Essence Devouring Art

Tan County.

A county under the jurisdiction of Lancang County.

Located a hundred li south of the County City, it was a typical basin plain surrounded by high mountains.

The Moku River, a tributary of the Lancang River, ran through the basin. Its own tributaries, in turn, benefited tens of thousands of common folk. Ponds, lakes, and reservoirs dotted the landscape. With verdant mountains and glistening waters in the distance, it could be considered a land of fish and rice.

Unfortunately,

that was all in the past.

Wu Dao’s party traveled along the official road, entering the territory of Tan County.

Along the way,

they mostly saw refugees wandering the mountains and wilderness, their forms like starving ghosts. They gnawed on trees and ate grass, or turned to banditry, robbing travelers on the road. It was rare to see any semblance of a normal village.

As for the fertile fields,

they had long since been annexed and carved up by the local magnates, gentry, and various powers.

After seizing these lands at virtually no cost, they hired skilled farmers for extremely low monthly wages.

A single farming family

often had to work several times the amount of land as before, shedding several times the sweat, just to earn enough food to barely feed their family.

But in truth, those who could remain as hired hands were already considered lucky.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many who had left their homes, with corpses of the starved littering the fields.

They take your land.

Then they make you toil on it, but the harvest isn’t yours. And you’re expected to be grateful that they deign to give you a bite to eat.

The darkness of a feudal society

could not be more apparent.

But compared to an ordinary world,

the common people of this Extraordinary World were even more desperate.

Because,

unless some formidable hero appeared to right all wrongs, they had no power to resist.

The entire journey was a Human World Purgatory.

And the entire journey was silent.

None of the four men expressed any sorrow, nor did they speak up for the common folk.

Wu Dao was unmoved because he saw the world from the perspective of a food chain, believing that the survival of the fittest was a natural law.

As for Zhao Jianji and the other two,

perhaps they felt some pity in their hearts.

But this was the way of the world, and they could only go with the flow.

Besides,

since joining the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, they had become part of the largest exploitative class in the northern part of Guangqing Prefecture.

Because

in the north of Guangqing Prefecture, the White Whale Martial Arts Hall reigned supreme, its influence reaching into every county, town, and village.

The local magnates, country gentry, and various powers all had to pay a monthly tribute to the White Whale Martial Arts Hall in exchange for protection.

You could say

that even if the White Whale Martial Arts Hall did nothing, mountains of gold and silver poured in daily, enough to make them fat and greasy.

A single Elder Qin

could amass a fortune of over ten million.

One could only imagine how much of the people’s lifeblood this great whale had devoured, and just how wealthy the White Whale Martial Arts Hall had become.

But even so,

the White Whale Martial Arts Hall’s reputation in the Jianghu was still considered barely righteous.

In a word,

it was all thanks to their peers making them look good by comparison.

Take the Four Seas Gang, which dominated the south of Guangqing Prefecture.

Tribute?

They’d skin you alive and suck the marrow from your bones; if they didn’t devour you completely, it just meant their teeth weren’t sharp enough!

In the current Guangqing Prefecture,

only the common folk within the Pingliang Territory of the Prefecture City, overseen by the righteous leader, Fangcun Sword Hall, could live somewhat decent lives.

WHOOSH~

The road was long and dusty.

「At high noon.」

Wu Dao and his three companions finally arrived at Tan City, where they saw some semblance of normal civilian life and production.

However,

compared to Lancang County City,

Tan City was a bit shabby.

The gray city walls were barely ten meters high, mottled with moss and poorly maintained. The guards on and below the walls were not from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, but rather some lackadaisical government officials from the County Yamen’s Strong Class.

Their slovenly appearance

made it clear they were no proper civil guards.

From this small glimpse, one could infer the whole picture; the "parent official" of Tan County was likely just another incompetent placeholder.

"Hall Master, something isn’t right."

Zhao Jianji glanced at the sparse city gate and frowned. "The White Whale Martial Arts Hall made such a grand show of the Heroes’ Assembly. The people at the branch hall should know a new Hall Master is coming to take over today.

In this situation,

even if the martial hall’s people didn’t come ten li out to welcome us, they should at least show their faces at the city gate."

It wasn’t just him.

Chen Ergou and Lv Tiezhu also looked displeased.

They had arrived with high ambitions to take up a new post.

But to be given such a cold shoulder would anger any normal person.

It would be one thing if they didn’t know.

But their carriage was flying the White Whale Banner; anyone who wasn’t blind would recognize it.

"Heh. Someone probably wants to put us in our place."

Wu Dao’s dark gold eyes narrowed slightly.

He noticed two guards at the gate whispering to each other after seeing them from a distance. Then, one of them left, seemingly to inform someone.

’When the tiger is away from the mountain, the monkey proclaims himself king?’

’Or have the local powers grown arrogant and rebellious after seeing the Hall Master position remain vacant for so long?’

’I’ll know once I’m inside the city!’

"Giddy-up!"

Wu Dao’s expression turned cold. He yanked the reins, urging his horse past the crowd entering the city and galloping straight for the gate.

Zhao Jianji and the other two exchanged glances and hurriedly followed.

The tall horse galloped to the city gate.

Wu Dao’s overwhelmingly oppressive and powerful physique cast a large shadow under the midday sun.

The hairs on the few Strong Class guards stood on end. For a moment, they felt as if a beast from Primordial Chaos was charging at them, scaring them so badly they nearly pissed themselves on the spot.

But then they thought of Instructor Liu.

