Desolate Devouring Art

A cultivator's soul sea was largely fixed, making it extraordinarily resistant to change. Even Liu Wuxie had found expanding his own soul sea difficult, and the Heavenly Dao Book remained the primary source of his formidable soul energy. As his cultivation continued advancing, however, his need for a proper soul technique grew ever more urgent.

Ning Zhou's soul energy stood like an unshakable mountain. After several violent collisions, the female student's face flushed crimson, and a fine crack opened within her soul sea. She knew that if the confrontation continued, Ning Zhou would inevitably defeat her.

"All four of you, forget defending me and kill the other two," the woman opposite Ning Zhou ordered.

Until then, the four students had reserved part of their soul energy to defend her. Once their leader gave the command, they discarded every defensive measure and redirected their full power toward the other two Azure Flame Dao Hall representatives.

That abrupt change in tactics forced Ning Zhou to alter his own strategy as well.

"Now!" Ning Zhou suddenly thundered.

The instant the four Celestial Moon Dao Hall students withdrew their defenses, three immense surges of soul energy erupted from the opposing formation.

"Damn it, defend yourselves immediately," shouted the Celestial Moon Dao Hall's mentor. Sensing the danger at once, he ordered his students to recall their soul energy. At that moment, he realized they had walked straight into a trap.

Ning Zhou and his companions had been waiting for precisely this opening. They knew the Celestial Moon Dao Hall students would eventually grow impatient after failing to break the stalemate. Once that happened, they were bound to abandon their defenses and focus everything on killing one Azure Flame Dao Hall student as quickly as possible.

If even one member of the Azure Flame Dao Hall's team fell, the Celestial Moon Dao Hall's chances of victory would increase enormously.

Nothing was inherently wrong with the woman's plan. She intended to restrain Ning Zhou while her four companions overwhelmed the other two students, creating an excellent tactical arrangement.

However, the two students behind Ning Zhou suddenly released waves of soul energy even more powerful than his. Their energy rushed into Ning Zhou's, fusing and condensing into a terrifying sword. The instant the three streams became one, the resulting force made the surrounding space tremble violently.

"How can this be possible? They actually fused three people's soul energy into a single force," the Celestial Moon Dao Hall's soul art mentors exclaimed. The sight shook them so profoundly that they staggered backward and nearly collapsed.

Every person's soul energy resembled a unique signature, making it exceptionally difficult for several individuals to combine theirs. Ning Zhou and his companions had achieved a perfect fusion, something that should have been impossible.

Even the Azure Flame Dao Hall's mentors couldn't conceal their astonishment. The nearby experts and ordinary cultivators also fell into stunned silence.

"This must be an illusion. Soul energy can't possibly be merged like that," the Stormcloud Sect's elders cried, nearly ripping out their own hair. Their naked eyes couldn't see the soul sword, but their senses could perceive its terrifying existence with absolute clarity.

"What sorcery did Liu Wuxie use to merge the soul energy of three people?!" Shen Guang exclaimed, murderous intent flickering in the depths of his eyes.

After investigating for several days, the Shen Clan had finally uncovered several clues concerning Shen Can's death. News of Liu Wuxie's appearance at the Shadow Divination Gate had already spread, and Moonveil City had been his first destination afterward. By sheer coincidence, the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm had appeared at exactly that time.

Furthermore, Liu Wuxie was the only person who emerged alive from the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm. That fact alone suggested that something extraordinary had taken place within the secret realm. Without concrete evidence, however, every conclusion remained nothing but speculation.

The four Celestial Moon Dao Hall students tried to recall their soul energy and rebuild their defenses, but the opportunity had already vanished. The terrifying soul sword blasted aside the female student's soul sword and continued onward with the same momentum, piercing straight through her soul sea.

"AAARGH!" The woman released a miserable shriek and toppled backward. The soul sword had utterly destroyed her soul sea.

The other four Celestial Moon Dao Hall students reacted quickly enough to unleash their soul swords. Even if death awaited them, they were determined to drag two enemies down with them.

"Soul Shield!" The two students behind Ning Zhou immediately manifested shields of light within their soul seas, neutralizing every incoming attack.

Liu Wuxie had modified the soul art inherited from the Spirit Clan and adapted it for human cultivators. The shields created by the two students couldn't rival those of the Spirit Clan, but they were more than adequate against ordinary opponents.

After tearing through the woman's soul sea, the soul sword soared across the arena like a rising dragon and swept through a wide arc. The remaining four students had no time to react before it tore through their soul seas, sending their lifeless bodies crumpling to the ground.

The soul art battle ended after merely fifteen minutes. Victory had exacted a price, however. Ning Zhou and his companions had depleted most of their soul energy and would need considerable time to recover.

Cheers erupted throughout the Azure Flame Dao Hall as their victory secured a clean sweep of the soul arts category.

Sun Xuan collapsed to the ground, his face turning deathly pale. The Celestial Moon Dao Hall's defeat meant that he now had to sever one of his arms.

No one from the Celestial Moon Dao Hall spoke in his defense. Bitter expressions crossed the faces of the remaining students, and many had already begun contemplating withdrawal from the competition. Consecutive defeats across two categories had demolished their fighting spirit, while fear of dying in the coming matches steadily took root.

The Azure Flame Dao Hall's morale, by contrast, continued climbing ever higher.

"Sun Xuan, the time has come to honor your promise," Yi Zhong shouted, demanding that Sun Xuan cut off his arm.

Every gaze immediately shifted toward Sun Xuan, but not one person offered him any sympathy. After all, he was a traitor paying the price for making bad choices.

