Essence Devouring Art

Shanhai Pass.

It stood with Buzhou Mountain at its back.

Established by a coalition of All Heavens after the Four Tribulations.

It was built to defend against invasions from the Mountain and Sea Realm and to suppress the spatial-temporal boundary between the two realms. For tens of millions of years, it has been baptized in blood and fire, yet it stands firm to this day.

Shanhai Pass does not refer to a single Garrison City.

Rather, it is the collective name for all the frontline Garrison Cities and rear territories along the spatial-temporal boundary between the two realms!

In truth, the sheer scale of Shanhai Pass is no less than that of a Celestial Domain. Throughout the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, it is often referred to as the Ten Domains.

This signifies it as the tenth Celestial Domain of Hongyuan.

Before the Four Tribulations, Hongyuan had a total of twelve Celestial Domains.

The additional ones were Shanhai Pass, the Mountain and Sea Celestial Domain, and the Divine Desolate Celestial Domain.

During the Four Tribulations, the Mountain and Sea Realm broke away from Hongyuan.

During the Five Tribulations, the Divine Desolate Celestial Domain completely vanished from history after the Slaughter Emperor failed in his endeavor and suffered a backlash from the Great Dao.

As for the Ten Domains Shanhai Pass, due to the unique nature of the battlefield, its Celestial Dragon Vein was not apparent, so it was not counted as part of Hongyuan.

But let's get back to the main topic. Regardless of whether Hongyuan recognized Shanhai Pass as the Ten Domains, this fact alone illustrates the sheer vastness of this battlefield.

With a Celestial Domain as the battlefield, the ten Celestial Passes are scattered across the jagged, interlocking spatial-temporal boundary of the two realms. The number of troops stationed there is unimaginable, and any large-scale battle is brutal to the extreme.

Three years ago, the Burial Realm exploded, triggering a war in the Chaos. This caused the Tribulation Qi within Hongyuan to surge, and the Mountain and Sea Realm seized the opportunity, massively reinforcing their troops to attack Hongyuan in a bid to forcefully initiate the Six Tribulations.

In an instant, the smoke of war spread throughout the Hongyuan Heavenly Realms. The era of peace and prosperity was gone, never to return.

To counter the Mountain and Sea Realm's offensive, the Commander Elder Council of Shanhai Pass issued a conscription order: all cultivators at the Dharma Realm and above were obligated to enlist.

For minor factions, participation was voluntary.

However, factions at the level of Holy Lands and above were required to dispatch troops to reinforce Shanhai Pass as they saw fit.

This conscription order was jointly issued by the Heavenly Domain Lords of the Nine Great Celestial Domains, led by Panwu Emperor. Once it was sent out, none in All Heavens dared to disobey, and there was little dissent.

The main reason was, this time, the Mountain and Sea Realm was playing for keeps!

The Four Great Primordial Races had all joined the war, and the Di Races of every domain had dispatched their elite hidden forces. This was no longer the minor skirmishing and small-scale friction of the past.

Some might wonder: The Mountain and Sea Realm is just a single realm. How could it, as the aggressor, force Hongyuan onto the back foot?

The answer lies in the fact that before the Mountain Sea Wilderness Clan broke away from Hongyuan, they were the number one race in All Heavens!

The Desolate Gods are born with bloodlines that are Near Dao.

They don't even need to cultivate intentionally; upon reaching adulthood, their bloodline grants them Great Divine Techniques.

They came into existence long before the Ten Thousand Races, second only to the Innate Divine Race. They reached their zenith during the Second Tribulation and were the earliest pioneers of the three paths!

As for the Human Race, currently Hongyuan's number one race, their true rise to prominence occurred during the Third Tribulation when they cast the Divine Race down from their Divine Altar. Their foundation simply cannot compare to that of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Otherwise, the Mountain and Sea Realm would not have emerged as the victor of the Fourth Tribulation.

After the Four Tribulations, the Mountain and Sea Realm broke away from Hongyuan and showed signs of forming its own Dao. Although All Heavens continued to grow, the Mountain and Sea Realm did not stand still either!

To this day, if a Primordial Giant were to stand in the Sea of Chaos and gaze upon the Mountain and Sea Realm, they would discover that its scale and fortune are nearly equal to the sum of all Nine Heavens!

