Desolate Devouring Art

Murmurs burst from every direction as countless eyes turned toward the two newcomers, curiosity rippling through the crowd. The sea of people parted on its own, opening a path that allowed the pair to walk straight up to Liu Wuxie.

The young man gave Liu Wuxie a slight nod, while the woman studied him with open curiosity.

Liu Wuxie looked at them and returned the nod in greeting.

"You wanted evidence, didn't you? Then I brought it," the young woman said, producing a Memory Talisman.

The instant the talisman appeared, the Yin-Yang Elders' expressions shifted, and an ominous feeling rose in their hearts.

Zuo Yang was utterly puzzled, since he did not recognize the pair. But since they claimed to possess evidence, he naturally did not stop them.

"Who exactly are you two?" Wei Wenbin demanded.

"Who we are is none of your business, especially not for someone as shameless and despicable as you," the young woman shot back, her words cutting without mercy.

Wei Wenbin was about to explode with rage, but the assistant mentor beside him quickly held him back. Anyone with eyes could tell the two had extraordinary status, and for now, it was better to watch from the side. There was no need for Wei Wenbin to put himself under the spotlight.

"Young Lady, what evidence are you referring to? Go ahead and show it to everyone," Zuo Yang requested.

Every gaze landed on the young woman's hand. If she could not produce evidence proving that Liu Wuxie had not killed innocent people indiscriminately, the Eastern Emperor Pavilion would certainly seize this chance to take his life.

Not many people knew what had happened in the underground fight club, but that did not mean no one knew.

After all, many students had secretly gone to the underground fight club that night. Liu Wuxie had also broken the rules there, which meant the Eastern Emperor Pavilion would never let the matter rest so easily.

After killing more than forty fighters, Liu Wuxie had shaken the whole of Eastern Emperor City.

When the young woman activated the Memory Talisman, an image unfolded before everyone. The events that had taken place in the valley began replaying in full view.

Everyone saw immortal beasts charging into the valley and clashing with humans. The scene soon shifted to Liu Wuxie, who was actively fighting the immortal beasts.

Right then, everyone saw Wei Wenbin, Nangong Shan, Tu Zhengbao, and Che Yangrong ordering their students to attack Liu Wuxie and kill him. Liu Wuxie had no choice but to retaliate, resulting in the deaths of over a dozen students.

The recording was not long, lasting only dozens of breaths, but it was more than enough to prove Liu Wuxie's innocence. The real culprits were these mentors and students.

Wei Wenbin felt weak in the knees, his face turning as pale as a corpse. He could feel countless burning gazes drilling into him. Tu Zhengbao and the others were already dead, leaving him the sole survivor.

"I never thought Mentor Wei would be that despicable. He was the one in the wrong, yet he still tried to blame Assistant Liu," the surrounding students whispered among themselves. Even Wei Wenbin's own students quietly stepped away from him, unwilling to be tied to his name.

They were ashamed to call him their mentor. If word spread that they were his students, they would surely become the target of ridicule.

A flash of murderous intent crossed Zuo Yang's eyes. Through his investigation, he had only discovered that the students had attacked Liu Wuxie first, but he had found nothing about the four mentors being involved. Now that the Memory Talisman had revealed the scene, he realized this matter was far more serious than he had imagined.

The Yin-Yang Elders exchanged a glance, murderous intent surging in their eyes. They had spent great effort plotting against Liu Wuxie and had bribed many people along the way, only for this young man and woman to appear from nowhere and ruin everything.

"Wei Wenbin, you don't deserve to be a mentor! You're the one they should throw out of the Azure Flame Dao Hall!" Xiang Rulong roared. Wei Wenbin's presence there was in itself the greatest humiliation to the Azure Flame Dao Hall.

"Get out!" those behind Xiang Rulong echoed.

Strangely, no one stepped forward to defend Wei Wenbin this time, and even his own students chose to remain silent.

Voices rang out one after another, while Wei Wenbin's face shifted between red and green. At that moment, he wished he could crawl into a hole and disappear. Even the two assistant mentors beside him had chosen to distance themselves, unwilling to be associated with him.

"Yin-Yang Elders, what do you have to say now?" Zuo Yang asked, pressing the two elders without the slightest courtesy in his tone.

"Their identities are suspicious, and someone could have fabricated that Memory Talisman. It may not be real!" Yang Elder said after drawing a deep breath, still refusing to give up.

"Exactly! That Memory Talisman has to be fake!" Wei Wenbin roared, as though he had finally grabbed the only rope that could save his life.

However, everyone around him looked at him with disgust, appalled that he still dared to argue. If he had any dignity left, he should have apologized to Liu Wuxie and resigned from his position as a mentor.

"Are you questioning us?" the young man asked, and the moment he spoke, an invisible shockwave spread outward.

"We're only curious about who you are," the Yin-Yang Elders said, no longer daring to sound too aggressive as they asked in a cautious tone.

"Then open your eyes and look carefully," the young man said, tossing a medal toward Yang Elder.

Yang Elder caught the medal and glanced at it, only to tremble so badly in fear that he nearly dropped it.

"We were mistaken. Please forgive us. We'll leave at once," the Yin-Yang Elders said, their attitude changing completely. They respectfully returned the medal to the young man, then left the Azure Flame Dao Hall without the slightest hesitation.

The sudden reversal left everyone stunned. Their curiosity toward the siblings' identities grew even stronger. Since even the Yin-Yang Elders of the underground fight club had to treat them with such respect, they had to come from a power that even the Eastern Emperor Pavilion could not afford to offend.

