Desolate Devouring Art

Ye Guhai had publicly asked the Skyhalberd Auction House to lend him one million immortal stones.

Hearing that request, Wen Changxing, who had been holding his breath, finally exhaled.

"My sincerest apologies, but the Skyhalberd Auction House has never established such a precedent," Gu Yi replied apologetically.

It wasn't that the Skyhalberd Auction House didn't want to lend immortal stones to the City Lord Mansion, but doing so would make it impossible for the auction to proceed normally. If it granted Ye Guhai's request, the Wen Clan could use the same excuse to demand a loan, creating an endless cycle. The Skyhalberd Auction House couldn't allow that to happen.

Ye Guhai's expression turned unsightly. If the Skyhalberd Auction House refused to lend him immortal stones, could he do nothing except watch the Sumeru Stone fall into the Wen Clan's hands?

"Does heaven truly intend to destroy my City Lord Mansion?" Ye Guhai asked with a long sigh, effectively withdrawing from the contest.

Some people celebrated secretly, while others silently grieved. If the City Lord Mansion fell, every faction in Fourfold City would face a purge from the Wen Clan.

"4,000,000, going thrice," Gu Yi announced, bringing the auction to an end and selling the Sumeru Stone to the Wen Clan for 4,000,000 immortal stones.

Only then did the Wen Clan members finally relax. Four million immortal stones was an enormous sum, but they believed they would soon recoup their investment in full.

The fist-sized Sumeru Stone was delivered to Wen Changxing. After examining it carefully, he found no obvious problems and sensed the formidable energy contained within.

The only thing that puzzled Wen Changxing was the powerful mental energy wrapped around the stone. Although he was a Divine Immortal, he had only read about the Sumeru Stone in books and had never seen one with his own eyes. He therefore dismissed the peculiarity without much thought.

Once the transaction was settled, Wen Changxing handed over four million immortal stones and stored the Sumeru Stone inside his interspatial ring. He had now spent four million immortal stones purchasing a Sumeru Stone that had originally belonged to his own clan. What aggrieved him most was that those immortal stones would ultimately fall into Liu Wuxie's hands.

"Let's go!" Wen Changxing ordered.

Time pressed against them. The Wen Clan needed to return immediately and forge the Golden Immortal Realm artifact as quickly as possible.

With that final transaction, the auction officially concluded.

Ye Guhai rose alongside the others and followed the Wen Clan out of the auction house. The remaining guests also began filing outside, flooding streets already packed with people awaiting the result.

The hooked-nosed elder appeared and escorted Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan into a private room, where Gu Yi was waiting for them.

"Young Master Liu, please take a seat!" Gu Yi said, immediately rising and gesturing invitingly when the pair entered.

The moment the Skyhalberd Auction House's gates opened, messages poured in from every direction. Gu Yi received news that the Wen Clan's foundation had been destroyed in only two hours. Every asset had been seized, ownership of several vital mines had been lost, and a large number of elite disciples had died.

The news swept across Fourfold City like a violent storm. Only now did Gu Yi finally understand Liu Wuxie's objective. Liu Wuxie had used the auction as cover to dismantle the Wen Clan's strength.

Yet Gu Yi still couldn't determine what Liu Wuxie intended to do next. Slaughtering the Wen Clan's ordinary disciples wasn't enough. As long as Wen Changxing and the upper echelon survived, they would retaliate with everything they possessed, dragging both factions into mutual destruction.

Gu Yi had personally witnessed how one scheme from this young man had caused the deaths of thousands.

Liu Wuxie dispensed with the formalities and sat across from Gu Yi, while Ye Linghan took the seat beside him.

"Here are 3,500,000 immortal stones," Gu Yi said, producing an interspatial ring and handing it to Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie furrowed his brows in confusion. Their agreement granted the Skyhalberd Auction House thirty percent of the proceeds, so why had Gu Yi kept only five hundred thousand?

"Senior Gu, is there something you'd like to say?" Liu Wuxie asked with a smile, glancing at the interspatial ring.

Gu Yi clearly had another motive. His actions revealed an unmistakable desire to curry favor with Liu Wuxie. After reevaluating everything that had happened, Gu Yi had concluded that someone like Liu Wuxie could only be treated as a friend, never an enemy.

Judging by the current situation, Liu Wuxie undoubtedly had more plans waiting to unfold, and the Wen Clan was in grave danger.

"The five hundred thousand immortal stones merely cover our ordinary expenses. We arranged this auction because we wish to befriend you," Gu Yi replied, stating his intentions without ambiguity.

Organizing any auction demanded considerable manpower and resources, especially one arranged on such short notice.

By retaining only five hundred thousand immortal stones, the Skyhalberd Auction House was making it clear that it had earned no profit.

Liu Wuxie now understood Gu Yi's intentions. Gu Yi had undoubtedly received news of the Wen Clan's destruction.

The Skyhalberd Auction House possessed a foundation comparable to the Wen Clan's. If Liu Wuxie could destroy the Wen Clan, he could potentially do the same to them. That realization had transformed Gu Yi's attitude and convinced him to pursue friendship instead.

"Since you've put it that way, I won't stand on ceremony," Liu Wuxie said, accepting the interspatial ring.

He had no desire to create unnecessary enemies, and befriending the Skyhalberd Auction House could only benefit him.

"Things are becoming lively outside, so I won't detain Young Master Liu and Lady Ye any longer," Gu Yi said as he rose.

The situation outside had reached a fever pitch by now, and Gu Yi had no intention of missing the spectacle.

Under the hooked-nosed elder's guidance, Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan followed a passage out of the private room and left the Skyhalberd Auction House.

