Essence Devouring Art

The Purgatory Grand Universe!

News that Wu Dao had slain two of the Candle Dragon Ancestor’s young dragonesses and that a third had fled in terror quickly spread among the high command of the True Dragon Race’s army!

”Isn’t he only in the Venerable Realm?”

”The intel was fake! The Primordial King reached the Great Venerable realm long ago, and he’s at the Twentieth Heaven!”

”Not only that, but he’s protected by Emperor Weapon Materials and has numerous Incarnations. The three Empresses from the Candle Dragon Race were completely played for fools!”

”A monster! He’s an absolute monster! Even if it’s just an Incarnation, we must hunt it down and uncover his secrets!”

The Marshals of the Golden True Dragon Race were both shocked and furious. They never imagined that three top-tier Empresses from the number one Di Race, wielding three Quasi-Emperor Weapons, couldn’t even take down Wu Dao and were instead toyed with and slain!

And that was with a grossly overestimated assessment of the situation!

However, the more outrageously monstrous Wu Dao’s performance, the stronger Mountain and Sea’s greedy desire for him grew. Unsurprisingly, not long after things had quieted down, Wu Dao found himself under siege once again!

”Primordial King, your life is forfeit!”

”You can’t escape! No one in heaven or on earth can save you now!”

”Blast him to death!”

The dark vacuum was filled in an instant!

Numerous Great Venerables from the Golden True Dragon Race, leading an army that formed a massive Killing Array, arrived and surrounded Wu Dao and his host of Primordial Demons tightly!

Wu Dao was indeed a little surprised.

He never expected the True Dragon Fortress to have hidden so many Great Venerables and elite troops. They hadn’t revealed themselves earlier, but charged out the moment the three dragonesses from the Candle Dragon Race failed!

Without a doubt, this was a trap laid specifically for him.

’Mountain and Sea’s craving for me has driven them mad,’ he thought. ’Who knows what price they had to pay to transport so many Great Venerables here.’

But the True Dragon Fortress was backed by the Mountain and Sea Realm. The cost of transport was far lower than it was to the Five Celestial Passes, allowing them to continuously dispatch armies and experts to wear down the Dragon-slaying Battlefield through a war of attrition.

On the Great Yu Core Battlefield.

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

A vast divine light shook the Grand Universe!

It was like two golden Little Cosmoses colliding!

The Super Saiyan-like Military Lord of the Dragon-slaying Battlefield, Gu Tianhuang, had a majestic physique, his wild hair flying about, as he wielded the Dragon Burial Map and clashed head-on in close combat with Geng Cang, not losing any ground at all.

”The Primordial King? Stop them!”

But he noticed Wu Dao being surrounded and attacked, and without any hesitation, he ordered the Celestial King Great Venerables in the armies to provide reinforcements!

The Elder Council itself was monitoring this counterattack on the True Dragon Fortress. To prevent spies from stealing intelligence, Buzhou Heaven had taken the lead in hiding many Great Venerable experts within the army, precisely to guard against the True Dragon Fortress’s concealed forces.

Now that the True Dragon Fortress’s hidden forces had jumped out, the Dragon-slaying Battlefield naturally had to respond and could not give them a chance to wreak havoc!

DONG!

Within the dark battlefield, the Celestial Essence Magnetic Burst Fist compressed the Magnetic Field to its absolute limit. Dao Particles tore apart the fundamental forces, erupting in the brilliant divine light of countless Great Suns detonating at once as Wu Dao’s fist met a claw, clashing head-on with a Great Venerable of the Golden True Dragon Race!

”AAAAHHH!!”

A blood-curdling scream rang out!

Golden Dragon Blood flooded the starry sky!

The first Golden True Dragon Race Great Venerable to arrive suffered an unimaginably severe injury; its massive, winding dragon body was blasted straight by the Power carried in Wu Dao’s punch!

BANG BANG BANG—

The sound of rolling thunder boomed in rapid succession!

It was even more monstrous than the Candle Dragon Race’s Ancestral Dragon Fist!

