Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 326 - Snow Lotus Essence

In the blink of an eye, many attackers had fallen, leaving only four struggling to hold on. But the Primordial Astral Fist continued its onslaught, now infused with the metal attribute.

It felt that the space around them was about to explode, and two more bodies were turned into blood mist before Liu Wuxie's punch even landed.

Even Liu Wuxie was shocked by the power of his punch, and he realized he had underestimated the power of the Primordial Astral Fist.

When he had fought Du Sha, he was still in the integration phase with the Primordial Astral Fist. Through his continuous refinement over the past few days, he finally showed signs of entering the initial mastery of this fist technique, grasping some profundities.

"Holy shit!" Cao Wenkang didn't hesitate to flee, abandoning Pang Tie without a second thought. He even lost one of his shoes when he ran. Liu Wuxie was no longer a human in his eyes but a monster.

Even someone in the ninth-level True Core Realm couldn't kill so many people with one punch. Yet, it was accomplished by someone at the fourth level. Reflecting on what had transpired in the Mission Hall, Cao Wenkang deeply regretted his actions.

"Die!" Liu Wuxie's punch descended like a meteorite.

Heavens seemed to crack, and it felt as though the entire mountain range was shaking. Bai Lin and Tang Tian couldn't withstand the shockwave and were swept away.

Cao Wenkang and Pang Tie had long been obliterated from this world. This was a one-sided massacre that took place in three breaths when everyone had expected it to be a fierce battle.

Even Liu Wuxie couldn't believe that this was all done by him. He had already overestimated the Primordial Astral Fist. But he realized this fist technique was more profound than he had imagined, and he had only comprehended a tiny fraction.

When he landed, his face was expressionless as he surveyed the scattered pieces of flesh. He had vented all the ferocity from his heart.

After all, he had nearly died at the hands of Yu Tianyi when he had entered the cultivation world. Even before entering the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, he was humiliated by someone like Mei Zizheng and was forced to retaliate.

Upon becoming an outer disciple, he was provoked by Zhang Lin's group, and they kept coming at him even after he crippled them. They even sought experts like Zhao Yihai and Du Sha to kill him.

In the Book Collection Pavilion, he was provoked by Su Ji, and Deacon Kou had purposely made things difficult for him.

All these events over the past ten days had been weighing on his heart, and he finally felt alleviated now that he released all the emotions.

"Junior Brother Liu, you've given us a huge surprise!" Bai Lin and Tang Tian ran over excitedly without a hint of jealousy. They wouldn't have formed a team with him to venture together if they were jealous of him.

"Sorry, but I didn't purposely hide my strength," Liu Wuxie apologized. The cultivation world was brutal, and no one would reveal all their trump cards.

"We understand. Let's clean up the battlefield. It might attract powerful profound beasts if the blood stench is too strong." Bai Lin assured Liu Wuxie that there was no need for an explanation. Everyone had their secrets, and so did they. As long as those secrets didn't harm their relationship, it was fine.

The three cleaned up the battlefield quickly. The energy from the twelve corpses was already devoured by the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, becoming Liu Wuxie's nourishment.

When liquified spiritual energy poured into the world in his dantian, Liu Wuxie's cultivation began to rise, and he was only one step away from the fifth-level True Core Realm.

Bai Lin and Tang Tian exchanged a look and could see the shock in each other's eyes.

This battle had significantly boosted Liu Wuxie's strength, and he could reach the fifth-level True Core Realm within three days. After all, the energy from twelve cultivators in the eighth level was terrifying, and Liu Wuxie should've reached the fifth level by night.

However, because Liu Wuxie practiced the Primordial Astral Fist, his physique was tempered with a star appearing in his dantian. This meant the amount of resources he required would grow to a terrifying height.

This was also a headache for Liu Wuxie because his cultivation only increased after absorbing the energy from so many people, but he couldn't make a breakthrough.

The trio returned to the campsite after tidying up.

"Junior Brother Liu, we obtained eighty-thousand spirit stones, three thousand spiritual herbs, and numerous pills. They're all your spoils." Bai Lin handed over the interspatial pouches they had collected. He had already sorted out the resources and gave them to Liu Wuxie.

"Thirty thousand spirit stones for each of us. I have other uses for the spiritual herbs, so I won't share them with you." Liu Wuxie was straightforward to take out sixty thousand spirit stones and split them between Bai Lin and Tang Tian.

"This isn't appropriate because we didn't help. You killed them, and the spoils should be yours." Bai Lin waved his hand, and he wasn't shameless enough to take a share when they didn't contribute to the fight.

"There's no need to be polite with me unless you two don't consider me as a brother." Bai Lin and Tang Tian had risked their lives to form a team with him, and Liu Wuxie naturally wouldn't be stingy with just some spirit stones.

Since they had decided to form a team, they naturally had to share both the good and the bad.

Under Liu Wuxie's insistence, the two finally accepted the spirit stones and were excited. After all, killing others was the best way to accumulate wealth.

The trio rested for a night before continuing their journey the next day.

The change in Bai Lin and Tang Tian's attitude towards Liu Wuxie was palpable.

The Snow Lotus Root could only be found in one location: the Azure Mountain Lake bordering the Azure Crimson Gate.

"Junior Brother Liu, we need to proceed carefully," Bai Lin cautioned, slowing down. "That area isn't controlled by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion or the Azure Crimson Gate. It's a neutral zone with many mercenaries."

