Desolate Devouring Art

Inside the estate, Liu Wuxie changed into the brand-new robe Ye Linghan had prepared in advance. The instant he put it on, his features seemed sharper and more elegant, elevating his entire bearing severalfold.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man, just as a fine saddle enhances a horse.

Liu Wuxie already possessed an extraordinary temperament, but the plain azure robes he usually wore concealed it beneath an ordinary appearance. Ye Linghan had commissioned the new robe specifically for him, using purple silk that remained warm in winter and cool in summer, with every fold tailored perfectly to his figure.

She secured his black hair with a hairband woven from fragrant leaves. The finishing touch gave Liu Wuxie a dignified appearance while surrounding him with a subtle fragrance.

He refused several times, but Ye Linghan forcibly held him still and continued tying his hair. Left without any other choice, he allowed her to do as she pleased.

Meanwhile, Wen Changxing and the others had completed their preparations to depart from the Wen Clan's estate.

"Patriarch, Ye Guhai has already led every expert from the City Lord Mansion to the auction house," the elder responsible for gathering intelligence reported.

"Then it's time for us to leave as well!" Wen Changxing said.

He had deliberately waited for the City Lord Mansion to move first so he could determine their own course of action.

......

An entire hour passed before Ye Linghan finally finished dressing Liu Wuxie.

"Aren't we going to disguise ourselves? Are we really walking into the Skyhalberd Auction House like this?" Ye Linghan asked, quickly stopping Liu Wuxie as he prepared to leave.

"The Wen Clan's attention is entirely focused on the auction house. They'll undoubtedly bring all their experts with them, leaving no one behind to deal with me," Liu Wuxie replied calmly.

His assessment proved correct. The Wen Clan had dispatched its experts to the Skyhalberd Auction House early, primarily concerned that the City Lord Mansion would attempt to seize the Sumeru Stone by force.

Aside from a few elders left behind to protect the estate, the Wen Clan had mobilized every available expert.

Ye Linghan nodded. At this point, she had placed her unconditional trust in Liu Wuxie.

When Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan left the estate together, a silhouette silently followed them. The figure had already lingered around the estate for several days.

Liu Wuxie had long since discovered this person but chose not to expose him. If his guess was correct, Ye Guhai had stationed him there to protect them.

The streets had become nearly deserted. Not once in the past decades had the Skyhalberd Auction House filled every available seat.

Today, however, even that capacity proved insufficient. The auction house opened additional seating areas and cleared out spaces previously used to store miscellaneous items, yet people still packed the entire building.

Cultivators who failed to obtain admission tickets gathered dejectedly outside the auction house, unwilling to leave despite having no way inside.

Traveling cultivators passing through Fourfold City had also remained behind to witness the grand occasion. Experts from several nearby cities had even arrived after hearing the news two days earlier.

"What do we do? There aren't any admission tickets left," Ye Linghan said with a frown as she studied the crowd ahead.

They had reached the Skyhalberd Auction House without encountering any ambush from the Wen Clan.

Having spent the past two days inside the estate, neither of them had found an opportunity to purchase admission tickets.

"Don't worry. Someone will come and take us inside," Liu Wuxie replied with a mysterious smile.

He stood quietly in the distance and watched the crowd clamoring around the entrance. Those unable to enter loudly demanded that the auction house open more areas and admit additional guests.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, the hooked-nosed elder responsible for receiving guests emerged from the building.

"Young Master Liu, Young Lady Ye, please come with me. We've prepared a private section for you," he said, gesturing toward another entrance.

Liu Wuxie wasted no time on formalities and led Ye Linghan through the entrance. The passage normally served only important figures, but after two days of contemplation, Gu Yi had likely deduced that Liu Wuxie was the middle-aged man who had visited him.

Since Liu Wuxie had engineered the entire affair, he naturally wouldn't miss today's auction. Gu Yi had therefore sent the hooked-nosed elder outside to wait for his arrival.

As they crossed the corridor, a tide of noise rolled toward them from the auction house. The venue was already thunderously boisterous even though the auction hadn't begun.

The auction house contained three levels. The highest was also the smallest, divided into several private sections reserved for Fourfold City's most prominent figures.

The Wen Clan had arrived one step ahead of Liu Wuxie and occupied a quarter of the level, filling its entire section with powerful experts.

Directly opposite them sat Ye Guhai and the experts from the City Lord Mansion, whose numbers roughly matched the Wen Clan's. The remaining sections belonged to the city's other powerful families.

Those families couldn't compare to the Wen Clan or the City Lord Mansion in status, but no one could underestimate them. Every one of their forces possessed Divine Immortals.

The second level housed second-tier clans and the leaders of smaller sects, whose numbers far exceeded those on the third level. The first level was considerably noisier, packed with ordinary residents of Fourfold City whose cultivation remained relatively low. The auction house had primarily admitted them to create a lively atmosphere and never expected them to spend vast sums on treasures.

"This way, please," the hooked-nosed elder said.

He escorted Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan to a private section on the third level, placing them well away from both the Wen Clan and the City Lord Mansion.

The Wen Clan occupied the left side, with another clan positioned between them and Liu Wuxie. Reaching him would require them to cross that clan's section. The City Lord Mansion's forces occupied the right under roughly the same arrangement, meaning they also had to overcome a barrier before reaching Liu Wuxie.

Neither the Wen Clan nor the City Lord Mansion could easily make trouble.

Liu Wuxie found the Skyhalberd Auction House's arrangements entirely satisfactory.

