Essence Devouring Art

The central section of Dragon Gate Town.

A small bridge arched over a flowing stream, flanked by lush green grass.

Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, the world was steeped in a dreamlike halo.

Wu Dao glanced at the blood-red sun, about to dip completely below the horizon. He let out a soft, turbid breath and stepped onto the covered bridge.

Only one fortuitous opportunity remained.

He had walked through most of Dragon Gate Town with Yaya and still hadn’t found it, only garnering a fair share of surprised looks and cold, murderous intent.

As for that hostility, Wu Dao paid it no mind.

What he cared about was where that other fortuitous opportunity could be.

Yaya’s appearance had been a good omen for the future.

The remaining piece of Creation would surely have a significant effect.

"Yahoo! Big Sister, we meet again!"

As Wu Dao was looking down, pondering where to go next, Yaya suddenly shouted enthusiastically from his shoulder.

’Big Sister...’

Wu Dao’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked up.

In the lingering glow of the sunset, a moon-white figure walked from the other end of the bridge, treading on the dreamlike light that scattered across the ground.

In a daze,

it was as if fresh snow had just cleared, and a full moon hung in the sky.

Within the halls of Guanghan Palace, rainbow-colored robes fluttered.

A Goddess had descended to the mortal realm.

The moon and snow both lost their luster in her presence.

She wasn’t a peerless beauty who could topple nations,

just gracefully elegant.

But that otherworldly air of hers, standing apart from the world,

was something that all the beauty in existence could not begin to describe.

"Yaya..."

Hearing the call, the beautiful woman, like a Goddess from the Moon Palace, lifted her head. Her limpid eyes reflected two figures, one large and one small, as a faint ripple of emotion passed through them.

’Yaya doesn’t belong to Brother Mo Chen...’

The doubt in her heart had barely surfaced before it was drowned by an indescribable sorrow from the depths of her soul.

’This person...’

’Why does he feel so familiar, yet so strange? So close, yet as distant as the horizon.’

She took a breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions in her heart.

The woman nodded to Yaya and Wu Dao, a graceful, subtle smile on her face—neither warm nor distant, merely polite.

"Hehe, goodbye, Big Sister."

Yaya bared her teeth and waved, the corners of her mouth sticky with candy, like a little tiger tasting meat for the first time.

Wu Dao also grinned at the woman.

Under the sunset’s glow,

one large and one small,

two brilliant smiles.

The same inhuman, triangular, shark-like teeth.

They reflected a primitive, bloodthirsty, and savage glint.

The woman’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. The inexplicable sorrow in her heart vanished completely. With a light flutter of her skirt, she silently passed Wu Dao and Yaya in the middle of the bridge, and they went their separate ways.

It was a small interlude that failed to stir any ripples in the hearts of either party. At this moment, they were merely two strangers passing each other under the setting sun.

「The old district of Dragon Gate Town」

The streets and buildings here were much more dilapidated and grim.

Following a sensation that had just arisen, Wu Dao trod along the filthy, muddy streets, heading deep into a squalid alley.

"Ew, it stinks."

Yaya pinched her nose, took the candy out of her mouth, and put it in her little pocket. She didn’t understand why Wu Dao had come to this place, Dragon Gate Town’s infamous ’Broken Clothes Alley’.

Broken Clothes Alley. As the name implied, the people who survived here were the lowest of the low in Dragon Gate Town, wretched souls who never knew where their next meal would come from.

In other words, they were the unluckiest of the unlucky. Even in a land of hidden dragons where great fortune converged, they couldn’t hold on to even a sliver of luck.

"Beat him! I’ll take the blame if anything happens."

"Your grandpa was a beggar, your dad was a beggar, so what’s wrong with calling you a beggar?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

As they ventured deeper into the alley, the sounds of shouting, insults, and fighting rang out.

In a filthy puddle of mud, a small, skinny figure was curled up, protecting his head. He didn’t make a sound as a rain of fists and feet fell upon him.

"An adult’s here!"

"Whoa, he’s huge! And he’s got a jinx with him, run!"

"Wait for me!"

Seeing Wu Dao and Yaya, the few mischievous children jumped in fright and scattered in a panic.

"A bunch of small fry! You’re the jinxes!"

Yaya was indignant. Baring her teeth and claws, she yelled incessantly at the backs of the fleeing brats.

SQUELCH.

A black boot landed at the edge of the puddle.

