Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 221 - Thunderbolt

Liu Wuxie’s actions were a mystery to all. As he faced imminent death, he seemed to be praying to the heavens to strike down Qin Shi.

The Advanced Class Six students stood up and laughed heartily, “Hahaha! That brat is finally going to die!”

Meanwhile, Qin Shi’s relentless sword aura continued to inflict wounds on Liu Wuxie, who was now drenched in his own blood. His blood pooled on the ground, forming a small stream.

Zhao Enzhu sighed at this sight, lamenting the impending fall of such a prodigious talent.

Suddenly, the scene was interrupted by the rumbling of thunder. A golden lightning dragon materialized in the thunderclouds, sending shockwaves through the crowd and giving Qin Shi an ominous feeling. It was as if a mysterious force had locked onto him.

Everyone looked up, their eyes wide with confusion and awe. They couldn’t understand why thunder would appear on a clear day, let alone the appearance of the golden lightning dragon.

In a dramatic turn of events, Liu Wuxie declared, “Qin Shi, I shall represent heaven to destroy you!” Unnoticed by all, a beam shot out from Liu Wuxie’s index finger, soaring into the cloud. As he spoke, five thunderbolts converged, forming a dragon made of lightning that descended from the sky.

Qin Shi attempted to dodge, but it was too late. The sudden, massive thunderbolt struck him directly in a shocking twist of fate.

Arcs of lightning enveloped Qin Shi, and the resulting shockwave sent Liu Wuxie, who was ten meters away, flying. Swiftly, Liu Wuxie swallowed a pill to suppress his injuries.

The terrifying shockwave radiated from the arena, sending the Heaven Grade students nearest to the arena flying. Even some teachers were caught off guard and sent flying.

Chaos ensued as the sudden thunderbolt took everyone by surprise. Lightning continued to spread across the arena, encircling a few hundred meters radius and transforming the surroundings into a sea of lightning.

Tragically, some individuals in the lower levels of the Spirit Cleansing Realm couldn’t react in time and were reduced to char.

Even Liu Wuxie hadn’t anticipated the immense power of the Pentabolt Talisman. As the lightning danced across the sky, it resembled a display of silver fireworks, casting a beautiful yet terrifying glow over the entire arena.

The lightning lasted for fifteen minutes and began to weaken gradually. When everyone got back on their feet, most people still had smoke emitting from their heads. Only those in the high levels of the Marrow Cleansing Realm barely managed to escape the disaster.

This was the might of heaven and earth, a force beyond human resistance. The thunderbolt had reduced the once bustling arena to rubble. Amidst the destruction, Liu Wuxie stood on a pile of debris; his bleeding had now ceased.

“Where’s Qin Shi?” Everyone came to their senses and tried to search for Qin Shi. But aside from Liu Wuxie, there wasn’t anyone else in the arena. This puzzled everyone as they looked at each other at a loss.

“The thunderbolt probably destroyed him!” Although it was an outcome no one could accept, it was the truth.

“Holy shit! Why did lightning appear all of a sudden?” The surroundings fell into chaos. Everyone wanted to know what was going on and how Qin Shi died.

“Such terrifying lightning hadn’t appeared for centuries!” The patriarchs of the five major clans looked at each other with a hint of shock and disbelief in their eyes. They suspected that the thunder was no coincidence and must have something to do with Liu Wuxie.

However, none of them had any solid proof that Liu Wuxie was the instigator. With Qin Shi’s death, everything was shrouded in mystery.

Xu Lingxue, her hand covering her mouth, was taken aback by the terrifying thunderbolt. It was a force that no one could resist unless they had reached the True Core Realm in their cultivation.

Baili Qing’s eyes turned icy. She hadn’t anticipated Liu Wuxie’s rapid growth, to the point where even a vice-headmaster fell at his hands. Despite the lack of evidence, everyone attributed Qin Shi’s demise to Liu Wuxie. They believed that if the death match hadn’t taken place, Qin Shi wouldn’t have been struck by lightning.

“Was this a coincidence?” The Heaven Grade students tidied their clothes and refused to believe that Liu Wuxie could kill someone in the ninth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. After all, he was suppressed by Qin Shi right from the start, and the mysterious thunderbolt had appeared just when Liu Wuxie was going to die.

“This must be a coincidence. Do you believe that he’s capable of summoning lightning? If he could do that, wouldn’t he be invincible?” Another Heaven Grade student stepped forward and sneered in disdain.

“He’s too lucky!” The crowd was in disbelief, unable to accept the outcome. Yet, the reality was clear—Qin Shi had vanished, and Liu Wuxie had survived. The truth of what had transpired seemed less important in the face of these facts.

Fan Zhen wore a smile and relaxed his clenched fists.

The students of advanced class seven became ecstatic and embraced each other in celebration.

“Liu Wuxie, I want to kill you to avenge my master!” A roar disrupted everyone’s thoughts and brought them back from shock.

Xiao Yanlong had dashed down from the platform, charging towards Liu Wuxie. No one had expected Xiao Yanlong to suddenly attack Liu Wuxie. However, considering his master’s death and the humiliation he had suffered at Liu Wuxie’s hands, his desire for revenge was understandable. Without it, he would never be able to hold his head high again.

Liu Wuxie narrowed his eyes because he had already reached his limit after fighting Qin Shi. He no longer had the strength to deal with Xiao Yanlong and was still injured.

