Essence Devouring Art

[Physique: Hero (Limit)]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring Art (74% Potential Release) +

Overlord Whale Fist 500 Years (Divine Arrival) +

Dragon Whale Transformation 600 Years (Third Layer) +]

[Teleportation Points: 1115]

74% Human Potential Release!

The peak of a Hero!

Inner and outer become one!

Flesh and bone of thrice-refined steel!

His physique was so tough that even an adamantine body would pale in comparison.

The Overlord Whale Fist’s power increased by 70 years, and the Power of the Divine Soul grew immensely!

The Dragon Whale Transformation’s power increased by 100 years, and he was more than halfway through the Horizontal Refining Third Gate!

It wasn’t a qualitative leap in strength.

But it had absolutely more than doubled!

Someone at the Yellow Dragon Daoist’s level...

...wouldn’t even be qualified to scratch an itch for Wu Dao now!

HUUU—

He exhaled a plume of hot air like a rolling dragon.

Wu Dao’s physique returned to its normal state.

He mentally checked the plus signs next to each of his cultivation techniques and saw they were still gray. He wasn’t disappointed; this was within his expectations.

The Overlord Domain.

It involved the metamorphosis of human cells, giving birth to a Life Primordial Magnetism that could influence the outside world. This was a preliminary break from the shackles of mere flesh and blood—a true qualitative leap in the path of human evolution.

As for the remaining Overlord Whale Fist and Dragon Whale Transformation...

...advancing either one would also be a qualitative change, not just a simple increase in power.

However, although he couldn’t upgrade them directly, the number of Teleportation Points required to advance the three cultivation techniques had decreased from the previous two thousand to the one thousand five hundred he had anticipated.

This meant that Wu Dao only needed to consume one more Alien Species of Aunt Xiang’s level to knock open the door to the Overlord Domain!

However, Wu Dao was not in a hurry.

A grand feast would soon be delivered to his doorstep. It might be a bit thorny, but it would undoubtedly be a delicacy fit for the gods!

’Don’t disappoint me!’

He licked his lips greedily.

A look of deep anticipation filled Wu Dao’s eyes.

HUUU—

Once he reined in his vital energy, the wind and snow swept through again, and the world returned to its vast, imposing desolation.

Wu Dao dismissed his attribute panel and scanned the countless craters surrounding him, which made the area look like the surface of the moon.

Twenty-five days ago.

A towering snow-capped mountain had stood here, reaching for the heavens.

Twenty-five days later.

The geological devastation caused by his non-stop training had, without him even realizing it, leveled it to the ground.

Dripping water pierces stone!

An iron pestle can be ground into a needle!

A thousand grinds and ten thousand steps can move a great mountain!

"Sincerity can split metal and stone. Strive onward, and your efforts will surely be rewarded. The ancients truly did not deceive me!"

A divine light shone in Wu Dao’s eyes. His heart was stirred, his spirits soared, and he felt an irrepressible need to speak his mind, an ambition that demanded release.

He immediately exerted his strength and broke the sound barrier.

He transformed into a phantom streak of lightning, darting and weaving at high speed.

Amidst the swirling dance of countless shattered rocks and snow...

...Wu Dao used his body as a brush.

He plowed two lines of immense characters into the vast mountain base—characters so striking that they were still visible from high above, their strokes vigorous and powerful, their domineering will soaring to the heavens—

"I have trodden a thousand peaks and leveled ten thousand mountains; beyond my mountain, none stand taller!"

One day!

My raised hand will be higher than the heavens, and I alone will look down upon all creation!

HUUU—

The wind and snow raged, and the world was a vast expanse of gray.

After carving the words and leaving his mark...

...Wu Dao didn’t linger for even a moment.

Plowing through the white snowfield and kicking up a turbulent wake of snow like a wrathful, rolling dragon, he vanished into the edge of the night within a few breaths.

...

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

After Wu Dao left, the blizzard intensified, quickly burying the vast mountain base.

But strangely, the two lines of characters he had left behind were not covered by the accumulating snow. The light seemed to warp around them, as if an invisible force was preventing the snowflakes from landing, observing them intently.

"Beyond my mountain, none stand taller..."

