Desolate Devouring Art

Not even Zhu Li could wrench himself free from the Demonic Purgatory Chains. They dragged him back inch by agonizing inch. Though incorporeal and invisible to the naked eye, the restraints binding him felt terrifyingly real.

"What the hell have you done to us, Liu Wuxie?!" Zhu Li roared, his composure collapsing completely. Every trace of poise befitting the young master of a prominent clan had deserted him. Now, he looked no different from a desperate stray dog concerned only with escaping alive.

Elsewhere, Shen Can and Blackie remained locked in ferocious combat. Every thunderous collision between them sent new cracks racing across the surrounding stone walls.

"Blackie, don't let him send a single message," Liu Wuxie commanded.

By now, everyone had reestablished contact with the outside world. If Shen Can managed to warn the Shen Clan, every effort Liu Wuxie had made would be wasted. Liu Wuxie therefore ordered Blackie to suppress Shen Can completely and deny him even the slightest chance to send word.

As soon as Blackie received the command, it launched an unrelenting barrage that drove Shen Can deeper into frustration. Blackie employed no technique whatsoever. It relied entirely on overwhelming physical strength, battering Shen Can backward without giving him a moment to breathe.

With a thought, Liu Wuxie controlled the Demonic Purgatory Chains and hauled all four captives back before him.

"Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, swallow them!"

Four black holes burst into existence and engulfed the cultivators whole. Demonic flames consumed them instantly. Zhu Li managed only one miserable scream before he rapidly melted into liquid and vanished without leaving the slightest trace.

......

At that same moment, pandemonium engulfed both the Zhu Clan and the Shen Clan. Violent fluctuations rocked their soul-tablet halls as row after row of tablets shattered in rapid succession. The elders standing guard recoiled in such terror that they collapsed to the floor.

A terrifying darkness settled over Shen Guang's expression. Of all the Shen Clan elders and disciples who had ventured into the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm, only Shen Can's soul tablet remained whole. Every other soul tablet belonging to the clan's elders and disciples had shattered, and a broken soul tablet meant that its owner had died.

The Zhu Clan suffered an equally devastating blow. When Zhu Chaoyang learned of his son’s death, he threw back his head and released a grief-stricken roar.

Zhu Li was Zhu Chaoyang's only son. From the moment of his birth, Zhu Chaoyang had placed all his hopes in him and personally groomed him to become the clan's next patriarch. Now, Zhu Li was dead, and his father didn't even know who had killed him.

After refining the four captives, Liu Wuxie moved aside and began supporting Blackie. He launched sneak attacks whenever an opening appeared, adding to the pressure bearing down on Shen Can and making the battle increasingly difficult for him to manage.

Shen Can remained an eighth-level Origin Immortal, so Liu Wuxie's attacks couldn't pose a real threat to him. Even so, they distracted him at every turn and fueled his mounting frustration.

The instant Liu Wuxie produced the crossbow and leveled it at Shen Can, an alarm jolted through the latter's heart. The crossbow primarily attacked mental energy, and Liu Wuxie's mental energy had tremendously increased after his advancement to the third-level Spirit Immortal Realm.

Liu Wuxie transmitted a secret message. "Blackie, be ready." Since his divine sense couldn't enter Blackie's mind, he could only send his voice directly into Blackie's ears.

Blackie immediately redoubled the ferocity of its assault.

"Divine Tribulation Pupil—Enigmatic Phantasm," Liu Wuxie thundered, releasing every strand of mental energy stored inside his upper dantian. The power surged forth like a raging tide before converging into a colossal arrow. Locking onto Shen Can's soul sea, it shot out instantly, and even if it failed to pierce his primordial spirit, it would still inflict severe damage.

"ARGHHH!" Shen Can screamed with unbearable agony ripping through his upper dantian.

The Divine Mystic Yin Needle had already slipped through his defenses with effortless precision, and the white arrow struck immediately afterward.

Yet Shen Can was an eighth-level Origin Immortal. He was disoriented only for a split second before his awareness snapped back into focus.

"You miserable ant. You actually dared to ambush me?!" Shen Can bellowed, consumed by fury. He had never imagined that someone he regarded as an ant could genuinely wound him. Without pausing, he unleashed his soul energy and attempted to crush the white arrow outright.