This Golden True Dragon Race Great Venerable of the Twenty-Second Heaven had one of its dragon claws instantly turned to nothingness, and even its physical domain was disintegrating!

The Twentieth Heaven provided by the Divine Image Dao Armor was benchmarked against the most monstrous existences of the same realm. Killing a mere Great Venerable from a lesser Di Race like the Golden True Dragon Race, even one two or three heavens higher, was simply effortless!

But Wu Dao couldn’t be said to be at ease either!

There were simply too many Great Venerables from the True Dragon Race participating in the siege, and many of them were around the Twenty-Fifth Heaven, making them very difficult to handle!

Furthermore, they jointly wielded Quasi-Emperor Weapons, achieving a certain suppressive effect that pinned down his Holy Spirit Emperor’s Plate, causing his Primordial Magnetic Armor to constantly shatter!

”Merge!!”

Amidst the storm of explosive attacks, Wu Dao felt immense pressure. With a single thought, the Seventy-Three Primordial Demons piloting the Primordial Magnetic Armors rapidly merged with him, constructing an absolutely colossal, indescribable, and unnamable fiend!

”I’ll blow you all to hell!”

At the core of the Divine Image Demon God, pieces of the Holy Spirit Emperor’s Plate surged forth, forming a perfect sphere that enveloped Wu Dao and the Seventy-Three Primordial Demons.

The self-destruction of the Divine Image Heaven was irreversible!

The same was true for the Primordial Magnetic Armor!

After the Dao Particles were pushed to their limit, their very essence could no longer bear the strain. They, too, would tear apart their internal forces in a self-destructive explosion, instantly unleashing a wave of magnetic Energy so Transcendent it surpassed Wu Dao’s own limits—enough to assimilate and annihilate even him!

This wave of Energy would be absolutely terrifying.

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

And that was indeed the case.

The moment the unnamable Divine Image fiend appeared, the Heart Lake Alarm Bells of all the Great Venerables from the True Dragon Fortress who were frantically besieging it rang wildly!

”Suppress!!”

The pupils of several Dragon Race Great Venerables wielding Quasi-Emperor Weapons contracted suddenly. They desperately constructed a lockdown domain, trying in vain to block the self-detonation!

But it was too late!

The self-detonation of the seventy-four merged sets of Divine Image Dao Armor triggered the tearing of all the magnetic particles in the surrounding spacetime. Its Mighty Power snowballed, climbing crazily, completely unstoppable!

BOOM!!!

The vast battlefield shuddered violently!

It was clearly visible throughout the Purgatory Grand Universe!

A resplendent Divine Sun rose from a dark corner of the battlefield, blindingly incandescent. As it expanded, it repelled and destroyed all things, tangible and intangible, in its path!

The moment the colorful Divine Sun bloomed, the besieging Great Venerables of the True Dragon Race were turned to the ashes of tribulation and vaporized!

Wherever the aftershock passed, it tore apart countless more microscopic magnetic particles, triggering a chain reaction. A dense cluster of colorful little suns erupted, instantly clearing a vast swath of the battlefield and causing innumerable casualties among the Golden True Dragon Race!

”Hiss... That was too brutal!”

”Even a peak Great Venerable probably couldn’t withstand that blast!”

”With such a fierce general’s aid, victory today is certain!!”

Around the Destruction Domain, the reinforcing Great Venerables from the Dragon-slaying Battlefield watched the continuously expanding colorful Divine Sun, their scalps tingling with fear.

’You call that a King?’

’Even a Heavenly King Deputy Army Commander isn’t this outrageous!’

DING DING DING—

At the core of the Divine Image great sun’s explosion, the perfect sphere formed by the Holy Spirit Emperor’s Plate remained completely unscathed. Inside, the merit points on Wu Dao’s Battle Merit Order were skyrocketing.

From this one explosion, on top of the previous slaughter, his merit points had already surpassed what he earned in the battle at the Five Celestial Passes.

If he were to exchange them for Five Tribulations Dao Source, he could leap up at least five realms!

But this still wasn’t enough!

’If I’m going to eat, I might as well eat until I’m stuffed!’

