Essence Devouring Art

Demon Cultivators could never be completely exterminated.

But the birth of Demon Kings could be artificially controlled!

Every so often, the Daluo Celestial Domain would periodically patrol the Burial Realm, purging any Demon Path Influences or Demon Cultivators that had crossed the line.

Otherwise, with the Heaven-Burying Alliance's peak strength, coupled with a Great Saint like Su Xiuqi, unifying the Burial Realm would have been a simple task.

But they didn't dare!

They had never even considered it.

Unify today, be annihilated tomorrow.

It was better to just keep their heads down and behave.

"The Daluo Celestial Domain..."

In Nirvana Valley.

Wu Dao gazed beyond the Nine Heavens, recalling the corner of the Border Wilderness he had seen when he first arrived in the Daluo Celestial Domain.

It was magnificent, vast, and boundlessly rich!

And that was just a tiny corner!

Compared to it, the Burial Realm was like a destitute backwater with a harsh environment. There was simply no comparison.

Don't be fooled by the chaotic dance of demons in the Burial Realm, with all the various Demon Path Influences baring their fangs.

But what was the reality?

If a single Saint Master from the outside world were to arrive, they could sweep away every Demon Path Influence in the entire Burial Realm!

The Burial Realm was the burial ground of the Three Tribulations' battlefield, a place where their Tribulation Qi gathered and dissipated. It was also a graveyard for many ominous things that could unleash a source of dark calamity if disturbed. Were it not for this, the Daluo Celestial Domain probably would have wiped it from existence long ago.

Therefore, the Demon Cultivators who survived here lived every day in constant fear, terrified that some big shot Righteous Cultivator from the outside world would suddenly come on patrol and obliterate them with a single slap.

It was because he knew this secret that ever since Wu Dao had established himself in Nirvana Valley, he had dispatched numerous incarnations to monitor the surrounding space and time, precisely to prevent a sneak attack that would catch him completely off guard.

From the looks of it, things were calm for now.

No experts from the Daluo Celestial Domain had their eyes on the Burial Realm yet.

However, there were no guarantees for the near future.

Because Wu Dao had also obtained some intelligence.

「Heaven-Burying Alliance, Main Hall.」

"I'm sure you've guessed."

Su Xiuqi swept his gaze over the silent upper echelon of the Heaven-Burying Alliance. He didn't keep them in suspense and said bluntly,

"During my recent travels, I caught wind of something.

For reasons unknown, the Great Cleansing has been moved up.

And its severity will far exceed any in the past.

In the near future, the forces led by the Luotian Sword Realm will conduct a full-scale cleansing of the Burial Realm. They will even station a large army here to guard it, completely rooting out what they call the 'malignant tumor' of the Burial Realm!"

His words sent a shockwave through the hall!

A Great Cleansing of extermination!

This was too big.

It concerned every single Demon Cultivator. Unless they fled the Burial Realm, there was no way to stay out of it!

"They've gone too far!"

Jia Baocai couldn't contain his emotions. He shot to his feet and roared, "The Burial Realm has never brought chaos to the outside world! We Demon Cultivators just have special Cultivation Techniques and want a place to survive. They won't even leave us this last patch of soil? They want to wipe us out completely? They really are..."

"Fuck them!"

The hot-tempered Liang Chen didn't hold back, cursing loudly, "Station an army here? Aren't they afraid of succumbing to their inner demons and going stark raving mad?"

Different environments nurture different people.

The same was true in the Extraordinary Realm.

The Burial Realm was filled with Tribulation Evil Qi. Its rules and Extraordinary Energy were saturated with ominous, negative factors, making it suitable only for the cultivation of extreme Demon Dao Techniques.

As for Righteous Cultivators, staying here too long would, at best, cause them to succumb to their inner demons. At worst, their Dao Foundation would be corrupted. It offered nothing but harm.

If there weren't some other reason, then stationing a large army here merely to eradicate the Demon Dao would indeed be an act of madness.

Because Demon Cultivators weren't fools. Nor was it as Jia Baocai had said—that they couldn't survive without the Burial Realm, that it was their "last patch of soil."

They wouldn't just wait around for outsiders to come and kill them.

