Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 267 - Massacre Begins

“Bow and arrows!” Xue Dingtian’s roar echoed as a deacon hastily brought over a bow and arrows crafted from fine iron.

Xue Dingtian drew the bow and aimed skyward. Upon release, the arrow soared like a comet, capturing the attention of tens of thousands of onlookers. However, when the arrow made contact with the barrier, it merely sizzled before falling to the ground, failing to breach the defenses.

Xue Dingtian, being in the Quasi-True Core Realm and on the cusp of divine art, could have killed anyone in the pinnacle Marrow Cleansing Realm with that arrow.

“How is this possible?!” The members of the Xue Clan stared at the barrier in disbelief. The barrier encasing the entire clan was akin to a cage, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

“He thinks he can trap us with such pitiful tricks?” Xue Shixiong sneered as he walked to the entrance, and everyone outside could witness what was happening in the Xue Clan.

Everyone outside saw the Xue Clan’s elites and troops trying to tear the barrier apart.

“Ancestor...Ancestor...” When Xue Shixiong’s aura in the True Core Realm swept out, everyone gave way to him with reverence in their tone.

“Fourth Elder, have you found the reason?” Xue Dingtian asked with his brows frowned.

The Fourth Elder was well-versed in spiritual arrays and well-known in the Imperial City. If the Fourth Elder couldn’t do anything about the spiritual array, this meant this array had surpassed their understanding.

“Patriarch, this is the most intricate array I’ve ever encountered. It incorporates elements I’ve never seen before, and it’s flawless,” the Fourth Elder admitted, shaking his head with a bitter smile. His words plunged the Xue Clan into despair.

Could it be that Liu Wuxie intended to trap them there until they perished, waiting for them to run out of supplies and lose their sanity?

Everyone outside could hear the conversation within the Xue Clan, as the barrier didn’t prevent sound from passing through.

“Let me try!” Xue Shixiong stepped forward, planning to forcefully break the barrier by swinging his cane at it. His true essence transformed into a powerful wave, materializing into swords, spears, and even lions charging towards the barrier.

The true essence collided with the barrier with a loud impact, producing an earth-shattering sound. But the barrier stood firmly while Xue Shixiong staggered and stepped back.

“Ancestor!” Xue Dingtian quickly stepped forward to support Xue Shixiong. He wondered who had created this spiritual array that even their ancestor couldn’t destroy.

A powerful ripple spread out to the surroundings. Those who stood closer to the barrier were caught by surprise and sent flying away by the shockwave, wailing in pain when they fell to the ground.

Those who were swept away threw up blood. After all, a True Core Realm expert could easily slaughter Marrow Cleansing Realm cultivators with their aura alone. Even before Liu Wuxie began his attack, the Xue Clan suffered significant casualties.

“Who created such a massive spiritual array in just one night?” The experts gathered in the surroundings included the patriarchs of the Bai, Qin, Yan, and Li Clans.

“Who else aside from him?” Everyone knew who ‘him’ referred to.

“Isn’t he only eighteen?” Everyone felt uncomfortable when Liu Wuxie’s age was mentioned. They realized that they were no different from garbage compared to him.

“Do you think he obtained any extraordinary opportunity to achieve such accomplishments?” Even the older generation joined in the chat. It was not unheard of for someone who had encountered a peerless cultivation technique under similar circumstances and rapidly risen to prominence.

Xue Shixiong’s face darkened with humiliation. He had confidently declared that the spiritual array was nothing to him, yet his full strength had failed to break it apart, which infuriated him.

“Liu Wuxie, how long are you going to keep hiding? Come out and fight us if you have the guts!” Xue Dingtian roared to the sky.

The surrounding spectators were also curious because there was no trace of Liu Wuxie. It was as though he had disappeared, and no one knew where he was.

“Since you all are hurrying to die, I’ll fulfill all your wishes.” Liu Wuxie’s voice echoed in the surroundings, but no one could find him from his voice.

Shortly after, a person descended from the sky, ignoring the barrier and entering the Xue Clan’s perimeters.

“What is he doing? Is he planning to slaughter tens of thousands of Xue Clan’s experts by himself?” Zhao Enzhu nearly bit his tongue because of Liu Wuxie’s boldness.

The Xue Clan’s strength was deep and unfathomable, and they had a True Core Realm expert. Going in recklessly would only result in Liu Wuxie’s death.

No one could help him because the spiritual array isolated them.

“Such audacity to challenge a thousand-year-old clan by himself!” Many people cheered. Regardless of the outcome, they could witness a battle that would be recorded in history.

Many people had lived their entire lives without seeing a True Core Realm expert. This was why they were thrilled to witness a battle involving such an expert.

When Liu Wuxie descended, all the Xue Clan’s disciples on the field panicked and began fleeing in various directions. The calm and composed expressions they once wore were replaced with fear.

However, in less than a breath, over a thousand experts from the Xue Clan surrounded the field, forming a massive battle formation.

Liu Wuxie stood his ground, seemingly unaffected by the chaos around him. To him, the onslaught of opponents was inconsequential; they were nothing more than trash in his eyes. His sole focus was on Xue Shixiong.

