Essence Devouring Art

The good news was that, back then, while the three races had escaped catastrophe,

their most powerful members had suffered devastating losses. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Hundreds of years had passed, but without a sufficient supply of "food,"

they could only rely on the increasingly sparse nature’s spiritual energy to recover. Their strongest were likely still hibernating.

However...

’The incident at Joyful Forest has thoroughly offended the Fox Race. When they make their move, it will be with overwhelming, thunderous force. They won’t hesitate to pay a small price to awaken those Great Demons ahead of schedule!’

Wu Dao’s mind raced. His ever-strengthening brain allowed him to deduce a great deal from the available intelligence.

This world,

for reasons unknown, had already entered the Dharma Decline Era.

Heaven and Earth Energy was scarce, and treasures were few and far between.

Constrained by these circumstances,

unless the Fox Race dared to wantonly slaughter the Human Race to fuel their own recovery,

it would be impossible for them to revive anyone at the Demon King level in the short term. Even reviving a Great Demon over a thousand years old, a being comparable to the Innate Second Step, would be a costly endeavor that would leave them grievously weakened.

’But I have to prepare for the worst-case scenario.’

’A Demon King is out of the question.’

’But a thousand-year-old Great Demon is a certainty.’

’And it will most likely be a Great Demon comparable to a Grandmaster of Gang Qi at the Innate Second Step!’

’A Great Demon of that caliber...’

’...is still an opponent I can’t possibly face right now.’

’Hah... Lacking strength really makes you second-guess everything.’

He let out a slow breath.

Wu Dao composed himself and opened his attribute panel.

[Physique: Hero (Limit)]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring Art (72% Potential Release) +

Overlord Whale Fist 430 Years (Divine Arrival) +

Dragon Whale Transformation 500 Years (Layer 3) +]

[Teleportation Points: 1115]

’Tsk, I’m still quite a ways off.’

Wu Dao tsked and shook his head as he glanced at his remaining Teleportation Points.

His three Extraordinary Cultivations were all stuck at a major threshold requiring two thousand Teleportation Points.

Despite his gluttonous feast last night,

and despite the considerable gains, he was still a long way from reaching two thousand.

He estimated that even if he reached 74% Potential Release, the Teleportation Points needed to break through the Overlord barrier would be no less than 1,500!

This step represented a true qualitative leap!

In the short term, without some unexpected windfall, it would be impossible for him to rely on the attribute panel to improve his strength.

But an unexpected windfall...

’That’s the hard part!’

Wu Dao had never stopped searching for information on Alien Species, even posting bounties in several of the surrounding counties.

Unfortunately,

he’d had little success. The world wasn’t chaotic enough yet. Aside from former hegemons like the Fox Race, Alien Species were still exceedingly rare.

’I’m too constrained by external factors. In the end, I can only rely on myself!’

He closed the attribute panel.

With a determined glint in his eyes, Wu Dao strode out of the assembly hall, found Zhao Jianji, and gave him a few instructions.

He was to accelerate his efforts to win over anyone in the White Whale Martial Arts Hall not aligned with Qi Canghai’s faction, and he could also make contact with the Elder Council.

If necessary,

whether they believed it or not, Zhao Jianji was to reveal Qi Canghai’s collusion with the demons.

Since they had decided to drop all pretenses,

they might as well take everything. The benefits of controlling a massive power like the White Whale Martial Arts Hall were self-evident.

"Hiss... How could Qi Canghai dare?"

Zhao Jianji’s expression was one of utter shock after hearing the instructions.

If Wu Dao hadn’t just revealed this,

he would have never known

that the Fox Den within Joyful Forest, which was annihilated last night, actually had ties to Qi Canghai.

He would have never imagined

that the lofty, universally revered Grandmaster of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall was actually colluding with demons and bringing harm to the Human Race.

If this news were to get out,

it would undoubtedly send shockwaves through the Jianghu and leave countless people speechless.

As for doubting the claim,

the thought never even crossed Zhao Jianji’s mind. He and Wu Dao were now grasshoppers on the same rope; he was certain Wu Dao would not lie to him.

"Don’t overestimate people’s morals. With enough at stake, what wouldn’t they dare to do?"

Wu Dao sneered and shook his head, then added,

"I’ll be leaving the hall for a period of secluded training. You have the authority to handle all internal affairs, as long as they’re not major issues. Don’t disappoint me."

Although Qi Canghai had declared they would settle things with a fight to the death at the Autumn Assembly,

Wu Dao wasn’t foolish enough to believe he would wait until then to act, nor would he just sit obediently in the Tan County Martial Arts Hall.