A hundred miles east belonged to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's territory, which was relatively safe. The Scarlet Sun Mountain Range was vast, and a thousand miles was just one-tenth of it.

Liu Wuxie nodded and executed Ghost Eye while the three traversed through the woods, approaching Azure Mountain Lake. With Bai Lin leading the way, they saved a lot of time.

The Azure Mountain Lake appeared before them after a day, and it was massive. The lakewater was azure, hence the name.

Opposite the lake was a towering peak that formed the complete scenery of the Azure Mountain Lake.

"The Snow Lotus Root is usually found at the bottom of the lake. I'm good at swimming, so let me dive down and fetch it." Tang Tian volunteered to dive into the lake and retrieve the Snow Lotus Root.

Since they had combined their missions to form a team, they could work together.

"There are dangers at the bottom of the lake. You two stay here to guard against ambushes." Liu Wuxie sensed several powerful presences beneath the lake through Ghost Eye.

Those must be powerful aquatic beasts, and they were stronger than humans. In water, they were close to invincible.

However, as long as one was adequately prepared for the mission, it would be relatively safe if they avoided the beasts.

The two followed Liu Wuxie's instructions and patrolled the lakeside to prevent ambushes while Liu Wuxie was underwater. Ambushes were common, with cultivators often attacked by others when they emerged from the lake. This resulted in hundreds of deaths in the Azure Mountain Lake each year.

Furthermore, Liu Wuxie had another reason for diving into the lake. The Snow Lotus Root was a sixth-grade spiritual herb, and he planned on gathering more.

Removing his outer garment, Liu Wuxie dove into the lake and swam agilely like a fish, venturing deeper into the lake.

Bai Lin and Tang Tian patrolled the lakeside, ready to help if there was any danger.

Icy water poured down Liu Wuxie's neck, but it didn't affect his vision. The depth of the Azure Mountain Lake reached more than three hundred meters, which ordinary people couldn't reach through diving.

Even the best swimmers could barely reach thirty meters deep. This was because the water pressure would increase as the depth increased. The pressure wasn't something the average body could withstand.

Liu Wuxie's body was far stronger than ordinary people's. When he dove thirty meters down, he struggled to dive deeper due to the strong buoyancy that constantly pushed his body upward.

He took out a large meteorite iron from his interspatial pouch and used its weight to carry on diving. He had come prepared and had thought every step through.

The lakeside was peaceful, but Tang Tian and Bai Lin didn't dare to relax as they scanned the surroundings.

Suddenly, footsteps and voices could be heard coming from another direction.

"Quick, hide!" Bai Lin whispered as he hid behind a large rock with Tang Tian. They did this to avoid being discovered, as they didn't know who was approaching.

Five young men and women dressed in red robes with Azure Crimson Gate's insignia approach. The Azure Crimson Gate's attire was red, and every disciple wore a red robe.

"Senior Brother Qian Zhou, is what you said true? The bottom of the Azure Mountain Lake has given birth to a Snow Lotus Essence?"

Among the five, the man leading the party was the strongest, with cultivation in the ninth-level True Core Realm. The other four were in the eighth level, and this lineup shocked Bai Lin and Tang Tian.

"I'm sure. If a Snow Lotus Root grows for a thousand years, it will produce a strand of Snow Lotus Essence. If I refine it, I can reach the Heavenly Dipper Realm," Qian Zhou said with his eyes shining brightly. He couldn't wait to obtain the Snow Lotus Essence.

"Don't worry about it. The Snow Lotus Essence will surely be yours, Senior Brother Qian. After all, we'll be depending on you to look after us once you become an inner disciple." The two men and women spoke in a flattering tone, eager to curry favor with Qian Zhou. Their status in the sect would rise alongside his advancement.

"Rest assured, guard this place for me. Make sure no one approaches." Qian Zhou patted his chest and removed his outer clothing before jumping into Azure Mountain Lake and diving down.

Bai Lin paced back and forth anxiously. He was fearless of the four in the eighth level of the True Core Realm, but they were no match for Qian Zhou, who was in the ninth level.

Qian Zhou had entered the lake, and they would alert the other four if they went down. This was the same as telling them they had a companion in the lake.

"Senior Brother Bai, what should we do? We need to notify Junior Brother Liu quickly and warn him about Qian Zhou," Tang Tian said, anxiety evident in his voice as he worried about Liu Wuxie, who was alone at the lake.

"I'm also anxious, but what can we do now?" Even if they could deal with the four on land, they could do nothing to Qian Zhou, who was in the lake. It was all up to Liu Wuxie's luck now.

The lakewater grew colder as Liu Wuxie dived over a hundred meters deep, and the surroundings were enveloped in darkness. But relying on Ghost Eye, he could roughly see underwater.

Liu Wuxie suddenly stopped when a faint ripple traveled to the bottom of the lake.

Did someone come down? Could it be Bai Lin and Tang Tian? Liu Wuxie wondered to himself. He soon saw someone diving down quickly, exuding a powerful aura.

"A disciple from the Azure Crimson Gate!" Liu Wuxie murmured, quickening his pace. He was determined to retrieve the Snow Lotus Root as quickly as possible.

He had already dove more than a hundred meters deep, and he would inevitably have to confront Qian Zhou when he went up, which would lead to a battle.