Desolate Devouring Art

The mentors who had not yet gone far stopped dead in their tracks. One after another, they turned back toward the main hall.

"What a goddamn joke! Who the fuck are you to strip us of our positions as mentors?" He Lianyi sneered.

Although he hadn't reached the pinnacle of the Profound Immortal Realm, he was still at the sixth level, placing his cultivation far above Liu Wuxie's. He had also served the Azure Flame Dao Hall for countless years and built connections with numerous members of the upper echelons.

Since the hall master had personally appointed He Lianyi as a mentor, only he had the authority to remove him. Moreover, He Lianyi had committed no offense, so even the hall master couldn't expel him from the Dao Hall without justification. Liu Wuxie's declaration enraged him beyond restraint, drawing that scornful rebuke from his lips.

The mentors who had walked out alongside He Lianyi said nothing, but the anger burning across their faces spoke for them.

"Because I have this," Liu Wuxie said, producing the token Gongye Zhang had entrusted to him.

By placing his personal token in Liu Wuxie's hands, Gongye Zhang had effectively transferred his authority to Liu Wuxie. Neither man had needed to state that fact aloud. Both understood precisely what the token signified.

Everyone stared in disbelief as they recognized their hall master's token. Those who bore no hostility toward Liu Wuxie secretly celebrated their decision to remain behind.

Liu Wuxie's accomplishments over the past several months had been nothing short of monstrous. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that, without him manipulating events from the shadows, the City Lord Mansion and the Wen Clan would likely have destroyed each other, leaving the other clans to reap the spoils.

By this point, nearly every mentor and student in the Azure Flame Dao Hall had acknowledged Liu Wuxie and treated him with considerable respect.

He Lianyi's hatred arose chiefly from Nangong Shan's death, and those who had left with him carried similar motives. Two belonged to the Shen Clan, while another was a Zhu Clan elder serving as Azure Flame Dao Hall's mentor. Their decision to leave the main hall was therefore not surprising.

"That's the Hall Master's token! Why would he give it to Liu Wuxie?" one mentor exclaimed. The crowd erupted in an uproar. Although people were stunned by this revelation, many were suspicious and confused.

Color surged through He Lianyi's face before draining away again, shifting between furious red and deathly pale. His expression became exceedingly ugly.

"Could Liu Wuxie have forged the token merely to humiliate He Lianyi," several mentors whispered to one another. They found it almost impossible to believe that the hall master would hand his authority to a mere third-level Spirit Immortal.

They deliberately kept their voices low, fearing Liu Wuxie might hear them. In their nervousness, they had forgotten that his mental energy could effortlessly encompass an area spanning hundreds of meters.

"Starting now, the Hall Master will enter seclusion for one month. Until he emerges, Mentor Liu will oversee every matter within the Azure Flame Dao Hall," Zuo Yang announced, arriving at exactly the right moment.

Everyone knew Zuo Yang was the hall master’s most trusted aide, so his declaration extinguished He Lianyi’s final glimmer of hope. He Lianyi had intended to appeal directly to the hall master, but Gongye Zhang’s sudden seclusion made his intentions unmistakably clear. He would receive no one and had entrusted Liu Wuxie with full authority.

"How is any of this possible...?" The mentors asked fearfully as they looked at Liu Wuxie. He had joined the Azure Flame Dao Hall only a few months earlier, yet complete authority over the Dao Hall now rested in his hands.

"I refuse to accept this! What gives you the right to revoke my status as a mentor of the Azure Flame Dao Hall?" He Lianyi demanded with a sneer. Ordinarily, only someone guilty of a serious offense would lose their position within the Dao Hall, with Wei Wenbin serving as the clearest example.

"Mentor He is right. We haven't done anything wrong, so what authority do you have to expel us?" the mentors from the Zhu and Shen Clans asked as they stepped forward and openly aligned themselves with He Lianyi.

