Desolate Devouring Art

The beast carriage rolled out of Fourfold City and followed the main road into the distance.

Elder Wu and the other elders remained completely unaware of their mission. Liu Wuxie did not explain, and they wisely refrained from asking him.

About an entire day and night passed before the road ahead deteriorated into rugged terrain, forcing the beast carriage to move with increasing difficulty.

A prominent tea stall stood beside the hillside, drawing many cultivators who wished to rest briefly during their journeys. An old-fashioned village inhabited by mortals lay not far away.

One of the villagers had likely built the stall to offer refreshments to passing travelers and earn a modest living.

"We'll stop here and rest," Liu Wuxie said as he climbed out of the beast carriage with the elders and entered the crude tea stall.

Only a few people occupied the stall. By the time Liu Wuxie's group arrived, the other patrons were already getting up to continue on their way.

Most cultivators carried their own supplies while traveling. Those who visited this place either needed relief from exhaustion or wanted somewhere safe to rest. Drinking tea mattered far less.

"What can I bring you, gentlemen?" the shopkeeper asked.

The man appeared to be in his fifties, and he struggled to make a living by managing the tea stall.

"Six bowls of ordinary tea will be enough," Liu Wuxie replied.

"Please give me a moment, honored guests. Your tea will be ready shortly," the shopkeeper said.

He hurriedly wiped down their table before moving to the side of the stall. He lifted an iron kettle from a stove, its boiling water bubbling noisily inside.

Before long, the shopkeeper returned and set six porcelain bowls before the six men, with several ordinary tea leaves floating inside each one. He poured boiling water into the bowls, completing the simple brew.

"Please enjoy your tea!" he said.

He then bowed and turned away.

"Tell me, shopkeeper, how old are you?" Liu Wuxie suddenly asked.

No one else remained nearby, and dusk was already drawing close. Had Liu Wuxie's group not appeared, the shopkeeper would probably have closed the stall and returned home by now.

"I'm fifty-three," the shopkeeper answered honestly.

"I'll give you five hundred immortal stones to rent this tea stall for the next three days," Liu Wuxie said, handing the shopkeeper five hundred immortal stones.

Five hundred immortal stones could hardly be considered a fortune, but Liu Wuxie estimated that the stall would earn only a few hundred immortal stones at most over the next three days. He wasn't reluctant to offer more. Paying an excessive amount would simply make the shopkeeper suspicious.

"May I ask why, Young Master?" the shopkeeper asked curiously.

"I wander the world to experience both the warmth and hardship of mortal life. After watching you work here, I find myself wanting to experience it firsthand. I hope you'll indulge my request," Liu Wuxie replied.

He opened the folding fan he had prepared, immediately taking on the appearance of a wealthy young master.

The disguised elders resembled refined scholars, completing the illusion that they were accompanying Liu Wuxie on a journey to experience the world.

"Five hundred immortal stones are far too many. Three hundred will be enough," the shopkeeper replied.

He tried to return two hundred immortal stones to Liu Wuxie. After all, the stall earned only slightly over a hundred immortal stones each day.

"Keep the rest," Liu Wuxie insisted, pushing the immortal stones back into the shopkeeper's hands.

Unable to refuse any longer, the shopkeeper accepted the immortal stones. He gave Liu Wuxie several instructions before hurrying down the hill. The stall was nothing more than a canopy propped up by several wooden poles, so crude that the shopkeeper had no valuables to fear losing.

"Wuxie, what made you rent this tea stall?" Yuan Jiang finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

If Liu Wuxie wanted tea, they all carried high-quality tea leaves. If he needed rest, they could find temporary lodging in the nearby village or pitch tents on the hillside. Yuan Jing couldn't understand why Liu Wuxie had chosen to rent the tea stall.

"Elder Wu, could I trouble you to locate the nearest water source?" Liu Wuxie asked with a mysterious smile.

He still refused to reveal any part of his plan.

They had little time left to prepare. Although the plan contained numerous flaws, careful coordination would give them a high chance of success. No perfect plan existed in the world, and flaws were inevitable. Liu Wuxie's task was to eliminate as many of them as possible.

Elder Wu immediately departed to survey the surrounding area after receiving his orders.

"Elder Yuan, I'll need you to investigate whether any experts have taken up posts in the village," Liu Wuxie continued, handing out assignments one by one.

Yuan Jiang was somewhat displeased that Liu Wuxie had ignored his question, but he still rose and shot toward the village a few dozen miles away.

Liu Wuxie dispatched two more elders to search the surrounding area for medicinal herbs. The final elder remained behind to protect him.

Two hours later, the elders returned to the tea stall.

"Wuxie, the closest stream lies behind the hillside. The shopkeeper probably drew the water used to brew this tea from there," Elder Wu reported.

He relayed everything he had discovered and even sketched a simplified map for Liu Wuxie.

"You've gone to considerable trouble, Elder Wu," Liu Wuxie replied courteously.

"I found no experts in the village. Its strongest resident is merely a True Immortal," Yuan Jiang reported next.

"I appreciate your efforts, Elder Yuan," Liu Wuxie responded with the same courtesy.

Despite obtaining all the information he needed, Liu Wuxie's face revealed no relief. The coming battle would decide whether they lived or died. A single mistake could send every one of them to their deaths.

"Wuxie, are you finally going to tell us your plan?" Yuan Jiang asked.

He was impatient. He had already raised the question once that evening and received no answer, so he confronted Liu Wuxie again after nightfall.

