Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 179 - Old Man

The valley was vast, spanning over ten thousand meters in radius. It was encircled by mountains on three sides, leaving only one entrance. The walls were riddled with dens, serving as homes to the bats that ventured out only at night to hunt.

Relying on Ghost Eye, Liu Wuxie could see that Chen Ruoyan was taken into a vast cave. However, the Ghost Eye’s range was limited to three hundred meters at best, and the depth of the cave soon exceeded its scope.

I have to find a way to enter. So many people have disappeared in the Western Breeze Mountain Range, and it must be related to the bat demonic beasts here. As long as I resolve the secrets here, I can find the disappeared people.

It struck him as odd that the bat demonic beasts had captured Chen Ruoyan alive instead of killing her outright. “Could they intend to eat her alive?” he wondered. But bats were known to consume blood primarily and seldom ate meat, which left Liu Wuxie puzzled.

Most importantly, Liu Wuxie could hear a flute sound when Chen Ruoyan was captured. Someone or something must have been controlling these bat demonic beasts to capture people alive and bring them here.

Liu Wuxie had more or less pieced together the situation through his observations. If the bat demonic beasts had intended to kill, Chen Ruoyan would have already been drained of blood and her lifeless body discarded. Therefore, the bat demonic beasts’ behavior was peculiar.

However, Liu Wuxie was confronted with a more significant question: How could he gain entry? The area was swarming with bats patrolling the valley, and if he revealed himself, he would be faced with tens of thousands of bats. Despite his strength, he could only flee when faced with such overwhelming numbers.

As the time ticked by, each wasted minute increased the danger for Chen Ruoyan, naturally causing him to grow increasingly anxious.

Even though Liu Wuxie didn’t have a deep connection with Chen Ruoyan, she had come to the Western Breeze Mountain Range in search of him, and he would be wracked with guilt if she were to die here.

An hour had passed in the blink of an eye, and it was near the early morning hours. Liu Wuxie still hadn’t devised a good plan because the bat demonic beasts had excellent night vision, and getting close meant risking being detected.

“Something’s odd. The number of bat demonic beasts is dwindling!” Liu Wuxie, perched on a large tree, observed the valley. He noticed a decrease in the number of bat demonic beasts and descended from the tree.

“I understand now; it’s because daylight is approaching!”

Bats liked to move at night and rest in their caves in the day. During the day, they would become blind and incapable of flight. He saw thousands of bats flying back into the valley, passing by where Liu Wuxie hid and returning to their caves.

In the blink of an eye, the bats disappeared in the valley.

Without a moment’s delay, Liu Wuxie vanished and sprinted towards the largest cave where Chen Ruoyan had been taken. He masked his aura, wary of alerting the bat demonic beasts in the vicinity.

The cave was colossal, resembling the gaping maw of a monstrous beast. Liu Wuxie pressed on, leaning against the wall as his divine sense spread throughout the cave like liquid mercury.

A foul odor permeated the ground, emanating from the droppings of the bat demonic beasts. Approximately ten minutes later, a skeleton materialized on the ground. The corpse had decayed, its blood drained by the bat demonic beasts.

“It’s the uniform of the Imperial Academy!” Liu Wuxie recognized the clothes after squatting down for a closer look. This was the uniform of a Profound Grade student, and the bats killed him.

Liu Wuxie unsheathed the Heretic Blade, ready to engage in combat at any moment. As his divine sense expanded, he detected no immediate danger and quickened his pace, concerned for Chen Ruoyan’s safety.

The cave was shrouded in darkness, but thanks to Ghost Eye, Liu Wuxie could discern a rough outline of the interior. Anyone else in his position would undoubtedly lose their way.

Suddenly, Liu Wuxie heard a squeaking sound as a bat flew past him, seemingly oblivious to his presence, and disappeared deeper into the cave.

Liu Wuxie performed the Seven Dipper Steps and followed behind that bat without hesitation. The stench from the ground was nauseating, and Liu Wuxie practically traveled with his nose covered.

After navigating through a narrow passage, his vision suddenly broadened as if he had entered an underground world. He came to an abrupt halt, taken aback by the sight before him.

“This...” Liu Wuxie was at a loss for words. Thousands of bats hung from the cave ceiling, and numerous cages were placed on the ground, each housing ten-plus humans and demonic beasts, all appearing exhausted.

They were restrained as bats had used their venom to seal their cultivation, reducing them to ordinary people.

“Let me out! Do you know who I am? If I give the order, an army will come to level this place!” A familiar voice sounded, and hearing that voice brought a smirk to Liu Wuxie’s lips.

Chen Ruoyan was locked up and thrown into a dirty cage like everyone else.

Liu Wuxie didn’t make any rash move, fearing that he might alarm the bats. At this moment, Liu Wuxie was certain that someone was keeping these bats on purpose. If he killed the mastermind, the bats would lose their master and be easier to deal with.

