cosmic beast, an unprecedented greed erupted in their eyes!

The Ancestral Hall was exceptionally extraordinary!

It released a heavy pressure that made even the Daoist Children’s hearts pound in fear, and it seemed to be forged entirely from rare, ancient Immortal Treasures!

It stood at the apex of the Star Sea like an Emperor of force ruling over All Heavens. It overflowed with flowing light and its divine radiance stretched for thousands of miles. Its Dao Wheels illuminated the Three Thousand Worlds, and every breath it took diffused a mist of Ancestor Essence Qi!

”The Infinite Ancestral Hall... a Saint Master Divine Weapon!”

The hearts of the Celestial Prides who knew the secrets of the Four Tribulations began to pound wildly.

They had never expected that this vicious hall, which had slain countless Desolate Gods during the Four Tribulations, would be so perfectly preserved!

Without the Emperor Realm, Saint Masters reigned supreme!

If a Saint Master Divine Weapon unleashed its full Mighty Power, it would be comparable to a strike from a Saint Master themselves—the power of the Three Thousand Great Worlds could make the Grand Cosmos tremble and shatter.

Any power would fight to the death to seize a Supreme Treasure like this!

Not to mention...

...a Star Sea’s worth of Desolate God flesh and blood essence was all concentrated within the Holy Hall. It was a truly supreme treasure!

”The Infinite Golden Body!!”

The Little Thunder King’s thunder robe whipped in the wind, his eyes bursting with crackling thunderbolts. His gaze locked onto the Earth-Shattering Golden Stele at the core of the magnificent Ancestral Hall, its world-overwhelming aura shaking the Grand Cosmos!

The Infinite Golden Body!

The supreme legacy of the Boundless Sacred Land!

Cultivating it to its peak could result in the Infinite Saint Body, allowing one’s physical strength to battle those in the Emperor Realm. It could absolutely be considered an Emperor Scripture!

”Quick, look! Why is there someone under the Golden Stele?”

Suddenly!

A Celestial Pride noticed something unusual. Beneath the Infinite Golden Stele, a figure wreathed in Chaos Qi was actually absorbing the Ancestral Hall’s Essence Qi and comprehending the Infinite Golden Body!

”You’re courting death!!”

The Little Thunder King’s expression darkened. With a voice like a thunderous flood from the Nine Heavens, he steered the Nine Dragon Treasure Chariot, wrapped in a vast Thunder Sea, and smashed his way forward, crushing the stars in his path with utter arrogance!

”Bastard!”

Yang Li and Lian Yue’s eyes looked ready to split from rage, and their expressions were as ugly as if they’d just eaten shit.

Their two Emperor’s Lineages had expended immense manpower and resources to open the Boundless Ancestral Land!

Now, not only did they have to share the spoils, but someone had even dared to get there first! The suppressed rage and frustration were about to drive them mad!

”The Infinite Golden Stele is connected to the Infinite Holy Hall! Whoever comprehends the legacy first will be able to control the Ancestral Hall! We have to interrupt him and kill him!”

The expressions of the Daoist Children from the other Imperial Influences were also grim. Spitting out chilling, murderous words, they charged menacingly toward the Ancestral Hall!

The powers behind them were all Overlord-level existences in the All Heavens.

Trying to fleece them was like the God of Longevity eating arsenic—a clear death wish!

WHOOSH~

As the Celestial Prides of the All Heavens rampaged in fury, Wu Dao also stepped silently into this Star Sea, which was filled with a world-overwhelmingly ferocious might, and discovered something unusual about the Magnetic Field’s layout.

The Magnetic Field of the entire Star Sea, which was forged from the Essence Blood and flesh of Desolate Gods, was all converging on the brilliant and resplendent Holy Hall at the center.

Not only that, but the large and small Pocket Worlds within the Ancestral Land, along with their Dragon Veins and Creation Qi, were all flowing back to their source, nourishing this Holy Hall.

Or perhaps...

