Desolate Devouring Art

Had that heavy unease not pressed down on him, Liu Wuxie would never have left. Along the way, he took out a Communication Talisman and contacted Chen Ping, asking him to send someone to the City Lord Mansion to confirm whether Ye Linghan had returned to Fourfold City.

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie went straight to the Xiang Manor. Xiang Zicheng naturally welcomed him, and after being nourished by the Soul Healing Pill, his soul sea had fully recovered. His cultivation had also risen naturally to the pinnacle of the Divine Immortal Realm.

Though the gap between the Divine Immortal Realm and the Golden Immortal Realm seemed to be only a single realm, Eastern Emperor City did not have even one Golden Immortal.

"Manor Lord Xiang, I'll get straight to the point. I came to ask you for a favor," Liu Wuxie said, not bothering with any formalities.

"Go ahead," Xiang Zicheng said. He could tell at a glance that Liu Wuxie was anxious.

The two had known each other for some time, and Liu Wuxie could keep his composure no matter what happened. Seeing him this anxious was rare.

When the Divine Tribulation Pupil had absorbed mental energy from the surroundings, it had also absorbed Ye Linghan's human energy. Because of that, a connection had formed between the two of them.

Even Liu Wuxie could not explain that connection clearly. It was not the bond between lovers or siblings, but it felt as though a part of his own body had gone missing.

"I need your help mobilizing the Xiang Manor's forces to search for Mentor Ye's whereabouts," Liu Wuxie said.

Ye Linghan had been gone for three days, and not a single word had come back. It was only natural for Liu Wuxie to worry about her safety. The chance of her committing suicide was not high, but he feared the Wen Clan or the Eastern Emperor Pavilion had targeted her.

The Shen Clan and the Zhu Clan were also watching from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Mentor Ye is missing?" Xiang Zicheng asked, confusion flashing across his face. He did not press for details and immediately gave the order to mobilize the Xiang Manor's forces to search for Ye Linghan.

"Wuxie, let's go inside and talk. I believe we'll have news soon," Xiang Zicheng said, inviting Liu Wuxie into the main hall after making the arrangements.

Liu Wuxie followed Xiang Zicheng into the main hall, where a maid soon served tea. Even so, Liu Wuxie's brows remained tightly furrowed.

Because he had saved Ye Guhai's life, the Peace and Stability Merchant Association and the City Lord Mansion had grown close. This allowed Chen Ping to contact Ye Guhai directly without personally making the trip to Fourfold City.

News soon came back that Ye Linghan had not returned to Fourfold City. The moment Liu Wuxie heard it, his brows furrowed. Since she had not gone back to Fourfold City, that meant she was still somewhere within Eastern Emperor City's region.

The Xiang Manor had eyes throughout Eastern Emperor City. Within an hour, word came back.

"Manor Lord, the scouts at the western gate sent word that they saw Mentor Ye leave the city three days ago," a steward reported after stepping into the main hall.

It made no sense for Ye Linghan to leave through the western gate. If she had entered the Dragon Burial Mountain Range to train, she should have taken the southern gate instead, since that route was the shortest and easiest.

Thorns and brambles covered the land beyond the western gate. The road was difficult to travel, and immortal beasts often appeared there.

"Manor Lord Xiang, I won't forget this favor. Until we meet again," Liu Wuxie said. He had to find Ye Linghan at once before anything happened to her. If she got hurt because of what he had said, he would carry that guilt for the rest of his life.

Ye Linghan had always been carefree and outspoken. As the spoiled princess of the City Lord Mansion, she had grown up getting her way in everything. But all of that had changed after she met Liu Wuxie.

"Wuxie, I'll send a few experts with you," Xiang Zicheng said, calling out to Liu Wuxie. The journey to the Dragon Burial Mountain Range would be dangerous for Liu Wuxie to travel alone.

"Manor Lord Xiang, I appreciate your kindness. Too many people will draw attention, and I'm only going to find someone, not to train. You don't need to worry about my safety," Liu Wuxie replied, thanking Xiang Zicheng for his goodwill.

If the Xiang Manor sent people to escort him, they would only attract attention, and even a disguise might fail to hide his identity. More importantly, he carried too many secrets and did not want anyone else to know them.

With that, Liu Wuxie left the Xiang Manor after putting on a mask. By evening, he had already arrived at the western gate.

The western gate was ancient, its walls still bearing the scars of countless battles. Every year, immortal beasts attacked this place, leaving the surrounding area sparsely populated. Most of the residents who remained were poor families, much like Xiao Qian's.

After leaving the city, Liu Wuxie used his footwork and shot toward the depths of the Dragon Burial Mountain Range like a streak of light.

"Please, be all right!" Liu Wuxie murmured.

When the sky gradually darkened, Liu Wuxie did not dare travel through the night and could only find a safe place to rest.

Ye Linghan had already reached the second-level Origin Immortal Realm, which meant few people were capable of injuring her. With the Heaven-Veiling Banner in her possession, Liu Wuxie was not overly worried about her safety. What he feared most was that she might go too far because of what he had said.

Since childhood, no one had ever dared to defy her. She had always acted willfully in everything she did, but her personality had slowly changed after meeting Liu Wuxie. Before making decisions now, she would even consider Liu Wuxie's feelings.

Night in the Dragon Burial Mountain Range was extremely dangerous. This time, Liu Wuxie had taken an entirely different route through the west.

At daybreak, Liu Wuxie resumed his journey. Along the way, he activated the Divine Tribulation Pupil to capture the residual energy lingering in the air, allowing him to seize any trace of Ye Linghan's aura as long as she had passed through the area.

Because the Divine Tribulation Pupil had absorbed Ye Linghan's human energy, tracking her became even easier.

All of a sudden, the Divine Tribulation Pupil twitched as though it had caught something.