Scattered, they were Demon Cultivators; gathered, they were the Demon Realm!

Therefore, the Daluo Celestial Domain's abnormal actions were completely thankless and counterproductive. There was likely some other, deeper reason forcing them to tightly control and monitor the Burial Realm!

"Alas... when your strength is inferior, you must retreat when it's time to retreat."

Su Xiuqi watched the crowd of indignantly furious Demon Cultivators and sneered inwardly.

His words were half-truths.

There was indeed some truth to what he said, and he wasn't afraid of Jia Baocai and the others investigating.

But only he knew the deeper secrets. He had mixed truth with lies simply to further his own schemes.

'This old fox...'

In Nirvana Valley.

Wu Dao watched Su Xiuqi's sorrowful-looking act and also sneered inwardly, certain that Su Xiuqi was not telling the whole truth.

Or was only telling half-truths.

This wasn't baseless speculation.

His Primordial Demon Incarnation was hunting across the All Heavens.

The Daluo Celestial Domain was naturally among its hunting grounds.

Its prey consisted entirely of Daoist Level Celestial Prides from top-tier factions, so the information he obtained was naturally incomparable to what a mere Burial Realm Demon Cultivator could get.

According to the intelligence Wu Dao had gathered, the Daluo Celestial Domain was indeed preparing to make a move on the Burial Realm, and they were indeed going to station a large army there. But it wasn't the kind of extermination-style Great Cleansing Su Xiuqi had described.

Rather, there was some unknown secret involved that Wu Dao had yet to uncover. Purging the Demon Dao was merely a convenient side-task; they had no intention of wiping them out completely.

Su Xiuqi was deliberately fearmongering.

He most likely wanted to create a crisis for the Heaven-Burying Alliance to face together, gathering their strength for his own nefarious plots.

What was he plotting?

Even a fool could figure it out.

Sure enough...

After riling everyone up, Su Xiuqi quickly showed his true colors. He raised a hand to quiet the crowd's outrage and then said seriously,

"The Heaven-Burying Alliance has developed for ten thousand years to reach this point. I'm sure none of you want to see it overturned in a single day.

Therefore, although we can no longer stay in the Burial Realm, we can migrate to another suitable Great Realm and continue to develop. One day, we will reclaim our homeland."

At this point, Su Xiuqi secretly sent a voice transmission to the Ten Great Demon Saints.

As for what came next, it would be inappropriate for him to say it, but with their status as the elders of the Heaven-Burying Alliance, the Ten Great Demon Saints would have no such problem.

"Xiaosu speaks the truth."

The Bixia Demon Saint took over, her voice hoarse. "As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. Back then, we old fossils also endured humiliation and bore heavy burdens to create the Heaven-Burying Alliance of today.

"However..."

After the pleasantries, the Bixia Great Saint finally got to the point. "Migration is inevitable, but some things belong to the Heaven-Burying Alliance, and we can't just let outsiders get them for cheap.

Realm Master Jia, Realm Master Liang, what do you two think? Are you going to let outsiders benefit, or are you going to put the meat in the pot and take it with you?"

Her ancient gaze carried a weight that life itself could not bear.

Jia Baocai and Liang Chen's scalps tingled. They cursed Su Xiuqi in their hearts, but could only force a smile and reply,

"The Demon Saint's insight is profound. We naturally have no objection. How could we let outsiders gnaw on our own meat!"

Things having reached this point, how could they not understand?

Su Xiuqi hadn't just brought in outside help; he was laying his cards on the table—

Disaster is imminent, so let's divide the spoils!

'I can't swallow it all myself.'

'So no one else will either!'

'Alas...'

In the elders' seating area, Elder Ji, a 'veteran of several dynasties,' sighed sorrowfully in his heart.

With age comes cunning, especially for someone of his age.

All this talk about 'as long as the green hills remain.' About not letting outsiders eat.

It was really about liquidating the assets, dividing them up, and going their separate ways.

'No wonder... even the Ten Great Demon Saints, who are always in death seclusion, have shown up. Clearly, they also want a share of the assets.'

On the high platform, the 'great man' Tao Chuan was cursing inwardly.

