Essence Devouring Art

RUMBLE—

Steeds neighed wildly as dust clouds billowed.

A group of more than twenty riders galloped out of the city, their violent momentum shaking the very ground, and soon appeared before the sea of people.

Countless pairs of eyes, filled with curiosity, awe, and adoration, immediately looked up.

The next moment, a collective shock struck their hearts. They felt a primal, instinctual fear that demanded submission, and they all lowered their heads deeply.

The leader.

Majestic as a Divine Mountain, with a presence that could devour dragons and tigers!

It was none other than Wu Dao—a man whose legend in Tan County was almost mythical, yet who was as elusive as a divine dragon, rarely showing his face.

A simple, pure black martial arts uniform covered his towering nine-foot frame—a physique that would make anyone gasp in awe. His face was like cold steel, radiating an intimidating aura without a hint of anger.

The exposed muscles, each a testament to violent beauty, gleamed with an indestructible metallic luster. It was hard to imagine what sort of earth-shattering, majestic power was hidden within his body!

"Is everyone here?"

Wu Dao sat astride a Red Flame Steed that stood over ten feet tall. Its mane flowed like fiery clouds, and its legs, clad in armor, were like steel pillars.

Holding the reins, his dark eyes swept over the sea of people. His voice wasn’t loud, yet it boomed like a great bell, reverberating through the entire area.

"Everyone’s here, except for a few who are away on business!"

Lv Tiezhu leaped down from a large rock and nodded, casting an envious glance at the Red Flame Steed beneath Wu Dao.

This Red Flame Steed.

It possessed the bloodline of a Demon Beast, capable of running a thousand miles a day without tiring and carrying ten thousand catties without strain. To ride such a beast through the Jianghu was to command awe in all directions. It was the dream horse for countless people at the bottom rungs of the Jianghu.

But because of their rarity...

...the starting bid for a single adult Red Flame Steed was one million taels of silver!

Even within the White Whale Martial Arts Hall...

...only high-ranking members holding a Three-Headed Giant Whale Order were qualified to be issued one.

"Then let’s move out. I’d like to see for myself just how tough a nut Lin Village is to crack!"

A vicious glint flashed in Wu Dao’s eyes. He cracked his long whip against the Red Flame Steed. The steed reared its head with a long neigh, then kicked up a cloud of dust and thundered away!

Zhao Jianji, Lv Tiezhu, and the other high-ranking members of the martial arts hall mounted their own formidable steeds—a tier below the Red Flame Steed—and kicked up a cloud of dust that soared to the heavens as they followed close behind.

"Quick, quick, keep up!"

The remaining disciples and lower-ranking leaders of the martial arts hall either piled several to a horse or ran on foot. The sheer scale of their procession was immense, roaring like a tidal wave. From within Tan County, it felt as if an earthquake was shaking the ground outside the city.

...

Jiulian Town!

Nine mountains linked together, vast and densely forested.

The famous Lin Village of Tan County was nestled in a basin at the foothills connecting Ox Horn Mountain and Tiger Head Mountain.

It was surrounded by mountains on four sides, with a gorge opening to its front.

Beyond the gorge lay vast, fertile farmlands planted with high-yield rice paddies. The green stalks were lush, currently in their prime growing season.

Between the rice paddies, watchtowers could occasionally be seen, manned through the night to prevent troublemakers from damaging the crops.

At the mouth of the gorge.

A brick and stone wall, over ten meters high, had been artificially constructed, leaving only a single heavy iron gate for entry and exit. The wall was also equipped with crossbowmen who patrolled through the night.

It was easy to defend and difficult to attack, with strict security.

This was no mere village; calling it a small kingdom wouldn’t be an exaggeration. After all, in some remote and backward places, a village feud with a few hundred people on each side could be considered a Warring States-level conflict.

By now, the stars and moon had faded.

The sky was beginning to show the pale white of dawn.

On a watchtower in the fields.

Lin Tongxin, who had been on sleepy watch all night, stretched his back. He gazed at the red and white horizon at the edge of the farmland, faced the cool morning breeze, and let out a long yawn. "Ah, the wind today is really... huh?"

RUMBLE—

But before he could finish his sentence...

...the sound of the earth shaking, like mountains collapsing and rivers roaring, assaulted his ears. The horizon was no longer red and white, but was instead replaced by a vast, thick cloud of smoke rolling forward like a passing hurricane.

’What is that?’

Lin Tongxin rubbed his eyes and took a closer look. Instantly, his eyes flew wide open, all sleepiness gone.

That was no hurricane!

It was clearly a sea of people, a roaring, surging tide! Even from a distance, he could feel their malevolent, menacing intent!

Looking even closer!

A large banner was raised amidst the sea of people, emblazoned with a fluttering White Whale, making it exceptionally conspicuous!

"Enemy attack! It’s the people from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall!!"

The moment Lin Tongxin saw this clearly, he strained his throat and shattered the morning tranquility with a roar, striking the alarm bell hanging on the watchtower.

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

At first, there was only a single chime.

But it was immediately followed by a cacophony of bells from all the watchtowers in the fields, their ringing echoing thunderously throughout the Nine-Linked Mountains.

Within Lin Village.

The clan members from various branches, who had been enjoying a bit more sleep, were instantly wide awake upon hearing the bells. They threw on their clothes, not even bothering to wash up, and rushed toward the ancestral hall.

The heads of each branch, the clan elders, and the current Clan Leader also hurried to the ancestral hall to take charge of the situation.

RUMBLE—

Dust churned and the earth roared.

Lin Tongxin and the other young sentries had just scrambled back into the village, scared out of their wits, and shut the gate tightly...

