Desolate Devouring Art

The moment Wu Sheng's group appeared, the residents surrounding the City Lord Mansion recoiled in alarm, confused by what was happening.

The group surged directly toward the Wen Clan's estate with overwhelming momentum. Only a handful of experts had remained behind to guard the enormous compound, leaving most of it deserted.

A deafening explosion shattered the Wen Clan estate's main gates, reducing them to dust. The sudden assault caught the entire Wen Clan off guard. Who could have imagined that anyone would dare to attack them on their own ground?

With most of the Wen Clan's experts absent, Wu Sheng and the others tore through the estate, killing anyone who stood in their path. Ordinary servants fled the moment the City Lord Mansion's forces stormed inside, while the elderly, women, and children remained untouched.

"Wu Sheng, you've got a death wish," several experts roared as they emerged from the depths of the Wen Clan estate.

Every one of them possessed cultivation at the sixth or seventh level of the Origin Immortal Realm.

Every ninth-level Origin Immortal had accompanied Wen Changxing to the Skyhalberd Auction House. Cautious as ever, Wen Changxing had mobilized every powerful expert in the clan out of fear that the City Lord Mansion might seize the Sumeru Stone by force.

The Wen Clan experts couldn't comprehend what they were seeing. Their intelligence clearly stated that Ye Guhai had led the City Lord Mansion's experts into the Skyhalberd Auction House. If that report was accurate, how could Wu Sheng possibly be here?

Wu Sheng and his companions had only recently received their instructions from the City Lord Mansion. Those who had remained behind were all Ye Guhai's most trusted confidants.

Ye Guhai had always known that the Wen Clan had spies inside the City Lord Mansion, but he deliberately pretended otherwise. Spies could occasionally prove useful when one needed to feed an enemy false information.

To prevent Wu Sheng and the others from accidentally exposing the scheme, Ye Guhai had revealed Liu Wuxie's plan to them only two hours before the auction began. The Wu Sheng sitting among the City Lord Mansion's experts inside the auction house was merely another member wearing a disguise to deceive the Wen Clan.

"Kill them all! Leave no one alive!" Wu Sheng roared as murderous intent erupted from his body.

After so many years, he had finally carved his way into the Wen Clan's estate, an opportunity made possible only by Liu Wuxie's plan.

A month earlier, the Wen Clan had devised a scheme to lure Ye Linghan back to Fourfold City while sending experts into the Dragon Burial Mountain Range to kill Liu Wuxie. Liu Wuxie had simply turned the same strategy against them, repaying an eye for an eye.

This assault against the Wen Clan was merely Liu Wuxie's first move. A relentless succession of blows would follow, forcing the Wen Clan to live in constant fear until nothing remained of them.

The City Lord Mansion held an overwhelming advantage. After several hundred exchanges, Wu Sheng and Yuan Jiang joined forces and killed every Wen Clan expert who had remained behind.

"We don't have much time. Kill everyone above the True Immortal Realm and reach the Wen Clan treasury as quickly as possible," Wu Sheng ordered.

The City Lord Mansion's experts scattered throughout the compound, unleashing a bloody purge upon the Wen Clan. They slaughtered every Wen Clan disciple whose cultivation surpassed the True Immortal Realm, severing the clan's legacy at its roots.

Even if Wen Changxing and the others returned alive, they would find nothing but an empty shell. Even though the Wen Clan's leaders survived, everyone beneath them would be dead. Liu Wuxie's vicious plan sought to uproot every part of the Wen Clan's foundation, and he was determined to use any means necessary to destroy them.

At a moment like this, Liu Wuxie couldn't afford mercy toward his enemies. Only one side could survive, either the Wen Clan or Liu Wuxie, leaving him no other choice.

From the moment Wen Qi pursued him, Liu Wuxie had marked the Wen Clan for elimination. When Wen Qu had nearly killed Ye Linghan, his fury had ignited completely and accelerated his plans for revenge.

