Essence Devouring Art

"Heh, spare me."

Zhao Wei sneered. His gaze unconsciously flickered over to Wu Dao, and only when he saw the faint hostility Wu Dao held toward Mengqingshan did he feel at ease.

His previous attempts to win Wu Dao over had just been lip service; it wasn’t as if Wu Dao had wholeheartedly pledged allegiance to his White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

If Wu Dao and Mengqingshan saw eye to eye and found their personalities compatible, it would spell trouble for the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

"Tsk."

Seeing this, Mengqingshan secretly grew warier of Wu Dao. He withdrew his gaze and said helplessly, "It’s been a few years, and Zhao’s temper is as fiery as ever.

As the saying goes, bones may break, but the sinews still connect them. No matter what, we can be considered fellow disciples from the same school. Why make things so..."

"Enough, Meng the Third. Aren’t you tired of keeping up this act all day? We both know crystal clear what kind of person you are, and what kind of outfit the Four Seas Gang is."

Zhao Wei impatiently cut Mengqingshan off. "Since you’re here, you must be after the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui in Canyun Mountain as well. There’s no point in talking. We’ll let our skills do the talking."

After speaking, Zhao Wei put on a warm smile and cupped his fists at Mao Ba and Cloud Heaven Flow. "Daoist, Yun, let’s set off. I will be relying heavily on you both along the way."

This gesture once again made Wu Dao think more highly of Zhao Wei.

The man knew when to be firm and when to yield, and he could accurately size up a situation. This mentality alone put him above most people.

Mao Ba and Cloud Heaven Flow, however, frowned at Zhao Wei’s show of goodwill. After glancing at Mengqingshan and Eagle Shark, they hesitated for a moment before nodding, temporarily accepting Zhao Wei’s offer of an alliance.

This was exactly as Wu Dao had guessed.

Faced with the Four Seas Gang—a great cancer in Guangqing Prefecture loathed by all—

the few blemishes on the records of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall and Wu Dao himself seemed insignificant.

This proved the old saying:

A just cause receives much support; an unjust one, little.

But Mengqingshan looked as calm and unruffled as ever, seemingly unconcerned about their alliance. It was hard to tell if this was due to a steady character or fearless confidence.

"Everyone, allow this humble Daoist to add one more thing."

Before they left, Mao Ba added a measured reminder. "Our primary goal on this trip is to subdue the demon. Let’s not get our priorities mixed up and give that beast an easy advantage."

These words. Anyone with eyes could see this was a warning to Mengqingshan and Eagle Shark, telling them to behave.

It was no wonder the young Daoist had such confidence.

After all, he came from an Immortal Dao Influence, and the Yellow Dragon Temple was renowned in the upper echelons of the Guangqing Prefecture Jianghu. Even if Mao Ba targeted him openly, Mengqingshan wouldn’t dare to turn hostile.

To put it bluntly, if not for Eagle Shark’s presence, Wu Dao even suspected that Mao Ba and Cloud Heaven Flow wouldn’t have given Mengqingshan any face at all. They would have attacked him at the first opportunity, acting as heroes to deliver justice.

"Heh, rest assured, Daoist. I am not one to be ungrateful."

Faced with Mao Ba’s pointed remark, a flash of brutality flickered deep in Mengqingshan’s eyes and vanished. On the surface, however, he wasn’t the least bit angry, still wearing the smile of a good-natured fellow.

Seeing Mengqingshan’s docile posture, Mao Ba said no more. He formed a hand seal and chanted an unknown incantation, then shouted, "Go!"

The Cyan Crane, which had been circling for some time, immediately received the command. It flapped its wings and soared into the air, moving so fast that it was more than ten meters away in the blink of an eye, and it was still accelerating.

"I will go on ahead and clear the path!"

Mao Ba called out as his Daoist Robe rustled. He took the lead, shooting out like a gray shadow, with Cloud Heaven Flow following close behind.

"Zhang Long, Cui Mountain, Li Hu, the three of you wait here. There’s no need to follow."

Zhao Wei didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he instructed the three Boxers from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, telling them not to get involved in these muddy waters.

With Mengqingshan and a Cocoon-Breaking Realm Black Shark present, if they were to go on a rampage, he and Wu Dao would have their hands full just protecting themselves, let alone stopping them.

"Yes, Hall Master! Please be careful!"

The three Inner Strength Boxers were no fools. They cupped their fists and departed quickly.

BANG!

BANG!

Two craters cracked open on the green brick ground under the immense pressure.

Wu Dao and Zhao Wei, one after the other, pushed off and broke into a sprint, kicking up a gust of wind as they chased after Mao Ba’s figure ahead.

"Mr. Ya, once we’re in the mountains, I want you to watch that man like a hawk. He’s far from simple."

Mengqingshan narrowed his eyes, staring at Wu Dao’s back as he emphasized his warning to Eagle Shark.

Among everyone present just now, Wu Dao was the only one he couldn’t see through, the one with the most potent aura of danger. He had no choice but to be on his highest alert.

Mr. Ya’s hollow eyes fixed on Wu Dao.

He gave a stiff nod, like a robot that only knows how to follow commands.

