Essence Devouring Art

"Shut up if you don’t want to die!"

In response to Zhao Jianji’s wails and struggles, Wu Dao merely barked a cold order.

With his Stinging Dragon Pupil, he saw everything with perfect clarity, peering past the physical form to gaze directly upon Zhao Jianji’s Divine Soul and consciousness.

In his vision...

Zhao Jianji’s Spiritual Consciousness was like a burning torch.

But at this moment, the torch was shrouded in a layer of rank black qi, which was slowly devouring Zhao Jianji’s own consciousness.

If this were to continue,

he would inevitably become muddled and confused, reduced to a mere puppet at someone else’s beck and call.

’Interesting. The same Demon Qi?’

Wu Dao’s gaze turned cold. His Spiritual Consciousness morphed into a tentacle, plunged into Zhao Jianji’s mind, and forcefully ripped out the familiar black qi.

THUMP.

As Wu Dao’s grip loosened,

Zhao Jianji collapsed to the floor, gasping like a bellows, his eyes filled with the relief of having survived a close call.

But then, he realized something had changed.

He felt an incredible sense of clarity!

The feeling of a mountain pressing down on his mind was gone. He felt more relaxed and clear-headed than ever before.

"Hall Master, this is...?"

His eyes then fell upon the ball of black qi in Wu Dao’s palm, thrashing about wildly but unable to escape.

Zhao Jianji’s face instantly went pale.

He knew at once that he had been cursed.

Wu Dao ignored Zhao Jianji’s terror. He searched the black qi but found no useful information.

After confirming it wasn’t a spiritual imprint and that destroying it wouldn’t tip off his enemy, he tossed it into his mouth and swallowed.

"Teleportation Points +5"

Five points.

Just a small snack, really.

It was likely just a minor Demon Dao trick for clouding the Divine Soul.

However,

the one pulling the strings was likely a different story.

Remembering the mysterious Fox-headed Person from that night, who possessed the same black qi,

Wu Dao licked his lips greedily. His expression turned serious, and his voice was as cold as steel. "Where did you go last night, and what did you encounter? Tell me everything, down to the last detail."

He’d been eating ’vegetarian’ for over ten days.

He was so bored his mouth had lost all flavor.

He never expected a piece of ’meat’ would be served up just when his craving was at its peak.

To reject a gift from the heavens is to invite calamity.

This morsel, delivered right to his lips,

had to be devoured completely. He just wondered how big the meal would be.

Perhaps,

he could even drag out the Fox-headed Person from the other day!

"Son of a bitch! I knew something was off about that place!"

Zhao Jianji, also realizing the gravity of the situation, cursed with lingering fear before hastily explaining:

"The place is called Joyful Forest..."

The story wasn’t complicated.

In fact, it was indirectly related to Wu Dao.

Ten days ago, he had slain the Yellow Dragon Daoist,

making a name for himself throughout Guangqing Prefecture.

Opportunists, faction leaders, and fence-sitters from across the Jianghu had been flocking to him, all hoping to latch onto this rising giant.

Wu Dao couldn’t be bothered with their sycophantic flattery and had tasked Zhao Jianji with handling them.

Those worth recruiting were to be befriended.

As for the insignificant ones, he was to accept their gifts and tell them to wait for news—a polite way of telling them to get lost.

Yesterday,

Zhao Jianji had been invited to a banquet by the hall master of a neighboring county’s branch.

The art of networking,

when you got down to it, was all about the same old things.

Catering to tastes, ensuring everyone had their fill of pleasure—eating, drinking, and making merry.

After the banquet ended,

someone suggested they go have some ’fun.’

He knew of a place called Joyful Forest, which he described as a Human Immortal Realm. He said the people and the service were both second to none, guaranteeing Zhao Jianji’s satisfaction.

Upon hearing it described as a Human Immortal Realm,

Zhao Jianji was instantly intrigued and went along with them after the banquet.

Joyful Forest was, indeed, a Human Immortal Realm.

The lowest-ranked courtesans there would be considered top-tier anywhere else.

A select few were so bewitching they were practically demonic, absolute stunners who left Zhao Jianji utterly dazzled.

In truth,

Zhao Jianji had noticed a few strange things at first.

First, Joyful Forest was extremely remote.

It was hidden in a deep, ancient forest dozens of miles from the County City—a very ominous location.

Second were the patrons of Joyful Forest.

They were almost all strong, able-bodied Martial Artists; ordinary rich men couldn’t even get in the door.

But those Martial Artists,

including the man who brought Zhao Jianji,

all seemed a bit off.

The stronger their cultivation, the more listless they appeared, dazed and lethargic, as if they’d been completely drained.

Third, there was the matter of the top courtesans.

While he was with them, he kept smelling a faint, musky fox-like odor. He felt dazed and confused, and afterward, he felt completely hollowed out.

It also left him with an indescribable sense of craving, like an addiction. He wanted it constantly, feeling as if he’d be happy to die in their arms.

But for some reason,

afterward, Zhao Jianji had subconsciously ignored all these red flags, convincing himself everything was normal.

Now that his mind was clear,

even an idiot could see he had been ensnared.

That Joyful Forest was no Human Immortal Realm.

