Essence Devouring Art

While Nirvana City was drawing the attention of the two great Overlords of the Burial Realm, within Nirvana Valley, Wu Dao had also unraveled the secret carried by the Heaven-Burying Stele.

WHOOSH~

Atop the Infinite Golden Stele.

Wu Dao let out a soft breath. As he gazed at the Red Crystal Heaven-Burying Stele in his hand, its Magnetic Field gradually calming, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly.

By tracing back its Magnetic Field.

The Magnetic Field environments the Heaven-Burying Stele had passed through over the eons, along with the people and objects it had touched, unfolded one by one before Wu Dao’s eyes.

At the final Magnetic Field node.

He saw an unfamiliar Emperor, his life force depleted like an extinguished lamp, take ninety-nine Heaven-Burying Steles and bury himself in the core of the Burial Realm.

In that fleeting glimpse.

Deep within the Emperor’s Tomb.

A Black Bell Fragment drifted!

With each vibration, an aura of Extreme Dao slaughter spread out, brewing a terrifying scene of universal destruction and bringing a great mourning to the Ten Thousand Realms!

An Extreme Dao Bell Fragment!

Stone Hammer!

That Great Emperor who buried himself.

Was none other than the Heaven-Burying Emperor, who had followed the Slaughter Emperor back in the Divine Wilderness!

It was impossible to trace any further back.

All Magnetic Field information had been erased.

As expected, it was likely the work of the Slaughter Emperor, who didn’t want future enemies to trace his origins and find him.

As for the ninety-nine Heaven-Burying Steles.

They were indeed the keys to opening the core treasury of the Emperor’s Tomb. Through the Magnetic Field trace-back, the secrets hidden within the Celestial Steles had been laid bare!

...

’No wonder. Of all the things he could have passed down, it had to be the Great All Heavens Divine Technique, Reversed Celestial Spirit. So this is what it was all for.’

Wu Dao caressed the ice-cold Heaven-Burying Stele. Among his 3.8 million material branches, the Immune to All Laws branch vibrated, and a unique Magnetic Field enveloped the Red Crystal Heaven-Burying Stele.

The prerequisite for fusion was mastery.

Although Reversed Celestial Spirit had been fused into Immune to All Laws, Wu Dao could still use it independently if he wished.

BUZZ~

A Magnetic Field that defied everything and rebelled against the Ten Thousand Techniques probed into the Heaven-Burying Stele like threads of silk. A continuous series of unlocking ’CLANG CLANG CLANG’ sounds echoed.

The Heaven-Burying Stele, which had originally been lifeless and seemed to be nothing more than a stubborn Divine Crystal, underwent a completely new transformation. It was peeled back layer by layer like an onion, revealing a deeply hidden Jiezhi Space within.

The Heaven-Burying Stele.

It was a device personally refined by the Slaughter Emperor during his lifetime. Without the key to unlock it, and without reaching his level of power, it was impossible to discover the hidden Jiezhi Space inside.

This was also why, despite possessing the ninety-nine Heaven-Burying Steles for ten thousand years, the Heaven-Burying Alliance could only ever use them as tokens of identity.

RUMBLE~

The Celestial Spirit winds raged amidst a turbid, fiendish chaos.

The Jiezhi Space was filled with endless winds of Celestial Spirit and fiendish qi that could overturn the universe. Deep within the eye of the storm, a multi-colored, curved copper fragment was faintly visible.

’So heavy!’

Wu Dao tried to mobilize his Magnetic Field to retrieve the copper fragment, but it was like a mortal trying to move a mountain; he couldn’t budge it in the slightest. Only after he continued to use Reversed Celestial Spirit did the winds of Celestial Spirit and fiendish qi cease, and the heavy object became as light as a feather.

’The Magnetic Field of a Sacred Artifact...’

