Essence Devouring Art

Overlord Whale Alliance headquarters.

Inside the private underground training chamber that once belonged to Qi Canghai.

The underground chamber was the size of a soccer field.

It was constructed entirely from high-grade Cold Steel Stone and inlaid with Luminous Pearls that illuminated the darkness.

In the center.

Sitting cross-legged, Wu Dao felt the countless Fine Steel Wires in his chest squirm and regenerate. He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a turbid breath.

With a thought.

The attribute panel appeared in his mind—

[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: 3615]

The mongrel black fox was a thousand Teleportation Points!

The Three-tailed Red Fox was one thousand five hundred Teleportation Points!

From the battle at Jingyue Mountain.

Wu Dao had reaped a total of two thousand five hundred Teleportation Points, bringing his total to a relatively wealthy sum.

’Only a five hundred point difference...’

Wu Dao narrowed his eyes. The rule by which the attribute panel collected Teleportation Points didn’t seem to be based on strength, but was measured from some other angle he didn’t understand.

Otherwise,

a Great Demon at the level of a Grandmaster of Gang Qi,

one with fifteen hundred years of cultivation,

even if not at its peak, could have easily crushed someone of Qi Canghai’s level. The power gap was enormous; there was no way it should only be worth five hundred more Teleportation Points.

It was rather thought-provoking.

’Since it’s beneficial and not harmful, why think so much about it?’

But he couldn’t figure it out right away.

So Wu Dao didn’t dwell on it.

The origin of the attribute panel was a great mystery.

He still wasn’t sure if it was a gift from his past life or a fortune of his current one.

But regardless of where it came from,

or what was involved behind the scenes,

it was not something the current him could fathom.

It’s a virtue to know one’s own limitations.

Obsessing over the pros and cons of matters beyond his ability would only be a pointless exercise in self-torment.

’In this world of Extraordinary cultivation, the power gaps widen the further one progresses. It’s dangerous if my strength can’t keep up. It’s time to break into the Overlord Domain.’

Wu Dao let out a slow breath, calming his heart and mind. His will formed a finger and pressed the shining plus sign after the Essence Devouring Art.

BZZZ—

Instantly.

The moment he pressed the plus sign,

a searing hot current, seemingly born from nothing, erupted from the depths of his body like a volcano, forming a large cocoon that completely enveloped him.

From Hero to Overlord.

A giant leap on the path of life’s evolution.

He was officially taking the step!

...

An hour later.

Outside.

In the council office courtyard of the Heaven-Stealing Alliance headquarters, not far from the training room.

"Who drew this? It looks like a catfish! Dominance! Do you even know what dominance looks like? Redraw it!"

Zhao Jianji, who had been working nonstop lately, held a piece of parchment. On it was the new banner design for the Overlord Whale Alliance, but it was so ugly it made his blood boil.

"Yes, yes, Lord of the Records, you are right. This lowly one will... urgh."

THUMP~

The artist took the rejected draft, wiping away his cold sweat. As he was about to retreat, his face instantly turned as white as a sheet, as if he’d seen a ghost. His expression was one of absolute terror, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

BZZZ~

It wasn’t just the artist.

All the clerical staff in the office courtyard, regardless of their cultivation level, felt their Divine Souls tremble. Their faces paled, and the hair on their bodies stood on end, as if they had encountered a natural predator. They felt a fear that stemmed from their very genetic instincts.

’He broke through again... What a monster...’

Zhao Jianji looked up numbly in the direction of the training chamber.

There,

it was as if a Fierce Demon from the Primordial Chaos, a world-conquering Overlord, had descended upon the world, roaring at the heavens and earth, announcing its existence to all living things!

A silent roar.

It carried an indescribably fierce and domineering aura, a pressure that swept across the world in all directions like a tsunami.

Wherever it passed, the air became as heavy as the deep sea. All beings felt as if they were facing a God and Demon, and terrifying illusions bloomed in their minds, nearly causing them to suffocate and vomit blood.

Fortunately,

this pressure came as quickly as it went.

As a gentle breeze blew by,

Zhao Jianji and the others in the office courtyard breathed a collective sigh of relief. It felt like they had just taken a stroll through the gates of hell; their backs were soaked with cold sweat.

Inside the training chamber.

CRACKLE CRACKLE...

The faint sound of crackling electricity rose and fell.

In the center,

his transformation complete, Wu Dao floated quietly ten feet off the ground.

His majestic, mountain-like physique shone like a Divine Weapon. Golden flames mixed with crimson arcs of electricity shot out from his every pore, making him look like a god of thunder and fire had descended.

[Physique: Overlord (Minor Achievement)]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring Art (75% Potential Release) +

Overlord Whale Fist 600 years (Divine Manifestation) +

Dragon Whale Transformation 700 years (Fourth Layer) +]

[Teleportation Points: 2115]

"The Overlord Domain... I’ve finally reached this stage!"

