Desolate Devouring Art

Despite the overwhelming murderous intent radiating from the Wen Clan elders, Wen Xuan's intervention gradually calmed them. They understood that attacking now wouldn't benefit the Wen Clan. Instead, their entire clan could get annihilated.

The Mu Clan members were disappointed to see the Wen Clan elders suppress their fury.

"What a shame. If those two factions had started fighting, our Mu Clan would've reaped the greatest reward. We could've taken their territories once they had crippled each other," the Mu Clan's grand elder said regretfully.

Such a golden opportunity appeared only once in a thousand years. Even if the Wen Clan attacked, Ye Guhai had already prepared a response and would have retreated to the City Lord Mansion. According to Liu Wuxie's plan, the time for an all-out war with the Wen Clan hadn't yet arrived.

Liu Wuxie had never revealed when that moment would come, and Ye Guhai had never asked.

"We're leaving," Wen Changxing said, leading the Wen Clan's party back toward their estate.

Everyone had already expected that outcome.

As a Divine Immortal, Wen Changxing couldn't make decisions based solely on his personal feelings. He had to consider the survival of the entire clan.

The City Lord Mansion's faction finally breathed a sigh of relief as the Wen Clan departed.

"We're returning as well," Ye Guhai said, leading everyone back to the City Lord Mansion.

They needed to reinforce their defenses immediately. The Wen Clan would undoubtedly launch a comprehensive counterattack against the City Lord Mansion's assets.

Ye Guhai ordered every expert to return, willingly abandoning all unimportant assets.

Gu Yi couldn't hide his disappointment. He had expected the two factions to erupt into battle. His gaze unconsciously drifted toward the distant tower, but Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan had already vanished and returned to their estate.

In the following days, tension continued building in Fourfold City. Blood stained the ground as the Wen Clan launched its retaliation, killing several guards from the City Lord Mansion.

Wen Clan experts also fell during the clashes, dragging both factions into a prolonged war of attrition.

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie spent each day inside the estate drinking tea, basking in the sun, and practicing his blade technique. He could now unleash the Mountain Blade, though he had only mastered half of the technique.

"Wuxie, three days have already passed. The City Lord Mansion has lost several guards," Ye Linghan said anxiously.

Unable to tolerate his carefree attitude any longer, she finally broke her silence.

"One must endure the pain before being reborn from the flames," Liu Wuxie replied without concern.

No war could unfold without casualties. Expecting otherwise was entirely unrealistic.

Liu Wuxie was merely an ordinary True Immortal, not a deity. He could only minimize the City Lord Mansion's losses as much as possible, but even he couldn't guarantee that no one would die.

The City Lord Mansion needed food delivered every day, making the guards transporting those supplies natural targets for the Wen Clan.

After several clashes, Ye Guhai assigned ninth-level Origin Immortals to escort the supply convoys, sharply reducing the number of casualties.

Ye Linghan also understood that the City Lord Mansion's losses remained negligible compared to the Wen Clan's.

"When are we leaving Fourfold City?" she asked.

She felt anxious every day and wanted this ordeal to end as quickly as possible.

"Soon," Liu Wuxie replied.

He felt anxious as well. Once the situation in Fourfold City was resolved, he planned to leave Eastern Emperor City.

And so, everyone waited. They all knew what they were waiting for. The Wen Clan had purchased the Sumeru Stone, which meant they would waste no time forging the Golden Immortal Realm artifact.

Inside an enormous blacksmithing chamber within the Wen Clan, a sword hovered in midair. Wen Changxing had worked without sleep for the past three days and had finally fused every supplementary material into the blade.

Several elders stood around the blacksmithing chamber, each possessing cultivation at the ninth-level Origin Immortal Realm. Forging a Golden Immortal Realm artifact was no simple task, so Wen Changxing naturally required their assistance.

"Only one step remains. Once the Sumeru Stone fuses with the Dragonstone Sword, it will become a Golden Immortal Realm artifact," Wen Changxing said.

His eyes had turned bloodshot, and murderous intent surged from his body.

Layer upon layer of spiritual arrays enclosed the blacksmithing chamber, while numerous experts patrolled outside. Every precaution was in place to prevent the City Lord Mansion from launching a surprise attack and disrupting the forging process.

A defensive barrier also enveloped the Wen Clan estate. Even the City Lord Mansion would struggle to force its way inside.

"Patriarch, are we certain this will succeed? Could it be another one of Liu Wuxie's schemes?" an elder asked.

Genuine fear had taken root inside their hearts. Ever since Liu Wuxie had appeared, the Wen Clan had suffered consecutive defeats. Could a clan with centuries of history truly be destroyed by an insignificant True Immortal?

"What scheme could he possibly use? Do you think he can storm into the Wen Clan and sabotage the forging process?" an elder in the corner asked.

They had racked their brains over the past few days, yet none of them could determine Liu Wuxie's next move.

"Could there be something wrong with the Sumeru Stone?" Wen Xuan asked.

His question jolted everyone awake.

Wen Changxing immediately picked up the Sumeru Stone and examined it with painstaking care. Everything about it appeared perfectly normal. Yet the more ordinary it seemed, the more nervous they became, almost wishing to uncover some hidden flaw.

"It contains no soul imprint or foreign substance," Wen Changxing confirmed after examining the Sumeru Stone for fifteen minutes.

"Then we should complete the forging immediately and avenge our dead disciples," the elder on the left urged impatiently.

They needed to finish forging the Dragonstone Sword and slaughter everyone in the City Lord Mansion. The Wen Clan had already exhausted its entire fortune to create the weapon.

