Essence Devouring Art

BOOM!

Chaos erupted as the Mixed Lotus swayed.

First Grade!

Second Grade!

...

Tenth Grade!!

As the Mixed Lotus blossomed, layer by layer.

Zhao Jianji’s aura skyrocketed as he fully unleashed ten grades of the Mixed Lotus, amplifying his killing power tenfold across the board!

Infinite Golden Body! Mixed Lotus Extreme Path! Primordial Magnetic Demon Body!

The limit of the tenth grade?

For the Primordial Demons, such a thing didn’t even exist. If they continued to develop their powers, breaking past the tenth-grade Extreme Path would be a simple matter!

SHINGG!!

When his aura climbed to its absolute peak.

Zhao Jianji’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

Using his body as a sheath, he unleashed the fully charged Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique, powered by rotating Primordial Magnetism, and slashed down at the motionless Wu Dao seated in the Abyss!

SHING! SHING! SHING—

In a ten-thousandth of a second.

The brilliant sword light descended with a sharpness that could shatter anything. The Nine Heavens were split in two, and even the vast Asura Sea could not withstand the pressure of the sword qi. With the Abyss as the dividing line, the mountains and seas of bone were rapidly pushed aside and annihilated.

From a distance, it looked as if a Divine Being were drawing a sword at the peak of the Nine Heavens. As the blade fell, the world itself resembled an ink wash painting sliced in two—a truly shocking sight.

The Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique.

A Great Divine Technique of slaughter from the Military Dao!

Upon reaching Great Success, a single strike could cleave the Three Thousand Realms of the cosmos in two!

As for the current Zhao Jianji, although he had not yet reached such a profound realm, with his various enhancements, the Mighty Power of his sword strike infinitely approached that of a Creation Realm expert, capable of annihilating an entire World!

VMMMM!!

In less than the span of a thought, the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique annihilated all existence, tearing through the darkness to reveal the motionless Wu Dao seated in the deepest part of the Abyss.

Within his perception, the Magnetic Field auras of all things that existed turned to ash like decaying paper under his sword strike. The endless Slaughter Qi even caused spacetime itself to explode into Chaos!

But in the face of such a world-shocking sword strike, Wu Dao’s gaze remained as calm as water. His expression was unwavering, and he showed no sign of even attempting to defend himself.

It seemed to be full of openings, riddled with flaws.

And yet, Zhao Jianji, the one who had unleashed the attack, felt that the perfectly calm Alliance Leader was as lofty as the heavens and as profound as the earth—so supreme and sacred that he couldn’t even be looked at directly.

To look directly at him was like staring into the very core of the world’s ten thousand Daos!

His very being felt as if it were about to be dragged down and assimilated, and his mind and Divine Soul fell into a trance.

SHATTER~

In his daze, Zhao Jianji could only watch as his Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique, with all its infinite sharpness, approached the Alliance Leader and inexplicably disintegrated on its own, breaking down into a sky full of sword scripture runes and Magnetic Field lines that eagerly surged into the Alliance Leader’s body!

It was an incomparably bizarre scene!

Zhao Jianji was certain that the Alliance Leader had just used absolutely no Divine Techniques or Magnetic Field Power.

He was just sitting there.

His physique was like a black hole.

Any Mighty Power from a Divine Technique that drew near him was like a devout believer on a pilgrimage, retracting all its sharpness and profanity to return to the embrace of its ’True God’.

He couldn’t understand it.

He could only attribute it to the Alliance Leader’s boundless Taoist Techniques.

It was utterly laughable for him to try and challenge such power with his own firefly-like glow.

"The Alliance Leader’s divine powers are vast! His Magical Power is boundless! Invincible! He’s invincible!!"

The seventy-one Primordial Demons, upon seeing this incredible scene, shared in the glory. Their blood boiled as they howled in excitement!

’This is the true Primordial Magnetic Dao Body...’

Wu Dao watched the impassioned Primordial Demons, his consciousness observing his Dharma Aspect as it feasted heartily on the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique within his All Heaven cycle, and he couldn’t help but grin.

The Primordial Magnetic Dao Body.

In his original conception, the Primordial Magnetic Dao was the main trunk, while all other Daos were the root system, absorbing nutrients to nurture it in return.

Ultimately, his own Primordial Magnetic body would grow to rival the Great Dao itself, granting him control over all Magnetic Fields and making him omnipotent within his own Dao!

The more high-level Magnetic Fields of the Hongyuan he analyzed, the more roots he would have.

The closer his Primordial Magnetic Dao Body would come to the omnipotence of the Great Dao.

And what were these high-level Magnetic Fields?

Great All Heavens Divine Techniques, the Strongest Divine Techniques, Emperor Scriptures...

Essentially, everything from the dawn of Hongyuan to the present day.

They were the most brilliant fruits of wisdom produced by this Extraordinary Civilization, the creations that came closest to the Great Dao!

In other words, once a Taoist Magic and Divine Technique became part of his Primordial Magnetic Dao Body’s root system, Wu Dao—whose own ’rank’ was comparable to the Great Dao—would possess a source-level dominion over that technique, rivaling the Great Dao itself.

