Essence Devouring Art

Nirvana City.

After the Calamity of Celestial Punishment.

The numerous Demon Cultivators’ speculations had been correct. Starting from the second day, the Nirvana True Lord once again bestowed his grace, and the Heaven-Devouring Power reappeared.

For several months, Nirvana City had accumulated a massive number of Demon Cultivators waiting to undergo their tribulations. When they were all unleashed at once, the sea of tribulation lightning above the city raged ceaselessly day and night.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared as heaven’s wrath billowed.

It was like a city at the end of the world.

What was strange was that not a single person in the city panicked, because they all knew the Nirvana True Lord was even more terrifying.

No matter how numerous the Celestial Tribulations, he could swallow them all in a single gulp, posing no threat to Nirvana City whatsoever.

The Soul Coin industry, unsurprisingly, entered a period of rapid development after the crisis.

Nirvana City’s fame grew ever louder.

It continuously attracted Demon Cultivators from the Ten Directions to join, and more and more factions entered to get a slice of the pie.

Another short month passed.

Nirvana City’s scale had grown more than tenfold from its original size. The Nirvana Alliance was born from this, becoming an Overlord even in the vast Burial Realm.

Such a rapidly developing force naturally attracted the attention of some of the Burial Realm’s old, established Overlord Forces. Whether intentionally or not, many factions had set their sights on the so-called Nirvana True Lord in Nirvana Valley.

However, because the Nirvana True Lord was so mysterious, no faction dared to step out and cause trouble before conducting a thorough investigation. After all, the Nirvana Alliance, which controlled the Soul Coin System, was no pushover. Anyone who wanted to make a move had to think thrice.

As for Wu Dao, he hadn’t been idle after advancing to the third stage.

After the third stage, his Cultivation changed to a top-down approach.

He only needed to major in the Primordial Magnetic Dao Source Essence Devouring Art and minor in the three great Extraordinary Basic Force Dao Sources.

The Branch Dao Sources, All Things Branches, and Primordial Magnetic Crystal Particles below them on the Tree Diagram would all naturally increase in strength.

Of course, the difficulty and required resources also increased.

But with ample Celestial Tribulation Dao Source and Soul Coins to support him, things were still relatively comfortable for the time being.

However, this comfort did not last long.

「One month later.」

The arrival of a group of uninvited guests shattered the peace of Nirvana City, this Land of Zige.

RUMBLE!

The heavens shook, the earth quaked, and demonic flames surged.

At the edge of the vast burial grounds outside Nirvana City, a demonic figure waved a bone-white banner within the distorted, boiling space-time. It stirred up pale demonic flames that burned down the Nine Heavens’ Celestial Sea, incinerated endless landscapes, and transformed into countless howling undead spirits that swept toward a wretched figure fleeing ahead.

"Yang Kui, you can’t escape! Hand over the Heaven-Burying Stele, and I will spare your life!"

The one waving the bone-white banner was a bare-chested, black-bearded man with a muscular build. He stood magnificently atop a World where demonic flames rolled in five directions and a golden Dragon Vein spewed Emperor’s Might, his banner mustering the vast power of the Necromancy Death Fire Law.

Clearly, this was a great demon at the Emperor Grade, Fifth Layer of the Creation Realm. He had mastered the Necromancy Death Fire Law, and his destructive power was astonishingly high.

"Yan Shuo, cut the bullshit!"

The one fleeing ahead was a middle-aged man in blue robes with a long beard, enveloped in black sword light. He was similarly thundering with the power of a five-directional Emperor Grade Sword Dao World. Hearing the shout, he turned his head and rebuked:

"Article Seven of the alliance rules: During the rotational election, the Stele Masters of the Ninety-nine Realms act entirely of their own free will. There shall be no plunder, no infighting among allies, and no bullying the weak. Violators will face Celestial Punishment and be..."

"Fuck your mother, are you going to hand it over or not?"

Before Yang Kui could finish reciting the alliance rules, Yan Shuo’s already dark face grew a shade darker. He swung his Death Fire Banner and landed a vicious blow on Yang Kui, nearly sending him tumbling down from the Nine Heavens.

’Alliance rules, my ass.’

’The Burial Realm is a place where the strong prey on the weak. The Heaven-Burying Alliance’s rotational election for the Alliance Leader happens once every hundred years, and which one of those hasn’t been a bloodbath with heads rolling?’

’Talk about alliance rules and loyalty?’

’He must have lost his damn mind!’

Besides, he wasn’t even a member of the Heaven-Burying Alliance!

The Heaven-Burying Alliance recognized the Stele, not the person.

During the centennial rotation, the capable rose and the inferior fell.

It had become an unwritten rule that outsiders were allowed to seize the Heaven-Burying Steles.

His assassination attempt on Yang Kui was to seize this opportunity to become the master of a realm within the Heaven-Burying Alliance and secure a great future for himself.

However, as expected of a Realm Master, after a hundred years of support, Yang Kui’s foundation was unusually strong. Even after being caught by a surprise attack, he was still a tough nut to crack.