...they were nourishing a certain existence within the Ancestral Hall!

Wu Dao’s indifferent gaze swept past Su Chen, who was beneath the Infinite Golden Stele, as he tried to peer through the internal layout of the Ancestral Hall.

Because he could faintly sense that within the Ancestral Hall, there were wisps of an abyssal, world-overwhelming Life Magnetic Field that made even his heart pound. It was inhaling and exhaling the essence of the Grand Cosmos, and it seemed ready to reawaken at any moment!

Could it be...

...that the people of the Boundless Sacred Land hadn’t all died out?

And that they had survived to this era!

If that were true, then the situation here was rather terrifying!

BZZZT~

Within the Ancestral Hall, which was as magnificent as a world unto itself, it was like a nest for birthing Gods and Demons. The divine, cloud-like Essence Qi surged like a tide, and a single breath felt like it could make one ascend to immortality.

The Little Thunder King charged in, steering his Treasure Chariot.

But the Nine-headed Thunder Flood Dragon seemed unable to bear the savage pressure emanating from the Ancestral Hall. It stopped outside, wailing in terror, absolutely refusing to enter.

Not only that, but the Little Thunder King and the others also sensed that it was no ordinary place inside the Ancestral Hall.

Every inch of space was filled with a suppressive force as heavy as a vast ocean. Those with weaker cultivation couldn’t even withstand it; their bodies began to crack as they coughed up blood!

”Get down here, and don’t force my hand!”

The Little Thunder King’s gaze locked onto the area beneath the colossal Golden Stele that pierced the Star Sea at the center of the Realm Hall. He frowned and barked out a cold command.

He sensed a somewhat familiar aura on that Chaos-wreathed figure. It reminded him of a certain major power, which made him hesitate instead of striking with thunderous force.

”Dammit! So many treasure pits, and they’re all empty!”

Yang Li and the others also entered the Ancestral Hall, which was interwoven with immortal light and Dao Patterns. They discovered that the hall was filled with treasure pits that had once collected liquefied Ancestor essence, but many of them were now empty.

And they had been absorbed and depleted recently.

Without a doubt, it was the work of that Chaos-wreathed figure beneath the Golden Stele!

However, what they didn’t understand was why the normally tyrannical Little Thunder King hadn’t immediately lashed out in a rage. Instead, his expression was uncertain, as if he was wary of something.

”Brother Lei, your temper is as fiery as ever.”

WMMM~

While everyone was staring in shock and confusion, the Chaos-wreathed figure beneath the Infinite Golden Stele finally finished his comprehension. As his eyes opened, the Star Sea seemed to plummet, and a chaotic, abyssal aura emanated from him, making the hearts of everyone present sink heavily!

It was no less than the Little Thunder King’s!

No. Faintly, his aura seemed even stronger!

If facing the Little Thunder King was like a mortal facing a wild beast—frightening, but with the will to resist—then the person before them was an indestructible mountain. The very aura he released was suffocating them!

They also noted the form of address—’Brother Lei!’. This person dared to speak calmly with the Little Thunder King as a peer!

Then this person’s identity...

”From Chaos City... Su Chen?”

The Little Thunder King finally recognized the identity of the Chaos-wreathed figure. His eyes narrowed, and a shadow of gloom fell over his heart.

Chaos City!

As soon as this name was spoken, the expression of everyone present changed, their eyes filling with awe and wariness!

Among the All Heavens, powers were divided into various ranks. Only a power with an Emperor Realm expert or an Emperor Scripture legacy was qualified to be called an Emperor’s Lineage.

Within the Emperor’s Lineages, due to the Three Realms of the Emperor Road, they were further divided into three tiers—Emperor’s Lineage, All Heavens Emperor’s Lineage, and Primordial Dao Lineage!

And above these three tiers was the Common Lord Power, revered by an entire Celestial Domain, which no one dared to defy!

The Celestial Court of the Nine Heavens.

The Luotian Sword Realm of Daluo Heaven.

