Essence Devouring Art

Time passed in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by since the Heaven-Stealing Alliance settled in Nirvana Valley.

Perfecting the remaining twenty-five Heaven-Opening Techniques...

All that was required was to touch his true limit, completely fill the vessel of the second stage, and then shatter it.

The process...

As expected...

...was far, far more difficult than breaking through from the first stage to the second.

When he had entered the second stage,

Wu Dao had gone against the flow of the Great Dao to create the Primordial Magnetic Dao Body, a body with infinite potential. The process of unearthing its devouring potential had been gradual.

But now...

He needed to push all 365 Dharma Image Heavenly Cycles to their limits simultaneously, shatter his shackles, and ascend to the next realm!

The difficulty,

And the resources required,

Far exceeded Wu Dao’s predictions.

Primordial Magnetism as the trunk, the Ten Thousand Techniques as the roots.

This was Wu Dao’s Dao.

It was also the very structure of the Great Dao.

Within the Hongyuan System,

the Mixed Cave Realm came after the Dharma Aspect Realm.

It involved making initial contact with the Dao Laws, transforming one’s Dharma Phase Dao Foundation into a Dragon Vein—the spine of a nascent world, the source of all things.

The Path of Transcendence imitates the Great Dao’s nature.

The Dragon Vein of the Mixed Cave Realm...

...was a re-derived branch from the innumerable laws that stemmed from the main root system of the Hongyuan System’s Three Thousand Great Paths.

A Hongyuan Cultivator only cultivated a single branch.

But Wu Dao, who cultivated the Essence Devouring Art, whose body was like the Great Dao and whose roots were the Ten Thousand Techniques, had to forge three hundred and sixty-five of them!

And this was only the beginning!

A body like the Great Dao.

This was no empty boast.

Wu Dao’s future path would still involve fusing the Ten Thousand Techniques into one, reverse-engineering and mastering the infinite magnetic veins within the Great Dao, and eventually, the main veins themselves. Ultimately, the sheer volume of his own Life Magnetic Field would rival that of the Great Dao.

He would be omnipotent within the Dao!

This was incredibly difficult.

Not only was the difficulty of breaking through at each stage far beyond the imagination of a Hongyuan System cultivator, but the resources required were so immense that Wu Dao could devour an entire Daoist Lineage into poverty.

But it all came down to the same principle.

It’s not the difficulty of the path that’s frightening, but having no path at all!

With each passing day,

the treasures harvested from the Emperor Star were devoured by Wu Dao as quickly as one might burn through money.

His "power generators" grew gaunt in body and spirit, ceaselessly providing Wu Dao with the high-level magnetic field energy of Creation Qi, which he converted into his own foundation.

His three hundred and sixty-five Primordial Magnetic Heavenly Cycles...

...grew increasingly terrifying.

As the magnetic fields turned, thunder rumbled and all phenomena blurred, as if an Ancient Divine Demon was turning into an abyss to swallow the heavens and devour the earth. He was drawing ever closer to the shackles of his limit!

But Wu Dao wasn’t the only one undergoing a transformation.

The Seventy-Two Primordial Demons were metamorphosing as well.

Their Primordial Magnetic Demon Bodies possessed Forty-five Circulations.

Their transformation involved elevating all their Dharma Image Heavenly Cycles into the Mixed Cave Domain.

Once they fully ascended,

overpowering a Creation Realm expert would be a simple matter for the Primordial Demons!

’A tribulation...’

As he neared the critical point of his transformation, Wu Dao noticed the ominous magnetic field of an impending tribulation growing ever denser above the Nine Heavens of Nirvana Valley.

In the worlds allied with the Celestial Court,

all manner of Extraordinary beings faced a Celestial Tribulation as a test for advancement. Clearly, his and the Primordial Demons’ terrifying transformations had drawn its attention.

Celestial Tribulations had different grades.

They were related to the potential of the Extraordinary being.

There was King Grade Dragon-Elephant Celestial Thunder, Saint Grade Ninety-Nine Celestial Thunder, and Emperor Grade Celestial Thunder, which ranged from the First Heaven to the Thirty-Three Heavens in power, pressing down on all of creation.

For monsters and the Sons of Revival,

the terror of the Celestial Tribulation surpassed even the Thirty-Three Heavens.

As for Wu Dao and the Seventy-Two Primordial Demons...

...even a Son of Revival was nothing but trash. It was hard to imagine what level of Celestial Tribulation they would have to face.

Wu Dao, however, was completely unfazed.

’Celestial Tribulation?’

’Child’s play!’

Here in the depths of Nirvana Valley, tempered by the Five-Colored Thunderfire, he and the Primordial Demons were constantly teetering on the brink of a life-and-death Great Tribulation.

The intensity of the Five-colored Nirvana Thunder Fire...

...was unquestionable.

If the Infinite Holy Hall hadn’t weakened its Mighty Power, even a cultivator at the peak of the Creation Realm would be instantly incinerated into ash by a single wisp!

’Hm? Someone actually came to this godforsaken place?’

