Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 581 - Well Done

“Your words mean nothing to us, Liu Wuxie. They are mere pitiful tricks in the face of absolute strength. No matter how sharp-tongued you are, there is no escaping certain death!” Dan Cheng exclaimed.

He had witnessed Liu Wuxie kill thirty Azure Crimson Gate disciples and destroy the Ling and Qiu Clans. Nevertheless, his words rang true—any tricks were meaningless before overwhelming strength.

Liu Wuxie could not kill a Nascent Transformation Realm expert, much less three of them.

Madam Li remained in close proximity to intervene if necessary, but it would be tough even for her to save Liu Wuxie and the two girls. Her priority was to ensure Liu Wuxie’s safety; Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing’er weren’t even within her scope of protection.

The three elders sent powerful waves of energy toward Liu Wuxie, crushing everything in their path. Their auras served as a testament to the Nascent Transformation Realm’s power, which could tear through even space itself. The outburst and sheer weight of their aura alone forced Liu Wuxie to back away.

“You’re dead, Liu Wuxie!” Dan Cheng vanished and pounced at Liu Wuxie. Like an eagle, he spread his arms apart to grab the latter’s shoulders.

Liu Wuxie couldn’t muster the strength to resist the overwhelming aura. He could slay opponents in the high levels of the Astral River Realm with the help of various treasures, but he was a lamb for slaughter before someone in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

With Dan Cheng closing in, Liu Wuxie was forced to give up even more ground. He tried to defend himself using the Primordial Astral Fist, but it was quickly dispelled.

Even the Frost Finger had no effect. The moment he unleashed it, the surrounding space compressed, crushing his attacks and devouring the ice energy. The space behind Liu Wuxie then suddenly solidified, slowing down his retreat significantly. He could only watch powerlessly as Dan Cheng’s hands drew closer to his shoulder.

The Nascent Transformation Realm cultivators’ ability to manipulate space truly set them leagues apart from Astral River Realm cultivators.

Jian Xing’er and Chen Ruoyan were frozen in place as well. They struggled frantically, but their resistance was futile. Qian Wenxue had imprisoned them using spatial laws.

“Break!” Liu Wuxie roared as he swung the Heretic Blade down. The resulting True Strike tore a rift in space, but it only relieved a sliver of pressure. Dan Cheng’s claws were still approaching him.

“Surrender, Liu Wuxie! You’ll die either way!” Dan Cheng let out a vicious laugh as though he could already foresee him killing Liu Wuxie.

“Tian Xing, Yi Xuan, I’m a goner if you don’t show up soon!” Liu Wuxie gave up resisting. Aside from the Heavenly Dragon Seal and Earth-Binding Chains, he had used all his trump cards, but they all proved useless against a Nascent Transformation Realm cultivator.

Even the Heavenly Dragon Seal and Earth-Binding Chains wouldn’t be strong enough to deal with his opponents.

Right then, two meteorites appeared out of nowhere and stood before Liu Wuxie.

“Scums of the Azure Crimson Gate, you dare trespass into my territory and kill our disciple?” Elder Tian Xing growled. As a cultivator at the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm, he was even stronger than Dan Cheng.

The expressions of the three Azure Crimson Gate elders darkened when Tian Xing and Yi Xuan appeared.

“We have fallen for Liu Wuxie’s trap!”

Dan Cheng’s heart sank, finally realizing that Liu Wuxie had outsmarted them. In anticipation of their ambush, he had made the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion ambush them instead.

Elder Tian Xing harbored a deep hatred for the Azure Crimson Gate. Hence, he didn’t hold back when he attacked. He shattered the space before him and created a swirling black hole.

Witnessing Elder Tian Xing fight for the first time, Liu Wuxie couldn’t help but marvel at the latter’s strength. Since Elder Tian Xing rarely showed his strength in the sect, Liu Wuxie only realized now that he had underestimated him.

Yi Xuan was no pushover either. With a flick of his hand, he unleashed a finger technique. A cold ray pierced through Dan Cheng, eliciting a pained scream.

Madam Li was dumbfounded. She didn’t expect two cultivators much stronger than her to appear out of nowhere.

“That shrewd brat. I don’t know if the young lady trusting him is a blessing or a curse. If it turns out he’s just using the House of Tea Art, won’t all our efforts go down the drain?” Madam Li muttered with concern etched on her face. The House of Tea Art had placed heavy stakes on Liu Wuxie’s success. Hence, failure was not an option.

The two remaining elders wanted to act, but it was too late. Tian Xing and Yi Xuan had been lying in wait in the surroundings for so long, waiting to deal with a lethal strike. Why would they give their enemies a chance to save Dan Cheng?

With a deafening roar, Tian Xing’s palm struck Dan Cheng.

With all his attention on Liu Wuxie, Dan Cheng failed to react in time. He let out a blood-curdling scream as he flew backward. Devastating even for those at the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm, the strike had left a hole in his chest and exposed his heart.

Still, although it was powerful enough to split mountains, the palm strike failed to kill the Nascent Transformation Realm cultivator. Martial artists of such a realm were far too durable. Even if their physique was destroyed, their primordial spirit could escape and seek a new body, allowing them to be reborn.

