Desolate Devouring Art

For an entire decade, Envoy Shen had endured, waited, and sharpened herself for a single opportunity. Last night, she had finally come within reach of killing her mortal enemy.

"Why did you decide to strike last night?" Liu Wuxie asked.

Under Liu Wuxie's treatment, the wound on Envoy Shen's shoulder had closed completely, leaving behind not even the faintest scar. Astonishment broke through her guarded expression as she examined the flawless skin.

"Her old injury had begun showing signs of flaring up, and last night offered me the best chance to assassinate her," Envoy Shen explained. Since she had already agreed to cooperate, she no longer bothered concealing the truth. After dressing up, she put on her mask and shifted her voice back into its masculine tone.

"You arranged the abduction of those three young men, didn't you?" Liu Wuxie asked, piecing together her scheme. "You secretly informed the two elders so they could intercept us on the way back. You wanted to force Enchantress into a battle and trigger a relapse of her old injury."

Back at the Yin Market, Envoy Shen had been the spectral envoy guarding the entrance. She was also the one who had secretly notified the elders.

"That's right," Envoy Shen admitted, studying Liu Wuxie with a meaningful gaze. She hadn't expected him to be perceptive enough to reconstruct her entire plot from a single clue.

Setting aside Liu Wuxie's cultivation, Envoy Shen could not help wondering whether some ancient monster had disguised itself as this young man. He knew exactly when to advance and when to retreat, and even with death looming over him, his composure never cracked.

"You should be grateful I was there last night. Without me, you'd already be dead," Liu Wuxie said, rolling his eyes at her.

How could someone as treacherous as Enchantress enter such a dangerous situation without a contingency plan? While lying close to her, Liu Wuxie had sensed her secretly gathering power. The instant the sword descended, she intended to turn him into a human shield. Liu Wuxie had acted before she could, and in doing so, he had saved Envoy Shen's life.

"I don't care! Whatever it takes, she has to die," Envoy Shen snapped, her murderous intent burning as fiercely as before.

"Not yet. You need to control yourself," Liu Wuxie replied, his expression turning grave. "For now, I need your help earning her trust."

Liu Wuxie needed Enchantress' assistance to approach the Shadow Divination Gate's sect master. That required him to establish himself as one of her confidants.

Envoy Shen shook her head. "She doesn't trust anyone," she replied. "I've served beside her for close to a decade, yet she still keeps certain matters hidden from us."

Winning Enchantress' genuine trust was nearly impossible.

"I need her to bring me close to the Shadow Divination Gate's sect master. Can you think of any way to make that happen?" Liu Wuxie asked, his brows furrowing.

"That won't be easy. Even I've never seen the Sect Master," she answered with a bitter smile.

The Shadow Divination Gate's sect master rarely appeared in public. Under ordinary circumstances, he delivered his instructions through the Four Great Guardians.

Frustration darkened Liu Wuxie's face. If he could not even approach the sect master, how was he supposed to get his hands on the Heavenly Derivation Codex?

"Wait. There may be one way," Envoy Shen suddenly exclaimed.

"Tell me!" Liu Wuxie urged, his eyes immediately blazing with renewed hope.

He had exhausted every idea of his own. At this point, even the least possibility was worth gambling on.

"Every month, the Shadow Divination Gate's sect master bathes in the Purification Pool, and Enchantress personally attends to him," Envoy Shen said, recalling an important detail. "Under normal circumstances, she brings someone with her to clean the surroundings."

"Does she always take Number 56?" Liu Wuxie asked.

The feminine man Liu Wuxie had clashed with was known as Number 56. No one inside the Enchantress' palace possessed a name. From the moment they arrived, each person received a number that became their sole identity.

"That's right," Envoy Shen confirmed with a nod. Only a few days remained before the sect master's next visit to the Purification Pool for his bath.

If Liu Wuxie intended to approach him, he needed to act quickly. Missing this opportunity would force him to wait another month. Even though Liu Wuxie possessed the patience to wait, Enchantress certainly did not, and once his injury healed, she would undoubtedly find another opportunity to drain his yang energy.