「Several days later.」

Immersed in his Cultivation, Wu Dao sensed a fluctuation in the spatiotemporal magnetic field at the outskirts of Nirvana Valley.

A living creature had broken into the forbidden zone,

shattering the prolonged, deathly silence.

Nirvana Valley was incredibly vast.

Its structure was formed by a deceased Phoenix of the Great Saint Realm. The eternally inextinguishable Nirvana Thunder Fire had burned out three thousand Small Thousand Worlds, which constituted a Middle Thousand World.

To make a comparison with his previous life,

even a supercluster of galaxies smashing into this place wouldn’t cause the slightest ripple.

It was simply too immense.

Even for the current Wu Dao,

it was impossible to survey the entire area from the depths of Nirvana Valley, and he couldn’t even sense all the magnetic field veins.

The only reason he discovered the commotion outside the valley...

...was because he had used the One Origin, Ten Thousand Transformations technique to create numerous low-level Incarnations.

Like a series of magnetic-field signal towers, they formed a vast network to monitor Nirvana Valley and prevent any unexpected situations from disturbing him.

’Could it be a Demon Cultivator who cultivates thunder and fire?’

Through his magnetic field network, Wu Dao observed the gloomy, black-robed old man who had barged into the outskirts of Nirvana Valley.

His cultivation was at the Saint Grade Third Layer of the Creation Realm.

He was piloting an eerie, unidentified Bone Ship filled with a dense Ghost Qi. Inside the Demon Ship were a group of younger-generation disciples reeking of a malevolent aura.

’White Bone Temple?’

Wu Dao identified the faction from the totem on the Bone Ship.

The old man in the lead had to be the White Bone Temple’s only Golden Immortal, Wan Gu Lao Mo, who was somewhat famous within the Burial Realm.

’But the White Bone Temple is worlds away from Nirvana Valley. What are they doing here, having come "all this way"?’

’They can’t possibly be after the Phoenix’s remains, can they?’

’It’s not that I look down on them, but even a Great Saint would be taking a risk trying to get to the Phoenix’s remains!’

’Or maybe they came here to cultivate?’

Within the Burial Realm,

practitioners of the Demon Dao and Evil Cultivators were rampant.

Every last one of them could be described as utterly depraved.

They were so wicked that even King Yama would tattoo their images on his body to ward off evil. The Cultivation Techniques they practiced were almost all perilous and vicious to the extreme.

Cultivating with the Nirvana Thunder Fire...

...wasn’t so hard to believe.

’So that’s how it is. Interesting.’

But the information he gleaned next struck Wu Dao as rather odd.

Then,

an idea formed in his mind.

He dispatched several lower-tier Incarnations, who, under the protection of the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, headed toward the White Bone Temple’s location.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH...

In this land without sun or sky, thunder and fire raged.

In a certain region on the outskirts of Nirvana Valley, a colossal Bone Ship distorted spacetime, parting the black-and-gold Nirvana Thunder Fire like a ship parts the waves. It finally came to a halt before the Three-colored Thunderfire Area.

On the ship’s skull-shaped bow,

Wan Gu Lao Mo stood with his black robes fluttering. His face was gaunt and sinister, and a string of eerie, jade-green Bone Lotuses hung around his neck. With drooping eyelids, he glanced at the three-colored thunderfire ahead and spoke in a raspy voice to the disciples who had gathered on deck:

"The more dangerous a forbidden zone, the more chaotic and disorderly its Heaven and Earth Rules. This can, to a certain extent, weaken the Mighty Power of a Celestial Tribulation."

"The forbidden zone of Nirvana Valley is one of the most prominent in the Burial Realm. By Crossing the Tribulation here, with me to protect you, your chances of passing the Grotto Heaven Tribulation will be greatly increased."

"We thank you, Observatory Master."

After hearing Wan Gu Lao Mo’s assurance, the worried expressions on the faces of the several hundred Dharma Demon Cultivators on deck relaxed considerably.

The Celestial Tribulation for Demonic Cultivators...

...was particularly severe due to the immense negative karma they accumulated.

Considered ’viruses’ within the system of the Great Dao, the intensity of their Celestial Tribulation often far surpassed that of Righteous Cultivators at the same level, resulting in an extremely high mortality rate.

Therefore, whenever it was time for them to face their tribulation,

the leaders of Demon Path Influences would take their disciples to a forbidden zone with disordered rules—a place that could somewhat weaken the Celestial Tribulation’s Mighty Power—to undergo their tribulation collectively.

"Begin."

Wan Gu Lao Mo nodded and waved his hand, deploying a series of bone-crafted Celestial Soldiers and even a World Heavy Artifact, readying his defenses.

Whether one followed the righteous path or the Demon Dao,

and regardless of their goals,

the continuation of one’s lineage was paramount.

This group of Dharma Celestial Prides from the White Bone Temple...

...was the culmination of much of the White Bone Old Demon’s effort. He would be pained by the loss of even one, which was why he had brought them ’all this way’ to Nirvana Valley to undergo their tribulation.

