Essence Devouring Art

「Ten days after the battle at Yellow Dragon Temple.」

The clamorous debates raging through the Jianghu were of no consequence.

Noon.

Deep within the Tan County Branch.

In the underground training room.

OMMM—

Wu Dao’s body trembled slightly as his brain, which had glowed a brilliant crimson like a miniature sun, slowly faded back to normal.

His Brain Domain disengaged from its state of extreme computation and deduction. He opened his dark eyes, revealing two new, rice-grain-sized vertical pupils of crimson gold at their center.

Or rather—

Dragon Pupils!

As the Dragon Pupils blinked,

an Ancient Barbaric Whale and an Evil Dragon seemed to dance within, their righteous fury and baleful evil merging into one.

A terrifying spiritual pressure, both fiercely masculine and tyrannically powerful, yet laced with a sinister, otherworldly evil, unconsciously emanated from him.

If any ordinary person met his gaze, they would feel as if they were facing a Dragon Whale, their mind instantly crushed by the pressure, leaving them a drooling imbecile.

WHOOSH—

He exhaled a deep gout of turbid fire.

The terrifying pressure dissipated.

His expression impassive, showing neither shock nor joy, Wu Dao opened his attribute panel.

[Physique: Hero (Limit)]

[Extraordinary: Essence Devouring Art (72% Potential Release) +, Overlord Whale Fist 430 years (Divine Arrival) +, Dragon Whale Transformation 500 years (Third Layer) +]

[Teleportation Points: None]

On the panel,

the Giant Whale Skill and Stinging Dragon Skill had disappeared.

After ten days of deductions with his god-and-ghost-like brain,

the two had merged into one, shattering the limits of the Giant Whale Skill to form a completely new cultivation technique.

Wu Dao named it the Dragon Whale Transformation.

The Dragon Whale Transformation had a total of five layers, compatible with both righteous and baleful energies. At the same time, it did away with the complex individual realm divisions, instead using the Transverse Refining Dao to delineate its levels.

Five layers—five gates!

If one reached the fifth layer, the strength of their qi and blood would surely allow them to step through the Horizontal Refining Fifth Door—the Qi Blood River!

Originally, the Fifth Gate was purely theoretical.

But within these ten days,

through his understanding of the human body—which was at the Peak of Human Extremes—Wu Dao had repeatedly calculated, deduced, and verified concepts in his mind. He had perfected the Stinging Dragon Skill, transforming theory into a viable path.

’Although my Human Potential Release at the Heroic Limit hasn’t progressed, the creation of the Dragon Whale Transformation has given me a 50-year boost to my Transverse Cultivation power, greatly increasing my overall strength.’

At Wu Dao’s thought, the crimson-gold Dragon Pupils appeared in his dark eyes, spewing forth streams of crimson-gold flame like bolts of lightning.

The next moment,

BOOM!

A raging crimson-gold Blood Flame engulfed his entire body.

It was accompanied by the faint, harmonious cry of a dragon and whale.

With a metallic clang of bone and sinew, Wu Dao’s body expanded majestically, like a Transformer, morphing into a six-meter-tall humanoid monster.

Yes, a monster!

The Dragon Whale Dominating Body!

An advanced version of the Giant Whale Dominating Body!

If the Giant Whale Dominating Body could still be generously described as somewhat human, the Dragon Whale Dominating Body was completely monstrous.

Never mind its towering six-meter height.

Its appearance alone...

...was less human...

...and more like a dragon’s nest.

The great muscles and sinews wrapping his bones were formed from countless coiling evil dragons, each covered in thick, Red Gold Scales. They layered over each other like armor, squirming and twisting as they emanated a violent, tyrannical aura of absolute destruction.

The power of a Primordial Dragon Whale filled the air.

Every living being in the Tan County Branch felt as if they’d been plunged into a dragon’s den, like prey before an apex predator, trembling uncontrollably.

WHOOSH—

The flowing flames churned.

Wu Dao raised his right arm, the crimson flames in his Dragon Pupils glowing faintly. He looked down its length; the muscles were intertwined evil dragons, and where his fist should have been, there was now the head of a Dragon Whale.

With a mere spiritual thought,

the Dragon Whale’s mouth opened, revealing vicious, sharp teeth like steel spikes, arranged in layer upon layer of concentric rows, like an abyss.

