Essence Devouring Art

”Those Eyes of Tribulation in the Burial Realm were your handiwork, weren’t they? How did you manage to sort through everything and find the core?”

As a thought occurred to him, the white-robed child asked again, his curiosity piqued.

The Great Dao’s Tribulation Qi.

Most people wouldn’t even dare to touch it, let alone find the first domino in that tangled mess.

”Heh, that’s a secret.”

Wu Dao’s lips curved slightly, unsurprised. The Magnetic Field of the Zizai Celestial Kingdom was the location of the Burial Realm’s largest Eye of Tribulation, and it was connected to all the other branch Eyes.

As this thought crossed his mind, Wu Dao sensed the rapidly increasing aura of destruction in the Divine Temple and suddenly understood what the Great Freedom Celestial Demon wanted to do.

Because he wanted to do the same thing.

”Tsk. How stingy.”

The white-robed child pouted, then added with great enthusiasm:

”You’ll light the small ones, and I’ll light the big one. We can set off a massive firework! What do you say? It’s going to be so much fun.”

”Deal.”

Wu Dao’s lips curved slightly. He had no reason to refuse. Detonating the Zizai Celestial Kingdom on his own would come at a considerable price.

But if the white-robed child—the one holding the giant firecracker—were to do it for him, it would save him a great deal of trouble.

As it happened, the man and the god had the exact same idea.

They formed a powerful alliance on the spot, once again reaching a consensus.

”I have an even more fun idea.”

Wu Dao thought of the perfect scapegoat—the Dragon Hunting Tower. He shared his idea with the white-robed child, whose eyes immediately lit up. Patting his little chest, the child declared:

”Don’t you worry! With something this fun, there’s no way I’ll blow our cover.”

With that, He looked down at the Extreme Dao Bell in His hand and smiled. ”Beautiful fireworks are only worth it if there’s a big crowd watching, right?”

Wu Dao’s brow furrowed for a moment, but after weighing the options, he nodded.

With this Great God taking the lead, many of his worries were indeed unnecessary.

”Heh, then I won’t hold back.”

The white-robed child was clearly not negotiating. He rolled up his sleeves, his little face flushing red. Balled his soft, white fist, and with a grunt of ”HEI-HA!” smashed it down upon the Extreme Dao Bell.

DONG—

A vast, resonant chime rang out, like the death knell of the Great Dao itself.

With the Zizai Celestial Kingdom as its epicenter, ripples spread through the domain of the Great Dao. Dao Essence radiated outward, broadcasting to the All Heavens and Myriad Realms and shaking the great powers of the All Heavens.

After the bell’s chime faded, both Wu Dao and the white-robed child vanished into the River of Obstinate Attachments. The surging speed of the billions of great rivers within it began to accelerate explosively.

”We offer our everything to the Great Zizai Heaven.”

「Inside the Divine Temple」

The Quasi-Emperors and Great Venerables of the Innate Divine Race seemed to have received a command.

Without a moment’s hesitation, they all performed a divine dissolution, offering their very beings and merging into the clay idol.

RUMBLE— CRACK—

The once-placid, pure-white sea churned with monstrous waves. On the Divine Altar, clay fragments began to flake off the Free Divine Idol at an accelerating rate.

SPLASH~

Within a branch of the River of Obstinate Attachments, which roiled with monstrous waves, Wu Dao waded forward. The two Extreme Dao Bells within his body hummed and trembled, manifesting a vision of bloodshed so vast it could float shields across the All Heavens. Crimson, ominous Dao Patterns intertwined like billions of slumbering Ancient Divine Demons murmuring as they were disturbed, all gradually fusing into one.

”Jiang Han... *cough, cough*... I’ll kill you!”

”Now... who’s the loser?”

”AHHH!!!”

All around him, the splashing waves manifested microcosmic visions, formed from the violent surge of obstinate delusions. They showed Jiang Han and Ye Xuan in a desperate chase downstream.

Washed by the surging River of Freedom, Jiang Han was like a candle in the wind. Yet, his spine was ramrod straight, and his gaunt face was a mask of unyielding resolve as he pushed, step by step, deeper into the upstream currents.

Behind him, Ye Xuan was a disheveled mess, as frenzied as a demon. His eyes were cracked and seeping blood, his hatred so extreme that he couldn’t stop roaring like a madman.

’He wants to use the River of Freedom to kill his enemy?’

Watching Jiang Han push upstream against the current, the unquenchable Divine Fire of will burning in his eyes, Wu Dao saw through his plan.

At the same time, he found himself believing what the Great Freedom Celestial Demon had said: Jiang Han truly had an affinity with the Sea of Suffering.

These Rivers of Freedom tested more than just one’s cultivation. Without tenacious willpower, even a Quasi-Emperor would struggle to advance.