If circumstances had permitted,

the White Bone Old Demon would have taken them across Celestial Domains to ascend in a safer one.

Alas, he lacked the financial resources.

The Super Star Hubs used for teleportation between Celestial Domains...

...were all located within Juntian, the providential core of a Celestial Domain, and were maintained by the One Day Lord.

Activating one was incredibly costly.

It was also the only Star Hub whose fee was never questioned, and most factions simply couldn’t afford it.

As for...

...crossing between Celestial Domains on foot without a Star Hub,

that was completely unrealistic.

The Celestial Domains were separated by the vast and boundless Sea of Chaos.

Even Saints didn’t dare to tread there lightly. Only those in the Emperor Realm had the power to enter and exit the Sea of Chaos and rapidly traverse Celestial Domains!

RUMBLE—

As Wan Gu Lao Mo finished setting up a protective Grand Array, the Dharma Demon Cultivators on the deck no longer suppressed their tribulation auras, triggering the descent of the Celestial Tribulation.

’This magnetic field energy...’

Hidden in the region of Three-Colored Divine Fire, Wu Dao sensed the majestic, vast, and indescribably magnificent magnetic field above the Nine Heavens, and his eyes instantly narrowed.

He was someone who had seen ’the Dao’.

He naturally understood how endless, infinite, and supremely sacred the magnetic field of the Great Dao was.

He had originally thought...

...that the so-called Celestial Tribulation was merely a tool of the Celestial Court, a sliver of authority it had usurped.

He never would have imagined...

...that it was the Great Dao itself, personally sensing them and descending with a tribulation!

The Celestial Court’s influence over the Great Dao was truly terrifying, completely exceeding his imagination.

’Taking it a step further...’

’When I stole the authority of the Great Dao all those years ago...’

’...was I also under the Celestial Court’s gaze?’

’If that were true...’

’why wasn’t I exposed? Why did I ultimately succeed?’

Doubts piled up.

Wu Dao’s gaze turned dark and profound. For the first time, he sensed a mysterious, invisible hand appearing in his destiny, manipulating everything from the shadows.

’The attribute panel...’

Within his Sea of Divine Soul,

the attribute panel, whose origins Wu Dao still couldn’t fathom in the slightest, materialized.

’This abandoned Golden Finger...’

’what role did it play in all of this?’

CRACKLE—

As his thoughts churned,

a Celestial Tribulation in the form of an ocean of thunder, formed from nine layers of churning purple qi, appeared in the Nine Heavens. An ominous, calamitous aura enveloped a vast expanse of the universe.

Wu Dao took a deep breath, pushing aside thoughts of things beyond his control. He merely planted a seed of doubt in his heart and turned his gaze toward the layers of purple Celestial Tribulation within the black-and-gold thunderfire region.

This batch of Dharma Aspect cultivators from the White Bone Temple...

...were actually a decent crop.

They all possessed perfect Saint Grade Dharma Aspects.

They had attracted the Ninety-Nine Saint Grade Grotto Heaven Tribulation. Above each of their heads, a nine-layered purple Thunder Sea appeared, brewing a total of eighty-one bolts of Grotto Heaven Tribulation Thunder.

True Celestial Thunder!

Wu Dao’s gaze was filled with greed as he stared at the bolts of Celestial Thunder, each as thick as a mountain ridge, brewing in the core vortex of each purple Thunder Sea.

He could feel the supremely pure and refined magnetic field energy of the Great Dao’s origin within them!

Even if it was just a minuscule amount,

it still filled his Primordial Magnetic Dao Body with an intense craving, as if it had encountered an exquisite delicacy.

His Primordial Magnetic Dao Body...

...was like a nascent Dao.

Its best nourishment was, naturally, the origin of a mature Great Dao. The closer the essence of a magnetic field’s energy was to that level, the greater the benefit to him!

This Celestial Thunder, sent down by the Great Dao’s own perception,

...was, without a doubt,

a super-tonic for Wu Dao!

If there was enough of it, it could drastically shorten the time he needed for his breakthrough, saving him from having to slowly accumulate low-level magnetic field energy to induce a qualitative change.

So...

’...I might as well do a good deed.’

Wu Dao grinned. His concealed figure stepped out from the protection of the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe. He manipulated the magnetic field of Nirvana Valley, twisting it into an abyssal black hole that forcibly began to pull at the nearby Thunder Seas in the Nine Heavens.

RUMBLE—

It was as if the Celestial Might had been violated!

The Thunder Seas instantly grew violent, their Mighty Power surging as if to destroy the heavens and the earth and execute any who dared defy them!

"How can this be?!"

Aboard the bow of the White Bone Temple’s ship, Wan Gu Lao Mo stared as the Tribulation Thunder in the Nine Heavens suddenly erupted in a furious rage. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

This Mighty Power!

It completely surpassed that of a Saint Grade Celestial Tribulation!

And this was with the forbidden zone’s interference! What had his disciples possibly done to deserve this?