There was no need to defend, and no need to actively manipulate any Magnetic Fields.

Anyone with a lesser ’volume’ of power than him would find that any Magnetic Field Power they used against him would automatically turn traitor, becoming nourishment for the corresponding root system and, ultimately, Wu Dao’s own Power!

If, one day, he managed to analyze and master all the high-level Magnetic Fields—turning every Emperor Scripture Divine Taoist Skill in the Hongyuan into his roots—then he could just stand there motionlessly!

He could let his enemies attack him with all their might, and they wouldn’t even be able to dream of harming him. Instead, their attacks would become nutritional supplements for the corresponding Magnetic Field roots!

’You think that’s your Power?

Foolish!

That’s mine!

How could my own Power possibly hurt me?’

The Primordial Magnetic Dao Body was just that absurdly overpowered.

With the active "Immune to All Laws" and the passive "Primordial Magnetic root system," it could be said that he was invincible from every angle, with no blind spots whatsoever!

Of course, the theory was wonderful.

But to grow to that stage, the current Wu Dao was still a long way off. The roots he possessed were but a drop in the bucket compared to the countless millennia of accumulated wisdom in the Hongyuan Heavenly Realms.

But as the saying goes, it’s not the difficulty of the path you should fear, but the absence of one.

He had already created the most difficult path.

Why would he care about a few quagmires along the way?

’Primordial Magnetic trunk... roots of ten thousand Daos... nourishment... Primordial Dao Wheel...’

Wu Dao’s thoughts churned. He now had new ideas for the path ahead, though for the moment they were merely concepts he couldn’t yet realize.

For now, achieving Great Full Cycle Perfection was the primary task.

’Huanwu Mountain...’

He cracked his neck.

Wu Dao’s gaze swept over the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons, and the Furnace Abyss Gourd, filled with a massive amount of Creation Mother Liquid, flew out from within his All Heaven cycle.

"You’ve all been cooped up these last few months, haven’t you? Fully charge all the Heavy Artifacts. I’m taking you out for a proper hunt!"

"We are willing to die for the Alliance Leader!"

A murderous light burst from the eyes of the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons as their powerful Battle Intent erupted like a volcano. They showed not a shred of fear, not even asking who their enemy was, and simply began to quickly charge the World Heavy Artifacts.

’Although Huanwu Mountain hasn’t revived... the hunting ground is still massive. Relying on the Primordial Demons alone will be stretching our resources thin.’

Thinking of Cosmic Mountain’s layout, Wu Dao’s gaze flickered, and he summoned his Incarnations from all across the Abyss, assigning a World Heavy Artifact to each one.

His previous Incarnation, the one that had adventured in the Cosmic Ancestral Land for nearly two months, had acquired a large number of World Heavy Artifacts. Some had been "charitably donated" by others, while some had been excavated from the Creation Lands.

It was enough for all his Incarnations and the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons to each have one.

There was no shortage of Creation Mother Qi to power the Heavy Artifacts, either. With the massive amount of Mother Liquid he’d excavated from Golden Immortal Island’s treasury, they could use it without restraint.

Once all the Heavy Artifacts were fully charged, and the Incarnations and Primordial Demons were assembled and ready to go,

"Star Mother, alter the Primordial Demons’ Magnetic Fields,"

Wu Dao communicated with the Primordial Star Mother, preparing to make their disguises even more thorough.

"As you command, Father God."

The Star Mother’s vast database began to run, churning like a great river of historical information. It established Magnetic Field models for every Dragon Hunter ever recorded, from ancient times to the present day.

Their Divine Communication Technique, Transverse Soul Cultivation...

The Dragon Hunters were an organized and ancient, mysterious major power in the All Heavens, and many aspects of their practices were standardized.

Through the ages, information about the Dragon Hunters capturing the All Heavens’ Horizontal Refining Celestial Prides, their Divine Communication Technique, and their various other Cultivation methods had been recorded in all sorts of historical texts and scriptures.

The Star Mother, having absorbed countless pieces of knowledge, could easily simulate and establish their Magnetic Field models. Combined with the fact that the Primordial Demons’ Primordial Magnetic Demon Bodies were compatible with all kinds of Magnetic Fields, it was a simple matter to disguise them as Dragon Hunters.

This great hunt would have extremely serious consequences.

He had to pin the blame squarely on the Dragon Hunting Tower and avoid exposing himself at all costs.

’Hmm... The Dragon Hunting Tower is already taking the fall anyway. Another one won’t hurt. Might as well go all the way and make sure the blame sticks for good. They probably won’t mind.’

’On the bright side, I’m just making a name for the Dragon Hunting Tower. They might even have to thank me for it,’

Wu Dao thought with a slight smirk, as he too began altering the Magnetic Field auras of himself and his Incarnations.

WHOOSH~

A moment later, black robes fluttered in the Abyss.

The auras of Wu Dao, his Incarnations, and the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons had undergone a world-shaking transformation.

Embroidered on the chests of their black robes was an ancient, ominous totem of a horde of headless, bleeding dragons. The faces beneath their hoods were a chaotic blur.

