Desolate Devouring Art

After using the Heaven-Veiling Banner, Ye Linghan's immortal energy was severely depleted. In her current state, her chances of defeating Wen Qiong were slim. But if Liu Wuxie could weaken him first, she would stand a chance.

Thus, the talisman condensed at a terrifying speed. The sword runes that had formed the Eightfold Golden Lock Array rapidly gathered again, merging into a devastating longsword. The instant the sword took shape, it swept every cloud from the sky.

The black clouds overhead vanished without a trace, replaced by boundless sword aura that seemed capable of cutting Moon Reverence City apart. Its pressure imprisoned the soul seas of countless people.

This was divine power, the will of an Immortal Emperor. The Origin Immortal Realm experts dispatched by the City Lord Mansion were about to reach Moon Reverence City.

Ye Guhai had wagered everything this time, mobilizing every expert in the City Lord Mansion to ensure his daughter's safety. Even from a thousand miles away, the experts sent by the City Lord Mansion could see that devastating sword.

The leader of the group was a high-level Origin Immortal with terrifying cultivation. Every time he flew, sonic booms erupted behind him.

"What is that?" he said.

"What a terrifying longsword!" another Origin Immortal exclaimed, horrified.

"It has no tangible form. It is the manifestation of the laws of heaven and earth."

The Origin Immortals flew onward while communicating with one another, all of them trying to determine who had created that longsword.

Ye Linghan stared at the sword in the sky, disbelief flickering in her eyes. The will it released made it impossible for her to summon even the slightest thought of resistance. Wen Qiong felt the same. It was as though the will of an Immortal Emperor had descended upon them.

......

The entire celestial realm seemed to sense that will, and countless streams of thought began weaving through the air.

"He's back in the northwest!" an Immortal Emperor exclaimed. With a single step, he traversed through space-time and stood proudly above the heavens as he looked down toward the northwest.

The Immortal Emperor's will had flashed for only an instant. By the time they discovered it, it was already too late to react, and they could no longer determine its exact source.

"Are you certain it's him?" Many Immortal Venerables and Immortal Regnants followed after him. Their senses were not as keen, but they could still feel the awakening of a familiar power.

"It has to be him! Mobilize every force under your command and find him, no matter the cost!" the Immortal Emperor ordered.

A vast number of experts received the order and immediately headed toward the northwest. As for who they were searching for, many of them did not know.

......

The sword locked onto Wen Qiong.

"How is this possible? This can't be real!" Wen Qiong muttered. As a dignified fifth-level Origin Immortal, he found himself completely immobilized once the sword marked him. What truly suppressed him was not the sword itself, but the will of an Immortal Emperor within it.

With a deafening explosion, the sword moved, carrying devastating power that swept across the heavens. Every tree within a hundred meters bent one after another, as though bowing like humans. Countless people recorded the scene. None of them had ever witnessed anything like it, and it shattered everything they thought they understood.

Taking advantage of the devastating sword's pressure, Ye Linghan recovered a little of her immortal energy.

A black hole appeared in space, pierced open by the devastating sword. Its terrifying power ripped through the air and arrived before Wen Qiong.

"Break!" Wen Qiong roared. He mobilized all his power and finally broke free from the suppression. The longsword in his hand danced wildly, forming a sword curtain to block the incoming sword.

However, the sword curtain lasted only a brief moment before shattering into countless fragments.

The sword dimmed slightly, yet its momentum remained unstoppable as it continued toward Wen Qiong.

The talisman contained countless runes of heaven and earth, along with countless sword runes. Among those sword runes, Origin Immortals had inscribed many of them.

As the sword pressed forward, Wen Qiong had nowhere to evade and could only meet it head-on. He charged forward and swung his sword through the air, unleashing a powerful sword ray that collided directly with the incoming sword.

A thunderous explosion rang out, shaking the whole of Moon Reverence City. Countless cultivators covered their ears, but blood still trickled from them.

The scene had already surpassed mere terror. The moment the two forces collided, a powerful shockwave rippled outward like a violent gale, flattening every shorter building nearby.

As for ordinary people, they had already fled far away and did not dare approach. Only those who had reached the Spirit Immortal Realm could barely see what was happening.

Wen Qiong was truly worthy of being a fifth-level Origin Immortal. His terrifying cultivation left a crack across the incoming sword under his attack.

Because the longsword had no tangible form, the cracks began spreading across it. But in the next instant, countless sword runes flew out and burrowed into Wen Qiong's body, destroying his vitality and making him scream in agony.

Even so, he endured the intense pain and kept swinging his sword, widening the cracks across the longsword.

"Linghan, now it's your turn," Liu Wuxie said. He had been watching the battlefield closely the entire time. He had done everything he could. Nearly all of his immortal energy had been exhausted; only a few droplets of mental energy remained in his upper dantian, and his soul sea had dried up. At this moment, even an ordinary True Immortal could kill him.

Ye Linghan had been waiting for this moment. She charged forward, her sword dancing in her hand as ice spikes began manifesting before Wen Qiong, enclosing him.

"Ye Linghan, you despicable woman! How dare you launch a sneak attack on me!?" Wen Qiong roared furiously. He had already depleted his strength while blocking the incoming longsword and was in no condition to fight Ye Linghan.

This was exactly the opening Liu Wuxie wanted. If they waited until Wen Qiong dealt with the longsword, he would definitely flee without hesitation, and killing him would then become even harder.