However, Yan Shuo wasn’t in a hurry.

The timing he chose was perfect. He had ambushed Yang Kui when he was alone, venturing into a forbidden zone, and had heavily injured him with a single strike.

The Border Wilderness was vast and boundless.

Even if Yang Kui had reinforcements, they wouldn’t be able to find and rescue him quickly.

Once he obtained the Heaven-Burying Stele and laid low until the rotational election was over, then he, Yan Shuo, would become the new master of the Yang Realm.

’Hmm.’

’I’ll change its name to the Yan Realm then.’

The Ninety-nine Realms under the Heaven-Burying Alliance were each an oasis in the desert of the Burial Realm. Their Cultivation environments and resources were far beyond what the barren burial zones could compare to!

The master of a realm naturally came with endless benefits.

As he imagined the wonderful prospects of the future,

Yan Shuo’s attacks became even more vicious, beating Yang Kui to the point where he had no strength to fight back and could only flee wretchedly.

When Creation Realm experts fought, at the very least, worlds were shattered and space-time was overturned.

The two of them, one chasing and one fleeing, caused a massive commotion.

The burial zones they passed through were all utterly annihilated, turning into abysses. The Pocket Worlds and dilapidated Star Rivers within the Nine Heavens collapsed one after another in vast swaths.

It was like a God and Demon was passing through.

After half a day of this chase, Yang Kui gradually reached his limit. His five Inner Worlds were almost completely drained, and he was as withered as an old man on the verge of death, despair slowly creeping into his heart.

’Huh?’

’What is that!’

But just as he was about to fall into complete despair, at the edge of Yang Kui’s blurry, hazy vision, a vast, magnificent city appeared. It was backed by a Thunderfire Forbidden Area and shrouded in Celestial Tribulation Black Clouds. Inside, hundreds of millions of Demon Cultivators moved about, coexisting peacefully in a bustling, lively scene.

Such a quiet and peaceful place was no less than discovering a paradise in the midst of the chaotic Warring States period. It immediately made Yang Kui suspect that he was hallucinating on the verge of death.

Although Nirvana City’s reputation was great, it was limited to the Border Wilderness.

It was too far from the core region where the Heaven-Burying Alliance was located; ordinary Communication Magical Treasures couldn’t even reach the core region.

Furthermore, during this period, the Heaven-Burying Alliance was in the middle of its centennial rotational election. With storms brewing and the Realm Masters from all eight directions scheming against each other, they truly had no energy to pay attention to what was happening in the Border Wilderness.

However, although he didn’t know anything about this city, Yang Kui recognized the forbidden area behind it as Nirvana Valley, one of the eight great forbidden areas of the Burial Realm.

During the time of the Three Tribulations, a Great Saint Realm Phoenix had fallen there.

It was a forbidden area of pure destruction, with no value for exploration.

The current Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Burying Alliance, Su Xiuqi, had once ventured deep inside, hoping to refine the Nirvana Source Fire, but he too had ultimately failed.

The Phoenix had been dead for too long.

All of its Creation had decayed away. It was impossible to refine the Phoenix Race’s Lifebound Divine Technique, Nirvana Thunder Fire, from it; even if one obtained the source fire, it would just be a rootless power.

’In such a destructive forbidden area... why would a magnificent city appear?’

’What is the meaning of this...’

All sorts of doubts filled Yang Kui’s mind, but Yan Shuo, who clung to him like a maggot on a bone, pulled him back to the line between life and death. With no time to think, he plunged headfirst toward Nirvana City.

The scale of Nirvana City was in no way inferior to the core cities of some Great Realms. There had to be a major faction maintaining order. If he could borrow their strength, he might be able to escape his doom today.

"Old man Yang Kui, where do you think you’re going?!"

A roar like a clap of spring thunder rolled in from the edge of the sky. The violent Demonic Qi stirred the Nine Heavens Thunder Sea into a ceaseless tumult, shattering Nirvana City’s long-held tranquility.

’Where did this brute come from?’

In a Cultivation dojo within Nirvana City.

Jiang Han, who was immersed in his Cultivation, frowned and opened his eyes. He followed the sound and looked toward the vast, surging pale flames of the undead outside Nirvana City.

Then, his expression suddenly changed.

’This aura...’

’It’s at least Emperor Grade, Fifth Heaven of the Creation Realm, or higher!’

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Courting death, are they? To dare come... My heavens!"

"Quick, activate the City Defense Array!"

The hundreds of millions of Demon Cultivators in the city were also shocked and angered, but after sensing the immense pressure from the newcomers, all their faces turned pale.

In the center of Nirvana City, the leaders of the Nirvana Alliance also wore extremely grim and ugly expressions. They immediately activated the City Defense Array.

The Nirvana Alliance, although now an Overlord in the vicinity of Nirvana Valley, was still somewhat lacking compared to the true powerhouses of the Burial Realm.

In the Creation Realm, each layer is a world of its own.

The gap between each layer was no less than the crushing difference of an entire realm.

