Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 187 - Resorting to Drastic Measures

After returning to the mountain’s foot, the group continued to bolt towards the dense forest. The flow of magma had slowed, and the threat was temporarily elevated.

The group of roughly thirty individuals gasped for breath, having expended every ounce of their energy in their desperate escape. However, before they could fully recover, Wen Li’s group encircled Liu Wuxie and the couple, preventing their escape.

“Brat, hand over the Fire Spiritual Bead, and we’ll spare your life!” Terrifying murderous intent swept out and locked onto Liu Wuxie’s group of three.

“Shao Dongli, how dare you?! Someone like you dares to say something so arrogant?” Chen Yusheng glanced at the man who spoke. This person was only in the fourth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and it was ridiculous for him to demand Liu Wuxie to hand over the Fire Spiritual Bead.

Even the likes of Cui Shao and Xuanyuan Guang were killed by Liu Wuxie. This meant Wen Li was the only one who could threaten the three of them.

Now that Liu Wuxie had reached the sixth level of the Spirit Cleansing Realm, it shouldn’t be an issue for him to deal with someone in the sixth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. As long as they cooperated well, there was a high chance of killing these people.

The only real threat to Liu Wuxie was Wen Li. As he assessed the situation, he realized that as long as Wen Li was defeated, the others would pose no threat.

“I won’t make things difficult for you. Hand over the Fire Spiritual Bead, and I promise to let you go,” Wen Li proposed, aware that he was the only one capable of intimidating Liu Wuxie. As long as Liu Wuxie surrendered the Fire Spiritual Bead, the others were irrelevant to him.

The Fire Spiritual Bead was singular in existence, and it was coveted by all. Despite appearing to be on the same side, the group would descend into chaos once Liu Wuxie revealed the Fire Spiritual Bead.

Wen Li’s words hit the mark, proving his cunningness. As long as he obtained the Fire Spiritual Bead, this matter would come to a perfect end.

Everyone’s eyes fell on Liu Wuxie, awaiting his reply.

“Senior Wen, you won’t be able to withstand it even if I give you the Fire Spiritual Bead,” Liu Wuxie smiled, looking at Wen Li.

“Your arrogance is unbecoming for someone so young. Once you surrender the Fire Spiritual Bead, I have my methods to refine it,” Wen Li retorted, his fury palpable as he advanced, unleashing a formidable aura from the Marrow Cleansing Realm towards Liu Wuxie.

The shockwave from his aura’s explosion reduced the trees behind Liu Wuxie to ashes, pressuring Liu Wuxie to relinquish the Fire Spiritual Bead.

“May I pose a few questions, Senior Wen?” Liu Wuxie remained unfazed by Wen Li’s aura. Dealing with Wen Li, who was at the seventh level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, wouldn’t be easy. He could resort to inscribing immortal runes again if necessary, but finding another Azure Soul Grass would be challenging.

If his soul sea suffered further damage, it could be permanent. Therefore, Liu Wuxie preferred to avoid combat with Wen Li if possible.

“Go on!” Wen Li said impatiently, urging Liu Wuxie to finish his question quickly and hand over the Fire Spiritual Bead to avoid further complications and attract more experts.

“May I inquire if you, Senior Wen, have experienced excruciating pain in your lungs and heart meridians over the past year or two?” Liu Wuxie observed that Wen Li’s lungs and heart meridians were riddled with cracks and on the brink of collapse.

Upon hearing Liu Wuxie’s words, Wen Li staggered, nearly toppling over. Even his closest confidants were unaware of this, so how did Liu Wuxie come to know?

“H-How do you know about it!” Wen Li was aghast. The pain had been tormenting him each time it occurred. This was a secret he had concealed for years, but the pain had intensified this year.

“I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you that you will die within a month. You can look at your arms if you don’t believe it. Black spots must’ve started to appear on your arms, and they’re corpse spots. This means that your life is slowly withering,” Liu Wuxie said, but he didn’t tell Wen Li the specific reasons.

Wen Li ripped his clothes apart, revealing his arms. His arms didn’t have a piece of flesh but were left with a layer of skin covering the bones. His arms also had large black spots, giving off a foul stench.

“It stinks!” The cultivators closest to Wen Li retreated from the foul stench. They even covered their noses, fearing that they might get infected.

Wen Li stared at the black spots on his arms as if he had been struck by lightning. He was aware of their existence but had dismissed them as a minor health issue, never associating them with the ominous corpse spots that typically appeared on those nearing death.

“Enough with your nonsense, boy. Do you think your words can intimidate me? Hand over the Fire Spiritual Bead, or face the consequences!” Wen Li roared, rolling down his sleeves. He was even prepared to kill Liu Wuxie, convinced that the latter was merely trying to scare him.

It was common for cultivators to experience health issues due to their cultivation practices, and Liu Wuxie could identify these in everyone present. However, he hadn’t anticipated the severity of Wen Li’s condition.

Even Liu Wuxie’s body had some issues that would require attention as his cultivation progressed.

“Believe it or not, that’s up to you. Apart from me, no one else can save you or treat your condition,” Liu Wuxie shrugged, indifferent to whether Wen Li believed his words.

In reality, Wen Li had already accepted Liu Wuxie’s words. After all, the fact that Liu Wuxie could diagnose his condition with a mere glance indicated that he was no ordinary individual.

“Hmph, I’ll capture you then. I don’t believe you won’t talk!” Wen Li reached out to grab Liu Wuxie, planning to capture and force him to reveal the treatment method.