One of them gritted his teeth and barked, "Hey, what are you doing? No riding horses in the city! Get down—"

CRACK!

"AHH!!"

Before the guard could finish, Chen Ergou, who had ridden up behind, viciously lashed him with a horsewhip. The man was sent flying, screaming incessantly.

"How dare you shout in the Hall Master’s presence! You must be blind!"

Chen Ergou retracted his blood-stained whip and berated the man, his sharp-jawed, monkey-cheeked face—which already didn’t look like a good person’s—twisting with even more viciousness as he grew angry.

Among the three of them,

his temper was the most violent. Before joining the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, he was known in the Jianghu for seeking revenge for the smallest grievance. "Cao Shangfei" was just a flattering nickname.

WHOOSH~

Wu Dao, however, didn’t even glance at the man who had been whipped. His large hand spread wide, tearing through the air as he reached down from his high perch and clamped onto the remaining guard’s head. He lifted the man like a chick, his voice as cold as ice:

"Who gave you the nerve?"

’Without someone pulling the strings,’

’these rotten sweet potatoes, who are barely at the Nourishing Power stage, would never have the guts to ignore the White Whale Banner.’

"Don’t, don’t kill me! I’ll talk..."

The guard felt as if his head were clamped by five steel bars, ready to explode at any moment.

When he saw Wu Dao’s inhuman, pure black eyes, he was so terrified that he soiled himself, hurriedly spilling everything in a torrent of fear:

"It... It was Instructor Liu!

He’s about to advance to the Breaking the Cocoon realm, so he joined forces with some of the higher-ups in the Tan County martial hall, as well as the county’s powerful and noble families. They want to push out the new Hall Master so he can take the position himself."

’Instructor Liu...’

A cold glint appeared in Wu Dao’s eyes.

’A county-level branch is supposed to have three Divine Power instructors. This Instructor Liu must be the only one left in the Tan County Branch.’

’I didn’t expect him to be so bold.’

’Forming cliques for personal gain and plotting for the Hall Master’s seat before he’s even reached Breaking the Cocoon!’

’He’s truly courting death!’

He sneered inwardly.

Wu Dao flung the unbearably foul-smelling guard in his hand away. The man hit the ground and rolled over and over like a gourd.

Then,

he looked at the other guard, who was already scared out of his wits, and his voice boomed like thunder, "Inform the martial hall’s higher-ups! They have half an incense stick’s time to get their asses to the city gate and welcome me. Anyone who doesn’t show up will be dealt with as a traitor!"

Within the White Whale Martial Arts Hall,

while members were normally forbidden from killing each other,

if someone was branded a traitor who betrayed the organization, the Hall Master had the authority to purge the rot and execute them!

"Yes, yes, yes! This humble one will go at once!"

The guard immediately scrambled away and ran toward the city, pissing his pants in terror as if fleeing a den of Fierce Beasts. He didn’t dare to linger for even a moment.

Before long,

a group of people wearing the White Whale Martial Arts Hall’s martial arts uniforms appeared at the far end of the city street, all walking in a hurry.

Wu Dao’s eyes were like a hawk’s.

With a single glance, he spotted the man in the lead: the middle-aged Instructor Liu, who was seven chi tall with a square face and a righteous-looking appearance.

At the same time,

Instructor Liu also noticed Wu Dao, who stood blocking the gate like a T-rex made of iron. His heart skipped a beat.

He couldn’t see through Wu Dao at all!

From a distance, an aura as deep as an abyss and as oppressive as a prison washed over him, making his heart tremble and the hairs on his neck stand on end.

’He’s not a first-time Rebirth!’

He instantly reached this conclusion, and his heart sank to the pit of his stomach.

The headquarters was a hundred li away.

And he had been busy currying favor with the various powers in the county town these past few days.

He had assumed they would send someone at the Harmonizing Force realm and felt little fear.

Because after decades of accumulation,

he had already touched the barrier to Breaking the Cocoon and would soon break through, firmly securing his position as the number one figure in Tan County.

Power is a poison.

Once you taste it, you can’t break free.

Since it was within his grasp, why should he hand it over to someone else?

But Wu Dao’s appearance had smashed his series of plans to pieces.

Because this man had no need to play games or beat around the bush with him.

With the power of a Second Rebirth, just by standing there, no one in Tan County would dare to side with Instructor Liu anymore.

’This is trouble...’

Instructor Liu’s face was grim. All sorts of schemes flashed through his mind, but in the end, submission was the only path left.

But he had operated in Tan County for many years and had a large family and enterprise.

For the past half-month, he had thoroughly enjoyed the experience of having everyone answer his call, with none daring to disobey.

To make him give it all up so easily was truly impossible...

’That’s right.’

’Lin Village!’

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Instructor Liu. He thought of that ominous place where the previous Hall Master had died, and an idea formed in his mind.

’If one more dies!’

’Headquarters probably won’t parachute anyone else in for a while. Once I break through to the Breaking the Cocoon realm, the Hall Master’s seat will still be mine!’

’As for now...’

’I’ll feign submission for the time being!’

Thinking of this,

a vicious glint flashed through Instructor Liu’s eyes, gone in an instant. His square, thick-browed face showed only alarm as he quickened his pace toward the city gate.

’This bastard wants to harm me?!’

At the city gate,

Wu Dao’s Micro Level perception clearly caught the vicious glint that had flashed across Instructor Liu’s face. He couldn’t help but grind his teeth, his eyes turning dangerous.