Jiang Han was only in the Creation Realm, and he looked absolutely miserable. With every step forward, his own will was further polluted and eroded. But he still managed to push upstream!

Just based on that unyielding, unquenchable Dao heart alone, none of the so-called Celestial Prides or prodigies Wu Dao had ever seen throughout the All Heavens could compare to him.

There was a stark contrast right before his eyes.

Ye Xuan, the man behind Jiang Han, was the Son of Revival of the Luotian Sword Realm, the so-called young Venerable from a clan boasting three great powerhouses.

Within the River of Freedom, while he too was moving upstream, he wasn’t relying on his own will. Instead, he was depending on some protective measure left within his body by a powerful expert.

Jiang Han’s power was too limited to sense it, but Wu Dao could clearly detect the Emperor Dao Patterns within Ye Xuan’s body. They formed a Grand Array within his very flesh, protecting him.

Wanting to use the River of Freedom to kill Ye Xuan was a good idea, but ultimately, it was impossible.

’Did they ramp up his protection because of what happened to Su Chen and Mo Chen?’

Wu Dao’s thoughts drifted, and a guess formed in his mind.

A flower raised in a greenhouse, no matter how brilliantly it blooms, can never achieve true greatness.

For the great Daoists throughout history, while background was important, the ultimate test after reaching a certain height was always a personal one.

If one is perpetually sheltered, they will never pass the trial of attaining the Emperor Dao by composing their own Taoist Scripture, free of external aid.

Therefore, while the major powers across the All Heavens did protect their top Celestial Prides, they placed more importance on letting them temper themselves and grow independently.

They wouldn’t be like Ye Xuan, with an Emperor Level Killing Array etched into his very soul and flesh for protection, practically coddled in their hands and raised like a prize pig.

A reserve for the Celestial Mandate...

Suddenly, Wu Dao recalled the white-robed child’s assessment of Ye Xuan, and understanding dawned.

When the Celestial Mandate can be artificially transferred, all one needs to do is raise a suitable vessel. Once the Mandate is bestowed, there is only success; failure is not an option.

It seemed that the last time he killed ’Mo Chen,’ it had created a significant impact on the Celestial Mandate. The other ”carvers” from the original event now also possessed the qualifications to bear it.

The higher one’s cultivation, the greater the influence an individual has on the Hongyuan Dao Magnetic Field. At the same time, one can more keenly feel the layers of shackles that the Magnetic Field places upon all living beings.

As someone Cultivating Primordial Magnetism, Wu Dao’s perception of this was even clearer.

He could already vaguely perceive countless Chains of Cause and Effect extending from the very source to bind him. The higher he climbed, the more obvious they became, and the tighter their hold.

It was a universally acknowledged truth that within the Dao, the Primordial Chaos realm was the absolute limit.

This was because even a Transcender who had attained the Dao would be tainted by karma and shackled by the Great Dao the moment they re-entered its domain. No matter how mighty, their Power would be limited to that of the Primordial Chaos realm.

Therefore, the Daoists throughout All Tribulations, after their Attainment Dao, would only leave a Near Dao Incarnation within the Dao to plan for their people’s future. Their true selves would transcend, remaining outside the Dao, never to re-enter.

What wonders lay outside the Dao, Wu Dao could not yet imagine.

He only knew that as long as he remained within the Dao, he would be bound by its chains of cause and effect.

Only by severing these shackles could his own magnitude hope to rival the Great Dao itself, allowing his Primordial Magnetism to truly achieve its own Dao, ascend to the pinnacle of this world, and be free from all constraints.

Among all his karmic chains, the one from his predecessor was the strongest.

It was the very beginning of his life in this world, a chain of cause and effect bound to him from the moment of his birth.

It was also the most difficult one to break.

Behind every one of the ”carvers” from that original scheme stood a Heavenly Domain Lord or an Overlord. The Celestial Mandate itself was held in the hands of the Crownless King Celestial Court of Hongyuan!

But it all came back to the same saying—

”When my Dao is still, all is still. When my Dao moves, all can be slain!”

”Hm? Perfect timing!”

As his thoughts surged, Wu Dao’s eyes narrowed. In his many Incarnations, the Primordial Demon Heart Lake Alarm Bell began to clang wildly, and his Bitter Dust Robe felt as if it were about to fall apart.

This level of warning felt exactly the same as the last time the Dragon Hunting Tower had targeted him!

This proved that the Dragon Hunting Tower was about to make a move on him again!

Or rather, the Dragon Hunting Tower had its eyes on the Extreme Dao Bell and the Free Divine Format and was willing to take a huge risk to devour these two juicy prizes.

’What do you call this?’

’This is what you call ’coordinating from within and without!’’

Realizing this, Wu Dao wasted no more time.

BOOM—!!

He took a single step, and a billion monstrous waves erupted.