Wu Dao closed the attribute panel, a nostalgic look in his eyes. He raised his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.

CRACKLE~

Crimson Gold sparks of electricity erupted from the pores of his palm. Countless ’generators’ whirred to life within him, and vast Power surged through his body. He could shatter a great mountain with a single punch!

Overlord! The Overlord!

With strength to uproot mountains, my might shadows the world!

A Heaven Stealer in the Overlord Domain was fully deserving of this phrase!

After entering this domain,

the body’s power began to break free from the constraints of Qi and Blood Power. The main source of strength now became the Magnetic Field Power generated by the high-speed friction of his cells!

Under Introspection,

his Spiritual Thoughts swept through the macroscopic and microscopic tissues of his body.

It was clearly visible.

At this moment, Wu Dao’s flesh and bone, which possessed the toughness of steel refined three hundred times, had broken their cocoon and undergone a qualitative leap, transforming into a terrifyingly strong, crimson-gold metal.

This metal,

had a name in his past life: Immortal Extreme Gold.

Not only did its strength surpass that of steel refined three hundred times,

but it also possessed a memory function. Every part of his body now had the function of a brain, capable of storing consciousness and transmitting all kinds of neural information.

With this ability,

as long as Wu Dao wasn’t instantly blasted into smithereens,

even if his head was blown off,

he could transfer his consciousness to another part of his body beforehand and quickly grow a new head with the help of the Healing Fluid.

And the memory function was only one of Immortal Extreme Gold’s characteristics.

The cells that constituted Immortal Extreme Gold were perversely active, durable, and strong. They could withstand super-high-speed friction and collisions without damage, generating a Primordial Magnetic current and strengthening the body’s Life Magnetic Field.

What is a Magnetic Field?

Most people would probably think of electromagnetism first, but it is actually a very broad concept.

Idealism and materialism,

everything has a Magnetic Field.

The heavens have it, the earth has it, the stars have it, living things have it, dead things have it, Energy, non-energy...

Even the soul, spirit, and consciousness.

They too can generate a Magnetic Field.

The attraction and repulsion between Magnetic Fields

give rise to all things, producing all sorts of natural phenomena and the operational laws of the universe.

By strengthening one’s personal Magnetic Field, one can influence, manipulate, and even master and reverse the operational laws of the Grand Cosmos, perform all kinds of incredible feats, and become a Divine Being.

Of course,

all of this was still very far off for the current Wu Dao.

On the Primordial Magnetism Path,

he had only just taken the first step. His influence on the Earth and Heaven Magnetic Field was very limited; he couldn’t even completely overcome gravity yet.

But Wu Dao wasn’t dissatisfied.

All beginnings are difficult.

The most difficult part, forging the container, was now complete. From now on, he just needed to continuously temper and improve its quality.

How to temper it?

Naturally, by increasing the cellular strength of the Immortal Extreme Gold, strengthening his Spiritual Consciousness to control the cells’ even higher-speed friction, and enhancing his Life Magnetic Field.

The Nine-Turned Overlord.

The Peak of Hundred Transformations Human Extreme.

Each "turn" was a thousand-fold tempering of the Immortal Extreme Gold, a transformation of the body’s Magnetic Field, and an advancement in strength.

All changes stem from the same origin.

Only by continuously strengthening one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit

can one master more and more Power, using the Little Cosmos of the human body to leverage the power of the Grand Cosmos.

’At the first turn of my Magnetic Field, I should be able to fight Shi Kui to a 70-30 split in my normal state.’

Wu Dao retracted his Spiritual Thoughts. The friction of his cells slowed, and the Crimson Gold sparks around him faded. Feeling the immense Power generated by the thousands of "motors" in his body, he couldn’t help but think of Shi Kui.

Before advancing to Overlord,

he estimated that if he were to open Divine Ghost Heaven, he could fight Shi Kui—the second-ranked Sword Dao Grandmaster on the military roll—to a 40-60 split.

But that was just a self-assessment under the most ideal conditions.

There were strong and weak among Grandmasters as well.

It wasn’t as if everyone who reached this realm was of similar strength.

Reality, after all, wasn’t like game data.

Take Fang Tianxiong and the Three-tailed Red Fox, for example.

One had his potential exhausted and his Qi and Blood declining.

The other was said to have fifteen hundred years of cultivation.

But the Celestial Blade of Time never stops.

Six or seven hundred years of slumber,

with no improvement in strength, only internal attrition, had long since been worn down by the passage of time.

The man and the fox,

it was no exaggeration to call them old, weak, sick, and disabled.

Compared to Shi Kui, who was in his prime

and cultivated the Military Dao, there was simply no comparison.

For all these reasons,

that day,

if he had really fought Shi Kui to the death,

the one to die would have definitely been Wu Dao.

