Desolate Devouring Art

In less than fifteen minutes, news of the attempt on Enchantress' life was already racing through the Shadow Divination Gate like wildfire.

The other guardians were shocked as well. Even they could not fathom who possessed enough courage, or enough madness, to enter Enchantress' private bedchamber and try to assassinate her there.

The assassination attempt reached the ears of the Shadow Divination Gate's sect master and immediately stirred him into action. He dispatched experts to comb through every corner of the sect, determined to slaughter a thousand innocent people before allowing a single suspect to slip through his grasp.

By the end of half a day, numerous disciples with questionable backgrounds or uncertain loyalties had already been dragged away and executed.

Dusk had settled over the palace before Liu Wuxie finally stepped beyond his courtyard and followed the path downward. Enchantress possessed the heart of a venomous viper, but she demanded perfection from the place where she lived. Every part of the palace had been arranged with such care that the grounds could only be described as a paradise.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Liu Wuxie saw an old pear tree standing ahead. Withered leaves lay scattered beneath its branches, blanketing the ground in faded layers.

Envoy Shen had imposed an unusual rule on the gardeners, forbidding them from sweeping away the fallen leaves. He allowed them to accumulate where they fell, decay with the passing days, and eventually return to the earth as nourishment.

The brittle leaves crunched beneath Liu Wuxie's feet as he stopped before Envoy Shen's courtyard. Small and weathered, it occupied far less space than the surrounding residences. Liu Wuxie raised the iron knocker and struck it firmly against the gate, the sound echoing through the silence.

Three breaths slipped by before the gate slowly opened. A figure stood behind it, wrapped entirely in black robes from head to toe. It was Envoy Shen.

"Someone like you shouldn't be here," Envoy Shen said, his voice cold as he firmly blocked the entrance.

Enchantress despised any private meetings among her subordinates. If she discovered them gathering in secret, punishment would be inevitable, and execution remained a distinct possibility.

"I made this medicine myself. It can accelerate the recovery of your left shoulder," Liu Wuxie replied, taking out a porcelain bottle as a quiet smile crossed his face. "Enchantress will begin suspecting you before long. She only needs to order you to remove your clothes. The moment you do, that wound will reveal everything."

Envoy Shen moved without warning. He dragged Liu Wuxie by his shoulder through the entrance, and slammed the gate shut behind them.

"Say that again!" Envoy Shen snarled. Murderous intent burst from him in a suffocating wave as he laid the edge of a longsword against Liu Wuxie's neck.

The weapon's icy touch settled against Liu Wuxie's skin, carrying the promise of death. Yet his expression remained perfectly calm, untouched by even the faintest shadow of fear.

"I doubt I can make it any clearer. If you don't want to die, your only option is to cooperate with me," Liu Wuxie replied. Raising one finger, he gently pushed the longsword away before turning his attention to the courtyard around him.

Simplicity defined everything within the courtyard. The tables and chairs stood wherever they had been casually placed, without any care for order or decoration. The sparse furnishings made it obvious that whoever lived here had never intended to stay for long.

Envoy Shen remained silent, his unblinking stare fixed upon Liu Wuxie.

"How did you know?" Envoy Shen finally asked. He drew a long breath and lowered his sword, troubled by the fact that even with the perception of a high-level Origin Immortal, he could not see through this seemingly insignificant young man.

"Am I supposed to take that as your confession?" Liu Wuxie asked, regarding Envoy Shen with an easy smile.

"Would admitting it change anything? You still won't leave this courtyard alive today," Envoy Shen replied, his lips twisting into a sinister laugh. He had already sealed the entire courtyard, preventing any sound or commotion from escaping even if he killed Liu Wuxie on the spot.

"I can help you kill Enchantress," Liu Wuxie said.

Time pressed heavily upon him, leaving no room for evasive words or pointless games. If he remained away from his courtyard for too long, Enchantress would inevitably notice his absence and begin asking questions.

At the mention of killing Enchantress, Envoy Shen's eyes tightened almost imperceptibly. The reaction vanished in an instant, but Liu Wuxie's powerful mental energy captured every subtle change.

"You dare speak of my master with such disrespect? You've only given me another reason to kill you!" Envoy Shen shouted, sweeping his longsword forward once more.

