Essence Devouring Art

「The second day after the fall of Pingliang City.」

News spread through multiple channels, causing a sensation throughout the entire Southern Border and even reaching the Central Plains.

The name Wu Dao.

For the first time, it was a topic of grave discussion among the greatest powers in Dali.

"Father! Wu Dao, I swear I’ll kill you..."

Within the Vast Qi Dao Alliance—a pillar of the Royalist Faction, headquartered in one of the Five Peaks of the Southern Border—someone gritted their teeth and tore a portrait of Wu Dao to shreds.

"Not yet thirty, a Celestial Treasure Master, Second Floor of Fist Intent, and a master of the Horizontal Refining Fifth Door... What a fine talent indeed..."

On the summit of Wuliang Mountain, within the greater Martial King Mountain range, an old man whose back seemed to hold up the heavens clicked his tongue in amazement, his eyes filled with admiration.

"The battle power of a Celestial Human Second Floor? How has it only been this long? Is that bastard’s Celestial Treasure really that powerful?"

In the Fox Race Ancestral Land on Baiyue Mountain, by the lotus pond, Lu Hongye listened to Su Qing’er’s resentful report, feeling as awful as if she’d eaten shit.

"Clan Leader, perhaps... we should just bear it for now?"

In the Snake Race Ancestral Land.

The Jiaomang Race’s Clan Leader had just recovered his four-thousand years of cultivation. He was about to set out for Guangqing to exact his revenge when he heard the anxious tone of the elder beside him. His expression turned utterly grim.

Central Plains Imperial Court.

’No fate, no roots? How strange... how very strange...’

The old director-general of the Astronomical Bureau opened his eyes and stopped his calculations, his face filled with confusion.

Nanyang Prince’s Mansion.

Azure waters flowed gently. A lone figure fished from a solitary boat.

"Your Highness, that man..."

Gu Qianhuang unhooked the golden carp the Prince had caught. The memory of Wu Dao’s demonic frenzy from the day before brought a worried look to his face.

"We are all beasts trapped in a cage. What need is there to distinguish between good and evil?"

The man shook his head with a smile and cast his line back into the water. Within his eyes, deep as a sea of stars, the endless complexities of the mortal world—fateful encounters and tangled destinies—seemed to drift and flow.

...

「Guangqing Prefecture.」

Lancang County City, Overlord Whale Alliance Headquarters.

""We greet the Alliance Leader! May the Alliance Leader live for a thousand generations and unite the Jianghu!""

Inside the grand assembly hall.

Their faces flushed, several hundred "newborn" Primordial Demons knelt on one knee. They gazed up at Wu Dao on his Dragon Whale Throne, their eyes blazing with fanatical worship.

"Hahaha! Rise, my sons!"

Seated on the Dragon Whale Throne, Wu Dao grinned. His voice boomed like thunder as his abyssal eyes swept across the hall, like a Demon God reviewing his legion of Demon Soldiers.

Yesterday, they were defiant and rebellious, screaming for blood.

Today, they are docile and obedient, ready to die for him without a second thought.

’Is it so hard to change a person?’

’Not hard at all!’

’What is this thing called loyalty, anyway?’

’If you want someone’s complete submission, why bother with trust and sincerity? Just take direct control of their soul!’

"So? I said that by today, you’d be calling me Alliance Leader obediently. Was I right, or was I right?"

Wu Dao rested his chin on his hand, casting a playful glance at an Innate Grandmaster in the front row. The man had the features of an upstanding, incorruptible warrior, but his eyes burned with the fervor of a zealot.

The man’s name was Jin Hong.

He was the very one who had been cursing Wu Dao just yesterday.

He had once been one of Sikong Lie’s most loyal generals.

But now...

"Alliance Leader, if this displeases you, I will atone with my life at once! I will not hesitate!"

Jin Hong looked terrified, as if he had committed some unpardonable sin. He stepped out from the ranks and dropped to both knees, prepared to die to prove his devotion.

After a night of ’tutelage’...

Any trace of his former backbone had vanished like smoke.

One could say...

Now, if Wu Dao gave the order, Jin Hong would kill himself on the spot without so much as a frown.

And it wasn’t just him.

The seven other Innate Grandmasters—from the Fangcun Sword Hall, the Nangong Family, and Sikong Lie’s army—were the same.

