Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 481 - Central Plains

Liu Wuxie’s rapid rise from the Heavenly Dipper Realm to such formidable heights in just three months suggested he had acquired an extraordinary treasure. Over the past months, Liu Wuxie had amassed numerous resources, propelling him to his current level of power.

“You won’t have the chance to find out!” Liu Wuxie’s eyes hardened as a chilling, murderous intent emanated from him. He was resolute in eliminating all five Hou Clan members.

Revealing his full strength would only attract unwanted attention and potential trouble in the future. Given that their cultivation had dramatically increased while others had perished, it was bound to spark curiosity and scrutiny.

Gu Yu had his grandfather, while Liu Wuxie had no one. If he ran into cultivators in the Nascent Transformation Realm, it would be hard for him to escape.

The Heretic Blade emitted a dragon's roar, and the dragon's aura it gave off wasn't any weaker than Gu Yu's Divine Dragon Sword.

The remaining four Hou Clan members were paralyzed with fear, unable to muster any resistance against the overwhelming dragon’s aura.

"Seventh Fatality Form!"

“Primordial Astral Fist!” Liu Wuxie combined the two attacks. He had already comprehended the Seventh Fatality Form, and the surrounding spiritual energy was drained dry when he executed it.

The strike was so devastating that Gu Yu had to retreat uncontrollably as the violent energy waves crashed over him. He marveled to himself, "What a powerful attack!"

During their sparring sessions on the island to stabilize their cultivation, Liu Wuxie had not used this blade technique. Had he employed it then, Gu Yu knew he would have been defeated long ago.

The suffocating aura released by Liu Wuxie continued to rise. The most terrifying attack wasn't the Fatality Blade Art but the Primordial Astral Fist.

After absorbing the water spirit, the power of the four elements had become even more terrifying, and it felt like an actual star hovering above the courtyard. Once he gathered the earth element, the Primordial Astral Fist would form a cycle between the five elements and become invincible. After all, the earth element represented weight and unmatched power.

Combining two moves made Liu Wuxie invincible as he slowly hovered in the air, unleashing a terrifying aura in the fourth level of the Heavenly Phase Realm. This was also the reason why Liu Wuxie had set up a spiritual array, which was to isolate all the commotion inside.

"This is impossible!" the four Hou Clan men shouted in disbelief. According to their information, Liu Wuxie was at the eighth level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm. How could he have suddenly advanced to the fourth level of the Heavenly Phase Realm?

Furthermore, the terrifying part wasn't Liu Wuxie's cultivation but his combat strength, which was comparable to that of the Astral River Realm.

"Die!" Ignoring their shock, Liu Wuxie unleashed the seven forms of the Fatality Blade Art in a single, devastating strike. The space tore apart, creating a rift that unleashed a deadly wind across the courtyard.

When the Primordial Astral Fist descended, the four men were pinned down and immobilized; they could only watch helplessly as the Heretic Blade landed on them.

They were ripped apart like fruits bursting open, with their blood splattering everywhere.

Liu Wuxie summoned the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron to absorb the energy from the Hou Clan members' corpses. Though the energy was not immediately beneficial, it helped him build momentum for his next breakthrough.

After killing the five assassins from the Hou Clan, Liu Wuxie and Gu Yu cleaned up the courtyard to prevent any traces from being left behind.

Neither Liu Wuxie nor Gu Yu rested during the second half of the night. They remained in the courtyard, sorting through the interspatial rings of the five men while remaining on guard for any ambushes. Gu Yu chose not to take any resources from the rings.

As the first rays of sunlight illuminated the courtyard, Liu Wuxie and Gu Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Yu’s grandfather had arrived as promised.

Senior Gu, an expert in the True Profound Realm, scrutinized Gu Yu with a sharp gaze. He could see the significant progress Gu Yu had made over the past three months on Blood Sea Abyssal Island with Liu Wuxie. Gu Yu’s growth in this short time had far surpassed his progress over the previous years.

"Good! Good! Good!" Senior Gu said, unable to describe his feelings upon seeing Gu Yu.

"I pay my respect to grandfather!" Gu Yu stepped forward to give Senior Gu a bow.

"Junior greets Senior Gu!" Liu Wuxie cupped his hands at Senior Gu.

"I know everything that happened on the Blood Sea Abyssal Island, and I was right about you. Yu'er's current achievements are all thanks to you, and I'm grateful for you on behalf of the Gu Clan." Senior Gu stepped forward to give Liu Wuxie a bow, surprising the latter.

"Senior, please don’t!" Liu Wuxie quickly supported Senior Gu. He and Gu Yu had depended on each other to survive on Blood Sea Abyssal Island; neither could have made it alone. Without Gu Yu’s assistance, Liu Wuxie would have perished on the island or been captured and had his soul sea searched by the two major forces.

"You’ve done the Gu Clan a great service, and this bow represents our deep gratitude," Senior Gu said. "Yu'er has always been by my side, and I can clearly see how much he has grown in the past three months." As a True Profound Realm expert, Senior Gu’s strength meant that Liu Wuxie couldn’t get him to rise.

With no other options, Liu Wuxie could only bow in return.

"Senior Gu, I've read many books, but I've never found any mention of the Gu Clan." Liu Wuxie asked curiously, “Could there be many things not recorded in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?