“Senior Wen, do you think I said that because I’m trying to force you to leave? Do you think I’m afraid of you?” Liu Wuxie didn’t show any signs of weakness. The best way to prove his point was to demonstrate his strength, and he was also curious to see how powerful someone at the seventh level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm could be.

With his lungs and heart meridians injured, Wen Li’s strength had greatly declined and was no longer comparable to his prime. When they clashed, they were so fast that no one could keep up with them, and they exchanged over a few hundred moves in a split second.

Liu Wuxie and Wen Li fought in close combat. The Bone Refining Pills and Blood Crystals had transformed Liu Wuxie’s physique, far exceeding ordinary cultivators. His physique was comparable to someone in the high levels of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

An explosion resulting from their clash caused Liu Wuxie and Wen Li to retreat. Liu Wuxie appeared composed, while Wen Li’s face was grim. Despite being at the seventh level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, Wen Li was helpless against someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

The witnessing cultivators were horrified, their eyes nearly bulging out. They were left dumbfounded by Liu Wuxie’s combat prowess.

“I concede that I’ve only exerted seventy percent of my power, and it’s likely you haven’t fully unleashed yours either. I admit that it won’t be easy for me to defeat you. If you’re willing to help me resolve the issue with my body, I can leave immediately!” Wen Li was in low spirits. The fact that he failed to kill someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm after a few hundred moves proved that he had failed.

Compared to his life, the Fire Spiritual Bead was insignificant.

“Senior Wen, don’t be deceived by him! I know a physician, and I believe he can treat your condition,” Shao Dongli interjected. Given his age, he believed that Liu Wuxie couldn’t possibly be a physician and must be bluffing.

Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking that what Shao Dongli said was right.

“You should take care of yourself first before talking. If I'm not wrong, you must occasionally feel a burning pain in your dantian. If this keeps up, you will die within three years,” Liu Wuxie said coldly as he looked at Shao Dongli.

Upon hearing Liu Wuxie’s words, Shao Dongli staggered and nearly fell. Like Wen Li, he also had a health issue, which was his dantian. But he didn’t dare to talk about it, fearing that his enemies would find out; he didn’t expect to be exposed by Liu Wuxie.

The crowd exploded, and everyone looked at Liu Wuxie like they were looking at a monster.

“Young man, tell me how I can treat my conditions!” Wen Li now believed that Liu Wuxie wasn’t just boasting. Not only did Liu Wuxie see through his problems, but he even saw through Shao Dongli’s condition. This meant that Liu Wuxie wasn’t an ordinary physician but a Grandmaster Physician!

“To treat your condition, I can teach you a mantra to alleviate the damage to your lungs and heart meridians. If you don’t use your true essence that often, it should be fine for you to live for a few more decades,” Liu Wuxie said, holding onto his chin. He took out a brush and paper before writing down the mantra. If Wen Li adhered to this mantra and cultivated it, he could mitigate the damage to his lungs and heart meridians.

With Liu Wuxie’s ability, he could address such a minor problem on the spot and resolve Wen Li’s condition thoroughly. But why should he help someone who wanted to kill him just a moment ago? Helping Wen Li suppress his condition was the best he could do.

While Wen Li might not be able to kill him single-handedly, the situation would be different if they all attacked him together. If Wen Li were forced to leave, their alliance would disintegrate, addressing the problem at its core.

Upon receiving the mantra written by Liu Wuxie, Wen Li merely glanced at it before his hands began to tremble. Each word resonated like the voice of dao, charging through his body. His lung meridians also started trembling as though they were responding to the mantra and began to circulate.

There were only a few hundred words, and Wen Li swiftly grasped it. When he tried to cultivate according to the mantra, he could feel a warm sensation coursing through his lung meridians, greatly relieving his discomfort.

Over the past few years, he had to bear the torture from the lungs and heart meridians in every battle. The pain was an unimaginable torture to him each time, but it was finally resolved that day.

“Young man, I apologize for what I did earlier. If there’s an opportunity in the future, you can visit my Wen Clan as a guest,” Wen Li said, cupping his hands at Liu Wuxie before leaving without hesitation.

If he hadn’t met Liu Wuxie that day, he would’ve died a month from now.

The remaining thirty-one people looked at each other in confusion. They were contemplating whether to continue attacking Liu Wuxie.

Even Wen Li couldn’t take down Liu Wuxie, and they would just be sending themselves to die if they attacked.

Chen Yusheng and his wife were prepared for a battle. In the worst scenario, they planned to sacrifice themselves to buy time for Liu Wuxie to escape. However, they were taken aback by the outcome, watching as Liu Wuxie diffused the situation with just a few words.

With Wen Li out of the picture, Chen Yusheng and Qin Biyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“You all still want to fight?”

Liu Wuxie looked at the thirty-one people with a playful expression. He didn’t mind slaughtering everyone else as they must be filthy rich as Marrow Cleansing Realm experts.

He had already consumed more than ten thousand spirit stones in a few days, and his spirit stones would deplete if this carried on.

“Brat, don’t be arrogant. The news of you obtaining the Fire Spiritual Bead will soon spread out.” Some still refused to give up. They might not be Liu Wuxie’s opponent, but they could invite the other experts to join them. After all, refining the Fire Spiritual Bead in a day or two was impossible, and they had to seize it before Liu Wuxie refined it entirely.