Desolate Devouring Art

The mysterious imprint had followed Liu Wuxie throughout his journey, yet he couldn't summon it whenever he wished. It revealed itself only at critical moments, and even Liu Wuxie had no idea where it usually remained concealed. The imprint seemed branded into his bones and carved into the deepest reaches of his soul sea.

The axe burst forth with unstoppable force and tore straight through the gateway to the fifth-level True Immortal Realm.

A sharp crack rang out as the gateway shattered into fragments and gradually faded. The axe vanished once again, but this time, Liu Wuxie clearly saw it sink into the depths of the Ancestral Tree, where it continued receiving nourishment.

"The axe imprint has merged with the Ancestral Tree? How is that possible...?" Liu Wuxie murmured in complete bewilderment.

He couldn't understand how the axe imprint had fused with the Ancestral Tree, and he wondered whether some hidden connection existed between them.

Liu Wuxie had only just achieved his breakthrough, so he had no time to explore the mystery further. He could investigate everything else in the future.

Immortal energy rampaged through the entire Desolate World like a ferocious beast. By refining the corpses of the Wen Clan experts, Liu Wuxie absorbed all the energy stored inside the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron into the Desolate World.

The instant that energy flooded inside, violent tremors seized Liu Wuxie's body.

"This power is terrifying," Liu Wuxie exclaimed.

He guided the excess energy through his limbs, using its force to temper his physique.

"Origin Immortals truly live up to their reputation. The energy inside them is too powerful," Liu Wuxie murmured.

His aura rose speedily, nearly blasting through the roof.

A violent gale erupted inside the room, rattling every door and window.

Ye Linghan stood outside the courtyard, staring in shock as the doors and windows shook. She still vividly remembered the commotion Liu Wuxie had caused when he had broken through to the fourth-level True Immortal Realm.

Even so, she had never expected his breakthrough to the fifth-level True Immortal Realm to produce twice as much power.

"Is his body some kind of bottomless pit? How can he keep absorbing energy without reaching a limit? Even an ordinary low-level Spirit Immortal would've exploded long ago," Ye Linghan muttered.

A thunderous rumble erupted as the Desolate World expanded and contracted before suddenly surging outward. The Origin Immortal Realm laws contained within Wen Ding's body had clearly driven its expansion.

As the desolate world grew, Liu Wuxie's body gained the capacity to hold even more immortal energy. His blood moved like thick paste, his muscles thundered like war drums, and his bones boomed like lightning.

Every table and chair in the room rose from the floor and revolved around Liu Wuxie. A black hole formed before him as the Desolate Devouring Art underwent another qualitative transformation, devouring the elements suspended throughout the atmosphere.

"What an incredible absorption rate," Liu Wuxie exclaimed.

Until now, energy had entered his body through his pores and the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron whenever he cultivated. Now, everything had changed. The Desolate Devouring Art could now plunder energy directly, creating a black hole that devoured everything around it.

Throughout the day, everyone in the City Lord Mansion, from Ye Guhai to the servants, watched the phenomenon in astonishment. Liu Wuxie finally stabilized his cultivation at the pinnacle of the fifth-level True Immortal Realm around midnight.

Liu Wuxie rose like a dragon awakening from a long slumber and crossed the room in a single stride. When he stepped into the courtyard, Ye Linghan was still standing guard without having rested. She had allowed no one to disturb him, knowing that even the slightest interference during a breakthrough could bring disastrous consequences.

"Thank you for standing guard," Liu Wuxie said as he approached her.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on Ye Linghan's face. He knew she hadn't rested for a moment, remaining vigilant throughout his entire breakthrough.

"Congratulations. You've reached the fifth-level True Immortal Realm," Ye Linghan said.

Every breakthrough Liu Wuxie achieved filled her with genuine happiness. She even found herself wishing her own cultivation would progress more slowly so he could catch up with her.

Only now did Ye Linghan realize that her concern had been unnecessary. At Liu Wuxie's current rate of advancement, he would overtake her before long.

Liu Wuxie walked to the center of the courtyard and drew the Bloodthirst Blade. His stance shifted away from Instant Flash and settled into Mountain Blade. Though he stood perfectly still, he resembled an immovable mountain radiating crushing force in every direction.

Ye Linghan narrowed her eyes. The aura alone made her uneasy. Mountain Blade wasn't renowned for speed, but it carried the overwhelming power of a mountain.

Liu Wuxie accumulated momentum for a long time without releasing the strike. Merely assuming Mountain Blade's opening stance had already consumed half of his immortal energy.

Every movement of the Heavenly Crest Divine Blade Art drew upon the power of heaven and earth, making the technique extraordinarily formidable. If Liu Wuxie unleashed it recklessly, he would be struck by the resulting backlash.

The Bloodthirst Blade abruptly changed direction as the Instant Blade shot toward Ye Linghan. Its speed caught even an Origin Immortal like her by surprise.

Liu Wuxie had chosen an Origin Immortal as his opponent to practice his blade technique.

Ye Linghan drew the Frostsword and swept it horizontally, intercepting the Bloodthirst Blade.

Sparks erupted from the collision, and the impact forced Liu Wuxie back dozens of steps.

"Your blade is frighteningly fast. An ordinary Spirit Immortal wouldn't be able to evade it," Ye Linghan said as she sheathed her sword, visibly shocked.

Had anyone else at the Spirit Immortal Realm faced that strike, the blade would already have slit their throat.

"It's still not fast enough. Keep suppressing me with your aura," Liu Wuxie replied.

After experiencing the suppression of Ye Linghan's aura, he remained deeply dissatisfied with his blade's speed.

