Essence Devouring Art

Burial Realm Juntian.

The deepest part of the Red Dust Realm.

The sky was as scarlet as Hell, and the Black Sea churned and roiled. An ultimate, fatal Tribulation Evil Qi permeated every inch of spacetime. All auras were suppressed and decaying, with no trace of life to be found.

It was hard to imagine.

That in Juntian, the most prosperous part of the Burial Realm, lay buried such a shocking forbidden zone of life.

In fact, ”forbidden zone” was not enough to describe it.

For this place was a Great Emperor’s Tomb!

”Since the Heaven Opening, every Great Emperor has been known by name, their might dominating an entire era. I wonder which Great Emperor is buried here.”

Outside the Black Sea.

The Demon Saints of the Burial Realm, led by the Black Mountain Demon Saint, felt the wisps of heavy, vast, and supreme majesty emanating from the depths of the Black Sea. They couldn’t help but swallow, their hearts filled with awe.

Daoists transcend, but Emperors are supreme.

Within the Hongyuan All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds, to become a Great Emperor, past or present, meant standing at the apex of the food chain, a majestic figure looking down upon the endless races and living beings of the Great Era!

Don’t be fooled by the fact that they were all Great Powers of the Saint Realm.

Beings with Mighty Divine Power, claiming to be omnipotent.

They were only a few steps away from the Emperor Realm.

But in reality, they were two completely different forms of life.

A single Great Emperor!

An ultimate lifeform that could often only be nurtured by the fortune and resources of a Complete Universe, and what’s more, they had to eliminate countless competitors!

It was simply too difficult.

Just becoming a Realm Master required Great Fortune.

A Complete Universe contained so many Worlds, so many living beings, so many Celestial Prides and Heroes. It was impossible to imagine what kind of fortune and unparalleled, invincible bearing one needed to stand out.

Therefore, an Emperor must not be insulted!

This saying wasn’t just because of their power.

More importantly, it came from a heartfelt admiration and respect for the strong.

But now...

They were about to rob a Great Emperor’s Tomb.

Even if the Emperor was dead.

Their inviolable Emperor’s Might still spanned across the ages, deterring all living beings. It made the assembled Demon Saints unable to suppress the fear growing in their hearts.

”The Heaven and Earth Rules here aren’t excessively ancient. There are remnants of Dao Essence from the era of the Five Tribulations. This should be a Great Emperor who fell during the Five Tribulations.”

One of the Demon Saints opened their Dharma Eye, peering into the traces of time. By reverse-engineering the rules, they determined the time of the Emperor’s Tomb’s formation, but they didn’t know which Great Emperor it was, nor were they clear on their specific strength in life.

Great Emperor, All Heavens Great Emperor, Mixed Yuan Tao Emperor.

The three stages on the path to becoming an Emperor.

The further one progressed, the greater their weight in the annals of history. A mysterious Great Emperor who had fallen during the Five Tribulations represented an unknown terror sufficient to make all of them extremely wary.

”The Heaven-Burying Alliance should know something. We must be careful not to be schemed against by them.”

The Black Mountain Demon Saint was wreathed in black mist, like a majestic Demon Mountain anchoring spacetime. His gaze swept coldly over the group of Demon Saints led by Su Xiuqi.

Ten thousand years ago.

The Heaven-Burying Alliance had opened the Emperor’s Tomb once before.

They had risen through the ranks by relying on the treasures from the tomb’s outer regions. Their understanding of the Emperor’s Tomb was definitely superior to anyone else present.

This information asymmetry meant they needed to be extra careful.

”The Emperor’s Tomb is about to open. Why hasn’t the Nirvana True Lord arrived yet?”

As they waited, another Demon Saint frowned, observing the surrounding spacetime.

The ominous Black Sea was about to dissipate, but the Nirvana True Lord, the one who initiated this feast at the Emperor’s Tomb, had yet to appear. The situation was a little strange.

”Heh, perhaps he’s already here, just waiting for us to scout the path.”

The Black Mountain Demon Saint’s eyes narrowed as his senses swept through spacetime, and he spoke coldly.

As an old Demon who had dominated the Burial Realm for tens of thousands of years, he could naturally see what Su Xiuqi and the others could see. He thought he had figured out the Nirvana True Lord’s game.

It was an overt plot.

Once they couldn’t control their greed, they would fall right into the Nirvana True Lord’s trap.

However, until the very end, it was impossible to know who the winner would be.

Since they dared to enter the game, they naturally had their own confidence.

Wu Dao had indeed arrived.

Using the Bitter Dust Robe and the Magnetic Field for concealment.

