Essence Devouring Art

The next day at noon, the long, dragon-like caravan finally arrived at the Tan County Branch.

Dozens of carts were fully loaded with goods.

It could be said that Chen Ergou and his men had dug three feet into the ground to scrape clean every valuable and movable asset from the Yellow Dragon Temple.

As for these goods, Wu Dao no longer had much use for most of them.

He only took for himself the Elixir Pills, medicinal herbs, Spiritual Artifacts, and Spirit Stones that were beneficial to those at the Breaking the Cocoon or Innate Level.

The rest were personally supervised by Er Gou and Tiezhu as they were unloaded, sorted, and put into storage, filling the branch’s warehouses to the brim.

These treasures were, strictly speaking, all Wu Dao’s personal property.

As for how to deal with them, Chen Ergou and the others didn’t dare to speak out of turn. They were overjoyed to get even a sip of the soup, and if they were given nothing, they wouldn’t dare say a word.

After all, they hadn’t contributed much during the battle at the Yellow Dragon Temple, only doing what was expected of them as subordinates.

Inside the main hall.

After entering the borders of Tan County, Wu Dao had secretly made a trip to the White Whale Headquarters and had now washed off the dust from his journey.

He changed into a comfortable Black Silkworm Ice Robe and sat in the main seat, looking down at Zhao Jianji. "How are the matters I assigned you progressing?"

"Ah?"

Zhao Jianji was a bit dazed, seemingly still unable to recover from the news that the Yellow Dragon Temple had truly been annihilated.

Hearing Wu Dao’s question, he shivered and snapped back to his senses, bowing as he replied:

"Hall Master, it has been settled.

The original asking price was two million silver taels, but I managed to negotiate it down to one and a half million. Heh heh, they most likely gave you face, Hall Master.

As soon as the destruction of the Yellow Dragon Temple is confirmed,

the Black Dragon Branch in the County City will notify all its branches, large and small, within Guangqing Prefecture. They will arrange for people to spread the news nonstop throughout the prefecture for one month.

I will take enough silver taels to make the payment tonight. The news should start spreading by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

"Well done."

Wu Dao nodded in satisfaction, a cold smile touching his lips.

When he had decided to move against the Yellow Dragon Temple,

he had already considered the series of consequences that would follow.

The Yellow Dragon Temple was an old, established orthodox power. Although it was a reclusive sect from On the Mountain, it was still considered a leader among the righteous factions of Guangqing Prefecture.

To attack such a power, and to wipe out the entire sect while ransacking their home...

If this wasn’t handled properly,

the subsequent trouble would be endless.

The Jianghu had its shades of black and white. While it had its share of murky corruption, it never lacked for clear streams of chivalry and those who despised evil as a personal enemy.

Once word got out that the Yellow Dragon Temple was destroyed,

a great number of people would surely condemn Wu Dao with both words and writings, perhaps even attempting to eliminate the demon and defend the Dao.

Wu Dao wasn’t afraid of trouble.

But that didn’t mean he would tolerate trouble knocking on his door every day, forcing him into pointless conflicts.

Therefore,

when he had set out for the Yellow Dragon Temple,

he had decided to not only kill the man but also destroy his reputation—to turn black into white and transform the Yellow Dragon Daoist from a figure of the righteous path into one of the Evil Dao.

This wasn’t just random mudslinging.

The events at Lin Village were the best proof.

For his own selfish gain,

he had been ungrateful, plotted the death of his benefactor, allowed a vicious ghost to harm people, aided a villain in his tyranny, harmed the Human Race, and even tried to silence witnesses when exposed!

Hero Wu, the Skull Shattering Hand, could not bear it any longer.

That was why he had struck out to eliminate the demon and defend the Dao!

By piling on these accusations—all of which could withstand scrutiny—

and then spending money to hire an ’army of commentators’ to spread the word throughout the prefecture, keeping up a month of non-stop verbal and written condemnation to manipulate public opinion...

In a feudal world like this, where communication was backward, a lie repeated by three people becomes a fact, and what everyone says becomes the truth...

With this combination of moves,

he could turn white into black!

And what was black would naturally become white.

At that point,

anyone who dared to speak up for the Yellow Dragon Daoist would be accused of collusion, branded as one of the Evil Demons and Outsiders!

What was this called?

This was called giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Didn’t you, Yellow Dragon Daoist, create a Public Opinion Stone to take lives with public will?

Then I’ll let you taste what it means for public opinion to be a tiger, and for your name to stink for ten thousand years!

"By the way."

After taking a sip of tea,

Wu Dao recalled the spoils of war he had plundered from the Yellow Dragon Temple, whose total value was difficult to estimate in worldly silver taels. He said to Zhao Jianji,

"The legacy of the Yellow Dragon Temple in the warehouse—I want you to contact the Black Dragon Commerce Association as soon as possible. Whether by bartering or exchanging for silver banknotes, sell everything that can be sold. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Afterward, reward those who participated in this matter as they deserve.

Use all the rest to purchase Elixir Pills beneficial to the Breaking the Cocoon and Innate Realms. If there are treasures like Spirit Stones, prioritize buying them."

"Um, shouldn’t we give a little to the headquarters?"

Hearing this, Zhao Jianji’s eyes flickered as he asked uncertainly.

