Desolate Devouring Art

The black creature appeared so abruptly that everyone froze in shock. A single blow killed both Divine Immortals, tearing them into scraps of flesh in midair.

A black hole opened and devoured their Divine Immortal energy and laws, drawing everything into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron for later use.

Liu Wuxie had only just entered the Profound Immortal Realm and still required time to stabilize his cultivation. Once he escaped, he intended to gradually refine the Divine Immortal Realm laws.

The remaining attackers were already upon him and couldn't stop in time.

"Instant Flash!" Liu Wuxie roared, unleashing a strike polished to perfection. He had stripped away every elaborate flourish and driven the blade technique to its utmost limit. Surrounded by enemies, he scarcely needed to select a target. Anyone who crossed his blade's path would pay the price.

Blood burst through the air. The charging Origin Immortals could not evade in time, and Liu Wuxie's blade cut through their necks. Even the Golden Immortals' expressions betrayed a flicker of horror.

Origin Immortals and Divine Immortals fell in swathes. Blackie's staff suddenly enlarged and swept through the attackers, launching over a hundred cultivators into the air. Some were torn at the waist, others lost their legs, and those of shorter stature had their skulls crushed.

Across the ground, blood flowed into a stream. Even Divine Steed Manor's experts stared in disbelief. The slaughter had far exceeded their expectations. None had suspected that Liu Wuxie harbored such a powerful helper inside his body.

The Nanmen Clan and the Divine Will Gate bore the worst losses, with the Mou Clan suffering next. All three had placed themselves around Liu Wuxie in advance. The Hundred Blossom Manor, the Heartless Sect, and the Heavenly Rift Pavilion lost fewer people, having kept to the encirclement's outer edge.

Blackie's terrifying strength astonished even Liu Wuxie. Killing cultivators at the pinnacle of the Divine Immortal Realm required no more effort from it than crushing ants.

Nanmen Qing thundered at the sight of his dead disciples and deacons. "Wu Xie, you're begging to die!" His powerful Golden Immortal Realm aura erupted, surging toward Liu Wuxie.

Faced with an attack from a Golden Immortal, Liu Wuxie had no option but to retreat. However, he had already connected with the Asura Blade fragment. Should the need arise, he could awaken the Immortal Emperor's will he had left inside it.

He could also withdraw into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron and wait for a chance to escape. However, neither choice guaranteed safety and carried significant risks.

Awakening the Immortal Emperor's will in the Asura Blade fragment would reveal who he was. Concealing himself inside the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron provided no guarantee either. If his enemies sealed the surrounding space, they could imprison him there until they eventually forced him out.

"That brat murdered five of my Divine Will Gate's disciples and two deacons. No one interferes. He's ours," the Divine Will Gate's elder declared. Two Golden Immortals attacked in unison, their terrifying aura surging outward.

"This is Divine Steed Manor's territory. Wu Xie has openly committed murder here, which makes this a direct provocation against us. We have every right to deal with him," Elder Si asserted.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Six to seven Golden Immortals charged at Liu Wuxie in the blink of an eye. Their power sealed the surrounding space, denying him entry into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. Their auras pinned him in place, robbing him of all movement. Such was the might a Golden Immortal commanded.

Blackie flung its head back and roared. Suppression from the Golden Immortal Realm pressed upon it as well, making its bones creak beneath the strain. A low hum followed. It tore free and brought its staff crashing toward Nanmen Qing.

Nanmen Qing had attacked first and consequently stood closer to Liu Wuxie than anyone else.

"Out of my way!" Nanmen Qing roared, dismissing Blackie as he advanced upon his true target. Taking Liu Wuxie alive would deliver the Asura Blade fragment into his hands. He thrust out his palm, knocked the staff aside, and drove Blackie back a few steps.

High overhead, a tiny old man appeared carrying a portrait and looked down at the ongoing battle.

"Hmm? He matches the portrait perfectly. But didn't Gongye Zhang say he was only an eighth-level Spirit Immortal Realm cultivator?" Vandore murmured, comparing the image with Liu Wuxie below. The face was an exact match. The cultivation was not.

Two hours after departing Eastern Emperor City, Vandore had reached this place. He had been heading back to the Elven Race and had encountered the fighting entirely by chance.

With far stronger enemies converging upon him from every direction, Liu Wuxie was impossible to overlook.

After sending Blackie flying, Nanmen Qing reached for Liu Wuxie. The elders of the Divine Will Gate and the Divine Steed Manor also reached out, each intent on capturing him.

Surrounded by so many Golden Immortals, Liu Wuxie couldn't resist. His fate lay wholly in their hands.

"Asura Blade, awaken!" Liu Wuxie bellowed. Every other option had vanished. He could only rouse his Immortal Emperor's will within the Asura Blade fragment.

