Essence Devouring Art

’Tyrant Flame Star, the Qianzai Alliance, the Vacuum Sect, and a large number of unaffiliated Dharma Phase Practitioners... I need to prepare early.’

Wu Dao withdrew his gaze from the starry sky. His eyes flickered as he took a single step out of Lost Star City, used Concealment to vanish into the Magnetic Field, and hurried toward the Mountain and Sea Mirage.

The strongest experts of the three major forces.

He had not yet officially stepped into the Dharma Phase Level, so his strength was no match for theirs. Nor could he improve his power rapidly in the short term.

’If I want to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth...’

’...and carry out my subsequent plans, I can only resort to some unconventional methods.’

...

After the three Overlord Forces arrived, over the next few days, many other lesser factions appeared outside Lost Star City, all of them led by experts at the Dharma Phase Level.

Among them were the Red Dragon Thieves, Heavenly Dragon, and his men, whom Wu Dao had met once before.

However, due to their reputation, they didn’t enter the city. Like the other factions hoping to pick up scraps, they hid in the starry sky outside the city, waiting for an opportunity.

However, most of the lesser factions had formed an alliance, as they knew it was impossible to tear a piece of meat from the mouths of the three major forces by fighting alone.

For a time, a four-way standoff formed around Lost Star City—Tyrant Flame Star, the Qianzai Alliance, the Vacuum Sect, and the alliance of lesser factions.

The four great powers seemed to have a tacit understanding. Each of them blockaded a different direction, turning the tens of millions of miles of ruins around the Mountain and Sea Mirage into a hunting ground. They sharpened their blades, constructing layer upon layer of Killing Arrays as they awaited the Desolate God’s arrival.

As for those below the Dharma Phase Level, they could only watch the show.

They had no right to participate in the hunt whatsoever.

But what none of the four powers noticed was that within the hunting ground, a shadowy figure had slipped into the void.

It moved in fits and starts through the chaotic Magnetic Fields of all sizes, constantly observing the star-strewn ruins, like a treasure hunter prospecting for ore.

WHOOSH...

In the starry sky at the center of the hunting ground, between one shattered star and another, the vast mirage of the Mountain and Sea Realm—its plants, mountains, and rocks—gradually distorted and blurred with the passage of time. It began to swirl like a vortex, and the ancient, primordial aura of the Exotic Realm at its center grew ever more intense.

Inside Lost Star City, some factions had activated an Observing Heaven Realm.

It projected the scene in the hunting ground, gathering a large crowd of onlookers who waited nervously, none of them wanting to miss the great battle.

Some speculators had even started betting pools, wagering on the level of the descending Desolate God and which faction would emerge as the final winner.

However, more cautious individuals had already left Lost Star City. Once a Desolate God descended upon Hongyuan, it would destroy all life in its sight.

If an unstoppable Desolate God were to appear, it would be too late to run.

Of course, as the saying goes, "Fortune favors the bold, while the timid starve."

Faced with the temptation of Desolate Divine Body Soldiers, many factions still hid outside the hunting ground, hoping to be the fisherman who reaps the rewards.

「In a certain region of the starry sky.」

Inside the Red Dragon Thieves’ Starship,

"Boss, maybe we should just forget it. The four great powers are hunting together. It’s just not realistic for us to pick up any scraps."

The Red Dragon Thieves’ second-in-command swallowed nervously as he felt the waves of Dharma Aspect pressure rolling in from the distant hunting ground.

The Red Dragon Thieves only had one Dharma Phase Practitioner: Heavenly Dragon.

There was no way their turn would come to pick up any scraps.

If their luck ran out and they got killed, it wouldn’t just be a matter of failing to steal a chicken—they’d have lost the entire granary.

"Tch, you spineless coward."

Heavenly Dragon, with his wild mane of hair and the build of a Barbaric Dragon, sneered as he kneaded the beautiful flesh in his arms like a toy.

"You think a Desolate God is that easy to kill? Back in the day, the Desolate God in the Primordial Star Domain attracted Hunters even more terrifying than the ones here now. But what was the final outcome? A Divine Monarch and dozens of Dharma Phase Practitioners were all dragged to their deaths by that Desolate God. In the end, weren’t we little fish and shrimp the ones who got to feast on the corpse?

