Essence Devouring Art

The Ultimate Creation Land of the Taiyi Emperor Star.

Huanwu Ancestral Land.

HUMMM~

As the Emperor Star’s Tribulation Qi spewed forth, the strength of the magnetic fields from the countless Star Arrays in the Nine Heavens Star Sea weakened with each passing day.

It started from the outer edges of the Star Sea.

One by one, the stars that had been spewing baleful light gradually went dark, revealing more of the Cosmic Ancestral Land’s Holy Lands and Creation Lands.

"Big news! The Rising Dragon Celestial Dynasty dug up a Mother Tree of Ten Thousand Dragons that can cultivate Sacred Bodies in one of the Creation Lands! They’re in a massive clash with the Martial Arts Influences from Buzhou Heaven!"

"The Golden Spirit Emperor Clan from Heaven-Burning Fire opened up an ancient mining area, but they encountered something ominous and suffered heavy casualties."

"Lei Sheng, the Little Thunder King’s elder brother from the Thunder Emperor Palace, is using the excuse of seeking revenge on the Dragon Hunting Tower to plunder the Ancestral Land. Everyone, be careful."

"Did you hear? The monsters from Chaos City and the Star God Hall got into a real fight—they were out for blood—at a Scripture Pavilion. If a Creation Realm expert hadn’t stepped in to mediate, several of them would have probably been killed."

"Heh, the Innate Divine Race from Divine Ruins Heaven and the enthroned Divine Spirits of the Celestial Court are at it again..."

...

With the opening of the Cosmic Ancestral Land, this Ultimate Creation Land, the area was boundlessly vast even though only its outer regions had been unsealed. The many Creation Lands sparked all sorts of disputes, and sensational events occurred daily.

’The Innate Divine Race...’

In a certain region of spacetime on the outskirts of the Huanwu Continent, Wu Dao looked at the Divine Fire of his prey swirling with divine wind in his palm. A hint of curiosity appeared in his eyes before he swallowed it in one gulp.

’Very pure.’

After savoring it, Wu Dao’s eyes lit up.

He discovered that compared to the worldly, hundred-flavored taste of Faith Gods, Innate Gods were purer, more natural, and refreshingly crisp. After swallowing one, it felt as though he had blended perfectly with nature itself.

It converted into Innate Divine Source without any need for deliberate refinement. After his Primordial Divine Format absorbed it, the effect was no less than consuming a Dao Stone. The purity of the Divine Power was far beyond what a Faith God could offer.

’Communion with the Great Dao, an Innate Daoist.’

Wu Dao smacked his lips as information about the Innate Divine Race surged through his mind.

This ’Daoist Child’ was not the same as the other kind.

Every member of the Innate Divine Race was born from the three thousand laws of heaven, earth, and nature. They could truly be called children of the Great Dao.

In terms of lineage alone, the postnatal Faith Gods simply couldn’t compare to the Innate Gods, not to mention that the growth of Innate Gods didn’t rely on the Power of Faith.

’During the Heaven Opening Tribulation, the First Tribulation, and the Second Tribulation, the Innate Divine Race were the protagonists of Hongyuan. They only fell from their divine pedestal after the rise of the Human Race in the Second Tribulation, leaving them with only the Divine Ruins Heaven.’

Wu Dao flipped through the Hongyuan Tribulation History. More than half of its contents recorded the magnificent history of the Divine Race’s rise and fall; it was hard to imagine just how powerful and glorious the Divine Race had once been.

But...

Yin and Yang cycle; what flourishes to an extreme is destined to decline.

The only constant in the world is change itself.

The Divine Race, which once hung high in the Nine Heavens and illuminated the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, had ultimately failed to keep pace with the torrent of nature. Now, even the racial concept of ’God’ was being replaced by Faith Gods.

’A pity... the fundamental difference in the Divine Formats of Faith Gods and Innate Gods can’t be changed. Otherwise, I could have shed my reliance on faith.’

Wu Dao felt a slight sense of regret.

If he had stolen the Divine Format of an Innate God when he descended upon Hongyuan, then the advancement of his Divine Format would have been a process of autonomous growth through cultivation, just like for the Innate Gods.

He wouldn’t be like he was now, needing to devour the Divine Fire of a large number of Divine Beings to grow at each stage.

However, on second thought, Wu Dao felt there wasn’t much of a difference between the two. No matter what kind of god one was, growing by preying on the weak was the fastest method.

Even if his Divine Format were that of an Innate God, he would still choose the shortcut of hunting to grow, rather than following the rules and progressing step-by-step.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

As his thoughts drifted, a wild tide surged in the distant Golden Light Divine Sea. Divine radiance covered the sky and the vast earth, flooding toward the Grotto Heaven where Wu Dao was located.

Wu Dao looked up.

