Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 318 - Mysterious Jade Slip

Liu Wuxie had just joined the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and was by himself. There was no harm in befriending more people if he wanted to gain a footing in the sect swiftly.

"Do you have a way?" The youth grabbed onto Liu Wuxie's arm, pleading with his eyes.

Three agonizing days had passed, and the herb he needed remained elusive. The youth's friend was slipping away, and he could not stop it. But Liu Wuxie's words, like a beacon in the darkness, offered a glimmer of hope.

"These are three Detoxification Pills. It won't be able to eliminate the poison from his body, but it can sustain his life for the time being. You can take me to him tonight, and I'll treat his poison." Liu Wuxie took out three pills and handed them to the youth.

The youth was skeptical as he took the pills from Liu Wuxie. Then again, he didn't have any better options for now.

Liu Wuxie also didn't expect the youth to believe him entirely, and the three Detoxification Pills weren't precious.

When the two parted ways, Liu Wuxie continued through the marketplace, heading to another region. He wanted to try his luck and see if he could find anything else.

The marketplace was wide enough for three carriages to pass, and most people either stood, squatted, or laid out cloth on the ground to display their items.

Most of the people here were outer disciples, but there were occasionally inner disciples who received respect wherever they went.

Core disciples couldn't be seen in the marketplace because they rarely frequented the market after reaching their level. Items that could be found in the marketplace were common finds, with few being rare.

Although cultivation techniques could be found here, most were incomplete and useless. Damaged weapons were also scattered by the roadside.

Liu Wuxie used Ghost Eye to scan through each item meticulously, ensuring he wouldn't miss any hidden treasures. He had heard stories of others making remarkable discoveries in this marketplace, like finding an incomplete heaven-grade martial technique.

"How much for Fasting Pills?" Liu Wuxie asked as he approached a stall with a wide selection of them.

"One mid-grade spirit stone for ten pills!" the seller replied. He looked like a brute, casually dressed in animal hide covering his upper body, with ragged cloth covering the essential parts of his lower body, suitable for the warm summer weather.

"I'll take all the Fasting Pills!" Liu Wuxie retrieved ten mid-grade spirit stones to buy all one hundred Fasting Pills. He planned to go into a few days of seclusion, meaning he couldn't afford to run out of Fasting Pills.

One hundred Fasting Pills could last him for a month, relieving him of any worries about food during this period. After he walked for roughly half a mile, the crowd thinned, and his view expanded. He bought all the spiritual herbs he came across.

As he walked, he scanned each item with Ghost Eye to prevent missing out on treasures.

The mysterious tree inside his dantian began to tremble as though it had sensed something. Liu Wuxie was elated as it indicated the presence of a treasure.

He followed the guidance of the mysterious tree and arrived before a stall with a few broken jade slips and some fragmented tiles on display.

This shop didn't stand out because the jade slips were severely damaged. But he could discern the words inside when he scanned them with Ghost Eye. They weren't records of cultivation techniques but diaries.

He scanned through the items on display multiple times and found nothing. This puzzled him, and he wondered if the mysterious tree had sensed it wrongly.

However, when Ghost Eye scanned a jade slip in a corner, he felt a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy.

"There's something unusual!" Several words were engraved on the surface of the jade slip, but the true secrets lay deep within, and it was impenetrable even to the divine sense.

"How much for this jade slip?" Liu Wuxie asked the vendor after retrieving the Ghost Eye. The vendor was an inner disciple, which surprised Liu Wuxie.

"One hundred mid-grade spirit stones!" The vendor said in a lazy voice. The jade slip was heavily damaged, but he priced it high—one hundred mid-grade spirit stones were equivalent to a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Spending one hundred mid-grade spirit stones for a damaged jade slip was a luxury for an ordinary outer disciple. Judging from the jade slip’s outer appearance, it was trash with no apparent value.

However, only those who practiced an eye technique could glimpse something deeper inside.

Liu Wuxie took out one hundred mid-grade spirit stones without hesitation and handed them to the vendor before picking up the jade slip.

However, right then, a hand reached out to grab the other end of the jade slip.

This made Liu Wuxie frown, as he hadn't noticed the three people who had appeared beside him. Dressed in brown clothes, they were clearly outer disciples of the Earth Force Peak.

One of them was grabbing the other end of the jade slip, unwilling to let go. Seeing this, Liu Wuxie unleashed his true essence, which forced this person back. A hint of murderous intent flashed in this person's eyes because Liu Wuxie dared to shake him off.

"Brat, you're courting death!" Luo Mingyang roared, enraged. He reached for Liu Wuxie's shoulder, displaying his overbearing nature by attacking without a word.

Then again, it was no wonder he was so overbearing because he had a cultivation in the ninth level of the True Core Realm.

On the other hand, Liu Wuxie was only in the fourth level of the True Core Realm, and he had just made his breakthrough recently. Thus, he was naturally insignificant in the eyes of these high-level outer disciples.

Liu Wuxie avoided Luo Mingyang's palm with a sway because he didn't want any trouble for now. He stowed the jade slip into his interspatial pouch because he had noticed a dark flash in Luo Mingyang's left eye earlier, meaning Luo Mingyang also practiced an eye technique.