Just as Gu Yi had predicted, the area outside the auction house was seething with activity, its atmosphere thick with tension.

"Ye Guhai, you despicable bastard! You used the auction to attack my Wen Clan?!" Wen Changxing roared.

The instant he stepped out of the auction house, his Communication Talisman delivered a message from an elder who had remained behind at the Wen Clan estate.

The Communication Talismans belonging to the other elders lit up as well. Every message carried the same devastating news that the City Lord Mansion had attacked the Wen Clan and destroyed its headquarters.

A steady stream of cultivators exited the auction house, only to freeze in shock after hearing what had happened.

"The City Lord Mansion's attack on the Wen Clan's foundation was utterly ruthless. They severed every path of retreat available to the Wen Clan," cultivators whispered amid the rising clamor.

After completing their assignments, Wu Sheng and the others had gathered outside the auction house. Ye Guhai had been waiting for precisely this moment to regroup with them.

Those who had previously stood behind Ye Guhai removed their masks one after another, revealing themselves as ordinary stewards from the City Lord Mansion. The truth instantly became clear to everyone watching.

Every person who had accompanied Ye Guhai into the auction house was a disguised substitute whose sole purpose was to deceive the Wen Clan. Wu Sheng, Yuan Jiang, and the others had never entered the auction house.

The two factions now stood locked in confrontation. Although Wen Changxing had obtained the Sumeru Stone, he didn't feel even the faintest trace of joy.

"Must I list every vile act your Wen Clan has committed over the years? Everyone already knows which side is truly despicable," Ye Guhai retorted.

History belonged to the victor. The winner ruled, while the loser stood condemned.

The Wen Clan had never possessed a respectable reputation. It operated brothels and gambling dens, trafficked slaves, and even nurtured an assassination organization. Everyone in Fourfold City was aware of their crimes.

Their recent indiscriminate search throughout the city had only worsened that reputation by implicating countless innocent people.

Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan were nowhere among the gathered factions. Instead, they stood atop a high-rise building and quietly watched the confrontation unfolding below.

"Was all of this part of your plan?" Ye Linghan asked as a chill crept from her feet to her spine.

In slightly over two hours, thousands of people had vanished, and the man standing beside her had masterminded everything.

"The plan is only halfway complete," Liu Wuxie replied with a smile as they continued watching.

The deadliest method of killing never stained the killer's hands. From the very beginning, Liu Wuxie had remained an observer.

Ye Linghan couldn't suppress a shiver. She remembered everything that had happened between them and wondered whether the City Lord Mansion would have suffered the Wen Clan's fate if she had insisted on killing Liu Wuxie when they had first met.

The two factions remained trapped in a deadlock. The Wen Clan refused to attack, and Ye Guhai had no intention of striking first.

"Patriarch, my sons are dead! I must avenge them and slaughter everyone in the City Lord Mansion!" an elder roared as he charged out from the Wen Clan's ranks.

Wu Sheng had killed all his sons and concubines. The elder’s eyes turned bloodshot as he prepared to massacre everyone affiliated with the City Lord Mansion.

"Don't act recklessly!" Wen Xuan ordered, intercepting the elder.

"Why are you stopping me?!" the enraged elder demanded.

How much longer were they expected to endure after suffering such a devastating loss?

Wen Xuan had also forced down his murderous intent. Two of his sons were dead, but they still needed to maintain their composure. Whether they could win remained uncertain, and even victory would come at a brutal price. The Mu Clan would undoubtedly seize that opportunity to devour both factions.

"Patriarch, we should return to the clan first," Wen Xuan urged.

After Wen Ding's death, Wen Xuan's status within the clan had risen. He wanted the patriarch to withdraw before deciding their next move.

"Wen Xuan, what are you saying? Are we supposed to let these murderers escape punishment?" several elders cursed, unable to restrain themselves any longer.

They didn't fear death as long as they could avenge their fallen kin.

"Elder Wen Xuan is right. We've already obtained the Sumeru Stone. Once we forge the Golden Immortal Realm artifact, we can take our revenge whenever we wish," a younger elder explained.

Charging forward now would grant them only a moment of satisfaction at the cost of mutual destruction.

The surrounding crowd nodded, impressed by Wen Xuan's remarkable foresight.

Wen Changxing clenched his fists as murderous intent gathered around him like a raging torrent. The surrounding space collapsed beneath its force, creating a terrifying spectacle.

"From this moment forward, the Wen Clan is officially at war with the City Lord Mansion," Wen Changxing announced.

The two factions would continue fighting until only one remained.

Wu Sheng stepped forward. "Wen Changxing, do you honestly believe the City Lord Mansion fears you?" he mocked.

The Wen Clan already stood on the brink of destruction and wouldn't survive much longer.

The atmosphere tensed instantly, filled with murderous intent.

Not far away, the Mu Clan watched with delighted smiles. Its members even dispatched people to fan the flames, hoping to force the two factions into open war.

Wen Changxing and Ye Guhai were both rational men. How could they fail to recognize the Mu Clan's deliberate provocation?

"Do you think Liu Wuxie orchestrated everything?" people in the crowd whispered.

Strangely, Liu Wuxie remained nowhere to be seen despite the monumental events unfolding around them.

"Impossible! He's nothing more than a True Immortal. How could he possibly engineer such an intricate scheme?"

Everyone believed he was merely another pawn in Ye Guhai’s game.

Liu Wuxie had no interest in what anyone believed. The outcome suited him perfectly, allowing him to remain outside the conflict. After all, an overbearing man wasn't necessarily strong. Only a wise man understood the value of concealing himself.