Relax.

I’ve brought our entire fortune this time. We’ll definitely be able to snatch a piece of the pie. Stick with me and do your job, and you’ll get your share."

"Hehe, a brilliant insight, Boss!"

The second-in-command’s eyes lit up when he heard Heavenly Dragon say he’d brought their entire fortune, and he immediately gave a thumbs-up in flattery.

Conversations like this were not uncommon in the starry sky surrounding the hunting ground.

Many believed themselves to be unique, fully confident they could be the lucky fisherman to reel in the prize. Faced with both danger and opportunity, they chose to risk it all.

Time slowly ticked by.

「A few more days later.」

The Mountain and Sea Mirage within the hunting ground had completely twisted into a storm of space and time, and a one-way channel was rapidly taking shape.

Wisps of a savage, Primordial Chaos aura were already seeping out of it, as if some great, ancient terror was frantically crossing through from the other side.

’It’s been over a month since the mirage appeared. It seems this one isn’t Grotto Heaven Level.’

Within the Vacuum Sect’s Black Lotus, Sect Leader Fang Tong, a man with a tall and sturdy build but a serene face, stood with his hands behind his back. He stared at the Space-Time Channel in the center of the hunting ground and let out a small sigh of relief.

The stronger a Mountain and Sea Wilderness God, the faster it could cross the Space-Time Channel to descend. This was a lesson the Human Race had learned after the Four Tribulations.

Those extremely terrifying Desolate Gods could often forcibly cross the Space-Time Channel and descend the moment the mirage appeared, catching the Human Race off guard and causing boundless disaster.

A Desolate God that needed over a month to descend, on the other hand, was almost certainly below the Grotto Heaven Level.

With the forces currently gathered in the hunting ground, as long as the power disparity wasn’t too great, they could join forces to besiege it. The real main event would be the battle to snatch the spoils afterward.

’It’s a shame we couldn’t find the Primordial Divine Monarch’s Divine Fire. Otherwise, this hunt would have been a sure thing.’

Fang Tong looked at the sea of believers praying piously within his Grotto Heaven, a hint of regret on his face.

In the span of a month, the Vacuum Sect had expended immense manpower and resources searching the entire Primordial Star Domain.

Yet, they hadn’t found the slightest trace of the Primordial Divine Monarch’s Divine Fire. It was as if it had evaporated into thin air—utterly bizarre.

Left with no other choice, Fang Tong could only give up. Instead, he brought the Faith and Willpower the Vacuum Sect had accumulated over several thousand years, along with most of their fanatical believers, preparing to make a huge gamble.

There was no helping it.

The allure of a Desolate Divine Body Soldier was just too great.

Throughout history, any cultivator who forged and fused with a Body Soldier, as long as they didn’t die prematurely, eventually grew to the level of a Saint.

Once he obtained one, leading the Vacuum Sect to glory and prosperity and ascending to the status of ’Nobles’ in the inner circle of the Chaotic Star Celestial Domain would only be a matter of time. It was definitely worth him betting the fate of his sect.

In fact, Fang Tong wasn’t the only one gambling on his luck.

The Star Lord of Tyrant Flame Star and the Alliance Leader of the Qianzai Alliance had also bet their entire fortunes on the impending Desolate God.

They were all local Overlords from the Big Horn Star Domain, the part of the Chaotic Star Celestial Domain’s outer rim closest to the Border Wilderness.

Though they rampaged domineeringly through the Border Wilderness, in front of the truly great powers of the inner circle, they were nothing.

People strive to climb higher, just as water flows downward.

This principle applied equally in the Extraordinary Realm.

Indifferent to fame and fortune, devoid of feelings and desires?

That was just the wishful thinking of mortals.

If one couldn’t create something from nothing, and didn’t want to stagnate in mediocrity, then one had to fight for every opportunity to climb higher. The only difference was in the methods they used.

WHOOSH...

As the various factions lay in wait, at the edge of the hunting ground, deep within a continent formed from accumulated stellar fragments, Wu Dao, hidden in the turbulent Magnetic Field, also finished his final preparations. He let out a soft breath, closed his eyes, and lay dormant in the darkness, waiting.