Currently, the strongest expert in the Nirvana Alliance was only at the Emperor Grade, Fourth Layer of the Creation Realm.

Most of the others were old demon cultivators at the peak Saint Grade Creation Realm—Sect Masters and the like.

The enemy was an Emperor Grade, Fifth Layer of the Creation Realm.

To put it bluntly, a single person could flatten Nirvana City without any problem!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—

The City Defense Array activated at extreme speed.

Just as Yang Kui entered the city, the World Heavy Artifacts fully awakened one by one. The World Dragon Vein spewed forth intertwined rules and order, forming a multicolored barrier of law that enveloped the entire city.

"Who dares to stop me from killing my enemy?"

The aggressive Yan Shuo, his body surging with endless flames of the undead, hung high at the peak of the Nine Heavens, his voice booming like a massive thunderclap in the Ten Directions.

His eyes, which looked down upon Nirvana City, seemed to contain sinking suns and crumbling moons, the birth and destruction of worlds. The immense pressure passed through the City Defense Array, making it hard for the hundreds of millions of Demon Cultivators to breathe.

In the Extraordinary Realm, strength was never determined by numbers.

Although Nirvana City was majestic and vast, with hundreds of millions of Demon Cultivators, Yan Shuo could tell with a single glance that the strongest among them was merely an Emperor Grade, Fourth Layer of the Creation Realm. He could annihilate them with a flip of his palm.

’Daring to block my path.’

’They are truly courting death!’

However, Demon Cultivators were all treacherous and cautious.

He still didn’t attack immediately, preparing to first probe the situation. In any case, Yang Kui had his mark on him; he couldn’t escape from within the city.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, do not bring ruin upon yourself!"

A group of Creation Realm masters from the Nirvana Alliance soared straight up to the Nine Heavens to confront Yan Shuo from a distance. The one in the lead had limbs as thick as Divine Peaks, and his Magic Robe was embroidered with suns, moons, mountains, and rivers.

It was precisely the city’s only Creation Fourth Layer expert.

Yue Shanhe.

Judging by the form of address, Yue Shanhe likely recognized Yan Shuo.

"The Hundred Peaks Old Demon?"

Yan Shuo frowned, recalling who Yue Shanhe was.

The Hundred Peaks Old Demon.

Sect Leader of the Hundred Peaks Demon Sect.

An Emperor Grade, Fourth Layer of the Creation Realm in the Martial Dao, with the Horizontal Refining Undying Body at the First Layer. He had a bit of a name for himself in the core of the Burial Realm. What was he doing out here in the boondocks?

However.

’Do not bring ruin upon yourself?’

"With just you?"

Yan Shuo’s eyes spewed flames of the undead, burning the surrounding space-time until it distorted and its rules fractured. He looked down from on high, surveying Yue Shanhe and the crowd of Little Kalami.

It was clear he didn’t take them seriously at all.

"You son of a..."

The group of Creation Realm experts behind Yue Shanhe, who were used to being high and mighty, couldn’t stomach such a humiliation and were about to retort.

"Heh heh."

But Yue Shanhe waved his hand to stop them from moving forward, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes on his face as he said:

"Fellow Daoist Yan, you should know that there is always someone better, and always a higher heaven. There are some rules and taboos that, once touched, no one will be able to save you."

"Taboos? What, are you trying to bluff me?"

Instead of getting angry, Yan Shuo laughed. His perception repeatedly swept over Nirvana City, and he didn’t sense the slightest threat. He spread his arms wide and said:

"Come on! I’m right here! If you have the guts, come and kill me! Taboos, my ass! Stop playing games! Now die!"

Before his words had even faded...

WHOOSH~

Yan Shuo suddenly erupted!

Wielding the Heavy Artifact banner in his hand, the flames of the undead, like an overturned sea, like a collapsing sky, filled with the howls of countless Fierce Ghosts, instantly burned down a vast territory and enveloped all of Nirvana City!

"You dare offend the True Lord?!!’

Yue Shanhe’s pupils contracted sharply. Without a second thought, he and the other Creation Realm experts of the Nirvana Alliance retreated into the city, commanding their Heavy Artifacts to defend with all their might.

He had indeed been bluffing Yan Shuo.

In the end, the Nirvana True Lord was just their wishful thinking. They had no confidence at all that the Nirvana True Lord would actually make a move for Nirvana City.

"Hahaha, still talking tough when you’re about to die! Bullshit True Lord, if he’s so capable..."

BOOM!

The flames of the undead that had filled the sky suddenly recoiled, forming a tornado that shielded Yan Shuo’s body as he himself retreated frantically. He stared, shocked and uncertain, at the vast canyon behind Nirvana City, from which three-colored thunder-fire was surging.

Atop the canyon...

...soundlessly...

...stood a majestic Shadow of a God and Demon.

It was cloaked in a black robe, a strange, multicolored, Heaven-Devouring Evil Lotus embroidered on its chest. Behind it, Golden Roc Wings that seemed to be cast from gold hummed, tearing through the boundless space-time.