Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 242 - Layers Upon Layers

The white worm crawled out of Guo Buqiu’s mouth, and the sight was gruesome to watch.

Guo Buqiu fell to his knees, and his face was distorted in pain. When he tried to scratch his face, he ripped off a piece of flesh from it.

The officials gathered in the distance couldn’t bear to watch this any longer and became nauseated. Even Xu Lingxue turned her head away, not wanting to continue watching.

“Liu Wuxie, I was in the wrong. Please, save me!” Guo Buqiu fell to his knees and begged for mercy.

It hadn’t been long, and the tables were turned in just fifteen minutes with Guo Buqiu on his knees, kowtowing and begging to be saved.

“Why should I save you?” Liu Wuxie asked without any expression on his face. There wasn’t a hint of pity on his face, and he never showed mercy for someone who tried to kill him.

Even when facing the Vice-Minister of Justice’s threats and the imperial physicians begging him, there was no ripple in his heart. This was the brutality of the cultivating world. After all, showing kindness to the enemy meant being cruel to oneself.

“I was under the orders of Prince Yongxian, and it wasn’t my intention. If you’re willing to save me, I will pledge my loyalty to His Majesty from now on!” Guo Buqiu lost his rationale before death. To survive, he admitted that Prince Yongxian was the mastermind who wanted to harm Liu Wuxie.

As soon as Guo Buqiu finished speaking, a shard sliced through his neck, causing blood to spurt out and stain a pillar in the hall red. The attack was made by Prince Yongxian, who had a broken piece of a plate in front of him.

Guo Buqiu’s eyes bulged as he slowly turned around to look at Prince Yongxian with endless regret reflected in his eyes. It didn’t take long before he fell to the ground, taking his last breath with his eyes wide open.

The Emperor sneered, observing that Prince Yongxian no longer regarded him with respect, having killed someone right in front of him.

“Guo Buqiu is guilty of trying to frame Young Master Liu, and I have punished him on the spot. Your Majesty, I apologize for alarming you!” Prince Yongxian stood up and cupped his fists at the Emperor.

“Guo Buqiu deserved his fate. Why would I hold you accountable for his death?” The Emperor chuckled, but everyone understood that this incident was far from over.

Prince Yongxian, being in the True Core Realm, was capable enough to handle everyone present single-handedly. Liu Wuxie sensed that there must be experts secretly protecting the Emperor, as he could feel several powerful auras concealed around them.

The remaining eight imperial physicians were lying on the ground, wailing in fear. Guo Buqiu’s death had terrified them to the point of trembling and losing control of their bowels.

“Take them out and burn them!” The Emperor commanded. A group of guards entered the hall, but they hesitated, fearing infection. After all, they had witnessed firsthand how the poisonous insects had infected the nine imperial physicians.

“You’ll be safe after applying this!” Liu Wuxie reassured them, tossing an herb to a guard. The guards quickly expressed their gratitude to Liu Wuxie and squeezed some juice from the herb, applying it to their hands. This way, they no longer had to worry about the infection.

The farcical spectacle came to an end. The other officials returned to their seats, but they felt as if they were sitting on a bed of needles.

Guo Buqiu’s death was a signal and warning to them that Prince Yongxian wouldn’t show mercy even to those in his faction for his objective; he wouldn’t bat an eye to sacrifice anyone.

The atmosphere was heavy, and no one spoke. But compared to before, they all had a hint of reverence when they looked at Liu Wuxie again.

“Your Majesty, General Qi is waiting outside to be summoned.” An eunuch came in and whispered in the Emperor’s ears. The voice wasn’t loud, but everyone heard it.

Chen Yusheng frowned slightly upon hearing General Qi’s name. He might have been the commander of the Terrabreak Army, but he wasn’t highly cultivated. He was only in the sixth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. On the contrary, many generals in the army had higher cultivation than him.

General Qi was one of such generals, who controlled the Earth Battalion and wielded actual authority like Bai Lin.

“Summon him!” General Qi was already waiting outside the palace, and it would be inappropriate not to summon him.

The eunuch went out, and it didn’t take long before two robust men walked into the Divine Martial Hall. The two men bore a striking resemblance to each other, indicating that they were likely brothers.

The man in front was clad in general’s armor, and the man behind him, presumably his deputy, was also armored.

As they stepped into the Divine Martial Hall, a strong smell of blood filled the air. This was a sign that they had recently been in battle, and they had entered the palace before the aura of bloodshed around them had dissipated.

Ignoring the officials on both sides, they stood before the Emperor and cupped their hands together, “Qi Ningshan and Qi Ninghai, pay our respect to Your Majesty!”

The arrival of the Qi brothers brought a smile to Liu Wuxie’s face. Qi Ninghai, Qi Ningshan, and Qi Ningyun were the children of Qi Enshi, a fact made evident by the similarity in their names.

“Have a seat, generals!” The Emperor rose to his feet, showing respect for his subjects. Two eunuchs promptly brought out two chairs from behind a curtain.

