Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 208 - Tear Into Pieces

Several mysterious people appeared on the main road leading to Azure Billow City.

“Shao Dongli, why don’t we go to the Imperial City to apprehend him? What are we doing in Azure Billow City?” a middle-aged voiced his confusion.

“Brother Hu Yang, that brat is a student of the Imperial Academy. Do you expect us to go there to catch him? The best way is to seize his family and force him to hand over the Fire Spiritual Bead,” Shao Dongli responded with a sinister smile.

They had failed to secure the Fire Spiritual Bead after Liu Wuxie had frightened Wen Li away, and they had been harboring resentment ever since. Upon their return, they spent several days thoroughly investigating Liu Wuxie before inviting a few friends and setting off for Azure Billow City.

“Brother Shao is right. If we take his family, he can only obediently hand over the Fire Spiritual Bead.” The one who spoke was a man in his thirties, the youngest of the seven.

“Since we’ve reached an agreement, let’s depart quickly in case he refines the Fire Spiritual Bead,” Hu Yang urged.

Azure Billow City was still the same as before, but they were unaware that a storm was brewing.

......

The next day, Xu Lingxue donned a white dress that accentuated her beauty. Having been promoted to a Heaven Grade student a few days prior, she stood before Liu Wuxie, appearing as ethereal as a celestial fairy.

The sight of her left Li Shengsheng and the others in awe; they could hardly believe that such a beautiful person existed in the world.

“Let’s depart!” Xu Lingxue announced, her presence attracting butterflies and causing the courtyard flowers to bloom spontaneously. As she and Liu Wuxie stood together, they resembled a heavenly-matched couple.

When they left the Imperial City, they hastened their speed. This was Xu Lingxue’s first time traveling so far away, and she was eager to return to Azure Billow City.

A day later, Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue found an inn to rest. Wherever Xu Lingxue went, she would attract countless gazes, forcing her to wear a veil to cover her beauty.

“How confident are you in the death match with Qin Shi?” Xu Lingxue inquired, sipping her tea. Throughout their journey, Liu Wuxie had been mostly silent, and they had traveled in quiet companionship.

“Fifty percent!” Liu Wuxie placed the cup down and gave a figure. That was one of Mu Yueying’s prerequisites for obtaining a fifth-grade talisman paper.

“I can get my master to intervene and resolve your grievances.” Xu Lingxue bit on her lips. She feared she would hurt Liu Wuxie’s dignity, as her master had torn up their engagement paper in Xu Clan.

“I’m capable of managing my own affairs,” Liu Wuxie responded. He understood Xu Lingxue’s good intentions and held no resentment towards her. He continued to drink his tea under this tense atmosphere.

“Why do you have to be so stubborn?” Xu Lingxue’s gaze turned cold.

“Don’t worry about it; I won’t die.”

There was a subtle change in their relationship, and Xu Lingxue couldn’t describe it. The person she hated so much in the past had changed, becoming decisive and aloof, especially his eyes, which exuded a sense of vicissitude. He didn’t look like a youth but someone who had lived for centuries.

After settling their bill, the two departed from the inn.

“Guess what news I picked up on my return from Azure Billow City?” A middle-aged man, dressed in the attire of a merchant shared with his companions as he took a seat.

Upon hearing about the mention of Azure Billow City, Liu Wuxie paused in his tracks.

“What did you hear?” The merchant across from him was clearly itching for some news. These merchants, with their frequent travels, often brought back fresh tidbits of information.

“I had a stomachache yesterday and went to the nearby woods to relieve myself. But seven experts suddenly appeared, and each of them gave off a powerful aura. Can you guess what they said?” The middle-aged man paused on purpose, piquing the curiosity of his companions.

“Quit stalling and spill it. We don’t have all day,” his companions grumbled impatiently.

“The seven individuals were apparently heading to Azure Billow City to apprehend someone for the Fire Spiritual Bead. That’s all I managed to overhear as they were quite distant.” The middle-aged man’s words were cut short as a gust of wind swept through the inn, and he found himself hoisted off the ground.

“Tell me, what else did those seven say?” Liu Wuxie lifted the merchant with one hand and exuded a powerful murderous intent that sent all the furniture in the inn flying away. It seemed the seven were planning to capture his in-laws to coerce him into surrendering the Fire Spiritual Bead.

“T-That’s all I know. Please, don’t harm me!” The middle-aged man, a small business owner without any guards, was terrified by Liu Wuxie’s murderous intent. He lost control of his bladder, a warm stream trickling down his pants.

After setting the middle-aged man down, Liu Wuxie vanished from the inn. Xu Lingxue was left in confusion, but she hastened to follow him.

“Wuxie, what’s going on?” Xu Lingxue asked, concern etched on her face as she caught up with Liu Wuxie.

“The Xu Clan may be in danger. We need to move quickly.”

Upon hearing that the Xu Clan might be in danger, Xu Lingxue quickened her pace, pushing herself to the limit.

The average journey from the Imperial City to Azure Billow City would take three days. However, Liu Wuxie took five days due to frequent stops.

Over the past few months, the Xu Clan had been thriving. Despite this, their growth was slow as they prioritized investing resources in the development of the younger generation.

