Essence Devouring Art

WHOOSH—

A cold wind blew past the window lattice.

The scene inside the inn rapidly faded, growing old and decayed until it returned to its original dilapidated state.

To be more precise,

in the eyes of Wang Long and his men,

the inn had been covered in cobwebs, with fallen beams and broken walls, all along.

The Stinging Dragon Pupil.

One of the two great Secret Techniques that came with the Dragon Whale Dominating Body.

It could perceive Yin and Yang, distinguishing truth from falsehood.

As a Primordial Demon evolving toward its progenitor form,

he had naturally developed the Stinging Dragon Pupil as well.

"My king, these bastards are just here to cause trouble! Let’s take them on, loud and clear!"

The melon-rind-hat-wearing waiter’s roar shattered the stagnant, oppressive atmosphere in the inn.

The once skin-and-bones waiter

now looked completely inhuman. He was a twisted, humanoid black shadow, his cavernous eyes glaring at Wang Long and his men with venomous hatred.

But the next moment...

SLAP!!

A pair of fiery, dragon-like Crimson Gold hands shot out like lightning, viciously slapping the waiter and sending him flying.

The searing Yang Fire it carried

made the waiter feel as if he had crashed into a red-hot furnace, scalding him and drawing a hysterical scream of pain.

"You son of a bitch, I told you to watch the horses! Are you deaf?!"

Zhao Cha, the lean and fierce man with the short red hair from before, had transformed into a ten-foot-tall Dragon Whale Primordial Demon.

Thick, massive muscles coiled around his body like writhing Evil Dragons, pulsing and bulging with a raw, savage, and violent aura.

His overly exuberant and extremely yang Qi and blood had turned him into a walking, red-hot human furnace, with flames spewing from his nostrils.

"I’m gonna break your legs today!"

Infuriated like an ignited powder keg, Zhao Cha stomped, shattering the floor tiles with his fan-sized foot. He lunged ferociously at the flying waiter, bringing with him a gale of scorching heat!

ROAR!!

The roar of the king of beasts echoed out.

The moment Zhao Cha made his move,

the old Shopkeeper in the Tiger Head Hat suddenly swelled, his body tearing through his skin and bursting the inn apart. Amidst gusts of demonic wind, he transformed into a massive, house-sized striped tiger and roared furiously at Wang Long and his men:

"Who in the hell are you, daring to cause trouble on my territory!"

’My territory?’

Amidst the drifting curtain of rain,

Wang Long gave the great striped tiger a strange look.

’They say when there’s no tiger in the mountains, the monkey proclaims itself king.’

’Seems like both monkeys and tigers are cut from the same cloth these days.’

’A mere seven-hundred-year-old Demon Beast.’

’Daring to call itself a king?’

’Then what does that make all those Great Demons who died at the Alliance Leader’s hands?’

’Truly doesn’t know its own limits.’

’It deserves to meet its doom today!’

"Heh, stirring up trouble in the Overlord Whale Alliance’s territory and you have the gall to ask who we are? You’ve got some nerve, don’t you?"

Wang Long grinned, revealing a set of inhuman, shark-like teeth identical to Wu Dao’s.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP—

Wang Long’s heart pounded like a war drum. He unleashed his Demon Embryo, his Qi and blood surging as his physique rapidly inflated like a balloon.

In the blink of an eye,

he transformed into a Dragon Whale Primordial Demon even larger and more robust than Zhao Cha. His Qi and blood were also more vigorous, having already stepped through the Second Door of Transverse Cultivation: the Qi Blood Burning Domain!

WHOOSH—

The Yang Fire erupted and billowed.

His Red Burning Domain enveloped the inn. The terrifyingly high temperature spread, igniting the structure and sending flames soaring into the sky. Even the rain falling from the heavens evaporated into white steam!

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP—

Immediately after,

a chorus of drum-like heartbeats rang out.

Over ten experts from the Overlord Whale Alliance grinned wildly as they transformed into Crimson Gold Dragon Whale Primordial Demons, like ferocious devils emerging from their nests in a fiery Purgatory.

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH—

A tidal wave of tyrannical, ultimate-yang aura crashed madly against the massive striped tiger.

An extreme premonition of danger

instantly made the fur on its body stand on end. Its pupils contracted, and without a shred of hesitation, it turned and burst through the curtain of rain, fleeing into the mountain forest.