"Drop the act," Liu Wuxie replied, rolling his eyes without the slightest concern. "When Enchantress struck you, she concealed a poisonous needle in her hand. You removed the needle afterward, but you couldn't remove the poison inside your body. Within one day, it will invade your heart meridians. Once that happens, you'll die, and I'm the only person here capable of saving you."

The color shifted on Envoy Shen's face, and the longsword trembled faintly in his grip. For the first time, fear stirred within him toward this insignificant-looking True Immortal. Beneath Liu Wuxie's calm exterior, Envoy Shen sensed the patience of a predator that could strike and devour him at any moment.

"Why should I believe a word you say?" Envoy Shen asked, but the edge had already faded from his voice.

That question all but confirmed that Enchantress had injured him. There was little point in maintaining the deception now, especially when he still intended to silence Liu Wuxie permanently.

"Because our objective is the same," Liu Wuxie replied, laying bare his purpose without hesitation. His expression hardened, and his gaze became as sharp as a drawn blade. "I intend to destroy the Shadow Divination Gate."

If the Heavenly Derivation Codex were destroyed, the Shadow Divination Gate's sect master would suffer a backlash from the Heavenly Dao. Once that backlash struck him, the entire Shadow Divination Gate would begin collapsing from within.

Liu Wuxie believed the Heavenly Divination Gate had already mobilized its experts and was waiting for an opening. The instant the Heavenly Derivation Codex ceased to exist, they would attack without hesitation and wipe out the Shadow Divination Gate.

"Now that's funny! You're a mere True Immortal, yet you're standing here talking about destroying the Shadow Divination Gate?" Envoy Shen laughed, treating Liu Wuxie's declaration as an absurd joke.

The Shadow Divination Gate might not have ranked among the most prominent sects, and its members might have committed every atrocity imaginable, but none of that diminished its strength.

Its sect master had reached the pinnacle of the Divine Immortal Realm, with rumors claiming that he had already begun to comprehend the Golden Immortal Realm. The Four Great Guardians were all formidable opponents in their own right. Beyond them stood numerous elders and thousands of disciples.

Liu Wuxie offered neither argument nor explanation. He merely smiled.

"You have two paths in front of you," Liu Wuxie said. "The first is to cooperate with me. I'll save your life and help you assassinate Enchantress.The second is to wait for the poison to take effect and fall into her hands. You understand her methods far better than I do. If she captures you, you'll wish she had simply killed you."

He wasn't exaggerating. The torments Enchantress inflicted upon her victims were countless times crueler than death itself. Merely imagining those inhumane methods sent a visible shudder through Envoy Shen.

"Why didn't you report me to Enchantress?" Envoy Shen asked. "If you'd exposed me, you could've secured her complete trust."

He could not understand Liu Wuxie's decision. Betraying him would have earned Liu Wuxie Enchantress' favor, yet instead, Liu Wuxie had come here and offered an alliance.

"I've already told you that my objective is to destroy the Shadow Divination Gate. Why is that so impossible for you to believe?" Liu Wuxie asked, spreading his hands helplessly.

Envoy Shen clearly thought he was joking. That reaction was hardly surprising, since anyone in the same position would struggle to accept that a mere True Immortal planned to bring down the entire Shadow Divination Gate. The claim sounded like pure insanity.

"Fine. Tell me how you plan to help me kill Enchantress," Envoy Shen said after three breaths of silence.

"She can't die yet," Liu Wuxie replied, lifting his shoulders in a casual shrug.

Enchantress unquestionably deserved death, but the hour of her death had not yet arrived.

"Are you making a fool of me?" Envoy Shen demanded, anger flashing across his face. Only moments earlier, Liu Wuxie had confidently promised to help assassinate Enchantress.

"I said she can't die yet. I never said she wouldn't die," Liu Wuxie corrected. "For the time being, she needs to remain alive. When the right moment comes, she will naturally have to die." He still needed to use Enchantress to approach the Shadow Divination Gate's sect master. If she died before that happened, every one of his plans would fall apart.

"Then when exactly do you intend to kill her?" Envoy Shen asked. The fate of the Shadow Divination Gate held little importance to him. Enchantress alone stood at the center of his purpose, and the moment she died, his mission would be complete.

"There's no need to rush. We should treat your injury first," Liu Wuxie replied, gently turning the porcelain bottle between his fingers as he motioned for Envoy Shen to sit.

Throughout their exchange, Liu Wuxie had noticed that Envoy Shen hardly moved his right arm. The injury had clearly worsened, and only sheer force of will allowed him to suppress the pain.

