Desolate Devouring Art

Although tens of thousands had gathered at the Divine Steed Manor, only half intended to enter the tournament. Most of the rest lacked the skill to forge divine steeds of their own and could only watch from the sidelines.

Above the manor, a rainbow spilled across the heavens, stretching like a ribbon for some three thousand miles and tracing the tournament's course. An ordinary divine steed could traverse that distance in less than fifteen minutes. Clearly, victory would demand far more than speed.

Before the astonished crowd, the ribbon unfurled into an immense road suspended in the sky. Mountains rose along its course, rivers threaded their way through the peaks, and deserts rolled away into the distance.

Gasps of astonishment rippled through the gathering. "A spiritual array of such profundity." Every mountain, river, and desert belonged to a single colossal spiritual array that spanned three thousand miles.

Another wave of amazed cries rose from the spectators. "What extraordinary craftsmanship! That entire road is a spiritual array!" The array surrounding the road extended for more than ten thousand miles, a scale so immense that it left the crowd breathless. Within its boundaries, even the laws of space bore no resemblance to those outside.

Still, the road widened until it looked as though the Milky Way itself had stretched across the heavens.

The vast structure then began sinking into the ground. Since some divine steeds couldn't fly and traveled only by burrowing, the array extended deep beneath the earth to accommodate them.

"The Divine Rainbow Road! How many years has Divine Steed Manor kept it dormant?" older cultivators exclaimed before recounting its history to their juniors. Centuries of labor and staggering quantities of resources had gone into building the Divine Rainbow Road, the very foundation upon which Divine Steed Manor stood.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Even Liu Wuxie could not conceal his surprise. Creating this road alone spoke volumes about the manor's capabilities. Though the course seemed to hang far overhead, the spiritual array that sustained it rested beneath the earth. Divine Steed Manor maintained exclusive control over every part of it and seldom allowed outsiders to set foot upon it.

The Divine Rainbow Road expanded further. Where it met the ground, it measured roughly three meters across. Its airborne stretch, however, exceeded thirty meters in width, providing enough room for numerous divine steeds to race abreast.

Crushing pressure spilled from the sky, offering a foretaste of what awaited the contestants. The spatial laws within the course were ten times denser than those outside. An ordinary person would struggle to take a step there, much less fly.

Higher planes of existence imposed greater pressure through their spatial laws, and Liu Wuxie's circumstances illustrated that difference perfectly. In the mortal realm, he could tear open space and cross vast distances. However, in the celestial realm, he was no different from an ordinary mortal.

As a higher plane of existence, the Celestial Realm possessed far more stable spatial laws. Spiritual arrays could also reinforce space, but that reinforcement would only be temporary.

"The rules are straightforward. Reach the finish line first, and you win," the manor's elder declared. "Divine Steed Manor accepts no responsibility for anything that happens on the course. Anyone who wants to withdraw should do so now."

No one could mistake the warning. Any contestant who died would have only their own misfortune to blame, and Divine Steed Manor would answer for none of it.

Impatient shouts erupted from the crowd. "Enough talk! Get the tournament started!"

A rising chorus of mechanical hums filled the air as divine steeds ascended and gathered at the starting point of the Divine Rainbow Road. Many others stayed on the ground, though choosing the land route did not necessarily put them at a speed disadvantage.

Within moments, more than three hundred divine steeds crowded the road. The largest constructs, including Divine Will Gate's Cloudbreaker Warship, looked like houses set in motion. Even the smallest measured a little more than five meters long and could carry only three or four people.

Liu Wuxie made no haste to reveal his Twin-Winged Battle Chariot, preferring to see what the Divine Steed Manor would unveil first.

A deep rumble thundered beneath everyone's feet. The earth shuddered as though an earthquake had struck, and a dark silhouette slowly rose from within Divine Steed Manor.

Tension seized the crowd. Numerous cultivators immediately took to the air for a clearer view.

Startled cries rang through the gathering. "The Qilin War Chariot! Divine Steed Manor has brought it out!"

An inheritance from ancient times, the Qilin War Chariot commanded unrivaled power.

The Divine Steed Manor had once been an insignificant faction. Its fortunes changed when the manor lord discovered the Qilin War Chariot buried deep underground and used it to elevate the Divine Steed Art to unprecedented heights. With the seemingly invincible chariot at its disposal, the manor had never lost a Divine Steed Tournament.

More crucially, the Qilin War Chariot wielded formidable strength in battle. No ordinary divine steed could withstand it.

"So that's why Divine Steed Manor suggested a tournament. Who could challenge them with the Qilin War Chariot on their side?"

Similar exclamations spread through the crowd. Only moments ago, many had lavished praise upon Divine Will Gate's Cloudbreaker Warship. Now the Qilin War Chariot had stolen all of its splendor.

Disapproving murmurs rippled through the crowd, with many believing that the Divine Steed Manor’s decision could easily backfire. "Ancient or not, the Qilin War Chariot has deteriorated badly. Forcing it to run will devour enormous resources. It can hardly compete with the lightweight divine steeds we build today."

The world had moved forward. Like cultivation itself, the Divine Steed Art had continued to evolve. Ancient divine steeds possessed tremendous power, but countless years of refinement had elevated modern craftsmanship to unprecedented heights.