At that moment, deep within the desolate snowfield, a collapsed cave abode lay in eerie silence.

Past layers upon layers of restrictive formations...

...in the deepest part of the cave, a palm-sized remnant page bloomed with a blood-red light of ultimate slaughter, and an ancient, murmuring voice sounded out:

"Throughout history, there has been no shortage of people with such spirit, but those who could embody it at this level, carving their intent into the world itself, are few and far between.

However, tsk..."

As if recalling something interesting, the bloody remnant page’s voice took on a playful tone:

"The three supreme pills are all lost, and the most honored fortune is completely gone. Such a heaven-defying measure... I wonder which shameless bastard was cruel enough to do this.

With no personal fortune...

...how has he managed to live until now?

Did someone leave a contingency plan for him?

Interesting, truly interesting."

The remnant page shimmered, its ’gaze’ crossing the vast snowfield to watch Wu Dao’s majestic, rapidly retreating back. Suddenly, it felt a sense of regret: "

What a pity for such a remarkable individual.

He has no Dantian and carries a great karmic burden.

Otherwise, he could have been cultivated as a Dao Seed."

The blood-red light pulsed faintly, and characters flowed across its surface.

Vaguely, within the remnant page, terrifying visions flickered: a Divine Being throwing a punch that slaughtered heaven and earth, Gods and Demons wailing in agony, stars collapsing, and worlds being washed away in a flood of corpses.

...

Wu Dao, speeding on his journey, was unaware.

That a terrifying, unknown existence had cast its gaze upon him.

After leaving the Ten Thousand Peaks Snowfield...

...he sprinted at supersonic speed all the way toward Tan County.

By the time the sky had brightened.

At the Tan County Branch,

Zhao Jianji, reeking of alcohol, had just gotten out of bed. His mind was still replaying scenes from last night, where he was buddy-buddy with a group of Hall Masters.

"Meet me in the assembly hall."

A powerful, deep voice...

...suddenly echoed in his mind, jolting him sober.

The Hall Master was back!

It was Wu Dao’s familiar voice, laced with its usual indifferent pressure.

Zhao Jianji recognized it instantly. Overjoyed, he hastily threw on his shoes and socks and rushed towards the assembly hall.

The assembly hall.

The faint morning light cast mottled, fragmented shadows.

Zhao Jianji quickly straightened his appearance, an irrepressible smile on his face. Like a general eager to report his merits, he took a deep breath and stepped inside.

"Hall Master, you’re finally..."

As soon as he entered the hall, Zhao Jianji saw Wu Dao’s familiar, inhumanly majestic physique on the main seat.

But what surprised him was that...

...after not seeing him for twenty-five days...

...Wu Dao seemed to have achieved a state of Returning to the Essence. The suffocating pressure that usually surrounded him was gone, and he was as calm as a frozen pond, without a single ripple.

But upon closer inspection...

...one would feel a strange sense of panic and confusion.

An inexplicable fear and awe would arise, as if an ancient Evil Beast was hidden beneath that frozen pond, ready to open its eyes and erupt at any moment—a truly chilling thought.

’This monster...’

Zhao Jianji secretly swallowed. It seemed that every time he saw Wu Dao after an absence, he had become several times more terrifying. He was already getting numb to it.

He could rack his brains and still not figure out how Wu Dao did his cultivation; it completely defied common sense.

"And this is?"

Composing himself, Zhao Jianji was about to report on the major and minor events of the past few weeks when he noticed that besides Wu Dao...

...there was another person in the hall: a familiar yet strange swordsman in black. It was the mysterious ’Drunkard’ who had become famous at the inn outside the hall recently.

Curious about their relationship...

...Zhao Jianji asked subconsciously, while also taking a closer look at the swordsman.

The swordsman appeared to be middle-aged.

He stood eight feet tall with a broad frame and a majestic build. His ink-black hair flowed freely, adding a touch of wildness to his aura.

His eagle-like eyes were sharp yet held a hint of world-weariness. His cheeks were covered in sparse stubble, and he carried a six-foot, straight-backed Black Blade on his back.

Zhao Jianji glanced at the crude Black Blade. Just looking at its scabbard inexplicably made his eyes ache, as if they were being cut by a razor.

