Desolate Devouring Art

The Heavenly Alliance's ambushes had drawn a swift response from the Azure Jade Palace over the past few days. In addition to sending experts to escort the participants, the palace had activated a defensive array covering a three-thousand-mile radius. Such protection came at a staggering price, as a spiritual array of that magnitude devoured tens of millions of immortal stones every day.

Most participants had yet to leave Mulberry Sea City. Those who set out early generally lacked the cultivation to remain airborne for long and needed the extra time.

The following day, the elder's promise took shape overhead. A powerful spiritual array rose into the sky and closed around the surrounding mountain range. Before the Heavenly Alliance could launch another attack, it would have to break through that barrier.

With the danger held at bay, the journey became considerably easier. Liu Wuxie nevertheless maintained his distance from the others. Travelers frequently approached to greet him, receiving little beyond a faint smile in return.

"Another ten days, Brother Liu, and we'll be at the Azure Jade Palace," Huang Zechang said. He had kept Liu Wuxie company for most of the journey. They pressed onward, pausing occasionally to rest, until ten days later an emerald lake emerged before them, seemingly suspended above the sky itself.

"That's the Jade Lake ahead. The Azure Jade Palace stands at the summit," Huang Zechang said.

Fatigue had settled deep into every traveler, and Liu Wuxie was no exception. Twenty days of relentless travel had taken its toll on body and mind alike.

At the sight of their destination, everyone raised their hands and cheered. The hardships that had dogged their journey had finally brought them here.

"Rest a while. We should try to reach the designated area before nightfall," the Huang Clan's Immortal Kings advised. No one in the group surpassed those two in strength, and everyone had benefited from their protection along the way.

About fifteen minutes passed before the travelers eagerly got back to their feet. One more climb, and they would finally lay eyes on the Azure Jade Palace.

The rugged path saw little traffic, as the Azure Jade Palace disciples used a different route to enter and leave the sect.

They reached the summit before darkness fell. Around them, the mountains dwindled into small shapes below, while the magnificent Azure Jade Palace commanded the view ahead.

Hundreds of mountains, great and small, formed the sprawling grounds of the Azure Jade Palace. The peak beneath their feet was one of the outer peaks at the sect's farthest edge. Only those admitted to the inner peaks counted among its core members.

"How familiar are you with the Azure Jade Palace, Brother Liu?" Huang Zechang asked, his gaze lingering with longing upon the palace atop the central peak.

"Very little," Liu Wuxie replied honestly. Nearly everything he knew about the Azure Jade Palace came from hearsay.

"The Azure Jade Palace encompasses 108 peaks in total, consisting of seventy-two outer peaks, thirty-four inner peaks, and two mountains high in the sky. Even true disciples are forbidden from entering those two mountains," Huang Zechang explained.

Liu Wuxie lifted his gaze. The Ghost Pupil scanned through successive veils of mist, but an invisible barrier high above stopped it from reaching any farther.

"The Azure Jade Palace divides its disciples into four ranks known as outer, inner, elite, and true disciples. Divine immortals qualify only as outer disciples. The Golden Immortal Realm qualifies you as an inner disciple, and the Great Golden Immortal Realm as an elite disciple. To become a true disciple, you have to be among the Immortal Kings," Huang Zechang continued.

In Eastern Emperor City, cultivation at the Divine Immortal Realm could establish someone as an overlord. Within the Azure Jade Palace, it earned them no more than a place among the outer disciples.

Not a flicker crossed Liu Wuxie's face as he listened.

"Some superpowers also establish a Saint Hall. Once you reach the Immortal Lord Realm, you can compete to become a saint, with standing equal to that of an elder. The Azure Jade Palace has a hundred saints, and every one of them possesses formidable cultivation," Huang Zechang added.

"Only one hundred saints in an entire superpower?" Liu Wuxie interjected. He had expected the Azure Jade Palace to have more disciples in the Immortal Lord Realm.

"That's something unusual about the Azure Jade Palace. Its Saint Hall has exactly 100 seats. Anyone who wants one must challenge an existing saint. Defeat them, and you take their place," Huang Zicheng explained.

Every superpower had its own Saint Hall. What distinguished the Azure Jade Palace was its strict limit of 100 members.

The Saint Hall served as the sect's backbone. Beyond its members lay the Immortal Venerable Realm, a step that would carry them close to the celestial realm's summit. Anyone who could secure a place in its ranks was an exceptional prodigy beyond question.

Liu Wuxie nodded in understanding. The arrangement left the Azure Jade Palace's disciples little room for complacency, compelling them to compete and improve constantly. If they fell behind, they had to surrender their positions to someone else.

A saint commanded greater status and resources than a true disciple. Countless true disciples exhausted their ingenuity searching for a way to claim that distinction.

"And the two peaks up in the sky?" Liu Wuxie asked.

Given the Huang Clan's proximity to Mulberry Sea City, its members were well acquainted with the Azure Jade Palace, giving Liu Wuxie an excellent opportunity to learn more about the sect.

