Essence Devouring Art

Huanwu Peak!

The All Heavens were silent; Chaos churned!

In a world of deathly silence.

The Celestial Prides of the All Heavens, the Five Directions Lords,

and the many Creation Realm experts—at the very instant the blood-soaked Asura Demon Shadow’s thunderous roar shook the world, and as the sound of Mo Chen kowtowing echoed—finally saw their grief and sorrow turn to terror and rage!

No one could have possibly imagined it.

That Wuchen was so cunning and terrifying!

Not only had he successfully faked his death to deceive them all, letting everyone lower their guard and believe his body and Dao were about to perish!

But just as Mo Chen’s mind went slack, he had struck like a viper, revealing claws and fangs sharper than ever before—

The Mixed Lotus Extreme Path, Ten Grades of Flowering!

A tenfold Limit amplification!

With a single punch, he unleashed the terrifying Mighty Power to shatter a World’s barrier! With a single punch, he had beaten Mo Chen—clad in Celestial Soldier Armament—into a pile of mud, forced to kneel and kowtow!

How did he do it?

And where did he cultivate this Mixed Lotus Extreme Path?

None of that mattered now!

The Reincarnation Lineage, the Yellow Springs Holy Water, beating the heir of the Celestial Court to his knees, the karma from Chaos City...

One after another, each and every one.

They were all paths to certain death!

”You whelp! You will not be allowed to live!”

A voice as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice was the first to ring out.

From within Mo Chen’s source, which was nearly smashed into a pulp as his mind shattered and fell into darkness, a supremely Pure Qi light suddenly surged forth.

It manifested in the Nine Heavens as a tall, peerlessly beautiful woman in white, a sword in her hand, her expression sharp and her Emperor’s Might immense.

CLANG!

A flash of sword light descended like the Star River of the Nine Heavens!

It carried the supreme killing power of an Eternal Venerable as it slashed toward Wuchen, whose spirit and body were disintegrating into motes of light from the backlash!

”Haha, it was worth it!!”

As he rapidly disintegrated, Wuchen’s disheveled hair danced wildly. Like an Asura Killing God, he stood on the indistinct pile of mud and roared at the sky, showing not a shred of fear!

He knew the consequences of shattering the Dao Heart of this Child of Destiny and Fortune.

He had long since prepared an escape plan!

”You little bitch! When this Daoist Lord roamed the All Heavens, you were still suckling at your mother’s teat! Break for me!!”

The instant the magnificent sword light of the Star River descended,

a profound, ancient black light suddenly erupted from within Wuchen’s source Grotto Heaven. A towering, wolf-headed Daoist wearing a Mud Plow Daoist Robe and wreathed in the Eighteen Abyssal Prisons shot toward the heavens!

CLANG!

The wolf-headed Daoist’s black robes fluttered. With a glance that disdained the All Heavens, he abruptly drew the Five-Sectioned Broken Blade in his hand.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—

From within the first section of the broken blade,

the faint image of Three Thousand Demons pushing a great wheel could be seen, empowering the Black Blade. It unleashed an unparalleled slash that embodied the Reincarnation of the All Heavens and the annihilation of all things, tearing through the Star River sword light as if it were bamboo!

’Yuan Tu, the Netherworld King, isn’t dead?’

The tall woman in white raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t expected that what lay dormant inside Wuchen was a fragment of the Reincarnation Emperor’s Emperor’s Weapon, the Abi Saber!

She was even more surprised that—

the Emperor Spirit within the Abi Saber, Yuan Tu Dao King, had not perished in the Five Tribulations and had now revived!

The Abi Saber.

At its peak,

it was not only the Reincarnation Emperor’s Emperor’s Weapon,

but also the key to wielding the power of the Dao Artifact, the Eighteen Netherworlds!

Within the Netherworld,

the combat prowess of the Abi Saber’s Emperor Spirit, Yuan Tu, the Netherworld King, was no weaker than any Mixed Yuan Tao Emperor!

However...

That was in the past!

”A mere broken blade dares to act so presumptuously? Today, I’ll use you to knock on the gates of the Netherworld!”

The peerless woman in white’s gaze sharpened. Her reaction was incredibly fast. Just as Yuan Tu, the Netherworld King, was about to escape with Wuchen, her hand moved as if Picking Flowers and holding the moon. She formed a Sword Seal, invoking the World Law Order.

BUZZZZ—

In an instant,

the sky filled with intertwining rules and order. Pure Qi transformed into killing intent, and countless brilliant Killing Swords appeared, blanketing the entire, magnificent Huanwu Mountain. It was a Heaven and Earth Net descending upon Yuan Tu, the Netherworld King!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Huanwu Mountain shook and trembled violently!

