Essence Devouring Art

Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals.

In a war between the Extraordinary, this is an unwritten rule that few dare to break.

The cost is simply too great!

If you dare to use your superior power to slaughter my army today, I’ll dare to slaughter your common folk tomorrow.

Unless you’re a true madman.

Otherwise, no one can afford that gamble.

Thus, throughout the history of warfare, conquering cities and seizing territory still came down to the soldiers under one’s command.

Under these circumstances, for Prince Nanyang to give up a fresh force like the Overlord Whale Alliance and agree to Wu Dao’s, frankly, unreasonable demands... was it because he was so confident that he looked down on them, or did he have some other motive?

...

Inside the assembly hall.

With Zhou Zhiyin’s casual remark, it wasn’t just Wu Dao.

The other high-ranking members of the Overlord Whale Alliance, who had been feeling uneasy, were also surprised.

From Wu Dao’s recent attitude of rejecting all the various lobbyists, they had already guessed his intentions.

He was most likely going to side with the Nanyang Prince’s Mansion.

And so, they had started to grow anxious.

Compared to fighting and killing on the battlefield, the "stable" life of counting money they had now was what they truly wanted.

How much money could you make fighting to the death every day? Don’t tell me they’d let us have a turn on the throne after conquering the world?

What a joke.

The silence in the assembly hall didn’t last long before Wu Dao broke it with a frown.

"Then what are the conditions?"

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

For every gain, there must be a loss.

If Prince Nanyang was granting the Overlord Whale Alliance special privileges, then those privileges must come at a price.

"Not many. Three conditions."

Zhou Zhiyin raised three slender, jade-like fingers, stirring a faint, fragrant breeze. Her beautiful eyes shimmered as she spoke.

"First, the Overlord Whale Alliance must provide the Prince’s Mansion with thirty percent of its monthly income as military provisions."

’Thirty percent...’

Hearing this, Zhao Jianji’s expression changed at the side.

He came from a family of strategists.

How could he not know that war was just burning money, and that most of that money was supplied by the vassal factions under each power?

That figure of thirty percent... It wasn’t too much. It was far too little!

Over seventy years ago, during the War of the Six Princes that led to the complete decline of Dali, the factions of the Thirteen Prefectures of the South Border were also swept up by the then-Overlord of the Southern Border, Yan King.

The resources they offered up each month were basically over seventy percent!

But even seventy percent wasn’t enough for Yan King. Toward the end of the war, many factions were wiped clean and bled dry under various pretexts.

After Yan King was defeated and fell, those factions naturally all declined and were replaced by newcomers.

That was why, whether they were prestigious families or Jianghu factions, almost none of them liked war.

Because once a war started, they were likely to become someone else’s moneybags, and regardless of victory or defeat, they would suffer a grievous blow to their strength.

But now, Prince Nanyang was only asking for thirty percent from the Overlord Whale Alliance?

’This...’

’Could it be... that the Alliance Leader is Prince Nanyang’s illegitimate son?’

Zhao Jianji carefully glanced at Wu Dao, whose expression showed neither surprise nor joy.

’Come to think of it, the Alliance Leader has never spoken of his origins. His identity has always been a mystery within the alliance.’

"Acceptable."

For his part, though Wu Dao was inwardly puzzled, he still nodded in agreement.

"Second."

Seeing Wu Dao agree, Zhou Zhiyin lowered one finger and continued, "On top of the thirty percent of resources, if the war effort requires it, the Overlord Whale Alliance must provide the army with all forms of support short of direct combat.

This includes gathering intelligence, transporting troops, providing garrisons, supplying soldiers and provisions, providing weapon materials, and so on—anything within your capacity."

"Naturally, that’s no problem."

Wu Dao pondered for a moment before nodding again.

Although Zhou Zhiyin’s words sounded complex, this demand wasn’t really a demand, as these were tasks a logistical support faction should be doing anyway.

More importantly, aside from Pingliang City, where the Royalist Factions from two prefectures were currently gathered, there was basically no resistance in the area surrounding Guangqing Prefecture.

Given the Nanyang Prince’s Mansion’s current scale, it would take very little effort to capture Pingliang County City. They might not even need the Overlord Whale Alliance at all.

"Third."

