Essence Devouring Art

One man’s poison is another man’s cure.

The cultivation path of Demonic Cultivators is perilous, ruthless, and utterly sinister. Thus, the Burial Realm naturally became their playground.

After the Five Tribulations.

The Luotian Sword Emperor purged the Daluo World, liquidating all its demons and monsters.

Those of the Demon Dao who escaped the purge.

Over fifty percent of them converged in the Burial Realm. Relying on its treacherous environment, they have thrived and flourished to this day, perfectly adapting to its natural order.

"What power is considered the leader in the Burial Realm today?"

Wu Dao gazed at the distant behemoth in spacetime, a churning vista of hellish landscapes, and asked casually.

Now that he had collected all three hundred and sixty-five Heaven-Opening Techniques, for a long time to come, he wouldn’t need to rush about. He could focus on absorbing his gains from the Emperor Star and advancing to the third stage of his Essence Devouring Art.

The Burial Realm—a lawless, forbidden zone—was indeed the best place for him to enter seclusion.

In a world where the Demon Dao ran rampant, his future growth wouldn’t cause him to be branded as an Alien Species.

Since he planned to stay in the Burial Realm for a long time, it was necessary to understand the lay of the land.

"The leader?"

Zhao Jianji heard this and thought for a moment before replying,

"The Burial Realm is a chaotic free-for-all. Factions are destroyed and new ones rise every day. There are basically no unshakable overlords.

If I had to name one,

it would probably be the Heaven-Burying Alliance. It’s a coalition of over half the surviving Demon Path Influences from the Daluo World of the Five Tribulations era.

However,

the Heaven-Burying Alliance operates on a council-based system.

Its leaders all act independently, and they are kept in check by a council of old-guard Supreme Elders. The position of Alliance Leader rotates every hundred years, so there’s no real unity within the alliance.

So, strictly speaking,

there’s no such thing as an absolute leader in the Burial Realm. Even some of the ancient demonic juggernauts outside the alliance have no fear of it.

It’s like...

a Warring-States-like period of vying warlords?

Oh, right, Alliance Leader."

At this point, Zhao Jianji seemed to recall something important. His eyes glinted as he said,

"There’s a rumor circulating in the Burial Realm that the Heaven-Burying Alliance possesses a fragment of the Extreme Dao Bell. I can’t tell if it’s just a malicious rumor meant to cause trouble or if there’s some truth to it."

’The Slaughter Emperor’s Extreme Dao Bell?’

Wu Dao’s brow twitched with interest.

As the foremost figure of the Five Tribulations era, the Slaughter Emperor naturally had his own Emperor’s Weapon.

When the bell tolled, the Extreme Dao left no survivors!

The Extreme Dao Bell, responsible for the demise of countless beings across several worlds, remains a supreme Demon Soldier that makes countless factions pale at its mere mention.

As for the Extreme Dao Bell’s rank—

A Near-Path Primordial Emperor Artifact!

At its peak,

it was only a hair’s breadth away from becoming a Dao Artifact, in no way inferior to the Taiyi Emperor Star.

Unfortunately,

death brings an end to all things.

When the Slaughter Emperor fell, the Extreme Dao Bell was shattered to pieces in his final battle, its fragments scattered across the All Heavens, their locations unknown.

However,

the Slaughter Emperor’s remnant soul once revealed,

that he had chosen numerous successors across the ages within Hongyuan, setting up his legacy.

The Heaven-Burying Alliance.

’Could it be one of them?’

’A Near-Path Primordial Emperor Artifact... If it’s true, even if it’s just a fragment...’

Wu Dao’s gaze grew profound.

Having witnessed just how terrifying and formidable the beings at the apex of Hongyuan’s food chain were, he knew with perfect clarity what the saying ’within the Dao, Primordial Chaos is the pinnacle’ truly meant.

Within Hongyuan,

only by possessing Primordial Power did one have the foundation to truly contend with the colossal powers.

It was like the nuclear bombs of his previous life.

You might not use them,

but you couldn’t afford not to have them.

Once you had them, even the world’s superpowers would have to treat you with caution, fearing you might drag them down with you in mutual destruction.

As for Dao Artifacts,

they were even more incredible.

A single Dao Artifact was enough to ensure a faction’s survival through All Tribulations, allowing it to become a true power at the apex of the pyramid, an existence no one dared to offend.

Because,

once a Dao Artifact was fully unsealed,

it was no less than the wrath of the Great Dao itself.