CLANG!!

Wu Dao subconsciously made a grasping motion.

The concentric rows of steel-spike teeth within the dragon mouth snapped shut, erupting in a brilliant shower of sparks. There was no doubt that if this clamped down on an enemy, it would tear off a huge chunk of flesh.

Closed, it was a Divine Fist!

Open, it was a dragon’s maw!

To hammer, blast, smash, tear, grab, bite...

The offensive power of his fist surpassed that of any creature in the natural world!

Of course,

the changes brought by the Dragon Whale Transformation weren’t merely physical; most importantly, it enhanced the development and application of his Spiritual Perception and Qi and Blood Power.

After absorbing the Stinging Dragon Skill’s vast knowledge on how to apply the body’s spirit and qi and blood,

Wu Dao had also developed two secret techniques—

The Stinging Dragon Pupil!

And the Dragon Breath Cannon!

The Stinging Dragon Pupil was like a weaker version of the legendary Eyes of Golden Flame. By condensing spiritual fire into his pupils, he could, to a degree, ’see’ through illusions and perceive the true nature of things.

If he were to encounter the Fox-headed People again,

Wu Dao could see through their disguises to their true identities with a single glance.

In addition,

it had other minor functions, such as focusing his spiritual pressure, killing with a long-distance glare, shattering an enemy’s courage, and even hypnosis—all subtle applications of his Divine Level spirit.

As for the second secret technique, the Dragon Breath Cannon...

OMMM—

With a thought,

ripples of power spread across his body like waves on water. The searing, boiling heat of his qi and blood was drawn in, converging like a thousand rivers to the sea into the Dragon Whale’s mouth on his right fist, where it condensed into a brilliant, crimson-gold miniature sun.

The miniature sun, no bigger than a baby’s fist, radiated a terrifying heat that continuously warped the space around it, pulsing with a destructive aura of the Supreme Yang.

However,

Wu Dao didn’t unleash it.

Because if he were to fire this shot, a single blast could likely kill a being on the level of the Stone God, and the entire Tan County Branch would be razed and turned into a sea of flames.

A True Dragon’s breath could burn the heavens and boil the seas.

Such was the True Intent of the Dragon Breath Cannon.

Frankly, it was simply an application of one’s own Qi and Blood Power.

It used powerful Spiritual Thoughts to direct the flow of qi and blood, concentrating its heat into a destructive beam. Its might was determined by the strength of one’s qi and blood.

In his past life, Wu Dao had developed similar techniques. Unfortunately, with no worthy opponents, he could only use them for entertainment—cleaving mountains, blasting fish, that sort of thing.

’Does upgrading the Dragon Whale Transformation to the next layer also require two thousand Teleportation Points?’

As the Red Gold Blood Flame receded, Wu Dao’s body returned to its normal human form. He noticed the required Teleportation Points for upgrading the Dragon Whale Transformation to the Fourth Layer.

The Fourth Layer of the Dragon Whale Transformation was the "Horizontal Refining Fourth Gate: Qi and Blood Like a Dragon."

Once he stepped through that gate,

his body’s strength would undergo a qualitative transformation.

It was a certainty that his Potential Release would enter the Overlord Domain.

A price of two thousand really wasn’t expensive.

It wasn’t just the Dragon Whale Transformation, either.

Right now, all of Wu Dao’s cultivation—be it the Essence Devouring Art or the Overlord Whale Fist—was stuck at the two-thousand-Teleportation-Point threshold.

In the short term, unless a big fish appeared,

it would be nearly impossible for him to make any major breakthroughs.

But Wu Dao wasn’t worried.

During this time, Zhao Jianji and the Black Dragon Commerce Association had finished negotiating the sale of Yellow Dragon Temple’s century of accumulated wealth. Most of it had already been sold off.

It was a terrifyingly vast fortune.

It was difficult to value in worldly silver taels and had to be bartered, exchanged for a large quantity of Elixir Pills suitable for Wu Dao’s cultivation.

Even Spirit Stones, or Elemental Stones—

high-energy composites of that kind—had been acquired. They had obtained nearly forty, which, when added to the ten from Yellow Dragon Temple, brought the total to fifty.

This quantity of Spirit Stones...

