Desolate Devouring Art

The Divine Mystic Yin Needle carried a mysterious force capable of penetrating even the most unyielding defenses. The illusion created by the Divine Tribulation Pupil might have restrained Number 56 for a fleeting instant, but Liu Wuxie could never have killed him with the illusion alone.

As soon as the Divine Mystic Yin Needle entered his body, it began devouring his lifeforce. Frigid, mystic yin energy erupted within him, flooding his meridians and encasing his internal organs in ice.

The collapse of his defenses left him utterly exposed. The Bloodthirst Blade descended from the sky before he could recover or evade, cleaving him cleanly in two. Blood burst across the surrounding rocks, blossoming over the stone like a ghastly flower opening its petals.

The brutality of the scene made all three spectral envoys draw in sharp breaths.

"It's already over?" Even Envoy Shen had not expected Liu Wuxie to win so decisively. He had crushed and slain an eighth-level Spirit Immortal with overwhelming power. None of the three envoys could imagine how terrifying he would become if given enough time to grow.

Liu Wuxie didn't refine the corpse. He merely removed the interspatial ring and stored it away.

"Number 179, you've got some nerve, killing someone inside the palace! You're coming with me to see Master," Envoy Shen roared as she approached from a distance and took Liu Wuxie into custody, escorting him toward the main hall.

Had the other two envoys detained him, they would've undoubtedly made him suffer along the way. With Envoy Shen escorting him, he retained at least some chance of survival.

Liu Wuxie offered no resistance and allowed Envoy Shen to lead him away. The other two envoys exchanged a brief glance before hurrying after them.

Enchantress sat in the main hall, troubled by the first signs of her old injury flaring up. She knew she needed to absorb yang energy that night if she wanted to suppress it.

"Get inside!" Envoy Shen barked, giving Liu Wuxie a forceful shove into the main hall.

"What happened?" Enchantress asked when she saw Envoy Shen escorting Liu Wuxie inside.

"Master, Number 179 killed Number 56," Envoy Shen reported, concealing nothing as she recounted the entire conflict.

Curiosity flickered through Enchantress' eyes as she listened. The death of an insignificant servant meant nothing to her. What intrigued her was Liu Wuxie's ability to slay an eighth-level Spirit Immortal.

"Why did you kill him?" Enchantress asked.

"He tried to kill me. I only defended myself," Liu Wuxie replied, wearing an innocent expression.

"Is he telling the truth?" Enchantress asked, turning to Envoy Shen for confirmation.

"He is," Envoy Shen answered with a nod.

Number 56 had indeed provoked Liu Wuxie first, leaving Liu Wuxie no choice but to retaliate. The other two envoys entered the main hall soon afterward, but neither spoke as they took their places along the side.

"I don't care who attacked first. You killed someone inside my palace, which means you violated my rules," Enchantress said. She shifted her gaze toward Envoy Shen. "Tell him what happens to anyone who breaks those rules."

"Anyone who violates the rules is skinned alive and has their tendons torn out. Afterward, they're submerged in a jar of vinegar for ten days and nights," Envoy Shen recited, not a trace of emotion touching her voice.

Perhaps witnessing countless victims endure that punishment had long since numbed her to its cruelty.

Liu Wuxie said nothing. He merely stood there and met Enchantress' gaze with unwavering calm.

"Don't you have anything to say in your defense?" Enchantress asked.

Anyone else facing that punishment would have already collapsed in terror and begged for mercy. Yet Enchantress could not detect the slightest fear in Liu Wuxie.

"I have nothing to say in my defence because I know Guardian Enchantress has no intention of punishing me," Liu Wuxie replied, his composure unbroken.

The complete absence of fear on his face caused Enchantress to regard him even more highly.

"Oh?" Interest kindled in her eyes. "What makes you so certain that I won't kill you?"

Enchantress had occupied a position of power for years, and even the three envoys trembled before her. Few people in the world would dare address her with Liu Wuxie's confidence.