Some Primordial Giants speculate that the Mountain and Sea Realm is not far from completely separating from Hongyuan and forming its own Dao. Otherwise, it would be impossible for it to possess such terrifying fortune.

Their current invasion of Hongyuan is likely not just for a One-Tribulation Dao Fruit. Their true goal is to supplant it, to turn the Primordial Path into nourishment for the Mountain and Sea Realm's own path to Dao!

Therefore, if Shanhai Pass were to fall, Hongyuan would be plunged into misery, and its civilization would hang by a thread!

Under this immense external pressure, the internal conflicts within Hongyuan were infinitely diminished. No matter how the various Celestial Domains had schemed against each other in the past, as the war escalated over the past three years, they had no choice but to unite as one and set aside their old prejudices and grudges.

「Buzhou Mountain」

In front of a Super Star Hub used for conscription.

"Great Saint, Loose Cultivator..."

The old veteran from Shanhai Pass, who was in charge of verifying cultivation levels, looked up at Wu Dao in surprise. With a note of respect in his voice, he asked,

"Senior, would you like to acclimate first, or head directly to the Fifth Celestial Pass?"

Whether on the battlefield or in Hongyuan, seniority didn't matter; strength was all that spoke. A Loose Cultivator who had reached the Great Saint Realm would be held in high regard anywhere.

'The Fifth Celestial Pass...'

Wu Dao's expression was indifferent as thoughts surged in his mind, and information about the Ten Celestial Passes of Mountains and Seas surfaced.

Within Shanhai Pass, where the spatial-temporal boundaries of the two realms intersected and clashed, the ten Celestial Passes were not numbered sequentially but were designated by their level of danger.

The Tenth Celestial Pass was the Dharma Realm Battlefield.

The soldiers and commanders clashing there were of the Dharma Realm.

Moving up the list, the danger level increased progressively.

The First Celestial Pass: the legendary Chaos Abyss.

It was the absolute frontline, a place where the Primordial Chaos of the two realms clashed. Those below the Primordial Chaos Realm did not even have the right to approach.

Of course, war was not a turn-based game. It wasn't a matter of "I'll match whatever you send out."

In fact, on the battlefields beyond the Fourth Celestial Pass, there was no concept of matching soldier for soldier, general for general.

Take the Fifth Celestial Pass the old veteran had mentioned, for example.

Although the enemies encountered there were normally within the Great Saint Realm, exceptionally powerful Mountain and Sea troops would occasionally appear. The level of danger could spike far beyond what was expected, surpassing even the more structured battlefields.

For this reason, most Hongyuan cultivators, upon first entering the battlefield, would be assigned by the military to one of the lower-ranked Celestial Passes to first temper themselves and adapt. They would not be thrown directly into the purgatorial battlefields of the Fourth Celestial Pass and beyond.

But Wu Dao had revealed his Great Saint Cultivation. At this level, one was known as a cosmic giant, equivalent to a Holy Land Master. Upon entering the battlefield, he would be considered elite and had certain privileges, including the ability to choose his assigned battlefield.

"The Sixth Celestial Pass, the Sea of Death."

Wu Dao's words were astonishing. He had directly chosen the Sixth Celestial Pass, where Venerables roamed free, instantly causing the old recruiting veteran to be filled with awe and respect.

He wasn't just posturing.

It was because the Primordial Demons were at the Sixth Celestial Pass!

Although the Sixth Celestial Pass was known as the Venerable Battlefield, it didn't mean that every single foot soldier was a Venerable.

As mentioned before, the Celestial Gates were divided by their level of danger. The Sixth Celestial Pass meant that the main forces on both sides were Venerables and Great Venerables.

For those below the Venerable Realm, it was difficult to survive unless they were true wolves of the battlefield. A single moment of carelessness could lead to being obliterated by the aftershocks of the main conflict. Its Purgatory-level rating was not just for show.

"Senior, you are truly a righteous champion of the Human Race!"

The old veteran's reverence was plain to see, and his attitude became even more respectful. He then said, a bit sheepishly,

"Senior may not be aware, but each Celestial Gate has a main city in the rear for supplies. If you wish to go to the Death Sea Pass City, you must first teleport via the Sixth Celestial Pass Main City."