The stubborn Chaotic Qi Flow that permeated the mountain from peak to foot was suddenly repelled and cleared away, as if blasted by the breath of rampaging dragons!

Divine lights of all colors and chains of World Law!

Carrying a pressure that would make any Cave Heavens Realm expert suffocate and tremble, they flooded the Ten Directions and eight poles!

The Creation Realm experts of the All Heavens had also made their move!

They all knew what a walking treasure trove like Wuchen represented. Even a sip of the soup would be a great Creation. They absolutely could not let him escape!

WHOOSH~

On the now-cleansed slopes of Huanwu Mountain,

Yaya’s three thousand strands of black hair drifted and danced in the immense pressure as a stark white color spread from her roots.

Her deep Black Pupils stared at the pile of mud on the Venerable Enlightenment Platform, which was rapidly recovering. A faint red light began to appear in her eyes.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—

But the instant her killing intent arose,

the Heart Lake Alarm Bell in Yaya’s mind suddenly rang wildly. The familiar, extreme, evil chill of Sen Leng emerged, filling every inch of heaven and earth as if an Ancient Fierce Beast was about to descend upon the World!

”Great danger! Run...”

Inside her Grotto Heaven,

the Little Caique trembled in fear, hysterically warning Yaya.

BZZZT!!

Yaya didn’t even think.

She turned, tore open space, and fled from Huanwu Mountain at top speed, not daring to hesitate for even a moment!

CLANG!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—

At that same instant,

the crowd of Creation Realm experts pursuing Wuchen and Yuan Tu, the Netherworld King, the various Celestial Prides on Huanwu Mountain...

all felt their Heart Lake Alarm Bells ring wildly. A chill ran down their spines as they sensed a great and terrifying darkness descending upon Huanwu Mountain!

BOOM—!!

The Big Black Wolf revived a sliver of Yuan Tu Dao King’s Mighty Power. With Wuchen, who was on the verge of death from the backlash of the Mixed Lotus Extreme Path, he burst out of Huanwu Mountain’s Emperor Artifact Domain in a flash of thunder and lightning.

CLANG~

The Heart Lake Alarm Bell subsided.

Before the Big Black Wolf could even sigh in relief,

he turned his head and saw a sight that made his pupils shrink!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—

Countless chains linked together with blinding speed. The sound of a Divine Iron Gate sealing shut resounded through the Star Sea. In the Ten Directions above and below Huanwu Mountain, billions of stars that had previously been extinguished were now shining brilliantly once more at an unimaginable speed!

’Is Huanwu Mountain reviving?’

RUMBLE—

Before the horrified Big Black Wolf could react,

the torrent of World Law unleashed by the white-clothed woman and the Creation Realm experts, carrying the great power to create and destroy worlds, surged toward the man and the wolf like a billion-layered, boundless ocean.

But just a hundred miles away!

A distance of one hundred miles, a space-time that should have been nonexistent for Creation Realm experts, had now become an insurmountable chasm, a celestial wall!

BANG! BANG! BANG—

The torrents of law from the All Heavens Creation Realm experts, each powerful enough to refine a World, smashed into the void-like cage as if they were colored glass hitting a Divine Wall, exploding into brilliant starlight!

This brilliant starlight,

originating from the core of the Creation Realm experts’ bombardment, flashed and spread through the Ten Directions of space-time like a web of chains.

In less than the time it takes for a thought to form,

the vast Huanwu Mountain—

heaven above and earth below, the Ten Directions and eight poles—

was completely and tightly enveloped by the cage of starlight. Through the final, shimmering gaps in the swarming, sealing chains,

the Big Black Wolf could even see the tall, white-clothed woman, her brow furrowed in a mixture of unwillingness, shock, and fury.

BUZZZZ—

The Star Array continued to revive. Billions of starlights erupted like volcanoes, illuminating the dark universe. They channeled the vast power of the boundless Star Sea, forming a fantastical and mesmerizing galactic vortex that enveloped Huanwu Mountain.

”That is...”

As the Big Black Wolf fled, he watched the terrifying changes at the core of the Star River vortex—or rather, the being that had appeared there!

It was too majestic, too sacred!

A figure in black robes slowly rose from the core of the vortex. Billions of stars orbited it, seeming no more than specks of dust!

The moment it spread its arms,

the vast Star River became a small toy, a spinning plate held in its embrace. Behind its head shone a Dao Wheel even more brilliant and immense than the galaxy itself.

It was a sight that one could not look at directly!

Just perceiving it caused one’s mind and soul to be bombarded by a massive Magnetic Field of information. A single extra glance could turn one into an idiot!

”Agh! What is that thing?!”

Even the Big Black Wolf screamed in pain, his eyes stinging, his Divine Soul nearly lost.