Ye Linghan attacked like lightning. In battle, she was decisive and ruthless, never one to drag things out.

Facing the incoming ice spikes, Wen Qiong's eyes turned bloodshot. He had to deal with the longsword in front of him, while Ye Linghan pressed fiercely from behind. He had no room to dodge, especially after the sword runes had already inflicted severe injuries on him.

Wen Qiong was frustrated. He could not understand how he had run into a freak like Liu Wuxie. The latter was clearly only at the True Immortal Realm, yet he had produced such a heaven-defying talisman.

Without that talisman, both Ye Linghan and Liu Wuxie would have been corpses by now.

More cracks spread across the sword, manifested by the talisman. Wen Qiong actually managed to force open a gap, and he did not hesitate to flee Moon Reverence City.

"Since you came here, don't even think about leaving!" The ice spikes closed in swiftly and manifested into an ice sword. Ye Linghan had drawn inspiration for this attack from the sword created by Liu Wuxie's talisman.

Two giant swords formed a pincer against Wen Qiong. Even if he dodged Liu Wuxie's attack, he would still have to face Ye Linghan's strike.

Thunderous explosions tore across the sky as countless fissures spread in every direction.

With an explosion, the giant ice sword struck Wen Qiong and sent him smashing hard into the ground. Blood sprayed through the sky, and a massive hole opened in his back, but he did not die immediately.

After exhausting all its energy, Liu Wuxie's sword gradually dissipated in the sky.

Ye Linghan had also consumed most of her remaining immortal energy after unleashing that attack, leaving her unable to launch another powerful strike.

The Desolate Devouring Art circulated as Liu Wuxie poured all the energy he had refined into the Desolate World, replenishing his immortal energy at an astonishing rate. In the blink of an eye, he recovered nearly seventy percent of his immortal energy.

After all, he had just killed an Origin Immortal and eight Profound Immortals. The remaining Spirit Immortals were not even worth counting.

Once all that energy poured into the desolate world, Liu Wuxie's aura began climbing until it reached the peak of the fourth-level True Immortal Realm. Now, he stood only one step away from the fifth level.

Since Liu Wuxie had just refined four Origin Immortals recently, breaking through again by merely refining Origin Immortals would not be easy. But he could still use the energy to strengthen the Desolate World.

After his immortal energy recovered, he slowly walked toward Wen Qiong, the man who had nearly killed Chen Ping.

Wen Qiong lay in a pool of blood, gravely wounded and gasping heavily.

Ye Linghan followed behind Liu Wuxie and secretly gathered her strength, guarding against any hidden cards Wen Qiong might still have.

The people on the street gradually dispersed, no longer daring to remain. They sensed that the balance of power in Moon Reverence City was about to shift. From this day forward, the Peace and Stability Merchant Association would dominate the city.

At first, the minor clans had planned to seize the Peace and Stability Merchant Association's territory once it collapsed. But now, the situation looked far more terrifying than they had imagined. They had never expected the merchant association to have an Origin Immortal backing it, let alone a monster like Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie raised the Bloodthirst Blade and pointed it at Wen Qiong.

"Talk. Are there any other Wen Clan members in Moon Reverence City?" he asked. Liu Wuxie knew he had to uproot every threat in case remnants of the Wen Clan remained in the city.

"Liu Wuxie, you demon! Even if you kill me, you won't live much longer. The Wen Clan won't let you go," Wen Qiong roared hysterically, his eyes bloodshot. His mouth stretched wide, as though he wanted to swallow Liu Wuxie alive.

"You're too loud," Liu Wuxie replied. He did not bother wasting words and struck Wen Qiong hard across the face with the Bloodthirst Blade. Half of his face immediately swelled, and dozens of teeth went flying.

If Liu Wuxie's soul sea had not suffered severe depletion, he would have searched Wen Qiong's soul by force. He had considered using the Great Conversion Mythical Art, but at his current level, he could only convert True Immortals at best. Converting an Origin Immortal was almost impossible for him.

First, Liu Wuxie's cultivation was insufficient. Second, he still had to upgrade the Great Conversion Mythical Art into an immortal art.

Dao technique, mythical art, and immortal arts. Every transformation contained countless profundities that required more than a single night to complete.

"Liu Wuxie, kill me if you have the guts! Don't even think about getting a single word out of me!" Wen Qiong roared, spitting blood from his mouth, his eyes still bloodshot. He had never imagined that an Origin Immortal like him would end up in such a pathetic state.

"You want to die? Don't worry. I won't let you die that easily," Liu Wuxie retorted. He naturally would not kill Wen Qiong so easily before getting the answer he wanted.

When the Bloodthirst Blade descended, Wen Qiong's right arm vanished and dyed the street red.

Although Ye Linghan knew Liu Wuxie was decisive and vengeful, what she witnessed today still shocked her.

At the Azure Flame Dao Hall, Ye Linghan had always been the one to step forward and handle trouble, while Liu Wuxie worked behind the scenes. Now, however, he had finally revealed his fangs and true ferocity.

The moment Liu Wuxie's murderous intent erupted, Wen Qiong was so terrified that he actually wet himself. He could not bring himself to meet Liu Wuxie’s gaze. Those were the eyes of a demon, and anyone who looked into them would be plagued by nightmares.