Essence Devouring Art

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In a fraction of an instant!

The Evil Lotus, as vibrant as a mosaic!

Bloomed once more, reaching an unbelievable 150-petal grade!

And in response!

A savage grin plastered on his face, Wu Dao exploded into fragments of flesh from the backlash!

The fragments then exploded into a mist of blood!

The mist of blood exploded again, breaking down into countless Primordial Magnetic Crystal Particles, molecules, atoms... its microscopic magnetic field structure continuously degrading.

Down to the most basic microscopic particles!

And even then—

the basic particles continued to disintegrate!

BOOM!

Like fuel poured on a fire, the Divine No Evil Lotus flared, blooming to a 200-petal grade! Countless cracks appeared on it, pushing it to the very brink of self-destruction!

One step further, and it would become a Divine Image Heaven!

But this was enough!!

CLANG!!!

The clash of Divine Iron resounded throughout the Grand Cosmos like a thunderclap, shattering the desolate Star Seas in the universe’s border wilderness and reducing the Little Cosmos to utter Chaos!

The Heaven-Burying Saber!

It was actually blocked!

Locked in a furious struggle with the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe in the center of the roiling Chaos, it was held at a perception-shattering stalemate, even as cracks began to form on it!

”So that’s what this Divine Axe is. No wonder!”

The Heaven-Burying Emperor stood with his hands clasped behind his back. The Heaven-Burying Saber hummed behind him as if awakening, and his eyes, reflecting the thrumming proto-cosmos at the core of the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, recognized its origin.

The Heaven-Opening Divine Axe!

The supreme treasure of the Giant Axe Sacred Land!

A top-tier Saint Master Divine Weapon!

In other words, a Quasi-Emperor Weapon!

During the era of the Four Tribulations.

The first Saint Master of the Giant Axe Sacred Land had cultivated the Great Divine Power of Heaven and Earth Creation to its absolute peak. With his Quasi-Emperor Cultivation, he wielded the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and traded his life to cleave a Mountain Sea Ancestor King (a Great Emperor) in two!

Such a feat!

It was proof enough that the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, when revived to its peak, could contend with an Emperor’s Weapon to some extent!

But...

A Creation Realm cultivator reviving a Quasi-Emperor Weapon?

Never mind the immense amount of Grand Thousand World Mother Liquid required to revive a Quasi-Emperor Weapon.

Normally.

Only someone with a Great Saint Cultivation should be able to revive a Quasi-Emperor Weapon!

But the person before him was clearly an exception to the rule!

That Evil Lotus seemed to be derived from the Mixed Lotus Extreme Path, one of the Ten Great Supreme Divine Techniques, and he had impossibly pushed it to an unheard-of 200-petal grade!

He had forcibly revived the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe!

It also seemed he had mastered the Original Soldier Resolution, another of the Ten Great Supreme Divine Techniques, allowing him to ignore cultivation realms to a degree and control Divine Weapons!

The tenacity of his life force!

The indestructibility of his will!

Even under the backlash of a 200-petal grade lotus, he stood firm on the line of death, refusing to fall!

’His Dao…’

Reeling from one surprise after another, the Heaven-Burying Emperor’s curiosity magnified infinitely, and he tried to see through to the essence of Wu Dao’s Great Dao.

But it was shrouded in mist. Even he could not see it clearly.

”You are very clever. You knew this Emperor had returned from tribulation and was not at my peak, so you dared to harbor such an audacious, insane thought.”

The Heaven-Burying Emperor nodded in admiration, then added with regret:

”Unfortunately, you were too hasty. Even if I only have my Emperor’s Might left, an unbridgeable chasm still separates you and me!”

The moment his voice fell!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—

The Heaven-Burying Saber’s edge was boundless!

It suppressed the Heaven-Opening Axe’s light, causing it to constantly shatter. Great fissures even appeared in the material of the Quasi-Emperor Weapon, which looked as if it could disintegrate at any moment!

The might of an All Heavens Emperor’s Soldier, revived by the Emperor Dao!

It was not something a Quasi-Emperor Weapon could ever hope to challenge!

Not to mention.

The Heaven-Burying Emperor had refined a Cosmic Seed as his Life Embryo, giving him an endless supply of Cosmic Essence!

Wu Dao’s actions were complete suicide!

”Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. A Phoenix in distress is less than a chicken. You were once a Great Emperor, but you are not one now! Star Mother!!”

BOOM!

Just as Wu Dao’s crazed roar began!

On the other side of the Chaos!

Boundless starlight and boundless holy light!

Dreamlike starlight and sacred golden light illuminated the Chaotic Cosmos as a hall—more magnificent and transcendent than any Emperor’s Tomb—slowly rose. A proto-cosmos thrummed within, releasing an immortal and un extinguishable Quasi-Emperor God’s light!

The Infinite Holy Hall!