Luo Mingyang was passing by earlier and noticed the fluctuation in the jade slip, but Liu Wuxie had bought it beforehand. When he tried to snatch it away, he was forced back by the latter's true essence. This was the reason why he was enraged and acted against Liu Wuxie.

Seeing how Liu Wuxie avoided his palm strike, Luo Mingyang narrowed his eyes. He might've only used fifty percent of his strength, but it wasn't something someone in the fourth level of the True Core Realm could dodge so easily.

"Why did you attack me all of a sudden?" Liu Wuxie's face became grim. He had bought the jade slip with spirit stones. However, Luo Mingyang had tried to snatch it away from him without saying anything, and anyone would be furious if they were in Liu Wuxie’s position.

"Hand the jade slip over, and I can let bygones be bygones!" Luo Mingyang had no intention of explaining himself, demanding Liu Wuxie to hand over the jade slip.

Neither Liu Wuxie nor Luo Mingyang knew what was inside the jade slip. But the fact that there were spiritual energy fluctuations inside was a sign that the jade slip wasn't ordinary.

The vendor opened his eyes to look at the two who were fighting over a damaged jade slip.

"I was the one who bought it, so why should I hand it over?" Liu Wuxie sneered with disdain in his tone. Ever since comprehending the Heavenly Dao Book, his strength had undergone a drastic transformation. Even if he couldn't kill someone in the ninth level of the True Core Realm, it wouldn't be easy for Luo Mingyang to kill him.

"Just because my name is Luo Mingyang!" His voice boomed, carrying several hundred meters. This instantly drew countless eyes, especially when they heard Luo Mingyang's name.

"What's going on? Who offended Luo Mingyang?" A crowd soon gathered in the surroundings, wanting to see what was happening. The surroundings were quickly filled with people, forming multiple layers.

"Who's that brat standing opposite Luo Mingyang?" A few of Mortal Plume Peak's disciples sneered because Luo Mingyang was famous among the outer disciples. Not only did he have a high ranking in the Earth Force Peak, but he was also renowned among the other peaks.

"See that? How dare you oppose our Senior Brother Luo. Do you know how 'death' is written?" The two other disciples that came with Luo Mingyang weren't weak and were both in the eighth level of the True Core Realm. The one who spoke was standing on the right and looked at Liu Wuxie with ridicule.

"What a joke! I bought the jade slip first. Yet, you tried to snatch it and even attacked me. This is the marketplace where free trade is practiced!" Liu Wuxie secretly accumulated his strength, prepared to resort to drastic measures if necessary.

"How much did you spend on it? I'll buy it from you." With so many people gathered around, Luo Mingyang couldn't go too far, as it would tarnish his reputation and brand him as a bully.

Luo Mingyang was willing to buy the jade slip with spirit stones if the price was suitable. After all, he detected a hint of spiritual energy in it even from so far away, proving that the jade slip was extraordinary.

"Not for sale!" Liu Wuxie replied blatantly. He wouldn't hand the jade slip over to such a person, even if it was garbage.

"Brat, are you courting death? Senior Brother Luo has shown you enough respect and is willing to buy it from you. Don't push it!" The youth on the left stepped forward and slapped Liu Wuxie on the left cheek, not giving Liu Wuxie the chance to respond.

This slap would’ve definitely landed if it were someone else in the fourth level of the True Core Realm.

"Get lost!" a roar echoed, and violent, murderous intent poured out from Liu Wuxie. The murderous intent formed into a powerful shockwave that blew everything away in the shops on both sides.

Forming a fist with his right hand, Liu Wuxie made a strange posture and attacked the youth's underarm, catching him off guard. Everything happened quickly, and it was too late for Luo Mingyang to respond.

The youth was sent flying out and smashing into the ruins. He was in the eighth level of the True Core Realm, but he was sent flying by someone in the fourth level.

"He must have been careless. After all, there's a four-level difference between them." Those gathered in the surroundings discussed among themselves. They all felt that Liu Wuxie's attack only managed to land because of his sneak attack.

Luo Mingyang's face was terrifyingly grim because the two junior brothers who followed him were his lackeys. Hitting his lackey in front of him was the same as slapping his face, and Luo Mingyang would lose his footing among the outer disciples if he did nothing.

Liu Wuxie had already taken a defensive stance. When Luo Mingyang made his move, he would execute the Fatality Blade Art to kill.

Even if the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion were to investigate, the worst they could do was dock him a few months' worth of spirit stones. With tens of thousands of mid-grade spirit stones in his possession, he didn't care about losing the few hundred issued monthly.

"Brat, I want you dead!" Luo Mingyang said, gritting his teeth. He released his aura in the pinnacle of the True Core Realm that swept towards Liu Wuxie like a tidal wave.

Everyone in the surroundings quickly retreated, not wanting to get involved. The atmosphere between Liu Wuxie and Luo Mingyang became tense, as though a deathmatch would erupt the next moment.

The youth who had fallen into the ruins got back up with blood dripping from his lips, and he looked at Liu Wuxie viciously.

With things developing this way, there was no path of retreat for Liu Wuxie, and the Heretic Blade appeared in his hand.

"Luo Mingyang, is bullying newcomers the only thing you know? Don't make me look down on you!" A lazy voice sounded when a fight was about to erupt between Liu Wuxie and Luo Mingyang.