Elder Wu remained silent, but the growing doubt in his eyes spoke clearly enough. None of them understood what Liu Wuxie intended to accomplish, and traveling all this way merely to rent a tea stall made no sense.

"An escort from the Wen Clan will pass this tea house tomorrow. Our mission is to kill every last one of them and seize their goods," Liu Wuxie replied.

He could no longer conceal the objective, but he lowered his voice until even the five elders could barely hear him.

Yuan Jing opened his mouth to speak, but Elder Wu stopped him before he could utter a word. They couldn't risk alerting anyone nearby.

"The Wen Clan dispatched a group of experts one month ago. A ninth-level Origin Immortal accompanied them, so killing them all won't be easy," Elder Wu replied with a deep frown.

The City Lord Mansion monitored every movement within the Wen Clan. In turn, the Wen Clan kept an equally close watch on the City Lord Mansion. Elder Wu's concerns were entirely justified.

Elder Wu possessed the highest cultivation among the five, yet he was only a seventh-level Origin Immortal. Though he didn't fear a ninth-level Origin Immortal, killing one would still prove extraordinarily difficult.

"That's precisely why our coordination must be flawless. As long as everyone fulfills their role, wiping them out won't be difficult," Liu Wuxie replied.

He understood their concerns perfectly.

A confrontation offered them no advantage. Even if they somehow seized the upper hand, the Wen Clan's experts could still escape.

The surrounding terrain stretched broad and open. Liu Wuxie could establish a spiritual array here, but none of the spiritual arrays currently within his ability could restrain a ninth-level Origin Immortal. Trapping ordinary Origin Immortals wouldn't present much difficulty, but anyone at the ninth level would've already mastered certain methods belonging to a Divine Immortal.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Elder Wu asked, excitement flaring in his eyes at the prospect of hunting the Wen Clan's experts.

Not personally witnessing Liu Wuxie kill Wen Qiong remained a great regret for all five of them.

Liu Wuxie beckoned, and the five immediately leaned closer. He transmitted the complete plan directly into their minds through divine sense, assigning every person a specific role and explaining exactly what they needed to do. Well past midnight, the elders finally memorized every part of their assignments.

"Now that everyone understands the plan, we'll act as strangers from this moment onward," Liu Wuxie said.

He stood and stretched. Explaining the plan for more than two hours had left his throat painfully dry, so he raised a bowl of cold tea and swallowed several mouthfuls to moisten it.

Elder Wu turned and departed first. He possessed the highest cultivation among them, and no matter how carefully he concealed himself, traces of his aura could still escape.

Of the four elders who remained, two hurried back toward Fourfold City while the other two continued farther down the road.

Liu Wuxie alone remained in the tea stall, sitting quietly beneath the canopy.

As the darkness deepened, the cries of eagles swept through the valley.

Liu Wuxie produced another mask and began altering his disguise while studying his reflection in a bronze mirror. A full hour passed before the wealthy young master vanished, replaced by the shopkeeper who had previously managed the tea stall.

Meanwhile, Elder Wu had temporarily taken control of the real shopkeeper's entire family. Once the mission ended, they would all regain their freedom unharmed.

If the shopkeeper unexpectedly returned and two identical men appeared at the stall, Liu Wuxie's entire plan would collapse on the spot.

The sun climbed over the eastern horizon, announcing the dawn of a new day.

Liu Wuxie couldn't recognize the members of the Wen Clan, so he had to depend on the four elders to identify them. He boiled water and wiped down the tables, perfectly recreating the shopkeeper's routine. The Heavenly Dao Book had already engraved every expression and movement of the real shopkeeper into his memory.

Late that morning, Yuan Jing and another elder appeared within Liu Wuxie's field of vision. Dust covered them from head to toe as they approached from the opposite side of the hill.

While still far away, Yuan Jing sent Liu Wuxie a signal with his eyes. Liu Wuxie understood at once. The Wen Clan's people were following close behind and would arrive shortly.

At that moment, two elderly men appeared from the other side of the hill. They were also part of Liu Wuxie's arrangements, but they moved far more slowly than Yuan Jiang's group and would need some time to reach the tea stall.

Strangely, blood covered both men, making them look as though they had barely survived a ferocious battle.

"This damned heat! Shopkeeper, get us two bowls of tea!" Yuan Jing shouted as he staggered into the stall.

"One moment, honored guests. Your tea is coming right up!" Liu Wuxie replied.

He hurried to the boiling kettle and filled two bowls for Yuan Jiang and the other elder. After returning the kettle to the stove, he resumed waiting for more patrons.

At that moment, seven figures emerged from the far side of the hill. Liu Wuxie narrowed his eyes sharply. The Wen Clan's experts, their intended targets, had finally arrived.

Terrifying cultivation radiated from all seven, marking them as some of the strongest figures in the Wen Clan. The most dangerous among them was the ninth-level Origin Immortal serving as the Wen Clan's grand elder, whose status stood beneath only that of the patriarch.

The remaining six were equally formidable, with every one of them having reached the Origin Immortal Realm. A lineup of such overwhelming strength was exceedingly rare.

"Grand Elder, there's a tea stall ahead. Should we stop there and rest for a while?"

The seven had traveled without pause from a distant location, and exhaustion weighed heavily on them. With Fourfold City drawing near, their taut nerves had begun to relax.

"Another day will bring us to Fourfold City. Endure a little longer," the grand elder replied.

His name was Wen Ding. Caution defined his nature, compelling him to order everyone to continue their journey.