"She went that way!" The Divine Tribulation Pupil turned toward the northwest, deeper into the Dragon Burial Mountain Range, the very direction where Ye Guhai had once suffered injuries.

Without the slightest delay, Liu Wuxie quickened his pace and rushed northwest. Throughout the journey, he relied on the Divine Tribulation Pupil and the Ghost Pupil to avoid powerful immortal beasts.

This was precisely why Liu Wuxie had refused to let the Xiang Manor's people accompany him. He had the ability to avoid immortal beasts, but he couldn't guarantee that the Xiang Manor's experts would not covet that ability.

Although Xiang Zicheng had treated him well, that did not mean everyone in the Xiang Manor felt kindly toward him. If they killed him in the Dragon Burial Mountain Range and later told Xiang Zicheng they had failed to protect him, would Xiang Zicheng truly kill them to avenge him?

Liu Wuxie's concern was not baseless. He knew that in this world, aside from himself, he could not trust anyone completely. A commoner who possessed treasures would inevitably invite guilt upon himself.

Before overwhelming temptation, how many people could truly remain unchanged?

When the Divine Tribulation Pupil caught the residual aura lingering in the atmosphere, Liu Wuxie's pupils suddenly narrowed.

"That's strange. Someone else's presence is lingering here too," Liu Wuxie murmured.

The residual energy was powerful, proving that the other party had at least reached the Origin Immortal Realm.

Very few cultivators would enter the Dragon Burial Mountain Range through the western gate, and Liu Wuxie wondered whether those people had come for Ye Linghan. He immediately accelerated his pace.

......

Deep within the dense thorns, Ye Linghan's clothes were torn and ragged. Her continuous flight had drained her immortal energy, forcing her to continue on foot.

"Hurry up and catch her!" Several voices echoed behind Ye Linghan, and none of their cultivations were weak.

Liu Wuxie drew the Bloodthirst Blade and hacked through the thorns blocking his path, carving open a route. His movements stirred insects and poisonous beasts from the bushes, but under the aura released by the Bloodthirst Blade, none of them dared approach.

After reaching the third-level True Immortal Realm, Liu Wuxie's strength had risen tremendously.

As the Divine Tribulation Pupil continued capturing the lingering aura in the atmosphere, Liu Wuxie's mental energy kept declining. The benefits were just as clear, however, as he could feel his mental energy growing increasingly refined.

Two days and nights passed, yet Liu Wuxie still could not find any trace of Ye Linghan. A dark premonition began to rise in his heart.

After crossing a river, the view ahead suddenly opened up. Several massive boulders appeared before him, and he leaped onto one of them in a few bounds.

"There are bloodstains here!" Liu Wuxie noticed a patch of blood on one corner of the boulder. Although the blood had already dried, its color showed that it had remained there for no more than two days.

In other words, someone had been injured here two days ago and stained this boulder with blood.

After examining it closely with the Divine Tribulation Pupil, Liu Wuxie confirmed that Ye Linghan had left the blood behind. The moment he identified its source, murderous intent erupted from him.

Liu Wuxie pushed his speed to the limit.

"You have to hang on!" The feedback from the Divine Tribulation Pupil also grew stronger, meaning he was getting closer to Ye Linghan.

Inside a valley, four experts had formed an encirclement and trapped Ye Linghan within.

"Ye Linghan, let's see where you can run this time!" a middle-aged man said with a sinister laugh, his gaze sweeping wantonly over her.

"Wen Qu, Shen Shan, Zhu Chiran, Lu Baoguo, do the four of you really think you can kill me?" Ye Linghan asked, sweeping her gaze over them.

After the Azure Flame Dao Hall had expelled Lu Baoguo, he had joined the Shen Clan. With the Shen Clan's help, he had also managed to reach the Origin Immortal Realm.

After learning that Ye Linghan had left the Azure Flame Dao Hall, several clans had joined forces to hunt her down. As for Wen Qu, his involvement was purely coincidental. He had come under the patriarch's orders to hunt Liu Wuxie, only to encounter the Shen Clan instead.

Wen Qu and Shen Shan were both second-level Origin Immortal Realm cultivators, while Zhu Chiran and Lu Baoguo were both first-level Origin Immortal Realm cultivators.

Several battles had erupted along the way, and Ye Linghan had narrowly escaped each time. But she had paid a heavy price, with several wounds left across her chest and back. The continuous battles left her panting heavily, and her immortal energy had been severely exhausted.

"What a shame. A beauty like you is about to die here," Shen Shan said, his voice carrying a trace of regret.

He didn't deny that Ye Linghan was beautiful, especially in her current state, which made her seem even more pitiful. Her black hair hung in slight disarray, draped casually over her shoulders. Her clothes were torn and ragged, exposing patches of skin that stirred heat in Shen Shan and the other three.

"Wouldn't it be a waste to kill such a beauty?" Lu Baoguo said with a sinister laugh. He had once been a mentor in the Azure Flame Dao Hall. Although he was far older than Ye Linghan, that did not mean he had no improper thoughts about her.

The four exchanged a look and broke into lecherous laughter. They all saw the same answer in one another's eyes.

Murderous intent erupted from Ye Linghan as she reached into her clothes, preparing to take out the Heaven-Veiling Banner her father had given her. Against four Origin Immortals, her odds were slim, and in the worst-case scenario, she could perish together with them all.

"Ye Linghan, don't waste your strength. We've known for a long time that Ye Guhai gave you the Heaven-Veiling Banner," Wen Qu said with mocking laughter as he took out a lone spear specially prepared to counter the Heaven-Veiling Banner.

A grave look settled in Ye Linghan's eyes. She knew these four had come prepared with a foolproof plan. For the first time, she wondered whether she would die here.