Desolate Devouring Art

Several years had been enough for Xiao Wufa to bring one-third of the Celestial Realm under his rule. Most forces had to follow his commands. Vandore's insistence on delaying revenge was hardly surprising. Challenging Xiao Wufa at this stage would mean death; his subordinates would kill Liu Wuxie long before he could reach the man himself.

Six to seven years had passed since the incident at the Soul-Severing Cliff, and the public's interest had slowly waned. But if word of Liu Wuxie's return reached Xiao Wufa and the others, it would ignite an uproar.

"Brother Liu, Xiao Wufa and the others must have sensed the awakening Immortal Emperor's will within the Asura Blade. Come to the Cloud Weave Mountain Range with me. You can devote yourself to cultivation there," Vandore urged.

Even an Immortal Regnant was beyond Vandore's ability to confront, much less an Immortal Emperor. As an Immortal Venerable, the only refuge he could offer Liu Wuxie was the Cloud Weave Mountain Range. He could not contend with Xiao Wufa, but finding someone within those vast mountains would challenge even him.

"I appreciate it, but I won't be going. The Cloud Weave Mountain Range is hardly quiet, and your Elven Race has enough problems already. When would you find the time to protect me?" Liu Wuxie replied.

The Cloud Weave Mountain Range offered little help to advance his cultivation, and even if it had, Liu Wuxie would still have declined the offer. Many races inhabited those perilous mountains, and Vandore's considerable strength did not place him at their summit. Beings at the Immortal Regnant Realm also dwelled there.

"You mean to enter the Celestial Weave Domain?" Vandore asked, recognizing his intention. Liu Wuxie knew that only the Celestial Weave Domain could offer the rapid progress he needed.

"Exactly," Liu Wuxie confirmed.

The Celestial Weave Domain occupied the heart of the Celestial Realm and surpassed every other region in prosperity. Its abundant resources made it the best place for Liu Wuxie to advance swiftly.

"With your current cultivation, staying alive there will be difficult," Vandore cautioned. He did not mean to discourage Liu Wuxie, but the Profound Immortal Realm was insignificant in that place. In the Celestial Weave Domain, someone at that level held no status and was considered little more than a speck of dust.

Liu Wuxie knew he was right. Nevertheless, a domain so vast was bound to contain opportunities suited to him.

"Then I'll carve out a path of my own," Liu Wuxie murmured, undaunted. He had begun at the bottom in the True Martial Continent, then in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, and now in the Fleeting Cloud Celestial Realm. That struggle was familiar ground. Any hardship was bearable if enduring it brought revenge closer.

"The Celestial Weave Domain has changed since you were last there. Many forces have joined the Heavenly Alliance," Vandore warned.

"If you're determined to go there, I can recommend a place for you. It would suit you perfectly, and it has no connection to the Heavenly Alliance." Seeing that Liu Wuxie had already made up his mind, he offered support instead of further argument.

"What place do you have in mind?" Liu Wuxie asked.

Even after becoming an Immortal Emperor in his previous life, Liu Wuxie had rarely involved himself in the affairs of the Celestial Weave Domain. He had spent most of his time cultivating in the Grand Supreme Palace Mountain Range, leaving only to visit friends on occasion.

"The Azure Jade Palace," Vandore announced.

"You mean Immortal Emperor Shui Yao's Azure Jade Palace?" Liu Wuxie asked, his brow furrowing.

Of the ten Immortal Emperors, Shui Yao was the only one Liu Wuxie barely knew. They had encountered each other only a handful of times. Seven of the ten Immortal Emperors had taken part in the battle at Soul-Severing Cliff, but she had not joined them.

"Yes. Since the incident at the Soul-Severing Cliff, upheaval has swept through the Celestial Realm. New forces have emerged, including the Spirit Jade Heaven," Vandore explained, recounting the major developments of recent years. "It rose overnight. I heard its founder had kept a low profile for over ten thousand years before reaching the Immortal Emperor Realm."

The sheer extent of changes in such a short time exceeded anything Liu Wuxie had imagined.

"Spirit Jade Heaven... Where have I heard that name?" Liu Wuxie murmured with a frown. It stirred something faint in his memory, but the connection eluded him.

"Lingqiong Tian founded the Spirit Jade Heaven. From what I've heard, he ascended from the mortal realm, just as you did," Vandore replied, withholding nothing he knew. He had spent the past few years traveling far and wide to seek justice for Liu Wuxie, though little had come of his efforts.

Many had gone so far as to call him a fool for pursuing justice on behalf of a dead man.

"What did you say?" Liu Wuxie sprang upright, icy light flashing through his eyes. He finally remembered where he had heard of the Spirit Jade Heaven. Back in the astral domains, the Lingqiong Clan had contacted Lingqiong Mo in the Celestial Realm. Lingqiong Mo had subsequently descended to the mortal realm, where Liu Wuxie had killed him.

A search of Lingqiong Mo's memories had yielded scraps of information about Lingqiong Tian, but few substantial details. The Lingqiong Mo who had entered the mortal realm had, after all, been only an avatar.

"Have you met Lingqiong Tian?" Vandore asked.