Because the life intensity of the Heroic Domain couldn’t sustain the consumption of Shen Wutian.

But now...

The 70-30 split was just for his normal state.

If he were to release the Divine Ghost Heaven,

no matter how many hidden cards Shi Kui had,

as long as he wasn’t hiding his cultivation level,

Wu Dao was confident of a 100-0 split.

Because...

Wu Dao’s thoughts swept over the attribute panel.

Dragon Whale Transformation, Fourth Layer!

ROAR~

Faintly,

the vast Qi and Blood in his body surged, accompanied by the indistinct roar of a primordial dragon.

Qi and Blood like a Dragon!

The Horizontal Refining Fourth Gate!

With strength alone, he could wrestle with a Land Immortal!

Of course,

a figure at the Land Immortal Level had methods that were no longer limited to mere physique and Qi and Blood Power.

The saying that one could fight a Land Immortal upon entering the Horizontal Refining Fourth Gate

was actually quite an exaggeration.

But no matter how much of an exaggeration it was,

the Horizontal Refining Fourth Gate was not something a Grandmaster of Gang Qi could contend with.

Not to mention,

Wu Dao’s Fourth Gate had been broken through by the rotational power of his magnetic field after his Human Potential Release. His strength far surpassed that of a normal Body Refiner of the same level.

"The Fox Race..."

His thoughts churned. Wu Dao recalled the mysterious voice suspected of belonging to the owner of the black blood. His Spiritual Perception enveloped the training room, and his body’s Magnetic Field rotated slightly.

SWOOSH—

The broken Black Sword on the storage rack in the corner instantly shot through the air and into Wu Dao’s hand, like an iron needle drawn to a magnet.

Telekinesis.

It was just a minor trick one could perform after gaining control of Life Magnetic Power.

The influence of Life Primordial Magnetism on all things in the world wasn’t concerned with the inherent nature of attraction or repulsion, but only the "volume" of the Magnetic Field.

The Black Sword’s ’Magnetic Field’ was smaller than Wu Dao’s.

So he could control it from a distance as if it were an extension of his own arm.

With the Black Sword in hand,

he could see the residue of some extremely foul-smelling black blood on it.

Even after many days,

it still hadn’t coagulated, a testament to the vigorous Life Force of its owner.

TSSSSSS—

Wu Dao ran a finger across the Black Sword. The flesh and skin constructed from first-turn Immortal Extreme Gold still corroded and smoked, showing just how potent the poison was.

CRACKLE~

Crimson Gold sparks flew, and black smoke curled into the air.

The black blood that tried to invade his body was instantly vaporized by his Magnetic Field.

But Wu Dao couldn’t be happy about it.

’A few mere drops of blood can break through my defenses. Wouldn’t its owner be able to tear me apart alive?’

A Land Immortal.

To be counted among the ranks of Immortals,

was truly not as simple as just adding one to a realm number.

The claim that the Horizontal Refining Fourth Gate allowed one to fight a Land Immortal probably only applied to someone who had taken this gate to its absolute Limit.

The gap was too wide!

’If I want to completely ignore the black blood, I’ll need to reach at least 79% Human Potential Release, enter Overlord Great Success, and have my Magnetic Field reach the fifth turn to generate the protective Primordial Magnetic True Gang.’

The Black Sword flew back to the storage rack.

Wu Dao stood up and stretched his body, which was now bursting with new Power. The little bit of joy he had felt was long gone, replaced by thoughts of where to find his next meal.

After the Overlord Domain,

although he could use his Life Magnetic Field to extract Original Treasure Liquid from nature and no longer worry about resources,

being able to eat his fill was one thing.

Finding high-grade ’delicacies’ that allowed for rapid growth after eating his fill was another matter entirely.

Cultivating step-by-step was far too slow.

A crisis could arrive at any moment.

If he wanted to increase his strength quickly,

he needed more high-grade ’delicacies’!

Of the three Cultivations on his panel,

the next stage of the Essence Devouring Art required five thousand Teleportation Points.

Overlord Whale Fist was at Divine Manifestation.

Dragon Whale Transformation was at the Fourth Layer, Qi and Blood like a Dragon.

The next step for these two Cultivation Techniques involved the True Boxing Dao and the realm Above Innate.

The cost was even steeper.

Fifteen thousand!

A few small fry wouldn’t be enough.

In the end, he had to play in the high-stakes games and fish for the big ones!

Fortunately,

Wu Dao already had a target in mind.

’Now that my claws and fangs are sharp, that piece of meat I’ve been letting fatten up for so long... it’s time to make a move.’

He licked his lips nostalgically.

Wu Dao grinned, a ferocious smile that revealed two rows of inhuman, crimson-gold shark-like teeth. He looked just like a starving Fierce Beast that had locked onto its prey.