Xiao Yanlong had executed his strongest move, planning to kill Liu Wuxie in one strike.

Qin Tian wanted to intervene, but it was already too late because Xiao Yanlong grasped the right time, not giving anyone the chance to react.

The crowd gasped in disbelief. They hadn’t anticipated Liu Wuxie to be killed by Xiao Yanlong after surviving his fight with Qin Shi.

The events unfolded rapidly. Xiao Yanlong had strategically approached Liu Wuxie before launching his attack. His sword, swift and deadly like a comet, was already within striking distance of Liu Wuxie.

There was no way Liu Wuxie could dodge this attack, and could only wait to be killed. He had already employed all means to kill Qin Shi, and his true essence was depleted.

But in a fraction of a breath, Liu Wuxie saw a figure appear before him, blocking Xiao Yanlong’s sword with a gentle move. The impact sent sparks flying in all directions. Xiao Yanlong was sent flying, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he crashed into a pile of rubble.

“It’s the Headmaster!” The crowd was taken aback. The Headmaster had intervened to prevent Xiao Yanlong from killing Liu Wuxie. It made sense, considering the death match had ended, and Xiao Yanlong’s attempt to kill an injured Liu Wuxie was seen as dishonorable.

Fan Zhen turned to Liu Wuxie; concern etched on his face. “Are you alright?” he asked. Liu Wuxie, grateful for the rescue, responded, “Thank you for the rescue. I’m fine.” He hadn’t expected the Headmaster to intervene, especially since the Headmaster had previously assigned him a harsh punishment. This naturally led to some resentment towards the Headmaster.

Nodding, Fan Zhen turned to look at Xiao Yanlong.

“Qin Shi colluded with the Heavenly Govern Academy and assassinated fifteen talented students of the Imperial Academy. So he deserved to be killed.” He produced a stack of documents detailing Qin Shi’s actions over the past year. Several star teachers quickly stepped forward to receive the documents. Each incident recorded was a brutal act committed by Qin Shi.

The revelation of the evidence collected by Fan Zhen took everyone aback.

Liu Wuxie, who might have been aware of Qin Shi’s collusion with the Heavenly Govern Academy, was surprised to learn that the Headmaster had been gathering evidence of Qin Shi’s misdeeds for quite some time.

Zhao Enzhu was visibly upset, gritting his teeth as he exclaimed, “Qin Shi assassinated so many of our talented students!” He was appalled to discover that the Vice-Headmaster, who had always presented himself as righteous, had been secretly committing such heinous acts.

Many teachers, fond of Liu Wuxie, questioned the Headmaster’s decision. “Headmaster, since the evidence is conclusive, why didn’t you expose him sooner? He nearly caused the loss of another talented student!” They reflected on Liu Wuxie’s actions since joining the academy, realizing that he had always acted in self-defense and never instigated trouble.

Fan Zhen merely smiled and didn’t reply.

Zhao Enzhu’s sudden understanding of the situation led him to believe that the Headmaster, Fan Zhen, had intended to intervene when Qin Shi was about to kill Liu Wuxie. However, the unexpected thunderbolt that killed Qin Shi had preempted his intervention.

Liu Wuxie frowned and wondered if Fan Zhen was planning on nurturing him. If so, why did he give him such harsh punishment? The three missions were close to impossible, which contradicted his actions. Could it be that there was something he didn’t know?

In a decisive move, Fan Zhen announced without any hint of emotion, “Xiao Yanlong, you are no longer a student of the Imperial Academy starting today. Leave now!” This meant that Xiao Yanlong was being expelled from the Imperial Academy.

Xiao Yanlong was left dumbfounded upon hearing that his master, Qin Shi, had colluded with the Heavenly Govern Academy—a fact that Qin Shi had never disclosed to him. As he prepared to leave, he cast a vicious look at Liu Wuxie and hurried away, fearing that the headmaster might change his mind and decide to cripple his cultivation.

As long as Xiao Yanlong still had his cultivation, he could make a comeback with his ability and become the overlord of a region.

Zhao Enzhu, puzzled, asked the Headmaster, “Why didn’t you cripple his cultivation?” He was baffled as to why the Headmaster had allowed Xiao Yanlong to remain a potential threat to the academy.

Fan Zhen, pointing at Liu Wuxie, responded cryptically, “Xiao Yanlong’s life belongs to him!” His mysterious smile left everyone guessing his intentions.

The death match concluded unexpectedly with Qin Shi’s death and Xiao Yanlong’s expulsion from the academy.

As everyone began to disperse, they continued discussing the day’s shocking events. The news of the mysterious thunderbolt and Qin Shi’s betrayal of the academy quickly spread to every corner.

Before leaving, Fan Zhen turned to Liu Wuxie and said, “Work hard on your cultivation!” These words sparked a surge of determination in Liu Wuxie’s heart. He could sense that the Headmaster wanted him to progress quickly, but he was still unsure of the exact expectations.

Deciding to put his uncertainties aside for the time being, Liu Wuxie believed that the mystery surrounding the Headmaster’s intentions would eventually be revealed.

“You have given me a surprise today!” Prince Ruyang, known for his usually stoic demeanor, walked over and heartily patted Liu Wuxie’s shoulder with a smile.