When a new day came, seven mysterious people appeared at the gates of Azure Billow City, causing an uproar when they entered the city.

Bi Gongyu placed the pill in his hand and frowned. The powerful energy fluctuation indicated that there were experts there.

The powerful aura instantly sent the Azure Billow City into chaos. Many shops closed down as people hid in their homes, not daring to come out.

......

Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue had been journeying non-stop along the mountain path for two days and nights. Xu Lingxue was panting heavily, barely managing to keep going with the help of pills supplied by Liu Wuxie. They had consumed over fifty fourth-grade pills, and even Liu Wuxie’s true essence was nearing depletion.

“What’s happening, Wuxie?” Xu Lingxue asked, taking a seat. They were only half a day away from Azure Billow City, and she was anxious about her parents’ safety.

“It’s a long story,” Liu Wuxie replied. It wasn’t something he could explain quickly. He summoned the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron and began to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy.

Xu Lingxue watched in astonishment. This was the first time they had cultivated together. The spiritual liquid that flowed from the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron quickly replenished Liu Wuxie’s depleted true essence. If anything were to happen, Liu Wuxie would be able to return to Azure Billow City swiftly.

Suddenly, several powerful auras approached, signaling an impending ambush. The rustling sounds from the woods indicated someone was coming, and Liu Wuxie immediately rose to his feet.

“Could it be someone from the Assassin Pavilion?” Liu Wuxie wondered aloud. He had already encountered two ambushes from the Assassin Pavilion in recent days. They were masters of stealth and surprise attacks.

A sword appeared in Xu Lingxue’s hand, her eyes turning icy. She was in a bad mood since she knew the Xu Clan was in danger.

“Liu Wuxie, we meet again!” A familiar voice echoed as four figures emerged from the woods, a mere ten meters away.

Recognizing one of them, Liu Wuxie lowered the Heretic Blade he held in his hand.

“Pavilion Master Shangguan, what a surprise to find you here,” Liu Wuxie responded with a sneer. Besides Shangguan Cai, the others were familiar faces too—Cong Jun from Balance City and Heng Zheng from Plum City. However, the presence of Ji Yang in this group was the most unexpected.

“Liu Wuxie, you didn’t anticipate our encounter here, did you?” Shangguan Cai retorted with a smirk. After all, Liu Wuxie had taken something that belonged to Ji Yang during an alchemy competition.

In the past month, Liu Wuxie had publicly humiliated Ji Yang at the Imperial Academy. It was only natural for Shangguan Cai, as Ji Yang’s master, to seek retribution.

“Ji Yang tipped you off, didn’t he?” Liu Wuxie speculated. Ji Yang must have felt threatened after Liu Wuxie had crippled Bai Zhan and was likely eager to eliminate Liu Wuxie as soon as possible.

If Liu Wuxie died, Ji Yang would take on the title of the youngest four-star alchemist in the Great Yan Dynasty.

Ji Yang had set off a day earlier, journeying day and night to alert his master and two pavilion masters to set up an ambush.

“Brat, I never thought you’d progress this far in just a few months, but today will be your end!” Heng Zheng scoffed. Xue Chou was a representative of Plum City, and his close ties with the Xue Clan were evident. He had hurried over upon receiving Shangguan Cai’s pigeon post.

“Are you four trash really planning to kill me?” Liu Wuxie retorted. Shangguan Cai was only at the third level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, while Cong Jun and Heng Zheng were at the second level, and Ji Yang at the first. They were nothing more than trash that Liu Wuxie could easily eliminate with a single strike.

“Just because you dared to call us trash, we won’t let you die easily. We’ll cripple you and torment your wife in front of you!” Heng Zheng’s face twisted with rage. Despite being older than Xu Yilin, he couldn’t contain himself when he heard Liu Wuxie utter such words.

Xu Lingxue was furious to the point that she began to tremble. She hadn’t expected the pavilion master of a Treasure Pill Pavilion’s branch to be so despicable.

“I’ll tear you all into pieces!” Murderous intent exuded from Liu Wuxie’s eyes. He had already given them death sentences since they dared humiliate his wife. His boundless rage enveloped a few hundred meters of radius, and this was the first time Liu Wuxie couldn’t wait to kill someone.

At this moment, he realized that Xu Lingxue held an irreplaceable place in his heart.

The boundless murderous intent made Shangguan Cai frown because Liu Wuxie exuded a powerful aura. He wondered if he really was in the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

Xu Lingxue wanted to join the fight, but Liu Wuxie stopped her. Her cultivation was at the first level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, but it would only sully her hands. He said, “Don’t soil your hands with these people!”

Xu Lingxue nodded obediently and sheathed her sword.

“Attack together and kill him! If the lady knows what we did, all of us will be finished!” They knew that Liu Wuxie was the Treasure Pill Pavilion’s chief alchemist, and it was a serious matter for them to try to kill their superior.

Four powerful auras swept out from four directions, targeting Liu Wuxie. The four were experts, each grasping a powerful martial technique.

Xu Lingxue looked worried as she watched. This ensured she could render help immediately if Liu Wuxie was in danger.

“I will let you all die in agony!” Liu Wuxie would do as he said, and he vowed that he would tear them into pieces before killing them.