No matter how grave the danger, Liu Wuxie had always managed to preserve his composure. This time, however, he found himself trapped in a genuine predicament.

"Then it seems I'll have to find a way to kill Number 56," Liu Wuxie said, a cold gleam sharpening his gaze. Once the feminine man died, Liu Wuxie could take his place.

"He's an eighth-level Spirit Immortal. Killing him won't be easy for you," Envoy Shen replied, shaking her head.

She believed that if she intervened, they would have some chance of success, but if Liu Wuxie confronted him alone, he would be courting death.

"I have my own ways of getting rid of him. My only concern is how Enchantress will react," Liu Wuxie said. "If I kill him and she demands an explanation, can you protect me?"

Whether he could kill Number 56 had never concerned Liu Wuxie. Taking the man's life would be simple. Surviving Enchantress' wrath afterward presented the real danger.

"If you're truly capable of killing him, I'll speak in your defense," Envoy Shen replied confidently. "You saved Enchantress' life, so I doubt she'll make matters too difficult for you. At worst, she'll reprimand you or impose a light punishment."

Envoy Shen had remained undercover at Enchantress' side for close to a decade. She felt certain that her words carried at least some influence over Enchantress.

That assurance gave Liu Wuxie all the confidence he needed. He could finally set his plan in motion and eliminate Number 56.

"It's getting late. We shouldn't meet for the next two days, or the Enchantress may grow suspicious," Liu Wuxie said before leaving Envoy Shen's courtyard and retracing the path to his residence.

Every gardener he passed bowed with newfound respect. News that Liu Wuxie had saved the Enchantress had already swept through the Shadow Divination Gate like wildfire. Unless something unexpected happened, he would soon become one of Enchantress' trusted confidants, so the gardeners naturally wanted to secure his favor in advance.

Liu Wuxie's brows remained furrowed as he walked. He still needed a convincing way to kill Number 56. Storming into his residence and murdering him without provocation would appear far too unnatural. Before their confrontation erupted, Liu Wuxie needed to establish a credible reason for it.

Not long after Liu Wuxie returned to his courtyard, Enchantress launched a thorough investigation throughout the palace. She ordered everyone to bare their left shoulders for inspection. Even the three spectral envoys were not exempt and had to remove their outer robes.

Enchantress personally examined every left shoulder in the palace, beginning with the three spectral envoys and continuing all the way down to the gardeners.

Envoy Shen secretly rejoiced when her turn came. Had Liu Wuxie not treated her injury in time, this investigation would have ended in disaster.

"This doesn't make sense..." Enchantress murmured, frowning after she finished examining everyone. "The assassin took a direct strike from me. There's no possible way that wound could've healed this quickly."

She had no idea that Liu Wuxie possessed the Ancestral Tree. Its power could accelerate the healing process until even the faintest scar disappeared.

"Master, is it possible that the assassin has already escaped from the Shadow Divination Gate?" Envoy Shen suggested.

The other two envoys nodded in agreement. Had they been in the assassin's place, they would have fled the Shadow Divination Gate the instant the assassination failed. Remaining in the sect would have been pure foolishness.

"All of you may leave," Enchantress ordered, dismissing everyone with a wave before remaining alone in her bedchamber.

"Bring Number 179 to me," Enchantress called from within the bedchamber, her voice carrying beyond the doors. Number 56 departed immediately.

As he made his way toward Liu Wuxie's residence, his expression grew darker with every step. Enchantress had stopped discussing important matters with him and now summoned Liu Wuxie instead. The change could only mean that he was losing her favor.

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie had already expected his arrival.

"Master wants to see you," Number 56 said.

For the moment, he did not dare cause Liu Wuxie any trouble. Any delay in carrying out Enchantress’s command could earn him her punishment.

"Show me the way," Liu Wuxie replied, assuming an imperious expression as he released enough of his aura to suppress Number 56 and openly provoke him.

Number 56 remained silent, but his tightly clenched fists told another story. Veins bulged beneath his skin as a torrent of murderous intent surged from his body and closed around Liu Wuxie.