...was a sum that cultivators in Guangqing Prefecture wouldn’t even dare to imagine.

For the near future,

Wu Dao wouldn’t have to worry about cultivation resources at all.

Moreover, since the Giant Whale Skill had already broken its limits, his path forward was temporarily clear.

He only needed to train the Dragon Whale Transformation manically at his limits each day to rapidly push his body’s potential forward.

’The Overlord Domain is impossible in the short term, but I should have no problem completing the Heroic Limit.’

Thinking of that hidden rat,

a greedy, hungry look appeared in Wu Dao’s eyes.

After tasting the Stone God, he was now incredibly curious just how exquisite an Innate Level anomaly would taste!

Now,

he almost hoped the rat would come for revenge soon.

KNOCK KNOCK—

Wu Dao licked his lips and refocused his mind. Just as he was about to resume cultivating the Dragon Whale Transformation, there was a knock on the door above.

A sweep of his Spiritual Perception revealed...

...it was Zhao Jianji, delivering his Elixir Pills.

Over the past several days,

Wu Dao had been in seclusion. Before he began, he had instructed Zhao Jianji to deliver his pills at a set time each day and not to disturb him otherwise, unless there was important news or unusual intel.

Thus,

every day at noon,

Zhao Jianji would visit the training room.

Hm?

’Why does he look like such a wreck?’

But this time,

Wu Dao noticed something was wrong.

Though it had only been a day,

Zhao Jianji’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit seemed severely depleted. His qi and blood were drained, he couldn’t stop yawning, and his eyes were dull and lifeless.

In an ordinary person, such symptoms might mean...

...they had either stayed up too late or overindulged in carnal pleasures.

But Zhao Jianji was a cultivator in the Divine Power Realm, full of vigor and vitality. It was highly unlikely that either of those two scenarios could apply to him.

Especially not in the span of a single day.

When something is this abnormal, there must be a demon at work!

Suspicious,

Wu Dao’s eyes narrowed. He paused his cultivation and left the training room.

RUMBLE—

The heavy stone door rumbled open.

A massive, shadowy silhouette fell over Zhao Jianji.

"Hall Master, is your seclusion fin— uh."

Zhao Jianji looked up, startled and about to ask a question.

But the instant he saw Wu Dao’s dragon-like eyes, he reacted like a mouse seeing a cat. His legs went weak, the hairs on his body stood on end, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

He hadn’t seen him in just a few short days,

but Wu Dao’s oppressive aura had become terrifyingly stronger.

Zhao Jianji felt as if he wasn’t facing a man, but a Primordial Fierce Beast that was part dragon, part whale!

A mere sliver of his unconsciously released aura was enough to make Zhao Jianji’s very soul tremble; he didn’t dare to look directly at him.

Given his currently drained Essence, Qi, and Spirit, the fact that he didn’t immediately vomit out of fear was a testament to his mental fortitude.

Seeing this, Wu Dao frowned and restrained his aura even further. Only then did Zhao Jianji feel some relief, no longer looking like a startled rabbit.

HUFF... HUFF...

He took several deep breaths.

Zhao Jianji barely managed to acclimate to the crushing, deep-sea pressure of the air around Wu Dao. He tremblingly offered the tray in his hands. "Hall Master, your... your pills."

However...

Wu Dao didn’t even glance at the Elixir Pills on the tray. He simply stared down at Zhao Jianji, his dragon-like eyes flickering with crimson-gold flames.

Under the gaze of those Dragon Pupils, which held not a trace of human emotion, Zhao Jianji’s scalp tingled. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out what he could have done to displease Wu Dao.

"Hah. What a thick stench of fox!"

The stagnant, oppressive air...

...finally returned to normal with Wu Dao’s cold sneer.

Stench of fox?

Zhao Jianji froze, confused.

But before he could react,

a vicious gust of wind hit his face.

His scalp screamed in pain as Wu Dao’s hand, fingers like steel bars, closed around his entire head.

Zhao Jianji felt Wu Dao’s massive hand, which seemed capable of crushing his head like a watermelon with the slightest pressure.

Recalling Wu Dao’s nicknames, his courage shattered. He let out a terrified wail as his crotch grew warm and wet. This time, he’d actually pissed himself.

"Hall Master, don’t... don’t kill me!!"