'What the hell is this!'

'I haven't even had my moment of 'fatherly kindness and filial piety' to seize the Alliance Leader's seat for all eternity and unify the Burial Realm.' And now his 'benevolent father' Su Xiuqi was telling him:

'Son, let's split the family fortune and run. The Heaven-Burying Alliance is finished!'

'What a fucking mess!'

'The most crucial thing is, I haven't even figured out what the Heaven-Burying Alliance's ultimate treasure is, and it seems Su Xiuqi has no intention of giving me a piece of the pie.'

'I haven't even gotten on the bus yet!'

'Looks like I'll have to find a chance to lay my own cards on the table. Otherwise, this old bastard will never give me my share of the family fortune.'

Tao Chuan's expression flickered.

The Heaven-Burying Alliance's final assets might be related to that Emperor's Tomb.

No matter what, he had to get a piece of the pie!

"Alright, there's no need for any of you to worry too much. The Great Cleansing is still a ways off. Until then, the Heaven-Burying Alliance is still number one in the Burial Realm!"

Seeing Jia Baocai and Liang Chen grit their teeth and nod, a faint smile touched the corner of Su Xiuqi's lips as he offered a word of comfort to the crowd.

The implication was clear.

While the Heaven-Burying Alliance still had some lingering prestige, go earn yourselves some severance pay.

Then get lost.

The family fortune is not for you to meddle in.

"This... sigh."

The Vice Alliance Leaders and elders weren't fools. They naturally understood the meaning behind Su Xiuqi's words, but what could they do if they were unwilling? They could only sigh and take their leave.

As for the crowd of Realm Masters, ninety percent of them were moles.

Under Wu Dao's remote command, they too sighed cooperatively and withdrew.

In a short while, within the vast Heaven-Burying Hall, only Su Xiuqi and the Ten Great Demon Saints remained, along with Jia Baocai and Liang Chen, who no longer hid their frosty expressions, and a few of their trusted Realm Master confidants.

"I don't want much."

Su Xiuqi dropped the act. His expression was indifferent as he held up a single finger. "After we open the Emperor's Tomb, the divine medicine of the All Heavens Emperors is mine. I won't touch anything else!"

Seeing that Jia Baocai and Liang Chen remained unmoved, Su Xiuqi narrowed his eyes and added,

"I know what you're thinking, but don't take others for fools."

"Speak plainly!"

Liang Chen flicked his dragon robe, his brow furrowed. All pretense of hierarchy was gone.

"That old thing Jia Xiu isn't dead yet, right, youngster?"

The Bixia Demon Saint took over with a chuckle, revealing Jia Baocai's hidden card in a single sentence.

Then she turned to Liang Chen.

"When the Liang family was destroyed back then, Liang Yu escaped. His cultivation should be about the same as this old woman's now."

Liang Chen's hidden card had also been revealed.

"I may have fallen in cultivation realm, but that doesn't mean I don't dare to risk my life," Su Xiuqi said languidly.

Liang Chen and Jia Baocai's expressions shifted uncertainly. Finally, they let out a long breath and sat back down in their seats.

All their trump cards had been exposed.

They had lost the element of surprise.

Although they didn't know how Su Xiuqi and the Bixia Demon Saint found out, the fact was that they knew.

Now, they were left with only two paths.

Either cooperate for a win-win situation... or nobody gets the treasure!

As for which to choose, naturally, they could only choose to cooperate.

'They're already dividing the meat before they've even seen it.'

In Nirvana Valley, Wu Dao watched the intense squabbling between Su Xiuqi and the others in the hall through one of Jia Baocai's confidants, his expression a little strange.

'If they knew that ninety percent of the Heaven-Burying Steles in their hands were fakes, I wonder what they would think.'

At the same time, Wu Dao also noticed something.

Among the Realm Masters leaving the hall, the last few who possessed Heaven-Burying Steles were intercepted by Semi-Saints from the Heaven-Burying Alliance!

But it didn't matter.

'They're fakes anyway. There's no point in hiding them now.'

Because he was also preparing to lay his cards on the table with the Heaven-Burying Alliance.

Hmm.

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