Legend claimed it could sink the Hongyuan All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds, triggering a boundless Dao calamity. It possessed the Mighty Power to reshuffle the entire order of Hongyuan on its own.

Of course,

such a terrifying ultimate weapon would surely have an owner at the level of a Common Lord. Some Common Lords didn’t even possess a Dao Artifact, which showed just how precious they were.

The Dao Artifacts currently known throughout Hongyuan were:

The Dao Burning Furnace of the Heaven-Burning Fire, the Celestial Court’s Divine Investiture List, the Buzhou World’s Buzhou Mountain, and the Netherworld’s Eighteen Nether Pits of Hell, which had crumbled into an unknown location.

There was one more.

The legendary Endless Sea of Suffering.

The All Heavens speculated that this Dao Artifact was located within the Divine Ruins Heaven, occupied by the Innate Divine Race. It was said to anchor the Divine Race’s destiny, which was the only reason they hadn’t been completely eliminated from Hongyuan.

As for the Mountain and Sea Realm,

legend spoke of the supreme Dao Artifact, the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It consisted of eighteen volumes, each a Near-Path Emperor Weapon in its own right. Combined, they formed the supreme Dao Artifact.

Among them, the Five Mountains Scripture possessed a Mighty Power that surpassed even a Primordial Dao Artifact. The North Mountain Scripture, controlled by the Taotie Race, the Common Lord of North Mountain, was one such volume.

’The North Mountain Scripture, the Eighteen Nili Abysses...’

Thinking of these two Dao Artifacts, Wu Dao’s mind flashed to Yaya and Wuchen—one, his precious daughter; the other, his fine disciple. Both had profound karmic ties to these two Dao Artifacts.

The page of the North Mountain Scripture within Yaya’s very essence.

And the Abi Saber wielded by Wuchen—the key to the Eighteen Netherworlds.

’If that day ever comes...’

TSK.

Wu Dao clicked his tongue, suppressing the ambitious thoughts in his mind.

For now, he had only planted the seeds and forged the keys. Whether they would sprout, bear fruit, and unlock the vaults would depend on their own Creation.

Dao Artifacts were too distant, too complex.

Even if he obtained one now, he wasn’t qualified to use it. His current priority was to scheme for an Emperor’s Weapon to keep by his side—one that didn’t need a key, only fuel.

As for the Dragon Hunting Tower, having been made the scapegoat twice in a row, they most likely harbored a deep grudge against the Heaven-Stealing Alliance. They probably wouldn’t dare make a move in the short term, but they would definitely not let the matter go.

Although his Bitter Dust Robe could obscure karma and celestial secrets, the Dragon Hunting Tower seemed to possess a method for tracking down the world’s Horizontal Refiners.

Unless Wu Dao and the Primordial Demons decided to hide in their shells forever, the Dragon Hunting Tower would eventually come knocking at their door.

Besieged by the All Heavens, yet able to escape with their lives. The Dragon Hunting Tower’s foundation was unquestionable.

No matter what power-ups he obtained in the short term, he couldn’t possibly face the Dragon Hunting Tower head-on, but if he could get his hands on a top-tier Emperor’s Weapon, things would be different.

Unless the Dragon Hunting Tower was truly insane and willing to risk exposure by mobilizing its full strength for revenge, otherwise, no matter how deadly the trap, the Heaven-Stealing Alliance could rely on the Emperor’s Weapon and his Bitter Dust Robe to carve out a path to survival.

Of course,

this matter couldn’t be rushed.

Although the Heaven-Burying Alliance was a coalition, trying to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth would be no simple task.

His current strength was not enough, at the very least.

Only after reaching the third stage of the Essence Devouring Art would the Heaven-Stealing Alliance be qualified to even sit at the table.

"Hm? Courting death!!"

As Wu Dao’s thoughts swirled, a murderous glint suddenly flashed in Zhao Jianji’s eyes. On the ship, the Primordial Demons swarmed onto the deck, their auras erupting with violent fury.

"So impetuous! Have you no decorum?"

Wu Dao turned, frowning at the Primordial Demons. They looked as if their ancestral tombs had been desecrated, their eyes practically splitting with rage. He berated them, displeased.

’How many times have I told them?’

’To have thunder in your heart, but a face as calm as a lake.’

’Baring your fangs at the slightest provocation... that’s what petty thugs...’