Although Wu Dao had previously defied Qi Canghai’s orders and also possessed the strength to wrestle with an Innate master,

oh, to be precise, to fight and kill an Innate master.

After all, he already had the Yellow Dragon Daoist as a battle record.

But Zhao Jianji was still unsure of Wu Dao’s attitude.

Did he want to break away and establish his own power,

or did he want to feign compliance for now and plan his move slowly?

If he guessed wrong and messed things up,

wouldn’t that cause huge trouble?

"Pay them no mind. If Qi Canghai wants an explanation, tell him to come find me directly!"

A cold light flashed in Wu Dao’s eyes, his tone firm and unquestionable.

Since a rift had already formed between him and Qi Canghai, and now that his own wings were fully grown, there was naturally no need to give him face anymore.

’Qi Canghai?’

Zhao Jianji’s heart skipped a beat.

’He’s using his full name, and with such a cold tone. That tone alone is enough to make Wu Dao’s attitude clear.’

"Yes, I will arrange it at once."

Taking a deep breath,

Zhao Jianji bowed and retreated.

He knew that with Wu Dao’s swift and decisive methods, the White Whale Martial Arts Hall was probably about to undergo a massive change.

Whether they would all rise to the heavens or be cast into the dust...

...all depended on this move.

With a heart full of both anxiety and excitement,

Zhao Jianji seemed to float away as he went to handle the series of follow-up matters.

...

「Evening.」

In the newly built underground training room.

The walls and floor were all made of high-quality Cold Steel Stone, capable of withstanding extreme heat.

Wu Dao, his mountain-like physique bare, sat cross-legged in the center of the training room.

He recalled the information he had gathered at the headquarters.

His brow furrowed slightly. ’It wasn’t Qi Canghai. Then who could it be?’

After the cargo caravan he was overseeing entered the Tan County border, he had rushed to the White Whale Martial Arts Hall headquarters in Lancang County City to verify his suspicions from the previous night.

Within the borders of Guangqing Prefecture,

Innate Martial Artists could be counted on one hand.

The ones he knew of were Qi Canghai and the Gang Leader of the Four Seas Gang.

After some investigation,

Wu Dao was somewhat disappointed.

He had found an excuse to meet Qi Canghai in person, up close.

There was no Demon Qi.

Nor were there any signs of injury.

Aside from a somewhat indifferent and distant attitude,

there was nothing out of the ordinary.

This didn’t add up.

Because back on Fuguang Mountain, the mysterious Fox-headed Person had clearly paid a heavy price to escape with their life.

It was impossible for them to be completely unscathed afterward.

’Troublesome...’

He let out a slow, turbid breath.

A cold glint appeared in Wu Dao’s eyes.

Compared to an enemy who fought openly with blades and spears,

this kind, hiding in a dark corner, ready to jump out and strike at any moment, was the most disgusting.

Although he had heavily injured the mysterious Fox-headed Person on Fuguang Mountain and they probably wouldn’t be able to cause him trouble in the short term,

there’s a saying about being a thief for a thousand days,

but no one can guard against a thief for a thousand days.

As long as that rat wasn’t crushed,

there would always be a thorn in his heart.

’Strength. As long as I’m strong enough, I’ll crush as many as come!’

Wu Dao’s thoughts churned. He clenched his Refined Steel Fist, attributing today’s failure to his own lack of strength.

If he were strong enough,

he could have killed that mysterious Fox-headed Person with a single punch.

Then there would be no lingering hidden dangers.

If he were strong enough, hidden dangers would no longer be a threat. If they dared to come again, he would ensure they never returned!

Thinking of this,

Wu Dao adjusted his breathing, calmed his mind, and unleashed his Divine Ghost Heaven State. His physique rapidly turned red-hot, transforming the entire training room into a fiery Purgatory.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

One by one, the shackles within his Brain Domain unlocked.

His brain’s processing power was unleashed to two hundred percent.

Stinging Dragon Skill, Giant Whale Skill...

The essences of the two great Horizontal Refining Skills leaped and collided in his sea of consciousness like humanoid tadpoles, attempting to fuse through calculation and deduction.

Yes, fusion!

Although the Stinging Dragon Skill had a high upper limit,

its cultivation method was too violent and demonic, conflicting with the Supreme Yang nature of the Giant Whale Skill. One was unyielding, the other was malevolent; their attributes clashed and were incompatible.

If he wanted to cultivate the Stinging Dragon Skill,

it meant Wu Dao would have to cripple his Giant Whale Dominating Body and start his cultivation from scratch.

But at this stage, that was almost impossible.

The Giant Whale Skill wasn’t some kind of energy-based internal technique like in martial arts novels, where you could just say you’ve crippled it and dissipate your power.

It was a true enhancement of the body on both macroscopic and microscopic levels; its properties were already rooted down to the cellular level.

How could he cripple it?

Smash everything to pieces and reassemble it?

That was a joke, right?

So, after obtaining the Stinging Dragon Skill, Wu Dao had an idea—

Since the Giant Whale Skill had already reached its limit,

and the upper limit of the Stinging Dragon Skill just so happened to exceed that of the Giant Whale Skill,

why not take the strengths of one to make up for the weaknesses of the other?

He would use the Giant Whale Skill as his foundation, fuse it with the advantages of the Stinging Dragon Skill, and create a new Cultivation Technique to break through the limits of the Giant Whale Skill himself.