Liu Wuxie had spotted a black figure during the bat attack, which appeared to be human based on its silhouette. However, he couldn’t identify the mastermind clearly due to the distance.

“Silence! Our ancestor loves to eat tender young beauties the most.” A skinny old man walked over from another entrance. He had a bony figure, looking as though a gentle breeze could make him fall to the ground.

His presence sent the human captives in the cage into a state of fear, causing them to cower in a corner, terrified that they might be next. The demonic beasts also cowered in fear, emitting low growls. This raised the question: What instilled such fear in these demonic beasts?

“Release me if you dare! Watch as I lay waste to this bat cave!” Chen Ruoyan’s voice reverberated throughout the cave, but the old man paid her no heed and opened the cage, letting her out.

However, when Chen Ruoyan attempted to raise her hand in preparation for battle, she was overcome by a wave of numbness and could only stand there, gritting her teeth. This brought a sigh of relief from the other captives, glad that they could live for another day.

“Are you going to walk by yourself, or do you need me to help you?” The old man said, pointing to the front. He gave Chen Ruoyan a choice to either walk on her own or be carried by the bats.

“No need. I’ll walk on my own!” Recalling how those disgusting bats had carried her, Chen Ruoyan walked toward the cave's depths to see who was nurturing so many bats.

With a wave of the old man’s hand, the bats returned to their original positions, continuing their vigil to prevent any escapes. For the time being, Liu Wuxie decided against rescuing the captives to avoid alerting the enemies to his presence. He quietly trailed behind the old man and Chen Ruoyan.

Liu Wuxie’s primary goal was to uncover what was happening. The fact that the old man was human was a relief for Liu Wuxie, as he had numerous strategies for dealing with humans.

Tailing behind, Liu Wuxie observed that the path was clean without any bats dropping. The old man was also strong, cultivating in the third-level Marrow Cleansing Realm. Since that was the case, how strong would his master be?

The path was filled with twists and turns. Roughly after fifteen minutes of walking, the vision ahead changed, revealing a lavishly decorated underground palace. The old man walked towards the gate and bowed, “Master, I’ve brought her here.”

After the old man announced his arrival, he retreated to the side. The underground palace was luxurious, with precious luminous pearls on the walls lighting up the cave. In the center of the palace was a massive stone bed with soft bedding, and a faint black figure sat on it.

“Come in!” It was a sharp voice, sounding neither like a male nor female. The voice was hoarse, like that of a duck, sending shivers down the spine.

“Go in!” The old man shoved Chen Ruoyan forward. She was already under control and had no means of escaping, so the old man left after speaking.

When the old man passed by Liu Wuxie, he suddenly stopped and sniffed around. Liu Wuxie had concealed himself in the darkness, holding his breath. Even if the old man stood beside him, he couldn’t detect him.

After finding nothing, the old man left as he had other matters to attend to. There was no sign of life within a hundred meters of radius. The black figure in the underground palace should be the master of this place.

“How dare you! Do you know who I am?!” Chen Ruoyan demanded keeping a safe distance from the bed at the center. She suppressed her inner fear and held herself upright, unwilling to lose in terms of demeanor.

“I know. You already introduced yourself when you came in. You’re the Great Yan Dynasty’s third princess,” said the figure seated on the stone bed.

Liu Wuxie got close but didn’t step into the underground palace, waiting for an opportunity to make a move.

“Since you know, why aren’t you letting me go obediently?!” Chen Ruoyan became bold. Her status as the Great Yan Dynasty’s third princess allowed her to receive respect wherever she went. Even notorious figures like Qian Kun were willing to let her leave and didn’t want to make an enemy out of her upon discovering her identity.

“Let you go?” The black figure on the stone bed sneered. “No one can leave this place alive after entering the bat cave, not to mention that you possess the royal bloodline. I bet you will be tasty...”

The sharp laughter coming from the stone bed made Liu Wuxie's scalp tingle. After all, even as an Immortal Emperor in his past life, he had never done something like eating humans. But he had met many demon clans who feasted on humans.

“Y-You want to eat me?!” Chen Ruoyan panicked as she retreated, planning to escape when possible. Even if she was bold, she couldn’t help trembling upon hearing that she was about to be eaten. She was a woman, not to mention that she wasn’t old. Even Liu Wuxie could feel his scalps tingle upon hearing it, not to mention a pampered princess like her.

“Is there an issue? Everyone captured here is my food,” the black figure declared, standing up and reaching out. This caused Chen Ruoyan to fly towards him involuntarily.

“ARHHHHH!” Chen Ruoyan screamed and fainted when she saw the appearance of that black figure.

In the dim light, Liu Wuxie could make out a pair of fangs on the black figure, slowly inching towards Chen Ruoyan’s neck.