"This is your reward," Liu Wuxie said, producing ten thousand immortal stones for the hooked-nosed elder.

"Thank you, Young Master Liu!" the elder replied with a courteous bow.

He accepted the immortal stones before stepping away.

Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan took their seats. No one else occupied the spacious section, leaving the entire area to the two of them. The instant they sat down, attention converged upon them from every direction.

"It's Ye Linghan and Liu Wuxie!" someone exclaimed from the second level.

Cries of surprise swept through the crowd as everyone looked at the pair.

Those seated on the third level also turned to look. Boundless murderous intent erupted from the left as every Wen Clan expert except Wen Changxing surged to his feet, eager to tear Liu Wuxie apart on the spot.

The City Lord Mansion showed little reaction. Elder Wu and the others remained furious with Liu Wuxie, but their anger hadn't reached the point of wanting him dead.

The other clans studied Liu Wuxie with meaningful gazes, unable to fathom what he was plotting. This one man had thrown all of Fourfold City into turmoil and placed both the Wen Clan and the City Lord Mansion on edge.

Liu Wuxie had seized the Sumeru Stone, yet instead of handing it to the City Lord Mansion, he had consigned it to the Skyhalberd Auction House. No one could understand what he hoped to accomplish.

Over the past two days, countless wise men had attempted to unravel Liu Wuxie's intentions, but they had failed. His decision had offended not only the Wen Clan but also the City Lord Mansion. Was he deliberately courting death?

Had Liu Wuxie not saved Ye Guhai's life, the City Lord Mansion would have killed him already.

"Liu Wuxie is truly fearless. How dare he show himself at the Skyhalberd Auction House? Isn't he afraid of the Wen Clan?" a cultivator asked.

Discussions erupted across the second level. With the auction yet to begin, everyone treated the unfolding conflict as entertainment.

"Can't you see Ye Linghan sitting beside him? Before the Wen Clan can kill Liu Wuxie, they'll have to get past her. Ye Guhai would never stand by and watch his daughter die. The moment that happens, this stops being a minor confrontation and becomes a devastating war," a perceptive cultivator explained.

Everyone nodded in realization. That was precisely why the Wen Clan hadn't attacked.

Unless the Wen Clan could kill Liu Wuxie with a single blow, any attempt on his life would ignite a devastating battle. Both factions would suffer severe losses, leaving the other forces free to reap the benefits.

Neither the Wen Clan nor the City Lord Mansion was foolish enough to overlook that danger. Both factions suppressed their anger and waited for the Sumeru Stone to appear.

Liu Wuxie had exploited that delicate balance to maneuver between the two forces, walking along the edge of a blade. A single misstep would condemn him beyond redemption.

"Where did Liu Wuxie come from? Ever since he appeared, people have been dying because of him, whether in Fourfold City or Moon Reverence City."

Many cultivators had traveled from Moon Reverence City and personally witnessed Liu Wuxie slaughter twenty-three Wen Clan experts.

They also knew that the destruction of the Azure Bamboo Gang and the White Tiger Merchant Association had been closely connected to him. Now that Liu Wuxie had entered Fourfold City, another storm had begun gathering.

It was no longer a secret that Liu Wuxie had used a scheme to kill seven Wen Clan experts, including a ninth-level Origin Immortal. In the absence of Divine Immortals, ninth-level Origin Immortals stood at the summit even within Eastern Emperor City.

"Countless people have investigated his background, but no one has discovered anything. It's almost as though he appeared out of nowhere."

Members of several smaller clans shook their heads. They also wanted to know where Liu Wuxie had come from, especially after this seemingly insignificant man had plunged two cities into turmoil.

Such accomplishments would have made sense if Liu Wuxie were a peerless expert. Yet according to everything they knew, he had only reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm two months ago, placing his cultivation near the bottom of the celestial realm's hierarchy.

In slightly over two months, he had risen from the Heavenly Immortal Realm to the True Immortal Realm. The speed of that advancement had completely shattered their understanding of cultivation.

As time passed, Ye Linghan gradually relaxed. She had secretly gathered her strength out of concern that the Wen Clan might attack them, only to realize that her caution had been unnecessary.

After glaring furiously at the pair, the Wen Clan stopped paying them any attention.

Because the auction had been arranged at short notice, the Skyhalberd Auction House hadn't prepared many items for sale. The Sumeru Stone remained the true centerpiece of the entire event.

With roughly fifteen minutes remaining before the auction, the venue reached full capacity. The main doors slowly closed, denying entrance to anyone else and completely isolating the auction house from the outside world. Even if chaos engulfed Fourfold City, those inside the Skyhalberd Auction House wouldn't sense it.

The restriction prevented even a Communication Talisman from transmitting messages outside, primarily to preserve the auction's fairness. Without it, someone who lacked sufficient immortal stones could summon outside assistance by using a Communication Talisman and distort the bidding.

Every auction house followed the same practice. The Skyhalberd Auction House was no exception.

Years ago, when Liu Wuxie had trapped the Grand Unity Sect inside an auction house on Vermilion Bird Star, the sect could only sell its governing rights over planets to the auction house rather than to the other clans. The private rooms had prevented any communication between them unless they opened their windows.

The instant the auction house doors closed, thunderous rumbles erupted across Fourfold City. Over a dozen figures emerged from the City Lord Mansion, and Wu Sheng stood among them.

If Wu Sheng had remained inside the City Lord Mansion, then who was the Wu Sheng sitting in the auction house?