Liu Wuxie had originally intended to wait until he reached the Origin Immortal Realm before taking revenge. Acting now required him to borrow someone else's strength, so he chose to wield the power of the City Lord Mansion against the Wen Clan.

After luring the Wen Clan's experts away from their estate, Liu Wuxie planned to use the City Lord Mansion to strike directly at their foundation.

Within just fifteen minutes, blood covered the Wen Clan estate, and the attackers had located and emptied the treasury. In truth, few treasures remained inside. The Wen Clan had already converted most of its valuables into immortal stones to purchase the Sumeru Stone.

"We'll divide into two groups. I'll take five men to the Wen Clan's mine. Yuan Jiang, lead everyone else and destroy the Wen Clan's properties throughout Fourfold City, but remember not to harm any innocent people," Wu Sheng ordered.

"Move out," Yuan Jiang ordered. They had no time to waste and had to complete every part of the plan before the auction ended.

The experts belonging to Fourfold City's major clans had gathered inside the Skyhalberd Auction House, leaving mostly ordinary people outside.

Yuan Jiang swept through several Wen Clan assets without resistance, seizing their resources and razing their buildings to the ground. Wu Sheng raced into the mountain range and located the Wen Clan's mines. After killing several Wen Clan experts stationed there, his group swiftly seized control.

Liu Wuxie had systematically severed every path available to the Wen Clan. Some would wonder whether he feared a counterattack against the City Lord Mansion. After all, although the Wen Clan's ordinary disciples had been slaughtered, its upper echelon remained alive, and they were the clan's true elites.

Since Liu Wuxie had chosen this path, he had naturally accounted for that danger. The real spectacle had only just begun.

During previous auctions, Gu Yi had always directed proceedings from behind the scenes. This marked the first time a ninth-level Origin Immortal had personally served as the auctioneer.

The opening items consisted of pills and artifacts, none of which drew bids from either the Wen Clan or the City Lord Mansion. The other clans competed for them instead, though most ultimately fell into the hands of second-tier clans.

An hour passed, carrying the auction to its halfway point as everyone waited impatiently for the Sumeru Stone to appear.

Wen Changxing's brows twitched without pause. The sensation filled him with deep discomfort, but he could only suppress his unease because the Sumeru Stone would soon emerge.

"Patriarch, why can't I shake this terrible feeling?" Wen Xuan asked from beside Wen Changxing.

A powerful sense of unease gripped him as well. Liu Wuxie's terrifying calm only made that feeling worse.

"You feel it too?" Wen Changxing asked.

Until Wen Xuan spoke, he thought it was his nerves that were making him anxious.

Not long ago, Wu Sheng had killed two of Wen Changxing's sons. Only his eldest son, now seated beside him, remained alive. That bloodshed was the true source of the dread tightening around Wen Changxing's heart.

Wen Xuan had suffered the same fate, with Yuan Jiang killing two of his sons.

"Could something have happened at the estate?" Wen Xuan asked.

Known for his wisdom, Wen Xuan possessed both resourcefulness and foresight, allowing him to examine possibilities more deeply than most.

Wen Changxing frowned. Only a handful of experts remained at the Wen Clan estate, and they couldn't possibly withstand an attack from the City Lord Mansion. Yet all the City Lord Mansion's experts appeared to be sitting beside Ye Guhai, leaving no one available to assault the Wen Clan.

"I'm sure everyone has been waiting impatiently for our next item," Gu Yi said, interrupting Wen Changxing and Wen Xuan's thoughts.

At last, the Sumeru Stone was about to appear.

Regardless of their unease, they had to secure the Sumeru Stone before dealing with anything else. Silence swept across the auction house in an instant as every gaze turned toward the platform.

A maid stepped onto the platform carrying a delicate jade tray in both hands. Countless eyes immediately locked onto it, including those of Ye Guhai and his companions, whose expressions carried intense anticipation.