’What if Qi Canghai throws martial virtue to the wind and launches a surprise attack with Demon Race experts?’

’So...’

’You think you can hide?’

’Then I can also make a strategic retreat to avoid the brunt of the attack, can’t I?’

Wu Dao wasn’t some simple-minded fool.

He wasn’t the type to know an enemy held a grudge against him and that he was outmatched,

yet still arrogantly wait for them to come knocking for revenge, only to be made a fool of, have his home destroyed, and be crushed underfoot.

Then, he wouldn’t just bark like a cornered dog,

"Just you wait! Give me time, and I’ll kill you like a dog!"

No.

All one could say was that having a brain was a good thing.

And a brain that actually worked was the best of the best.

"Rest assured, Hall Master! I will not fail you!"

After hearing his orders, Zhao Jianji thumped his chest loudly, his expression one of a man ready to give his all and die for the cause.

From Wu Dao’s initial Thunderous Authority upon taking office,

to the incidents at Lin Village, Yellow Dragon Temple, and last night’s affair at Joyful Forest...

After witnessing event after event,

he had developed a fanatical, almost religious devotion to the "mysterious and unfathomable" Wu Dao, bordering on blind faith.

He believed there was nothing Wu Dao couldn’t accomplish and didn’t worry in the slightest about retaliation from Qi Canghai.

’If only I could plant a Primordial Magnetic Demon Embryo in you, then I could truly trust you completely,’

Wu Dao thought as he watched Zhao Jianji’s spirited figure depart, a flicker in his eyes.

He hadn’t told Zhao Jianji where he was going for his secluded training.

Furthermore,

besides his training,

he had another important matter to attend to.

He had originally considered letting Zhao Jianji handle it,

but he had since abandoned that idea.

When his life was on the line, he couldn’t trust anyone.

Especially

in an Extraordinary World like this, where people could be manipulated like puppets at will.

Therefore,

he had to do it himself.

「As dusk fell」

Wu Dao left Tan County silently, without alerting a soul.

Fifty Spirit Stones, also called Elemental Stones,

along with the five pieces of Broken Cocoon Treasure Flesh from last night,

were all the "rations" he brought with him.

These "rations" were all various forms of high-energy aggregates.

Their energy content surpassed Elixir Pills of the same level by countless times, making them the best Cultivation Resources available at his current stage.

In addition,

Wu Dao also brought ten million taels in silver banknotes.

These ten million taels

had a great purpose.

...

「On the morning of the second day after Wu Dao’s departure」

A tall, travel-worn blademaster in black, his face weathered and covered in stubble, checked into an inn across from the Tan County Branch.

The blademaster was a man of few words.

He had a chilling, unsmiling demeanor, almost as if he were mute.

Every day, aside from observing the goings-on at the Tan County Branch,

he would drink strong spirits by himself.

From sunrise to sunset,

he never stopped.

This drew the great surprise of the other patrons, who came to call him the "Wine Immortal."

...

「On the northern border of Guangqing Prefecture」

Deep within the Ten Thousand Peaks Snowfield, a primordial land renowned throughout the Southern Border.

Atop an unnamed mountain peak.

The air was frigid, the ground frozen solid, and the snow was piled deep and wide.

’Hah... I’ve exhausted all external aid. The rest is up to me,’

Wu Dao thought, standing atop the windswept, snowy peak. He pulled his mind away from his dealings with the Black Dragon Commerce Association and exhaled a plume of white mist that billowed like a dragon.

After swallowing half a Spirit Stone,

he immediately unleashed his Dragon Whale Dominating Body. The shackles on his Brain Domain shattered layer by layer as he entered the Divine Ghost Heaven State, his physical body rapidly reaching its absolute limit.

VMMMM—

The instant he reached his limit,

Wu Dao’s massive, mountain-like physique instantly transformed into a miniature crimson-gold sun.

Amidst the scorching, blinding light of his blood, muscles as thick as a man’s thigh coiled and bulged like evil dragons, filled with a savage beauty and looking as if they were about to burst.

His surging vitality transformed into a raging Blood Flame that erupted from his every pore, forming a signal pyre of energy that shot straight into the heavens like a rainbow.

The terrifying heat of the Yang Flame distorted the very air, melting centuries of accumulated snow in a radius of several hundred meters into a flowing river.

From a distance,

the entire pillar-like peak that soared into the sky was glowing a brilliant red, the column of energy searing the cloud cover above it crimson.