However, although Dan Cheng hadn’t died, he had lost the ability to fight.

Tian Xing and Yi Xuan stood before Liu Wuxie to ensure no further threats would arise.

“Couldn’t you two show up any sooner? Were you waiting for me to die first?” Liu Wuxie complained. Dan Cheng would have managed to kill him if not for the True Strike.

“I knew you had more tricks up your sleeve. You wouldn’t die so easily!” Tian Xing chuckled.

He was right, though. Liu Wuxie still had the Heavenly Dragon Seal, Purgatory Demonic Chains, and Earth-Binding Chains to buy him some time if pushed to a corner.

Screw you! Liu Wuxie cursed inwardly and rolled his eyes. He didn’t dare say it out loud since Tian Xing had undeniably saved his life.

“I was right about you. We heard what you did in Serene Sea City. It was nothing short of brilliant!” Beaming with joy, Tian Xing gave Liu Wuxie a hearty pat on his shoulder. It had been many years since he felt this happy.

Liu Wuxie, however, had his forehead scrunched. The battle is still raging. Couldn’t Tian Xing wait until we’ve returned before saying anything?

Yi Xuan nodded at Liu Wuxie as a form of greeting. He had admiration flickering in the depth of his eyes. He, too, was impressed by what Liu Wuxie had accomplished in Serene Sea City.

In that situation, Liu Wuxie did not simply manage to turn the tides of the battle. He also destroyed the Ling and Qiu Clans—a feat ordinary people could never accomplish.

Nascent Transformation Realm cultivators could simply fight if things didn’t go their way. Unlike them, Liu Wuxie was only in the Heavenly Phase Realm. Hence, he used the complicated environment to his advantage, skillfully maneuvering to ensure his survival. Moreover, Liu Wuxie even managed to kill so many people directly and indirectly, which was nothing short of a miracle.

Although the House of Tea Art had helped, they only ensured his safety. If it had been anyone else in Liu Wuxie’s position, they wouldn’t have produced such a dazzling achievement.

After patting Liu Wuxie’s shoulder, Tian Xing’s expression turned cold. He looked at Qian Xuewen and the other elder with eyes as fierce as an ancient beast.

This was his true face; his friendly demeanor was only reserved for Liu Wuxie.

Although Yi Xuan seemed normal most of the time, he was a maniac in combat. After all, reaching the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm meant leaving a mountain of corpses in their path.

“Qian Xuewen, Dan Cheng, Li Wuhai! You three fools dare come to my territory and attempt to kill one of my people? You’re not getting out of here alive!”

The rivalry between the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and Azure Crimson Gate had been festering for millennia. The enmity for each other had grown so intense that their disciples would fight to the death as soon as they ran into each other.

“You can’t stop us, Tian Xing! We will leave when we please!” Qian Xuewen exclaimed in a panic. Since they were inferior to Tian Xing, the three were already plotting how to escape.

He wasn’t wrong, however. The difference in strength wasn’t vast enough to make escape impossible. If they fled with all their might, they would have a shot at it.

“I will not allow any of you to escape! Die!” Tian Xing shouted.

Right after, he vanished and struck Qian Xuewen with his palm. Yi Xuan charged at Li Wuhai as well.

Having been incapacitated, Dan Cheng was forced to focus on healing his injuries. With the numbers of both sides now equal, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion gained the upper hand.

Explosions echoed from the sky, and the waves of their battle coursing thousands of miles away. Hence, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s upper echelons were soon alerted, prompting them to rush over.

Qian Xuewen and his companions grew increasingly desperate to escape. Unfortunately, Tian Xing and Yi Xuan held them off whenever they tried.

If they were still around by the time the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s reinforcements arrived, they knew their fates would be as good as sealed.

Liu Wuxie quickly hurried away from the battlefield, heading toward the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion with the two ladies, fearing they would get caught in the crossfire.

“Junior Brother Liu, why are Elder Yi Xuan and Elder Tian Xing here?” Jian Xing’er asked.

It was as if Liu Wuxie had planned all of this right from the very beginning. However, considering the three had been together throughout their entire journey, she couldn’t think of a time when Liu Wuxie could have notified Tian Xing and Yi Xuan without Jiang Xing’er knowing.

“Do you remember the town we passed?” Liu Wuxie asked as they retreated. His eyes kept flickering toward the sky, where the battle between the four Nascent Transformation Realm experts raged. Watching the fight would provide him with valuable experience and insight.

“Of course!”

The two ladies naturally remembered Zheng Ping impersonating and then being killed by Liu Wuxie.

“That’s when I started setting up the plan,” Liu Wuxie explained. “I purposely added an extra day to the journey to send a message to Elder Tian Xing and Elder Yi Xuan, asking them to wait in ambush near the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.”

He opted not to share some details to avoid making them worry.

Liu Wuxie initially wasn’t sure where the Azure Crimson Gate’s experts would set up an ambush, so he dared not alert the two elders. However, after they passed through the town and hunted down the imposters, he became certain that his enemies would wait for him near the sect.

The fight in the sky intensified further, reaching its climax. Tian Xing showed combat power that seemed far more extraordinary than Yi Xuan’s.