It was a bona fide Fox Den!

It was a trap laid specifically for martial practitioners, designed to take not only their money and their vitality, but their very lives!

Joyful Forest, Fox Den...

After hearing the tale, Wu Dao ground his teeth for a moment and asked, "Do you remember how to get there?"

"Yes. It’s remote, but the surroundings were memorable."

Zhao Jianji nodded eagerly, his expression filled with resentment.

Anyone who’d been tricked like that,

and nearly killed in the process, would feel the same.

"Good. Gather the men. I’m going to see for myself just how foul it is!"

With a cold smile,

Wu Dao decided to act immediately.

The Fox-headed Person had been a thorn in his side for days.

Now that he had a clue,

he had no intention of letting it slip away.

As for the power of the fox demons in Joyful Forest,

from Zhao Jianji’s description,

they weren’t picky, preying on martial artists of all strengths. They were nothing more than a bunch of low-class floozies.

They were probably just a few small-fry, third-rate demons, like the ones working for Tree Demon Granny—hardly worth mentioning.

However.

Even a grasshopper’s leg is still meat.

Fry it up, and it’s still a savory dish, isn’t it?

He just wondered...

what the fox demons of this World tasted like?

...

RUMBLE RUMBLE—

As evening approached,

Tan County, which had been quiet for days, once again thundered with the tide-like roar of galloping steeds.

"Gods above, who’s gone and provoked that monster now?"

The residents of Tan County,

gazed at Wu Dao leading the charge on his Red Flame Steed. With his towering physique and commanding presence, he made them all instinctively shrink back.

Since taking his post in Tan County,

Wu Dao had made two major moves.

First, he leveled Lin Village.

Next, he annihilated Yellow Dragon Temple.

He was a man who didn’t act often, but when he did, the results were earth-shattering.

They just wondered...

which unlucky bastard he’d set his sights on this time, and what kind of storm he was about to unleash.

RUMBLE RUMBLE—

The nearly one hundred riders galloped like a tidal wave,

and soon vanished from the gates of Tan County in a cloud of dust.

Wu Dao led the way on his Red Flame Steed, moving like the wind. Not far behind were his three Evil Dogs: Zhao Jianji, Chen Ergou, and Lv Tiezhu.

Behind them,

were not men of the Inner Strength Realm.

Instead, they were Jianghu opportunists who had flocked to Wu Dao’s banner in recent days. They were considered Honored Guests of the Tan County Branch.

About ten men.

All were of the Divine Power Realm, and their faces screamed ’villain’—either sinister and cruel or as menacing as Fierce Gods. None of them looked like good people.

It couldn’t be helped.

Although the Black Dragon Commerce Association had run cover for Wu Dao, anyone with discerning eyes knew the truth behind the Yellow Dragon Temple incident.

But faced with his overwhelming power,

and with public opinion in the Jianghu being swayed by the prevailing winds,

few dared to speak out against him.

They could only resort to petty schemes behind his back to tarnish his name.

This resulted in Wu Dao having a rather poor reputation in the Jianghu of Guangqing Prefecture. He was seen as a ruthless figure—neither black nor white, but a titan of the gray path.

Thus, the only ones who would flock to him...

...were naturally those of a crooked disposition themselves.

But Wu Dao didn’t care.

To him, everything in the World was divided into two simple categories: useful and useless. Morality, this black-and-white business, was a childish game he had no interest in.

He paid it no mind whatsoever.

Besides these ten new Divine Power Realm experts,

there were also many at the Inner Strength Realm.

The Tan County Branch originally had about twenty Inner Strength Realm members in total; now, that number had swelled to around fifty.

Such were the benefits of fame.

As long as you were powerful, strong, and could protect your people, you wouldn’t even have to ask. Hordes of men would line up to be your lackeys, just for a taste of the leftovers.

As it stood, the Tan County Branch

was, in every sense of the word, a force to be reckoned with—the strongest branch beneath the main headquarters.

Curiously,

headquarters had consistently turned a blind eye to the Tan County Branch’s aggressive recruitment and expansion.

Never mind the Elder Council;

even Qi Canghai had remained silent, apparently unwilling to have a complete falling out with Wu Dao just yet.

This emboldened Zhao Jianji, who was in charge of these affairs. He had already begun extending his reach to the branches in neighboring counties, building factions.

Wu Dao had always tacitly approved, delegating the authority to him.

Power was a useful tool.

Those at the top merely have to speak, and those below will run themselves ragged.

With enough power,

he wouldn’t have to handle everything himself; plenty of people would be fighting for the chance to do it for him.

The only unfortunate thing was,

that he had yet to receive any useful intelligence regarding the ’anomalies’ he was most interested in.

But he wasn’t worried.

If he couldn’t find them,

it just meant his search area wasn’t large enough.

Once the northern territories, or even the entire Guangqing Prefecture, were in his grasp...

Or wider still...

no matter how well those anomalies hid,

the moment they revealed themselves, there would be nowhere left to run!

"HYAH!!"

With a new plan for the future taking shape in his mind,

Wu Dao let out a vicious grin. He cracked his whip, accelerating toward Joyful Forest in a cloud of swirling dust.