Essence Devouring Art

"This is..."

Atop the Abi Saber.

The Big Black Wolf was also hit by the torrent of information. It flew into a frenzy, its eyes turning red as it stared at the Mixed Lotus and bellowed:

"Hahaha! It really is this supreme Divine Technique! A heaven-defying, an absolutely heaven-defying great Creation! We’ve struck it rich, we’ve struck it rich!!"

"Mi..."

Wuchen was also instantly won over. His mouth was dry and his breathing ragged as he stammered:

"Mi... Mixed Lotus Extreme Dao!"

...

WHOOSH—

Outside the Primordial Magnetic Celestial Prison Cage.

Wu Dao stepped out from the empty void. Sensing the shocked and ecstatic man and wolf within the Jiezhi Space behind him, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift into a slight smile.

Mixed Lotus Extreme Dao.

One of the Ten Great Supreme Divine Techniques of the All Heavens.

The ultimate legacy of Chaos City.

Across the All Heavens, almost no one outside of Chaos City knew this Divine Technique.

’Dare he cultivate it...?’

’No, that’s not right.’

’Trapped in the Celestial Prison Cage, Wuchen has no choice but to cultivate it if he wants to escape. He has to bear this karma.’

’Once he reveals it in the future...’

"It’s just some Thunderous Forging Divine Gold, after all."

Wu Dao smiled benevolently, feeling no guilt whatsoever. He left a sliver of his consciousness to monitor the Celestial Prison Cage, then stepped out of this world.

He sat cross-legged at the peak of the Nine Heavens.

While refining the All Heaven Magnetic Field to nourish his main body, he also watched the unsealing progress of the Huanwu Continent in the depths of the Star Sea.

Inside the Celestial Prison Cage.

Beneath the sea of countless layers of thunder.

"This Divine Technique..."

After their initial excitement, the man and the wolf calmed down, feeling the dilemma of facing a treasure mountain but not daring to touch it.

Wuchen didn’t know.

He didn’t know if his master had done this intentionally or not.

He only knew one thing.

Once he learned the Mixed Lotus Extreme Dao, he would absolutely provoke the Fuguang World’s Common Lord, Chaos City!

"Fortune favors the bold, while the timid starve! We’ll cultivate it!"

After a moment of hesitation, the Big Black Wolf gritted its teeth and said:

"The Mixed Lotus Extreme Dao might be Chaos City’s signature technique, but it’s not like no one outside Chaos City has ever cultivated it in the All Heavens.

Besides,

we have no other choice right now!"

’No other choice...’

Wuchen took a deep breath. His gaze swept over the layers of Celestial Thunder seas enveloping the surrounding world, and high above, the Celestial Thunder Punishment Phase looked down on him with indifference.

Cultivate it, and it’s a one-in-ten chance of survival.

Don’t cultivate it, and there’s no chance of survival at all.

’So what is there to hesitate about?’

’Master was right.’

’There’s still a gap between me and those truly top-tier prodigies.’

’If I want to catch up and achieve an invincible posture,’

’I have no choice but to be reborn from a desperate situation, constantly forcing myself to push past my limits!’

WHOOSH—

Having made his decision,

Wuchen no longer hesitated. While using the Yellow Springs Holy Water to mend his Dao injuries, he calmed his mind and focused all his energy on comprehending the Mixed Lotus Extreme Dao.

...

「Time flew by in the blink of an eye.」

Within the Asura Sea.

With the help of the Primordial Dao Wheel and abundant Cultivation Resources, Wu Dao and the Primordial Demons’ cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds.

With each passing day,

the completion progress of his three hundred and forty All Heavens would increase a notch.

A massive amount of potential was stolen by the Primordial Magnetism Thieving Body.

This made Wu Dao’s Life Magnetic Field increasingly monstrous and terrifying. The magnetic ripples from his every move spread out,

triggering world-destroying abyssal tsunamis in the Evil Abyss’s magnetic field, as if an unrivaled Demon God was about to be born!

While his Magnetic Field Power increased,

Wu Dao didn’t forget to monitor the unsealing progress of the Huanwu Ancestral Land. His incarnation constantly watched the magnetic field fluctuations of the All Heaven Star Sea Array, as well as the factions from the All Heavens that were making their entrance!

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

「One day, half a month later.」

The roars of ten thousand galloping dragons suddenly echoed from beyond the Star Sea. A majestic, venerable golden light rose from the edge of the cosmos, forming a rainbow bridge that pierced through the vast, deep space with supreme authority.

Wherever the dragon-shaped rainbow bridge passed,

countless starry worlds were bathed in a sacred golden light that illuminated all of the Ten Directions. The various factions of the All Heavens all moved aside in awe.