Wu Dao looked at the multi-colored copper fragment in his hand, which roiled with turbid Celestial Spirit and fiendish qi. Based on its Magnetic Field, he determined that it must be a fragment of a Sacred Artifact.

"Qiankun Bell."

Star Mother accessed her information database and analyzed the origin of the multi-colored copper fragment:

"Before the Five Tribulations, the Slaughter Emperor created the technique Reversed Celestial Spirit. To reflect this Divine Technique, he gathered Immortal Gold Mother Copper from across the All Heavens that possessed the attributes of the Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends, and refined it into a Great Saint Divine Weapon."

The Qiankun Bell!

Wu Dao caressed the Qiankun Bell fragment in his hand. If he wasn’t mistaken, the remaining fragments were hidden within the other ninety-eight Heaven-Burying Steles.

Once he collected them all, the Qiankun Bell would naturally be restored.

This was because Wu Dao could sense that the Dao Patterns, principles, and Magnetic Field structure inside the Qiankun Bell were not damaged.

In its current state, it was just a scattered puzzle.

A complete puzzle would be the key to opening the core treasury in the Heaven-Burying Emperor’s Tomb!

The Extreme Dao Bell Fragment.

It was undoubtedly the ultimate treasure within the Emperor’s Tomb.

’Activating an Emperor’s Weapon requires Chaos Mother Qi from a Creation Cosmos. When the Great Emperor buried in the Emperor’s Tomb dissolves after death, Chaos Mother Qi will inevitably be produced.’

Wu Dao’s eyes gleamed with a dark light. It was as if he could see a peerless Treasure Mountain waiting for him to open it, but this mountain still had quite a few thorns.

As for the karma connecting the Extreme Dao Bell and the Slaughter Emperor, with his numerous trump cards and backup plans, he no longer needed to keep a respectful distance as he had before.

’Hm.’

’In truth, when you have enough lice, you stop feeling the itch.’

’Considering the things I’ve done since arriving in Hongyuan, revealing any single one would be enough to have the All Heavens hunt me down. Adding the karma of the Slaughter Emperor is just one more louse.’

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

After putting away the Qiankun Bell fragment, Wu Dao ran his hand over the peeled-back layers of the Heaven-Burying Stele, re-locking and restoring it. Unless someone else also cultivated Reversed Celestial Spirit, no one would be able to tell that the key within had already been taken.

However, the probability of that was basically zero.

Reversed Celestial Spirit was a Great All Heavens Divine Technique personally created by the Slaughter Emperor. Who could cultivate it was up to him.

To this day, Wu Dao had only ever seen this Divine Technique on that Fierce God back in the Divine Wilderness.

After coming to Hongyuan, Reversed Celestial Spirit was even more like a taboo.

It seemed to have been completely removed from the list of the Seventy-two Heavenly Great Divine Techniques. After the Five Tribulations, it hadn’t made a single ripple.

In this world today, the only ones who likely knew this Divine Technique were Wu Dao, his Primordial Demons, and Wuchen.

As for the rest, they were probably some hidden successors of the Slaughter Emperor.

They most likely didn’t exist in the Burial Realm.

Otherwise, over ten thousand years, the Qiankun Bell fragments inside the ninety-nine Celestial Steles would have been taken long ago, and it wouldn’t have been Wu Dao’s turn.

Therefore, Wu Dao prepared to use this information gap to make a good deal with the Heaven-Burying Alliance.

As for his foot in the door, this Heaven-Burying Stele in his hand was it.

The Heaven-Burying Alliance was currently holding its centennial election. For some unknown reason, Su Xiuqi, who had served ten consecutive terms, had stepped down. He had declared that whoever could gain the support of all the Stele Masters would be the next Alliance Leader.

The three top Realm Masters within the alliance had long been fighting tooth and nail over the ninety-nine Heaven-Burying Steles.

However, Wu Dao guessed that the three competitors had most likely learned some of the secrets of the Heaven-Burying Steles, which was why their struggle was so intense—they wanted the steles, not the people holding them.