A faint smile touched Liu Wuxie's lips. Everything had unfolded exactly as he intended. Since he lacked a legitimate reason to kill Number 56, he only needed to provoke him until the latter attacked first.

The moment Liu Wuxie entered the bedchamber, he drained the color from his face and twisted his expression with pain.

"Greetings, Guardian Enchantress," Liu Wuxie said, struggling to cup his hands as though even that small movement tormented his wound. He had been injured only last night, so recovering too quickly would have made no sense.

"What insolence! You should address her as Master!" Number 56 snapped. He seized the first opportunity to attack, stressing the word "Master" as he tried to borrow Enchantress' authority and condemn Liu Wuxie.

"You're nothing more than her dog, so naturally, you have to call her Master," Liu Wuxie replied with a cold sneer.

The insult ignited every spark of fury inside Number 56. Liu Wuxie had laid the trap precisely for this reason, waiting for the right opportunity to provoke Number 56 into attacking him.

Number 56's reason nearly shattered beneath his rage, but before he could strike Liu Wuxie, Enchantress stopped him.

"Enough. You may leave," Enchantress said, waving him away without the slightest interest in debating the issue.

He opened his mouth to protest, but Enchantress silenced him with a terrifying glance. He immediately shrank back and withdrew from the bedchamber.

Once he departed, only Liu Wuxie and Enchantress remained inside.

"You're the only person in this entire palace with enough nerve to refuse to call me Master," Enchantress said, studying Liu Wuxie with open curiosity now that no one else could hear them. "Aren't you afraid I might kill you on a whim?"

"If I called you by the same title as everyone else, how would you answer when someone asked who saved your life?" Liu Wuxie countered.

With Enchantress' intelligence, Liu Wuxie knew she would grasp the meaning behind his words. If someone asked who had saved her during the assassination attempt, she could hardly announce that a dog had rescued her.

Neither needed to explain the matter any further. The unspoken meaning between them was already clear.

"You're clever," Enchantress said after considering his answer for a moment.

Liu Wuxie had undeniably exploited a loophole in her reasoning, yet Enchantress could find no argument with which to refute him.

"Guardian Enchantress, you give me far too much credit," Liu Wuxie replied, inclining his body in a shallow bow.

"I heard you visited Envoy Shen's courtyard last night," Enchantress said, finally steering the conversation toward the true reason she had summoned him.

"That's right," Liu Wuxie answered without hesitation.

He knew denying the meeting would serve no purpose, nor had he ever intended to hide it from Enchantress. Eyes and ears filled every corner of the palace, and anything that happened within its grounds would eventually reach her.

"Why did you go looking for him?" Enchantress asked.

Suspicion lay deeply rooted in her nature. She knew Liu Wuxie had sought out Envoy Shen, but she did not know what they had discussed. She had questioned Envoy Shen earlier as well, and he had openly acknowledged their meeting.

"Nothing important. I only went there to become acquainted with him," Liu Wuxie replied with a shrug, giving her the exact same answer as Envoy Shen.

When Enchantress questioned Envoy Shen, he had told her that Liu Wuxie had visited solely to curry favor with him.

"Is that truly all there was to it?" Enchantress asked, doubt still lingering in her eyes.

"Guardian Enchantress, do you honestly suspect that I plan to betray you?" Liu Wuxie asked, looking a little angry. "If betrayal were my intention, why would I have risked my life to save yours last night?"

Just as he anticipated, his anger swept away much of Enchantress' suspicion. Liu Wuxie's ability to read and manipulate human nature had reached a terrifying level of precision.

Had he rushed to explain every detail, Enchantress would have mistaken his defense for an attempted cover-up and grown even more suspicious. By responding with indignation instead, he left her without any reasonable grounds to punish him.

"I may have granted you freedom within the palace, but that doesn't give you permission to wander wherever you please," Enchantress warned. "I'll overlook what happened this time. If it happens again, don't blame me for showing no mercy." With that perfunctory reprimand delivered, she dismissed him with a wave.

Liu Wuxie cupped his fists and withdrew from the bedchamber. Number 56 was still waiting outside, and the instant he saw Liu Wuxie emerge, murderous intent burst from him like a raging flood.