Essence Devouring Art

”Farewell, Star Mother. Your believer, Red Lotus, will do his utmost for the prosperity of the Divine Sect.”

After the Star Mother’s consciousness departed, the Red Lotus Demon Lord’s spirits soared. His energy surged, for he already had a candidate in mind.

It was his master.

The Karma Fire Demon Venerable.

He was a Demon Dao Great Venerable who had made his name in the Qingming World thousands of years ago, a formidable figure who dominated an entire era.

But alas, heaven is jealous of great talent.

While ascending to the Great Venerable realm, the Karma Fire Demon Venerable was besieged by the orthodox Dao. He suffered a devastating Dao injury that permanently halted his cultivation at the First Heaven of the Great Venerable realm.

Disheartened, the Karma Fire Demon Venerable severed all ties with the outside world, choosing to live out his remaining years in seclusion within a minor world.

However, as the Karma Fire Demon Venerable’s most beloved and promising disciple of his generation, the Red Lotus Demon Lord naturally knew the location of his master’s seclusion.

’Master, your salvation has arrived!’

The Red Lotus Demon Lord thought of the master who had once cared for and nurtured him. Even a cold-blooded man of his stature couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion and nostalgia.

’Once, you raised me and taught me.

You made me who I am today. Now that misfortune has befallen your later years, this disciple must show his filial piety.

Master and disciple will join forces to build our enterprise and make it flourish!’

Filled with visions of a bright and grand future, the Red Lotus Demon Lord didn’t hesitate. He took this ’salvation’ with him and immediately set off for the minor world where the Karma Fire Demon Venerable lived in seclusion.

’A Great Daoist Venerable is omnipotent.’

’Master’s Dao injury could be healed with ease. As long as he joins the Primordial Sect and renders meritorious service, he could be completely restored.’

It wasn’t just the Red Lotus Demon Lord.

At this moment, Divine Envoys across the All Heavens and Myriad Realms had all received the Primordial Star Mother’s oracle.

Most could only sigh in frustration.

They simply had no way to contact any Great Venerables. A small minority, however, saw their eyes light up. They took this great opportunity and began searching their networks for disenfranchised Great Venerables.

’Not bad.’

Deep within the seas of the Reincarnation Battlefield, Wu Dao watched the Red Lotus Demon Lord and the others spring into action through the Faith Channel. He couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction.

’With the addition of Grand Venerable Level believers, the Primordial Sect’s scale will reach a new height. I can also continue to lie back and fleece Hongyuan, reaping batch after batch of One Tribulation Dao Realms.’

’And all it would cost me... were a few trinkets I could create at will.’

’Here at Shanhai Pass, relying on just myself and the Seventy-Three Primordial Demons to gather Five Tribulations Dao Source is still too slow.’

As he reined in his thoughts, Wu Dao’s mind turned to the one hundred twenty thousand Initial-Tribulation Dao Veins. The demand for them would only grow as he advanced.

The Primordial Dao Wheel 3.0 provided a boost, but plunder was always the fastest method. To reach completion quickly, the Hongyuan Five Tribulations Dao Source was essential, and the amount required for each layer was staggering.

The four thousand Dao Sources he had invested so far would, at best, allow him to rapidly advance three or four layers. To maintain this acceleration, he needed a constant supply of Dao Source.

’With the Primordial Dao Wheel 3.0, the boost from my Incarnations is negligible. I can send all of them out into the Six Celestial Passes to slay enemies and earn merits.’

At this thought, Wu Dao concealed his personal information.

His physique swelled, continuously consuming his essence as he began to produce one Venerable-level Incarnation after another.

After creating the Venerable-level Incarnations, he created even more Saint Master Incarnations. After the Saint Masters, he produced a large batch of Great Saints.

At this point, Wu Dao stopped creating them. Like a mother after childbirth, he was extremely weak, ravenously devouring his emergency reserve of Dao Source.

As for creating Incarnations below the Great Saint realm, the Dao Source they could earn would be paltry—not even worth the effort. There was no point.

Haaa~

A short while later, Wu Dao was back to his peak condition.

Through the Faith Channel, he randomly selected a Primordial Sect believer near Buzhou Mountain, opened a passage, and sent all his Incarnations through.

It couldn’t be helped. Every soldier at Shanhai Pass had to be officially registered and enlisted to receive a unique Battle Merit Order, which acted as the medium for communicating with the Dao Stele.