Under these circumstances, the value of the Heaven-Burying Steles had naturally skyrocketed.

’Among the three competitors, the Master of Commerce, Jia Baocai, holds the title of the Burial Realm’s God of Wealth and possesses numerous Three Tribulation Emperor Scriptures...’

Wu Dao sifted through the information on the three competitors in his mind, ultimately settling on Jia Baocai, who was the most advantageous for him.

He liked to make deals with businessmen.

The other two—one was a battle maniac, the other a great tyrant.

Neither was easy to deal with.

However, Wu Dao didn’t take the initiative to contact God of Wealth Jia.

That would needlessly lower his own status.

The Yang Realm Celestial Burial Stele was in his hands. He estimated the three competitors would send people to visit Nirvana City within the next few days.

Although he didn’t have the combat power of a Great Saint right now, as long as it wasn’t Su Xiuqi himself who came, he had ways to intimidate a Great Saint and achieve the status for an equal transaction.

「Three days later.」

Three High Tier Creation Realm experts, at odds with one another, arrived outside Nirvana City.

Wu Dao, whose Magnetic Field network covered Nirvana Valley and the surrounding area, naturally sensed the three of them immediately. With a thought, he sent a message to Zhao Jianji: "Go out and greet our guests. Don’t set a firm price right away."

"Understood."

The first of the Seventy-Two Primordial Demon Pillars, Zhao Jianji, finished his Cultivation. He bowed toward the ’Wu Dao’ being forged in the raging Five-Colored Thunderfire atop the Infinite Golden Stele, then steered the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and headed out of the valley.

RUMBLE—

Above Nirvana City, thunder roared and lightning flashed, a sea of Celestial Tribulation brewing.

But just as the destructive Celestial Tribulation took shape, it was completely devoured by a mysterious power that erupted from Nirvana Valley. Watching from a distance, Elder Ji and the other two were so stunned they forgot to trade barbs.

"If I weren’t seeing it with my own eyes, I’d find it hard to believe such a power—one that can devour the heavens and neutralize tribulations—truly exists."

God of Wealth Jia’s traveling spokesman, Sikong Xuan, fanned his Feather Fan gently. He stroked his long beard and muttered to himself in amazement. Dressed in a white Daoist Robe, he had an otherworldly air, looking less like a Demon Cultivator from the Burial Realm and more like a carefree hermit.

"Heh, it’s just an Alien Species. They often have strange, evil abilities. Nothing impressive. If it doesn’t know what’s good for it, I’d like to see just how capable it is."

Guang Jun, the representative of Tao Chuan, the Lord of Fighting Realm, had a body like a mountain pillar and a murderous look in his eyes. His Black Crystal Battle Armor clanked as he moved. He wielded a Fangtian Halberd that seemed to crush the space around it, and faint wisps of Battle Intent rose in his eyes.

"The Burial Realm has endless taboos. Over hundreds of millions of years, who knows how many immeasurable, dark, and inauspicious things have been born in the burial grounds? It’s better for young people to be a little more humble."

Elder Ji looked like a shriveled, skinny old man, his white hair tied in a Daoist topknot. He glanced at Guang Jun, subtly mocking him as a brute, while his mind was preoccupied with how to obtain the Yang Realm Celestial Burial Stele.

Among the three of them, he was the one most determined to succeed.

He had no choice. His life was in the hands of that rebellious disciple. He could only succeed; failure was not an option.

"Hehe, it seems you two are both determined to win. Do show some mercy later. We wouldn’t want to harm the camaraderie of our alliance."

Sikong Xuan waved his Feather Fan, giving Elder Ji and Guang Jun a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ’An old fossil and a brute,’ he thought. ’Dealing with them will be no trouble at all.’

"Likewise."

Elder Ji and Guang Jun replied with cold sneers. Deciding against further verbal sparring, they bypassed Nirvana City and headed directly for the tri-colored grand canyon behind it.