At the rainbow bridge’s point of origin,

ten thousand dragons churned and soared as if pulling a resplendent Dragon Realm. Within it, vague and noble figures stood guard around a central palace suffused with imperial aura.

At the highest point of the imperial Daoist Palace,

a majestic young figure could be faintly seen. He wore a violet-gold crown and a seven-clawed dragon robe, looking down upon the four corners of the world with dignity.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

The sound of dragon roars shook the deep space.

The shadows of ten thousand dragons pulled the glorious world, rumbling as they crushed space and time in their path. In an instant, they crossed a vast expanse of the Star Sea and descended upon a massive Daoist ground on the outskirts of the Ancestral Land, which was also teeming with the draconic fortune of the Human Dao.

In the Star Sea.

After a moment of silence, the factions of the All Heavens who witnessed this scene began to discuss it with clicks of their tongues:

"My goodness, using a whole world as a traveling palace... this level of ostentation is just too much!"

"Too much? That’s the Rising Dragon Celestial Dynasty, the Common Lord of the Profound Yellow World. I’d say this is them being low-key."

"A seven-clawed dragon robe... another Prince who ranks as a Daoist Child has arrived. I wonder which one it is."

"You’ll get used to it. With the Huanwu Ancestral Land about to open, the top Celestial Prides from all the major factions on the Emperor Star are gathering for this grand event. Emperor’s Sons are a dime a dozen, and Daoist Children are nothing special."

"Nothing special? Forget being a Daoist Child, if you or I could even snag the position of a Saint Child in this lifetime, we’d have to thank our lucky stars."

"The rules of the Huanwu Ancestral Land are unique, and now all the Celestial Prides of the All Heavens are gathered. Once it opens, there will definitely be a fierce battle between dragons and tigers!"

"I heard that some Taoist Influences paid a price to use Primordial Emperor Artifacts to smuggle in a batch of lower-level Creation Realm experts. I’m afraid those below the rank of a Daoist Lineage won’t even have the right to compete."

"Why worry about all that? We’re just here to watch the show. No matter how they fight, it has nothing to do with us."

Surprise, envy, apprehension...

All kinds of voices bubbled up in the major Daoist grounds and cities throughout the Star Sea.

Everyone realized that a golden age was about to begin. The Huanwu Ancestral Land, this Ultimate Creation Land, was about to become an arena where the Celestial Prides of the All Heavens would clash to make a name for themselves!

Behind the scenes,

many who saw which way the wind was blowing even started betting pools, wagering on how many Emperor Scripture Divine Techniques the various Daoist Children of the All Heavens would obtain within the Huanwu Ancestral Land.

"The Profound Yellow World, the Rising Dragon Celestial Dynasty."

In a corner of the Star Sea,

Wu Dao sat cross-legged atop the Nine Heavens, his gaze fixed on the magnificent city on the outskirts of the Ancestral Land, which was steaming with a potent Human Dao fortune.

The Nine Heavens of Primordial Chaos.

Each had a different cultivation environment and structure.

Take the cultivators of the Chaotic Star Heaven, for example.

Because they lived in the deep cosmos, they adapted to their surroundings, and most of their Taoist Magic and Divine Techniques were related to the power of space, time, and the stars.

The Profound Yellow World, however, was different.

After the Heaven Opening of that world, the environment of its Ten Thousand Realms was the most suitable for the Human Race to thrive. It wasn’t uncommon for mortals to live for several hundred years.

If one were to consider the population of the Human Race alone,

all the other Celestial Domains of Hongyuan combined could not compare to the Profound Yellow World.

Therefore,

the Human Dao fortune in the Profound Yellow World has flourished throughout history, ranking first in all of Hongyuan. This unique environment also gave birth to numerous fortune dynasties.

These fortune dynasties gathered the fortune of the Human Dao.

Every social class could enjoy the blessings of this fortune. The common folk enjoyed favorable weather, while cultivation in the Extraordinary Realm became twice as effective with half the effort. The benefits were endless.

But even so...

the Profound Yellow World was no Nine Heavens Paradise.

For no other reason.

Than two words—

Fortune War!

Between the fortune dynasties,

the struggle for the Human Race’s fortune has led to endless wars and calamities throughout history, which not even the world’s Common Lord could stop.

Every day, fortune dynasties were annexed,

and new ones were born. Cultivators living there had to constantly switch allegiances. A single misstep could lead to their death and the dissipation of their Dao. One could only imagine how dire their situation was.

If not for the Common Lord’s restrictions,

and the ironclad rule forbidding any interference or slaughter in the Mortal Realm, the number of people dying every day would be astronomical.

’Fortune...’

Wu Dao’s gaze was profound. The struggle for fortune among the myriad dynasties of the Profound Yellow World reminded him of the reason the Slaughter Emperor had initiated a Great Tribulation back then.

’Without fortune, the heavens wane; without fortune, man cannot live.’