Mental energy and soul energy crashed together with violent force. Liu Wuxie's arrow could effortlessly kill a Profound Immortal, but it remained woefully inadequate against an Origin Immortal. He had already pushed his capabilities to their limit. Then again, killing Shen Can had never been the purpose of this attack. Liu Wuxie needed only to create an opening for Blackie.

The collision sent excruciating pain exploding through Shen Can's soul sea. He had clearly underestimated the formidable power contained within Liu Wuxie's arrow.

"Blackie, now," Liu Wuxie roared. The sudden agony robbed Shen Can of consciousness for a fleeting instant, and Blackie seized that opportunity to smash its staff down upon him.

Although Shen Can had briefly lost consciousness, his instincts still warned him of mortal danger. Relying entirely on reflex, he whipped his sword upward to intercept Blackie's blow.

Blackie's attacks descended like an endless torrential downpour. Without the slightest pause, the beast hammered down hundreds of strikes in rapid succession. The relentless impacts finally shattered Shen Can's sword into countless fragments.

When his sword shattered, Shen Can failed to evade in time, and Blackie’s staff struck his arm directly. Agony tore a sharp gasp from his lungs and extinguished any desire to continue fighting. The moment his divine sense recovered, he fled toward the crack in the chamber without hesitation.

"And where do you think you're going?!" Liu Wuxie growled. He couldn't allow Shen Can to escape, even if stopping him meant risking his own life. He hurled himself directly into Shen Can's path and unleashed the Five Elemental Divine Palm.

"Get out of my way," Shen Can bellowed as he fought back with a palm strike.

Their palms collided, and the impact threw Liu Wuxie violently backward. Origin Immortal Realm laws flooded into his arm, cracking the bones beneath his flesh. He ignored the pain entirely. Raising his left hand, he brought the Bloodthirst Blade crashing down upon Shen Can.

Panic finally gripped Shen Can. Never had he encountered such a suicidal method of fighting, one that abandoned every concern for survival. Liu Wuxie had discarded his defenses completely, seemingly determined to drag Shen Can into death even if he had to sacrifice his own life.

"You're completely insane," Shen Can screamed. No other word could describe Liu Wuxie. Never had Shen Can imagined that he would be driven into such a wretched state at his hands.

By embracing such a suicidal fighting style, Liu Wuxie secured enough time for Blackie to launch its second wave of attacks.

Shen Can's right arm had already broken, and his sword no longer existed. His left arm had survived the direct clash with Liu Wuxie, but desolate energy had damaged several meridians within it, greatly slowing his movements.

The Demonic Purgatory Chains manifested again and wrapped themselves tightly around Shen Can's legs.

"Break apart!" Shen Can screamed, trying to rip through the Demonic Purgatory Chains by force. At that exact moment, Blackie's attacks crashed down like a torrential downpour and battered him until his mind reeled. No one could count how many times the black staff struck him. By then, the bones in both shoulders had been pulverized into dust.

Both of Shen Can's arms dangled limply at his sides, stripping him of virtually all combat strength. With only his legs still unbroken, he had no possible way to continue fighting Blackie.

Utterly exhausted, Liu Wuxie collapsed to the ground. His previous clash with Shen Can had drained every remaining trace of immortal energy from his body. Even then, he immediately circulated unity with heaven and earth, rapidly mending the injuries throughout his arm.

When Shen Can witnessed Liu Wuxie's terrifying recovery speed, he smiled bitterly. He finally realized they had underestimated Liu Wuxie's combat strength far too severely.

Blackie lifted its black staff high and brought it hurtling toward Shen Can's head. If the blow landed, it would shatter Shen Can completely.

"Does this truly have to end with you exterminating all of us, Liu Wuxie? Why can't we coexist? Name your terms. If they're within my power, I'll accept them," Shen Can said, finally seeking reconciliation as death drew near.

"That offer came too late," Liu Wuxie replied, shaking his head.

From the beginning, he had never wanted to make enemies of either the Shen Clan or the Zhu Clan. Their unrelenting aggression had driven matters to this point.

Blackie's staff thundered down from above. Shen Can's head exploded beneath the impact, killing him instantly.

The Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron appeared and swiftly refined Shen Can's corpse. Having already committed to this path, Liu Wuxie couldn't afford to leave behind the slightest trace.