When she got to the third condition, Zhou Zhiyin’s tone paused slightly. A scrutinizing look flashed in the depths of her beautiful eyes before she continued,

"Pingliang is not the main battlefield, so the Prince’s Mansion will not be deploying many top generals. Therefore... my lord hopes that when the time comes to attack Pingliang, Alliance Leader Wu will personally lend a hand."

Wu Dao’s brows furrowed slightly.

With no grievance to settle and no profit to be made, he didn’t like fighting people.

"Of course..."

As if noticing Wu Dao’s frown, Zhou Zhiyin added, "Alliance Leader Wu can treat this as a transaction. After the matter is settled, my lord will give you a grand gift.

And since it is a transaction, Alliance Leader Wu is free to refuse. It is not compulsory."

"Tell me more about this grand gift."

Wu Dao’s brow immediately smoothed out as he pressed for details.

"Hee hee~"

Seemingly amused by Wu Dao’s sudden change in attitude, Zhou Zhiyin covered her mouth and let out a laugh, a sight of incomparable beauty in the bright hall.

AHEM~

Tong Yi let out a dry cough, as if to remind Zhou Zhiyin of her decorum.

Zhou Zhiyin immediately suppressed her smile, her cheeks slightly flushed. Resuming her dignified bearing, she said apologetically, "My apologies for the breach of etiquette, Alliance Leader Wu. Please forgive me."

"It’s nothing."

Wu Dao waved his hand calmly, feeling no ripples in his heart. He could distinguish between goodwill and malice.

"It is, naturally, what Alliance Leader Wu desires most."

The hint of playfulness in her beautiful eyes vanished. Zhou Zhiyin returned to her dignified and elegant demeanor, her tone meant to whet his appetite.

’What I desire most?’

A thought stirred in Wu Dao’s mind.

The fact that he had a bounty out for information on the Alien Species was no secret. To outsiders, what he wanted most was undoubtedly concrete intelligence about them.

Given Prince Nanyang’s resources, the "grand gift" he promised would surely be no mere trifle.

’This deal is worth making!’

However, there was one question that had been building in Wu Dao’s mind from the very beginning, one he felt compelled to ask. His eyes narrowed slightly. "I know my own worth, and I’ve never believed in free lunches. I truly do not understand. From where does this great favor from the Prince stem?"

He could sense it.

The reason Prince Nanyang was treating the Overlord Whale Alliance differently, even sending a Commandery Princess from his own house to act as his representative, this level of ’importance’... It wasn’t for any other reason.

It was solely because of him, as a person.

All the conditions seemed tailored to accommodate his feelings.

This was somewhat abnormal.

He had never dealt with Prince Nanyang before, nor were there any debts of gratitude between them.

Was there such a thing as unprompted kindness in this world?

Impossible.

’Could it be that my predecessor really had some connection to Prince Nanyang?’

All sorts of dramatic clichés surfaced in Wu Dao’s mind.

This wasn’t baseless speculation.

Mainly, it was because he had not inherited his predecessor’s memories and knew nothing of the first nineteen years of his life.

Most importantly, there was no record of such a person!

After the Overlord Whale Alliance unified the north and south, its intelligence network had become quite powerful, yet Wu Dao still had very little information on his predecessor.

The only information he had was a single clue obtained from the Four Seas Gang back when he fought his way out of the Red Fire Mine.

A vagrant beggar!

A simpleton with practically no intelligence!

No name, no identity, and certainly no known origin.

There were no other clues beyond that.

This was all rather thought-provoking.

"Alliance Leader Wu, do you believe in fate?"

After a moment of silence, Zhou Zhiyin’s eyelashes lowered slightly. Her soft, magnetic voice sounded, and the emotion in her beautiful eyes grew a little more complex.

’Fate?’

Wu Dao’s expression faltered at her words. He then replied openly and candidly, "I believe in fate, but I do not resign myself to it. If knowing one’s fate means accepting it, then a person can never grow.

In my view, destiny is a judgment made by those who come after. It should never be a barrier for those forging ahead."

"Is that so?"

Zhou Zhiyin’s expression was faintly stirred. She then let out a soft breath, raised her elegant head, and gazed at Wu Dao with a faint smile.