In the end,

he only saw seventy-two majestic figures, like Chaos God-Demons, rise from all directions of the Star River. They were wreathed in heaven-shattering Reversed Dragons, and on their chests was an inauspicious totem: a host of dragons without a leader.

’The Dragon Hunting Tower?!!’

”Quickly... go... leave... the Emperor Star... directly...”

Before the Big Black Wolf could recover from his shock,

Wuchen, completely spent and at death’s door, took a deep look at the brilliant, untouchable galaxy enveloping Huanwu Mountain and urged the Big Black Wolf to flee immediately.

Not long ago,

he had doubted the authenticity of the Dragon Hunters on the Emperor Star. Now, feeling that same familiar aura from before,

he was completely certain.

’These people aren’t Dragon Hunters at all!’

’But what they’re about to do...’

’...is something even the Dragon Hunting Tower would never dare!’

It was also at this very moment,

that he truly understood just how savage and domineering his master was. He either didn’t act at all, or when he did, he shook the heavens!

Along with his shock,

Wuchen also felt an irrepressible chill!

’From beginning to end,’

’I was just a tool in my master’s hands, a sharp blade forged specifically to deal with Mo Chen!’

’This battle today...’

’I gave it my all, exhausted every resource...’

’...now it all seems utterly laughable.’

’Because it seems I was merely a probing stone, meant to test Mo Chen’s trump cards.’

’If I hadn’t proven my value...’

’...would Master have abandoned his plan and refrained from acting?’

’Absolutely not!’

’We’ve only crossed paths twice in my life,’

’but my understanding of my master is bone-deep. It’s something I can’t escape.’

’In the eyes of that master of mine, everything in the world is distinguished only by whether it has value or not.’

’The supposed bond between master and disciple...’

’Heh.’

’Perhaps.’

’The reason he let me out...’

’...defeating Mo Chen was one part of it.’

’But the karma of the Reincarnation Emperor that I carry... that was the most important thing...’

”Kid, once word of this gets out, there will be no place for you in all the heavens...”

The Big Black Wolf carried Wuchen away at top speed, his face grim as he pondered their next move.

”Shan... Shanhai... Pass.”

Having forced the Ten Grades of Flowering,

Wuchen was suffering an unprecedented backlash. Now just a faint wisp of his source, he used his last ounce of strength to name their prepared escape route.

’Shanhai Pass?’

”Hahaha, I almost forgot about that place! It can definitely keep you safe!”

The Big Black Wolf’s eyes lit up.

BOOM!!

But the vast fluctuations of the battle from the core of the Star Sea made him shiver involuntarily.

’The Emperor Star is about to become a powder keg!’

The Big Black Wolf didn’t dare to hesitate, speeding with all his might toward the nearest Dao City.

Before that, however...

Back on Huanwu Mountain!

The Star Sea Array activated, sealing the Ten Directions of the universe!

Hundreds of World Heavy Artifacts were revived without regard for the cost, becoming the energy source for the Star Sea Array.

Like adding oil to a raging fire, the intensely blazing Magnetic Field of the Star River transformed into countless chains, forming a cage that sealed off all escape routes from Huanwu Mountain!

Wu Dao, who had lain dormant for so long,

finally revealed his greedy fangs!

He spread his arms to embrace the galactic vortex, looking down upon the horrified and furious Celestial Prides and Creation Realm experts within Huanwu Mountain. His voice boomed like the thunder of exploding Chaos:

”A host of dragons without a leader—a most auspicious sign for the world!”

BUZZZZ—

The moment his voice fell,

before the shocked eyes of thousands of Celestial Prides, hundreds of majestic black figures, like Gods and Demons, appeared within the brilliant Star River!

Each one carried a terrifying pressure that would make a Grotto Heaven expert suffocate and a Creation Realm expert frown. Like descending stars, they smashed into various locations on Huanwu Mountain!

”The Dragon Hunting Tower?”

On Huanwu Peak, the tall woman in white robes purer than snow was wreathed in Pure Qi, her expression exuding the domineering air of one who looks down upon the All Heavens as a venerable.

After hearing the mysterious, majestic figure’s thunderous slogan, ”A host of dragons without a leader—a most auspicious sign for the world!”, her cold, clear gaze swept over the black-robed figures who had descended like Descent Demon Gods, each wreathed in the inauspicious, bloodthirsty aura of Reversed Dragons.

’This aura...’

’Confirmed!’

’It’s the people from the Dragon Hunting Tower!’

But even though she had lived for a million years,

she had never seen a situation as insane as this!

’Inside Huanwu Mountain right now!’

’are gathered a vast number of Celestial Prides from the Grotto Heaven Level of the Hongyuan Heavenly Realms, as well as many Creation Realm experts from various Daoist Lineages and even figures from the Common Lord Powers!’

’If something happens here...’

’Has the Dragon Hunting Tower gone completely mad?!’