Inside his interspatial ring, a dark radiance spread over the Asura Blade fragment. It resembled a sleeping Asura Deity beginning to stir. Boundless power spilled from the ring and gradually expanded outward.

"It's him! It really is him!" Vandore exclaimed, waving both hands in excitement. The stirring Immortal Emperor's will inside the Asura Blade fragment swept away every lingering doubt.

Until then, he had planned to capture Liu Wuxie and question him about how he knew the Doom Tempest.

The Immortal Emperor's powerful will surged forth and assumed the shape of a razor-edged blade. Nangong Qing screamed as it severed his fingers, leaving only his bare palm.

The will's emergence from the Asura Blade fragment shook the entire Celestial Realm. An Immortal Emperor's will could span unimaginable distances, announcing its presence far beyond the scene.

The eruption drew the attention of countless forces, including Quasi-Immortal Emperors and Immortal Emperors. "He's back! It really is him!"

Everyone surrounding Liu Wuxie fell beneath the Immortal Emperor's will. He was just preparing to escape when an even more terrifying power descended.

"This is bad. I can't let the Immortal Emperor's will spread!" Vandore said, recognizing the danger at once. He swept out a hand, releasing magical force that enveloped every cultivator at the Divine Steed Manor.

Liu Wuxie frowned and looked around. Nanmen Qing, Elder Si, and the others couldn't move, as though a spell had bound them in their places.

Vandore appeared directly before Liu Wuxie and circled him several times.

"Tsk, tsk..." Vandore clicked his tongue and reached out to poke Liu Wuxie, apparently checking whether he was real.

The old elf's behavior left Liu Wuxie at a loss for words. Pleasure at their reunion warred with unease. If Vandore had discovered him, then someone in the Celestial Realm already knew he had returned.

"How have you been, Brother Liu?" Vandore asked, suddenly levitating to feel Liu Wuxie's face. His features looked nothing like those he remembered, and he suspected Liu Wuxie wore a mask.

"Senior, what do you mean?" Liu Wuxie asked, feigning innocence. He desperately wanted to acknowledge their reunion but suppressed the impulse.

"Go on, keep pretending. Who else could awaken the Immortal Emperor's will inside the Asura Blade?" Vandore challenged. Finding no mask, he descended and stood before Liu Wuxie again.

Liu Wuxie could only offer a bitter smile. Further deception would accomplish nothing. Vandore was right. No one but the Asura Blade's former owner could awaken the will within it.

Vandore had not finished inspecting him. He climbed onto Liu Wuxie's head and looked ready to strip him bare for a more thorough examination.

"Enough! I'm not in disguise!" Liu Wuxie snapped, grabbing Vandore's beard and hauling him off his head.

Vandore took no offense. He burst into laughter, only for it to dissolve into tears midway through, just as it had in Eastern Emperor City.

"Hey, you can joke all you like, but don't start crying!" Liu Wuxie said, hurriedly trying to comfort him as tears streamed down the old elf's face.

"Hahaha! I found you at last! I knew it had to be you!" Vandore cried.

Liu Wuxie's tone and expression matched Vandore's memories exactly. The old elf had provoked him deliberately to test him. Liu Wuxie, for his part, knew the Elven Race's child-like temperament all too well. Thousands of years had failed to change Vandore. He still laughed, wept, and made a fuss whenever the mood struck.

"Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in the Cloud Weave Mountain Range?" Liu Wuxie asked, rolling his eyes.

"That can wait. First, tell me what happened back then. How did you end up like this?" Vandore asked, sitting on the ground and pulling Liu Wuxie down beside him. His magic had already isolated the area. Even people passing the Divine Steed Manor would unknowingly turn away.

Everyone nearby slipped into a deep slumber. Vandore's magic possessed such versatility and unpredictability that even Liu Wuxie admired his mastery.

There was no purpose in hiding the truth. Vandore had reached the Immortal Venerable Realm, and even the faintest clues would allow him to deduce a great deal.

Liu Wuxie told him everything, including what had happened at the Soul-Severing Cliff. The ugly faces of those who had attacked him remained etched into his memory.

"Outrageous! Xiao Wufa calls you his brother, yet he brought all those experts to ambush you?" Vandore roared, springing to his feet furiously.

"Sooner or later, I'll make them answer for what they did," Liu Wuxie replied, hatred burning in his eyes. This was a vengeance he intended to exact himself.

"Be patient, Brother Liu. Xiao Wufa has founded a Heavenly Alliance in the Celestial Realm and become its first Heavenly Emperor. Since your death, he has risen to the foremost position among the ten Immortal Emperors," Vandore explained. He wanted Liu Wuxie to proceed patiently. The moment for revenge had not yet arrived.

"Heavenly Alliance... Chosen by the heavens... There's no end to his ambition," Liu Wuxie sneered. He understood Xiao Wufa's intentions perfectly. The man intended to rule the entire Celestial Realm.