"Zhiyin also knows that Alliance Leader Wu has doubts and suspects my lord of having ulterior motives.

But please, rest assured, Alliance Leader.

In my lord’s heart, Alliance Leader Wu is a friend, or perhaps, a fellow traveler.

If there must be a reason, then perhaps it is as Alliance Leader Wu said: my lord is also someone who believes in fate, but does not resign himself to it."

As her voice fell, Zhou Zhiyin rose from her seat, stirring a fragrant breeze. She gave a graceful bow. "With Alliance Leader Wu’s assistance, Zhiyin believes it will not be long before peace returns to the world.

I have other matters to attend to on this trip, so Zhiyin will not impose any longer. Alliance Leader Wu has many affairs to manage, so there is no need to see me out."

As she spoke, Tong Yi and Shen Ruixin also rose from their seats on the other side, flanking Zhou Zhiyin to her left and right.

Just before leaving, the white-haired, youthful-faced Tong Yi turned back to look at Wu Dao, who sat on the main seat with an inscrutable expression, and said with a smile,

"Alliance Leader Wu, your Fist Intent is just one step away from the true gate. If you are interested, a visit to Martial King Mountain would surely be fruitful."

After speaking, without waiting for Wu Dao’s reply, he escorted Zhou Zhiyin out of the assembly hall, and they gradually disappeared from Wu Dao’s sight.

HUUU~

Atop the main seat of the assembly hall, Wu Dao slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. He suppressed his myriad thoughts and looked to the side at Zhao Jianji, who had remained silent all this time.

"What is Prince Nanyang’s Celestial Treasure? Is there any news of it in the Jianghu?"

What Zhou Zhiyin said had been vague and confusing. All that talk about fate. Wu Dao didn’t fully believe it. The only explanation was that Prince Nanyang had learned of the ’future’ through some unknown means.

In the future he had seen, Wu Dao and he had become fellow travelers. That was the reason for all the special treatment today.

If he didn’t know about the existence of Celestial Treasures, Wu Dao might not have thought in this direction.

But the legendary, logic-defying Mighty Powers of the Celestial Treasures made foreseeing the future a possibility.

And Prince Nanyang just so happened to be a Celestial Treasure Master!

"Well..."

Zhao Jianji knew what Wu Dao meant, but after a moment of thought, he shook his head. "I don’t know. I estimate that not even the Black Dragon Commerce Association knows. Even the rumor that Prince Nanyang is a Celestial Treasure Master is just speculation.

Before his rise, he was far too ordinary. His civil governance and Martial Arts were unremarkable among the various princes. The only bright spot was that his personal Martial Dao talent was barely passable.

But after the War of the Six Princes, the once-mediocre man suddenly soared to prominence with unstoppable momentum. It was so abnormal that rumors began to circulate in the Jianghu that Prince Nanyang was a Celestial Treasure Master."

"What a familiar story..."

Wu Dao’s expression turned a little strange upon hearing this.

When he connected this with the tale of Prince Nanyang rising from the Outer Sect of Martial King Mountain to become its top disciple in just ten years, it sounded more and more like a so-called protagonist of Celestial Mandate.

’Then what does that make me, his fellow traveler?’

’A tool of a side character, destined to help the protagonist rule the world?’

’No, that’s not right either.’

’It’s just as I said. Destiny is a judgment made by those who come after. A fate that is already known becomes a variable. Then it is no longer destined.’

"It seems I’ll have to meet this Prince Nanyang in the future."

Gazing at the three figures fading into the distant sky, a grave look entered Wu Dao’s eyes.

He had long heard of Prince Nanyang’s temperament.

He revered righteousness and detested evil, a man of both virtue and talent.

No matter how he thought about it, that was completely incompatible with someone like him, who ignored good and evil, black and white, and acted only for his own benefit.

There was an old saying: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

For the two of them to become fellow travelers in the future could only mean one thing: they would share a common enemy.

’The Alien Species?’

’Or... an even more terrifying existence?’

’An enemy so terrifying that even Prince Nanyang, a man who had surpassed the Celestial Human Realm, would be willing to set aside his prejudice of black and white to become fellow travelers with me!’

Tsk.

’I hope it’s edible.’

’Otherwise...’

’Fate my ass!’