Essence Devouring Art

The massive number of Celestial Prides from All Heavens on Huanwu Mountain.

Were now all caught in a single sweep!

All of them were trussed up in bunches by the Immortal Binding Rope, suppressed within the All Heaven of the Primordial Demons and Incarnations, waiting to serve their purpose.

A blitzkrieg.

Naturally, no one was given any time to react.

This was also why Wu Dao had unleashed the Evil Lotus, instantly corrupting the major training grounds of the Star Sea and countless cultivators. The entire point was to enforce a news blackout.

"Mm, not bad."

Wu Dao nodded with an indifferent expression. His gaze swept over the five Venerable Enlightenment Platforms. He already possessed the Great Silence of All Heavens, so that one was not a consideration.

BUZZZZ—

The spinning Primordial Star Mother behind him extended its Primordial Magnetic Arms one by one, touching them to the core Enlightenment Steles of the Venerable Enlightenment Platforms.

In the span of a breath.

The thousands of scriptures on the four magnificent Enlightenment Steles thrummed, booming with the heavenly sound of the Great Dao as a waterfall of divine light pierced through the Nine Heavens Star Sea.

"Chaos Thunder Fist, All Heaven Great Escape, Original Soldier Resolution, Exquisite Method..."

Information on the four Strongest Divine Techniques.

Was rapidly comprehended and absorbed by the Primordial Star Mother.

The Chaos Thunder Fist was a supreme Thunder Dao Divine Technique, the All Heaven Great Escape was a supreme Escape Technique, and the Original Soldier Resolution needed no further introduction.

As for the last one, the Exquisite Method.

Its Mighty Power was equally heaven-defying. It allowed one to plunder the Dantian Origin of others to cultivate a Seven-Aperture Exquisite Dantian.

It could turn a mediocrity into a genius, enhancing their innate talent and potential.

It could even replicate others’ Divine Techniques, break the shackles of the Dantian, and allow a single person to wield multiple Great Divine Techniques of various Daos. Its applications were endless.

’Useless...’

But Wu Dao only gave it a single glance before thinking no more of it. Though the Mighty Power of the Exquisite Method was heaven-defying, he was even more so.

However, if a mediocre person obtained it, it would still be enough to defy the heavens and change their fate.

’It’s about time. The news has probably gotten out by now, and...’

Wu Dao’s consciousness observed the Incarnation that was currently "educating" Yaya. He gave a fanged, doting smile, and with a wave of his hand, a spinning city appeared in the space-time of Huanwu Mountain.

Tens of millions of years ago, when the Emperor Star first opened, the powers of the All Heavens had expended massive amounts of manpower and resources to build numerous Dao Cities in the various forbidden zones of the Emperor Star, connecting them to their home bases in the outside world.

After eons of change, many of them had naturally fallen into ruin.

Before making his move on Huanwu Mountain, Wu Dao had found one such abandoned Dao City, repaired its Star Hub Array, and prepared his escape route.

Normally, the Star Hub Array within a Dao City could only operate in a specific Magnetic Field environment. Otherwise, the factions of the All Heavens would have long since driven their Dao Cities into the Emperor Star’s depths.

But was this a problem?

For Wu Dao, who had mastered Magnetic Fields, it wasn’t a problem at all!

BZZZ~

With a single thought, the Star River’s Magnetic Field changed.

Streams of perfectly calibrated and matching Magnetic Field networks linked up and poured into the Dao City’s core, activating the Star Hub Array within in a single breath.

"Go!"

Wu Dao’s gaze swept over the Star God Guards and reinforcements from the top factions of the All Heavens who were surging in from all across the Star Sea.

Without further hesitation, he waved his hand, recalling the Primordial Demons, Incarnations, and World Heavy Artifacts into his All Heaven, then took a step and vanished into the activated Star Hub.

The training ground this Dao City connected to was extremely inconspicuous in the outside world.

And even if the Star God Hall managed to lock down all the training grounds in a short time, with the Bitter Dust Robe, he could simply extract the memories of a Celestial Pride from some minor faction and create a disguise that no one would be able to see through.

BUZZZZ—BOOM!!

After Wu Dao and the Heaven-Stealing Alliance had left, the Galaxy Array’s self-destruct sequence activated, transforming into a massive ball of light that illuminated the Star Sea and obliterated all traces of the Grand Array.

Although the Dragon Hunting Tower was taking the blame, he wasn’t arrogant enough to think he was the only clever one out there. Any unusual traces had to be cleaned up as part of dealing with the aftermath.

「Just as Wu Dao departed.」

A blizzard swept through the air, and the world descended into Chaos.

Within the World where the Incarnation and Yaya were ’fiercely battling’...

"Burp~"

Wu Dao let out a burp and glanced at the half of his body that looked like it had been gnawed off by sharp teeth. A trace of gratification flashed in his eyes.

This Incarnation of his could fight and kill a First or Second Layer Creation Realm expert without issue.

But Yaya, who was merely at the Grotto Heaven realm, after unleashing her Taotie True Body, had not only gone berserk and used a bloodline secret technique of the Taotie Race, causing her strength to skyrocket, but had even touched upon the Power of the Supreme Mark in the end, forcibly tearing a chunk of flesh from his body!

As for the price...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The blizzard seemed to be the fundamental law of this World. It blew away the Chaos and once again ravaged the now-quiet battlefield.

Wu Dao stepped on the deep snow.