Sikong Xuan followed close behind.

However, before they reached the canyon, the three of them were blocked.

"The three of you, halt. Ahead is our True Lord’s sacred ground. Do not trespass."

At the canyon’s entrance, a group of Creation Realm experts, clad in armor and holding sharp weapons, approached with solemn expressions. They had Evil Lotus tattoos on their chests and blocked the path of Sikong Xuan and the others.

Three days ago, the Divine Envoy of the Nirvana True Lord had appeared.

With a flip of his palm, he had suppressed two reckless challengers, and the sense of his mysterious power had become even more deeply ingrained.

The people of the Nirvana Alliance became even more determined in their decision to cling to this powerful backer, spontaneously forming patrol teams to prevent anyone from entering Nirvana Valley and disturbing the True Lord.

Therefore, even though each of the three men before them exuded an invincible and oppressive aura, they still braced themselves and showed their loyalty.

"Heh, interesting. They know they’re outmatched, yet they still dare to jump out and spout nonsense. It seems that so-called True Lord really has some skills."

Guang Jun licked his lips. The Red Blood Fangtian Halberd in his hand began to reveal a ferocious might, like a hundred million Divine Mountains, nearly forcing the Creation Realm experts of the Nirvana Alliance to their knees on the spot.

In the Creation Realm, a single layer of difference was like the gap between entire realms.

Guang Jun had reached Twenty-four Celestial Perfection and also specialized in the Transverse Refining Dao. In a place like the Border Wilderness, he was a completely invincible Great Demon King who didn’t need to give anyone face.

Sikong Xuan and Elder Ji exchanged a glance and silently retreated, making no move to stop Guang Jun’s insolence.

They also wanted to see just how much that Nirvana True Lord was worth.

"Oh? You think you’re so tough?"

Just as the atmosphere grew tense enough to draw swords, Zhao Jianji, dressed in black robes with an Evil Lotus embroidered on his chest, emerged from the tri-colored thunderfire. He stood high above, looking down at Guang Jun with his hands behind his back, and said in a low voice:

"You’re welcome to try. If you can take a single step into this valley, what does it matter if I hand over the Yang Realm Celestial Burial Stele with both hands?"

""We respectfully welcome the Lord Divine Envoy!""

The Creation Realm experts of the Nirvana Alliance, who had been struggling internally, breathed a collective sigh of relief upon seeing another Divine Envoy emerge. They hurriedly bowed in salute.

"Mm."

Zhao Jianji glanced at the group of free laborers from the Nirvana Alliance and gave a placid nod. This sent the Creation Realm experts into a state of excitement, as if they had received a great honor.

During this time, because of this group of free laborers, the Primordial Demons had a daily, endless supply of Celestial Tribulation Dao Source and Soul Coins. Their Cultivation was soaring. It was only right to acknowledge their work.

"Hahaha, just you?!"

Feeling slighted, Guang Jun laughed in fury.

This bullshit Divine Envoy before him, although his aura was a bit strange, was merely in the Cave Heavens Realm. How dare he make such arrogant claims? He was truly courting death!

’His subordinate is only at the Cave Heavens Realm.’

’One can imagine how much that True Lord is worth!’

"You charlatan, get the hell out here!"

Thinking of this, Guang Jun didn’t want to waste any more words.

BOOM!

Ten thousand thunders roared, shaking the Ten Directions!

A burst of pure, wild Power!

Thunder rolled across the vast Nirvana City and the immense surrounding burial grounds. A hundred million great mountains collapsed, and the void shattered like a mirror, churning like a small boat tossed on stormy waves.

RUMBLE!

The moment the Fangtian Halberd descended!

The vast sea of Black Gold fire was split in two. The force, enough to instantly annihilate twenty-four galactic-scale worlds, slashed toward Zhao Jianji above the canyon like an act of Heaven and Earth Creation!