Everyone knew the true spectacle was finally beginning. No one had imagined that such a small Sumeru Stone could plunge an entire city into this much turmoil.

A red cloth concealed the jade tray, preventing even divine sense from penetrating and observing the stone beneath it.

Liu Wuxie, however, could see the Sumeru Stone clearly with his mental energy.

Tension gradually seized Ye Linghan, and she reached out to grip Liu Wuxie's arm. The Sumeru Stone would determine the survival of both the City Lord Mansion and the Wen Clan.

Although Ye Linghan trusted that Liu Wuxie would never harm the City Lord Mansion, events had already spiraled beyond anyone's control. Even Liu Wuxie now stood entangled within the conflict, making withdrawal impossible.

When Ye Guhai had first heard the plan, Liu Wuxie's methods had filled even him with fear and amazement. He could only describe Liu Wuxie as courageous, resourceful, and unrivaled in wisdom.

If Liu Wuxie dared to take such a gamble, there was no reason for Ye Guhai to hesitate.

Wen Changxing's body tightened as his fists clenched and his eyes fixed upon the jade tray. Regardless of the cost, he had to obtain the Sumeru Stone.

The Wen Clan had waited far too long for this day. Every supplementary material had already been gathered, leaving the Sumeru Stone as the sole missing component.

"I believe everyone already knows what lies beneath this cloth. Someone consigned this Sumeru Stone to the Skyhalberd Auction House, but we're not at liberty to disclose the seller's identity. I hope everyone will understand," Gu Yi said.

Although everyone knew that Liu Wuxie had consigned the Sumeru Stone, Gu Yi still issued the formal declaration. It allowed the Skyhalberd Auction House to avoid offending either the Wen Clan or the City Lord Mansion.

With those few words, Gu Yi successfully redirected everyone's hostility. The Wen Clan and the City Lord Mansion both turned furious gazes toward Liu Wuxie, who had now thoroughly offended them both.

"Senior Gu, we've heard enough. Start the bidding," several cultivators urged impatiently.

The Wen Clan wasn't alone in coveting the Sumeru Stone. Several other formidable clans also watched it with unconcealed greed.

Once the anticipation had reached its peak, Gu Yi swept away the red cloth and revealed a fist-sized Sumeru Stone.

"The starting bid is five hundred thousand immortal stones. Every increase must be at least one hundred thousand," Gu Yi announced.

The most expensive item sold earlier hadn't exceeded five hundred thousand immortal stones. Yet the bidding for the Sumeru Stone began at that very amount, drawing sharp breaths from every corner of the auction house.

Many people immediately abandoned any thought of competing. Five hundred thousand immortal stones represented no small fortune, leaving even some ordinary second-tier clans unqualified to place a bid.

Only Fourfold City's first-tier forces possessed enough wealth to compete.

"Six hundred thousand," Ye Guhai called the instant Gu Yi announced the starting bid.

His eagerness and determined expression made it clear that he intended to obtain the Sumeru Stone.

Wen Changxing and the others naturally noticed his reaction, further convincing them that Ye Guhai would pursue the Sumeru Stone at any cost.

"Seven hundred thousand!" another voice called from a neighboring section before Wen Changxing could bid.

"It's the Mu Clan!"

Besides the Wen Clan, the Mu Clan also ranked among Fourfold City's first-tier clans and enjoyed considerable status. Their patriarch was likewise a Divine Immortal, though only at the eighth level, leaving him slightly weaker than Wen Changxing and Ye Guhai.

"Eight hundred thousand," Wen Changxing finally called.

Regardless of the price, the Wen Clan was determined to obtain the Sumeru Stone.

Ye Guhai countered immediately. "Nine hundred thousand."

In barely a single breath, the Sumeru Stone's price had nearly doubled. The terrifying pace left the entire audience speechless, especially since bidders usually contemplated carefully before raising the price during an ordinary auction.

Here, however, they threw out bids as though they possessed more immortal stones than they could ever spend.