...when the billowing, sky-blotting dust cloud roared forth, dyeing the bluestone city walls a dirt-yellow.

When the dust settled...

...the gorge entrance, wide enough for eight horses abreast, was completely blocked by the people from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall. A chilling malice, like a mountain collapsing or a tsunami, crashed against the high walls.

"Skull Shattering Hand Wu Dao?"

"How dare he!"

"Have the clan elders been notified?"

"Yes. They were told to get lost if they don’t want to die."

"All thunder and no rain. Even their Grandmaster wouldn’t dare provoke our Lin Village. Who the hell does he think he is?"

On top of the wall.

Twenty to thirty burly Lin Village clan members, armed with steel sabers and crossbows, looked down at the menacing forces of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall and chattered amongst themselves.

But for some unknown reason...

...there wasn’t the slightest hint of fear in them. Their words were filled with nothing but reverence for their clan elders, and they completely dismissed Wu Dao and his men.

"What a bunch of barbarians!"

Astride his Red Flame Steed, Wu Dao’s face was as cold as steel. There was no way he couldn’t hear the humiliating chatter from atop the wall.

’You think I’m playing games with you?’

’Courting death!’

A terrifying, murderous light erupted from Wu Dao’s dark golden eyes.

HREEE—

Only the pained cry of the Red Flame Steed was heard.

It turned out Wu Dao had yanked a handful of stiff, wire-like hairs from the Red Flame Steed’s mane!

The next moment.

The steel-forged muscles of Wu Dao’s arm tensed. Without a word, his Spiritual Perception locked onto the Lin Village guards on the wall.

With Micro Level power control, capable of turning flowers and leaves into deadly weapons, he raised his hand and flung the mane hairs in his palm upward like a storm of pear blossom needles!

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

All that could be heard was the dense sound of air being torn apart in mid-air as hundreds of mane hairs, like steel needles, struck their targets’ vital points with speed, precision, and ruthlessness.

The twenty to thirty Lin Village guards on the wall didn’t even have time to react.

They only saw Wu Dao raise his hand. The next moment, they all felt a sharp pain in their faces, as if pricked by needles, and tiny red marks appeared on all of them.

"Ugh..."

Their brains were riddled with a thousand holes, every nerve root destroyed.

Unable to even scream in agony, the twenty or thirty men let out a muffled grunt, then collapsed to the ground in unison with a series of thuds. Blood trickled from their mouths and noses as they met a violent end.

A disagreement, and he immediately resorted to slaughter!

An act of extreme arrogance and tyranny!

"Hall Master is mighty!"

Seeing Wu Dao kill dozens of men on the wall with a mere flick of his hand, the members of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall were both shocked and delighted. They let out bestial howls that shook the Nine Mountains!

"Tiezhu, smash the gate!"

Wu Dao ignored the boiling clamor behind him. He glanced at Tiezhu to his left, who was carrying a Copper Hammer the size of a millstone, and his voice was cold as ice.

"Heh! Just you watch, Hall Master!"

Lv Tiezhu grinned a ’simple’ smile, leaped from his horse, and spat into his palms. The muscles on his iron-tower-like physique bulged, and his dark complexion turned slightly red.

BOOM~

The instant he kicked off, shattering the earth and stone beneath his feet...

...Lv Tiezhu shot out like a tyrannosaurus, kicking up a huge gust of wind.

In the blink of an eye, he had already stormed before the five-to-six-meter-high iron gate. Swinging the giant hammer that weighed at least a thousand catties, he leaped into the air and smashed it down viciously!

"Open up for your grandpa!!"

A thunderous roar!

CLANG—

BOOM!

A massive, brilliant, and blinding shower of sparks erupted. The explosive sound of metal striking metal thundered and reverberated in all directions.

The two thick iron gates, weighing several thousand catties, were sent flying by the single strike, crushing and killing a dozen Lin Village clan members behind them on the spot!

"Round up every last one of them and drive them to the center of the village! If anyone dares to cause trouble, cut them down immediately!"

Wu Dao’s voice, cold as iron, boomed through the gorge. He pulled on the reins and galloped straight in.

The Red Flame Steed charged forward, its power astonishing. A few Lin Village clan members who tried to block the way were instantly sent flying with broken bones and shattered sinews, their fates unknown.

"Everyone, charge! Those who perform well will be handsomely rewarded afterward!!"

Zhao Jianji had also lost his usual cheerful, smiling-tiger facade. With a roar, he drew a Fine Steel Treasure Sword, and his steed reared its head with a shriek before kicking up dust and charging into the village.

"The Hall Master has already gone in! What are you waiting for? Kill!!"

The remaining thousand-plus members of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall also howled, drew their weapons, and leaped and bounded forward, pouring into Lin Village like a tide.

There were old and young, men and women, and all of their faces were savage, brimming with hostility.

The disciples of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

Few of them could be considered truly good people. A good person wouldn’t join the White Whale Martial Arts Hall anyway; the gates of the Fangcun Sword Hall were wide open, and there were plenty of other places to go.

Therefore, when it came to bullying the weak...

...they felt almost no psychological burden, because this was the sort of thing they did all the time.

The moment they entered the village...

...the large group of people acted like a horde of demons and monsters unleashed upon the mortal world.

They rampaged, punching and kicking. They slapped faces without hesitation. The slightest resistance was met with broken limbs, or they were simply cut down on the spot.

In an instant.

The ’local tyrants’ of Lin Village finally learned what a true dark and evil force was, and a wave of cries and pleas for mercy, calling for their fathers and mothers, rose up.