"Hah, trying to run? A few of you stay behind to deal with those Chong Ghosts. The rest, follow me."

Wang Long sneered, crouched, and then launched himself off the ground, shattering it. Like a cannonball, he blasted through the air, shooting toward the fleeing striped tiger.

This operation against Tiger King Manor

was their first battle after receiving the Alliance Leader’s boon. Naturally, they had to make it a spectacular victory to be worthy of his nurturing.

Among the ten or so people,

the leader, Wang Long, was a Commander who had undergone a Second Rebirth. The others were all County Hall Masters who had undergone their first Rebirth!

After unleashing their Demon Embryos,

the blessing of the Dragon Whale Dominating Body allowed them to dominate anyone at the same level!

A mere seven-hundred-year-old Tiger Demon!

Unless it really grew wings,

it couldn’t hope to escape with its life, even if it had ten legs!

「A few minutes later.」

"Wuuu—"

With a mournful cry,

the great striped tiger, its skin split open, flesh mangled, and fur scorched black, collapsed into a pool of blood. Its breath was as faint as a silk thread; it was breathing out more than it was breathing in.

In its terrified eyes,

the reflections of ferocious, demonic figures in the smoke could still be seen.

"Commander, there were ten Chong Ghosts in total. We’ve captured them all with the Soul-Catching Gourd."

Just as Wang Long and his group finished their battle,

the few who had stayed behind to deal with the Chong Ghosts arrived.

Zhao Cha was holding a Red Gourd, smacking his lips with dissatisfaction as he spoke:

"It’s a shame most of them were just weakling White Lotus Ghost Souls. Only that son-of-a-bitch waiter was a First-Layer Black Lotus Fierce Gu."

"Be content. Others would kill for this opportunity."

Wang Long chuckled and cursed good-naturedly, taking the Soul-Catching Gourd. He gave it a shake and could hear painful, ghostly shrieks from within.

The Soul-Catching Gourd.

This was one of a batch of Immortal Treasures that Wu Dao had spent a great sum to purchase from the Black Dragon Commerce Association specifically to deal with aberrations.

There were very few of them.

Only County-level Commanders had the authority to use them.

After subduing a ghostly creature,

it could suck the formless, incorporeal body into the gourd for storage. Anything below a Three-Layered Black Lotus could not break free.

After stowing the Soul-Catching Gourd,

Wang Long directed his men to bind the Tiger Demon with flexible steel ropes. They chopped down a few hardwood trees on the spot and quickly began carrying it toward Lancang County City.

"Commander, this tiger’s huge. Shouldn’t we cover it up?"

"Heh, what’s there to hide? You ever been fishing?"

"Exactly. If the Alliance Leader didn’t like his food fresh, I’d parade this big tiger around Guangqing Prefecture three times."

...

「The next day.」

「Lancang County City.」

Having rushed all the way, Wang Long and his men paraded the house-sized Tiger Demon through the city streets. They walked with their backs ramrod straight, faces beaming with pride.

The common folk were in a state of shocked uproar.

Members of the Overlord Whale Alliance, on the other hand, wore expressions of envy and jealousy.

However, Wang Long and his men didn’t dare to get too cocky.

Because after a full night,

only the Tiger Demon’s chest was still faintly rising and falling. It could breathe its last and return to the Yellow Springs at any moment.

「Half an hour later.」

「Within the Overlord Whale Alliance’s headquarters manor.」

GURGLE, GURGLE~

A scalding bronze pot steamed and bubbled.

Famed chefs bustled about,

continuously carving tender meat from the giant tiger that terrified them, boiling or stir-frying it into one delectable dish after another.

"Mm, not bad. The fat isn’t greasy, and the lean meat isn’t tough. When the juices burst in your mouth, there’s a fiery, mellow aroma, like wine but not, that leaves a lasting aftertaste."

Wu Dao swished slices of tiger meat in the hot pot, continuously feeding large, golden-yellow pieces into his mouth like a Taotie feasting. His mouth was filled with fragrance as he offered a satisfied comment or two.

"All meat and no water. It’s missing a little something."

Smacking his lips,

Wu Dao felt eating just meat was a bit monotonous, so he picked up the Soul-Catching Gourd from the table.

He bound it with his Magnetic Field, opened his mouth, and inhaled.