At the crest of the majestic and sacred golden ocean of light, a white ape wearing a Mountain and River Robe and a Divine Crown stood with its hands clasped behind its back. It spoke with authority:

"I am Divine Monarch Bai Ling of Chaoyi Mountain, legitimately enthroned by the Celestial Court and serving under the Nine Cyan Yu Celestial Venerable. Human, have you seen a Wind God fleeing through this area?"

’Legitimately of the Celestial Court?’

Wu Dao’s gaze was flat as he looked at the white ape, which was devoid of Demon Qi and shrouded only in majestic divine radiance. He was reminded of the frog River God he had encountered in the Dragon Mud Cave Heaven.

That one had also been enthroned by the Celestial Court.

It had also proudly proclaimed itself legitimate.

The Celestial Court possessed a Dao Artifact, the Divine Investiture List.

Legend said it was a Divine Dao Supreme Treasure that the Second Tribulation Celestial Court had snatched from the Divine Race. It indeed had the Mighty Power to enthrone all manner of beings as Postnatal Gods.

But legitimate?

True legitimacy meant being the sole, unrivaled authority.

For a mere River God or Mountain God to never shut up about being ’legitimate’ while wandering about... it wasn’t hard to see just how immense the Celestial Court’s prestige was in the Nine Heavens of Primordial Chaos, and just how impressive its ’tiger skin’ appeared.

"Human, answer me!"

Within the sacred golden light, Divine Monarch Bai Ling frowned when he saw Wu Dao staring at him indifferently.

’A mere Dharma Aspect,’ he thought. ’To dare disdain Celestial Might and disrespect a Divine Monarch... he really doesn’t know his place.’

The Divine Spirits enthroned by the Divine Investiture List possessed all the seven emotions and six desires, including greed, anger, and ignorance. They were not simple, emotionless, pure Faith Gods. The Supreme God of their Pantheon was not a Divine Being but surpassed them—the Supreme Great Celestial Venerable, followed by the Nine Celestial Venerables.

One could say that aside from being bound by the Celestial Rules, the Divine Spirits of the Celestial Court were not much different from normal cultivators. They simply enjoyed the incense offerings of the mortal world and, in return, maintained favorable weather for their regions.

"A monkey in a crown."

Hearing Divine Monarch Bai Ling’s rebuke, Wu Dao’s gaze remained deep and calm as he said:

"Get down here. What sort of thing do you think you are, looking down on me?"

’Back in the day, even Cyan Yu Celestial Venerable would have had to kowtow before leaving my presence. A puny Divine Monarch, truly clueless!’

’A monkey in a crown?’

When Divine Monarch Bai Ling saw that Wu Dao not only showed him no respect or awe but even humiliated him so, he flew into a rage.

"Insolent! To disrespect the Celestial Court is a crime..."

BOOM!!

But Wu Dao had no desire to listen to his droning. He just wanted to show this Divine Monarch Bai Ling what a real hidden power was. His right hand reached out, transforming into a massive hand formed of a magnetic field that blotted out the sky.

Just like catching the Sun Monkey, he snatched the Golden Light Divine Sea and Divine Monarch Bai Ling into his palm with one slap. A slight clench of the magnetic field was enough to crush the golden ocean of the Divine Domain.

CLANG CLANG CLANG—

The Heart Lake Alarm Bell of the white ape Divine Monarch rang wildly.

He never expected this person before him was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The instant his Divine Domain shattered, he hid within his Crystal Wall Divine Country Cave Heaven and hurriedly bowed, begging for mercy.

"This Little God failed to recognize a Great Immortal. I am willing to offer a generous gift as an apology. I beg the Great Immortal to spare my life."

The Celestial Court’s reputation was a big deterrent, but on the Emperor Star, strength was all that mattered. The Celestial Court couldn’t just brazenly break the rules. Since his opponent didn’t fear his backing and he was the weaker one, begging for mercy was his only option.

’A generous gift as an apology?’

Wu Dao wore a strange expression as he scoffed:

"Fool. If I kill you, won’t it all be mine anyway?!"

’That... does seem to make sense...’

Divine Monarch Bai Ling froze for a moment, but he quickly snapped out of it. Seeing that begging was useless, his cowardice gave way to a fierce facade. He resorted to his old trick, roaring furiously, "If you dare to kill..."

KACHA—BANG!

The sound of the crystalline Divine Country Grotto Heaven shattering drowned out the white ape’s roar.

SCREECH—

Countless threads of the magnetic field swarmed and bound the white ape into a cocoon, then yanked it out of its shattered Divine Country.

TAP TAP—

Wu Dao rapped his knuckles on the "monkey’s head mushroom," then nodded in satisfaction. He was reminded of a dish from his past life and thought he might as well see what it tasted like.

「A while later.」

’Too much trouble, and not even that interesting.’