He hid in the spacetime on the outskirts of the Black Sea. After his gaze swept over the group of scheming Demon Saints, it turned toward the vast, churning darkness.

Calling it a sea wasn’t accurate.

To be precise, it was a black, foggy marsh that had gathered a deadly Tribulation Qi. The domain’s rules were extremely dangerous, and the spacetime within its depths was constantly shifting.

If one were to rush in recklessly.

Never mind those in the Saint Realm; even a Saint Master could get lost, become trapped, and die within, worn down to nothing by the fatal tribulation domain.

However.

This Black Sea wasn’t stable. It seemed to be a temporary product of colliding domains.

Wu Dao could feel it.

As the Magnetic Field’s domain changed, the danger of the Black Sea was gradually diminishing. It wouldn’t be long before it dissipated on its own.

They did not have to wait long.

「A few days later.」

The ocean of black mist completely dispersed!

Revealing a corner of the Emperor’s Tomb entrance below, which resembled a bottomless, black-hole-like Abyss!

BOOM!

The Abyss spewed forth an unimaginably ominous aura. The sound of a billion muffled thunderclaps boomed across the Ten Directions, shaking the outer Qiankun World. The entire Red Dust Realm trembled violently!

The commotion at the entrance to the Emperor’s Tomb was too immense!

It was as if an entire universe was opening up!

An overwhelming scarlet light erupted, carrying the aura of vast and ancient ages. A taboo fluctuation swept across the spacetime of the Ten Thousand Realms, flooding the boundless Star Sea beyond!

RUMBLE!

The entrance to the Abyss pulsed continuously!

With each pulse, it was like an eternal volcano erupting, spewing out an ultimate, ominous current that could bury the heavens, bury the earth, and bury all things, flooding the Star River and the Ten Thousand Realms!

The ancient qi that buried all things continued to surge forth!

It caused the vast seabed to tremble and shatter. A great fissure tore through the desolate and decaying Nine Heavens. The stars in the sky of the outer Red Dust Realm were extinguished in unison, and a massive cosmic rift was ripped open!

It was as if the Gate of Hell had been opened.

Everything was to be buried in death!

”How can this be?!”

Su Xiuqi and the Bixia Demon Saint were aghast. They retreated madly amidst the world-ending currents, unable to comprehend what change had occurred in the Emperor’s Tomb to create such a terrifying scene!

They had both entered the Emperor’s Tomb before.

The rules of the Emperor’s Tomb they had encountered then were nowhere near as shocking and unparalleled as this!

The Emperor’s Tomb!

An unpredictable, unknown change had occurred!

”Is there a universe buried inside?”

The Black Mountain Demon Saint and the other Great Powers were also retreating in horror, their scalps tingling with fear!

It was too horrifying.

The Black Abyss pulsed, releasing a taboo, blood-red light that could bury all things. It was like the gravitational pull of a universal core, tugging at the starry sky of the Ten Thousand Realms. All rules and order were on the verge of collapsing, completely unable to withstand this fluctuation!

’The Extreme Dao Bell...’

Wu Dao’s eyes narrowed as he, too, retreated.

The Qiankun Bell Key, which was vibrating incessantly within his body, had faintly triggered an unfathomable behemoth in the Abyss’s core, causing the abnormal change in the Emperor’s Tomb!

「At the same time.」

In the depths of the Taiyi Emperor Star.

”Old friend.”

As the mastermind, the Slaughter Emperor naturally sensed the reawakening fluctuation in the Emperor’s Tomb. He let out a complex sigh, then smiled playfully.

”My things aren’t so easily taken by those who are unworthy...”

RUMBLE!

The entrance to the Abyss continued to open!

It was as if a universe within the Chaos was shaking!

Vaguely, a scarlet Star Sea, a river of time, could be seen churning within. It spewed forth a murderous light of order from an ancient era!

The taboo fluctuation swept across the Nine Heavens and the ten lands.

The vast, black seabed was about to explode. Every inch of spacetime was filled with the grand-burial-of-all-things aura that terrified even the Great Powers. The group of Great Powers retreated again and again, the thought of fleeing rising in their hearts.

Fortunately.

This universe-destroying fluctuation came and went quickly. It seemed the Emperor’s Tomb was merely venting the Tribulation Evil Qi accumulated inside, not intentionally targeting any living being.

”Not good!!”

But just then, the Black Mountain Demon Saint’s pupils shrank. He noticed that Su Xiuqi’s group was taking advantage of the chaos, moving against the current of scarlet light and rushing toward the entrance of the Abyss first!

”The Heaven-Burying Alliance definitely knows the secrets of the Emperor’s Tomb! We can’t let them out of our sight! Follow them!”