Construction remained the Qilin War Chariot's greatest advantage. Its design was more refined, and its materials were sturdier, yet neither guaranteed exceptional speed.

Thunderous rumbling swept across the sky as the Qilin War Chariot gradually emerged into full view. Gasps followed the revelation of its enormous frame, and even Liu Wuxie's expression grew solemn.

Thirty meters long, twenty meters wide, and nearly ten meters tall, the chariot loomed overhead like a towering building suspended in the air.

Despite its name, the construct bore little resemblance to the divine beast qilin. Pitch-black armor encased its massive frame, and a razor-sharp horn jutted from its head, capable of tearing through any obstacle or even shattering a mountain.

Four hoof-like appendages hung beneath its body, each fitted with thick blades forged from rare materials in place of qilin claws. Once they began to spin, they could easily cleave another divine steed in two.

More than a hundred elders and disciples of Divine Steed Manor worked inside the chariot, each operating a separate section. With every breath, the construct consumed over a thousand immortal stones. This tournament alone would therefore cost the manor at least ten million immortal stones.

Securing the Asura Blade fragment would justify that expenditure. A piece of a weapon forged by an Immortal Emperor carried a value beyond price.

Nearby, the smaller divine steeds gave the enormous chariot a wide berth, afraid it might send them flying.

As the appointed starting time approached, half the people on the ground had boarded their divine steeds. Each of these constructs required several operators.

Liu Wuxie finally brought out the Twin-Winged Battle Chariot and climbed inside. Its wings gradually opened, carrying the small construct into the air.

The crowd burst into laughter. "That divine steed is tiny!" The Qilin War Chariot's nose alone measured twice the size of Liu Wuxie's entire creation.

"Isn't he only in the Spirit Immortal Realm? Has he gone mad? What does he think he'll accomplish by entering?"

Until now, the cultivators remaining on the ground had paid Liu Wuxie little attention, assuming he had come to watch. Only the appearance of the Twin-Winged Battle Chariot revealed his intention to join the tournament.

One beat of its sword wings sent the chariot streaking upward to the Divine Rainbow Road, where Liu Wuxie took his position among the other competitors.

Crystal windows fitted every other divine steed, giving their occupants a clear view of their surroundings. The Twin-Winged Battle Chariot had an open top instead. Liu Wuxie lacked the crystal needed to construct a window, leaving him exposed and at a disadvantage if combat erupted.

He could do little to remedy that shortcoming. Completing a fully functioning divine steed before the tournament was already enough to satisfy him.

The instant Liu Wuxie crossed into the Divine Rainbow Road, immense pressure slammed down upon him.

"Fifteen times the pressure. The divine steeds will move at one-fifteenth of their usual speed," Liu Wuxie murmured as he assessed the resistance around him. "Speed was never the Qilin War Chariot's strength. Divine Steed Manor clearly means to deny everyone else a chance."

The elder from Divine Steed Manor ascended and stationed himself before the Divine Rainbow Road. He lifted one hand, poised to begin the tournament with a downward stroke.

As Liu Wuxie surveyed the surrounding constructs, he noticed Yu Jingtong waving from a divine steed roughly a hundred meters away.

Mou Shaochun witnessed their exchange. His attention fixed on Liu Wuxie, and a vague sense of recognition stirred at the sight of that face.

"Young Master, isn't he the one who interfered last night? His face and eyes match that masked man," a man beside Mou Shaochun observed.

Slightly larger than the Yu Clan's construct, the Mou Clan's divine steed offered enough space for ten people to fit comfortably.

"He ruined my plans last night. Once this competition starts, he dies," Mou Shaochun said icily. Such fierce murderous intent poured from him that Liu Wuxie sensed it even from afar.

Liu Wuxie turned toward the hostility and met Mou Shaochun's stare. Killing intent blazed openly in the latter's eyes.

Mou Shaochun snarled. "You're a dead man, brat!"

The din of the surrounding divine steeds drowned out his words, but Liu Wuxie read the threat from his lips and dismissed it. Should Mou Shaochun dare to cause trouble, Liu Wuxie would grant him no mercy.

The Face-Seer Ghost King had also murdered Yu Di. That debt awaited repayment, and sooner or later, Liu Wuxie would collect it.

"The Divine Steed Tournament starts now!" the elder of Divine Steed Manor announced, bringing his raised hand down.

Divine Will Gate's Cloudbreaker Warship burst ahead and seized the lead, covering several hundred meters in an instant. Without the restrictions of the Divine Rainbow Road, that same burst of speed would have carried it at least a thousand meters.

Heavenly Rift Pavilion's Guardian Wings unfurled to their full span. One powerful beat whipped up a gale, sending smaller divine steeds tumbling through the air. Several were thrown off the Divine Rainbow Road and immediately eliminated from the tournament.

Barely underway, the contest had already become a fierce struggle.

The spatial laws bearing down on the Divine Rainbow Road intensified, reducing the Cloudbreaker Warship to an ordinary cruising speed. Even its renowned swiftness could do little against the course's oppressive restrictions.

A deafening crash tore through the air as two ordinary divine steeds collided. Flames engulfed both constructs and illuminated the sky, eliminating several more contestants mere moments after the tournament began.