"Why don't we abandon the forging and spend the next several centuries rebuilding the Wen Clan?" Wen Xuan asked uncertainly.

The unease twisting through his heart had become unbearable, compelling him to advise the patriarch against forging the Dragonstone Sword.

"Wen Xuan, what are you trying to accomplish? You've obstructed our revenge at every turn. Did Ye Guhai bribe you?" the elder on the left demanded, hurling furious accusations.

Wen Xuan had no way to explain the torment inside him. He knew that everyone desperately craved revenge, but hatred could easily blind them. In the absence of rational thinking, impulsive decisions became inevitable.

"Patriarch, complete the forging now. Even if we fail, the Wen Clan will lose only some immortal stones," the elder on the right said, urging Wen Changxing to proceed.

The Wen Clan could no longer afford to wait. Each passing day only prolonged their torment.

Under the other three elders' pressure, Wen Xuan could only sigh helplessly.

Wen Changxing formed seals with both hands and guided the Sumeru Stone toward the Dragonstone Sword. The stone began dissolving, releasing terrifying energy that burrowed deep into the blade.

Strangely, the mental energy attached to the Sumeru Stone's surface remained intact and entered the Dragonstone Sword alongside it.

"Why does this Sumeru Stone contain far less power than expected?" Wen Changxing asked in confusion.

According to the ancestral records, a Sumeru Stone should have held much more energy. For some inexplicable reason, this one retained only thirty percent of its original power. Liu Wuxie had already extracted most of its energy to reach the fifth-level True Immortal Realm.

Although the discrepancy aroused suspicion, they didn't dwell on it. Even if they failed to forge a Golden Immortal Realm artifact, the Quasi-Golden Immortal Realm artifact would still be enough to suppress Ye Guhai.

Inside Ye Linghan's estate, Liu Wuxie's gaze abruptly turned grave.

"Inform City Lord Ye that the time to harvest has arrived," Liu Wuxie ordered.

He knew someone would carry his message to Ye Guhai.

The instant his voice faded, a black shadow silently departed.

Ye Guhai had spent the past few days with his nerves stretched taut, waiting for Liu Wuxie's signal. At that moment, a black shadow appeared before him and dropped to one knee.

"It's time to harvest," the shadow reported, repeating Liu Wuxie's exact words.

Ye Guhai's expression turned ferocious.

"Divine Tribulation Pupil, everything depends on you now," Liu Wuxie said.

Standing at the center of the courtyard, he unleashed a vast surge of mental energy and communicated with the Sumeru Stone, establishing a mysterious connection between them.

Liu Wuxie's vision gradually transformed until he could see directly into the Dragonstone Sword.

"What a magnificent sword. It's a pity that it has to be destroyed," Liu Wuxie murmured, a devilish smile rising on his lips.

Ye Linghan stood nearby. The moment she saw that smile, she knew the battle was about to begin.

A vast number of fully armed experts waited inside the City Lord Mansion. Not long ago, Ye Guhai had ordered them to prepare for an attack against the Wen Clan.

"City Lord, when are we launching the attack?" Wu Sheng asked.

He could barely restrain himself and couldn't understand why Ye Guhai hadn't given the command.

Ye Guhai offered no answer and merely gazed toward the Wen Clan estate.

Inside the Dragonstone Sword, Liu Wuxie's mental energy condensed into a strange pattern that burrowed into the weapon's deepest reaches.

As the Sumeru Stone's energy flooded the blade, the Dragonstone Sword's aura steadily climbed toward the Quasi-Golden Immortal Realm.

Terrifying laws of the Golden Immortal Realm filled the blacksmithing chamber, and joy appeared across Wen Changxing's face. Success was finally within reach.

The other elders could barely contain their excitement, but Wen Xuan continued to frown. His unease intensified until he felt himself closing in on the truth.

Mental energy coursed through the Dragonstone Sword and formed a strange rune within its depths. The instant the rune took shape, the weapon's advancement accelerated toward the Golden Immortal Realm.

The sudden development left Wen Changxing overjoyed. He had initially been willing to settle for the Quasi-Golden Immortal Realm.

"Patriarch, stop immediately!" Wen Xuan roared.

However, Wen Changxing had already descended into madness. Success was only one step away. How could he possibly abandon everything now?

Wen Xuan stomped his foot in fury as Liu Wuxie's plan finally became clear to him, but the realization came too late. The moment the rune fused with the Dragonstone Sword, the weapon tore free of their control and advanced at a terrifying speed.

Yet Wen Xuan still couldn't determine Liu Wuxie's ultimate objective. Was Liu Wuxie somehow trying to help the Wen Clan forge the Dragonstone Sword?

Wen Changxing also sensed that something was wrong. He couldn't understand why the Dragonstone Sword had escaped his control. Without hesitation, he formed more seals and exerted even greater force than before.

Instead of slowing, the Dragonstone Sword's advancement accelerated again.

Wen Xuan rushed forward to intervene, but the Divine Immortal Realm aura hurled him away, preventing him from approaching.

Wen Changxing continued fighting to regain control of the sword. Since this was his first attempt at forging a Golden Immortal Realm artifact, he assumed this was likely a normal occurrence.

Then cracks abruptly spread across the Dragonstone Sword, and the entire weapon began showing signs of imminent explosion.

Nourished by the rune, the Dragonstone Sword now possessed power comparable to a Golden Immortal Realm artifact. If it detonated, the explosion would level the entire Wen Clan estate and inflict devastating injuries on everyone inside the blacksmithing chamber.

"Quick, everyone get out!" Wen Xuan roared, his eyes turning bloodshot.

Without caring for his own safety, he charged toward the Dragonstone Sword and attempted to contain the explosion with his own body.