Trembling violently, Sun Xuan turned toward the Celestial Moon Dao Hall's hall master. The latter refused to spare him even a glance, sending Sun Xuan's heart plunging into an abyss.

"Hall Master Gongye, I made a terrible mistake. Please, give me one more chance! I swear I'll remain loyal from this day forward. I won't even ask for compensation. I'll teach the Azure Flame Dao Hall's students for free," Sun Xuan pleaded desperately. He understood that the Celestial Moon Dao Hall had already discarded him.

Losing an arm seemed worse than death to Sun Xuan. With nowhere else to turn, he immediately dropped to his knees before Gongye Zhang.

"If you understood where this path would lead, why did you choose it in the first place?" Gongye Zhang asked with a sigh, showing no willingness to accept Sun Xuan's desperate pleas.

"Mentor Liu, please show mercy and spare me. Say the word, and I'll do anything you demand," Sun Xuan begged, hastily turning toward Liu Wuxie in the desperate hope that he might receive one final chance.

As Sun Xuan knelt before the crowd, he had lost all the arrogance he'd shown moments ago.

"Sun Xuan, you dare betray the Celestial Moon Dao Hall in front of us? You're asking to die," the Celestial Moon Dao Hall's mentors roared, launching their attacks before he could respond.

Sun Xuan stood no chance against several peak Origin Immortals. His actions only rubbed salt into the Celestial Moon Dao Hall’s wounds, deepening their humiliation before the entire audience.

The Celestial Moon Dao Hall had already suffered one defeat after another, and now one of its own mentors was trying to defect. With their pent-up rage demanding an outlet, Sun Xuan became the perfect target.

A barrage of attacks killed Sun Xuan before he could even resist. His death became a brutal warning to anyone else contemplating betrayal. In the end, a distinguished mentor suffered an utterly miserable fate.

The other mentors who had abandoned the Azure Flame Dao Hall alongside Sun Xuan trembled, terrified that the same end might soon await them.

Liu Wuxie had already anticipated Sun Xuan's death and didn't look surprised.

The poison art, magic art, and soul art categories had now concluded. Martial path, alchemy, spiritual array, talisman, and blacksmithing remained, and these were the competition's most eagerly anticipated events. Once the students completed their contests, the mentors would enter the arenas for their own matches.

The blacksmithing competition followed the soul arts, prompting several students specializing in that field to step forward. As expected, the martial path competition was reserved for the end.

The blacksmithing category contained two events, one individual and one team-based. Unlike the earlier categories, blacksmithing contests rarely developed into deathmatches.

Zhang Dashan led ten students toward the blacksmithing arena. He would represent the Azure Flame Dao Hall in the individual event, while Diao Jiuzhi and Ren Fanfan would lead the team event.

The difference between the events was simple. The individual event featured a one-on-one contest that determined which participant had superior blacksmithing skills. During the team event, the students would cooperate to refine an artifact, and victory would go to the side that produced the higher-quality artifact.

The team event came first. Diao Jiuzhi and Ren Fanfan led the other students in the arena.

The Celestial Moon Dao Hall dispatched its representatives as well. With both Dao Halls fielding the same number of students, there was little room for manipulation. Victory would depend entirely on which team forged more high-quality artifacts.

Ten students represented each side, and the match would last for three hours. Twenty forging cauldrons stood across the arena, while an abundance of blacksmithing materials were arranged neatly around its perimeter. Both teams received identical materials, ensuring a fair contest.

"I trust everyone already knows the rules. You have three hours, and when the time is up, all forging must cease immediately," Qian Yao announced.

As the twenty students approached their respective cauldrons and prepared to begin, a voice suddenly cut across the arena.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned toward the Celestial Moon Dao Hall at once. Matches like this had traditionally included wagers between both sides. The previous wager had placed one of Liu Wuxie's arms at stake, and no one knew what the Celestial Moon Dao Hall intended to demand now.

In earlier years, the Azure Flame Dao Hall had proposed wagers and conditions of its own. This year unfolded differently. Liu Wuxie had barely spoken, while the Celestial Moon Dao Hall repeatedly took the initiative and proposed every wager.

"Liu Wuxie, I'm challenging you to a wager," a mentor from the Celestial Moon Dao Hall declared as he stepped forward. His name was Zhu Gaoyang, and he taught blacksmithing. All ten students inside the arena were his proteges, giving him absolute confidence that they would win.

"What are you offering as the stake?" Liu Wuxie asked with a faint smile. No one could discern the thoughts hidden behind his expression. Since arriving at the venue, he had worn the same calm smile, as refreshing as a spring breeze.

"Let's wager the secrets hidden inside the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm," Zhu Gaoyang declared, a terrifying chill flashing through his eyes.

Liu Wuxie's smile deepened by a fraction. Someone had clearly begun suspecting him. Since they lacked evidence, however, they could only use this wager to force the truth from his mouth. If he lost, he would have no choice but to reveal the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm's secrets.

"And what if I choose not to accept?" Liu Wuxie asked, his smile remaining perfectly intact. He activated the Divine Tribulation Pupil and released a terrifying pressure that forced Zhu Gaoyang to retreat involuntarily despite being a peak Origin Immortal.

"I know you have a brother living in Moon Reverence City. You wouldn't want some unfortunate accident to befall him, would you?" Zhu Gaoyang asked before throwing back his head and laughing hysterically. His words amounted to an unmistakable threat.

Liu Wuxie's relationship with Chen Ping had already become common knowledge.

The instant Zhu Gaoyang finished speaking, boundless murderous intent erupted from Liu Wuxie. Its crushing intensity forced even the mentors beside him to retreat hastily.