Afterward, the two of them lingered no longer, disappearing at the end of the street in a few blinks of an eye, leaving only the four Jianghu Wanderers staring at each other in dismay.

The situation had now become a clash between Divine Power Realm experts. If those from the Inner Strength Realm went, they would most likely end up as cannon fodder sent to scout ahead. The risk was simply too great.

But...

Fortune favors the bold, as they say, and there are always those who believe themselves to be the chosen ones.

After a brief hesitation, one of the four, a woman, retreated, but the other three chased after the group, trusting to luck.

...

Ever since the time of the ancient ancestors, who struggled to blaze trails through the dim and obscure wilderness, mountains have always been seen as places of wealth, tinged with an indelible mystique.

You live off the mountains when near mountains, and off the water when near water.

The lands between the mountains and rivers, with their abundant produce and rich resources, have nurtured countless generations of people.

But as people felled forests and dug for treasure,

strange and malevolent phenomena hidden within the mountains began to surface, challenging people’s understanding of the world, devouring one unwelcome guest after another, and shrouding the great mountains in an indelible, demonic veil.

Mountain sprites and ghosts, man-eating Evil Beasts, fox spirits worshiping the moon, sinister skeletal remains, disorienting miasmas and venomous creatures...

The bizarre legends about the great mountains have never ceased. The warnings of old mountain travelers and the stories passed down among the common folk have deepened the world’s fear of the mountains, generation by generation.

In those deep and secluded places, it seemed that demons and monsters truly roamed. They were isolated from the world, coming and going without a trace, devouring human lives at will and giving rise to legends of forbidden zones for the living.

Canyun Mountain.

In recent days, it had become just such a desolate wilderness, steeped in a thick, strange aura.

For as long as it had been inhabited,

the depths of its endless sea of forest, a deep and undulating expanse, had always been rarely trodden by man. Only a few bold climbers who scaled the heights to gaze afar could catch a glimpse of its true face.

But tonight, a group of unwelcome guests barged into this pristine land, shattering the silence of Canyun Mountain.

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH—

The mountain wind howled, and the sea of trees rustled.

Upon the crest of the Forest Sea, beneath the stars and moon,

the group, led by Mao Ba, moved like civet cats and apes, their toes tapping on treetops as they leaped more than ten meters at a time, bounding continuously deeper into the mountain.

There were nine people in the group. Even the weakest among them was an expert at the Peak of Internal Strength, with strength surpassing tigers and bulls and agility rivaling leopards and civets. Naturally, they didn’t need to trudge arduously over land. They simply flew from tree to tree, staying high above the ground.

The nocturnal beasts in the forest would often only hear a strong wind whistle overhead and see the dense canopy sway. By the time they looked up, all trace of the people was gone.

But the group’s unhindered advance didn’t last long. Just as the vast, cloud-piercing Canyun Mountain came into view, they were suddenly blocked by a thick fog, and the leader, Mao Ba, halted.

THUD THUD THUD—

Dull thuds echoed continuously as everyone landed.

Cloud Heaven Flow, Wu Dao, Zhao Wei, Mengqingshan, and Eagle Shark landed one after another. Despite having run for dozens of miles, they were not red-faced or out of breath, a testament to their immense stamina.

HUFF... HUFF... HUFF—

The three Jianghu Wanderers, however, were clearly straining. They landed panting heavily, their stamina nearly depleted.

Normally,

an Inner Strength Realm expert had stamina comparable to a thousand-li horse; a run of dozens of miles should have been nothing.

Unfortunately, the ones leading the way were a group of even more monstrous Divine Power Realm experts. To keep up, the wanderers had to sprint at full speed, which left them in a sorry state.

’Men die in pursuit of wealth, just as birds die in pursuit of food.’

Wu Dao stood atop a large boulder, his nine-foot frame towering, and glanced indifferently at the three Jianghu Travelers behind him.

’Wild dogs have no place fighting for scraps in a tiger’s hunting ground.’ These three were a classic example of people who valued wealth more than their lives.

Withdrawing his gaze, Wu Dao looked up toward Canyun Mountain. An unusually thick fog shrouded everything, hiding the stars and moon. Only a vague, towering outline of the mountain was visible. Even with his eyesight, he could barely penetrate a hundred meters into the mist.

His other senses felt as if they had sunk into a mire. The surroundings were thick, deep, and deathly silent, as if this were a place separate from the world.

’This fog...’

Wu Dao’s eyes narrowed. He sensed something was wrong but didn’t act rashly, waiting for the professional up ahead, Mao Ba, to speak.

"Brother Wu, be careful."

Just then, Zhao Wei whispered a reminder, his words seeming to carry a hidden meaning.

"Heh, I reckon Mengqingshan has grown wary of me."

Wu Dao gritted his teeth, knowing what Zhao Wei was referring to.

His gaze swept over Eagle Shark, who stood in the shadow of a tree not far behind them, as silent and still as a corpse.

From the moment they left Pan Shui Town, he had felt Eagle Shark’s faint but chilling gaze on him, like an eagle high in the sky locked onto its prey, ready to dive for the kill at any moment.

As for the reason, he had a pretty good idea.