Suspicion flickered in Liu Wuxie's eyes. He searched through his memories, but he still could not identify their origins.

Zuo Yang withdrew his gaze from the departing Yin-Yang Elders, and his cold eyes landed on Wei Wenbin.

"Wei Wenbin, you failed to set an example as a mentor and violated the Azure Flame Dao Hall's rules. From this moment, I revoke your status as a mentor. Leave the Azure Flame Dao Hall immediately," Zuo Yang said, publicly stripping Wei Wenbin of his position.

This outcome satisfied everyone greatly. After all, allowing such a mentor to remain in the Azure Flame Dao Hall would only leave a rotten apple among the rest.

Wei Wenbin's face turned deathly pale. He wanted to speak, but no words came out. He knew anything he said now would be useless, and the disdainful gazes around him had already stripped away all his dignity.

When he raised his head, his venomous gaze landed on Liu Wuxie. If not for Liu Wuxie, he would never have fallen to this point. After glaring at him, Wei Wenbin turned and left the Azure Flame Dao Hall like a stray dog.

Eastern Emperor City was only so large, and it would not take long for his deeds to spread throughout the city. By then, no other dao halls would accept him, and even his clan would not tolerate what he had done.

With that, the Southern Lake finally fell quiet.

"Thank you for speaking up for me," Liu Wuxie said, cupping his fists. He knew very well that things would have become troublesome if the siblings had not appeared today.

Although the Azure Flame Dao Hall might have done everything it could to protect him, the matter could have ended in mutual destruction. Even now, Liu Wuxie still did not know why the Azure Flame Dao Hall's upper echelons were so determined to protect him.

Logically speaking, he was only an assistant mentor, while the Eastern Emperor Pavilion was the strongest force in Eastern Emperor City. Opposing them would bring no benefit to the Azure Flame Dao Hall.

"Wuxie, since we have settled the matter, we won't keep you any longer. I've arranged a banquet at the Drunken Fragrance House, so you'll have to do me the honor of coming," Xiang Zicheng said before leaving with Lao Kaiyu, giving Liu Wuxie no chance to refuse.

With that, only Liu Wuxie, Ye Linghan, and the siblings remained.

"My name is Meng Nong, and this is my sister, Meng Yu," the young man said, introducing himself with cupped fists. It had become clear that the siblings had already investigated Liu Wuxie's identity.

The medal Meng Nong had taken out had only appeared for an instant, and Liu Wuxie hadn't gotten a clear look at it. By the time he activated Ghost Pupil, the medal had already disappeared.

"Please, come inside," Liu Wuxie said, inviting the siblings in. Since they had come to help him, he naturally had to show proper etiquette.

"After you, Brother Liu," Meng Nong said, returning the gesture as they entered the courtyard side by side.

Yi Zhong had already arranged for the other students to return to class, while Ye Linghan and Meng Yu followed behind the two men.

Once they returned to his courtyard, Liu Wuxie personally poured tea for the siblings.

"I can't properly express my gratitude. I'll remember what you did for me today," Liu Wuxie said. He engraved this favor in his heart, and if they ever needed anything from him in the future, they only needed to ask.

"It was nothing. Brother Liu, there's no need to take it so seriously."

The four took their seats. Meng Nong reached for the teapot and poured a cup for Liu Wuxie before sipping his tea. The two looked like old friends reunited after a long separation.

"I remember there was an elder with you. Why don't I see him here?" Liu Wuxie asked, setting down his cup.

"My grandfather is currently speaking with the hall master," Meng Nong answered truthfully.

Liu Wuxie pondered briefly and guessed that the Azure Flame Dao Hall's protection likely had much to do with Meng Nong and his grandfather. This made him even more curious about who Meng Nong and the others were, since even the hall master had to give them face. Even the Eastern Emperor Pavilion could only withdraw after seeing them.

The four chatted casually. Since Meng Nong was unwilling to reveal his identity, Liu Wuxie could not force an answer out of him.

After they chatted for an hour, Meng Nong rose and bid farewell.

"It's getting late, so I won't disturb your rest any longer. If fate allows, we'll meet again."

Meng Nong could see the exhaustion in Liu Wuxie's eyes. Over the past dozen days in the Dragon Burial Mountain Range, Liu Wuxie had brushed against death several times.

Meng Yu still seemed curious about the place, but under her elder brother's stern gaze, she could only leave.

Liu Wuxie personally escorted them out before returning to the courtyard.

"Do you know their background?" Liu Wuxie asked. He did not know much about Eastern Emperor City. In his previous life, his master, the Heavenly Daoist, had taken him away when he was still young. After so many years, everything had already changed beyond recognition.

Ye Linghan shook her head, having no recollection of the two.

"Their background is obviously extraordinary, but I can't think of anyone near Eastern Emperor City who could make the Eastern Emperor Pavilion back down," she replied, following behind Liu Wuxie while shaking her head.

When the two returned to their respective residences, Liu Wuxie washed up and soaked in a hot bath before he finally felt refreshed from head to toe. After stepping out of the wooden tub, he sat with his legs crossed and circulated the Desolate Devouring Art.

His nerves had been stretched taut after spending the past several days in constant battle. Now that he had finally relaxed, he activated the Divine Tribulation Pupil and began absorbing mental energy from the surroundings.

Liu Wuxie's upper dantian continued expanding as his mental energy grew increasingly full.

"Grandfather, why are we leaving in such a hurry?" Meng Yu asked in confusion as they traveled to Eastern Emperor City.