BZZZT—BOOM!!

About half a day later, a tremendous roar, like the collapse of the starry sky itself, resounded through the Ten Directions, shaking tens of millions of miles of space-time and causing a massive earthquake in the distant Lost Star City.

RUMBLE—

Within the hunting ground, the various Magnetic Fields also went berserk, giving rise to all sorts of calamities and obliterating the dense stellar fragments.

"It’s here!"

Inside the Vacuum Sect’s Black Lotus, Fang Tong stared at the destructive Shadow of God and Demon that was faintly visible crossing through space-time deep within the channel, his expression gradually turning grave.

"Form the Array! Prepare for battle!"

On the Qianzai Alliance Flagship, Alliance Leader Romer drew his killing blade. Amidst the ringing clang of the sword, wisps of an ominous, calamitous aura began to blaze along with the light of the blade. The blade-shaped Starships also began to charge their power.

BZZZT~

Within Tyrant Flame Star, a majestic, vast, and supremely unyielding Yang God aura erupted like a raging sea, incinerating the void. Deep within the distorted, hazy Star Sea, a sky-supporting shadow slowly rose to its feet.

On the outskirts of the hunting ground, the smaller factions who, like Heavenly Dragon, were risking everything to play the fisherman, found their breathing quickening and their expressions turning grim.

Deep within the quaking continent of Star Ruins, Wu Dao, however, remained indifferent, watching the crimson glow that was gradually materializing deep within the space-time vortex, completely unmoved.

"YONG!!"

Finally, under the nervous gaze of all present, accompanied by a strange avian cry that echoed through the starry sky,

WHOOSH—

crimson flames, like a collapsing Celestial River bursting its banks, squeezed through the Space-Time Channel and surged forth with immense power.

The tens of millions of miles of space-time in the area rapidly heated and warped. Stars melted and the void collapsed continuously, completely unable to withstand the body temperature of the descending creature.

"YONG!!!"

The bizarre shriek rang out again, shattering the starry sky, shaking space-time, and causing a soul-rending pain even in Dharma Phase Practitioners.

From the source of the crimson sea of fire, a pale head as large as a giant star emerged.

’This is...’

Wu Dao’s gaze immediately locked onto the pale head protruding from the source of the fire. After a moment of confusion, a guess formed in his mind.

"YONG!!"

After another cry, the descending Desolate God finally broke free of the Space-Time Channel, revealing a colossal form that burned so brightly it blotted out the starry sky.

Atop its star-sized, pale head, was a clearly visible, ugly human face. Four crimson pupils, like small suns, were arranged vertically on its forehead, and its two ears, identical to a human’s, added to its bizarre appearance.

And then there were...

WHOOSH!!

...its sky-blotting, crimson wings. With a flap, each and every feather erupted like a volcano, scattering an endless rain of Celestial Fire Meteors.

Its overall appearance, if one were to ignore the grotesque head and the intensely hot body that burned like a star, was identical to that of an owl.

A Yong Bird!

The moment he saw the Desolate God’s complete form, Wu Dao instantly confirmed this Desolate God’s origin. Its appearance was no different from the Yong Bird recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas from his previous life.

The only difference was, the Mountain and Sea of this world was a sublimated, enhanced version of the one from his past life. The Mighty Power of all its Fierce Beast Sacred Spirits had been magnified countless times over.

In the Mountain and Sea of his past life, the Yong Bird was a bird that lived on Wildfire Mountain. Its only special trait was that its appearance signified an impending drought. Among the many Fierce Beasts of the Mountain and Sea, it didn’t even rank.

But in this world...

RUMBLE—

As the Yong Bird spread its wings and cried out, crimson Divine Fire poured down like a vast, overturning ocean, blanketing the entire hunting ground of tens of millions of miles.

The celestial void warped and collapsed without end.

Shattered stars melted and fell into ruin, while layers of continents were annihilated and vaporized. It was a veritable flaming Hell descending upon the mortal world!

A body like the sun itself, incinerating the heavens and melting the stars!

’And you call this a drought?’