Essence Devouring Art

The outskirts of the Star Ruins.

Within the hunting ground spanning tens of millions of miles.

"YONG!!"

The cry of the Desolate God, the Yong Bird, tore through the starry sky as its body, like a great sun-furnace, spread its wings and soared.

Its countless feathers were like ancient volcanoes erupting, incinerating the heavens and melting the stars, transforming the entire hunting ground into a crimson Purgatory.

The immense, primeval pressure of an apex predator from the Primordial Chaos sent shivers down the bloodlines of all the hunters present, their expressions turning incomparably grim.

The good news:

It wasn’t a Grotto Heaven Level Desolate God.

The bad news:

Its power was at least at the Eighth Step of the King Grade Dharma Aspect realm!

Lost Star City, merely tens of millions of miles from the edge of the hunting ground, was also assailed by the heatwave, causing it to shimmer and blur.

The cultivators’ expressions were also grave as they watched the Yong Bird in the Observing Heaven Realm’s view, which looked like a Fire God descending upon the world. An endless clamor of discussion erupted:

"Is that... the Yong Bird?"

"There’s no mistaking it. In the tens of millions of years since the Four Tribulations, countless Desolate Gods have descended. The Desolate God Atlas was circulated throughout the All Heavens long ago. This Desolate God that commands crimson fire is identical to the Yong Bird in the records."

"Although the Yong Bird isn’t from the Mountain and Sea Royal Family, Holy Race, or Di Race, Desolate Gods are born with an Innate foundation. Even if it’s just an Overlord of its own territory, a fully grown one is comparable to a Grotto Heaven expert of the Human Race."

"This is looking bad. That aura is at least at the Eighth Step of the King Grade Dharma Aspect realm. Time to scram! You guys can keep watching, but I’m making a run for it."

As the Yong Bird’s terrifying pressure spread, Lost Star City descended into utter chaos. Amidst the boiling clamor, many chose to flee for their lives, not believing the four great factions could successfully hunt the Desolate God.

It wasn’t just Lost Star City.

Some smaller factions on the outskirts of the hunting ground also gave up, piloting their Starships to make a swift escape before the battle broke out.

However, there were also some bold enough to stay behind, either to watch the show or in hopes of scavenging the spoils.

The Eighth Step of the King Grade Dharma Aspect realm.

It was indeed very strong.

But the four great factions were no pushovers either.

A King Grade Seventh-Step Upper True God.

A Fourth-Step Saint Grade Transverse Cultivation Yang God and a Fourth-Step Saint Grade Military Dao Saber Emperor. Together, the three of them could be considered the equivalent of three King Grade Seventh-Step experts.

Not to mention, the latter two were a Yang God with the strongest physique among all Daos, and a Soldier Emperor, the strongest in the Daos of combat and slaughter.

On top of that, with the alliance formed by the large number of King Grade Dharma Phase Practitioners from the three great factions and the Dharma Phase Practitioners from the fourth faction attacking together, their chances of victory were still high!

"YONG!"

After descending into the Star Ruins, the Yong Bird let out a series of cries, its four pale eyes sweeping indifferently over the various Human Race factions in the surrounding space.

Then, the Desolate God surprisingly didn’t attack.

Instead, it bizarrely chose a direction and, commanding a monstrous sea of fire, beat its wings and shattered the void, attempting to leave the hunting ground.

’What is the Mountain and Sea Realm looking for?’

Deep within the continental Magnetic Field that had yet to evaporate, Wu Dao’s eyes glinted faintly as he watched the Yong Bird, which, instead of choosing to slaughter them upon its arrival, was desperate to leave.

This situation was not unique.

According to the memories and information he had obtained, for the past fifty years, the Desolate Gods from the Mountain and Sea Realm that descended upon the Hongyuan Heavenly Realms had acted just like this Yong Bird. After arriving, they would frantically search the Primordial Space-Time, as if looking for something.

’The last fifty years...’

’Could it be...’

Wu Dao compared the timelines and a guess immediately formed in his mind, but for now, it was only a guess. He couldn’t be certain.

"You think you can come and go as you please? Stay right where you are!"

A cold snort suddenly boomed across the starry sky.

Upon sensing the Yong Bird’s attempt to break out of the hunting ground, the various encircling factions made their move, detonating all the Killing Arrays they had prepared in advance.

They were fighting on their home turf and naturally had to maximize their advantage.

After sealing the hunting ground, the four factions had set up various deadly Grand Arrays across the tens-of-millions-of-mile area, all designed to invoke the rules of order. Their plan was to deliver a devastating blow the moment the Desolate God arrived, crippling it before they moved in for the kill.

RUMBLE—

The moment the terrestrial and celestial momentums were triggered, the entire hunting ground began to shake violently.

Killing lights of every color blurred into Chaos as an endless, destructive aura converged from deep within the earth and high in the Nine Heavens, grinding together like a millstone to obliterate the Yong Bird.

In Wu Dao’s perception, the various chaotic and volatile Magnetic Fields in this region were being drawn and gathered by numerous Array Plates. As they activated, they transformed into one deadly Grand Array after another, each capable of annihilating the very stars.

’The Dao of Arrays... a pity. They can only borrow one type of power per Array. The efficiency is a bit low-level.’

As Wu Dao felt the various powers of the Star Ruins’ Magnetic Field being stirred by the Arrays in the hunting ground, he couldn’t help but glance at the Primordial Dao Wheel floating beside him, which was connected by countless threads of the Magnetic Field.

’No rush.’

’Let the fire burn a little longer.’

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—

The moment the grand momentum of the Star Ruins’ Magnetic Field was triggered, a storm of destruction, like ten thousand dragons bursting from their nest, empowered the Array Plates.

In an instant, the entire hunting ground was filled with wind, thunder, and lightning, becoming a chaotic blur where nothing could be seen clearly. Every inch of space seethed with a terrifying killing intent that would make even a Dharma Phase Practitioner’s heart pound in fear.

High-energy pulses, extreme heat and Yang energy, Extraordinary radiation contamination, gravitational and repulsive forces, and dark storms that could pulverize soul and body...

All sorts of powers found only in the universe’s forbidden zones were unleashed upon the Yong Bird at once.

"YONG!"

An enraged cry rang out.

Caught off guard, the Yong Bird truly suffered a major blow. Large swathes of its sea of fire collapsed and extinguished, and many of its feathers were torn to shreds by the lethal powers of the forbidden zones.

But it was also terrifyingly formidable.

The instant the countless destructive beams of light closed in, it folded its wings. Its body blazed with incredible intensity, like a late-stage star going supernova, yet all the Energy was contained within its immediate vicinity.

BZZZZ—

A blindingly brilliant crimson light, shining like a cosmic beacon, erupted in the center of the chaotic, blurry space. It was intensely bright and hot, flashing at a high frequency across tens of millions of miles of space-time.

"My eyes!"

"It hurts so much!"

"AHHH!!"

In the distant Lost Star City, the crowd of Divine Ability Users who had been watching the battle suddenly had their eyeballs explode as the crimson light flashed at a high frequency. Their souls were flooded with the Yong Bird’s cry, making them feel as if they were being sliced by a thousand cuts. They writhed and wailed on the ground in agony.