"All right!" Ye Linghan replied without hesitation.

A formidable Origin Immortal Realm aura erupted from her body. The surrounding space seemed to solidify beneath the pressure, as though a colossal mountain had descended upon Liu Wuxie.

The suppression slowed Liu Wuxie's movements much like sandbags tied around a runner's legs. Once the sandbags came off, the runner would feel incomparably light.

When Liu Wuxie unleashed the Instant Flash, its speed slowed by over ten times. Every swing became extraordinarily difficult to complete.

Yet his comprehension of the Heavenly Crest Divine Blade Art steadily deepened. The slower attacks exposed countless details he had previously overlooked.

With each strike, Liu Wuxie made subtle adjustments to the blade's trajectory. He soon discovered that even a minor height difference could affect its speed.

By daybreak, Liu Wuxie had depleted all of his immortal energy and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Ye Linghan withdrew her Origin Immortal Realm suppression and wiped the sweat from Liu Wuxie's face with a napkin.

Once his immortal energy recovered, Liu Wuxie resumed practicing his blade technique. Without Ye Linghan's suppression, his attack became a third faster, and the blade's trajectory became even more unpredictable.

After unleashing hundreds of attacks, Liu Wuxie finally stopped and sheathed the Bloodthirst Blade.

"You're exhausted too. Go back and rest," Liu Wuxie said.

He urged Ye Linghan to return to her room while he attended to other matters.

Despite her reluctance, she left the courtyard and returned to her residence.

After watching her depart, Liu Wuxie immediately began altering his appearance. He disguised himself as a man in his thirties, then used Ghost Pupil and the Divine Tribulation Pupil to evade the City Lord Mansion's guards before slipping through the rear gate.

No one knew that Liu Wuxie had left the City Lord Mansion; not even Ye Guhai. As he walked through the streets, the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron sealed his Desolate World and prevented his aura from leaking. Even if he brushed shoulders with members of the Wen Clan, they wouldn't discover him.

Liu Wuxie blended into the crowd and wandered through the city. Fourfold City's general layout remained unfamiliar to him because his previous visit had lasted only a few hours.

Although Fourfold City couldn't match Eastern Emperor City in scale, it still stretched across thousands of miles and ranked among the region's largest cities.

Before long, a massive dome rose before Liu Wuxie. It housed the largest auction house in Fourfold City.

"So this is the Skyhalberd Auction House," Liu Wuxie murmured.

Only he knew what had brought him to this place.

A hooked-nosed man in his fifties received him. His severe features gave him an intimidating appearance.

"I want to speak with your manager," Liu Wuxie said bluntly.

"State your identity first. Our manager will decide whether to receive you afterward," the hook-nosed elder replied.

He was responsible for registering and receiving visitors.

"Tell your manager I have a major transaction to discuss," Liu Wuxie said.

He had no intention of revealing his identity and deliberately roughened his voice into a hoarse rasp to conceal it.

"My apologies, but our manager is extremely busy and won't receive anyone," the hook-nosed elder replied, ordering Liu Wuxie to leave.

"Ask your manager whether a Sumeru Stone interests him," Liu Wuxie said.

A Sumeru Stone appeared briefly in his hand before vanishing again.

The hook-nosed elder's expression finally changed. The Sumeru Stone had recently thrown Fourfold City into turmoil, yet he had never expected to find it in Liu Wuxie's possession.

No one knew who had leaked the news that the Wen Clan was searching for a Sumeru Stone. By now, the entire city had learned that someone had intercepted the Wen Clan's team carrying the Sumeru Stone and stolen it.

"Wait here!" the hook-nosed elder said.

He hurried away, leaving Liu Wuxie alone.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, he returned with a middle-aged man whose cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Origin Immortal Realm.

"Follow me," the middle-aged man said without wasting time.

The main hall offered no suitable privacy for their discussion.

Liu Wuxie secretly gathered his power before following the middle-aged man into the depths of the Skyhalberd Auction House.

"Please come inside," the middle-aged man said upon reaching a private room, gesturing for Liu Wuxie to enter.

Liu Wuxie strode into the room without the slightest hesitation.

Along the way, he had inspected the surroundings with Ghost Pupil and the Divine Tribulation Pupil, confirming that no one else was present. Only the two of them would know what transpired during their conversation.

Silence descended the moment the door closed. Special materials lined the private room, preventing divine sense from penetrating its walls.

The two men sat opposite each other. The middle-aged man withdrew his aura completely until he appeared no different from an ordinary person.

"My name is Gu Yi, and I oversee the Skyhalberd Auction House. How should I address you?" he asked after introducing himself.

"I came only to discuss a partnership. Revealing my identity would be inconvenient," Liu Wuxie replied.

He naturally had no intention of disclosing who he was.

Gu Yi didn't press the matter. He had encountered similar situations many times before. Those who brought sensitive items that couldn't withstand public scrutiny often concealed their identities when approaching an auction house.

"What sort of partnership do you have in mind?" Gu Yi asked.

His eyes remained fixed on Liu Wuxie, but he couldn't uncover anything suspicious.

Liu Wuxie remained perfectly composed beneath Gu Yi's scrutiny, revealing no hint of pretense.

Ignoring Gu Yi's probing stare, Liu Wuxie quietly released his mental energy. The atmosphere shifted instantly as a terrifying force surged through the room. If he wanted the Skyhalberd Auction House to cooperate willingly, he first had to demonstrate his ability.

Shock flickered across Gu Yi's face as he immediately withdrew his divine sense. He hadn't expected the unremarkable man before him to be an expert. Abandoning his probing gaze, Gu Yi began addressing Liu Wuxie as an equal.