The swordsman paid no mind to Zhao Jianji’s arrival, simply standing quietly beside Wu Dao, continuously lifting a wine Gourd to his lips as if nothing in the outside world concerned him.

"Shi Kui. A friend. Pay him no mind."

Wu Dao noticed the curiosity on Zhao Jianji’s face but had no intention of explaining. He just gave a perfunctory reply, adding a thought in his mind—

’A short-term friend worth ten million taels.’

Shi Kui?

Hearing the name, Zhao Jianji found it vaguely familiar but couldn’t place it. Since Wu Dao didn’t elaborate, he didn’t press the issue.

After collecting his thoughts...

...Zhao Jianji began to report on what had happened during Wu Dao’s absence.

Here at the Tan County Branch,

Although Wu Dao was away, his lingering prestige was so great that no troubles had arisen.

Qi Canghai also hadn’t launched a surprise attack.

This left Shi Kui, whom Wu Dao had hired to guard the branch, with nothing to do for the better part of a month.

Next was Qi Canghai’s whereabouts.

Ever since the Joyful Forest incident...

...Qi Canghai had claimed to be visiting old friends.

In reality, he had vanished into thin air.

Even his confidants at the headquarters couldn’t contact him and had no idea where he’d gone.

Others might not know...

...but Wu Dao knew clearly that he was most likely waiting for the Fox Race experts to recover. He was probably holed up in some dark corner right now, spying on the Tan County Branch.

Then there was the matter of winning over the martial arts hall’s upper echelons.

Thanks to Qi Canghai’s disappearance and Zhao Jianji’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering...

...rumors were flying everywhere, with people spreading the story that Qi Canghai had fled overnight because his collusion with the Alien Race had been exposed.

During this period, morale within the White Whale Martial Arts Hall was unstable. The entire hierarchy was in chaos, with everyone scrambling for power and profit.

The Elder Council and several Vice Hall Masters had already bared their fangs, using every trick in the book and secretly forming factions.

However, their efforts had yielded little result.

The main reason was Wu Dao.

Because Zhao Jianji was recruiting people openly, without any pretense whatsoever.

Waving the banner of Wu Dao, one of only two Innate masters in the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, and holding this Stabilizing Needle in hand, he was practically invincible.

As of today...

...aside from a few of Qi Canghai’s die-hard loyalists...

...about seventy percent of the other County-level Hall Masters and high-ranking members had been swayed by Zhao Jianji’s silver tongue and his use of both the carrot and the stick, and were now inclined to switch their allegiance.

Several Hall Masters from branches near the Tan County Branch...

...had even expressed that as soon as Wu Dao was ready to seize power...

...they would answer his call without hesitation.

Finally, there was the matter of the anomaly reports that Wu Dao was always concerned about.

There was still no news.

However, Zhao Jianji stated...

...that during this time, he had the high-ranking members who had sided with the Tan County Branch pass down orders. A bounty had been posted over more than half of the northern region of Guangqing Prefecture, greatly expanding the scope of their intelligence network.

As soon as any Alien Species appeared...

...the information would be sent to Tan County immediately.

"Good. Later, go to the storehouse and take a Gourd of Breaking Cocoon Elixir."

After listening to Zhao Jianji’s report, Wu Dao nodded in approval. To have won over seventy percent of the martial arts hall’s upper echelons in just one month was impressive.

Although this was mainly due to the deterrent of his own strength and Qi Canghai’s disappearance...

...Zhao Jianji’s contribution in running around and scheming could not be ignored. Rewards were given where they were due.

"Thank you for the reward, Hall Master!"

Zhao Jianji was overjoyed at his words, dropping to one knee to express his gratitude.

Although he didn’t have a Dantian...

...and the Breaking Cocoon Elixir was useless for increasing his strength...

...the Breaking Cocoon Elixir did more than just enhance a Martial Artist’s strength.

It could extend one’s life and eliminate hidden ailments.

It could maintain one’s vitality and prevent mental decay.

It had many wondrous uses.

Out in the world, a Gourd of Cocoon-Breaking Level Elixir Pills would cost at least one million taels. No Divine Power Martial Artists would be able to refuse it.