Wu Dao shook his head, completely unimpressed. He figured the person who invented that dish probably wasn’t interested in the food itself, but was just a pervert.

After dealing with Divine Monarch Bai Ling, Wu Dao went back to searching for Creation in the Huanwu Ancestral Land, while also hunting Divine Beings and Alien Species for the occasional snack.

Within the All Heavens, myriad species coexist.

The grand event on the Taiyi Emperor Star had attracted far too many Alien Species from beyond the Human Dao, and now they had all gathered in the Huanwu Ancestral Land.

Mm.

’One can only thank nature for its gift,’ he thought.

RUMBLE—

「One day, a month later.」

Wu Dao was in the middle of eating barbecue in some World when thunder suddenly boomed within his Divine Soul. He couldn’t help but put down the rabbit meat in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.

’Faster than I expected.’

The moment he had the thought, his consciousness descended into the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage that trapped Wuchen on the outskirts of the Ancestral Land.

When one’s Dao attainment reached a certain level, their Divine Techniques would gain sentience and could carry their consciousness. Some Divine Techniques cast by Great Powers could continue to operate and affect the world even after seas had turned to mulberry fields.

Furthermore, Wu Dao had created the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage by gathering the Earth and Heaven Magnetic Field. Before its Mighty Power dissipated, he could use the magnetic field connection to sense changes in the Divine Technique across space and time at any moment.

RUMBLE—CRACKLE!

Inside the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage!

The Celestial Thunder Punishment Phase, commanding the Mighty Power of a Thunder Sea hundreds of millions of layers deep, was indifferent and majestic. It continuously reached out, clenched its fist, and blasted out boundless Celestial Thunder at the tenaciously defiant Wuchen.

"KILL!!"

Reduced to nothing but his origin, Wuchen’s roar split the heavens.

A Reincarnation Mixed Lotus was rooted in his origin, swaying gracefully and continuously augmenting his combat power.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

Like a frenzied dragon soaring from an abyss through layer after layer of the Thunder Sea, Wuchen ferociously tore apart the Celestial Might and engaged the Celestial Thunder Punishment Phase head-on in a world-shattering clash.

’Not bad. Now that’s more like it.’

Wu Dao’s consciousness, vested in the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage, observed Wuchen fighting the Celestial Thunder Punishment Phase in the center of the shattered Thunder Sea. He nodded in appreciation.

In just one short month, under the stimulation of a life-and-death environment at his absolute limits, Wuchen had not only broken through to the Twenty-sixth Cave Heaven with all three of his daos, but had also torn apart the shackles of his own limits, surpassing Monster Level combat power!

One month ago, he couldn’t have even taken a single punch from a Celestial Thunder Punishment Phase of the same level. He had suffered a Dao injury on the spot and only passed the test by using a trick.

One month later, he could already trade blows with an enhanced Celestial Thunder Punishment Phase. The threshold for his Dao injuries had been raised significantly, allowing him to adapt to more brutal damage.

From Wu Dao’s perspective, it was clear that as Wuchen battled the Celestial Thunder Punishment Phase, his Reincarnation Saint Body, Grotto Heaven, and Dragon Vein were all completely shattered. Yet, despite such brutal injuries, his aura had not weakened.

Instead, he grew stronger the more he fought.

His shattered Grotto Heaven Dragon Vein was rapidly repairing itself, and the microscopic structure of his Reincarnation Saint Body was constantly strengthening as it adapted to the more violent environmental stimuli.

’Indeed. As long as a creature’s evolutionary adaptability can keep up, any living being can break through its own limits.’

Wu Dao’s deep gaze focused on the dim, yellow light of life, death, and Reincarnation within Wuchen’s origin.

The reason Wuchen could adapt and grow so quickly was not just because he was ruthless with himself, but mainly due to the Reincarnation Saint Body, a Great Emperor’s Transverse Refining Method.

The Reincarnation Saint Body was the Body Refining Technique of the Reincarnation Emperor during the Five Tribulations. Cultivated to its highest point, it could achieve a perfect Chaos Body.

The body would contain the Six Paths of Reincarnation of the All Heavens, Purgatory Bone, Yellow Springs Blood, and Nether God Flesh. It could control life and death, and in terms of sheer Life Force, it was in no way inferior to the Infinite Golden Body.

Of course, the two Cultivation Techniques each had their own merits.

In terms of pure physical strength, the Infinite Golden Body, which refined a person as if they were a weapon, was universally acknowledged across the All Heavens as unparalleled.

The theoretical limit of the Infinite Golden Body didn’t stop at the Sacred Body stage; it was just that the further one progressed, the harder it became to perform Melted Soldiers and Cast Body to enhance the body’s microscopic structure.

Perhaps it was because the Boundless Sacred Land had no Emperor’s Weapons, trapping them in a vicious cycle, that no one there had ever achieved a Chaos Body.