"I'll be honest with you. The Gu Clan isn't from the Southern Province, but the Central Plains." After seeing Gu Yu's growth, senior Gu was open with Liu Wuxie.

"The Central Plains?!" Liu Wuxie's face changed slightly. The True Martial Continent was divided into five regions, and they were in the Southern Province. The Eastern Domain, Western Barren, Northern City, and the biggest, the Central Plains, attracted all the geniuses and experts from the other four regions.

"I see!" "I understand," Liu Wuxie nodded, now comprehending why there was no information about the Gu Clan in the books at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

"Yu'er's growth has exceeded my expectations. I plan to take him back to the Central Plains, and you can come to find us if you get the chance." Senior Gu planned to leave the Southern Province with Gu Yu.

"Senior Gu, can I ask if there's any clan by the surname Liu in the Central Plains?" Liu Wuxie asked. It was inevitable for them to part, especially when they were mere acquaintances who had met by chance.

"The Liu Clan?" Senior Gu paused and fell into deep thought.

Liu Wuxie didn't interrupt and patiently waited for Senior Gu's reply.

"There's a Liu Clan, one of the four major clans. Do you know this Liu Clan?" Senior Gu gave Liu Wuxie a deep look and wondered if Liu Wuxie also had a connection with the Central Plains.

"I don't know them, and I'm only asking out of curiosity. I wonder if you know someone by the name of Liu Dashan?" Liu Wuxie had recently learned his father's name and his mother's name was Yan Yu.

Ever since entering the cultivation world, Liu Wuxie had searched for his parents' whereabouts. He asked Senior Gu about them after learning he and Gu Yu were from Central Plains.

Senior Gu shook his head, having no recollection of this name. This was normal because Senior Gu was someone in the True Profound Realm, while his father should only have reached the pinnacle of the True Core Realm at best. How could his father possibly originate from the Central Plains with his cultivation?

The two were completely different in status, and they couldn't have any connection, even if his father came from the Central Plains.

They continued to chat on various topics, and Senior Gu even guided Liu Wuxie in his cultivation. Although Liu Wuxie knew more than Senior Gu regarding cultivation, he humbly accepted the advice.

Senior Gu meant well, and it was only proper for Liu Wuxie to respect his kindness. He could also use the guidance to reflect on his situation and avoid taking the wrong paths.

After all, Liu Wuxie's cultivation path had already deviated from his previous life, and he needed new knowledge to fill in the gaps and forge his future path.

Although he was already a grandmaster in alchemy and blacksmithing, Liu Wuxie still needed to explore cultivation, particularly integrating the Suppression Steles into his internal organs. The Desolate Devouring Art and Heavenly Dao Book were too profound, making Senior Gu's guidance invaluable.

They spent a day in the city, during which Senior Gu did not inquire about the events on Blood Sea Abyssal Island. For him, the results mattered more than the details, and Gu Yu's remarkable growth was the most important outcome.

Gu Yu bid his farewell with tears welling in his eyes. Over the past three months, he had forged a strong friendship with Liu Wuxie, and parting didn't feel great for him.

He even asked his grandfather if they could stay a little longer in the Southern Province, but he was denied his request. Their purpose for coming out was to train, and now that they had achieved their objective, it was time for them to return. He planned to take Gu Yu elsewhere to carry on honing his skills.

Many things were waiting for him to do, and he couldn't afford to stay in one place for too long.

"Until we meet again!" Liu Wuxie's expression was emotionless, and he had already become accustomed to parting. This temporary farewell was to ensure a better reunion in the future.

"Take care of yourself, young friend!" Liu Wuxie cupped his fists toward Gu Yu.

"Big Brother Liu, you have to come and look for me in the Central Plains!" Gu Yu yelled, wiping the tears on his face. His grandfather grabbed him by the clothes and disappeared into the clouds with a swoosh, leaving a faint echo lingering in Liu Wuxie's ears.

Now alone, Liu Wuxie knew it was time to return to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. The information about Blood Sea Abyssal Island was likely to have reached the Pavilion, which could endanger Fan Zhen and the others. He couldn’t afford to let anything happen to them.

He had traveled to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion on the Heretic Blade, but now, he flew directly back. His current cultivation allowed him to cover a thousand miles daily with ease.

Five days later, Liu Wuxie finally entered Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's territory. The journey back was relatively peaceful, with no one intercepting him.

The news of him killing Hou Clan's five experts hadn't spread out yet.

As Liu Wuxie approached the mountain, he descended and concealed his aura in the ninth level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm. He was only in the seventh level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm when he had left, and it was reasonable for him to have advanced by two levels in the past three months.

He feared he might cause an uproar in the sect if he directly revealed his cultivation in the Heavenly Phase Realm. He walked up the stone steps anxiously, worried that something might’ve already happened to Song Ling and others.

Liu Wuxie's courtyard was filled with people. Song Ling's face was bruised and swollen because he was beaten up when he had gone out for an errand a few days ago. Luo He had managed to save him in time.

The other two were in a similar state, and each bore some injuries. Everyone looked distressed because they would've died several times over the past few days if it weren't for Luo He.

The disciples had escalated their actions, actively seeking opportunities to harm them whenever they ventured out. Luo He was alone and unable to provide constant protection. Whenever he left, they would come under attack again.