"AH! NO! SPARE ME!"

Amidst desperate wails,

streams of black and white shadows, cold as snakes, were sucked into Wu Dao’s abyssal maw as if he were drinking a beverage.

He savored the taste for a moment.

Wu Dao thought it was a bit like iced herbal tea—slightly bitter, but after the bitterness faded, a pleasant, fragrant, and sweet aroma remained.

’A shame there’s so little of it,’ he thought.

Putting down the Gourd,

Wu Dao opened his attribute panel while continuing to eat. His Teleportation Points balance had increased by 500, reaching 4,115.

The seven-hundred-year-old Tiger Demon gave him 300.

The First-Layer Black Lotus Fierce Gu gave him 130.

The other nine White Lotus were too weak, only yielding a total of 70 points.

’They’re just little snacks to satisfy a craving, I suppose.’

After reaching the Overlord Limit,

the Essence Devouring Art’s leap to the Human Extreme required 25,000 points.

The next upgrade for the Overlord Whale Fist and Dragon Whale Transformation, to enter the Celestial Human Level, also required 20,000.

In comparison,

points was truly nothing.

’But where there’s one, there will be two.’

’This path of casting a net of Primordial Demons to hunt aberrations seems to be the right one.’

’It’s only been five days, and it’s already brought me an unexpected harvest.’

’As the world changes, surprises like this will surely become more frequent. Many small gains add up to a large one; getting 20,000 Teleportation Points won’t be that difficult.’

’Not to mention, there’s a big job waiting for me. Who knows, I might gather enough Teleportation Points to advance to the Human Extreme after this one score.’

Thinking of his deal with Prince Nanyang,

an idea sparked in Wu Dao’s mind. He took the Communication Token from his waist, found a spiritual imprint, and sent a message: "When is your master rebelling?"

After the Overlord Whale Alliance sided with the Nanyang Prince’s Mansion,

although it wasn’t yet time to openly raise their banner, the necessary lines of communication had long been established.

Within Wu Dao’s Communication Jade Talisman,

he had Zhou Zhiyin’s contact information.

"..."

Zhou Zhiyin on the other end seemed to fall silent for a moment.

A moment later,

her familiar, noble, and elegant voice came through, tinged with a hint of amusement, "It’s been many days. Alliance Leader Wu is as straightforward as ever."

Wu Dao’s expression was indifferent. He didn’t reply, simply continuing to eat his meat while waiting for Zhou Zhiyin’s answer.

The silence didn’t last long.

Zhou Zhiyin’s voice sounded again, this time with a more solemn tone:

"In ten days, we will dispatch troops to the north."

’Ten days...’

Wu Dao pondered for a moment before replying, "If the Overlord Whale Alliance takes Pingliang County ahead of schedule, does the deal still stand?"

Zhou Zhiyin went silent again.

Her tone was uncertain as she said,

"Of course it stands, but has Alliance Leader Wu thought this through? Although Pingliang County isn’t one of the Royalist Faction’s core territories,

that Governor of Two Prefectures, Sikong Lie, is a Celestial Martial Artist, and he has nearly fifty thousand troops under his command.

Besides him,

there’s Yang Wufeng, number one on Guangqing Prefecture’s Sword Rankings, and Nangong, number one on the Immortal Rankings..."

"What floor of Celestial Being?"

Wu Dao cut her off.

He had already committed all this information to memory.

"Publicly, First Floor, but in reality, he’s close to the Second Floor."

"One punch."

"Ah?"

"In five days, the Overlord Whale Alliance will attack Pingliang. Guangqing Prefecture need not send troops."

After sending the message, Wu Dao calmly put away the Communication Jade Talisman and focused on dealing with the meat in the pot.

「On the other side.」

Zhou Zhiyin’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she murmured to herself,

"’One punch.’ Is that confidence, or arrogance?"

She clearly remembered.

When they met seven days ago, Wu Dao’s strength was still below the level of a Celestial Being.

Just seven days...

’Kill a Celestial Being with a single punch?’

It sounded like utter bragging, to say the least.

But her impression of Wu Dao was not of some arrogant, flamboyant fool. He never did anything he wasn’t sure of.

Filled with doubt,

Zhou Zhiyin sent a message to Prince Nanyang.

"In five days, a return gift."

The response she received

was a single, unrippled sentence, devoid of any surprise.