Wu Dao’s deep eyes stared at the Little Mudman, who was silently getting to his feet and about to leave with his head down. "Are you selling your clothes?" Wu Dao asked calmly.

The skinny Little Mudman’s steps faltered.

A trace of confusion appeared in his dim, lifeless, murky eyes as he subconsciously glanced down at the clothes on his body, which were covered in countless patches.

His father was a beggar.

His grandfather was a beggar.

His grandfather’s grandfather...

These beggar’s clothes had been passed down through generations.

There was no telling which generation’s tattered rags they were made from.

Aside from the passage of time, they were utterly worthless.

But.

If someone wanted to buy them, they must have some value.

And if they had value, he had to exchange them for the greatest benefit.

Compared to Mo Chen, the lessons the Little Mudman learned from his elders were more realistic, all focused on how to better survive in this world.

Therefore...

"I’ll sell them, but I don’t want money."

The Little Mudman turned around. His thin, dark face was so covered in filth that his features were obscured. Only a glimmer of hope appeared in his lifeless eyes as he said in a faint voice:

"I want to learn a skill."

"Oh? What kind of skill do you want to learn?"

Wu Dao raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

’He’s starving and freezing, yet he’s not thinking about food or warmth. Instead, his mind is clear. He knows it’s better to learn how to fish than to be given a fish. This Little Mudman is interesting.’

"The skill... to not be bullied by others."

The Little Mudman thought for a moment, then lowered his head, not daring to face Wu Dao, and timidly voiced the thought in his heart.

’As long as I’m not bullied, I’ll be able to eat my fill. When I’m full, I’ll have strength. With strength, I can do great things. And by doing great things, I can make a name for myself.’

His thinking was simple, but he was also thinking far ahead.

"Not being bullied, huh? That’s not easy. You certainly dare to dream."

Wu Dao nodded with a faint smile, no hint of mockery in his expression. He looked directly at the grand ambition in the Little Mudman’s eyes and asked, "Do you have a brush and ink at home?"

"Does stuff I’ve picked up count?"

The Little Mudman’s breathing grew ragged.

"Yes."

...

「As the moon rabbit rose in the east」

Outside a dilapidated little courtyard, Wu Dao handed the Little Mudman’s ancestral beggar clothes, which he had roughly cleaned, to a disgusted-looking Yaya.

"Master, this disciple still doesn’t know your name. Where can I find you in the future to repay your kindness?"

From within the dark courtyard, the Little Mudman, now clad only in a piece of tattered cloth, shivered in the cool night breeze, but still limped out after him.

Wu Dao paused, turned to the Little Mudman, and chuckled.

"What, are you hoping I’ll take the fall for you when you get into trouble in the future?"

’The rules of the Dragon Mud Cave Heaven are very special. Once both parties have the intention to trade, it seems that as long as the buyer has what the seller wants, it can be given in various ways. Originally, I only wanted to leave him a copy of the body-strengthening Overlord Whale Fist to get rid of him. After all, the Dragon Mud Cave Heaven suppresses the Extraordinary, so the natives can’t reach the Extraordinary realm even if they have a Divine Skill. But after noticing the rules of the transaction, I had a new idea. This little guy, aside from his poor background, has a much more tenacious disposition than Mo Chen, who only appears to be suffering but is actually just ’experiencing life.’ Any chance to change his fate, he will try to grasp it firmly. For this kind of person, once the ambition in his heart finds a spark, making a name for himself is a simple matter. As for fortune, being born in the Dragon Mud Cave Heaven, a peerless Blessed Land that gathers the fortune of an entire world, no matter how much of a jinx he is, his luck would be that of a Celestial Pride in the outside world. He just lacks a stage to prove himself. That time isn’t far off. After the Ten Tribulations, the Great Dao’s punishment of the Divine Wilderness will end. The Dragon Mud Cave Heaven will cease to exist, and anything that can be taken from it will surely be taken by the major powers. Including this Little Mudman. In that case, I can place a chess piece on the Hongyuan board ahead of time. So, I directly passed on the Thunder Punishment Dominating Whale Fist before the Three Phases, the Karma Fire Qiongqi Scripture, and the Great All Heavens Divine Technique, Reversed Celestial Spirit, to the Little Mudman. Of course, they are sealed layer by layer. Otherwise, with the Little Mudman’s soul, he would have instantly burst apart. In addition to that, I also avoided Yaya and used the Grotto Heaven’s transaction rules to add another condition for the Little Mudman—if he achieves anything in the future, he must kill Mo Chen! Destroy everything Mo Chen has! Since he’s a destined future enemy, do the means matter? Not at all. Just throw everything I have at him. Whether it succeeds or not is also unimportant. Because this is a no-cost, high-return deal.’