"We've never met," Liu Wuxie answered truthfully. He knew a great deal about the man who had founded the Heavenly Dragon Sect alongside Long Xiao, but he had never encountered him in person.

They sat down again, and Vandore turned his questions toward the mortal realm. News that Liu Wuxie had visited the Elven Race delighted him. When he learned that its two factions had reconciled, tears ran down his face.

Liu Wuxie said very little about Vanya. If Vandore learned that she had become his wife, the old man would surely fight him to the death.

"Brother Liu, powerful factions are emerging everywhere in the Celestial Weave Domain, and every one of them wants supremacy over the Celestial Realm. Find a strong backer. That's your best chance to settle somewhere and cultivate in peace," Vandore advised, bringing them back to their earlier discussion. He still hoped Liu Wuxie would reconsider.

"I'll give it some thought," Liu Wuxie replied, taking the advice seriously. The Azure Jade Palace remained largely unfamiliar to him, but the other forces all possessed connections to the Heavenly Alliance to varying degrees. Joining one of them would only expose him.

Liu Wuxie fell silent in thought. The tangled web of powers in the Celestial Realm had become far more complicated than he expected.

Lingqiong Tian's rise and the Heavenly Alliance's sudden appearance had divided the Celestial Realm into several regions. In the years since, any faction that refused to join the Heavenly Alliance had faced fierce opposition at every turn.

A rising power such as the Spirit Jade Heaven, founded by an Immortal Emperor, lay largely beyond the Heavenly Alliance's ability to suppress. Forces without an Immortal Emperor to protect them faced another fate entirely.

"Brother Liu, what do you want done with these people? Shall I kill them?" Vandore asked, getting up to survey the surrounding cultivators. Before an Immortal Venerable, they amounted to nothing more than ants.

"There's no need. Just erase their memories of the past four hours," Liu Wuxie replied. He did not want a massacre when removing their memories would accomplish enough. He already possessed the Asura Blade fragment, and killing them would gain him little.

"All right," Vandore agreed with a nod. He also disliked unnecessary bloodshed, although he would have slaughtered them for Liu Wuxie.

Blackie returned to the Desolate World, and Liu Wuxie left the Divine Steed Manor. Vandore ascended and erased everyone's memories of the past four hours. As the cultivators awakened, they began looking around in confusion.

"What happened? How did I get here?" bewildered cultivators asked one another.

"I remember going to the Divine Steed Manor to watch the tournament."

They remembered everything from before those four hours, but nothing that had happened afterward.

"Has the Divine Steed Tournament happened yet?" questions spread through the gathering. Even the Nanmen Clan's and the Divine Will Gate's experts joined the bewildered discussions.

"ARGH! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FINGERS?!" Nanmen Qing shrieked as pain gripped him, blood pouring from his injured palm.

"Manor Lord, someone's taken the Asura Blade fragment!" cried the elder responsible for guarding it. He could not recall surrendering it to Liu Wuxie.

No one remembered the Immortal Emperor's will awakening either. Every memory of Liu Wuxie had vanished, leaving any experts who came to investigate without a single clue.

"Find it at once," the Manor Lord roared, certain that someone had stolen the Asura Blade fragment.

Chaos erupted in the Divine Steed Manor. Fighting broke out everywhere, killing hundreds within moments. Liu Wuxie had already left those affairs behind as he and Vandore travelled toward a large city.

"Brother Liu, what brings you to this city?" Vandore asked curiously.

"Someone needs to die," Liu Wuxie answered coldly. Once he left this region, he didn't know when he would return. The Yu Clan's decline had stemmed from its connection to him, so before departing, he intended to kill the Face-Seer Ghost King, help the clan recover, and settle the score.

Vandore did not immediately ask whom he meant. The two entered the city openly, making no effort to conceal their presence.

"Who's our target?" Vandore finally asked. He could not remain away from the Cloud Weave Mountain Range for long. His absence left the Elven Race vulnerable, and the other clans might seize the opportunity to attack.

"The Face-Seer Ghost King," Liu Wuxie replied. After a few inquiries, he found his way to the Mou Clan's estate.

His last visit had been more than two decades ago, shortly after he had reached the Immortal King Realm. In the decades since, the Mou Clan had grown stronger, and its estate had doubled in size.

One palm strike hurled both guards at the gate backward. The disturbance immediately alerted the entire clan.

A mask now concealed Liu Wuxie's face. He would take no risk of revealing his identity, knowing that Xiao Wufa would soon dispatch someone to investigate the Divine Steed Manor.

A roar thundered from the depths of the estate. "Who dares trespass on the Mou Clan?" A middle-aged man appeared before Liu Wuxie. This was Mou Shan, Mou Shaochun's father and the clan's current patriarch.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Bring out the Face-Seer Ghost King," Liu Wuxie demanded. He had no time to waste on Mou Shan. Eliminating the Face-Seer Ghost King was his purpose, and that loss would severely weaken the Mou Clan.

"You must have a death wish! How dare you use the Grand Elder's name so casually?" Mou Shan snapped. More experts emerged behind him, including several Golden Immortals.

"Who exactly are you, brat? What business do you have with the Grand Elder?" Mou Shan demanded, his caution still firmly in place.