Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 215 - Assassins

“I suspect someone, but I can’t be certain.” The first assassination attempt on Liu Wuxie was on the ten-mile-long street outside the Imperial Academy, which ended with him capturing the assassin. But the assassin chose suicide the moment he was captured, refusing to disclose any details.

The second assassination attempt was in the Western Breeze Mountain Range, in which Liu Wuxie had killed the assassin.

“What’s our next move?” The streets were teeming with people, and the assassins could easily blend in, posing as ordinary citizens, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“We should head to a more secluded area and draw them out,” Liu Wuxie suggested after some contemplation, deciding to use a remote location as a trap.

“The outskirts!” Xu Lingxue thought of a remote enough place. Most people had gathered in Azure Billow City to participate in the festival.

“Let’s move!” Liu Wuxie was a step ahead, unsheathing the Heretic Blade and activating his Ghost Eye ability. He detected no immediate danger within a hundred-meter radius. They walked briskly for about fifteen minutes, picking up the pace as the crowd thinned.

“They’re here!” Liu Wuxie sensed the presence of three auras trailing them. Despite their deliberate detours, the three auras continued to tail them closely. He quickened his pace to avoid involving innocent bystanders.

The Assassin Pavilion would solely target their mark and wouldn’t resort to tactics like Shao Dongli’s group, who threatened him using the Xu Clan. The rules of the assassination world strictly prohibited involving family members. Who would dare to hire assassins from the Assassin Pavilion if they broke these rules?

They passed through the gate and headed to the outskirts. An hour later, Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue stopped in the woods. Xu Lingxue drew her weapon and was prepared for a fight.

“Come out!” Liu Wuxie had already locked onto the three with Ghost Eye. They were like ghosts, exhibiting remarkable agility, and managed to keep up with them.

Upon being discovered, the three black-robed men exchanged a look with a hint of surprise in their eyes. They were like meteors, forming a triangular formation with Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue at the center.

“Seventh level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. The Assassin Pavilion must hold me in high regard,” Liu Wuxie mused, surprised as he observed the trio. He wondered who would invest such a substantial sum to target an expert of the Spirit Cleansing Realm like himself.

His initial suspicion fell on Zhang Qing’s group, whom he had crippled at the Imperial Academy, and who might have hired the Assassin Pavilion to retaliate. However, this didn’t seem plausible as they were incapacitated, and their clans wouldn’t risk offending a talented student of the Imperial Academy for their sake.

However, Liu Wuxie couldn’t figure out who would pay such a great price to assassinate him. He did have a suspect in mind, but he needed verification.

“We didn’t anticipate that someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm could eliminate two of our assassins,” the black-robed man on the right stated, his tone devoid of emotion.

“You three are after me. She has nothing to do with this. I hope you can let her go,” Liu Wuxie said, pointing to Xu Lingxue. He wasn’t confident about surviving this encounter and didn’t want to involve the innocent Xu Lingxue.

“Don’t worry. We only target our mark,” the black-robed man responded coldly. Liu Wuxie was their target, and they would depart once they had eliminated him.

“Go back first!” Liu Wuxie turned to Xu Lingxue, urging her to evacuate the area.

“I’m not going anywhere!” She was determined not to abandon Liu Wuxie in the face of danger.

Liu Wuxie sighed, recognizing the stubborn streak in Xu Lingxue. Once she made up her mind, it was nearly impossible to sway her. Having grown up together, he understood her well.

“I’m sorry!” Liu Wuxie’s hand appeared behind Xu Lingxue’s neck. With a gentle caress, Xu Lingxue felt a surge of dizziness assaulting her mind.

“You...” Xu Lingxue tried to speak, but her strength failed her, and she collapsed into his arms. As she lost consciousness, two tears trickled down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you risk your life with me!” Liu Wuxie gently carried Xu Lingxue and laid her down on a distant patch of grass. He even took off his coat to cover her.

Weirdly enough, the three assassins didn’t stop him and were generous enough to wait for him before surrounding him.

“Make your move!” Liu Wuxie commanded, unsheathing the Heretic Blade. A sharp aura radiated from him, filling the sky and generating a powerful gust of wind.

The three assassins didn’t dare to underestimate him. They had arrived in Azure Billow City the previous day. Although they hadn’t witnessed Liu Wuxie’s confrontation with Shao Dongli’s group, they had heard about it. They had waited an entire day before deciding to strike after Liu Wuxie left the Xu Clan.

If Liu Wuxie hadn’t reached the ninth level of the Spirit Cleansing Realm, he wouldn’t even stand a chance against three assassins in the seventh level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

“Let’s go!” The three assassins moved, and the four clashed together.

Liu Wuxie unleashed a powerful blade aura that tore apart the three swords, and he exhibited outstanding agility with the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance. For a moment, the three assassins couldn’t find any weakness in Liu Wuxie’s attacks.