"Because I'm certain you can't bring yourself to kill me," Liu Wuxie replied with a shrug. "If I die, who will handle your affairs?"

Number 56 was already dead. If Enchantress killed Liu Wuxie as well, she would have no one left to manage the palace's affairs for her.

Envoy Shen cast Liu Wuxie a sidelong glance. She had intended to plead with Enchantress for his life, but she now realized that her concern had been unnecessary. Liu Wuxie had anticipated every possible outcome and knew from the outset that Enchantress would spare him.

"Do you know that clever people rarely live long?" Enchantress asked with a soft giggle.

Liu Wuxie had judged her correctly. She truly did not want to kill him, especially when men capable of amusing her were so difficult to find.

"I won't dare flaunt my petty cleverness before Guardian Enchantress. I'm only stating the truth," Liu Wuxie replied, deliberately lowering his posture. He merely needed to endure for a few more days before destroying the Shadow Divination Gate.

"Number 56 had grown increasingly clumsy lately, and I was already considering replacing him," Enchantress said. "Since you killed him, you'll take his place and manage the palace's affairs from now on. Remember this, though. The instant you make a mistake, I'll kill you." A crushing pressure descended from her body and settled over Liu Wuxie.

Enchantress knew exactly when to apply pressure and when to offer a reward, moving effortlessly between severity and generosity. Her mastery of the stick-and-carrot approach proved that she was anything but simple.

"Thank you for sparing my life, Guardian Enchantress," Liu Wuxie said, bowing immediately while feigning fear.

"You may all leave," Enchantress ordered, dismissing them with a wave.

Liu Wuxie turned and departed at once, with the three spectral envoys following behind him.

"You knew from the beginning that she wouldn't kill you?" Envoy Shen asked through her divine sense as she quickened her steps to catch up. By communicating this way, she ensured that no one else could overhear them.

"That's right," Liu Wuxie replied.

By now, he had developed a firm understanding of Enchantress' temperament. As long as he recognized when to yield and when to hold his ground, he felt confident that she would not kill him.

"That was far too dangerous! Enchantress' moods are notoriously unstable. Just because she spared you today doesn't mean she won't kill you tomorrow," Envoy Shen warned before taking a separate path, hoping Liu Wuxie would remain cautious.

Liu Wuxie understood the unpredictability of Enchantress' moods perfectly well. That was precisely why he behaved with such boldness. The more cautiously he acted around her, the more suspicious she would become, so he deliberately chose the opposite approach.

When dealing with someone both paranoid and temperamental, hesitation only nourished suspicion. Every decision needed to appear swift, firm, and decisive enough to leave no room for doubt.

Upon returning to his courtyard, Liu Wuxie discovered that sweat had drenched his back. Before carrying out the plan, he had used the Divine Tribulation Pupil to deduce its possible outcome. Even with that preparation, looking back made him realize how enormous a risk he had taken.

Time, however, was running out, and Liu Wuxie had no other choice.

The next two days passed peacefully. Enchantress occasionally entrusted him with different tasks, though most amounted to nothing more than trivial errands around the palace.

"Bring me Number 180," Enchantress ordered, instructing Liu Wuxie to fetch one of the captives to serve her.

Liu Wuxie clearly remembered Number 180 as one of the youths captured alongside him. When he arrived and opened the gate from the outside, he found the young man dispirited and exhausted after spending the past few days consumed by anxiety.

Surprise crossed the youth's face when he saw Liu Wuxie. They had entered the palace as prisoners together, so he could not understand why Liu Wuxie was now free to move around.

Liu Wuxie stepped into the residence and closed the gate behind him.

"Do exactly what I tell you if you don't want to die here," Liu Wuxie said, getting straight to the point. His blunt demand left the young man stunned.

"Who are you?" the youth asked, confused. He could not fathom who Liu Wuxie was or why he had spoken to him in such a manner.

"Who I am doesn't matter. If you want to leave this place alive, follow my instructions," Liu Wuxie replied. He had no time to explain everything patiently, so he led the youth away before their delay could arouse Enchantress' suspicions.