As one of Enchantress' envoys, Envoy Shen could not casually abandon his post. He needed to remain vigilant and prepared at all times.

"Who are you really, and why are you helping me?" Envoy Shen asked, still suspicious. He could not dismiss the possibility that Enchantress had sent Liu Wuxie here to test his loyalty.

"You talk too much. If you don't trust me, I'll leave," Liu Wuxie replied, impatience sharpening his tone as he rose and walked toward the gate. "Neither of us will reveal what happened here today, and I won't report you to Enchantress. From this moment forward, we'll each survive through our own abilities."

Liu Wuxie had never encountered anyone as indecisive as Envoy Shen. Still, years spent serving beside Enchantress had given Envoy Shen ample reason to distrust everyone around him.

Envoy Shen hesitated as he watched Liu Wuxie stride away without slowing or looking back. If Liu Wuxie had truly intended to harm him, he would not have revealed so much. He had made his intentions perfectly clear, so his anger at being doubted was entirely understandable.

"Wait!" Envoy Shen called as Liu Wuxie's hand neared the gate.

A faint smile appeared on Liu Wuxie's lips. He had genuinely feared that Envoy Shen would let him walk away. Once Liu Wuxie stepped beyond the gate, cooperation would become impossible, and they would turn into mortal enemies. He could never allow today's conversation to spread, which meant that if Envoy Shen refused his offer, Liu Wuxie would have no choice but to kill him.

"Have you finally reached a decision?" Liu Wuxie asked, turning back with a smile.

"Treat my injury first," Envoy Shen replied, lowering himself into a seat.

Suspicion ran too deeply through Enchantress' nature. If Envoy Shen displayed even the smallest flaw, she would discover the truth.

"Take off your outer robe. I need to examine the wound before I can treat it," Liu Wuxie replied as he returned to Envoy Shen's side.

"Is removing it really necessary?" Envoy Shen asked, visible discomfort crossing his face.

"How can I treat a wound I can't even see?" Liu Wuxie asked. "You managed to remove the poisonous needle, but the flesh around the injury must have begun rotting by now. Stop wasting time." As far as Liu Wuxie knew, they were both men. He could not understand what reason Envoy Shen had to feel embarrassed.

After a long moment of hesitation, Envoy Shen finally removed the outer robe. A mask still concealed his true appearance, leaving only glimpses of unnaturally pale skin visible around it. He refused to undress any further and exposed nothing beyond his left shoulder.

"You're a woman," Liu Wuxie exclaimed the moment his eyes settled upon the jade-white skin.

Envoy Shen's voice had convinced him that he was dealing with a man. The fair skin of that exposed shoulder shattered his assumption at once. That delicate shoulder unmistakably belonged to a woman.

"That's right," Envoy Shen replied. This time, an entirely different voice emerged, unmistakably feminine and startling Liu Wuxie despite what he had just discovered.

When Liu Wuxie spread the medicine across the wound, the sudden sting forced Envoy Shen to draw a sharp breath through clenched teeth. The pain quickly ebbed, replaced by a cool sensation that flowed throughout her body. Liu Wuxie quietly summoned the Ancestral Tree's power as well, using it to accelerate her recovery.

"Why are you so determined to kill Enchantress?" Liu Wuxie asked as he continued tending to Envoy Shen's wound.

"She abducted my husband and murdered my child ten years ago. She destroyed my entire family," Envoy Shen said, grinding every word through clenched teeth. "I've spent the past ten years infiltrating her inner circle, and only now have I finally reached her side."

Liu Wuxie nodded as the fragments of her story assembled themselves in his mind. Enchantress had most likely taken a liking to Envoy Shen's husband and seized him by force. From that violation and loss, Envoy Shen's desire for revenge had been born.

After speaking, Envoy Shen reached up and removed her mask, revealing a bloodless face beneath it. Perhaps from years spent hidden behind the mask, her complexion had acquired an almost unnatural pallor.

She possessed ordinary features and a round face worn down by years of hardship. Although she appeared to be in her thirties, her prematurely aged features revealed the unending torment she had suffered throughout the past decade.

The murder of her husband and child had created an irreconcilable hatred. Liu Wuxie understood why every remaining part of her heart burned for vengeance against Enchantress.

Less than a month after falling into Enchantress' hands, Envoy Shen's husband had died after she drained every trace of Yang energy from his body.