The Rising Dragon Celestial Dynasty of Profound Yellow Heaven.

The Fire-Raising Sect of Heaven-Burning Fire.

...

Each was the supreme Common Lord of a Celestial Domain!

And Chaos City!

The Fuguang World’s Common Lord!

It brought together peak cultivators from all paths of the All Heavens, possessed more than one Mixed Yuan Tao Emperor, and Chaos City itself was a Dao Artifact!

Faced with such a supreme Common Lord Power, let alone those from mere Emperor’s Lineages or All Heavens Emperor’s Lineages, even the Little Thunder King from the Daoist Inheritance Thunder Emperor Palace wouldn’t dare to be too insolent or disrespectful.

Even if it was just a successor they were facing!

One had to show deference to their backer.

With Chaos City as a backer, one would be treated as an honored guest anywhere, received with courtesy and respect.

However... ...being respected didn’t mean they were to be feared!

The powers behind every person present were not some mud-legged peasants that a Common Lord could crush at will in a fit of anger.

When the younger generation competed, if the older generation were to step in, it would be a joke in the All Heavens, a needless loss of status!

Furthermore, tens of millions of years ago, when the Taiyi Emperor Star first opened, the All Heavens Lords jointly established a rule: life and death are ruled by fate, and everything depends on one’s own ability!

Even a One Day Lord wouldn’t dare to risk universal condemnation by challenging the order and rules of the All Heavens.

”Heh, Brother Su, you truly have some impressive methods. It must have been quite amusing watching us run around like headless chickens out there, right?”

The Little Thunder King’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Su Chen with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. His stance, not retreating a single step, made it clear he had no intention of giving up.

Su Chen. A monster who had risen in the Fuguang World over the last fifty years. He had steamrolled through the Celestial Prides of Chaos City, firmly securing the position of number one Daoist Child in every realm.

His cultivation was at the twenty-seventh layer of the Emperor Grade Cave Heaven.

He possessed all the foundations a monster like him should have.

And...

The Little Thunder King recalled a certain rumor.

His wariness of Su Chen deepened, and he knew that trying to seize the Infinite Ancestral Hall today would likely come at a heavy price.

”A trivial trick, hardly worth Brother Lei’s notice.”

Wisps of Chaos Qi swirled around Su Chen’s body. His features were gentle and approachable, and his gaze remained perfectly calm and placid.

But his innate nobility, and the perspective that came with his power, meant that he only paid attention to the Little Thunder King. The others weren’t even in his line of sight.

”Hmph! Enough with the pleasantries!”

The Little Thunder King snorted coldly. His towering frame began to radiate wisps of Celestial Might and lightning as his Battle Intent brewed and surged.

”It’s impossible for you to take this all for yourself. You’ll have to get through us first.”

He was domineering, but not brainless.

He knew he couldn’t defeat Su Chen alone.

Only by uniting with the other Daoist Children to first eliminate Su Chen, the greatest threat, could he bring his own advantages to bear.

”That’s right! On the Emperor Star, everyone relies on their own ability. We’d also like to see what methods a monster from Chaos City has!”

Yang Li, Lian Yue, and the other All Heavens Daoists also took a step forward, their powerful Battle Intent sweeping through the Star Sea as they targeted Su Chen from all directions.

They weren’t afraid of the Little Thunder King; by joining forces, they would have a chance to compete with him. But Su Chen was the greatest wild card. He was so much stronger than them that it was enough to make them—who would normally fight for themselves—unite to deal with him first.

”There’s no rush to decide who the Ancestral Hall belongs to.”

Facing the united front of the All Heavens’ Celestial Prides, Su Chen’s expression remained gentle and calm. His gaze shifted to an empty patch of the Star Sea as he spoke indifferently,

”Wait for me to settle a matter of karma before us. Then, I will compete with all of you.”

His tone revealed a powerful confidence, as if this were just some insignificant trifle—a small warm-up before the real battle.