Their Magnetic Field auras had transformed into streams of white Evil Dragon energy, making them seem like primeval Reversed Dragons hibernating in the Abyss. They were still for now, but once they moved, they could hunt and devour the True Dragons of the All Heavens for nourishment!

Dragon-breaking Skill!

Reversed Dragon Dominating Body!

These were the standard Great Divine Technique and Transverse Refining Technique of the Dragon Hunting Tower’s Dragon Hunters. All they were missing was the Chaos Slaying Bow and the Immortal Binding Rope, which were specifically designed to counter Horizontal Body Refinement physiques.

But that wasn’t a major issue.

Only Dragon Hunters who hunted Sacred Bodies would be equipped with the Chaos Slaying Bow.

As for the Immortal Binding Rope... It sealed one’s physical Power and suppressed their Divine Communication Technique... For Wu Dao, replicating it was a simple task.

He could even make it more perfect.

At this thought, with a flicker of his consciousness, top-tier Celestial Soldiers flew out from his internal treasury. His Magnetic Field swiftly corrupted and assimilated them, transforming them into Primordial Magnetic matter.

After erasing the Divine Techniques within them, Wu Dao used the Magnetic Field information of the Immortal Binding Rope to refine and reshape the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Soldiers into gnarled, Profound Yellow ropes that resembled dragon tendons.

Then, Wu Dao constructed a series of Magnetic Field Grand Arrays within each of the imitation Immortal Binding Ropes, embedding them with the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage Divine Technique.

Once these Celestial Soldiers were activated, the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage Divine Technique within the core Grand Array would erupt, sealing off all of a living being’s Magnetic Field Power. Its Mighty Power was even more absurd than the genuine Immortal Binding Rope!

CRACK!

He whipped the Primordial Magnetic Immortal Binding Rope in his hand. Instantly, it was like a star had exploded within the Abyss; where the rope struck, a vacuum black hole appeared.

’As long as you understand the information of the Magnetic Field model, Artifact Refining isn’t difficult at all,’

Wu Dao mused, glancing at the whip-like Immortal Binding Rope in his hand. His gaze then swept across the Primordial Demons, and he randomly selected a lucky volunteer for an experiment.

CRACK~

The explosive sound echoed again.

Though only ten feet long, the Profound Yellow Immortal Binding Rope, once its Mighty Power was unleashed, shot out like a yellow dragon from its cave. It instantly extended for dozens of miles, binding one of the Primordial Demons tightly.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—

The sound of the Magnetic Field being sealed rang out.

That Primordial Demon’s physique, Divine Soul, All Heaven cycle, and Primordial Magnetic Demon Body were instantly shackled, and his aura plummeted, leaving him completely at the mercy of others.

"Thank you, Mengzhu, for gracing me with the whip!"

The test subject, Lv Tiezhu, who was bound by the Immortal Binding Rope, showed not a hint of resentment.

Instead, he boomed his thanks excitedly.

He smugly raised his eyebrows at Chen Ergou and Zhao Jianji, gloating as if he’d received a great honor and brought glory to his ancestors.

’That petty bastard is so pleased with himself... Why didn’t the Alliance Leader whip me?’

Zhao Jianji rolled his eyes at Lv Tiezhu, then shot a resentful glance at Wu Dao.

"Not bad. With a weapon like this, the Primordial Demons can now reform others with love,"

Wu Dao said, ignoring the two clowns. He was very satisfied with his imitation Immortal Binding Rope.

The last batch of "fish" the Primordial Demons had "reformed" had resisted so fiercely that many of them ended up as "defective products" before they could even be transported back to the nest. It was all rather inhumane.

The Heaven-Stealing Alliance wasn’t some Demon Cave, after all.

Its main principle was to reform others with love, on mutually agreeable terms. All that fighting and killing was simply too cruel.

After confirming the Immortal Binding Ropes were working as intended, Wu Dao spent a little more time preparing an Immortal Binding Rope for each of his Primordial Demons and Incarnations.

Before setting off, he gave them some earnest instructions:

"Remember, don’t go baring your teeth and acting like a bunch of Fierce Gods. You must be polite. Your main goal is to subdue and reform them, so do not resort to needless slaughter."

’Reform and subdue?’

Zhao Jianji’s expression was strange.

But on second thought, it seemed the Alliance Leader had a point. If they beat the "fish" to death or crippled them, they’d be ruined. He nodded repeatedly.

"Don’t worry, Alliance Leader, I understand."

"Good, as long as you understand."

Wu Dao nodded in satisfaction. The Primordial Star Mother transformed into the Star Prayer Beads in his hand, and his entire being seemed to glow as he spoke with profound compassion,

"Let us go. The mortal world’s Sea of Suffering is boundless, and those who have strayed from the path are many. The burden we carry is heavy."

"The Alliance Leader... he’s truly..."

Zhao Jianji and the other Primordial Demons gazed at Wu Dao’s tall and noble back, suddenly feeling that the meaning of their existence was bright and sacred. They couldn’t help the tears that welled up in their eyes.