”COUGH COUGH COUGH... Run!”

”He’s invincible! This monster is simply invincible! Unless a Quasi-Emperor appears, there’s no way to take him down!”

”Go!!”

Within the Destruction Domain created by the Divine Image Heaven’s self-detonation, quite a few Great Venerables of the True Dragon Race had survived thanks to the protection of their Quasi-Emperor Weapons. However, they were all severely wounded and had completely lost their nerve, their will to fight utterly shattered.

At the same time, they finally understood why the Empresses of the Candle Dragon Race hadn’t dared to continue hunting Wu Dao, even while wielding three Quasi-Emperor Weapons.

They had originally clung to the hope that they could use ”dragon sea” tactics to overwhelm and suppress Wu Dao. But with the detonation of the Divine Image Heaven, it was like a map-clearing bomb; having more dragons was completely useless!

”Heh, a bunch of trash!”

Inside the Holy Spirit Emperor’s Plate, Wu Dao watched several Great Venerables flee toward the True Dragon Fortress under the protection of a Great Cauldron Quasi-Emperor Weapon. He sneered and piloted the Holy Spirit Emperor’s Plate toward other areas of the battlefield.

’Chasing them is out of the question. The True Dragon Fortress connects to the Mountain and Sea Realm’s main base. It’s too close. Charging in there would be like a sheep walking into a tiger’s den, unless the main army clears a path for me.’

”Without an Emperor’s Weapon, a sure thing keeps slipping through my fingers!”

’What a shame,’ Wu Dao thought. ’The Snow Candle Dragon and those last few top-tier Great Venerables... relying on the protection of their Quasi-Emperor Weapons, there was no way for me to stop them from escaping.’

’I have plenty of Quasi-Emperor Weapons, but I have no energy source to power them. My own cultivation is still far from the Quasi-Emperor realm, so I can’t create the necessary Cosmic Divine Liquid out of thin air.’

’There is some in the Dao Celestial Stele, though. As long as I have enough battle merits, I can get anything I want. I’ve heard you can even exchange for Emperor’s Weapons, which the Primordial Path can create.’

’But to exchange for Cosmic Mother Liquid, only a Quasi-Emperor at the rank of Sealing Army Master has the right authority.’

”Perhaps I can start with Hongyuan.”

As he moved through the battlefield, he mused, ’I could try bartering. Last time, during my great battle with the Heaven-Burying Emperor, I bought the energy for the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and the Infinite Holy Hall from some of the great trading houses of the All Heavens.’

’Grand Thousand Mother Liquid can’t awaken the full Mighty Power of a Quasi-Emperor Weapon; only the essence of Cosmic Divine Liquid will do. Emperor’s Weapons require Chaos Mother Liquid.’

’The cost is exorbitant; it nearly emptied my personal stash last time.’

’But things are different now. Not only can I create low-level Extraordinary matter and Energy from nothing, but if I were to just pull out or create an Emperor Scripture to sell, I could trade it for a large amount of energy for my Quasi-Emperor Weapons.’

’And I don’t even need to go myself. The loyal Divine Envoys of the Primordial Sect can handle it for me.’

With this in mind, as he continued to reap battle merits, Wu Dao had the Star Mother issue a divine decree.

He ordered the Primordial Sect to collect or purchase energy for Quasi-Emperor Weapons, with a great reward for any information on ownerless Emperor’s Weapons!

’The power I command right now has a serious gap. I can’t just use the Extreme Dao Bell, a Peak Primordial Chaos Emperor Weapon, lightly. And my Quasi-Emperor Weapons are useless against a genuine Quasi-Emperor.’

’If I had an Emperor’s Weapon to fill that gap, I would even dare to brave the Seven Days Pass. My speed of harvesting Five Tribulations Dao Source would be much faster!’

”Primordial King, your life is forfeit!!”

As these thoughts raced through Wu Dao’s mind, another roar that shook the universe rang out. Spacetime on the other side of the Purgatory Grand Universe tore open, and a dragon claw wreathed in a Cosmic Dragon Vein reached out, crushing a boundless stretch of the battlefield as it ruthlessly clawed toward Wu Dao!