'A righteous champion of the Human Race...'

'The righteous champion who blew up the Burial Realm?'

Wu Dao's expression was odd, but he didn't let anything unusual show. He simply nodded and stepped into the activated Teleportation Array.

"The Sea of Death... isn't that..."

After Wu Dao left, the old recruiting veteran seemed to recall something. His previous reverence vanished as if he'd changed masks, replaced by a look of unease.

「Shanhai Pass.」

「Sixth Celestial Pass, Nether Heaven.」

BUZZ—

In the central plaza of Fengdu City, the main city situated at the core of a star cluster.

Starlight shone brilliantly as spacetime itself hummed.

Divine Pillar-like Super Star Hubs pulsed like cosmic lighthouses, continuously connecting with the space beyond the pass to transport reinforcements from all sides.

"Nether Heaven. It certainly lives up to its name."

Wu Dao emerged silently from a Super Star Hub, following the stream of people toward the United Front Department hall of Nether Heaven to register.

The Ten Celestial Passes were each like a small Celestial Domain, and tens of millions of years of war had forged their ten unique environments.

The Sixth Celestial Pass, where Wu Dao now stood, was permeated with an aura of death, dark and somber. The Star Hubs were the only sources of light.

Entire universes of stars had collapsed, devoid of light, their destruction by heat death lost to some unknown era. Darkness and filth were everywhere, truly resembling the Fengdu Ghost Realm of reincarnation.

"Someone's been titled a Military Lord!!"

He hadn't been following the crowd for long when a sudden commotion erupted ahead.

Wu Dao pulled his thoughts back and looked up toward the vast plaza within the United Front Department hall.

Above Glory Square, countless Dao Celestial Steles stood like a forest, wreathed in auspicious light as the laws of the universe thundered around them. Arranged from top to bottom, they recorded the names of the famous armies and influential figures from each of the Celestial Gates.

From time to time, an army would distinguish itself, its ranking rising as the myriad Daos offered their congratulations.

At this moment, on the Dao Celestial Stele representing the Seventh Celestial Pass—the battlefield of Quasi-Emperors and Great Emperors—auspicious clouds gathered and Immortal Saints blew their horns. All manner of phenomena representing Great Fortune manifested, lifting a title high into the air like a rising Divine Sun—

Three Lives Heavenly King!

After rising to the second tier of the Celestial Stele, the title of Three Lives Heavenly King shattered as if Breaking the Cocoon.

The Great Dao crowned him, and he was promoted to the even more illustrious and majestic title of Three Lives Army Master.

In an instant, the vast might of a Quasi-Emperor swept across the plaza, spreading via the Dao Celestial Stele to reverberate throughout the entire Sixth Celestial Pass.

Whether on the frontlines or in the rear main city, every living being felt it in their hearts. They shared in the glory, knowing that a new hegemon of the battlefield, the Three Lives Army Master, had been born.

"The Three Lives Heavenly King... Long Chen... The Crown Prince of the Rising Dragon Celestial Dynasty, rulers of the Profound Yellow World?"

"That's him. He's been in Cultivation for less than a hundred years. To achieve the Quasi-Emperor realm and be titled a Military Lord on the battlefield in such a short time... he's a true monster!"

"A monster? He's more than that! I heard Long Chen's Immortal Dao Dantian is incredibly special, allowing him to ignore the Innate Shackles and cultivate both the Martial Dao and Military Dao at the same time. That's a Triple Cultivation!"

"HISS! If he also added Transverse Cultivation and Soul Cultivation, wouldn't he be cultivating five paths at once? If he advanced equally in all of them, who in his generation could possibly be his opponent?"

On Glory Square, the radiance of the Three Lives King's ascension to Quasi-Emperor enveloped every inch of space, as new recruits and old veterans alike discussed it endlessly with a mixture of reverence and fear.

Many who were hearing the legendary tales of the Three Lives King for the first time wore expressions of disbelief, as if they were listening to a myth.

A Three-Life Dantian, Triple Cultivation.

It completely overturned their understanding of the world!