“Liu Wuxie, what audacity for you to enter the Xue Clan. Today will be your last day!” Xue Shiqiu sneered and pointed his sword at Liu Wuxie. He refused to believe that they couldn’t kill someone in the Marrow Cleansing Realm with the full strength of the entire clan. They were even confident enough to confront their ancestor head-on using their ultimate formation.

“Cut the crap and let’s start the fight!” Liu Wuxie couldn’t be bothered to waste time talking to them and wanted to end the battle quickly. If he could refine the energies of over a thousand Marrow Cleansing Realm and a True Core Realm expert, he would reach the ninth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

“Patriarch, please give the order!” The Xue Clan’s elders could no longer hold back, especially Xue Shichou’s grandfather, who wished he could swallow Liu Wuxie alive. After all, Liu Wuxie had killed both of his grandsons, and anyone would want to kill the latter if they were in his position.

Xue Dingtian turned to look at Xue Shixiong, awaiting his order.

Xue Shixiong’s gaze turned to Liu Wuxie, and he could sense a hint of abnormal pressure. His eyes flashed ruthlessly.

“Kill him!” Xue Dingtian understood Xue Shixiong’s will and ordered the Xue Clan’s elites to attack.

In the next moment, the attacks from the Xue Clan’s elites coalesced into a tidal wave, surging towards Liu Wuxie. This was the Xue Clan’s battle formation, deployed only in times of crisis, and comprised of fifteen hundred elite members.

As he faced this massive battle formation, a cold smirk rose on Liu Wuxie’s lips, and he slowly drew the Heretic Blade. When the battle formation was activated, the entire Imperial City trembled, with cracks spreading across the field and its surroundings.

“Interesting...you all know the Heavenly Dipper Battle Array!” Liu Wuxie’s smile became denser because no one understood this array better than him.

Striding the Seven Dipper Steps, Liu Wuxie landed on the Heavenly Dipper Battle Array, resolving the incoming attacks. Liu Wuxie coincidentally stepped on the northern dipper position of the formation. However, each change in the battle formation was apparent in Liu Wuxie’s eyes.

When the first wave of attacks failed, the second wave soon followed. The power of over a thousand people manifested into a divine dragon, opening its jaw and biting down.

Liu Wuxie had nowhere to dodge, and he could only take this attack head-on.

“You wasted such a powerful Heavenly Dipper Battle Array!” Liu Wuxie shook his head and vanished, leaving behind an afterimage.

When the attack from over a thousand people descended, a long ravine appeared on the ground that stretched for a few thousand meters. The entire field and surrounding buildings were destroyed, leaving the Xue Clan in ruins.

The servants hiding in the buildings fled to prevent themselves from being crushed by the collapsing buildings.

Xue Dingtian’s face became terrifyingly grim. The Xue Clan had used this battle formation for countless years and had never failed.

Whenever the Xue Clan had a generation without an expert in the True Core Realm, they would rely on this battle formation to protect their assets. Over the past thousand years, they had faced the assault of True Core Realm experts multiple times and relied on this battle formation to fend off their enemies.

However, that day, the battle formation failed as though it did not affect Liu Wuxie. It was the same as using a butcher knife to kill an ant. They all had strength but were of no use. Every attack felt like hitting on cotton. Their attack couldn’t reach Liu Wuxie, but it ended up destroying more than half of the surrounding buildings.

The Xue Clan’s disciples gathered in the surroundings were feeling a heartache. Even if the Xue Clan managed to win, they would be severely weakened.

Xue Shixiong was still recovering from the backlash, feeling pain in his internal organs.

“How is this possible? The Xue Clan’s battle formation can’t inflict harm on him?!” The Bai Clan’s experts wore grim expressions. The stronger Liu Wuxie became, the more their fury grew, as it signified their dwindling chances of revenge.

“This kid is truly heaven-defying!” Qin Tian stroked his beard. He was thankful that he wasn’t at odds with Liu Wuxie. Upon hearing that Liu Wuxie had challenged the Xue Clan, the Qin and Yan Clans had mobilized many experts to assist. However, none of them could enter the Xue Clan and could only observe from outside.

“Liu Wuxie, is dodging all you can do?” The Xue Clan’s elders were furious. If this carried on, they would die of exhaustion before they could even kill Liu Wuxie.

“What a joke! Do you want me to stand here and take the attack head-on? Are you all stupid?” Liu Wuxie chuckled disdainfully.

This was a death match; anything was allowed as long as it was effective. There was no right or wrong because the victor would be the one left standing.

“Change the formation!” Xue Dingtian gave the order. He had already noticed that Liu Wuxie was familiar with the Heavenly Dipper Battle Array.

The elites of the Xue Clan began to shift their formation, guided by experts well-versed in spiritual arrays.

Liu Wuxie watched this with a sneer. He held back from counterattacking, intending to gauge the Xue Clan’s limits. He wanted to assess their strength, including that of their ancestors, before commencing his onslaught.

Over a thousand people were divided into several regions, with one hundred forming a team. Their strategy seemed to involve a tagging tactic, where they would take turns to combat him.

“Is this all you’ve got? Since that’s the case, let me send you all on your way.” Liu Wuxie raised the Heretic Blade as he soared to the sky and unleashed his murderous intent. This display of power frightened some of the weaker Xue Clan disciples, causing them to collapse in fear.