’First, fate; second, fortune; third, incense.’

’It’s a cliché,’

’but it is indeed a necessary rite of passage for any cultivator on the path to the Great Dao.’

’Fighting for incense is fighting for resources.’

’After gathering enough resources, one must begin to fight for fortune, to bolster the presence of one’s own destiny within the Great Dao, until one’s fortune is so prosperous that it touches the Great Dao itself.’

’If the Great Dao also feels it...’

’...that the temple can no longer contain this great Buddha...’

’then one can attain the Dao and transcend its shackles, no longer bound by fate, karma, or reincarnation, eternally free and at ease.’

The true essence of cultivation—

strengthen the self, influence the world.

’The Great Dao maintains the operation of the world’s system. Both entropy increase and decrease have feedback.’

’A pond cannot contain a big fish, a river cannot contain a True Dragon. When something can no longer be contained, it naturally transcends.’

’It’s that simple.’

"The Fifth Great Tribulation of Hongyuan: the Slaughter Emperor initiated the tribulation, but the Common Lord of Daluo Heaven severed it to attain the Dao. The Fourth Great Tribulation of Hongyuan: Mountain and Sea initiated it, and though both sides suffered heavy losses, the Mountain and Sea Lord attained the Dao. The Third Great Tribulation..."

As his thoughts fluctuated,

Wu Dao flipped through the Hongyuan Tribulation History. In every Great Tribulation, there was a being who initiated it, and a being who severed it to attain the Dao and transcend Hongyuan.

’Tribulation and fortune are inextricably linked.’

’A Great Tribulation is also great fortune, and a Dao Tribulation is the fortune needed for Dao Attainment!’

’From this perspective...’

’to attain the Dao and transcend, must one first initiate a Great Tribulation?’

’In other words,’

’entropy must increase to its limit.’

’Then, to maintain the system’s normal operation, the Great Dao is forced to reduce entropy, ’letting someone’ transcend?’

’The Great Dao is profoundly simple!’

WHOOSH—

Wu Dao’s gaze was calm as he let out a soft breath. He didn’t feel as if he had come to some incredible realization.

Anyone who fought for fortune...

...most likely understood this principle.

But since the Heaven Opening, how many had actually succeeded? You could count them on one hand!

Even if one reached that step,

who could guarantee...

...that they wouldn’t become the entropy that was reduced, or in other words, the tribulation-fortune that allows another to succeed?

"Within the Dao, Primordial Chaos is the limit. Back then, the Slaughter Emperor was at the absolute peak, the number one person in the Nine Heavens, yet he still ended up paving the way for someone else. Was it merely because he acted perversely and suffered the backlash of the Great Dao?"

Wu Dao’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’The reason for the Slaughter Emperor’s defeat seems a bit flimsy now.’

’If that were truly the case,’

’how could Mountain and Sea, who created boundless negative karma by initiating the Fourth Great Tribulation, have been able to pluck the Dao Fruit?’

’What’s more,’

’the peak power of that Mountain and Sea Lord from the Fourth Great Tribulation, before he attained the Dao, was inferior to the Slaughter Emperor’s!’

’Hongyuan’s Dao Fruit...’

’...is likely not as simple as just tribulation and fortune.’

WHOOSH—

Suppressing the speculation in his heart,

Wu Dao stopped pondering deeply. He simply planted a seed in the depths of his heart, so that if he ever truly reached that step in the future, he would not be lost and bewildered.

...

After the Prince of the Rising Dragon Celestial Dynasty descended,

in the days that followed,

the Huanwu Ancestral Land became thoroughly lively.

Every day, top-tier Celestial Prides and Daoist Children, famous throughout their respective Celestial Domains, would cross the Star Sea with great fanfare, sparking discussions.

From Wu Dao’s vantage point alone,

no fewer than a hundred Daoist Children had descended.

Some came from the same faction, while others were like fire and water. All of them hailed from prominent powers within the Nine Heavens of Primordial Chaos—a true gathering of elites.

Among them,

the secretly observing Wu Dao discovered,

that all the Daoist Children from Daoist Lineage-level powers had Creation Realm protectors. Some were blatant about it, while others remained hidden and unknown.

’After this job is done, maybe I should consider relocating.’

The entrance of a large number of Creation Realm experts...

...also allowed Wu Dao to perceive the bottom line of the major powers of the All Heavens. He felt he could no longer take things slow and steady, dancing on the razor’s edge.

He prepared to pull off one last big job.

After gathering the complete Heaven-Opening Technique and enough nourishment to upgrade his Dao Wheel Spirit, he would leave the Emperor Star directly.

’Soon...’

Wu Dao’s consciousness called up his attribute panel to check his progress. The three hundred and forty All Heavens would be completed soon. His plan would definitely keep up with the changes!