Speak of a Quasi-Emperor and a Quasi-Emperor arrives!

A Cosmic Dragon Vein!

The sublimation of a Great Thousand World’s Dragon Vein!

Only when a Great Venerable Cosmic Seed is Breaking the Cocoon and forms a nascent Inner Universe can it be born. After achieving the rank of Great Emperor, it will further transform into an Ancestral Dragon Vein.

A single Ancestral Dragon Vein!

Is no less than a mature Dao Vein!

It can supply the energy and matter consumption of an entire Endless Grand Cosmos and create all things, making it equivalent to a single-element Great Dao.

However, even if it was just a Quasi-Emperor’s Cosmic Dragon Vein, the power it could unleash—to create, to change, to destroy—was still terrifying!

Wherever the dragon claw passed, the scarlet Grand Universe was torn open with a dense web of black cracks. Countless super-giant cosmic structures, formed from the ambient marsh gas, exploded. The fundamental order of the magnetic domains shattered under a weight that was difficult to even imagine.

But Wu Dao chose to ignore it!

He wasn’t fighting the entire True Dragon Fortress alone. The Quasi-Emperors of the Dragon-slaying Battlefield weren’t just puppets who would stand by and watch. It was impossible for the True Dragon Fortress to act so wantonly!

”An old dragon dares to act so presumptuously!”

Sure enough!

Just as that colossal dragon claw reached for him, a hidden Quasi-Emperor within the Dragon-slaying Battlefield’s army roared in anger and made their move.

DONG!!

Before Wu Dao could even turn toward the sound, a brilliant and boundless heaven-smiting fist pierced through the Purgatory Grand Universe. It bloomed with a flawless, golden, holy destruction, proving that the attacker was also a Sacred Body who had perfected the three steps.

”A mere Sacred Body! You’re courting death!”

BOOM!

Spacetime completely shattered!

An old dragon in a golden dragon robe charged out from the Chaos Qi, and behind it were several more Quasi-Emperors and numerous peak Great Venerables!

”Has the True Dragon Fortress gone mad?”

”That’s nearly ten Quasi-Emperors! That’s completely beyond the limit! The repulsive force of the Great Dao will be unimaginable!”

”They want to capture the Primordial King. A magnate must be backing them from behind, sparing no expense!”

”The Primordial King? Did he dig up Mountain and Sea’s ancestral graves or something, for them to target him like this?”

”I don’t know, but we absolutely cannot let them succeed!”

...

The forces charging out of the True Dragon Fortress were so shocking that all the Celestial Kings of the Dragon-slaying Battlefield were astonished. If they hadn’t hidden their own forces in advance, they would have suffered a devastating blow today.

At the same time, the reason the Primordial King was being targeted became an unsolved mystery in the minds of the Celestial Kings. They felt there had to be some heaven-shaking conspiracy behind it all, and that they absolutely could not let Mountain and Sea succeed.

RUMBLE!!

With the arrival of more Quasi-Emperors and numerous peak Great Venerables, the battle escalated once again.

The Purgatory Grand Universe flickered and shook violently. Countless soldiers in the armies died. If not for the fact that the source Mire of Flesh and Mud was terrifying enough, it would have been blasted apart and sunk in the first moment!

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

Wu Dao piloted the Holy Spirit Emperor’s Armor, streaking across the battlefield. He didn’t dare to show himself, as several Quasi-Emperors were desperately unleashing their power to target him!

The moment he showed himself, he would be overwhelmed.

But it wasn’t as if Wu Dao could do nothing!

Every time a True Dragon Race Quasi-Emperor attacked him, he would toss a Divine Image Bomb onto the battlefield, while also madly spreading the Black Particle Virus.

He bombed the True Dragon Race army, causing countless casualties!

Wherever he passed, a vacuum was instantly created!

It was like the descent of a god of destruction!

Whenever his own source energy ran low, he would simply grab Venerable Realm Golden True Dragons, swallow them whole, and refine them for replenishment. He maintained a state of peak vitality at all times, ferocious to the extreme!