"Reporting to the Alliance Leader! Luoxian Ridge, where the Overlord Whale Alliance was based, was actually built on a baleful tomb. And now some sons of bitches are digging up our grave!"

Zhao Jianji quickly bowed to explain. He was somewhat embarrassed, but mostly he was grinding his teeth in a rage so fierce he looked ready to eat someone alive.

"..."

Even Wu Dao was stunned for a moment.

He genuinely had no idea the Primordial Demons had built their lair inside a tomb.

But that wasn’t important.

What was important was, someone was now digging up that grave, undermining the very foundation of the Heaven-Stealing Alliance, and stealing food right from his bowl!

"The local gangs are so impolite."

Wu Dao shook his head and sighed.

He lamented the decline of public morals and the loss of ancient virtues.

How could anyone do something as shameless as digging up graves and tearing out roots? They must be taught a proper lesson!

...

「The Burial Realm」

Vast and boundless, as crimson as Hell.

Sinister winds and baleful qi churned through the Nine Heavens as seas of Celestial Thunder detonated above. Across the land, a dark, foul miasma rolled, and one could occasionally see enormous burial mounds, as if entire worlds were interred there.

Countless great suns withered and fell one after another.

Deathly silence and gloom were the eternal hallmarks of the Burial Realm. Every inch of space was suffused with an unsettling, oppressive ferocity.

The beings who survived here were like armed hunters in a Dark Forest. All creatures were distinguished only as kin or prey—and even kin would become prey, if necessary.

Kill or be killed, treachery, profiting at others’ expense, insidious scheming...

Here, all desires—greed, hatred, and delusion—were magnified infinitely. There was no good karma to be found; the saying "a life of crime pays" was the absolute rule.

The Burial Realm had no order, no rules.

The only rule was the most primitive law of nature. One moment you could be basking in glory, the next you could be a piece of meat on a dinner plate.

「The Border Wilderness of the Burial Realm」

Within the great tomb that was once Luoxian Ridge.

WHOOSH—

A great battle had just ended.

The shattered remnants of spacetime, now a chaotic blur, churned with backlash. Boundless baleful energy raged and billowed within the abyss.

At the far end of the Black Sea, a great sun, pockmarked and on the verge of fading, cast its last, sorrowful rays. It dyed a thousand peaks crimson before sinking, spent and weary, into the darkness.

Indeed.

The setting sun, red as blood, painted the mountains crimson; Luoxian Ridge, a tomb for a fleeting legend.

"Jiang Han, a Sacred Artifact is not for a filthy person like you to touch! Hand it over, and I’ll give you a quick death!"

"Why waste your breath? The man’s an animal! To change his aptitude for the Refining Heaven Technique, he blood-sacrificed his entire family, tens of thousands of people from the Jiang Family! He doesn’t understand human speech!"

"He’s right! Black Moon Valley treated him well, but he betrayed the Valley Master for a single Elixir Pill, colluding with the rival Celestial Wolf Sect to slaughter all his fellow disciples!"

"Hmph, and you think the Celestial Wolf Sect got off easy?

Because of a grudge with the Celestial Wolf Sect’s Elder Council, that animal assassinated the Son of Revival of the Luotian Sword Realm, Ye Xuan, in the sect’s name, leading to the Celestial Wolf Sect’s complete annihilation!"

"I heard he already had a feud with Ye Xuan. He truly doesn’t know his own limits. Ye Xuan is the Son of Revival; what does that make him?"

"Why else would he be hiding in the Burial Realm after betraying so many people? He’s a heartless, ungrateful bastard. Don’t waste your sympathy on him!"

...

On the only intact summit of Luoxian Ridge,

Jiang Han listened to the surrounding condemnations. His Red Sun Daoist Robe, illuminated by the setting sun, whipped in the wind. Having burned through his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, his body was withered and gaunt, like an old man on the brink of death.

In his claw-like hand,

he still clutched a dagger that glowed with a faint green light. Within it, three thousand Small Thousand Worlds seemed to rise and fall amidst a surge of boundless, venomous energy.

The Sacred Artifact—the Divine-Eroding Blade.

It was the ultimate prize from the treasury of the unknown power in Luoxian Ridge, and the very reason Jiang Han was now being besieged by all.

As for their moral condemnations,

they were just empty words.

The cultivators in the Burial Realm?

They were all cut from the same cloth.

Every last one of them was the type of person who would make King Yama himself take notes.