Being unregistered would be a major hassle.

Besides, they wouldn’t earn any battle merits for their kills. He had no choice but to have his Incarnations go through the entire process, after which they could just volunteer for duty in the Six Celestial Passes.

”Primordial King, you have your orders. Report to the Dragon-slaying Battlefield in the Six Celestial Passes within five days to assume your post. I repeat...”

Just after he finished all this, Wu Dao’s Battle Merit Order buzzed with another urgent military summons, this time from the military headquarters in Red Emperor City of the Six Celestial Passes. It seemed the fighting there was incredibly intense.

’The Dragon-slaying Battlefield... the True Dragon Emperor Clan...’

Wu Dao put away his Battle Merit Order, his mind recalling information about the Dragon-slaying Battlefield. The military district was under the jurisdiction of the Buzhou Heavenly Martial Dao faction, and their enemy was the True Dragon Emperor Clan from the Mountain and Sea.

Yes, a Di Race!

An enemy of a higher caliber.

Normally, the Di Races of the Mountain and Sea only appeared at the Seven Days Pass or higher.

However, the situation in the Dragon-slaying Battlefield was similar to that of the Reincarnation Battlefield. It was located within the Six Celestial Passes, in a great, bloody swamp where malevolent and killing auras had settled, a region where the repulsive force of the Great Dao was weak.

The presence of a higher-caliber enemy was to be expected.

’Good. The Primordial Demons have also broken through.’

Wu Dao’s consciousness swept over the Seventy-Three Primordial Demons above the trench. He found that they had all broken through to the Great Saint realm, and their combat prowess far exceeded their cultivation level!

”Let’s go. This time, it’s going to be a direct confrontation.”

A slight smile played on Wu Dao’s lips. He put away the Primordial Star Mother and led the host of Primordial Demons toward the Super Star Hub in Fengdu Main City.

The battle two months ago had been exhilarating.

Smashing a Great Venerable with every strike.

But the price had been immense.

His reserves of high-grade energy, the Cosmic Divine Liquid, were completely depleted. As for the Chaos Mother Liquid, it was the power source for the Extreme Dao Bell, his Big Killing Artifact, and could not be used lightly.

Until he found a new power source, his Quasi-Emperor Weapons were just for show.

He could no longer sweep through his enemies as he once did.

But it hardly mattered.

With his current strength, he was more than capable of establishing a foothold in the Six Celestial Passes—even if the enemy in the Dragon-slaying Battlefield was the Mountain and Sea Emperor Clan!

However, just before leaving Fengdu City, Wu Dao’s Battle Merit Order received a message from the Guan Lord, the Demon Awakening Great Emperor—

”Nine Heavens Pass.”

The message was short, just three words.

Nine Heavens Pass...

Wu Dao’s eyes shifted. He put away the Battle Merit Order, his expression unreadable, and glanced toward the Guan Lord’s Mansion in Fengdu City.

’The Demon Awakening Great Emperor doesn’t know me.

But the Heaven-Burying Emperor and I have crossed paths.

In other words, this message was actually from the Heaven-Burying Emperor. Or rather, from the Slaughter Emperor who stands behind him.

If I’m not mistaken, the Heaven-Burying Emperor must be telling me that the third core fragment of the Extreme Dao Bell is buried in the Nine Heavens Pass.’

’The Great Tribulation is approaching. Is that old fellow getting anxious, too?’

Wu Dao withdrew his gaze and calmly stepped into the Super Star Hub with his host of Primordial Demons.

The Extreme Dao Bell.

It was once the Slaughter Emperor’s personal Emperor’s Weapon, just one step away from transforming into a Dao Artifact. Its Mighty Power was self-evident.

For the Slaughter Emperor to suddenly reveal the core’s location to him now... the implication was that their time was running short.

The Slaughter Emperor was the foremost expert of the Five Tribulations, an existence infinitely Near Dao.

His perception of the coming calamity must be exceptionally clear.

For even he to be this anxious meant that the Hongyuan Sixth Dao Tribulation, which would sweep through and cleanse the All Heavens, was truly just around the corner.

But Wu Dao...

...only possessed the power of a Great Venerable.

And even with his unshakable composure, he could feel the heavy, oppressive weight of the darkness that would descend in the not-so-distant future.

If that day were to arrive and he had not yet grown strong enough to become a standard-bearer, then unless he could leap beyond the Dao itself, he would have no chance of survival in the great purge that followed.