A top-tier Saint Master Divine Weapon that was once as famous as the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe—another Quasi-Emperor Artifact!

BANG!

The sound of shattering glass rang out!

The Star Mother, wielding the Infinite Holy Hall, also manifested a 200-petal grade Star-Colored Evil Lotus. The backlash her true Dao Wheel body suffered was even more severe than Wu Dao’s.

She was completely annihilated, not a single trace left!

But she was a life form of magnetic field information, every bit as tenacious as Wu Dao. As long as her information wasn’t completely burned away, she could not die. She transformed into countless runic data points, condensing into a Yaya constructed of starlight!

RUMBLE!

”You dare hurt Father God? I’ll crash into you and kill you!”

Star Mother Yaya spoke with an icy expression on her little face. With a wave of her small hand, she controlled every ounce of the Quasi-Emperor Weapon’s might with extreme precision, piloting the Infinite Holy Hall to smash through the Chaos—

and barrel toward the astonished Heaven-Burying Emperor!

At that exact moment!

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—BANG!

Wu Dao pushed himself again, forcing out another petal on his Evil Lotus. Even his basic magnetic particles began to disintegrate as he revived the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe to the point of self-destruction!

CLANG CLANG CLANG—BOOM!

The Heaven-Opening Divine Axe completely exploded!

Unleashing one final, peak strike!

The Chaos itself was wiped out, leaving only a vacuum!

At the cost of a Quasi-Emperor Weapon, he had pinned down the Heaven-Burying Saber, preventing the Heaven-Burying Emperor from diverting his attention to deal with the Infinite Holy Hall!

His previous rampage in the Emperor’s Temple! It was not, of course, Wu Dao simply going berserk!

His goal was twofold.

First, to confirm the state of the Heaven-Burying Saber!

And second, to use Su Xiuqi and the others as sacrificial pawns to open the Emperor’s Tomb!

That madman, the Slaughter Emperor. Although he had few dealings with him, Wu Dao had a profound understanding of his philosophy: use any means necessary, for only the strong reign supreme.

With a person like that, if you wanted to obtain his treasure, you couldn’t let your guard down for a single moment, even standing right before it.

Otherwise, you wouldn’t even know how you died!

Because the Slaughter Emperor chose his people. He never relied on fate, only on whether someone was worthy. If you weren’t worthy and couldn’t pass his tests, you were useless, completely without value!

Therefore, when Wu Dao had faked his death earlier, he had intended to use Su Xiuqi and the others to see what dangers still lurked within the Emperor’s Temple!

The result was obvious—

a Great Emperor guarded the pass, and an Emperor’s Weapon blocked the way!

It was no mistake to call the Slaughter Emperor a madman!

If he had foolishly killed Su Xiuqi and the others and gone to open the Emperor’s Tomb himself, caught off guard, he would absolutely have been indiscriminately ground to dust by the revived Heaven-Burying Saber!

No matter how well he hid, it would have been useless!

The reason he dared to swing his axe was because he had confirmed that the Heaven-Burying Saber’s magnetic field was desolate, like a ”dried corpse”—all form but no substance—incapable of reviving to its peak state.

Then, by having the Star Mother reverse-engineer the source information of the Realm-Slaying Blade’s magnetic field, he confirmed that the Heaven-Burying Emperor hadn’t truly lived a second life, but had instead used a Cosmic Seed as an embryo!

He’d be hard-pressed to even reach Great Venerable Cultivation!

In that case, what else was there to say!

Get him!

RUMBLE—!!!

The Chaos exploded as the Holy Hall sped through!

In less than the time it took for a thought, the suddenly appearing Star Mother piloted the Infinite Holy Hall, catching the Heaven-Burying Emperor completely by surprise. The physical body he had condensed using sacrifices was instantly blasted into dust!

The Cosmic Seed! It was rammed by the Infinite Holy Hall and smashed violently into the black tomb mountain, shattering half the mountain and revealing the Ultimate Creation Land within the tomb!

”You...”

In a fleeting glance, the Divine Soul of the Heaven-Burying Emperor, residing within the Cosmic Embryo, frowned in surprise once more!

Inside the Chaos Treasure Vault at the core of the Emperor’s Tomb!

Another Wu Dao!

He was pressing the incomplete Qiankun Bell in his hand into the keyhole of the treasure vault, which was wreathed in Chaos Qi!

’When did...’ Even the Heaven-Burying Emperor couldn’t understand.

It was true he had returned and was recultivating, but he still possessed the perception of a Great Venerable’s Divine Soul. Yet he hadn’t detected in the slightest that Wu Dao had sent an incarnation into the Emperor’s Tomb!

However, when he recalled that he couldn’t see through Wu Dao, it all made sense.

’This madman must control some kind of top-tier concealment Celestial Treasure, one that binds to his very concept of self, allowing even his incarnation to have the effect of Concealing Celestial Secrets.’