So were the Cocoon-Breaking and Divine Power Realm experts from various other factions that had sided with the Royalists. Now, every single one of them would walk through fire for Wu Dao.

To properly ’condition’ this group...

Wu Dao had expended a great deal of effort last night. The Cocoon-Breaking cultivators hadn’t been much trouble, but the eight Innate Grandmasters were a different story.

Their minds and souls were incredibly resilient.

Every fiber of their being instinctively resisted him with hatred.

To avoid ruining them...

Wu Dao had to first put them under ’general anesthesia’.

Then, he planted the Primordial Magnetic Demon Embryo.

He then leveraged the Primordial Demon’s natural affinity for its ’mother’ to subtly manipulate their souls, one by one, until they were transformed into his loyal minions.

The Cocoon-Breaking and Divine Power Realm cultivators were much easier.

Once his Mental Realm enveloped them, all they could do was kowtow.

With the addition of this new force...

The Overlord Whale Alliance’s leadership now included eight Innate Grandmasters. Its mid-tier ranks swelled to nearly four hundred Cocoon-Breaking Realm members, and its Divine Power Realm cultivators numbered over a thousand.

The numbers were so high...

Mainly because Pingliang City had been a gathering point for minor Royalist experts from several surrounding prefectures and even lands beyond.

When the Overlord Whale Alliance besieged the city yesterday...

Not a single one of these minor experts could escape. Now, they all belonged to the Overlord Whale Alliance.

The problem now was...

How to deploy this new manpower to maximize its effectiveness.

Guangqing Prefecture was the Overlord Whale Alliance’s home base.

With Wu Dao presiding over it...

The existing forces were already sufficient. At most, he would leave a few Innate Grandmasters behind for emergencies.

As for the rest...

They would have to be used for expansion.

Of course, Wu Dao had no intention of conquering the world. The forces at his command weren’t even a drop in the bucket for such a task.

His goal had always been clear—

Anomalies!

He needed to bring more territory under the Overlord Whale Alliance’s intelligence network, creating a steady harvest of Teleportation Points.

And there was a perfect place to start—

Wanshan Prefecture!

Wanshan Prefecture had once been Royalist territory, administered by Pingliang City.

With the fall of Pingliang City...

Wanshan Prefecture was surely leaderless—the perfect time to plant the Overlord Whale Alliance’s flag.

As for Prince Nanyang’s Mansion...

There was no conflict between their two sides.

They were effectively part of the same interest group now. The expansion of the Overlord Whale Alliance was, in essence, an expansion of Prince Nanyang’s power. It was a win-win situation.

Of course...

He estimated that Prince Nanyang’s Mansion would eventually send its own people to take over the administration of Wanshan Prefecture. The Overlord Whale Alliance wouldn’t be able to command absolute authority there as it did in Guangqing Prefecture.

’But that didn’t matter.’

The degree of authority would only affect the distribution of resources.

As for worldly wealth and possessions...

Wu Dao no longer cared for them. To be precise, they were useless to him—just numbers.

His current cultivation...

Had already begun to transcend the need for mundane wealth.

Even without anomalies...

He could refine Wanyu Treasure Liquid from nature’s spiritual energy himself, so he had no fear of lacking cultivation resources.

Most importantly...

Top-tier cultivation resources couldn’t be bought with mere gold and silver anyway. More often than not, they were traded treasure for treasure.

BUZZ~

His Communication Jade Talisman vibrated.

It interrupted Wu Dao’s train of thought. He extended his consciousness into the talisman. It was Zhou Zhiyin, delivering her ’gift’.

A fervent heat rose in his eyes.

Wu Dao glanced at the Primordial Demons below, their eyes filled with an eagerness to prove themselves. He then stood and addressed Zhao Jianji:

"The Overlord Whale Alliance’s next focus will be Wanshan Prefecture. I’m leaving it to you to handle planting our flag there and all subsequent arrangements. You have free rein; they will cooperate with you fully.

If you run into any trouble you can’t handle, inform me then."

’Plant our flag in Wanshan Prefecture?’

Zhao Jianji was startled for a moment before understanding dawned. Filled with confidence, he cupped his fist and bowed. "I will not fail your trust, Alliance Leader!"

Wanshan Prefecture was currently leaderless.

