Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 482 - If There’s An Afterlife

Aside from Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing’er, everyone had some injuries. Bi Gongyu had a palm print on his left cheek caused by a slap.

Song Ling’s face was swollen with a footprint on his chest, and Fan Zhen was clutching his chest, coughing violently. Lan Yu remained silent, but the footprint on his back told a different story.

Bai Lin and Tang Tian stood by the side, filled with anger.

“This is ridiculous! How dare they treat you like this!” Bai Lin slammed his palm on the stone table, causing it to turn red.

“I’ll report to Elder Tian Xing and let him step in to stop these people,” Tang Tian said as he stood up, planning to report this matter to Elder Tian Xing to seek justice.

“It’s useless. Elder Tian Xing has already sent Luo He to help us multiple times. He’s an elder of the Law-Enforcement Hall and has done everything he can,” Fan Zhen stopped coughing. As the Imperial Academy’s headmaster, he understood the situation more clearly than others.

Even the sect master had no right to interfere because competition between disciples was acknowledged, and they wouldn’t step in as long as no one died. Elder Tian Xing had done more than enough for them, and they couldn’t bring themselves to seek more help.

“Are we just going to sit here and wait for them to come at us?” Tang Tian swung his arm around in frustration and anger.

"We can only take it one step at a time. I hope Wuxie returns safely." Everyone was now pinning their hopes on Liu Wuxie's safe return. As long as he came back alive, their troubles would be resolved.

Everyone felt a boulder weighing down on their hearts when Liu Wuxie’s name was mentioned, and the courtyard fell silent.

“Can you all stop looking so depressed? Big brother won’t die, and he will be back sooner or later!” Song Ling stood up. When he rubbed his cheeks, he winced in the pain. He was also the only person who firmly believed that Liu Wuxie wouldn’t die so quickly.

The news of Liu Wuxie’s death in the Blood Sea Abyssal Island had reached the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion three days ago, shocking everyone. In the past six months, Liu Wuxie's name had become known to everyone in the sect.

After all, Liu Wuxie had done many shocking deeds in the past six months and killed many geniuses. He had even swept through the outer sect with cultivation in the True Core Realm before being promoted to an inner disciple as the strongest outer disciple.

“Song Ling is right. Master won’t die so easily. Do you remember what happened when we arrived? Everyone said that the master was dead, but he came back fine and well.” Lan Yu stood up and supported Song Ling’s belief. They wouldn’t believe in Liu Wuxie’s death unless they saw his corpse.

Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing’er were sobbing by the side. The two women had formed a strong bond in the past three months, going from being at odds to becoming sisters.

Everyone naturally wouldn’t believe in Liu Wuxie’s death, but the news they received was highly trustable, and the odds of Liu Wuxie’s survival were low.

After all, all the humans on the Blood Sea Abyssal Island had perished, including those in the high levels of the Astral River Realm.

When leaving for the Blood Sea Abyssal Island, Liu Wuxie was only in the Heavenly Dipper Realm. This meant his odds of survival weren’t high.

“Get out, or don’t blame us for what will happen next!” yells came from outside the courtyard, but due to the spiritual array, those outside couldn’t enter.

This was also why everyone stayed in the courtyard. They might be able to stay in the courtyard for a day or two, but they couldn’t possibly stay there for their lifetime. They would have to go out eventually, and people kept coming daily to taunt them.

Ten-odd inner disciples attacked the spiritual array repeatedly, trying to force Fan Zhen and others to come out. But the spiritual array was firm, and no one could tear it apart unless someone in the pinnacle of the Heavenly Phase Realm came.

“Light this place up and see how long they can keep hiding!” A youth took out a firestarter, planning to ignite the courtyard.

Burning the buildings wouldn’t damage the spiritual array, but Song Ling and others could only sit on bare ground without the courtyard.

“This is outrageous!” Lan Yu roared, furious as he charged. These were the people who had beaten him, and he risked permanent damage if not treated.

“Let’s fight them to the death!” Song Ling declared, rising with a fierce resolve. “We can’t stay holed up forever! It’s better to die fighting than to live in hiding.”

“Get back here!” Fan Zhen roared as Song Ling and Lan Yu stood in place.

Liu Wuxie had instructed them to listen to Fan Zhen during his absence. After all, Fan Zhen was the headmaster of the Imperial Academy and could maintain his rationality at all times.

“Headmaster, we all know you mean well, but we might as well fight and die a glorious death!” Song Ling punched the ground and could barely hold himself back. He would rather die standing than hole up in the courtyard.

“You think rushing out and getting yourself killed makes you a hero? If you die here, how will I explain it to Liu Wuxie when he returns?” Fan Zhen snapped, his frustration evident. He was just as angry as everyone else but knew that impulsiveness wasn’t the answer.

“What should we do then? If the courtyard is destroyed, will we sit here on the ground and wait?” Lan Yu retorted, his emotions frayed. Since learning of his master’s death on Blood Sea Abyssal Island, he had been unable to rest properly, numbing himself through constant cultivation.