Assassins, being experts in the art of assassination, excelled in ambushes. However, they might not be a match for Liu Wuxie in a direct confrontation. That said, these three assassins were formidable, their strength surpassing Shao Dongli’s group by more than tenfold.

The difference between the sixth and seventh levels of the Marrow Cleansing Realm might seem minor, but one represented the intermediate phase while the other signified the late phase. Reaching the seventh level meant they were just a step away from the True Core Realm.

No one was more skilled in the art of assassination than Liu Wuxie. After all, his friend was the most potent assassin in the Celestial Realm, and it was Liu Wuxie who had taught him several assassination techniques.

The three assassins were powerful, but nothing was impressive about their assassination art. It wouldn’t be easy for them to kill Liu Wuxie, and the four exchanged over a few hundred moves in two breaths, with Liu Wuxie dodging all the attacks.

If it were someone else in Liu Wuxie’s position, they would’ve died under the barrage of attacks. This was why Liu Wuxie didn’t want to drag Xu Lingxue into this matter. If she joined the fight, she would only be a burden.

After all, battling an assassin was entirely different from fighting other experts. This was why the mere mention of assassins caused everyone’s faces to change. Assassins were adept at killing those with higher cultivation levels than themselves through the art of assassination.

This was because every assassin thoroughly studied their target and even ran simulations to ensure they had a hundred percent chance of success before making a move.

The three assassins had studied all available information on Liu Wuxie before coming to Azure Billow City. They knew they would have a high chance of killing him as long as they could dodge his Overlord Fist.

After a prolonged battle, the assassins realized their miscalculation. Liu Wuxie was without a discernible weakness and could adapt to any combat strategy. Through his Ghost Eye ability, Liu Wuxie identified a fatal flaw in the assassins’ attacks. Despite their sword techniques appearing formidable, there was a brief pause of one-thousandth of a breath whenever they retracted their swords.

This was a common problem for the Assassin Pavilion’s assassins and all the assassins. Because assassins aimed for a fatal blow, they would put all their strength into the first strike to assassinate their target. If they fail, they would retreat without any hesitation.

This was the first time these three had engaged in a direct confrontation. They couldn’t afford to wait any longer, given the rapid pace of Liu Wuxie’s growth.

The nearby trees were reduced to ashes under their swords, while Liu Wuxie moved through them like lightning. However, the assassins’ anxiety grew as they failed to even graze Liu Wuxie’s clothes after numerous attacks, realizing that their chances of success were dwindling the longer the fight dragged on.

Even if they managed to return to the Assassin Pavilion after failing the mission, they would still be dead.

“Your assassination techniques are too simple. Take my blade!” Liu Wuxie raised the Heretic Blade and took the posture of First Fatality Form. He had practiced it for days and wanted to know how powerful the Fatality Blade Art was. After all, this should be the blade technique his father was famous for.

Not giving the three assassins time to react, a sonic boom echoed from the rapid compression of air when Liu Wuxie swung his blade, startling the three assassins. When Liu Wuxie swung his sword, the three wondered what blade technique that was.

In the courtyard, Liu Wuxie had only utilized ten percent of his true essence. However, this time was different as he put his all into this strike. His true essence surged like a tidal wave, coursing through his meridians and erupting from his body.

As the images of the Heretic Blade swept out, the woods, including the three assassins, were enveloped by it. The power of this blade was beyond imagination.

Liu Wuxie squinted, surprised by the power of his attack. It might have seemed like a single slash, but it contained thousands of variations. He had only reached the entry stage of the first form, and he hadn’t even achieved lesser mastery. If he managed to reach lesser mastery, the power of this strike would become even more formidable.

The three assassins were caught by surprise because Liu Wuxie’s true essence was comparable to a cultivator in the pinnacle of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. Even when they joined forces, they couldn’t restrain Liu Wuxie’s blade intent.

The assassins immediately resorted to a perishing tactic, giving up their defenses, and they pounced at Liu Wuxie. Even if they had to die, they would drag Liu Wuxie down with them.

“Too late. If you had chosen the desperate tactic right from the start, you might have stood a chance,” Liu Wuxie taunted. After exchanging hundreds of moves, Liu Wuxie, through his Ghost Eye, had already seen through their weaknesses.

“First Fatality Form!” Liu Wuxie roared as the Heretic Blade released a dazzling radiance. It was already dusk, and a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. It was Liu Wuxie’s blade ray that even tore the sky apart.

The blade ray enveloped the entire woods, creating a terrifying vortex that descended from the sky, covering a radius of ten-odd meters. The three assassins were trapped within it, with no escape.

As the blade aura whirled around, the entire woods vanished, replaced by an empty ground covered with rocks. The powerful suction even lifted Liu Wuxie off the ground, and just the first form of the Fatality Blade Art had drained half of his true essence.

The power of this strike wasn’t inferior to the Overlord Fist. However, the Overlord Fist was different because it would become stronger as his cultivation rose.