With a single stride, he arrived at the center of the world.

He caught the small, white-haired, red-eyed girl as she fell from the sky.

Twenty years of trials and tribulations.

An entire lifetime of accumulated Creation cultivation.

All lost in a single day!

Grrr~

Wu Dao looked down at Yaya in his arms. She was baring her shark-like teeth like a little kitten protecting its food, gnawing on a large piece of star-colored candy. He reached out and pinched her rosy, chubby-cheeked face.

His dark gaze calmly met her deathly still, abyss-like red pupils as he asked dotingly, "Is it tasty?"

"Is it tasty?"

Yaya huddled against Wu Dao’s chest, seeming a little cold, but she continued to chew forcefully on the candy as she threw the question back at him.

"A bit milky, but it was just barely intense enough."

Wu Dao was taken aback for a moment.

Then he smiled and offered his critique, indicating that she was still a bit too tender and he wasn’t entirely satisfied.

"It’s very hard. I can’t bite through it, and I’d probably burst if I ate it all."

Yaya licked the candy with her small, scarlet tongue.

She tried to bite it a few more times but couldn’t, which only made her weaker. A dejected look appeared on her elfin face.

"You can only eat the meat you have the teeth for. Chipping a tooth is a small matter, but losing your life over it is the end."

Wu Dao ruffled Yaya’s little head. With a flick of his finger, the candy in her mouth vanished before her reluctant eyes.

BZZZ~

With another thought, the trembling Little Caique in Yaya’s shattered Grotto Heaven also found its mind going blank, losing all memory of the battle.

SHHHHH—

Ripples spread through the void.

The sound of a scripture’s pages turning came from a distant place. Yaya’s small body gradually became illusory, and within her withered origin, a page of a scripture began to faintly glow.

’Mm.’

’A good beating really does produce a filial daughter.’

’She gets hot-headed, but once you beat some sense into her, she becomes obedient.’

"Wu Dao, what does it mean to be grown up?"

The increasingly illusory Yaya struggled to lift her head. An undying scarlet flame bloomed in the depths of her deathly still red pupils as she stared intently at Wu Dao.

’She’s asking how she can be strong enough to eat the candy, isn’t she?’

Wu Dao raised an eyebrow, ruffled Yaya’s head, and smacked his lips before answering seriously:

"Lord of a race? The Mountain and Sea Lord? But you’d better grow up fast. Your dad isn’t getting any younger, you know."

"Okay."

Yaya buried her head in Wu Dao’s chest and took a deep breath, engraving his scent into the depths of her soul.

Then, she took the initiative to sever all memories between the two of them, fabricating new ones to fill the void.

For a top predator, the scent of prey alone could awaken the hunting instincts hidden within their soul.

Memories were optional.

When they met again, the familiar ’scent’ would naturally reawaken everything.

"Not bad, Little Yaya is so sensible."

Wu Dao’s broad hand gave the unconscious Yaya’s head one last pat. He wiped away the residual Magnetic Field information from her body, and his own figure gradually weathered and blurred.

It was better to be safe than sorry.

The connection between them naturally had to be erased. Otherwise, if the Taotie Race learned that their ’Little Princess’ had been snatched, it would become a hidden danger.

SHHHHH—

The sound of the scripture turning from far beyond the heavens grew louder. The ripples in the void gradually twisted into a vortex, and a single page of the scripture, carrying Yaya—now transformed into information in the form of ancient text—disappeared into the passage.

In that very instant,

furious roars from the titans of the Primordial Mountains and Seas shook the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, echoing through the Star Sea of every sentient being—

"Taotie Race! How dare you!"

"Qing Yu, for the crime of stealing my son, you are truly courting death!"

"You dare lay your claws on Hongyuan? Then you can leave your life behind!"

"Taiqing, you bitch! How dare you cleave the Star Divine Domain with your sword? Do you think there’s no one in the Chaotic Star Heaven to stop you!?"

"Hmph! Hand over that scourge from the Dragon Hunting Tower, and we will naturally retreat!"

"If you don’t want this to end well, then it won’t end well for any of us!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—

The Great Dao thundered, and its laws fell into chaos.

Wu Dao had just entered the Star Divine Domain when the vast, boundless Chaotic Star Heaven was thrown into a chaotic mess by the clashes between Great Powers.

It was completely impossible to observe!

The difference in their fundamental level of existence was too great.

He could only feel the behemoth that was the Chaotic Star Heaven shaking violently, as the light of Taiyin and Taiyang erupted in fury from the deepest part of the Star Divine Domain!

One after another, lofty and unfathomable Dao Rules and orders gathered from the Ten Directions like a general mustering an army!

In the unknown Chaos beyond the heavens, the various parties clashed fiercely, giving rise to terrifying phenomena of the All Heavens and Myriad Realms being destroyed and immeasurable universes being born and extinguished!

’Even a clash between Emperors is like this...’

Wu Dao’s Divine Soul ached and throbbed, but his eyes burned with fervor. He withdrew his gaze from observing the battlefield, as he simply couldn’t withstand the crushing force of the colliding information, each piece as vast as the heavens themselves!

Whew~

Taking a deep breath, Wu Dao suppressed the boiling blood of yearning in his veins. Without the slightest awareness that he was the main culprit, he took all the spoils from his trip and, ’having finished his work, flicked his sleeves and left, hiding all merit and fame.’ He took advantage of the chaos to quietly slip away from the Star Divine Domain.