And with the Overlord Whale Alliance’s host of ferocious commanders, planting a flag there would only be a matter of time. It wouldn’t be difficult at all.

"Mm. Don’t disappoint me."

Wu Dao clapped Zhao Jianji on the shoulder, then strode out of the grand hall and headed for the council chamber.

’What is an Alliance Leader?’

’An Alliance Leader’s job is simply to set the overall strategy and solve the major problems. The small stuff can be handled by his subordinates.’

’If you have to do every little thing yourself...’

’...then what’s the point of being an Alliance Leader at all?’

...

「In the council chamber.」

Steam curled from the tea. A serving girl stood with her head bowed.

’Hm?’

Just as Wu Dao stepped into the chamber, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Because this time, Zhou Zhiyin’s escort...

Was not a Land Immortal.

Instead, it was a scruffy, gaunt-faced old man in gray robes. A peach wood sword, looking for all the world like a child’s toy, hung casually from his waist.

"Hehe, Zhuo Xianyi of Zige Mountain. I’ve heard much about the great Alliance Leader Wu."

Perhaps noticing Wu Dao’s gaze, the scruffy, gray-robed old man offered a cheerful greeting, a roguish twinkle in his eye.

"You flatter me, Senior."

Wu Dao nodded calmly, pulling his gaze away from Zhuo Xianyi’s wooden sword. Just looking at it had made his eyes sting.

’Soldier Cultivators... first among the three great paths of combat.’

’And this old man before him...’

’...was definitely a Sword Immortal who had formed the Yellow Court’s Sea of Soldier Qi.’

’Furthermore, his True Intent of the Sword Dao was at the Second Floor or higher.’

’Otherwise...’

’...he wouldn’t be giving off this faint, yet undeniable, sense of danger.’

’A Sword Immortal for an escort.’

’Tsk...’

’Are they that scared of me?’

Wu Dao’s gaze shifted to Zhou Zhiyin. She wore an elegant, lotus-trimmed dress and sat ramrod straight, not quite daring to meet his eyes. His expression was inscrutable.

"Alliance Leader Wu, your two punches yesterday gave our little rascal quite the scare. She was pestering this old man about it first thing this morning, so... hehe."

"Zhuo!"

Hearing her childhood nickname, Zhou Zhiyin’s cheeks flushed crimson. Her graceful, dignified air instantly vanished, replaced by the flustered indignation of a young girl.

"The human heart is difficult to fathom. There’s nothing wrong with being cautious."

Wu Dao offered a platitude, paying no mind to such trivialities. His gaze, however, was locked on the White Jade Treasure Box sitting on the table.

Wisps of a tantalizing aroma wafted from it, whetting his appetite.

’The scent of a Demon Pill!’

’And... more than one!’

Suppressing the hunger in his eyes...

Wu Dao took the seat of honor without ceremony. A nearby serving girl moved to pour him tea, but he waved her away.

"Alliance Leader Wu keeps his promises, and the Prince’s Mansion is no different."

The blush that could put a hundred flowers to shame faded from Zhou Zhiyin’s flawless, jade-like face. Her calm, noble bearing returned as a delicate hand emerged from her sleeve and pushed the White Jade Treasure Box across the table to Wu Dao:

"A humble gift. I hope it is to the Alliance Leader’s liking."

CLICK~

The White Jade Treasure Box clicked open.

A rich, mellow fragrance, like a wine aged for millennia, instantly flooded Wu Dao’s senses, and a ripple of emotion crossed his eyes.

Demon Pills!

Three of them!

Three Land Immortal-level Demon Pills!

What an extravagant gesture!

Even for Wu Dao, whose power was comparable to that of a Celestial Being, the sight of three Land Immortal-level Demon Pills was still a shock.

Land Immortal-level Great Demons...

He might have killed two of them, making it seem like they were common...

...but in truth, they were exceedingly rare.

They were an incredibly rare species.

Demons lacked a Dantian. Only after forming a Demon Pill could they begin to absorb nature’s spiritual energy, and even then, their conversion efficiency was far inferior to that of humans.

Therefore, it often took them hundreds, even thousands, of years of arduous cultivation just to match a human cultivator of the same level.

A Great Demon at the Land Immortal level...

...required at least two thousand years of cultivation!

That was an incredibly long time.