If this place weren’t so remote and desolate,

any ordinary person would have mistaken it for a volcanic eruption.

TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!

In this extreme state,

even the simplest movement felt like carrying a thousand mountains. Every step he took blasted away hundreds of tons of earth and rock, leaving behind a horrifying crater.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The cold wind howled across the desolate landscape.

All distracting thoughts vanished from Wu Dao’s mind as he completely immersed himself in the cultivation of the Dragon Whale Transformation.

One after another, he performed Body Refinement stances that pushed him to his absolute limits.

Under the precise control of his mind, he forced his overburdened body to slowly but resolutely begin and complete each one.

His body was constantly tearing itself apart.

A sound like rolling thunder echoed continuously as if fine steel wires were snapping within him.

A few moments later,

the torn tissues would be re-fused by the Healing Fluid.

This cycle repeated over and over.

Through this uninterrupted, extreme training, his cellular potential was slowly but steadily being unearthed and expanded.

Time flew by in an instant.

Especially when one was so intensely focused.

Morning.

Noon.

Afternoon.

Night.

Deep night.

Suns rose and moons set; the stars wheeled across the sky.

Deep in the snowfield, the colossal figure on the mountaintop seemed to have become a tireless, cold machine, moving and training without pause.

Divine Ghost Heaven State!

Celestial Human State!

Normal state!

Like the foolish old man of the fable who moved mountains,

he did not rest for a single moment, his conviction unwavering.

He constantly burned at his limit, becoming a torch that ceaselessly illuminated the path of life’s evolution.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Deep within the vast snowfield,

the desolate landscape was no longer silent.

A roar like divine elephants stomping the earth or the rumble of Celestial Thunder echoed from morning till night without cease.

Unfettered,

Wu Dao no longer held back the destructive force of his training.

His movements were grand and sweeping. Countless tons of earth and rock shattered and scattered in all directions under his heavy tread, leaving behind craters that looked as if they had been made by meteorites.

The cylindrical peak, which stood around eight thousand meters tall,

began to shrink at a rate visible to the naked eye as Wu Dao’s training grew ever more intense and heavy.

After the first day,

the summit of the snowy mountain was completely flattened by Wu Dao, its height reduced by a hundred meters!

Five days!

The altitude dropped to seven thousand meters!

Ten days!

Human Potential Release reached 73%, and the altitude dropped to five thousand meters!

Fifteen days!

The altitude dropped to two thousand meters!

Twenty-five days!

BOOM!!

The rainbow-like pillar of vital energy erupted like a volcano that had been dormant for eons, shooting a hundred meters into the sky and illuminating the night-shrouded snowfield!

Within a thousand-meter radius,

heat waves billowed and the air warped. Any approaching blizzard vaporized into dense white mist.

At the center of it all,

SKREEE!

ROOOAR!

a light of brilliant crimson gold shone, too bright to look at directly. Within it, one could vaguely make out surging, red-hot magma. The resonant cry of a Dragon Whale echoed, its ferocious might immeasurable, as if this were a forbidden zone from the Primordial Chaos!

Within this forbidden zone,

a Fierce Demon of Primordial Chaos took a step!

THOOM!!

He took a single step!

A force like a collapsing mountain and a crashing tsunami was unleashed.

The shockwave of power tore through the land in a five-hundred-meter radius, causing it to swell, collapse, and explode. Debris shot into the sky, then rained down in all directions like a meteor shower.

In the center of the crater where the mountain had once stood,

amidst the rain of falling rock and soil,

a Heaven-Supporting Fierce Demon stood with its eyes closed. Eight meters tall, it was a fusion of dragon and whale, its body seemingly woven from coiling, crimson-gold evil dragons. Its thick scales shimmered with a brilliant, indestructible luster.

Its power and presence

were truly like that of a Demon Lord descended from the heavens. A tyrannical demonic might surged forth, transforming the surrounding world into a scarlet, twisted Evil Domain that spawned all sorts of terrifying apparitions.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Gale-force winds swept by, and stones pelted its body,

but Wu Dao’s massive form remained completely unmoved as he quietly savored the wondrous feeling of his body’s great leap forward.

Nearly a month of insane, extreme training!

He hadn’t stopped for a single second!

Fifty High-Energy Spirit Stones!

Five pieces of Treasure Flesh, all burned away!

The Celestial Dao rewards the diligent!

Wu Dao’s strength had taken a monumental leap!

The data on his attribute panel had changed dramatically!