"The Azure Flame Dao Hall is standing at the verge of destruction. When it needed your support the most, you not only refused to contribute but also tried to sow discord from within, and you still have the nerve to claim you did nothing wrong?" Liu Wuxie demanded, righteous fury blazing across his face.

"Bullshit! When did we ever refuse to contribute? You're accusing us of causing unrest just because we didn't obey your summons? That's fucking ridiculous," He Lianyi retorted, snapping his sleeve aside in anger. By now, he understood that he had stepped directly into a trap Liu Wuxie had prepared for him.

Had Liu Wuxie displayed the hall master's token at the outset, none of this would have occurred. Instead, he had kept it hidden until He Lianyi and the others decided to leave, clearly using the moment to purge everyone unwilling to stand behind him.

None of the surrounding mentors were fools, and they immediately grasped the meaning behind He Lianyi's accusation. If Liu Wuxie had orchestrated everything from the beginning, then the precision of his scheming was terrifying. With a single maneuver, he had drawn every potential threat out of hiding.

Had the token appeared from the start, He Lianyi would undoubtedly have suppressed his resentment and submitted. Later, he could have secretly leaked crucial information or sabotaged their efforts during the competition, forcing Liu Wuxie to remain constantly vigilant against internal attacks.

Liu Wuxie didn't act out of heartlessness. Brutal reality had taught him long ago that extending mercy to an enemy was cruelty to oneself. He had activated the Divine Tribulation Pupil the moment these mentors had entered the main hall, enabling him to distinguish those who wanted him dead from those who genuinely supported him.

His method of luring the snakes from their dens before eliminating every concealed threat sent a cold shiver down the spines of many mentors.

"If I'm not mistaken, you've remained in close contact with several mentors from the Celestial Moon Dao Hall, haven't you?" Liu Wuxie asked. Drawing a thread of power from the Heavenly Dao Book, he merged it with the Divine Tribulation Pupil and glimpsed faint traces of the Heavenly Path and Mortal Path. It allowed him to deduce numerous hidden secrets.

The instant those words left Liu Wuxie's mouth, He Lianyi's expression shifted. Everyone present noticed the subtle reaction.

"He Lianyi, you've actually been maintaining secret contact with the Celestial Moon Dao Hall?!" Yi Zhong rebuked as he strode forward.

"If Mentor Liu's accusation is true, then He Lianyi has no right to remain a mentor of the Azure Flame Dao Hall," the other mentors declared, stepping forward in succession to offer Liu Wuxie their support.

The course of events had become unmistakable. Everyone knew they needed to choose a side immediately, since no one could predict whose neck Liu Wuxie's blade would descend upon next.

"Bullshit! Where's your evidence?!" He Lianyi demanded, stubbornly refusing to admit anything.

Liu Wuxie wouldn't have made such a public accusation without some foundation. Under ordinary circumstances, he avoided using Heavenly Dao Divination casually due to the risk of backlash. The Heavenly Derivation Codex had greatly diminished that danger, but caution remained necessary.

"Three days ago, you shared drinks with Tian Zijin at the Drunken Fragrance House. You know better than anyone what the two of you discussed. Would you like me to keep going?" Liu Wuxie asked coldly. The chill in his gaze seemed to lower the temperature of the entire main hall.

"What did they discuss, exactly, Mentor Liu?" Jia Ruonan asked.

He and several other mentors firmly supported Liu Wuxie, making them the first to stand behind him.

"Tian Zijin joined the Shadow Divination Dao Hall before, and his reputation is already in ruins," several other mentors murmured.

He Lianyi couldn't easily explain his relationship with Tian Zijin. Shortly after the Shadow Divination Dao Hall's destruction, Tian Zijin had joined the Celestial Moon Dao Hall, the Azure Flame Dao Hall's bitter rival.

Liu Wuxie had changed beyond recognition over the past several months. Before this, trouble had repeatedly forced him into a passive position, leaving him to respond whenever danger arrived at his doorstep. This time, he had taken the initiative, determined to uproot every hidden threat before it could surface.

