Essence Devouring Art

WHOOSH—

On the outskirts of the Cosmic Ancestral Land.

Countless Pocket Worlds, spatial interlayers, and Jiezhi Spaces...

...rose and fell amidst the cloud sea of the Nine Heavens. Some encompassed entire star seas, while others were square lands under round heavens. They were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, all of varying sizes.

Huanwu Mountain.

An All Heavens Emperor’s Lineage from the time of the Four Tribulations.

For a power like Huanwu Mountain, creating a Grand Cosmos to accommodate the All Heavens and Myriad Realms and their infinite beings was no difficult task.

After the Four Tribulations,

dust returned to dust, and earth to earth.

The Huanwu Emperor’s Mansion crumbled and decayed, the Cosmic Dragon Vein was depleted, and millions of years of grinding Tribulation Qi left only the Central Ancestral Land retaining a sliver of the All Heavens Emperor’s Lineage’s former grandeur.

A vast and boundless Star Sea Array.

Countless Pocket Worlds and Space-Time Mazes orbited the Ancestral Land.

Without mastery of Pocket World Techniques,

a Dharma Phase Practitioner attempting to cross this expanse would most likely get lost along the way, let alone get close to Huanwu Mountain.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

Amidst the Nine Heavens Cloud Sea,

space-time constantly folded and warped.

Wuchen’s black hair billowed as his expression remained impassive. With each step, he crossed a new space, traversing countless Pocket Worlds in a full-speed journey toward the central Huanwu Mountain.

"Huanwu Mountain... The Great Emperor once entered the Emperor Star to seek the Dao at Huanwu Mountain... If you can find the lost Cosmic Martial Key, you’ll have a chance to master this All Heavens Emperor’s Soldier."

Inside Wuchen’s personal pocket world,

the Big Black Wolf, seated upon the Abi Saber, was for once looking unusually serious.

Its lupine eyes gazed at Huanwu Mountain, which stood as majestic as a Divine Pillar, with suns, moons, stars, worlds, and cosmic dust orbiting it like specks. A sense of nostalgic sentiment filled its gaze.

"Sigh..."

A single sigh escaped it.

After pulling back its gaze,

the Big Black Wolf turned to Wuchen with a grave expression and said earnestly, "Kid, while this king doesn’t know the full extent of the karmic ties between you and that Mo Chen, I saw a great deal during your last clash.

His destiny is supreme and noble, the very definition of a Son of the Great Dao born of the world’s fortune. I’ve only ever seen such an aura on the young Great Emperor back in the day."

"What are you trying to say?"

Wuchen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He didn’t doubt for a second that Mo Chen’s fortune was heaven-defying.

Twenty years ago in the Golden Lotus Pool,

the radiant youths of Longni Town had to fight tooth and nail just to be acknowledged by a single Lotus of Fortune.

He himself was nearly beaten to death in that pool, suffering endless humiliation in the muck, just to protect a single lotus petal.

But Mo Chen...

...it was truly as if he was just picking flowers.

He had effortlessly obtained nine Golden Lotuses!

From the very start, he was destined to receive nine strokes of heaven-bestowed luck. Calling his destiny supreme and noble was no exaggeration at all!

’To kill such a child of fortune...’

"It’s exactly as you think."

The Black Wolf replied tactfully, not at all optimistic about Wuchen’s chances.

It wasn’t that it wanted to boost the enemy’s morale.

The Black Wolf had followed the Reincarnation Emperor—who was born of the Netherworld’s fortune—all the way from weakness to his peak. It had witnessed countless desperate survivals and knew all too well how difficult it was to kill an anomaly born bearing the fortune of the Great Dao.

The fates of such beings

are not determined by men or external forces.

They are completely tied to the Heaven and Earth Path. Until their fated time comes, they can turn any disaster into a blessing, just like the Reincarnation Emperor did, no matter how hopeless the situation seemed.

"People die when they are killed. The same goes for a child of fortune!"

Wuchen’s eyes narrowed, his resolve to sever the karmic consequence unshaken. He said grimly, "You once told me the Reincarnation Emperor was born of the Netherworld’s fortune. But what was his fated end?

If that could happen to the Reincarnation Emperor at his peak,

what chance does a Mo Chen who has yet to fully mature have!"

Karma, obsession...

...they lingered like a Heart Demon Celestial Demon, refusing to disperse.

If not eliminated, they would disrupt his mind and corrupt his Dao!

No matter how stable his temperament, he couldn’t escape their influence.

The ultimate goal of the Path of Transcendence was to sever all karmic ties, completely break free from the shackles of the Great Dao, and attain eternal, unfettered freedom.

Since ancient times,

the Hongyuan Extraordinary Realm had been a place of endless conflict.

A Great Tribulation would even erupt periodically, the fundamental cause being the accumulation and explosion of countless tangled threads of karma.

Among the world’s Cultivators,

which of them with ambition and talent didn’t wish to attain the Dao and achieve transcendence?

One’s own karma,

no matter how it was resolved, was always better dealt with sooner rather than later. Delays could lead to unforeseen changes, endangering oneself and risking being counter-slain!

After being tempered in the Celestial Prison Cage,

and undergoing a transformation by seeking life from death,

Wuchen’s Battle Intent, Dao Heart, and fortune were all at their absolute peak. This was the perfect moment to draw his blade and reveal his sword.

If he missed this chance,

who knew how long he would have to build up momentum before he could draw his blade again.

More importantly...

’A child of fortune favored and protected by the Great Dao?’

Wuchen didn’t think so.

If that were truly the case,

the deal made back in Dragon Gate Town, where the Great Dao itself manifested, would never have been completed!

Since the pact was established,

it proved that the Great Dao also acknowledged that he, Wuchen, was the fated calamity in Mo Chen’s destiny!

"Why is he so stubborn..."

The Big Black Wolf shook its head helplessly and stopped trying to persuade him. Trying to prematurely end the life of a trendsetter born of fate was arguably even harder than defying the heavens to slaughter an emperor!

A single misstep,

and he could lose his own life in the process!

’He cultivates the Great Emperor’s Technique without any hindrance, and the Abi Saber is an incredibly perfect fit for him. This proves the kid’s connection to the Great Emperor is not a shallow one...’

The Big Black Wolf’s eyes flickered before its gaze turned resolute. ’No matter the outcome of this battle, it concerns the opportunity for the Great Emperor’s return. I must protect Wuchen no matter what!’

In fact,

the reason the Black Wolf had tried to talk Wuchen out of it

was mainly because of the karma related to the Reincarnation Emperor.

During the time of the Five Tribulations,

the Reincarnation Emperor had sided with the Slaughter Emperor.

Although he wasn’t the main culprit,

this karmic connection meant there were certainly plenty of people who wanted to exterminate the Reincarnation Emperor’s legacy and deny him any chance of returning.

Once Wuchen revealed the Reincarnation Emperor’s Technique,

his future would become uncertain, a matter of life and death. He could forget about ever having a peaceful day again!

’He’s being too hasty.’

’The current Wuchen hasn’t matured at all. He definitely can’t withstand such immense karma!’

’An escape route...’

The Big Black Wolf’s thoughts churned, and it suddenly asked, "Kid, you can’t possibly be unaware of how much karma you’re carrying. Have you already prepared an escape route?"