Over the years, several Huang Clan disciples had entered the Azure Jade Palace. Much of the clan's information came through them.

"It's called the Matriarch Cradle Peak. Immortal Emperor Shui Yao lives there, but that's all I know," Huang Zechang admitted with a wry smile. All he knew about the two peaks was their names.

They soon reached a vast platform. Its surface looked as though a sword had sheared it flat, leaving enough room for tens of thousands of people to stand together.

"Here we are!" Noise washed over them as they stepped onto the platform, joining the participants who had arrived before them.

"All new arrivals, register first! The recruitment assessment begins in five days!" someone announced.

Yellow-robed figures dotted the platform. They were inner disciples assigned to maintain order.

"Come on, let's register!" the Huang Clan disciples urged. Barely able to restrain their excitement, they pulled Huang Zechang toward the registration area.

"Join us, Brother Liu," Huang Zechang said, bringing Liu Wuxie along. For now, relatively few applicants had come to register. The coming days would bring many more.

Liu Wuxie went with them and joined the line. Roughly fifteen minutes later, he reached the front.

"Your name?" asked the man handling registration. He appeared to be in his thirties and was at the pinnacle of the Golden Immortal Realm, suggesting he was an inner disciple. He frowned at Liu Wuxie's cultivation.

Each applicant had to provide their name and cultivation level. Most had already reached the Divine Immortal Realm, and before Liu Wuxie stepped forward, the man had not encountered a single Profound Immortal.

"Liu Wuxie!"

"Are you sure you want to take the assessment?" the disciple asked without a trace of contempt. It was merely a friendly warning, as a Profound Immortal might not even survive the first trial.

"Yes, I'm sure," Liu Wuxie replied, nodding.

"Put a strand of your soul energy into this token. It will identify you throughout the assessment," the man instructed. He entered Liu Wuxie's details without creating any obstacles, then passed him a blank token.

A strand of Liu Wuxie's soul energy flowed into it. Characters appeared across the surface, revealing his name and information. This was another reason he had chosen not to conceal his true identity.

Faced with so many applicants, the Azure Jade Palace could not possibly remember every name. The tokens allowed it to tell each participant apart with ease.

Liu Wuxie took his token and stepped aside, allowing the growing line of applicants to move forward.

"We have five days to spare, Brother Liu. Why don't we explore? These peaks are open to everyone, so we can go wherever we like. We only need to be back for the assessment," Huang Zechang suggested.

So long as they avoided the seventy-two outer peaks, they would encounter no trouble. The mountain where they stood lay at the sect's outermost edge, and none of the Azure Jade Palace's disciples resided there.

Liu Wuxie had already been considering exploring the area. He meant to make the Azure Jade Palace his temporary home, a place where he could at last settle. Having made that choice, he needed to familiarize himself with its surroundings.

The other Huang Clan disciples had left ahead of them. Huang Zechang had stayed behind to wait for Liu Wuxie, while many fellow applicants had already ventured out to explore.

Seen from afar, the linked seventy-two outer peaks looked like seventy-two colossal dragons coiled across the earth. Beyond them, the thirty-four inner peaks stood so distant that Liu Wuxie could not make out so much as their contours. That view alone revealed the immense scale of the Azure Jade Palace.

The two traveled through the mountain, passing dense woodland until a natural lake appeared amid the beautiful landscape.

"Let's have a look over there," Huang Zechang said, quickening his steps.

Liu Wuxie followed him down to the shore. On the far side of the lake, a few cultivators were throwing stones into the water.

The stones skipped across the surface. Several came skimming directly toward Liu Wuxie and Huang Zechang.

Both moved aside. Laughter promptly carried over from the opposite bank.

"They've got some nerve!" Huang Zechang bellowed.

"Let it go," Liu Wuxie said, shaking his head and drawing Huang Zechang back. They had come to take the recruitment assessment, not to entangle themselves in pointless disputes.

Anger still simmered in Huang Zechang, but when Liu Wuxie showed no interest in pursuing the matter, he reluctantly let it go.

"Would you look at that? A mere Profound Immortal actually came to take the assessment! He clearly doesn't know his limits!"

Wherever Liu Wuxie went, his cultivation made him stand out. Ignoring the mockery, he continued along the lakeshore, unwilling to waste his time on such people.

With neither traveler reacting, the group soon lost interest. They set off in the same direction.

A narrow trail led Liu Wuxie and Huang Zechang to a field of golden rice. Ordinary crops held no place here. This was immortal rice, and traces of primordial energy dwelled within every grain.

Spiritual rice belonged to the mortal realm, while immortal rice grew only in the celestial realm. A vast gulf separated the two.

Liu Wuxie took a deep breath. Primordial energy carried by the fragrance of the rice entered his body, filling him with a soothing warmth.

During his previous life, he had cultivated the Primal Celestial Art. Created by the Heavenly Daoist, that technique relied primarily upon the primordial energy of heaven and earth.