A frenzied tide of obsession, vast enough to blot out space and time, surged from upstream like a burst Celestial River dam, causing the expressions of both Jiang Han and Ye Xuan to contort in horror.

”That is...”

In Jiang Han’s contracting pupils, he could only vaguely make out an indescribably majestic figure standing atop the crest of a billion waves of obsession!

”Senior, Senior!!”

The unexpected crisis made Jiang Han’s mind go blank. He frantically called out to the white-robed child.

’What is going on?’

’Didn’t you say no one ever sets foot in the river’s source? That I could do as I pleased to trap and kill Ye Xuan to get my revenge?’

’How could such a terrifying being suddenly appear, walking right out of the source of the River of Obstinate Attachments, and heading straight for us!’

’And... the Dragon Hunting Tower!’

Jiang Han’s Heart Lake Alarm Bell rang wildly as he got a clear look at the black, headless-dragon-patterned robe worn by the majestic figure. ’I’m a dead man,’ he thought instantly.

What kind of organization was the Dragon Hunting Tower? They were the premier terrorists of the All Heavens!

They snatched up Celestial Prides like they were catching piglets—and they always took them alive, without any anesthetic!

Running into them, could he possibly expect a good outcome?

”Hehe, don’t worry. He can’t bear to kill you. Quick, come over here, I’ll catch you.”

The white-robed child’s laughter rang out, followed by a baffling statement that Jiang Han couldn’t comprehend.

But he understood soon enough.

HUMMM—

Standing atop the billion-fold tide, Wu Dao silently reached a massive hand toward Jiang Han. Within his palm, an immeasurable magnetic turbine spun, and countless Small Thousand Worlds blinked in and out of existence!

It was like an entire Little Cosmos bearing down on him!

The boundless lockdown of the field left Jiang Han completely immobilized. He felt his soul, his body, his very thoughts—every macro and micro component of his existence—freeze solid.

Even his cognition went blank, his senses unable to receive any information.

”What are you spacing out for? Hurry and keep up.”

By the time Jiang Han regained his senses, he found himself in a world made of a sea of clouds within the Great Freedom Celestial Kingdom.

On auspicious clouds that looked like cotton candy, the white-robed child was bouncing around, beckoning for him to hurry. The cloud beneath His feet began to move, flying toward a white light at the world’s end.

”Senior, just now...”

His mind a whirlwind of questions, Jiang Han sensed that his body and soul were back to normal. He quickly caught up to the white-robed child, unable to stop himself from asking.

”That was your master.”

The white-robed child couldn’t keep a secret to save His life. He revealed Wu Dao’s identity outright, saying with a grin:

”Alright, you’ll learn everything eventually. Come on, let’s go! I still need to watch the fireworks.”

’Master?’

Jiang Han froze.

His thoughts flew to the mysterious master who had changed his destiny and taught him the Exquisite Method.

But...

’My master is a terrorist from the Dragon Hunting Tower?!’

Jiang Han’s heart was a tempest of mixed emotions.

The Dragon Hunting Tower of today was the public enemy of the All Heavens, on a completely different level from the petty squabbles of Demon Cultivators.

Being bound by karma to such a master... he didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse.

For now, it seemed to be a good thing.

Because his master had apparently set his sights on Ye Xuan, making no effort to conceal his abyssal killing intent.

”It’s a pity...”

Jiang Han sighed internally. It was a shame he couldn’t sever his karmic ties with Ye Xuan with his own hands.

However, he was also well aware that he wasn’t strong enough to kill Ye Xuan, who had far too many trump cards.

If their confrontation had continued, it was truly anyone’s guess who would have lived and who would have died.

’Wait, watch the fireworks...’

Jiang Han finally processed the white-robed child’s words. The ’fireworks’ this lord was talking about...

’...are probably going to be terrifying enough to kill someone from fright!’

Just then—

”You dare!!”

An enraged roar that could freeze eternity echoed through the cosmos! It was accompanied by a brilliant, incredible torrent of Celestial Mandate that transformed into a beam of sword light, seemingly capable of cleaving a Celestial Domain in two, as it shot in from the distant heavens.

Rumbling like a billion thunderclaps, it stirred a frenzied tide within the Great Dao, shaking the endless cosmos and unleashing a world-ending tempest in the hearts of all living beings!

DONG!!

The only response to that supreme voice was the thunderous toll of a bell from the depths of the Zizai Celestial Kingdom!

It was as if the death knell of the Great Dao had been struck!

An intensely ominous, crimson light, like a demonic sun of destruction rising from the Abyss, spread out with the tolling of the bell. It carried an aura of calamity capable of slaughtering and burying all existence, silently and swiftly engulfing everything.

And from within that crimson, demonic sun, a cold, domineering voice traveled on the soundwaves of the bell, shaking the All Heavens—

”I did. And what of it?”