Essence Devouring Art

...

While the Overlord Whale Alliance was wrapping things up in Jianshan City.

Baiyue Mountain.

Southern Border Fox Clan Ancestral Land.

Within a pavilion by a lotus pond.

"Wu Dao!!!"

A voice, like an evil ghost demanding a life, rang out through gritted teeth.

Lu Hongye’s incomparably handsome face was twisted in a savage snarl. A terrifying, murderous light shot from his eyes, and the fury in his heart threatened to burn down the heavens.

The branch in Jianshan City.

It was a crucial part of his plan to pry open Guangqing Prefecture, one he had poured immense effort into. He had even stationed a 1,500-year-old Great Demon there to hold the fort.

To secure this stronghold,

he had nearly exhausted himself recently, creating a large batch of high-quality Daoist Disciples.

But it was gone!

All of it was gone!

In a single day, his entire investment in Jianshan City had been washed away, without a single bit of return!

If not for the other Saint King Dao branches providing him a safety net,

he would have suffered losses so great he’d be coughing up blood.

’Power... My power is still not enough!’

After his anger subsided,

Lu Hongye pinpointed the crux of the issue and calmed down.

If his power was great enough,

he wouldn’t need to hide and sneak around, worrying about every little thing. Anyone who dared block his path would be crushed with a single slap!

Wu Dao’s guess had been correct.

Lu Hongye was indeed a Celestial Treasure Master.

The Celestial Treasure he possessed

could not only enslave demons but also transform humans into Demon Beasts.

Any demon he enslaved or Demon Beast he created with his Celestial Treasure would become his devout Daoist Disciple.

The more Daoist Disciples he had, and the higher their quality,

the more power they would feed back to him. It was akin to having External Incarnations, with numerous Incarnations helping him cultivate simultaneously.

Of course,

there were also many limitations.

He could not enslave any demon stronger than himself unless it submitted to him with its entire heart and soul.

The number of Daoist Disciples he could create

was also limited by his own power.

He couldn’t just create as many as he wanted, because maintaining the link to his Daoist Disciples was incredibly draining.

’To rapidly increase my power, I need more high-quality Daoist Disciples to nurture my Celestial Treasure. I have to take down the Fox Race as soon as possible.’

Lu Hongye let out a slow breath. He looked up toward the central palace in Fox City, a ruthless glint appearing in his eyes.

Once he converted the entire Fox Race into his Daoist Disciples, his power would undergo a qualitative leap.

When that time comes...

He would repay the Jianshan City debt a hundredfold!

...

Meanwhile, after leaving the Jianshan City region, Wu Dao did not return to Lancang County City.

Pushing his Overlord Great Success state to its Limit would surely cause a huge commotion, and it was not wise to expose his power in front of others.

High in the sky,

sonic booms echoed continuously as shockwaves rolled through the air.

Wu Dao sped onward, flying through the air.

Before long,

a familiar desert came into view.

It was the Black Stone Desert, the very place he had been trapped when he first arrived in this world.

’It’s been almost a year...’

An indescribable emotion stirred in his heart. With a thought, Wu Dao slowed down, followed his memories to find the Red Fire Mine, and stood high in the air, looking down.

The scorching sun blazed, sending up shimmering heat waves.

The Red Fire Mine hadn’t changed much since Wu Dao had left.

After the Overlord Whale Alliance replaced the Four Seas Gang,

they had prospected this mine once, but the reserves of Red Fire Ore had already bottomed out. It held little value, so it was abandoned. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Aside from a few passing travelers,

almost no one ever visited this barren land in the middle of the desert.

Looking down at the mine from high above,

scene after scene from the past surfaced in Wu Dao’s mind.

His thoughts ebbed and flowed.

Hooo...

He let out a slow breath.

His eyes cleared as he purged all distracting thoughts.

Wu Dao lingered no longer. He turned, activated his Magnetic Field, and shot toward the heavens, trailing rolling sonic booms and shockwaves.

The scattered dreams of the past are but smoke and clouds!

The great river flows only forward!

The Great Dao leads to the heavens; I need only stride ahead!

...

RUMBLE—

「A moment later.」

Deep within the Black Stone Desert.

Thunder rolled and shook the world, echoing in all directions.

High in the sky,

a Crimson Gold Divine Sun of lightning and fire was clearly visible, releasing terrifying light and heat. It vied with the true sun for brilliance, stirring the winds and clouds for miles around.

The Magnetic Field of all things became chaotic and distorted.

Then, as if on a pilgrimage, it surged toward that great sun of lightning and fire, merging into one with it!

The Magnetic Field of all things becomes my power!

Overlord Limit, achieved!

ROAR!

A few breaths later,

the sound of a primeval dragon’s cry resounded through heaven and earth.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR—

At first, there was only one, but then more followed, continuous and unending, like a swarm of dragons leaving their nest.

From a distance,

one could see ferocious Red Gold Blood Dragons ceaselessly charging out of the great sun of lightning and fire. They roared, shattering the void, then surged and converged, finally condensing into a single, thousand-zhang-long, tempestuous river.

The river stretched across the sky, obscuring the sun.

As its crimson-gold waves rose and fell, a Supreme Yang aura flooded the world, burning vast swathes of the void red hot and causing them to twist and warp.

The Fifth Door of Transverse Cultivation!

Qi Blood River!

Achieved!

SKREEE!

After the Qi Blood River,

an even more terrifying shriek shook the heavens and the earth!

The sound came from the primeval wilderness of antiquity, rising from the depths of a boundless ocean, transforming into a sky-blotting shadow that roamed the four seas, its domineering intent suppressing all living things in the world.

BOOM!

The Divine Whale slapped its tail!

The boundless ocean trembled, and waves surged ten thousand zhang high.

With a single slap of its tail,

it completely shattered the barrier between illusion and reality.

The winds and clouds churned, and the celestial phenomena changed drastically!

A massive, undulating shadow covered a vast stretch of the desert, plunging the world into darkness.

A true, blood-red ocean, carrying an infinite, world-dominating Fist Intent, descended upon the mortal realm!

When a man’s killing intent is roused, the heavens and earth are overturned!

My will is as Heaven’s will!

The True Intent of the Overlord Whale Fist Dao!

Achieved!

TZZZT!

At the center of the great Crimson Gold sun of lightning and fire,

Wu Dao’s eyes snapped open, shooting out a rainbow-like bolt of electricity that pierced through layers of the void, blasting open a pitch-black vacuum tunnel.

He rose!

He clenched his fist!

CRACKLE! POP!

SPLASH!

SKREEE!

The Magnetic Field Power swarmed and gathered!

The Qi Blood River surged and churned!

The world-dominating Divine Whale dove, bringing the ocean with it!

He threw his punch!

BOOM—

The void shattered, and the world trembled!

Even dozens of miles away, one could hear the explosive roar, like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens!

THUMP!!