When the battle finally ended, sunlight spilled into the chamber through a hole roughly the size of a human head. The noon had already settled over the world outside.

"Blackie, break it open," Liu Wuxie said. The wall was extraordinarily tough, and only Blackie could open a path.

Blackie hammered its staff against the chamber wall. With every impact, the hole widened until both of them could pass through.

Liu Wuxie emerged from the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm into the heart of a sprawling mountain range. As he looked back, the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm gradually dissolved behind him.

"It vanished?" Liu Wuxie asked with a frown.

Even now, he couldn't determine whether the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm had truly been a primordial giant or merely an unusual secret realm. Irrespective of the truth, the loss of all five elements had deprived it of the energy sustaining its existence, causing it to fade away gradually.

"Blackie, what are you planning to do now?" Liu Wuxie asked as they journeyed together through the mountain range.

If Blackie wished to depart, Liu Wuxie wouldn't force it to stay. If it chose to remain, he would naturally welcome his company. With its formidable combat strength, Blackie would become an invaluable companion.

Blackie fell into deep contemplation after hearing the question. It had slept inside the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm for countless years, and after finally recovering its freedom, it naturally had no wish to endure restraint again.

Remaining beside Liu Wuxie, however, didn't trouble Blackie. It had grown fond of the perilous yet exhilarating days they had shared. More importantly, Liu Wuxie possessed an abundance of primal chaos energy.

Without continuous nourishment from primal chaos energy, Blackie would likely sink back into a deep slumber within a few months.

"Heh... hehehe..." Blackie answered with a string of peculiar chuckles, making its decision to follow Liu Wuxie unmistakably clear. However, their previous agreement would remain in effect. Whenever Liu Wuxie needed Blackie's assistance, he would have to compensate it with crystals.

"Then we have a deal!" Liu Wuxie replied, his face lighting up with delight. With Blackie at his side, his chances of contending against the Shen and Zhu Clans would rise considerably.

Given enough primal chaos energy, Liu Wuxie believed Blackie would soon reach the pinnacle of the Origin Immortal Realm. Once it did, it might even possess the strength to contend with Divine Immortals.

Liu Wuxie returned Blackie to the Desolate World. Allowing it to appear publicly would only attract needless trouble.

Vast numbers of cultivators had assembled around the entrance to the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm. News of the secret realm's disappearance spread through Eastern Emperor City like wildfire. Soon afterward, people were shocked to learn that every member of the Shen and Zhu Clans who had entered the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm had died, including Shen Can.

Others might have escaped widespread recognition, but no one could say the same for Shen Can. He had been the Shen Clan's greatest prodigy of the past century and served as a first-grade mentor at the Celestial Moon Dao Hall.

More reports arrived in rapid succession. The other forces had also lost contact with every disciple and elder they had sent into the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm. All their soul tablets had shattered, confirming that none remained alive.

While chaos consumed Eastern Emperor City, Liu Wuxie continued crossing the mountain range. From the surrounding terrain, he determined that he was steadily approaching Moonveil City.

"Qin Shuang, thank you for everything you've done. This is where we part ways. For the next year, I hope you'll keep yourself out of the public eye," Liu Wuxie said solemnly after releasing Qin Shuang from the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron.

Every cultivator who had entered the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm was now dead. If anyone discovered that Qin Shuang alone had survived, the revelation would undoubtedly invite unnecessary trouble.

Liu Wuxie faced different circumstances. Everyone who knew he had also entered the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm had already died, with Ye Linghan as the sole exception.

Qin Shuang nodded. He didn't know precisely what had occurred at the end, but he could already infer that everyone, Shen Can included, had died. As for the identity of their killer, the answer required little imagination.

"Don't worry. I understand what needs to be done, and I won't return to Moonveil City for now. Until we meet again," Qin Shuang replied, cupping his fists in farewell.

Only after they separated did Liu Wuxie finally relax. He watched until Qin Shuang disappeared into the distance, then executed his footwork technique and soared across the sky like an eagle. Within a few hours, he had returned to Moonveil City.

At the same time, a major event was taking place within the Azure Flame Dao Hall. The annual competition between the Dao Halls was about to begin.

Every year, the Celestial Moon Dao Hall and the Azure Flame Dao Hall held a competition in which both students and mentors took part.