“Your Majesty, this humble servant has a question!” Qi Ningshan remained standing, his posture rigid. From the moment he entered, his attention was solely on the Emperor.

“Please speak!” The Emperor said. He had no reason to refuse Qi Ningshan, even though he suspected the question might be uncomfortable.

“As sons, it would be unfilial of us not to seek revenge for our father and sister,” Qi Ningshan stated. Even though the Emperor had anticipated what he wanted to say, he let him speak, filling the entire hall with a palpable tension.

This made Xue Chunyu and the officials of the Ministry of Justice smile. No one spoke as their attention was focused on the Emperor.

“It’s only natural to seek revenge for your father’s death!” This response was akin to giving Qi Ningshan a justification to kill Liu Wuxie, but the Emperor had no other choice. If the Emperor had disagreed and claimed that Qi Enshi deserved his fate, all the officials would likely have accused him of favoring Liu Wuxie. This was a checkmate situation that the Emperor had no choice but to step into.

No one spoke as the murderous intent in the hall grew denser.

“Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. We came together to avenge our brother and sister, and we apologize in advance if it goes against the principles of the royal clan.” Qi Ningshan cupped his fists together and turned to look at Liu Wuxie, regardless of the Emperor’s opinion. The brothers planned to kill Liu Wuxie in front of the Emperor and avenge their father.

“Liu Wuxie, you framed our father and killed our sister. We will kill you today and get rid of an evil like you.” Qi Ningshan drew his sword and pointed it at Liu Wuxie, releasing his aura in the ninth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

The two brothers were experts, and the surrounding tables and chairs began to creak when they drew their swords.

“How dare you both? This is a banquet hosted by the royal family. How could you challenge the Emperor’s authority here?” Chen Ruoyan could no longer remain silent and stood up to confront the two brothers.

The banquet was held in honor of Liu Wuxie, but Guo Buqiu was the first to provoke, and now the Qi brothers had appeared out of nowhere. If this continued, what would become of the royal family’s prestige?

“We have the Emperor’s consent, and besides, we are only seeking to avenge our father as dutiful sons. We will accept our punishment from the Emperor after we have dealt with him!” Qi Ningshan retorted dismissively, ignoring Chen Ruoyan and focusing his gaze on Liu Wuxie.

“Liu Wuxie, you’re not afraid to fight, are you? Where’s the courage you showed when you framed our father and killed our sister?” Qi Ninghai’s eyes flashed with a murderous intent. After all, if Liu Wuxie refused their challenge, his reputation would be tarnished.

Xu Lingxue looked on with concern. The brothers were formidable, and she worried that Liu Wuxie might not be their match.

The Emperor was inclined to intervene on Liu Wuxie’s behalf. While seeking revenge for their father was understandable, the significant disparity in their strengths made it an unfair fight. However, just as he was about to voice his concerns, Liu Wuxie stopped him.

“I accept the two of your challenges,” Liu Wuxie said calmly. This stumped everyone because no one was optimistic about Liu Wuxie winning the fight.

“At least you have some courage. Let’s go to the arena!” The hall was too small, so the two brothers planned to leave the Divine Martial Hall.

“No need. This place is enough to kill you two.” Liu Wuxie said and vanished, reappearing in the hall’s center.

The officials on both sides retreated, emptying a region for their fight.

Qi Ningshan stood on Liu Wuxie’s right, while Qi Ninghai stood on his left, sandwiching him and preventing him from escaping.

The Qi brothers were the main course if Guo Buqiu’s provocation was an appetizer. This was a carefully designed scheme; only one person could set it up—Advisor Kuang.

Chen Yusheng was worried. Liu Wuxie might be strong, but the two brothers were in the ninth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

Prince Ruyang wore a grave expression. There still wasn’t any news on the experts he had sent after Liu Wuxie. Logically speaking, there should have been news, but it was as though they had vanished.

“Liu Wuxie, you will perish today!” Qi Ningshan shook his sword, unleashing a sword aura. The martial officials on the sides looked excited.

On the other hand, the civil officials hid behind the pillars to avoid getting hurt.

“There’s no one else in the Qi Clan besides you two, right?” Liu Wuxie didn’t like endless trouble. If there was someone else in the Qi Clan, they could just come together for him to resolve it altogether.

“Such arrogance, even when facing death. Die!” Fearing that the Emperor would go back on his word, Qi Ninghai made the first move. His sword was a vajra artifact, and it caused an intense fluctuation when he swung it down, unleashing a gust of wind at Liu Wuxie.

Qi Ningyun didn’t fall behind and swung his sword at Liu Wuxie’s neck.

The two brothers often fought together on the battlefield and had built a strong rapport. They were practically invincible in the same cultivation level and were confident in killing Liu Wuxie as they joined forces.

No wonder Qi Ningyun had warned that Liu Wuxie would die when her brothers returned.