After a moment’s hesitation, the Little Mudman nodded in agreement.

What he didn’t know was, this transaction was witnessed by the Great Dao itself and carried the weight of an irreversible, rule-bound oath.

From now on, whether he was willing or not, he was destined, for various reasons, to walk the path of enmity against Mo Chen!

"No, no, no... I just, I just want to repay my Master’s kindness."

At the entrance of the dilapidated courtyard, the Little Mudman looked embarrassed and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Master said that the strong strive for self-improvement and are endlessly resilient. If my strength is inferior and I get killed, then I’ll have deserved it. I won’t bring shame to Master."

"Having that awareness is enough."

Wu Dao patted the Little Mudman’s head, then turned and said faintly,

"There’s no need to repay me. Fulfilling what you promised me will be the best result."

"Mo Chen..."

The Little Mudman watched Wu Dao’s back disappear into the darkness. His eyes were no longer murky, but filled with hope for the future.

As well as...

...a blazing ambition and a ferocious brutality that didn’t match his age!

At the same time, the Little Mudman was grateful to Wu Dao from the bottom of his heart.

Even though he was just a mortal, he realized that Wu Dao was no ordinary person, and that the things he had just been taught were extraordinary.

This kindness was a second chance at life, no less than that of his own parents.

The Little Mudman was a realist, but he also understood the principle of repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.

The Little Mudman didn’t know what grudge Wu Dao had against Mo Chen; he only wanted to repay this kindness.

As for right and wrong, good and evil... kindness couldn’t be eaten.

The Little Mudman had always wanted to love the world, but the world had never loved him back.

So, he cherished this sole warmth he’d felt since his parents’ passing, carefully treasuring it in the deepest part of his heart.

Even if it cost him everything, he would desperately hold on to this single ray of light.

...

「Outside Broken Clothes Alley」

The Star River hung high in the sky, and the night wind was slightly cold.

Yaya was curled up in Wu Dao’s arms like a little kangaroo in its mother’s pouch. She looked up, her red pupils glowing, with an expression that said, ’I’m so smart’:

"Wu Dao, do you really hate that small fry Mo Chen?"

"Heh, you’re quite perceptive."

Wu Dao pinched Yaya’s chubby little face, freely admitting her guess was right, but he still corrected her,

"’Hate’ isn’t the right word. Hate leads to complaining, and complaining only makes one look incompetent.

So..."

As he spoke, Wu Dao looked up at the faint lights at the highest point of Dragon Gate Town, the corner of his mouth curling up. "Your dad here just wants to... have a heart-to-heart with this dear nephew of mine."

"..."

Yaya trembled in his arms.

’No matter how rebellious and violent my nature is, at the end of the day, I’m just a little girl who’s barely a teen. A heart-to-heart... Sigh. It actually sounds pretty good.’

Yaya discovered something. ’After imagining that scene, she didn’t feel a hint of fear or disgust. Instead, she felt a little excited and expectant, and her small, pink tongue even licked her lips greedily.’

’Am I broken?’

’No.’

’I’m getting better.’

Noticing the change in Yaya’s emotions, Wu Dao grinned in satisfaction.

’This is how a true Fierce Beast should be. No good, no evil. Only the law of survival in the wild. Trying to use human sentiment to tame one into a dog? A fool’s dream!’

HUMMM—

In the darkness, Wu Dao’s body trembled slightly. Like the surface of rippling water, he gradually became illusory.

An indescribable feeling of rejection enveloped him completely. It also included his two ’fortuitous opportunities’.

"Close your eyes."

A large hand covered Yaya’s bewildered red eyes. With a slight shift in thought, Wu Dao opened his attribute panel as his figure continued to fade.

His consciousness swept past one sealed Cultivation after another, finally settling on a newly added piece of data—

Celestial Treasure: Bitter Dust Robe (Sealed)

"A Celestial Treasure? Tsk."

HUMMM—

Ripples spread across his entire body.

Silently,

Wu Dao vanished completely from Dragon Gate Town.