Everything happened in the span of a thought!

Outside the Emperor’s Tomb’s Chaos Treasure Vault!

”Open for me!!”

Wu Dao’s incarnation pressed the Qiankun Bell into the opening of the Imperial Tomb Vault, his roar like rolling thunder, and unleashed his Reversed Celestial Spirit Divine Technique at its peak!

BZZZT!!

In an instant!

The Chaos Treasure Vault seemed to come alive!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—

It shot out an unimaginably strong, deadly light. From within, the sound of Divine Locks unsealing could be heard as it forcibly pulled the nine fragments held by the Heaven-Burying Emperor, forging them into the complete Qiankun Bell Key!

This was also why Wu Dao had dared to make his move!

When the Heaven-Burying Emperor emerged and was reminiscing about the Slaughter Emperor, his incarnation had already snuck silently through the opening in the Emperor’s Tomb and into the core treasure vault, confirming that ninety percent of the Qiankun Bell was enough to open it!

To be precise, as long as more than fifty percent of the Qiankun Bell fragments were inserted, the core vault’s magnetic field would forcibly pull the remaining fragments to construct the complete key!

BZZZT—BOOM!!

The moment the core treasure vault of the Emperor’s Tomb was unsealed!

It was as if an Ancient Fierce Beast had been startled from its slumber!

An ominous, crimson-black bloody light burst forth from the vault, dyeing the entire chaotic universe. It manifested terrifying visions of the All Heavens and Myriad Realms being destroyed and Great Emperor Celestial Venerables bleeding out!

A bell!

A black bell!

Its entire body was covered in dense Dao patterns!

It was engraved with horrifying images of countless beings falling into a bloody sea of Purgatory. As it slowly rose, it dripped with the eternally unperishable imperial blood of the vanquished!

The ultimate dao of slaughter tore through the universe!

The very Dao Rules were shattering and collapsing!

It even rushed out of the Emperor’s Tomb and instantly slaughtered the Red Dust Realm, turning it into a deep abyss of blood!

The Extreme Dao Bell Fragment!

It had finally appeared!

Even without being revived! Even as just a fragment, with a single slight tremble!

The might of the Five Tribulations First Fierce Weapon surpassed the Heaven-Burying Saber by an unknown number of times. A single sliver of its slaughtering light that seeped out was enough to massacre the vast Red Dust Realm and turn it into an abyss!

It was unimaginable!

If it were complete and at its full power, once it erupted, what kind of extreme dao might would it display!

”I call your name! Do you dare to answer?!”

Beneath the Extreme Dao Bell Fragment! Wu Dao held the Qiankun Bell Key. The light of slaughter caused his body to shatter and be bathed in blood, yet he laughed like an Asura Evil Ghost as he aimed the mouth of the Extreme Dao Bell at the Heaven-Burying Emperor!

”Excellent, excellent! There is no injustice in being defeated by your hand!”

The Heaven-Burying Emperor’s Cosmic Embryo trembled. He showed no sign of anger or frustration; instead, he let out a hearty laugh filled with admiration:

”However, this life of mine still has its uses, so I can’t die just yet. Work hard and grow stronger. I greatly look forward to the day we officially cross blades—it will surely be a thrilling and satisfying battle!”

BOOM!!

As soon as his voice fell!

Within the Cosmic Seed, the Divine Soul of the seated Heaven-Burying Emperor suddenly opened its eyes. His remaining Emperor’s Might erupted, and entire universes were born and destroyed within his gaze!

BOOM!

A great hand slapped down!

The Cosmic Seed’s power erupted, instantly tearing through the vastness of spacetime and teleporting the Heaven-Burying Emperor to an unknown location.

There was no point in continuing the fight.

Although Wu Dao couldn’t fully revive the Extreme Dao Bell Fragment, he could still mobilize the bell’s body to ram them, unleashing an unimaginable power. It was highly likely they would both perish.

Just as he had said. His life still had a purpose. He bore a mission given to him by the Slaughter Emperor, and he could not act recklessly before that mission was complete!

However, this battle today was one the Heaven-Burying Emperor was destined to never forget.

Whether through trickery or borrowing power, he had ultimately witnessed the birth of an unparalleled madman—a mere Creation Realm cultivator who dared to plot against and swing his axe at a Great Emperor!

’The Slaughter Emperor’s successor? No! This kind of anomalous monster! If he continues to grow, I’m afraid he will turn the entire Hongyuan upside down. It’s even possible that he’ll achieve the Slaughter Emperor’s long-cherished wish from all those years ago!’

”Heh, the Celestial Court... the Great Celestial Venerable...”

Within the shifting spacetime, the Heaven-Burying Emperor let out a cold smile.

’Since the madman couldn’t do it, then they would create a monster to do it instead!’