The youth followed with confusion still lingering in his eyes. Although he could not explain why, an inexplicable trust had taken root within him and compelled him to believe Liu Wuxie's words. Such was the power of the Divine Tribulation Pupil, which could reach into the deepest recesses of a person's soul.

"Enchantress intends to drain all your yang energy tonight," Liu Wuxie warned through his divine sense. "Once she drains it completely, you'll be reduced to a dried corpse."

The mere image of that fate sent a violent shudder through the youth.

"What am I supposed to do?" the youth asked through his divine sense, looking desperately at Liu Wuxie.

"Take this the moment you enter. It may save your life and prevent her from draining your yang energy," Liu Wuxie replied, discreetly slipping a pill into the youth's hand.

That was the full extent of the help Liu Wuxie could provide. Whether the youth survived beyond that point would depend entirely upon his fortune.

Before long, the two arrived outside Enchantress' bedchamber.

"Guardian Enchantress, I've brought the man you requested," Liu Wuxie announced from beyond the door.

"Send him in," Enchantress replied, her languid voice drifting from the bed.

Liu Wuxie turned toward the youth and signaled for him to enter.

The young man hesitated before finally pushing open the door. He knew he could not refuse, and with experts hidden throughout the surrounding area, escape remained impossible. Left without another path, he could only resign himself to his fate.

Once the door closed behind him, Liu Wuxie walked away. He knew Enchantress would not summon him again anytime soon.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Liu Wuxie stood outside Envoy Shen's courtyard. When his knock sounded against the gate, Envoy Shen opened it and motioned for him to enter before either of them spoke.

"The first stage of the plan has succeeded," Liu Wuxie said as soon as he crossed the threshold.

"What plan?" Envoy Shen asked. Although she had cooperated with Liu Wuxie, he had never revealed the full scope of his scheme.

"Enchantress' injuries will worsen very soon, and when they do, you'll have a strong chance of killing her," Liu Wuxie said. "But we still need to wait for two days."

He understood how desperately Envoy Shen craved revenge. That was precisely why he had come that night. He needed to restrain her impulses and prevent her from attacking Enchantress without his permission.

"You'll understand soon enough. Wait patiently for a few more days. I'm heading back now," Liu Wuxie replied. Without offering any further explanation, he left Envoy Shen staring blankly after him.

His words left her completely bewildered. Enchantress had suppressed her injuries successfully for the past few days, so she could not understand why Liu Wuxie felt so certain that they would suddenly worsen.

For years, Enchantress had continuously harvested yang to nourish her yin. The true source of her condition lay in the incomplete cultivation technique she practiced. Its flaws trapped the yin and yang energies within her body in perpetual conflict, slowly damaging her internal organs.

Only the complete cultivation technique could cure her injuries. Whenever the yin energy within her became excessively powerful, she needed to absorb yang energy to suppress it. Once that yang energy began surging too fiercely, however, it turned destructive and ravaged her body from the inside.

The root cause of her condition was her inability to maintain a true balance between yin and yang.

Liu Wuxie had seen through the problem with the Ghost Pupil during their very first meeting.

"ARGH!" A bloodcurdling scream suddenly tore through Enchantress' bedchamber.

Enchantress lashed out with her palm, hurling the youth into a corner. Blood sprayed from his mouth as the impact shattered the bones throughout his body.

The three spectral envoys appeared almost instantly, drawn by the scream.

Liu Wuxie stood a short distance away, a faint smile resting upon his lips.

"Master, what happened?!" the three spectral envoys cried as they dropped to their knees together. Too many inexplicable incidents had plagued the palace over the past few days, making them increasingly uneasy.

Liu Wuxie rushed forward and caught the youth, whose life had dwindled to a single remaining breath. Death could claim him at any moment.

"Damn it! To hell with everything!" Enchantress snarled, her features contorting into a savage mask.

The yin and yang energies inside her had turned turbulent, twisting her face into something even more sinister. The sight became so terrifying that the three spectral envoys instinctively retreated one step.