A Demon Saint roared, halting his retreating figure. He tore through the rules of spacetime, shrinking the ground to an inch, and moved against the current of ominous, blood-red light. In an instant, he crossed over to the central Abyss on the black seabed.

”Trying to shake us off? Wishful thinking!”

The Black Mountain Demon Saint and his group of Demon Saints also reacted. Without the slightest hesitation, they summoned their Holy Soldiers for protection and rapidly crossed toward the Abyss.

After them.

After them came Wu Dao, hidden in the Magnetic Field like a phantom. After suppressing the rampaging Qiankun Bell Key within his body, he followed them into the Abyss.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

The Abyss, originally pitch-black and lightless.

Was now completely stained into a blood-colored passage by the ancient Tribulation Evil Qi and death energy accumulated in the Emperor’s Tomb. The scarlet light had almost become tangible!

The moment Wu Dao entered.

He felt an immense domain pressure, like being in the deep sea, as well as the impact of a ferocious, scorching ’magma’ surging toward him!

It was like moving against the current of an erupting volcano.

The temperature and pressure reached an extremely dangerous level. Anyone below the Saint Realm would likely be torn to shreds and turned into tribulation ash upon entry!

Even those in the Saint Realm felt immense pressure.

A single misstep could lead to one’s Life Domain being torn apart and blown away by the erupting scarlet, fatal Tribulation Qi, their spirit and flesh contaminated, and suffering grievous injuries.

Fortunately.

Wu Dao didn’t need to struggle to resist.

He had bought quite a few good things recently. His physique glowed with a faint silver light, like a shuttle moving against the current of a great river, and he was unaffected.

The passage through the Abyss seemed endless.

Upon reaching a certain area, the pressure suddenly vanished.

They were in a scarlet Chaos, with no up or down.

The Magnetic Field was in complete disarray.

It was filled with the aura of primordial, unjudged Chaos, and their senses were compressed into an extremely small range.

The Qiankun Bell Key, which had been vibrating and reacting earlier.

Now, it had strangely fallen silent.

In the dead silence.

It made even Wu Dao unable to tell.

Were they actually entering the Emperor’s Tomb, or were they traversing to some unknown, otherworldly land?

”Damn it!”

In the silence.

Su Xiuqi, who had been scouting at the very front, suddenly stopped, his expression turning extremely grim.

”Su Xiuqi, don’t even think about pulling any tricks!”

The Black Mountain Demon Saint and the other Great Powers also halted, sensing the wisps of scarlet airflow that drifted like smoke and mist through the surrounding spacetime.

They watched Su Xiuqi ahead of them warily.

”Heh, did I ask you to follow me?”

Su Xiuqi shot a cold glance at the Black Mountain Demon Saint’s group and exchanged a look with the Bixia Demon Saint, who also shook his head gravely.

The Emperor’s Tomb Domain had completely changed.

It was no longer the map they were familiar with. Moreover, it interfered with their perception of the rules. If they continued to advance recklessly, they might encounter unknown risks.

’We’ll have to feel our way forward from here. Don’t split up. Find a way to make Black Mountain Demon Saint and his group scout ahead for us.’

Su Xiuqi sent a voice transmission to Jia Baocai and the others.

Then.

Using some unknown means, they suddenly accelerated, vanishing into the scarlet Chaos ahead in an instant.

”A Grand Thousand Shifting Talisman?”

The Black Mountain Demon Saint’s group was caught off guard. They could only see the light of rule-patterns bloom before Su Xiuqi and his people vanished without a trace.

Further behind.

Wu Dao silently took out a Talisman densely covered in profound and arcane rule-patterns, looking like countless divine eyes blinking.

The Divine Eye Talisman.

Perceive the Grand Thousand, observe all its patterns.

A Grand Thousand Level single-use consumable Talisman.

BZZZT—

After activating the Divine Eye Talisman.

Wu Dao’s eyes shone brilliantly. He then also activated the Celestial Eye Technique from the Six Treasures Skill, a branch of the Seventy-two Heavenly Great Divine Powers!

With the two effects stacked.

Countless Primordial Magnetic Crystal Particles seemed to transform into divine eyes that could perceive the Grand Thousand. The hazy scene of the Chaos in the Ten Directions instantly became crystal clear.

Unfortunately.

The domain here was too vast and chaotic.

His vision was still limited and could not see the end.

However.

He did see Su Xiuqi and his group, hidden in the scarlet Chaos with sneers on their faces, tailing the Black Mountain Demon Saint’s group, who were buzzing around like headless flies.

Obviously.

They had pulled a trick.

They hadn’t gone far at all.

Instead, they wanted to let the Black Mountain Demon Saint’s group act as the pathfinding suckers.