Even Ye Linghan struggled to understand his actions. She couldn't determine what Liu Wuxie ultimately hoped to accomplish by deliberately drawing his enemies out in the open.

"What a joke. Since when is it a crime to have a drink with an old friend?" He Lianyi asked, though panic had already crept across his face. Even he couldn't understand how Liu Wuxie had uncovered his secret meeting with Tian Zijin at the Drunken Fragrance House.

They had arranged the meeting in absolute secrecy, and not even the hall master should have known about it. Since Liu Wuxie had already exposed it, however, He Lianyi saw no reason to continue denying that the meeting itself had taken place.

"If you still refuse to confess, I'll bring your accomplice and have him confess on your behalf," Liu Wuxie replied, murderous intent surging within his eyes. The pressure crashed onto He Lianyi's shoulders with the weight of a colossal mountain.

Unease surged through He Lianyi again as soon as he heard those words. He quickly forced himself to settle down. Tian Zijin should have been inside the Celestial Moon Dao Hall at that very moment.

"Then go ahead. Let's see how you plan to confront me," He Lianyi sneered.

If Liu Wuxie hoped to condemn him with nothing but a handful of accusations, he was indulging in wishful thinking. The surrounding mentors fell silent, unwilling to speak recklessly. Every gaze settled upon Liu Wuxie as they waited to see how he would handle the situation.

"Manor Lord Xiang, bring him inside," Liu Wuxie called toward the main hall's entrance.

Manor Lord Xiang strode into the hall at once, carrying the barely conscious Tian Zijin in one hand.

The moment He Lianyi saw Tian Zijin's miserable condition, his heart plummeted. He instinctively retreated as a powerful sense of foreboding flooded through him.

Xiang Zicheng hurled Tian Zijin forward with a heavy thud, sending him crashing onto the floor.

During Liu Wuxie's previous visit to the Xiang Manor, Tian Zijin had joined several others in stirring up trouble against him and inciting countless people to surround the estate. Xiang Zicheng had not yet made him repay that debt.

Tian Zijin screamed in pain as he struggled to his feet and stared blankly around the hall. The moment his gaze fell upon Liu Wuxie, however, he began trembling violently and nearly fainted on the spot.

"It's been quite a while, Mentor Tian," Liu Wuxie said, regarding him with an innocuous smile.

For reasons Tian Zijin couldn't explain, that harmless expression frightened him more deeply than open hostility.

"What exactly are you planning to do to me, Liu Wuxie?" Tian Zijin asked in panic, slowly edging backward.

Xiang Zicheng stood directly behind him and abruptly kicked him forward.

"Behave yourself, or was your last beating not enough?" Xiang Zicheng snapped.

Tian Zijin soiled his pants in fear. Everyone stared in astonishment, wondering what Xiang Zicheng had done to instill such overwhelming terror in the man.

"I'm going to ask you several questions, and you'll answer every one honestly. If you don't, I trust you remember what comes next," Liu Wuxie said, his gaze sharpening. The instant his eyes locked onto Tian Zijin, unbearable agony ripped through the latter's soul sea and nearly tore his soul out of his body.

"I'll talk! Ask me anything!" Tian Zijin cried. Nothing remained in his mind except the desperate need to survive.

"Tian Zijin, whatever injustice they've inflicted upon you, tell me. I'll appeal directly to the hall master on your behalf. The Azure Flame Dao Hall is not a place where Liu Wuxie can do whatever he pleases," He Lianyi shouted, deliberately raising his voice toward Tian Zijin.

A bitter smile twisted Tian Zijin's face, looking even more wretched than tears.

"Start talking," Liu Wuxie said, stepping back to give Tian Zijin enough room to explain himself. He Lianyi no longer warranted even a glance from him.

Tian Zijin had barely opened his mouth when He Lianyi suddenly drew his sword and fired a razor-sharp sword ray toward his neck. The attack came so abruptly that everyone froze in shock. No one had expected He Lianyi to attempt to silence Tian Zijin at such a critical moment.