Bi Gongyu did not comment because he was the chief alchemist of the Treasure Pill Pavilion and could maintain his composure. He could even endure it after getting slapped without retaliating.

He knew he would suffer more humiliation if he argued or retaliated. After all, a gentleman wasn’t ready to take revenge and could wait until he paid them back someday.

“Wait!” Fan Zhen commanded. They had no choice but to endure. If Liu Wuxie didn’t return before their situation became critical, they could charge out then.

No one dared to defy Fan Zhen’s orders, and they reluctantly returned, ignoring the taunts from outside.

“What a bunch of cowards. Get lost from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion! This isn’t the place for you people!” Those outside the courtyard taunted them, and everyone’s faces became grim.

“Let’s not waste any more time with them. We’ll burn the place and see where they can hide.” Frustrated by the lack of response from inside the courtyard, those outside decided to set it ablaze. They wanted to test how long the occupants could endure the intense heat.

Many people gathered outside but didn’t get close because this was the norm in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Everyone was already used to it.

If anyone burned down a building, they would only have to compensate the sect with resources or pay points to hire other disciples to repair the building. But everything would be worth it if they could kill those close to Liu Wuxie.

The flame started small but swiftly spread out, igniting the walls. The fire spread swiftly as the wind blew into the courtyard.

When Liu Wuxie had set up the spiritual array, it was meant to defend against humans, not fire.

No one intervened to help those trapped inside; instead, the onlookers watched with gleeful anticipation. Liu Wuxie’s previous achievements had cast a long shadow, and now they relished seeing others struggle.

“Headmaster, let us kill our way out!” The fire spread quickly and was already burning into the courtyard. If this continued, they would be burned alive.

The situation had become dire, and they would suffocate from the smoke if they didn’t make a decision soon, even if the fire didn’t kill them.

Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing’er covered their mouths and noses, coughing under the intense smoke. Their bodies were also reaching the limit.

“Let’s fight our way out!” Fan Zhen, who had once been a fierce figure but had mellowed as the headmaster of the Imperial Academy, maintained his composure despite the crisis. However, if things got out of control, his old ferocity would resurface.

Upon receiving Fan Zhen’s order, Song Ling took the lead to charge out, holding onto a jade and unleashing a defensive spiritual array.

“I’ll fight you all to the death!” Song Ling charged out with a blade in the other hand.

However, a foot suddenly reached out to send his plump body flying with a kick. His being sent flying away with one strike showed a significant difference in their strength.

Bi Gongyu, Lan Yu, Chen Ruoyan, Bai Lin, and Tang Tian joined the fight, and chaos ensued.

Fan Zhen's fearless fighting style left everyone stunned, turning the scene into a more chaotic spectacle. Though over a dozen disciples were outside the courtyard, they were wary of their own safety and resorted to hit-and-run tactics.

Despite their low cultivation levels, Fan Zhen and his group were in the Heavenly Dipper Realm. Even those at higher levels in the Heavenly Dipper Realm would be wary of a fight to the death with them.

With many already facing certain doom, they didn't need to engage in a full-scale battle; instead, they could gradually exhaust their opponents' true essence.

Fan Zhen was sent flying away, Bi Gongyu took a stab in his chest, and Lan Yu suffered over thirty-odd wounds.

Perhaps because Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing’er were women, not many people attacked them.

Song Ling didn’t know how many blows he took because his body became swollen like a balloon. Bai Lin and Tang Tian weren’t in much better shape.

The ground was already covered in red, with a thick reeking of blood permeating the surrounding air. But the reckless fighting way of Fan Zhen and others moved many onlookers.

Human life was insignificant in the cultivation world, but how many people could disregard their lives and face death? Then again, Fan Zhen’s group had no retreat path and could only fight to the death.

Even if Fan Zhen’s group had to die, they would die with dignity. Before leaving, Lou He had warned them not to leave the courtyard even if the sky were to fall. They would have heeded his warning if they had known this situation.

It was too late for them to return now, as their injuries were worsening.

Lan Yu coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body covered in wounds. Fan Zhen, in even worse shape, was also coughing up blood, with clots accompanying each spasm.

Song Ling was still struggling to stand and couldn’t speak. His face was so swollen that his eye sockets were above to cave in. Even Bi Gongyu’s chest was covered in blood.

Fan Zhen’s group stood tenaciously despite their injuries and supported each other, refusing to fall.

“Hahaha, even if I die today, I won’t have lived in vain!” Bi Gongyu laughed, his spirit undaunted. If not for Liu Wuxie, he would still be the pavilion master in Azure Billow City. Liu Wuxie had opened his eyes to a broader world.

“Master, I’ll serve you in my next life!” Lan Yu clutched his chest to try and slow down his bleeding as much as possible.

“Big brother, let’s be brothers again in our next life!” Song Ling said, and he could no longer see due to his swollen face. He only had two slits with tears flowing down.

Everyone was filled with spirit, and their voices could be heard from a few kilometers away.

Liu Wuxie was walking towards his courtyard, and their voices reached his ears.